Evangelism and God’s Kingdom on Earth

By Howard A. Snyder and John Carter Adams

The term “evangelism” in the New Testament refers specifically to the good news of the kingdom of God. Thus “to evangelize” means literally “to proclaim the good news of God’s kingdom.”

Jesus came “proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and sickness” (Matthew 9:35). In Luke 4:43, Jesus declares that His central purpose is to “proclaim the good news of [evangelize concerning] the kingdom of God.” Again in Luke 8:1, the notion of evangelism is applied to His ministry. It is likewise applied to the work of His disciples. Acts 8:12 records that Philip “evangelized about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ” [literal translation of the Greek; cf. Matthew 4:23, 24:14; Luke 16:16].

Throughout the New Testament, evangelism is associated with both the proclamation of God’s reign and the manifestation of His kingdom. It is important to recognize that the biblical model of evangelism is not limited to what might be called conversion evangelism — winning nonbelievers to faith in Jesus Christ. Indeed evangelism in the Scriptures includes much more than that because it concerns the comprehensive message of God’s reign.

What then does “evangelism” really mean? If, as has been suggested, evangelism means announcing and embodying God’s reign in order that His will is accomplished on earth, then it may be pictured this way (these dimensions are not independent of each other but interdependent):

Evangelism is all about the kingdom of God. It is doctrine, and it is practice. But it is more than mere proselytizing. It is the church making God and His kingdom known in the world by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The mission of the church is to lift up Jesus Christ so that the unbelieving world might be convicted of their sins, repent, and receive the abundant life that He alone offers.

“More than duty: This is the church’s high privilege, its great opportunity.”

As the body of Christ, the church is a manifestation of Jesus’ presence on earth. By spreading the gospel, the church wins people to faith in Christ: to be co-heirs with Him and members of His body. The church, guided and led by the Spirit, therefore occupies the central role in conversion evangelism. It is duty bound to proclaim Jesus Christ, to manifest His truth in all its doings, and to be the community that welcomes and nurtures “those who [are] being saved” (Acts 2:47). More than duty: This is the church’s high privilege, its great opportunity.

Remember: “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NLT).

Creation-Care Evangelism

In future writing, we will explain conversion evangelism further along with discipling evangelism, justice evangelism and culture evangelism. This article is being released near Earth Day (April 22) when many people in our culture focus on protecting the environment (God’s creation), so let us look today at creation-care evangelism.

Stewardship of creation begins with three key facts:

Creation care is a covenant commission from God, given first to all humanity.
Through the resources of God’s grace and the stewardship of “the manifold grace of God” that has been given us (1 Peter 4:10 KJV), creation care is now integral to the church’s local and global mission.
Creation care touches every dimension of life on earth, from time and finances to our interactions with all this delightful yet diseased creation.

“Scripture reveals God’s truth, demonstrated supremely in Jesus Christ and in His reign over all creation.”

Restoration + Transformation

An example of creation-care evangelism is Accelerated Restorative Collaborative (ARC). This ministry, co-founded by Free Methodist Elder Stephen Fitch, is based in Romans 1:16. It works within the ministry context of animistic, Hindu, Islamic and secular cultures where evangelism and discipleship are openly shunned.

ARC employs a restorative methodology to bring back forests and villages from devastation to provide dignity and health to all around. Now the people are agents of forest restoration.

The Bible presents a picture of reality (worldview) and a narrative (world story) that is distinctly different from all the world’s philosophies, myths, religions, and ideologies. Scripture reveals God’s truth, demonstrated supremely in Jesus Christ and in His reign over all creation.

Creation-care evangelism is essential if our world and its societies are going to be restored and transformed to reflect the reality of the kingdom of God.

Howard A. Snyder, Ph.D., is a Free Methodist elder who previously held the Chair of Wesley Studies at Tyndale University in Toronto and served as a professor at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. His numerous books include “Populist Saints: B. T. and Ellen Roberts and the First Free Methodists,” “The Problem of Wineskins,” “The Community of the King” and “EarthCurrents: The Struggle for the World’s Soul.”

John Carter Adams holds a master’s degree from Wheaton College in evangelism and discipleship. He is the retired vice president of the Institute for Emerging Itinerant Evangelists, a ministry of East West Ministries International in Plano, Texas.