Scripture: Isaiah 45:20–25; 53:4–6, 10, 11; 55:1–7; II Cor. 4:1–7; Romans 8:28–30; 12:1; Hosea 2:18–23.
James 1. Packer in his very important book Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God says that God is the prime mover in evangelism and that all believers acknowledge this when they are on their knees. By the very act of prayer, each person acknowledges his dependence on God. Nowhere is this more true than in seeking to witness to someone about the Lord. No one person can save another. This is God’s work. one can come to the Savior except he is driven by the Father. Believers thank God for their salvation because God saved them.
Since God is the prime mover in evangelism, the question “By whom are we sent?” is answered. In these next three studies we shall look at the 1.) The Sending Father; 2.) The Sending Son and the 3.) The Sending Spirit in evangelism.
THE SENDING FATHER
Jesus said, “As the Father hath sent me, so send I you.” Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are often referred to in the subject of evangelism, but the work of the Father is often neglected in this subject. Jesus did not ignore the Father’s work. Jesus was always aware of what the Father was doing in evangelism.
Why is the work of the Father often neglected in evangelism?
Let us see four activities of the Father in evangelism. The Father is: 1. The Commissioner; 2. The Chooser; 3. The Covenantor; 4. The Creator.
The Father conceived of evangelism already in eternity before the world was when He commissioned His Son to redeem those whom He had chosen to be members of His covenant family, and when He deters reconcile all things (the creation) unto Himself in His Son.
THE FATHER AS COMMISSIONER
“As the Father sent me,” says Jesus. This “sending” has its roots in eternity when the Father commissioned His Son to be the Savior. The Father explained this to the Old Testament people in the words of Isaiah: “The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (53:6). “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief; when thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin, He shall sec His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.” The Father was the “bruiser.” He was pleased to do it! The Father so loved that He gave! He offered His Son for sin. The “seed” to be seen in Isaiah 53:10 is the elect race, chosen and given to the Son. In John 17:2 Jesus prays: “As Thou gavest Him [the Son] authority over all flesh, that to all whom Thou host given Him He should give eternal life.”
Jesus was conscious of this commission to be the Savior all through His life. Already at the age of twelve he said: “Know ye not that I must be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49). At the beginning of His public ministry, the Father introduced Him to the community and to the world when He said: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” Jesus was qualified by the Holy Spirit to fulfill this commission as predicted in Isaiah 61:1: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me . . .”
The Father spoke again on the Mount of Transfiguration to the representatives of the Old and New Testament church saying: ”This is my beloved Son. Hear ye Him:’ Peter wanted to remain there but Jesus said there is a world below that needs us. We cannot stay on the mountain to rejoice in salvation while a world is dying. “As the Father sent me—so send I you.”
Review the Transfiguration (Matthew 17). How did the mountain top prepare the disciples for the problems below?
Finally, the Father sacrificed His commissioned Son on Mount Calvary as the great atonement for sin, as Peter explains on Pentecost: “Him being delivered up by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye by the hand of lawless men did crucify and slay: whom God raised up, having loosed the pangs of death, because it was not possible that He should be holden by it” (Acts 2:23, 24). Paul also says in Philippians 2:9–11: “Wherefore also God highly exalted Him and gave unto Him the name that is above every name, that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.”
Now when Jesus says: “As the Father hath sent Me, so send I you.” He is telling us that the commission of the Father is passed on to us. This truth must be underscored. Paul understood this precisely. He was convinced that when the gospel was preached it came with the authority of the throne of God. This note of authority is the characteristic note of the New Testament concept of preaching. The preacher is called an ambassador. An ambassador is the official representative of his government. He is charged with authority by those who send him and has the full right to speak on their behalf. This is a most fitting word for the Christian preacher.
Why is the AUTHORITY of preaching so dominant in the New Testament?
The word “to herald” (Keryssein) is translated “to preach” and is the most commonly used word for preaching. It is important to note that this word also implies an authoritative proclamation. The Thayer Lexicon says that this verb always carries with it the suggestion of “an authority which must be listened I to and obeyed” (italics mine).
Another word used in the Greek New Testament for preaching is “Kataggello” which is translated “preach” or “proclaim.” It is a heightened form of a simple verb which means “to announce.” This verb means to tell thoroughly and to proclaim with authority as one does who is commissioned to spread official news among other persons.
The verb “Euaggelizo” is another common word used for preaching; it means “bringing an official message of good news” (Kittel, Vol. II) (italics mine).
Why is the authority in preaching so important in evangelism?
“If indeed those who are called to the ministry of the Word are ambassadors on behalf of Christ and speak in Christ’s stead, it ill befits them to declare God’s message in a servile, apologetic, deferential manner, in doubtful and uncertain tones. God wants no grovelling, faint-hearted creatures for His ambassadors. He wants men who, having communed with heaven, can never be intimated by the world.” So writes Professor James Stewart in Heralds of God, pp. 211, 212. He is standing on his feet to deliver, in the name of the King of kings, a word that cannot return void.
“This authoritative note is all the more an urgent necessity in the days in which we live. The world is in a state of bewildered uncertainty. There is the theological and moral confusion in the church itself. It is tragic that men who profess to be the ministers of the Gospel appear to be more sure of what they do not believe than of what they do. They are convinced of their doubts; they are doubtful of their convictions. But the final tragedy is that instead of keeping their miserable doubts to themselves they drag them into the pulpit . . . There is no apostolic ‘We know’ about their preaching but only a hesitant ‘We venture to suggest.’”
“Speculation is not preaching. Speculation will never win a verdict for Christ, or advance the king_ dom or meet the cravings of the human heart. Inherent in man’s nature is the longing for certainty. ‘Give me the benefit of your convictions, if you have any,’ remarked Goethe. ‘Keep your doubts to yourself, I have enough of my own.’” (Frank Colquhoun. Christ’s Ambassadors, Westminster Press, 1965, pp. 33,34.)
