Our Thread

Pasa Graphe' Theopneustos Kai Ophelimos (Greek) is one of the most often-repeated passages from the Scriptures, ie, the Bible. The passage appears in the heading of our Facebook page. But what does it say to us in our various tongues? Well, for those of us who speak English, this passage is a bold testimony from the pen of one Paul, a first-century scholar from the Isrealite tribe of Benjamin. It is also a statement steeped in the thelogy of the Biblical narratives. So, Paul wrote to a young ethnic Jew named Timotheus: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable......"
At the time Paul wrote those words, there was not yet a codex known as the "New Testament." The scrolls of papyrus on which were written the Scriptures are what we call today the "Old Testament." In its immediate and limited interpretation, Paul is saying that the messages in the Old Testament are inspired by God. That being so, who is the man who would say that the record of the flood in Noah's day was simply an allegory, and not an historical account?

Outreach

How can Christians be involved in evangelism? They should personally be responsible to pass on the gospel. It's in the Bible, Matthew 9:37-38, NIV. "Then He said to His disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field."

Evangelism is a worldwide work for all Christians. It's in the Bible, Matthew 28:19-20, NIV. "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Sharing Jesus Christ should be a way of life. It's in the Bible, Colossians 1:26-29, TLB. "So everywhere we go we talk about Christ to all who will listen, warning them and teaching them as well as we know how. We want to be able to present each one to God, perfect because of what Christ has done for each of them. This is my work, and I can do it only because Christ's mighty energy is at work within me."

The Good News must be preached everywhere before Jesus will come. It's in the Bible, Matthew 24:14, TLB. "And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it, and then, finally, the end will come."

You don't have to be a sophisticated, highly educated person to share Jesus. It's in the Bible, I Corinthians 2:1-5, TLB. "Dear brothers, even when I first came to you I didn't use lofty words and brilliant ideas to tell you God's message. For I decided that I would speak only of Jesus Christ and His death on the cross. I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. And my preaching was very plain, not with a lot of oratory and human wisdom, but the Holy Spirit's power was in my words, proving to those who heard them that the message was from God. I did this because I wanted your faith to stand firmly upon God, not on man's great ideas."

We are called to be representatives of Jesus. It's in the Bible, II Corinthians 5:20, TLB. "We are Christ's ambassadors. God is using us to speak to you: we beg you, as though Christ Himself were here pleading with you, receive the love He offers you—be reconciled to God."

Evangelism is speaking for the Lord, but also modeling the truth. It's in the Bible, Mark 16:15 and John 13:35, TLB. "And then He told them, 'You are to go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere…Your strong love for each other will prove to the world that you are My disciples."

Evangelism is more than preaching and witnessing. It's in the Bible, Isaiah 61:1, TLB. "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to bring good news to the suffering and afflicted. He has sent Me to comfort the brokenhearted, to announce liberty to captives, and to open the eyes of the blind."