To evangelize is to spread the good news that Jesus Christ died for our sins and was raised from the dead according to the Scriptures, and that as the reigning Lord he now offers the forgiveness of sins and the liberating gifts of the Spirit to all who repent and believe. Our Christian presence in the world is indispensable to evangelism, and so is that kind of dialogue whose purpose is to listen sensitively in order to understand. But evangelism itself is the proclamation of the historical, biblical Christ as Savior and Lord, with a view to persuading people to come to him personally and so be reconciled to God. In issuing the gospel invitation we have no liberty to conceal the cost of discipleship. Jesus still calls all who would follow him to deny themselves, take up their cross, and identify themselves with his new community. The results of evangelism include obedience to Christ, incorporation into his Church and responsible service in the world.
(1 Cor. 15:3,4; Acts 2: 32-39; John 20:21; 1 Cor. 1:23; 2 Cor. 4:5; 5:11,20; Luke 14:25-33; Mark 8:34; Acts 2:40,47; Mark 10:43-45)
5. CHRISTIAN SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
We affirm that God is both the Creator and the Judge of all men. We
therefore should share his concern for justice and reconciliation
throughout human society and for the liberation of men and women from
every kind of oppression. Because men and women are made in the image
of God, every person, regardless of race, religion, colour, culture,
class, sex or age, has an intrinsic dignity because of which he or she
should be respected and served, not exploited. Here too we express
penitence both for our neglect and for having sometimes regarded
evangelism and social concern as mutually exclusive. Although
reconciliation with other people is not reconciliation with God, nor is
social action evangelism, nor is political liberation salvation,
nevertheless we affirm that evangelism and socio-political involvement
are both part of our Christian duty. For both are necessary expressions
of our doctrines of God and man, our love for our neighbor and our
obedience to Jesus Christ. The message of salvation implies also a
message of judgment upon every form of alienation, oppression and
discrimination, and we should not be afraid to denounce evil and
injustice wherever they exist. When people receive Christ they are born
again into his kingdom and must seek not only to exhibit but also to
spread its righteousness in the midst of an unrighteous world. The
salvation we claim should be transforming us in the totality of our
personal and social responsibilities. Faith without works is dead.
(Acts 17:26,31; Gen. 18:25; Isa. 1:17; Psa. 45:7; Gen. 1:26,27; Jas. 3:9; Lev. 19:18; Luke 6:27,35; Jas. 2:14-26; Joh. 3:3,5; Matt. 5:20; 6:33; 2 Cor. 3:18; Jas. 2:20)
6. THE CHURCH AND EVANGELISM
We affirm that Christ sends his redeemed people into the world as the
Father sent him, and that this calls for a similar deep and costly
penetration of the world. We need to break out of our ecclesiastical
ghettos and permeate non-Christian society. In the Church's mission of
sacrificial service evangelism is primary. World evangelization
requires the whole Church to take the whole gospel to the whole world.
The Church is at the very center of God's cosmic purpose and is his
appointed means of spreading the gospel. But a church which preaches
the cross must itself be marked by the cross. It becomes a stumbling
block to evangelism when it betrays the gospel or lacks a living faith
in God, a genuine love for people, or scrupulous honesty in all things
including promotion and finance. The church is the community of God's
people rather than an institution, and must not be identified with any
particular culture, social or political system, or human ideology.
(John 17:18; 20:21; Matt. 28:19,20; Acts 1:8; 20:27; Eph. 1:9,10; 3:9-11; Gal. 6:14,17; 2 Cor. 6:3,4; 2 Tim. 2:19-21; Phil. 1:27)
7. COOPERATION IN EVANGELISM
We affirm that the Church's visible unity in truth is God's purpose.
Evangelism also summons us to unity, because our oneness strengthens
our witness, just as our disunity undermines our gospel of
reconciliation. We recognize, however, that organizational unity may
take many forms and does not necessarily forward evangelism. Yet we who
share the same biblical faith should be closely united in fellowship,
work, and witness. We confess that our testimony has sometimes been
marred by a sinful individualism and needless duplication. We pledge
ourselves to seek a deeper unity in truth, worship, holiness, and
mission. We urge the development of regional and functional cooperation
for the furtherance of the Church's mission, for strategic planning,
for mutual encouragement, and for the sharing of resources and
experience.
(John 17:21,23; Eph. 4:3,4; John 13:35; Phil. 1:27; John 17:11-23)