Let all who would do away with preaching and replace it with “modern methods of communication” take heed to the Biblical injunctions. Let all who would preach only “half” a gospel, hear. Christian preaching is concerned with affirmations! It is based on divine revelation. Its characteristic is an exclamation mark, not a question mark! It says, “Thus says the Lord!” Paul said: “We preach not ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord with ourselves as your servants for Christ’s sake.” “We have this treasure,” says Paul, “in earthen vessels that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves” (II Cor. 4:5). He says also: “My speech and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God” (1 Cor. 2:4, 5).
The Father is the Commissioner of His Son and of all evangelistic activity. Our responsibility is to be true to our Sender, to His Word of truth. All mission work must be measured by this standard and must be loyal to Him.
How can we be sure of good, Biblical, authoritative proclamation from the Christian pulpit?
Why is good, Biblical, authoritative proclamation of the Word the only way in which the church is built, sinners converted and the Kingdom advanced?
THE FATHER AS CHOOSER
Not only is the Father the Commissioner, He is also the Chooser. He is the beginning and the end of evangelism. Not only does He send; He, by His Spirit, opens the hearts of those to whom the sent ones are sent.
Once a Calvinistic missionary acquaintance of mine was attending a class for missionaries who were preparing to leave for their assignments. In the course of one particular lecture, the instructor made this comment: “It escapes me how any Calvinist can be a missionary, believing as he does in the doctrine of election. Why should he bother to go and spend all the money, uprooting his family, if the elect are all going to be saved anyway?” The Calvinistic missionary acquaintance said nothing at this point. As the instructor was concluding his remarks, he warned his missionary students not to become discouraged on the field, “Because” said he, “not everyone who hears the gospel message will respond in faith.” At this point the Calvinist arose and responded: “I am a Calvinist and I believe in election and I am a missionary who is uprooting his family and moving far away. But the only reason I do this with confidence is precisely because I believe in election and I know that God has His chosen ones everywhere and that the only ones who “will respond in faith” are the ones whom He has chosen. I can only thank the Lord that the conversion of sinners will not depend ultimately on me, a weak vessel, but on God the Chooser!”
Do not we read in Scripture, Acts 3:48: “As many as were ordained unto eternal life believed?” This means that the Father chose those who were to be saved from I he foundation of the world of mere grace, without any merit or condition, and that God so arranges that they will be called by the gospel. That is where the preacher, the missionary comes in. He is the “voice” to call sinners to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ crucified, risen and coming again. Does not Paul say this in Romans 8:29–30: “Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called, them He also justified; and whom He justified, them He also glorified.” Paul is talking about the same people in this verse—those whom the Father chose, He will call through the gospel (Rom. 10:14) and bring them to justification and glorification.
The Biblical truth of election is one of the cornerstones for missions and evangelism. God is the Commissioner and He is the Chooser.
“Tis not that I did choose Thee,
for Lord that could not be;
This heart would still refuse Thee,
Hadst Thou not chosen me.”
Why is there so much misunderstanding about the relation between election and missions?
THE FATHER AS COVENANTOR
The Father is not only the Commissioner and the Chooser, He is also the Covenantor. He calls His chosen into a family, a covenant family. That family is an everlasting family, established by the Father, purchased by the Son and maintained by the Holy Spirit.
The Father loves His family, cares for them, and is jealous for them. The covenant between God and His people runs like a “spine” through the entire Bible. In fact it can be said that the whole Bible is a record of God’s “covenant dealings” with His children. A uniquely “covenant” word in the Bible is “jealousy.” God is a “jealous God,” we read in the second commandment. In what sense is God a “jealous God?” Is not jealousy one of the works of the flesh? (Gal. 5:19) It seems strange that jealousy can be both an attribute of God and a sin of man. But as J.R.W. Statt says: “Jealousy is neutral and whether it is good or bad depends on the situation and the motive behind it” (Our Guilty Silence, p. 17). For a man to be jealous of his neighbors’ home or possessions is surely wrong and a work of his flesh. But for a man to be jealous of his wife whom another is trying to woo is noble.
God is a jealous God in the context of Israel as His bride. He has chosen Israel above all the other nations of the earth. He bore them on eagle’s wings, spoke tenderly to them, gave them His covenant pledge: “I will be your God and the God of your children.” God is provoked to jealousy and anger when Israel plays the harlot and goes after other gods.
God is God alone. There is no other God. As such He has the right to our exclusive allegiance and is jealous when we misdirect our loyalty to that which is no good. In Isaiah 45, He says: “Turn to me and be saved all the ends of the earth, for I am God and there is none else.”
He is the Covenantor. He established this relationship in grace and calls “all the ends of the earth” into fellowship with Him. The message of evangelism is a covenantal message from the husband to His bride. Isaiah 55 expresses it so beautifully: “However, one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, bu)’ wine and milk without money and without price . . . Incline your car, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David” (Isaiah 55:1, 3).
The covenanting Jehovah sees that the people are spending money for that which is not bread. They are not getting fed. Their labor is in vain. He is moved to jealousy for them. He loves them and says: “Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness” (Isaiah 55:2). So the supreme basis for evangelism, the reason why God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” is because there is only only God, and He is the Father of the Covenant and there is only one Mediator between the offended God and the offending sinner, the man Christ Jesus.
If God is jealous, then we must sure this jealousy. Jesus wept over Jerusalem. Paul says in Romans 9:3: “I could wish that I myself were anathema from Christ for my brethren’s sake . . .” Jesus speaks of this in the parable of the wedding feast (Luke 14:23): “Go out into the highways and hedges, and constrain them to come in, that my house may be filled.” We must share this passion! We must be filled with holy desire to reach men lost in sin, who are spending their money for what can never satisfy. We must urge them to repent and believe and receive the grace of God in Jesus Christ and become part of God’s covenant family.
