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Unveiled Reality

When speaking to people about Jesus…

and sharing the Gospel, we can find ourselves reverting to the flesh to “evangelize” in a way that is familiar and comfortable to us. Truth is, God not only tells us to teach others but to show people who God is through us. When a person sees Jesus through you, they are taught through that experience, and that brings a change in their life. Even if we are learning the revelation of the Word, we can think that “breaking down” some verses in scripture and sharing Hebrew is evangelism. But if His Spirit is not leading us, it is dead works. Works of the flesh will lead to death, but being led by the Spirit leads to the healing of souls. Paul speaks of these different types of preachers of Christ:

Philippians 1:15-18, “Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill: The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.”

Paul is showing that there are two ways that Christ is preached. One way is in envy, strife, selfish ambition, not sincerely, and out of pretense. And then there are those who preach Christ from goodwill, out of love, and in truth. The word pretense means

“the outward appearance.”

[1] Preaching Christ in envy, strife, and selfish ambition means the person has an ulterior motive to preach or evangelize in order to gain something for themselves. Many people evangelize out of religious duty, obligation, and reward.

Many people evangelize out of religious duty, obligation, and reward.

This produces a carnal and false perspective of who God is to others, because the envy and strife cut out the character and nature of who God is. This births a false image and veils the deity of Christ, reverting back to an outward and fleshly understanding of Christ. However, Truth, in this passage, means

“the unveiled reality.”

[2] Therefore, there are those who preach from within, which is the unveiled reality of Christ. In truth, there are no motives to evangelize, other than it is the changes God has done in the life of that person that brings forth the fruits of the Spirit, for the hungry souls to partake. We allow God to transform us in order to transform others.

Apostle Michael Petro recently said,

“We’re not evangelizing; we’re turning people into Jesus.”

The early church understood this unveiling of Christ in reference to the second coming:

“For two comings of Christ having been revealed to us: a first, which has been fulfilled in the lowliness of a human lot; a second, which impends over the world, now near its close, in all the majesty of Deity unveiled.” – Tertullian [3]

As Forerunners, we are stepping into 2020, evangelizing out of goodwill, love, and truth; not striving in the flesh and conforming to what is familiar to the past. But walking in what God has established in us, through the work of the Holy Spirit. Being at rest, in the working of His hands. When the foundation of evangelism is by the unveiled reality of God, the inner fruit of His nature is revealed, which is Christ, being the source of that fruit in you for the nations.

Blessings,
The Harvesters

References:
1. G4392, Strong’s Dictionary
2. G225, Strong’s Dictionary
3. Tertullian, Apology, Ch. XXI




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