Evangelism or Discipleship?
Walter Bennett
The word evangelist only appears in scripture three times. In Acts 21:8, Luke writes that they stayed in Caesarea at the house of Philip the Evangelist. In 2 Timothy 4:5, Paul encourages Timothy to do the work of an evangelist. Neither of these instances gives us any idea of what an evangelist is from a Biblical perspective. But we find out in the third instance, Ephesians 4:11, where we read that
“Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and the teachers….” (NIV)
WHY?
”to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach maturity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (NIV).
But wait! Doesn’t the Great Commission tell us that all Christians are supposed to be evangelists and share the Good News with the whole world? Well, no, and yes. No, it does not tell us that all Christians should be evangelists. That is a misunderstanding that has built up over time that actually tends to keep Christians from doing what the Great Commission DOES call us to do. The word evangelism often evokes a negative image of forced and uncomfortable conversations, often with people we don’t even know, about how they are doomed to hell if they don’t accept Jesus whom they probably know very little, if anything, about. First of all, this image of evangelism has nothing to do with the Ephesians 4:11 reference to evangelists, and second, it is not what the Great Commission is at all.
In Matthew 4, Jesus is just beginning his three years of ministry on the earth. It all begins with Him calling out to the fishermen Andrew and Simon to drop what they are doing and follow Him. He doesn’t break into an explanation of who He is, why He is here, or where He is headed (the cross). He just tells them to follow Him. As we read on, we see Jesus going throughout the land speaking and teaching to crowds and in synagogues. We also see that His following continues to grow. Many people follow Jesus, learning more and more about who He is. In Matthew 5, for the first time, we see the term “disciple” applied to those who are following Jesus. Are these disciples Christians? Not by our definition. To be a Christian a person must accept the grace that is offered through Christ’s death on the cross and give up their life to follow Him. Clearly, these people are following Jesus, but if He hasn’t yet died on the cross, how could they be Christians? Another sign of being a Christian is that you are filled with the Holy Spirit, but we don’t see that happen until the Pentecost, which happens well after we read about these disciples following Jesus.
"Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and the teachers….” (NIV) WHY? ”to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach maturity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (NIV)."
This brings me to the great commission, Matthew 28:16-20:
“Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (NIV).
Notice that the word evangelism, in any form, does not appear here. What Jesus is commanding here is that these disciples are to go and do exactly what He just spent three years showing them how to do: Make disciples who are learning more and more about who Jesus is, through building relationships with them, talking with them, praying with and for them, and showing them. Over time. This is a command to make what I call “First Stage Disciples.” Non-Christians who are learning more and more about Jesus (following Him) through our relationships with them. For us to effectively do this, as what I refer to as “Second Stage Disciples,” we are to strive to become more and more like Jesus, in every possible way.
Kevin and Sherry Harney’s latest book, Organic Disciples, uses Scripture to identify seven markers of spiritual maturity and explores what it looks like for Christians to intentionally seek to grow in each of these seven areas. This is what will help us to become more like Jesus in every aspect. In diligently tending to discipleship in this way, we become better equipped to fulfill the Great Commission, which is to go and make disciples, who make disciples. We do this by following Jesus’ example of building relationships with people and through those relationships, over time, revealing the truth of who Jesus Christ is and what God has to offer through Him. The rest is up to the Holy Spirit moving and the non-Christian (first stage) disciple accepting the offer of grace.
So you see, the Great Commission has nothing to do with evangelism. It has everything to do with growing as disciples (second stage) so that we can make disciples (first stage) who the Holy Spirit, in His timing, will then bring into the kingdom (second stage disciples) who will then go and make (first stage) disciples.
When we help Christians reframe the Great Commission in this way, I believe it will unleash the workers into the field in a way that will shake the enemy to his core.
To learn more about Organic Disciples and our library of free resources, contact Robin Maguire our Director of Engagement.