Why is “covenant training” sometimes put over against mission work?
How can a strong covenantal emphasis also be a strong mission emphasis?
THE FATHER AS CREATOR
Someone might ask, what does creation have to do with evangelism? It has everything to do with it. In fact, creation itself is “groaning and travailing in pain together until now” waiting for the redemption of the sons of God. It is watching with an outstretched head “waiting it out” for the revelation of the sons of God. Creation is craning its neck to catch a sight of what is coming. Creation is waiting because of the calamity that came on the whole world when its crown and head fell. The creation was subjected to vanity. It was made the victim of frustration and meaninglessness. Creation is in bondage. But there is hope. Creation itself shall be liberated from the slavery of corruption. The original purpose of God will he carried out. Creation will be glorified. God will not replace it but restore it .
That restoration is rooted in Calvary. Its concentration is the crown of creation—man. In Christ, the believing man is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him who created him (Col. 3:10). Paul says:
“Put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Eph. 4:24). Our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit and we are not our own. Therefore we must glorify God in our bodies (I Cor. 6:19, 20). We are called “to present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God which is our spiritual service” (Rom. 12:1). This service is an obedient life in response to God’s grace, an obedient life that reveals itself in the family, school, the place of business, in polities, in recreation—all of this is in order that God may be “all and in all.”
The Father as Creator sends us forth so that His creation can achieve the purpose for which He made it. In Hosea 2:18–23 we see a beautiful picture of creation restored by God’s grace: “And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beast of the field, and with the birds of the heavens, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the land, and will make them to lie down safely. And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in justice, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness; and thou shalt know Jehovah.”
The picture in Revelation 4 of the throne of God includes the redeemed creation in the four living creatures around the throne. They join the angels and the elders, the redeemed church, in singing the great Hallelujah Chorus.
Evangelism is cosmic in its scope because the God who sends us forth is “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who of nothing made heaven and earth . . . and He is for the sake of Christ His Son, My God and Father.” He is the Commissioner, the Chooser, the Covenantor, and the Creator.
O give the Lord wholehearted praise;
To Him thanksgiving I will bring,
With all His people I will raise
My voice, and of His glory sing!
Why does the Reformed faith have the most comprehensivc message for today?
Lesson 4
THE SENDING SON (2)
Scripture Reading: Revelation 5
The greatest evangelist is Jesus Christ, as He Himself says: “I am come that they might have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). He is the unique and incomparable evangelist because He created the good news, He Himself is the good news, and He is its one and only preacher (cf. R. B. Kuiper, God-Centered Evangelism, p. 18).
Jesus Christ created the good news when He came voluntarily “the just for the unjust that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet. 3:18). He “emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant . . . becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross” (Phil. 2:7, 8). But not only did Jesus create the good news, He is the good news. Peter said: “There is no other name under heaven that is given among men wherein we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). John the Baptist said: “Behold, the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
Christ is also the one and only Preacher of the good news. He preaches through every evangelist who bring God’s Word. All preachers of the gospel must say with Paul: “We beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (II Cor. 5:20) (New Am. St. Version).
What is the difference between the writings of the prophets and apostles and the preaching from the pulpit?
In this study let us see the Sending Son as the Lion and the Lamb on the throne. Revelation 5 presents the majestic picture of the sending Savior on the throne and of the response of the angels, the church, and all created things in the Hallelujah Chorus.
CONCERN FOR GOD’S PEOPLE
In Revelation 5 John sees the vision of the book with the seven seals which no one could open. He weeps much. This book is a symbol of God’s purpose with respect to all things. It is written on both sides, indicating that it deals with everything. It is closed, that is, it is not revealed and not executed. If it remains dosed, God’s purpose for His Kingdom will not be realized.
John is deeply troubled because no one was found worthy, that is, no one had the legal right or the power to receive the book and to open it. He knows what the opening of it means. If it is not opened there will be no protection for God’s people, no judgment for the wicked, no hope, no promise, no meaning to life, no ultimate triumph of grace, no future bliss. So when no one is found to open the book, John weeps. Over his sensitive soul flows the cold feeling of disaster. Will evil finally triumph?
COMFORT FOR GOD’S PEOPLE
An elder comes to comfort John: “Weep not.” Why did not an angel come to him? Because an angel has never experienced the grace of God. These are things angels “desire to look into” (I Pet. 1:12). The elder dries John’s tears because he knows by experience that there is an answer. He is a representative of the church of Christ. He has the Word of God. He knows that Someone has come and has conquered and is worthy to open the book and loose the seals. The elder witnesses to John and directs him to Jesus Christ. “The Lion that is of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath overcome to open the book and the seven seals thereof.”
How can the church meet the pessimistic view of men and the future which often expresses itself today?
Notice the description of the Sending Son. He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. The lion is the king of beasts, strong, courageous, a leader. He is of the tribe of Judah, promised to the fathers. He is also of the Root of David, a King. How did He conquer? Do you remember Genesis 3:15? Christ crushed the head of the serpent! The angel Gabriel told Mary in Luke 1:33: “He shall reign over the house of Judah for ever and ever, and of His Kingdom there shall be no end.” On the cross the Lion conquered and earned the legal right to open the book and to reveal and carry out its contents. This is the message of the elder, the redeemed church.
John turns and sees in the midst of the throne “a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes which are the seven Spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth.” It is perfectly in order that the Savior who was announced as a Lion be seen as a Lamb. This shows how the Lion overcame. Did the Lion overcome by His mighty power? No, as the Lamb of God He conquered. The lamb in Scripture is a symbol of submissiveness and obedience. Isaiah 53 says: “As a lamb that is led to the slaughter, so he opened not his mouth.” The Lamb stands as though He had been slain. “He became obedient unto death, the death of the cross” and now He stands in victory.
