Sing to the Lord, all the earth! Share the news of his saving work every single day! Declare God’s glory among the nations; declare his wondrous works among all people because the Lord is great and so worthy of praise. He is awesome beyond all other gods. 1 Chronicles 16:23-25 (CEB)
Earlier this fall, the Cru Research & Development team gathered at our headquarters in Orlando to set goals for the new school year. One of these goals was to “increase evangelism effectiveness, inside and outside of Cru.” Reflecting on this goal caused me to think about the big picture: Why do we do evangelism in the first place? Obedience? Results? Rewards? Love?
Then I ran across this from the Westminster Shorter Catechism: The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. Hmmm. That sounded important. Some research was in order…
Scripture places a heavy emphasis on God’s glory, using the term “glory” over 280 times. But in our culture the concept causes some confusion. How are we to “glorify God?” Does He really need our help?
God’s glory is chiefly about his reputation. In scripture, the glory of God refers to the revelation of his being, his attributes, and his presence to humankind. Because, although God’s character (his nature, his personality) never changes, how people perceive God certainly can and does change. And, by the things we say and do as followers of Christ, we can influence people and help change their perception of God. Basically, that’s what it means to glorify God: to enhance his reputation.
This becomes incredibly significant as we consider our motivation for doing evangelism. If we exist for God’s glory, then glorifying God is not just the main reason we share our faith – it’s the main reason we’re alive. So, as we embark on another season of equipping Christians to effectively share the gospel, we’ve got to remember the big picture. We are essentially helping people fulfill their main purpose in life: to glorify God.
What about you? What is your primary motivation for sharing your faith?
* Photo courtesy of Kevin Dooley (Flickr Creative Commons).
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