by Pastor Daniel

Introduction
Christmas is really around the corner - we are entering the final month of the year 2016.  We are all busy preparing for Christmas now.  I am sure some of us would have our Christmas tree up.  We are also drawing up a gift list for the people whom we care and love.  But then, how else are we to gear up for Christmas?

I was asked, “Is our church growing?  If not, why is that so?”  I have been pondering over this the past few weeks.  Yes, there is much to be done and the church is not really growing.  That is indeed a concern.  How can a church continue to grow?

EVANGELISM
One of the keys, besides the hands of God is our concern for the kingdom of God.  Throwing ourselves back to the Great Commission, God has given us the Mandate to preach the good news of Jesus Christ.  What better time would it be than the seasons of Christmas.  The word, “EVANGELISM” invokes a few feelings in many of us.  On the negative side, it is guilt and on the positive side, urgency.  

When I think of these two aspects, I cannot help but to think how the great evangelist, the apostle Paul felt about evangelism.  Perhaps we can see something by which we could put ourselves into.

DUTY - “I am under obligation”: Romans 1:14
In Romans 1:14, when Paul spoke about the power of the gospel in salvation, he mentioned about how he felt about sharing the gospel.  The feeling word here is “obligation”.  He felt an obligation to the people.  He had a duty to perform.  It was driven basically by a sense of duty that must be fulfilled.

Is that wrong?  I am sure it is not.  That is how Paul felt and I believe many of us feel the same way.  To whom do you think you are obliged to share the gospel?  Before you say, “Of course everybody!”, who are directly connected to you that you are obligated? 
 
I believe these are the ones who are probably connected to us as relatives.  When the Bible says, “When one member of the household is saved, the whole household will be saved,”, it would simply mean we immediately become the avenue by which they can be saved.  In that sense, I am now under obligation to reach out to them.  That would mean my parents, my spouse, my children, my loved ones.  Of course there are those whom you are motivated to reach out because of love and there may be those simply out of obligation.  Both instances are equally good.  Let us reach out to them.  Let us pray for them.  Let us bring them to a place where the gospel is shared.  Let us SHARE the gospel with them.

DESIRE - “it pleased God through the folly of what we preach” : I Cor 1:21
In this verse, the “feeling” word is “pleased” God.  It was the desire of Paul to do just that.  It was pleasing to God when he preached the gospel to those who believe, Jews or Gentiles.

I am sure in many of our evangelism endeavors, they are basically to fulfill the call by which we are called.  It is about pleasing the Lord in doing His will.  It is about honoring God in obedience to the Great Commission to preach the gospel.  

As I think of this feeling, it is about doing evangelism in the church context.  The church would organize programs and activities to do this work.  This Christmas is one example.  As the Care Groups are organizing evangelistic Christmas party, we want to be involved simply because it pleases the Lord.  The young adults are busy preparing their carols and skit so that the gospel can be shared and they know that it pleases the Lord.  You and I bring our friends for that meeting because it pleases the Lord.  Let us desire that people will come to the Lord this Christmas and also at other times.

DRIVING PASSION - “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish” : Rom 9:1
This next word is the word, burden or passion that Paul had that became his driving passion to be an apostle of Jesus Christ.

This is probably the greatest word of the Holy Spirit in our lives - how He would put a great burden on us, a passion so strong that we cannot help but preach the gospel to a given group of people.  The result is usually a ministry - a burden for the youth, a burden for children, a burden for senior citizens, a burden for China, a burden for Russia, etc.

God has given us different burdens and passions and let us be involved in the sharing of the gospel no matter what feelings God placed in our hearts.  There is an urgency.  A church that evangelizes will never go wrong but strong.

May this Christmas be a season where we would share the gospel and see many coming into the kingdom of God.  Let us pray fervently for those whom we want to evangelize.  Let us put their names into paper and pray for them.  God bless.