Evangelism and Spiritual Warfare, Mentor's Guide, MG08

1 8 6 /

E V A N G E L I S M A N D S P I R I T U A L W A R F A R E

1 Cor. 10.33 - Just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved. Phil. 3.17 - Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. 1 Thess. 1.6 - And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit. 2 Thess. 3.9 - It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. Heb. 6.12 - . . . so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. The integrity of the messenger directly colors and impacts the veracity of the message in the eyes of those who must judge both. This devotion concentrates on the actual demonstration of love and justice which undergirds all authentic identification with Jesus Christ. If evangelism was merely the mastery of some marketing skills or slick advertising techniques, anyone could do evangelism. Unfortunately, many today believe that mere slickness of the message is enough to provide credibility to the message of the Gospel. Yet, Jesus never hesitated to clarify the nature of the authentic relationships of those who claimed to know him, and those who actually were in communion with him . Amazingly, Jesus did not make the criteria for understanding him and being known by him the cogency of one’s theological argument, or the grade that one got on the last quiz of the Capstone Curriculum. Rather, the undeniable proof that someone knew him, or rather, were found to be known by him, was their treatment of the lowly and the vulnerable. Plainly said, what one does to the stranger and the naked, the hungry and the thirsty, the sick and the imprisoned is the true litmus test of whether Jesus claims that one knew him or not. In this simple text, Jesus transforms what it means to be his follower, his servant, his leader, his evangelist. Simply knowing what is right and being able to articulate it in either private or public venues is not enough; you must be a certain kind of person, and relate to certain

2 Page 67 Devotion