“O Zion, you who bring good tidings, get up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, you who bring good tidings, lift up your voice with strength, lift it up, be not afraid; say to the cities of Judah, ‘Behold your God!'” (Isaiah 40:9 NKJV)
“Sing to the Lord, bless His name; proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.” (Psalm 96:2-3 NKJV)
Since the days of the Old Testament, the people of God have been invigorated to proclaim the good news. Likewise, in the New Testament, we are exhorted to spread the glad tidings of great joy to all people. This is evangelism. The word evangelism comes from the Latinized version of the Greek word, euangelion: eu means “good,” angelion means “a message.” Euangelion refers to a good message or good news. While this word was used in the secular world (good news of a military victory, for example, or good news of the crowning of a king), the adoption of this term in the New Testament gradually resulted in this, that today “evangelism” refers almost exclusively to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Were it not for the Son of God, there would be no good news. Jesus accomplished salvation by overthrowing the forces of evil. At the beginning of His ministry, He defeated Satan in the wilderness. At the end, He defeated him on the cross. Three days later, He defeated him by rising from the dead. Now, He reigns at the right hand of God and continues to defeat Satan by sending evangelists into the world.
What a wondrous thing that human beings have been entrusted with the work of evangelism (see Ephesians 4:11; 2 Timothy 4:5)! This is the central message of the public ministry. Whether missionaries evangelize the heathen or pastors evangelize their congregations or professors their students, their mission is to proclaim the good news wherever God places them. “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!'” (Isaiah 52:7 NKJV)
However, the psalmist, Isaiah, Matthew, Mark, and Paul are not speaking to called servants of the Word only. When Isaiah calls upon Zion to “bring good tidings,” he is talking to us. We are Zion; we are Jerusalem—that is—the Holy Christian Church (see Hebrews 12:22-23). It is to us that God calls out, “Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.” (Psalm 96:2 NKJV) This we do in our homes as we evangelize our families. We do it in our neighborhood, in the work place, at school, in the military, in our recreational activities, and, of course, through our church and synod. Time, talents, possessions, and our feet are dedicated to evangelism (that’s what makes them beautiful). Jesus is in all these places, ever ready to receive the lost into His kingdom of grace, through those who have personally witnessed His grace. We are the ones who carry the spark of the Gospel that ignites faith in our children, neighbors, coworkers, recreationists, and comrades. Weak though we are, we have the confidence that the evangel is “the power of God for salvation.” (Romans 1:16)
Now, Jesus speaks to you and me: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.” (Matthew 28:18-20 NKJV)
What a wondrous thing that human beings have been entrusted with the work of evangelism!
is retired from the pastoral and teaching ministry. He is a former president of Immanuel Lutheran College.