Paul insists that all Christians evangelise. 2 Corinthians 5:9-21

Paul obviously saw this need for ‘personal workers’. Workers is the best term. A Japanese lad asked for a job in a small company that was already well supplied with staff so he was told,

“I am sorry, but we really haven't enough work to keep another lad busy.”

“Madam,” said the lad politely, “I am sure that you have. You may not know how little work it takes to keep me employed.”

One does not have to go to Japan to find such people; they can be found in most churches. Paul recognised the urgent need for Christian workers in Corinth. He goes into more detail as to what motivates Christians to persuade others about the claims of Christ. In the following passage he gives three reasons.

2 Corinthians 5:9-21

9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.

10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due to him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

11 Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience.

12 We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart.

13 If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.

14 For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.

15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

16 So from now on we regard no-one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:

19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.

21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Paul gives us all four reasons why all christians should make outreach with the gospel a priority:

1) The Coming Judgment.

“So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due to him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men.” 2 Corinthians 5 v. 9-11

The first reason they tried to persuade people about the relevance of Jesus, was because they ‘feared the Lord’. This was no empty religious phrase. The context clearly shows that it was the coming judgment that brought about this healthy respect. We will all have to stand before God one day and explain the reason for our priorities. This is a very good reason why we also should make it our ambition to live in a way that pleases the one who is going to be our judge! This is not a doctrine of salvation by works, but a reminder that works will inevitably follow if the Holy Spirit is really in our lives. At the final judgment there will be no need to analyse our doctrines, all will be clear when it is revealed how our doctrines have changed our lives!

2) An Understanding of Christ’s Love.

If the Lord Jesus Christ entered this world to die for all people, how can we continue to live just for ourselves in this life? This is a very powerful argument for all Christians.

“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should not longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” 2 Corinthians 5:14-15

This outlook should completely change our thinking. We have been bought with a price and so we are not our own. Our purpose as Christians is not to live selfishly for the ‘now’ but for the ‘then’. Jesus came so that all people could have the opportunity of becoming members of his kingdom and he has delegated that task of recruitment to us. To be a true Christian, to be in God’s kingdom, is the only thing that matters from an eternal perspective. So Paul can say,

“So from now on we regard no-one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:16-17

This thinking comes from God, Paul proclaims. It was God who has put us right with himself through the work of the Lord Jesus. It is only through Christ’s death as our substitute on that cross that we can have any hope at all of standing before a holy, almighty God.

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them.” 2 Corinthians 5:18

In the light of such love how can we Christians not long to play our part to share such love with everyone we can?

Over a hundred years ago the great American Bible teacher, R.A.Torrey wrote,

“If we have no love for souls, our efforts will be mechanical and powerless. We may know how to approach men and what to say to them, but there will be no power in what to say and it will not touch the heart. But if, like Paul, we have “great heaviness and unceasing pain in our hearts” for the unsaved, there will be an earnestness in our tone and manner that will impress the most careless. Furthermore if we have a love for souls we will be on the constant watch for opportunities to speak with the unsaved. . .”i

When we really understand what it meant for Jesus to leave heaven, come down to this earth and then to die for us, so that we could have a close relationship with him as his special people, we will want to respond to such love. It takes a very hard person not to do so!

“Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all.” 2 Corinthians 5 v. 14

Paul reminds us that without Jesus we are spiritually dead, but when we turn to Christ we become completely new people.

To become a Christian is the beginning of a completely new life and lifestyle. Understanding his love for me will drive me on to live openly for him. It is true that Jesus loves me as I am, but he loves me too much to leave me like that.

3) We are under Orders.

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5 v. 18-20

In this remarkable passage we are again reminded that our salvation was planned and potentially achieved by God himself. ‘God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them.’ Jesus achieved this for us on that cross.

Yet, in spite of all he has done, there is one part that is delegated to us - that is the business of passing on the story of this salvation. This is an awesome responsibility but that this is our job is abundantly clear from this passage. Paul mentions it three times to stress the point!

a) v. 18 ‘God gave us the ministry of reconciliation’

b) v. 19 ‘He committed to us the message of reconciliation’

c) v. 20 ‘We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us’

Because we have been commissioned with this charge, we can boldly say , as God’s representatives,

“We implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:20

What an honour and privilege this is. The God of the universe has trusted you and me with his message of salvation. If we pass it on faithfully, others can find the salvation that God wants them to have. If we don’t, not only will they be lost, but we will have to give a reason for our failure to God himself, standing face to face with Jesus who has done so much for us.

The prophets in the Old Testament understood all this. They realised it would be costly. Joshua was reassured that in the daunting task that faced him, for which he had been commissioned, the Lord would be with him. The Lord said,

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, or the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

The Lord had said ‘Go’ and the next line responds, ‘So . . .”

Gideon felt hopelessly inadequate for the task God had called him to do, particularly when he reduced the number of his troops from 32,000 down to 300! The Lord wanted Gideon to learn the same lesson that he wants us to learn. It is not our ability or power that will achieve God’s will, but his own power. Gideon had to learn the lesson, that when the Lord repeatedly said, “I will be with you,” he really meant it. When the Lord said to Gideon, “Go in the strength you have,” he was referring to his own presence. Gideon was commissioned.

