The Bible in World Evangelization
John R.W. Stott
We have to combine fidelity (constantly studying the bible text) with sensitivity (constantly studying the contemporary scene).
“… for the Bible does not just contain the gospel; it is the gospel. Through the Bible God is himself actually evangelizing, that is, communicating the good news to the world.”
How true this is, I remember everytime Paul was put before the court in the book of Acts, either when he had a chance to speak to authorities (Festus, King Agrippa, and maybe Caesar himself) or when he faced the public, he always started explaining the Gospel from the lineage of Abraham, all the way to Jesus. Never had he started only from Jesus Himself. The whole Bible is the Gospel! (red comments mine)
He (Jesus) identified with us, though without surrendering His own identity. And this is the principle of “identification without loss of identity” is the model for all evangelism, especially cross-cultural evangelism.
Some of us refuse to identify with the people we claim to be serving. We remain ourselves and do not become like them. We stay aloof. We hold on desperately to our own cultural inheritance in the mistaken notion that it is an indispensable part of our identity.
Some people reject the gospel not because they perceieve it to be false, but because they perceive it to be alien.
There is power in the Word of God and in the preaching of the Gospel.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment