To evangelize is to proclaim the good news of salvation. Evangelism is from the Greek word, Euangelion. This word literally means, “Gospeling” or spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is a word of action; so in order for us to evangelize, we must be available to go out (away from our comfort zones). How else will we be able to reach those lost and dying souls, who are still needing to hear the whole message? It isn’t enough for us to say the right things, we must be willing to live out loud, unashamedly, what we know from the truth of God’s Holy Word. Do you realize that you may be the only Bible some will ever read?
If our spiritual houses are in order, then we have been called to be alive and to offer up ourselves as a sacrifice that is acceptable to God. How can we expect to be effective in our evangelism efforts if we have no life or zeal within us?
I am reminded of the account in the Bible of the Valley of Dry Bones. It is high time, children of God, that we arise and be lights in this dark world. We need not feel like all hope is lost and use the excuse that because we are so small, we will not be effective. There is truth in the statement that we, within ourselves, won’t be effective. It is only by the Spirit of Almighty God and through the power of the Holy Ghost that any of our efforts will be accomplished. It is in Him that we live and move and have our very being. He breathed life into our lives, just as He did on the valley of dry bones and guess what? Those bones arose and LIVED! If we want to see those in this world, who are completely bound, decaying, cold, and indifferent, full of hate and bitterness come to life and rise up, we have to be lively ourselves. They need to see Jesus within us, the very One who gave us our reason for living. Don’t ever limit God, for He has the power and ability to make even the vilest sinner clean. It isn’t up to us to pick and choose who we think will be or should be saved. Our responsibility is to be a vessel that the Lord can use. Be that light in the darkness, for there are souls who are needing to wake up and arise out of the gross darkness around them.
“1 THE hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, 2 And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. 3 And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. 4 Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. 5 Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: 6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 7 So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. 8 And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. 9 Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. 11 Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. 12 Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. 13 And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, 14 And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD” (Ezekiel 37:1-14).
God showed His people time and time again that it wasn’t by their might, it wasn’t by their power, but it was by His Spirit that they would live and be able to possess the land that He had promised. Do you recognize that it is the same for us today? We cannot rely on our own ability to evangelize; we need His Spirit to breathe upon us and give us exactly what needs to be said or done. Be Alive! Be Available!
“Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5).
Ephesians 2:1-22 also says, “1 AND you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. 11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. 18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. 19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”
Each one of us have known, at some point in our lives, what it is like to be completely dead in our sins. We walked according to the flesh and desired the things of this world. It took the blood of Christ to cleanse us and to quicken us (or make us alive) in Him. It is only by His power that we can become one Body, working together as it pleases the Father. Jesus made it very clear in the book of John that He not only has the power to raise up the physically dead, but He is also able to give life to those who are spiritually dead. You must hear and believe, not only in Christ, but in the Father who sent Him. They alone are the very source of life everlasting.
“24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. 25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. 26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;” (John 5:24-26).
If we are alive and risen in Christ, then death is but a doorway. We have eternal life now and no longer have to fear physical death. It should be a great comfort to know that for a child of God, to live is in Christ and to die is gain!!!
“For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s” (Romans 14:8).
I want to encourage each one to get into the true spirit of evangelism because time is drawing nigh and there are souls who need to wake up and arise. Don’t sit back and miss out on any opportunity to be a light to some lost soul. I don’t know about you, but I am ready to see those who are dead, come back to life! Let’s work together, with our houses in order.