He is standing in the midst of the throne, as the director of the angels and the elders. He is able to open the book. He is able to reveal the plan for God’s Kingdom and bring the Kingdom into total realization.
The Lamb has seven horns and seven eyes which are the seven Spirits of God sent throughout the world. The “horns” refer to His perfect power, His “eyes” to the fulness of the Spirit.
Why do you think the elder points to Christ as a Lion first and then as a Lamb?
What does the picture of Lion and Lamb teach regarding our message to a needy world?
COMMUNICATION TO GOD’S PEOPLE
Now notice how all of this relates to evangelism. :-he Sending Son is the Lion and the Lamb in control of the universe and directing all things to the climax of history when He will deliver the Kingdom up to His Father who shall be all in all. The Lion-Lamb, our Savior-King, sends the Spirit to conquer the hearts of men. The Holy Spirit reveals God’s will. He opens men’s eyes. He brings light. He inspires those whose lives He has changed, the body of Christ called the church, to bring this news to others. “But ye shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem. and in all Judea and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
But not only is Christ the Lamb standing “as though He had been slain,” “in the midst of the throne.” and “having seven horns and seven eyes”; He also takes the book. When did Christ “take the book” in actual history?
He “took the book” when He ascended into heaven. This was the dramatic moment John saw. Jesus Christ, the conquering hero was crowned in glory. sat down at the right hand of the Father and took the book of destiny, the blueprint for the Kingdom and opened it. He sent forth His Spirit into His church and sent His church to be His servants on earth. Truly He is the Sending Son as the Heidelberg Catechism so aptly states: “the Son of God, out of the whole human race, from the beginning to the end of the world, gathers, defends, and preserves for Himself, by His Spirit and Word, in the unity of the faith, a church chosen to everlasting life” (Lord’s Day XXI, Answer 54).
Christ, Himself, the Sending Son, proclaimed that gospel:
1. Through the prophets. When the holy men of old “prophesied of the grace that should come,” it was “the Spirit of Christ” within them which “testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow” (I Pet. 1:10, 11).
2. In the flesh to both Jews and Samaritans (John 4).
3. To Saul of Tarsus in direct confrontation on the Damascus road.
4. To the New Testament Church on Pentecost when He poured out His Spirit, of which Peter said in his Pentecostal sermon: “Being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, He (Christ) hath shed forth this which ye now sec and hear” (Acts 2:33).
5. Through every true preacher of the Word today. (cf. R. B. Kuiper, God-Centered Evangelism)
What does Christ’s example tell us about the priority of preaching?
In Psalm 2, Christ speaks of the ultimate victory of His Kingdom when He says: “Yet have I set my King upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree, the Lord hath said unto Me, ‘Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten Thee. Ask of me and I will give Thee the heathen for an inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession.’” The Lion-Lamb is in residence. Having conquered, He receives His inheritance. Paul speaks of this in Ephesians 1:20ff: “He raised Him from the dead and made Him to sit at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come; and He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all.”
This then was the beginning of the Gospel Age, and it continues to this day and will continue until the Sending Son returns on the clouds of heaven. His parting orders to His children are these: “All authority is given unto life in heaven and on earth; go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19).
How can we best encourage our missionaries? Do we do it?
Why can we go forth in the church with confidence?
Why are we often so afraid to witness? What are we forgetting?
CHORUS OF RESPONSE TO GOD
In Revelation 5, no sooner has the Lamb taken the book and accepted the office of King of the universe, than there arises a mighty chorus of celebration from three great choirs: 1) The four living creatures with the twenty-four elders. 2) All the angels with the living creatures and the elders. 3) Every created thing in heaven and on earth.
The living creatures and elders that is, the representatives of the redeemed creation of the church, take the lead in this heavenly chorus which glorifies the Lamb for His work of redemption, praises the grace of God who gave His Son that He might hear our sins on the cross. It is a song of victory! The saints have now been made kings and priests unto our God and they reign upon the earth.
Is this great chorus being sung NOW by creation and the church? If so, how?
The redeemed already reign on the earth (vs. 10). How must this be understood? cf. L.D. 12.
What a picture! The Lion of the tribe of Judah and the Lamb of God at the center of the throne of the universe has representatives on earth carrying out His orders. All believers reign all the earth. Over what do they reign? Psalm 8 tells us: “He put all things under our feet, all sheep, oxen, beasts of the field, birds of the heaven, fish of the sea and all that pass through the sea . . .” Why? In order that God’s name may be exalted in all the earth!
The church as Christ’s body must “go”; we must “witness.” But all of life must be claimed for Him. Our bodies must be presented as living sacrifices. Our time, our money, am minds belong to Him. Does this rob us of our freedom? No, we find our real meaning in life and our happiness in this service. Christ is the King of our homes and He appoints m as kings and priests right there. The Sending Son calls us to he faithful stewards of the children He gives us. They are the heritage of the Lord (Ps. 127:3). The Sending Son has authority in education, in business, politics, recreation, music, entertainment. He has made us to be kings and priests for Him to reign on the earth and to claim everything for Him. “Unto Him that sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb be the blessing, and the honor and the glory and the dominion for ever and ever!” And in Revelation 5, following this chorus, the four living creatures say Amen. They fall down and worship. Let us do the same. Let us join the chorus!
Beautiful Savior! Lord of the the nations!
Son of God and Son of man!
Glory and honor,
Praise, adoration,
Now and forevermore be Thine!
How can we he kings and priests in our families? m our business? in our use of money? in our recreation?
How should the fact that we are kings and priests help us in our view of personal witnessing?
