{"id":6013,"date":"2024-01-20T12:36:42","date_gmt":"2024-01-20T12:36:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/2024\/01\/20\/the-real-reason-we-dont-evangelize\/"},"modified":"2024-01-20T12:36:42","modified_gmt":"2024-01-20T12:36:42","slug":"the-real-reason-we-dont-evangelize","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/2024\/01\/20\/the-real-reason-we-dont-evangelize\/","title":{"rendered":"The Real Reason We Don\u2019t Evangelize"},"content":{"rendered":"


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False Beliefs Fueling Our Apathy<\/h2>\n

How can we motivate greater evangelism?<\/em> At the root of a lot of our evangelistic apathy and inactivity is the false idea that everyone will be saved. We might not say it out loud, and at times we may not even be conscious of it. But deep down, under many layers, many of us hold the false belief that everyone is going to heaven anyway. If we really believed everyone is going to hell unless they know Jesus, wouldn\u2019t we forget the embarrassment, the fear of rejection, and any sense of our insufficiency? We would be prepared to suffer, and we\u2019d pour ourselves out for the task.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what Paul teaches in 1 Timothy 4:9\u201310: \u201cThe saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe\u201d (1 Tim. 4:9\u201310). Wait, did Paul just say that God is the Savior of all? Does God save everyone after all? Let\u2019s dig a little deeper into the two truths taught in this text to find truth that will motivate greater evangelism.<\/p>\n

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\nDavid Murray<\/a>
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This journey through the books of 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus includes 50 daily devotionals written by David Murray, author of The StoryChanger<\/em>. Part of the StoryChanger Devotional series, this book features daily readings designed to help you learn, love, and live according to the Bible. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

God Does Not Save Everyone<\/h2>\n

\u201cWe have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe\u201d (1 Tim. 4:10). This cannot mean that everyone who has ever lived is going to heaven regardless of their response to the gospel. That\u2019s not consistent with the rest of Scripture (e.g., Matt. 7:14). It doesn\u2019t explain Paul\u2019s missionary labors. Why would he \u201ctoil and strive,\u201d labor and suffer, if everyone is going to be saved anyway? The rest of this letter rejects universalism (1 Tim. 1:19; 1 Tim. 2:5; 1 Tim. 4:1), as do Paul\u2019s other letters (Rom. 11:5; 1 Cor. 16:22). Paul cautioned about apostasy at the beginning of 1 Timothy 4.<\/p>\n

If God is Savior of all, then he is not Savior at all.
\u201cSo whom does God save?\u201d
He saves believers alone.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Praise God for giving us not only a salvation to believe in but a belief in his salvation.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

God Saves Believers Alone<\/h2>\n

\u201c. . . the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe\u201d (1 Tim. 4:10). \u201cAll people\u201d can mean \u201call kinds of people.\u201d \u201cEspecially\u201d can mean \u201cto be precise\u201d or \u201cin other words.\u201d Therefore, this verse teaches that God is the Savior of all kinds of people, specifically, all kinds of people who believe. God saves believers. <\/p>\n

Faith has two hands. With the first hand it reaches out because it needs outside help, outside knowledge, outside power. It grasps and grips God\u2019s word because it helps us to grip God\u2019s Son. The other hand of faith receives. It receives Christ and all his benefits: forgiveness of sin, everlasting righteousness, salvation, and so on. But because we are born without spiritual arms, God gives us not only the one we are to believe in but the arms with which to believe. Praise God for giving us not only a salvation to believe in but a belief in his salvation. Hallelujah, what a Savior! <\/p>\n

This article is adapted from<\/em> Timothy and Titus: Stories of Fear and Courage<\/a> by David Murray.<\/em><\/p>\n

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\"David<\/p>\n

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David Murray<\/strong> (PhD, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) is the senior pastor of First Byron Christian Reformed Church in\u00a0Byron Center, Michigan. He is also a counselor, a regular speaker at conferences, and the author of Reset<\/em> and Exploring the Bible<\/em>. David has taught Old Testament, counseling, and pastoral theology at various seminaries.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n

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Related Articles<\/h2>\n
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\n Does God Want Everyone to Be Saved? (1 Timothy 2)
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Denny Burk<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/em>\n <\/p>\n

\n August 07, 2019
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God\u2019s people are not merely praying for God to give them a peaceful and quiet life. They are praying that all people might experience salvation through Christ.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n

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\n 5 Myths about Evangelism
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Kathleen Nielson<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/em>\n <\/p>\n

\n June 27, 2018
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Here are five myths about evangelism that may lead us to neglect an important facet of the Christian life.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n

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\n Help! I Don\u2019t Like Evangelizing
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Daniel Hames<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/em>\n <\/p>\n

\n December 09, 2023
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Why do others seem to feel so much more natural at evangelism than you? You need to know that you\u2019re not alone in feeling that way.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n

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\n Podcast: Don’t Despair, Jesus Can Rewrite Your Story (David Murray)
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\n June 13, 2022
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David Murray talks about why there\u2019s more to our stories than what we can do or have done, and how, in Christ, our stories can become part of God\u2019s story\u2014a story full of hope, and beauty, and grace.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/article><\/div>\n

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