{"id":2361,"date":"2024-06-25T12:31:45","date_gmt":"2024-06-25T16:31:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/myjourney\/?p=2361"},"modified":"2024-06-25T12:31:45","modified_gmt":"2024-06-25T16:31:45","slug":"embracing-evangelism-promote-the-promise-of-life-in-christ","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/myjourney\/2024\/06\/embracing-evangelism-promote-the-promise-of-life-in-christ\/","title":{"rendered":"Embracing Evangelism: Promote the Promise of Life in Christ"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Photo by Carlos Magno<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

What does \u201cevangelism\u201d mean? Sharing the good news! Or, as Paul says in 2 Timothy 1, \u201cpromote the promise of life in Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scripture:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong><\/h3>\n \ Joel, chapters 1-3; 2 Timothy, chapter 1<\/p>\n 2 Timothy 1:1-7 (CEB):<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n**** ** From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God\u2019s will, to promote the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus. To Timothy, my dear child. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.<\/em><\/p>\n ** ****I\u2019m grateful to God, whom I serve with a good conscience as my ancestors did. I constantly remember you in my prayers day and night. When I remember your tears, I long to see you so that I can be filled with happiness. I\u2019m reminded of your authentic faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice. I\u2019m sure that this faith is also inside you. Because of this, I\u2019m reminding you to revive God\u2019s gift that is in you through the laying on of my hands. God didn\u2019t give you a spirit that is timid but one that is powerful, loving, and self-controlled.<\/em><\/p>\n Observations:<\/strong> The Promise of Life<\/em><\/h3>\n One of the reasons I like to change translations each year for my daily reflections is that different versions often bring new insight. For example, the NIV translates verse 1<\/a> this way: \u201cPaul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus.\u201d That translation implies that Paul is an apostle because God extended the promise of life<\/em> to him. Now, Paul\u2019s ministry began with God\u2019s offer of life to him, but the CEB translation identifies the promise of life<\/em> as the purpose<\/strong> of Paul\u2019s ministry \u2013 to promote<\/em><\/strong> the promise of life.<\/em><\/p>\n I believe that this difference ought to influence everything that we do in sharing our faith with others. God has called each of us to promote the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus.<\/em> That shifts our focus away from telling others \u201cwhat they\u2019re doing wrong,\u201d and places it on what Jesus does right. Life comes from Jesus. Grace, mercy and peace<\/em> come from God the Father and Jesus Christ. The core of the good news \u2013 the gospel \u2013 is that Jesus lives; because He lives, we live.<\/p>\n Revive God\u2019s Gift<\/em><\/h3>\n********* ** *********Paul makes it clear in other letters that each believer is given a spiritual gift for the benefit of the Church. For example:<\/p>\n \n\u201cIn the same way, though there are many of us, we are one body in Christ, and individually we belong to each other. We have different gifts that are consistent with God\u2019s grace that has been given to us\u201d (Romans 12:5-6<\/a>)<\/li>\n\u201cA demonstration of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good\u201d (1 Corinthians 12:7<\/a>)<\/li>\n\u201cHe gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. His purpose was to equip God\u2019s people for the work of serving and building up the body of Christ\u201d (Ephesians 4:11-12<\/a>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n********* ** *********In that regard, Paul urges Timothy to revive God\u2019s gift that is in you.<\/em> The word \u201crevive\u201d literally means to \u201cfan into flames.\u201d\u00a0 That does not mean that Timothy\u2019s fire had \u201cgone out\u201d; rather, Paul was encouraging him to \u201cstir up the coals\u201d to make the flame burn even hotter. The NIV translation of verse 6 uses \u201cfan into flames\u201d for this Greek word.<\/p>\n In other words, Timothy was still \u201con fire\u201d for Jesus; Paul just wanted to fan those flames even more. The promise that Jesus would baptize \u201cwith the Holy Spirit and with fire\u201d (see, for example, Matthew 3:11<\/a>) connects that \u201cspiritual fire\u201d with the presence and power of the Spirit. In that vein, Paul reminds Timothy in verse 7: God didn\u2019t give us a spirit that is timid but one that is powerful, loving, and self-controlled.<\/em> That\u2019s what God wants us to fan into flames!<\/p>\n Application:<\/strong> Promote the Promise of Life<\/em><\/h3>\n As I was looking up the Greek word that is translated \u201crevive\u201d (CEB) or \u201cfan into flames\u201d (NIV), I noticed that there is one instance that the same Greek word is used in the Greek Old Testament. In Genesis 45, Joseph\u2019s brothers return to Jacob with news that Joseph is alive and wants the whole family to come to Egypt. When they first told Jacob that Joseph was alive, \u201cJacob was stunned; he did not believe them\u201d (Genesis 45:26, NIV<\/a>). The next verse says: \u201cBut when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived<\/strong>\u201d (45:27, NIV<\/a>, emphasis added).<\/p>\n Jacob had been convinced that Joseph was dead. It had been years since Joseph had \u201cdisappeared.\u201d His brothers had sold him as a slave, and duped Jacob into thinking Joseph had been killed by a wild animal (see Genesis 37:31-35<\/a>). But even after all that time, his hope and joy was still capable of being \u201cfanned into flame.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s exactly what God does for each person who experiences new life in Christ! And that\u2019s what he calls us to share \u2013 to promote the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus.<\/em>\u201d We don\u2019t do that through arguments and conflict, by browbeating people into faith. Instead, God gave us a spirit that is powerful, loving, and self-controlled.<\/em> The evidence of the Spirit\u2019s presence in us is not primarily a \u201cgift\u201d; it is the Spirit\u2019s fruit<\/strong>. \u201cBut the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.\u00a0 There is no law against things like this. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified self with its passions and its desires\u201d (Galatians 5:22-24, CEB<\/a>).<\/p>\n Prayer:<\/strong><\/h3>\n************* ** Father, help us to reflect the presence of the Spirit within us by the fruit of the Spirit. As today\u2019s passage reminds us, you have given us a spirit that is powerful, loving, and self-controlled. The spirit of the age is one of anger and bitterness and conflict; your Spirit within us promotes the promise of life in Christ. Lead us today to live so that others will see the promise of life that you offer to everyone.\u00a0 Amen.<\/em><\/p>\n ** \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" ** *************What does \u201cevangelism\u201d mean? Sharing the good news! Or, as Paul says in 2 Timothy 1, \u201cpromote the promise of life in Christ.\u201d Scripture:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Joel, chapters 1-3; 2 Timothy, chapter 1 2 Timothy 1:1-7 (CEB): From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God\u2019s will, to promote the promise of life that is in Christ […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4741,"featured_media":2364,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[300],"tags":[737,608,515,1686,491,1689],"class_list":["post-2361","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spiritual-formation","tag-evangelism","tag-fruit-of-the-spirit","tag-good-news","tag-life-in-christ","tag-love","tag-promote-the-promise-of-life"],"yoast_head":"\nEmbracing Evangelism: Promote the Promise of Life in Christ<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What does "evangelism" mean? Sharing the good news! 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