When Jesus said “So send I YOU” whom did He refer to? How can this he put into practice?
James 1. Packer in his very important book Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God says that God is the prime mover in evangelism and that all believers acknowledge this when they are on their knees. By the very act of prayer, each person acknowledges his dependence on God. Nowhere is this more true than in seeking to witness to someone about the Lord. No one person can save another. This is God’s work. one can come to the Savior except he is driven by the Father. Believers thank God for their salvation because God saved them.
Since God is the prime mover in evangelism, the question “By whom are we sent?” is answered. In these next three studies we shall look at the 1.) The Sending Father; 2.) The Sending Son and the 3.) The Sending Spirit in evangelism.
THE SENDING FATHER
Jesus said, “As the Father hath sent me, so send I you.” Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are often referred to in the subject of evangelism, but the work of the Father is often neglected in this subject. Jesus did not ignore the Father’s work. Jesus was always aware of what the Father was doing in evangelism.
Why is the work of the Father often neglected in evangelism?
Let us see four activities of the Father in evangelism. The Father is: 1. The Commissioner; 2. The Chooser; 3. The Covenantor; 4. The Creator.
The Father conceived of evangelism already in eternity before the world was when He commissioned His Son to redeem those whom He had chosen to be members of His covenant family, and when He deters reconcile all things (the creation) unto Himself in His Son.
THE FATHER AS COMMISSIONER
“As the Father sent me,” says Jesus. This “sending” has its roots in eternity when the Father commissioned His Son to be the Savior. The Father explained this to the Old Testament people in the words of Isaiah: “The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (53:6). “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief; when thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin, He shall sec His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.” The Father was the “bruiser.” He was pleased to do it! The Father so loved that He gave! He offered His Son for sin. The “seed” to be seen in Isaiah 53:10 is the elect race, chosen and given to the Son. In John 17:2 Jesus prays: “As Thou gavest Him [the Son] authority over all flesh, that to all whom Thou host given Him He should give eternal life.”
Jesus was conscious of this commission to be the Savior all through His life. Already at the age of twelve he said: “Know ye not that I must be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49). At the beginning of His public ministry, the Father introduced Him to the community and to the world when He said: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” Jesus was qualified by the Holy Spirit to fulfill this commission as predicted in Isaiah 61:1: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me . . .”
The Father spoke again on the Mount of Transfiguration to the representatives of the Old and New Testament church saying: ”This is my beloved Son. Hear ye Him:’ Peter wanted to remain there but Jesus said there is a world below that needs us. We cannot stay on the mountain to rejoice in salvation while a world is dying. “As the Father sent me—so send I you.”
Review the Transfiguration (Matthew 17). How did the mountain top prepare the disciples for the problems below?
Finally, the Father sacrificed His commissioned Son on Mount Calvary as the great atonement for sin, as Peter explains on Pentecost: “Him being delivered up by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye by the hand of lawless men did crucify and slay: whom God raised up, having loosed the pangs of death, because it was not possible that He should be holden by it” (Acts 2:23, 24). Paul also says in Philippians 2:9–11: “Wherefore also God highly exalted Him and gave unto Him the name that is above every name, that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.”
Now when Jesus says: “As the Father hath sent Me, so send I you.” He is telling us that the commission of the Father is passed on to us. This truth must be underscored. Paul understood this precisely. He was convinced that when the gospel was preached it came with the authority of the throne of God. This note of authority is the characteristic note of the New Testament concept of preaching. The preacher is called an ambassador. An ambassador is the official representative of his government. He is charged with authority by those who send him and has the full right to speak on their behalf. This is a most fitting word for the Christian preacher.
Why is the AUTHORITY of preaching so dominant in the New Testament?
The word “to herald” (Keryssein) is translated “to preach” and is the most commonly used word for preaching. It is important to note that this word also implies an authoritative proclamation. The Thayer Lexicon says that this verb always carries with it the suggestion of “an authority which must be listened I to and obeyed” (italics mine).
Another word used in the Greek New Testament for preaching is “Kataggello” which is translated “preach” or “proclaim.” It is a heightened form of a simple verb which means “to announce.” This verb means to tell thoroughly and to proclaim with authority as one does who is commissioned to spread official news among other persons.
The verb “Euaggelizo” is another common word used for preaching; it means “bringing an official message of good news” (Kittel, Vol. II) (italics mine).
Why is the authority in preaching so important in evangelism?
“If indeed those who are called to the ministry of the Word are ambassadors on behalf of Christ and speak in Christ’s stead, it ill befits them to declare God’s message in a servile, apologetic, deferential manner, in doubtful and uncertain tones. God wants no grovelling, faint-hearted creatures for His ambassadors. He wants men who, having communed with heaven, can never be intimated by the world.” So writes Professor James Stewart in Heralds of God, pp. 211, 212. He is standing on his feet to deliver, in the name of the King of kings, a word that cannot return void.
“This authoritative note is all the more an urgent necessity in the days in which we live. The world is in a state of bewildered uncertainty. There is the theological and moral confusion in the church itself. It is tragic that men who profess to be the ministers of the Gospel appear to be more sure of what they do not believe than of what they do. They are convinced of their doubts; they are doubtful of their convictions. But the final tragedy is that instead of keeping their miserable doubts to themselves they drag them into the pulpit . . . There is no apostolic ‘We know’ about their preaching but only a hesitant ‘We venture to suggest.’”
“Speculation is not preaching. Speculation will never win a verdict for Christ, or advance the king_ dom or meet the cravings of the human heart. Inherent in man’s nature is the longing for certainty. ‘Give me the benefit of your convictions, if you have any,’ remarked Goethe. ‘Keep your doubts to yourself, I have enough of my own.’” (Frank Colquhoun. Christ’s Ambassadors, Westminster Press, 1965, pp. 33,34.)
