Now let us talk specifically of evangelization. This English word is taken from the Greek words evangelion and evangelizo to address someone with good news. I believe the most important New Testament word about presenting the good news, is herald (kerux), the king's messenger of ancient times. The herald of old was a royal officer, and when we use this word, it tells us of an official function or activity, one which requires guidelines and accountability to him who sends the herald. Paul speaks of his being commissioned to herald the gospel of the Lord. He says to Timothy, 'Preach (herald) the word' (2 Timothy 4:2).

Now some heralds have been sent directly from the Lord, mainly the prophets and the apostles. An example of a prophet would be Amos.

Then Amos answered, and said to Amaziah: I was no prophet, nor was I a son of a prophet, but I was a herdsman and a tender of sycamore fruit. Then the Lord took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord said to me, Go, prophesy to my people Israel.

Paul says of himself as 'called to be an apostle' (Romans 1:1). Amos and Paul are examples of those sent by God directly to proclaim the Word from God.

Other heralds, those who are not prophets or apostles, are placed under the prophets and apostles. It is about these that we are particularly concerned. We are told in Scripture by the Apostle Paul that no other gospel is to be preached except what he preaches (Galatians 1:8). We are under the apostles with respect to what we have to say. Furthermore, we are under them in certain other ways. We are under them with respect to the authority of the Word of God. Paul says that even if an angel tells you something else, let him be accursed. Why? Because what Paul and the prophets have written is the Word of God. We are under them because they have given us the Word of God, and we repeat that Word as coming from the Lord.

We are under them because they represent the church: 'And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers' (Ephesians 4:11). God built the church on the foundation of the apostles and prophets (Ephesians 2:20). He gave evangelists, pastors and teachers to open the Word of God to the church and those of the world who will listen.

So what are we saying? Evangelization should take place, and it should take place under God and under the church. No one should evangelize apart from the Word of God and the church. As his ecclesiastical supervisor Paul instructed Timothy to preach and he defined his duty to be to preach only the Word of God. Before Paul and Barnabas came to Cyprus the church laid hands on them and prayed for them and sent them out (Acts 13:1-3).

This requirement of the Word and the church does not prevent the informal telling of the gospel, as I mentioned. We may think of the example of the Samaritan woman in John 4. By this example Scripture encourages us to call our friends and neighbours to Christ. The only proviso is that when we do this informal telling, we see ourselves not as independent, not as taking the place of the prophets, apostles and other ministers. But we are under their oversight. So you have every encouragement to do this informal telling as part of your responsibilities in the church. Go to your acquaint­ances, speak to your families, seek to bring others to Christ.

Then we have the formal evangelization by the appointed heralds: the evangelists, the pastors and teachers. The church is responsible to organize evangelistic efforts in the local community and as far as the ends of the earth. It is to see that its ordained preachers reach the unsaved multitudes and proclaim to them the Word of Life.

All of us together have been put in trust with the gospel. The Apostle Paul says that God has made him a steward of the gospel. Christ has commanded the church to preach the gospel universally. He did not say, Go into all the world, find the elect, and preach the gospel to them. He said, Go and preach the gospel to every creature. Preach among all nations and you will find the elect because they will respond.

So while these two factors, election and the call to evangelization, may seem to some to be in conflict, it should be obvious now that this is not so. Here is a method of ingathering ordained of God, a method commanded by God, by which the elect enter the kingdom. No other way is permitted. This method begins with the call of the gospel and it ends in saving faith. God commands the church not to sit to the side and wait for the elect to come, but boldly to evangelize, to claim what is His by the preaching of the gospel and to expect some, as elect persons, to believe.

Thus, we must go out in obedience to God, because we believe in election. If we go out with the gospel, thinking that there is any uncertainty with God about who will believe, we go under a false pretence. Jesus said, 'All that the Father gives Me will come to Me…' (John 6:37). Election impels us to evangelize.

Our obedience to God's command should be not grudging but glad. The Psalmist called for joy in following the Lord: 'Serve the Lord with gladness' (Psalm 100:2). First, we rejoice in the glory of God, because the purpose of election is the glory of God, not to make us important, not so we may advertise how many people we have persuaded, but so that God may be glorified. No matter what attention men pay to us, let God be glorified.

We rejoice in the privilege of participation. God has allowed us to participate in his work. What honour! What a wonderful position to be an evangelist, whether formally or informally!

Next, we rejoice that lives are changed. When we give the gospel, our children come to salvation. Our neighbours come to the Lord. The nations bow before God. How we should rejoice! The Scripture says that there is rejoicing in heaven when one sinner comes to repentance. Can we rejoice any less?

Finally, we rejoice in the victory of Christ. We are not as those who evangelize and then wonder if it is all for nothing. We are not those who say we have tried but failed. We know that because of the election of God, evangelism will succeed. We shall see the work of God's hand. So let us be glad.

Evangelism is thus an urgent activity but not a desperate activity. We remain assured that the totality of God's plan will be fulfilled. We are not desperate as though we might deprive God of something which he wants. We are not desperate, but we do feel the urgency. If something is important, it is also urgent. And this is the most important work there is. It is urgent because love is urgent, and we are to love the world with God. What a wonderful thought! Even the worst of men can be among the elect of God. We can pray for the worst of men. We can pray for family and friends even when they seem to be indifferent. Our desire for people to be saved is a part of the outworking of election. God answers prayer, and so we pray and witness because we believe in election.

The compassion of God impels us to witness and to evangelize. God told Jonah that he had compassion upon the children of Nineveh. Compassion is an urgent thing. When your heart is aching for the suffering world, there is a sense of urgency.

Time is a factor when it comes to urgency, because our lives are very short, and God has given us this privilege of participation. How can we waste our lives, waste the opportunity? So there is a sense of urgency to work while we have life, to work while the world still has a day of grace.

I want to close with some applications specifically to the Middle East. First, there are elect in every Middle Eastern nation, every North African nation. We could say this about the whole world, but we here today are specially interested in the Middle East. If there are elect in every nation, God will send them the gospel. He will send them the gospel through his church, by the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, by the elders and by all of God's people. But who of us will fully participate? Will we miss the opportunity? We know the elect are there. God has said, 'from every nation', and these elect will be added to the church.

We may think of ourselves as small, but God's people in the Middle East will increase. No power in heaven or earth can prevent that. If we are going to participate, then we must be willing to offer our lives for the gospel. Satan will fight against us. Indwelling sin will fight against us. Hardness of heart will fight against us. Yet, we must be willing to offer our lives in the struggle. Jesus said,

Whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it.Mark 8:35

So if we believe in election, let us evangelize, let us preach the gospel, let us expect great things. As William Carey said, 'Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God'. The doctrine of election underlies this great and famous statement of missionary enterprise. We would do well to take it to heart as we serve Christ in the Middle East.