Reggie Weems Blog

For several weeks now Heritage has watched as Jesus interacted with the woman at the well in John 4.  From that passage of Scripture we’ve learned about evangelism from the Master Redeemer Himself.  The “must needs go through Samaria” aspect of Jesus’ mission evidences the reality that evangelism always takes place in the context of a relationship.  This Sunday we’ll note that the woman’s anxious desire to tell others, (“Come see a man who told me all that I ever did”) reminds us that the initial evangelistic relationship doesn’t end with a single conversion but extends itself to others.  The gift goes on, and on, and on….  That reality offers proof that we actually possess the gift and understand its value.  Relationships are essential to evangelism and evangelism always leads to community.    

In The Art of Personal Evangelism, Will McRaney states “God Himself was living in a form of community, the Trinity, prior to forming mankind in His image. The very nature of God’s existence involves community.  The Trinity was a forerunning model…” (17).   In this concise description of God’s eternal triune existence, McRaney sets a theological platform for biblical evangelism. 

Humanity’s creation was simply the overflow of the abundant joy possessed by the Trinity in eternal community.  God created by fiat (”Let there be…”) but did not communicate directly with any of His creation until mankind was created in His image with the capacity for fellowship or community.   Then He spoke personally to them, creating not only relationship but, as Sovereign Creator, the parameters for that relationship.  God desired community with them so that they might enjoy in time, what He had eternally enjoyed.  When Adam and Eve sinned, God’s redemptive plan evidenced that continuing desire to commune with the apex of His creative work.

In like manner, Christians must communicate with others in order to serve as competent ambassadors for God’s redemptive agenda.  We must intentionally establish evangelistic relationships just as God divinely created humanity.  Just as community with God was the natural result of humanity’s creation, evangelism is the natural result of Christians relating to the world; the end of which is that others might enjoy that ‘fellowship’ (I John 1) or community experienced by God within Himself and amongst His people.  Salvation is always by relationship (Exodus 19:4; John 17:3) and results in community.    

The gospel is always for others, those not like ourselves because there is no one like God.  From the very beginning, the gospel was for sinful creatures unlike their holy God.   And just as He related to fallen humanity through natural creation, prophets, the law, ceremony, blessing, chastening and finally the miracle of the incarnation, so we too must relate to people unlike ourselves with the glorious gospel of the only true God and His Son, Jesus Christ, inviting them into the community of the eternal God and His people.