Let all who would do away with preaching and replace it with “modern methods of communication” take heed to the Biblical injunctions. Let all who would preach only “half” a gospel, hear. Christian preaching is concerned with affirmations! It is based on divine revelation. Its characteristic is an exclamation mark, not a question mark! It says, “Thus says the Lord!” Paul said: “We preach not ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord with ourselves as your servants for Christ’s sake.” “We have this treasure,” says Paul, “in earthen vessels that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves” (II Cor. 4:5). He says also: “My speech and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God” (1 Cor. 2:4, 5).
The Father is the Commissioner of His Son and of all evangelistic activity. Our responsibility is to be true to our Sender, to His Word of truth. All mission work must be measured by this standard and must be loyal to Him.
How can we be sure of good, Biblical, authoritative proclamation from the Christian pulpit?
Why is good, Biblical, authoritative proclamation of the Word the only way in which the church is built, sinners converted and the Kingdom advanced?
THE FATHER AS CHOOSER
Not only is the Father the Commissioner, He is also the Chooser. He is the beginning and the end of evangelism. Not only does He send; He, by His Spirit, opens the hearts of those to whom the sent ones are sent.
Once a Calvinistic missionary acquaintance of mine was attending a class for missionaries who were preparing to leave for their assignments. In the course of one particular lecture, the instructor made this comment: “It escapes me how any Calvinist can be a missionary, believing as he does in the doctrine of election. Why should he bother to go and spend all the money, uprooting his family, if the elect are all going to be saved anyway?” The Calvinistic missionary acquaintance said nothing at this point. As the instructor was concluding his remarks, he warned his missionary students not to become discouraged on the field, “Because” said he, “not everyone who hears the gospel message will respond in faith.” At this point the Calvinist arose and responded: “I am a Calvinist and I believe in election and I am a missionary who is uprooting his family and moving far away. But the only reason I do this with confidence is precisely because I believe in election and I know that God has His chosen ones everywhere and that the only ones who “will respond in faith” are the ones whom He has chosen. I can only thank the Lord that the conversion of sinners will not depend ultimately on me, a weak vessel, but on God the Chooser!”
Do not we read in Scripture, Acts 3:48: “As many as were ordained unto eternal life believed?” This means that the Father chose those who were to be saved from I he foundation of the world of mere grace, without any merit or condition, and that God so arranges that they will be called by the gospel. That is where the preacher, the missionary comes in. He is the “voice” to call sinners to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ crucified, risen and coming again. Does not Paul say this in Romans 8:29–30: “Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called, them He also justified; and whom He justified, them He also glorified.” Paul is talking about the same people in this verse—those whom the Father chose, He will call through the gospel (Rom. 10:14) and bring them to justification and glorification.
The Biblical truth of election is one of the cornerstones for missions and evangelism. God is the Commissioner and He is the Chooser.
“Tis not that I did choose Thee,
for Lord that could not be;
This heart would still refuse Thee,
Hadst Thou not chosen me.”
Why is there so much misunderstanding about the relation between election and missions?
THE FATHER AS COVENANTOR
The Father is not only the Commissioner and the Chooser, He is also the Covenantor. He calls His chosen into a family, a covenant family. That family is an everlasting family, established by the Father, purchased by the Son and maintained by the Holy Spirit.
The Father loves His family, cares for them, and is jealous for them. The covenant between God and His people runs like a “spine” through the entire Bible. In fact it can be said that the whole Bible is a record of God’s “covenant dealings” with His children. A uniquely “covenant” word in the Bible is “jealousy.” God is a “jealous God,” we read in the second commandment. In what sense is God a “jealous God?” Is not jealousy one of the works of the flesh? (Gal. 5:19) It seems strange that jealousy can be both an attribute of God and a sin of man. But as J.R.W. Statt says: “Jealousy is neutral and whether it is good or bad depends on the situation and the motive behind it” (Our Guilty Silence, p. 17). For a man to be jealous of his neighbors’ home or possessions is surely wrong and a work of his flesh. But for a man to be jealous of his wife whom another is trying to woo is noble.
God is a jealous God in the context of Israel as His bride. He has chosen Israel above all the other nations of the earth. He bore them on eagle’s wings, spoke tenderly to them, gave them His covenant pledge: “I will be your God and the God of your children.” God is provoked to jealousy and anger when Israel plays the harlot and goes after other gods.
God is God alone. There is no other God. As such He has the right to our exclusive allegiance and is jealous when we misdirect our loyalty to that which is no good. In Isaiah 45, He says: “Turn to me and be saved all the ends of the earth, for I am God and there is none else.”
He is the Covenantor. He established this relationship in grace and calls “all the ends of the earth” into fellowship with Him. The message of evangelism is a covenantal message from the husband to His bride. Isaiah 55 expresses it so beautifully: “However, one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, bu)’ wine and milk without money and without price . . . Incline your car, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David” (Isaiah 55:1, 3).
The covenanting Jehovah sees that the people are spending money for that which is not bread. They are not getting fed. Their labor is in vain. He is moved to jealousy for them. He loves them and says: “Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness” (Isaiah 55:2). So the supreme basis for evangelism, the reason why God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” is because there is only only God, and He is the Father of the Covenant and there is only one Mediator between the offended God and the offending sinner, the man Christ Jesus.
If God is jealous, then we must sure this jealousy. Jesus wept over Jerusalem. Paul says in Romans 9:3: “I could wish that I myself were anathema from Christ for my brethren’s sake . . .” Jesus speaks of this in the parable of the wedding feast (Luke 14:23): “Go out into the highways and hedges, and constrain them to come in, that my house may be filled.” We must share this passion! We must be filled with holy desire to reach men lost in sin, who are spending their money for what can never satisfy. We must urge them to repent and believe and receive the grace of God in Jesus Christ and become part of God’s covenant family.
