This week the blog is sponsored by Matthias Media.
Does your evangelistic passion match the New Testament call to proclaim Christ’s name to all people? God calls on us to partner with him in “hastening the coming of the day of God” (2 Pet 3:12) by laboring to make people ready for that day, having a mature faith in Jesus. This is the work the Apostle Paul describes himself doing:
Him we proclaim, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. (Col 1:28–29)
Indeed, this idea of presenting everyone mature in Christ is Paul’s apostolic mission statement. But it isn’t a mission statement only for him. It’s your mission statement too. It’s the mission of all disciples of Jesus, as we imitate Paul:
…not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved. Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. (1 Cor 10:33—11:1)
In other words, just like Paul, we also proclaim the message about Jesus to all people so that they will be presented mature in Christ—whether to fellow believers:
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Col 3:16)
… or to unbelievers:
At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison—that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom towards outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. (Col 4:3–6)
So what we work for in life—whether we’re a pastor, elder or ministry leader, or an accountant, teacher, mom or dad—is to move people (ourselves included!) towards maturity in Christ by prayerfully proclaiming Jesus and his powerful gospel word that sanctifies them and makes them ready.
So how do we do this? How do we ‘raise the evangelistic temperature’ in our church culture?
What can we do to motivate and equip people to know the gospel deeply and share it confidently? How do we proclaim and teach the gospel so that we not only make disciples, but we make disciple-making disciples?
These are questions that we want to tackle together at Evangelize 2024. The conference is hosted by Matthias Media and will take place in Denver, Colorado on October 7-9. Everyone is invited—from pastors to lay leaders. Bring your team, and let us help you build your church life around presenting more and more people with the gospel and giving them the opportunity to respond to it.
These few days will feel more like a workshop than a conference, resulting in lots of resolve to make practical changes as we head back to our churches. We will hear from Mack Stiles, Tony Payne, Dave Jensen, Felicity Carswell, Marty Sweeney and more. Evangelize 2024 invites you and your team to collaborate and think through your ministry framework to ensure evangelism is happening everywhere.
Let’s help each other become growing churches which are, under God, more effective in proclaiming the gospel to the friends, family and neighbors around us who so desperately need to hear it.
Visit matthiasmedia.com/e24 for more information and to register. Register by August 1, to receive a $20 voucher to spend at the conference bookstore (sponsored by 10ofThose).