Isaiah was also commissioned by the Lord,

“Go and tell this people . . .” Isaiah 6:9

Jeremiah was also commissioned,

“Go and proclaim in the hearing of Israel . . .” Jeremiah 2:2

So Jeremiah warned people about God’s coming judgment and was ridiculed for his pains, yet he wrote,

“So the word of the Lord has brought me insult and reproach all day long.

But if I say, ‘I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,’ his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed I cannot.” Jeremiah 20:9

Ezekiel also understood this. He constantly tells people ‘the word of the Lord’, just as we should. He also recognized the responsibility that this knowledge brought with it.

“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die, and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you will be saved yourself.” Ezekiel 33 v. 7-9

Living good moral lives is very important, spending time in prayer is also essential, but beware if anyone thinks that these noble activities can be an alternative for actively passing on the message about the salvation that Christ alone can give to those who are lost.

Just as Joshua, Gideon, Jeremiah and Ezekiel were told to ‘go’, Jesus commissioned the eleven,

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit . . .” Matthew 28:18-19

Some have suggested that this commission was limited to the eleven, but the rest of the sentence makes it clear that subsequent generations are to fulfil this same commission.

“ . . . teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

To remove any doubt, this commission is repeated at the beginning of the book of Acts,

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8

To emphasise the point further, when the Holy Spirit did come down at Pentecost, he descended on every member of the early church. He came down in the form of ‘tongues of fire’ with the obvious meaning that their tongues were to be on fire when they acted as witnesses to the gospel. The rest of the book of Acts tells how the early church was enabled to fulfil the Lord’s commission.

The book of Acts ends as it began,

“Boldly and without hindrance he (Paul) preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.” Acts 28:31

Paul himself did have a personal commission from the Lord. Soon after his conversion on the road to Damascus he was visited by Ananias who laid his hands on Saul and as a result he received his sight back. The Lord had said to Ananias,

“Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and before their kings and before the people of Israel.” Acts 9:15

What about Timothy, the co-author of 2 Corinthians? We know of no special commission from the Lord yet he is also included when they write,

“All this is from God who gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” 2 Corinthians 5:18

There can be little doubt that Timothy’s commission was the same as ours. We know that Paul did lay hands on Timothy to bestow a spiritual gift on him, a gift that Paul felt needed fanning into flame. The next sentence suggests this gift was not something unique to Timothy but seems to be inclusive of all Christians,

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord . . .” 2 Timothy 1:7-8

Surely the message of reconciliation is given to the whole church. We have all been commissioned. The ‘we’ of this section must be all of us.

“And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.” 2 Corinthians 5:19-20

All Christians are ‘God’s fellow-workers’ (2 Cor 6:1) We can all pass on the message of the gospel and we are all commissioned to do so. It is very simple and clear and Paul finishes this section with a reminder,

“We implore you, on Christ’s behalf: be reconciled to God. God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. As Christ’s fellow-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.” 2 Corinthians 5:21-6:1

In 1571 an English bishop wrote in the ‘Book of Homilies’,

“If any one be a dumb Christian, not professing his faith openly, but cloaking and colouring himself for fear of danger to come, he giveth man an occasion justly and with good conscience, to doubt lest he have not the grace of the Holy Spirit within him, because he is tongue tied and doth not speak.”

We must all therefore be careful that we do not presume on the grace of God. The proof that we have his Spirit will be apparent in the way we live our lives with God’s priorities and not our own. Evangelism is no substitute for holiness, but it is an essential part of it.

So many of today’s churchgoers seem to want to keep their faith secret. Experience shows however that either secrecy kills discipleship or discipleship kills secrecy! The Christian who is enjoying a close relationship with his Lord is invariably someone who is keen to obey him and is active in talking about him to others. This is why Paul talks about the need for this when he writes to Philemon.

“I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.” Philemon v. 6

The time is short

Some years ago there was a Bible Reading in the Union of Cambridge University. It was a missionary weekend and there were two speakers booked, each having half an hour to speak. Unfortunately the first speaker went on and on, so that the second speaker, Jim Broomhall, had only three minutes left. He stood and read his text.

“There are some who are ignorant of God, and I say this to your shame. 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 34.”

He looked at the clock and then said,

“I have just got time to read this to you again, “There are some who are ignorant of God, and I say this to your shame”.”

He then sat down. One young man listening was so struck by the words of that verse that he committed his life to telling others about Jesus. His name was David Wheatley-Price. He eventually went to Kenya as a missionary. Some ten years later David was back in that same Union and he recounted this story, reading out the same verse. Another student, Peter Pattison who had been converted in his first year was very much impressed by the same verse. He likewise committed his life to sharing the Christian gospel with others.

It is certainly to our shame if people around us remain ignorant of the gospel.

BVP

iR.A.Torrey, ‘How to Bring Men to Christ’, Chicago, The Bible Institute Colportage Association p.4