5 June 2014 by Adeline Lum CM-
Ooi Chin Aik—evangelist, pastor, theologian author, and former Secretary General of NECF—spoke in FGA KL on 1st of June, with the topic: God-centered evangelism.
“It’s not just about evangelism because when we talk about evangelism, the first thing that comes to mind is the method.
“Of course, we need some methods. But it’s no use trying to fossilize and hero-worship methods because we are living in a world that is dynamic and changing,” said Pr Chin Aik.
He shared that the Church must prepare herself against increasing post-modernism, which denies the existence of God and absolutism. This belief is contrary to what the Bible says: “For there is ONE God and ONE mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.” (1 Tim 2:5)
The Church needs to have more educated and well-trained teacher, evangelists, and apologists because some people are reached through their minds, while others are reached through their hearts.
In short, there is no one-size-fits-all type of evangelism.
Pr Chin Aik shared 4 things to keep in mind for God-centred evangelism:
All God-Centered Evangelism must be Spirit-Led
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (Gal 5:25)
“For God-centered evangelism, we need to call out to God for help and for wisdom. Prayer, listening to God and acting on His leading are of paramount importance.”
“But God is not just limited to the Church because the long history of the church has shown us that sometimes, we can be unfaithful. So, God has even allowed his redemptive purpose to be achieved through others,” said Pr Chin Aik.
Every one of us is called to share the gospel, beyond our church walls, with the wisdom of God. Besides the church, the place where we spend our time in—be it in the school, office buildings, neighbourhood etc.—should be a platform to reach out to the lost.
All God-Centred Evangelism Includes Contending for the Gospel
Pr Chin Aik called the Church to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. (Jude 3) Our hearts must desire to stay in Malaysia to contend for the faith.
He emphasized that we must continue praying for God’s wisdom, grace, and mercy to visit this country, especially for wisdom.
“Today, we are living in a society where there’s a lot of knowledge, but perhaps not a lot of wisdom,” shared Pr Chin Aik.
He observed that more people were committing suicide today compared to his youth days because young people seem to be emotionally weaker in handling rejections and failures in their studies and romance.
“Have you ever asked the question why does God still keep you alive today? There must be a purpose. Why did God cause you to be born in Malaysia? There is also a purpose. There’s a reason for everything because God doesn’t make mistakes. We are called to reach out,” Pr Chin Aik said, quoting Romans 8:28.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28 NIV)
Relating to contending for the gospel, he reminded the congregation that we struggle not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, authorities, powers of the dark world, and spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Eph 6:12) And for the word ‘struggle,’ (NIV) in the King James Version of the Bible refers to this word as ‘wrestle.’
“In a wrestling match, the one on top has the upper hand. The church, wrestles from the top position. Satan is still alive but Satan is a chained beast, although the chain is rather long,” said Pr Chin Aik.
“We wrestle on top because victory has already been won in Christ. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. (Col 2:15 NIV) Because of the cross, the church of Jesus Christ today is called to do a mopping-up operation ,” Pr Chin Aik said.
The church must never stop wrestling because Satan knows his end is near and is increasing his demonic activities. She must continue to engage all spheres in society as one body in Christ.
All God-Centred Evangelism Prioritise Christ’s Last Command
Jesus’ last command for us is:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,……”. (Matt. 28: 19-20)
Pr Chin Aik shared how the Nestorian church survived in the East under persecution, because they never stopped evangelizing and sending missionaries overseas to preach the gospel. Because of their missions emphasis, they survived for over 300 years, long after all the other churches ceased.
He called out to the people especially businessmen who have been blessed with wealth to remember God’s heart in sharing the good news with the unsaved. This is because whatever earthly wealth we earn, cannot be brought to Heaven.
Jesus said, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.” (Luke 12:33)
Prov 11:30 (KJV) also says, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.” To invest our wealth on earth in winning souls is a very wise decision.
Lastly, All God-Centred Evangelism Involves a Baton-Passing Marathon
In 2 Timothy, Paul’s last letter from prison, we see how the apostle is passing the baton of faith to Timothy and to others. (2 Tim. 2. 1-2)
In 2 Tim. 2:3-7, we see three images Paul is charging Timothy to be, when preaching God’s Word: Soldier, Athlete and Farmer.
Paul charged Timothy to be a good soldier, in fighting the good fight. He must endure hardship and please the commanding officer. As an athlete he has to compete according to the rules – God’s rules (His Word).
As a farmer, Timothy is reminded that there will be seasons he would harvest abundant fruit and also seasons he will harvest nothing. Nevertheless, as a hardworking farmer, he must never stop ploughing the ground to prepare the soil for the seeds sown.
Pr Chin Aik ended on this note, “This message is more about the future of our children, our grandchildren, and our great grandchildren. It’s about our spiritual future. We want our God to prosper this country.
Think about those who come after you. When we leave this world into the presence of God, will they know the gospel of truth in this country? Don’t stop evangelizing for the sake of our church’s future.”
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