Why is “covenant training” sometimes put over against mission work?
How can a strong covenantal emphasis also be a strong mission emphasis?
THE FATHER AS CREATOR
Someone might ask, what does creation have to do with evangelism? It has everything to do with it. In fact, creation itself is “groaning and travailing in pain together until now” waiting for the redemption of the sons of God. It is watching with an outstretched head “waiting it out” for the revelation of the sons of God. Creation is craning its neck to catch a sight of what is coming. Creation is waiting because of the calamity that came on the whole world when its crown and head fell. The creation was subjected to vanity. It was made the victim of frustration and meaninglessness. Creation is in bondage. But there is hope. Creation itself shall be liberated from the slavery of corruption. The original purpose of God will he carried out. Creation will be glorified. God will not replace it but restore it .
That restoration is rooted in Calvary. Its concentration is the crown of creation—man. In Christ, the believing man is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him who created him (Col. 3:10). Paul says:
“Put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Eph. 4:24). Our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit and we are not our own. Therefore we must glorify God in our bodies (I Cor. 6:19, 20). We are called “to present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God which is our spiritual service” (Rom. 12:1). This service is an obedient life in response to God’s grace, an obedient life that reveals itself in the family, school, the place of business, in polities, in recreation—all of this is in order that God may be “all and in all.”
The Father as Creator sends us forth so that His creation can achieve the purpose for which He made it. In Hosea 2:18–23 we see a beautiful picture of creation restored by God’s grace: “And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beast of the field, and with the birds of the heavens, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the land, and will make them to lie down safely. And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in justice, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness; and thou shalt know Jehovah.”
The picture in Revelation 4 of the throne of God includes the redeemed creation in the four living creatures around the throne. They join the angels and the elders, the redeemed church, in singing the great Hallelujah Chorus.
Evangelism is cosmic in its scope because the God who sends us forth is “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who of nothing made heaven and earth . . . and He is for the sake of Christ His Son, My God and Father.” He is the Commissioner, the Chooser, the Covenantor, and the Creator.
O give the Lord wholehearted praise;
To Him thanksgiving I will bring,
With all His people I will raise
My voice, and of His glory sing!
Why does the Reformed faith have the most comprehensivc message for today?
Lesson 4
THE SENDING SON (2)
Scripture Reading: Revelation 5
The greatest evangelist is Jesus Christ, as He Himself says: “I am come that they might have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). He is the unique and incomparable evangelist because He created the good news, He Himself is the good news, and He is its one and only preacher (cf. R. B. Kuiper, God-Centered Evangelism, p. 18).
Jesus Christ created the good news when He came voluntarily “the just for the unjust that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet. 3:18). He “emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant . . . becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross” (Phil. 2:7, 8). But not only did Jesus create the good news, He is the good news. Peter said: “There is no other name under heaven that is given among men wherein we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). John the Baptist said: “Behold, the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
Christ is also the one and only Preacher of the good news. He preaches through every evangelist who bring God’s Word. All preachers of the gospel must say with Paul: “We beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (II Cor. 5:20) (New Am. St. Version).
What is the difference between the writings of the prophets and apostles and the preaching from the pulpit?
In this study let us see the Sending Son as the Lion and the Lamb on the throne. Revelation 5 presents the majestic picture of the sending Savior on the throne and of the response of the angels, the church, and all created things in the Hallelujah Chorus.
CONCERN FOR GOD’S PEOPLE
In Revelation 5 John sees the vision of the book with the seven seals which no one could open. He weeps much. This book is a symbol of God’s purpose with respect to all things. It is written on both sides, indicating that it deals with everything. It is closed, that is, it is not revealed and not executed. If it remains dosed, God’s purpose for His Kingdom will not be realized.
John is deeply troubled because no one was found worthy, that is, no one had the legal right or the power to receive the book and to open it. He knows what the opening of it means. If it is not opened there will be no protection for God’s people, no judgment for the wicked, no hope, no promise, no meaning to life, no ultimate triumph of grace, no future bliss. So when no one is found to open the book, John weeps. Over his sensitive soul flows the cold feeling of disaster. Will evil finally triumph?
COMFORT FOR GOD’S PEOPLE
An elder comes to comfort John: “Weep not.” Why did not an angel come to him? Because an angel has never experienced the grace of God. These are things angels “desire to look into” (I Pet. 1:12). The elder dries John’s tears because he knows by experience that there is an answer. He is a representative of the church of Christ. He has the Word of God. He knows that Someone has come and has conquered and is worthy to open the book and loose the seals. The elder witnesses to John and directs him to Jesus Christ. “The Lion that is of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath overcome to open the book and the seven seals thereof.”
How can the church meet the pessimistic view of men and the future which often expresses itself today?
Notice the description of the Sending Son. He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. The lion is the king of beasts, strong, courageous, a leader. He is of the tribe of Judah, promised to the fathers. He is also of the Root of David, a King. How did He conquer? Do you remember Genesis 3:15? Christ crushed the head of the serpent! The angel Gabriel told Mary in Luke 1:33: “He shall reign over the house of Judah for ever and ever, and of His Kingdom there shall be no end.” On the cross the Lion conquered and earned the legal right to open the book and to reveal and carry out its contents. This is the message of the elder, the redeemed church.
John turns and sees in the midst of the throne “a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes which are the seven Spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth.” It is perfectly in order that the Savior who was announced as a Lion be seen as a Lamb. This shows how the Lion overcame. Did the Lion overcome by His mighty power? No, as the Lamb of God He conquered. The lamb in Scripture is a symbol of submissiveness and obedience. Isaiah 53 says: “As a lamb that is led to the slaughter, so he opened not his mouth.” The Lamb stands as though He had been slain. “He became obedient unto death, the death of the cross” and now He stands in victory.
He is standing in the midst of the throne, as the director of the angels and the elders. He is able to open the book. He is able to reveal the plan for God’s Kingdom and bring the Kingdom into total realization.
The Lamb has seven horns and seven eyes which are the seven Spirits of God sent throughout the world. The “horns” refer to His perfect power, His “eyes” to the fulness of the Spirit.
Why do you think the elder points to Christ as a Lion first and then as a Lamb?
What does the picture of Lion and Lamb teach regarding our message to a needy world?
COMMUNICATION TO GOD’S PEOPLE
Now notice how all of this relates to evangelism. :-he Sending Son is the Lion and the Lamb in control of the universe and directing all things to the climax of history when He will deliver the Kingdom up to His Father who shall be all in all. The Lion-Lamb, our Savior-King, sends the Spirit to conquer the hearts of men. The Holy Spirit reveals God’s will. He opens men’s eyes. He brings light. He inspires those whose lives He has changed, the body of Christ called the church, to bring this news to others. “But ye shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem. and in all Judea and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
But not only is Christ the Lamb standing “as though He had been slain,” “in the midst of the throne.” and “having seven horns and seven eyes”; He also takes the book. When did Christ “take the book” in actual history?
He “took the book” when He ascended into heaven. This was the dramatic moment John saw. Jesus Christ, the conquering hero was crowned in glory. sat down at the right hand of the Father and took the book of destiny, the blueprint for the Kingdom and opened it. He sent forth His Spirit into His church and sent His church to be His servants on earth. Truly He is the Sending Son as the Heidelberg Catechism so aptly states: “the Son of God, out of the whole human race, from the beginning to the end of the world, gathers, defends, and preserves for Himself, by His Spirit and Word, in the unity of the faith, a church chosen to everlasting life” (Lord’s Day XXI, Answer 54).
Christ, Himself, the Sending Son, proclaimed that gospel:
1. Through the prophets. When the holy men of old “prophesied of the grace that should come,” it was “the Spirit of Christ” within them which “testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow” (I Pet. 1:10, 11).
2. In the flesh to both Jews and Samaritans (John 4).
3. To Saul of Tarsus in direct confrontation on the Damascus road.
4. To the New Testament Church on Pentecost when He poured out His Spirit, of which Peter said in his Pentecostal sermon: “Being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, He (Christ) hath shed forth this which ye now sec and hear” (Acts 2:33).
5. Through every true preacher of the Word today. (cf. R. B. Kuiper, God-Centered Evangelism)
What does Christ’s example tell us about the priority of preaching?
In Psalm 2, Christ speaks of the ultimate victory of His Kingdom when He says: “Yet have I set my King upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree, the Lord hath said unto Me, ‘Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten Thee. Ask of me and I will give Thee the heathen for an inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession.’” The Lion-Lamb is in residence. Having conquered, He receives His inheritance. Paul speaks of this in Ephesians 1:20ff: “He raised Him from the dead and made Him to sit at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come; and He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all.”
This then was the beginning of the Gospel Age, and it continues to this day and will continue until the Sending Son returns on the clouds of heaven. His parting orders to His children are these: “All authority is given unto life in heaven and on earth; go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19).
How can we best encourage our missionaries? Do we do it?
Why can we go forth in the church with confidence?
Why are we often so afraid to witness? What are we forgetting?
CHORUS OF RESPONSE TO GOD
In Revelation 5, no sooner has the Lamb taken the book and accepted the office of King of the universe, than there arises a mighty chorus of celebration from three great choirs: 1) The four living creatures with the twenty-four elders. 2) All the angels with the living creatures and the elders. 3) Every created thing in heaven and on earth.
The living creatures and elders that is, the representatives of the redeemed creation of the church, take the lead in this heavenly chorus which glorifies the Lamb for His work of redemption, praises the grace of God who gave His Son that He might hear our sins on the cross. It is a song of victory! The saints have now been made kings and priests unto our God and they reign upon the earth.
Is this great chorus being sung NOW by creation and the church? If so, how?
The redeemed already reign on the earth (vs. 10). How must this be understood? cf. L.D. 12.
What a picture! The Lion of the tribe of Judah and the Lamb of God at the center of the throne of the universe has representatives on earth carrying out His orders. All believers reign all the earth. Over what do they reign? Psalm 8 tells us: “He put all things under our feet, all sheep, oxen, beasts of the field, birds of the heaven, fish of the sea and all that pass through the sea . . .” Why? In order that God’s name may be exalted in all the earth!
The church as Christ’s body must “go”; we must “witness.” But all of life must be claimed for Him. Our bodies must be presented as living sacrifices. Our time, our money, am minds belong to Him. Does this rob us of our freedom? No, we find our real meaning in life and our happiness in this service. Christ is the King of our homes and He appoints m as kings and priests right there. The Sending Son calls us to he faithful stewards of the children He gives us. They are the heritage of the Lord (Ps. 127:3). The Sending Son has authority in education, in business, politics, recreation, music, entertainment. He has made us to be kings and priests for Him to reign on the earth and to claim everything for Him. “Unto Him that sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb be the blessing, and the honor and the glory and the dominion for ever and ever!” And in Revelation 5, following this chorus, the four living creatures say Amen. They fall down and worship. Let us do the same. Let us join the chorus!
Beautiful Savior! Lord of the the nations!
Son of God and Son of man!
Glory and honor,
Praise, adoration,
Now and forevermore be Thine!
How can we he kings and priests in our families? m our business? in our use of money? in our recreation?
How should the fact that we are kings and priests help us in our view of personal witnessing?
When Jesus said “So send I YOU” whom did He refer to? How can this he put into practice?