Jesus’ deep concern for world evangelism was magnified when, prior to His ascension, He instructed His disciples to “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation” (Mk 16:15), reminding them that “this Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations: and then the end will come.” (Mt 24:14). In other words, His Second Coming would take place only when all mankind have heard this Gospel of Salvation. The apostle Paul understood the importance of this commission and sought to encourage the young evangelist Timothy: “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and dead. and by His appearing and His Kingdom: preach the word: be ready in season and out of season: reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction” (II Tim 4:1, 2).

1.       The Meaning of Literature Evangelism

Literature Evangelism is one of the two methods of Evangelism. While oral evangelism depends upon a person speaking and testifying for the Lord either on an individual (Jn. 3:1-15, Acts 8:26-40) or a group basis (Mt 5:12; Acts 2:14; 17:22), literature evangelism, as the name implies, relies upon written materials -leaflets, pamphlets, books, magazines ... as vehicles to spread the Gospel far afield.

2.       The Value of Literature Evangelism

Preaching has played an invaluable role in bringing the lost sheep back to the Lord, but the time has come for us to realise the importance of literature evangelism. Not constrained by time or space, the effectiveness of literature evangelism is not to be underestimated. Just as works of famous authors have survived the test of time and continue to influence the literary world, literature concerning the amazing grace of our Lord and His Gospel of Salvation could also remain ageless and continue to move generations: past, present and future. The Ethiopian eunuch, for example, was saved through his reading of the book of Isaiah, written hundreds of years before his time (Acts 8:26-39).

Furthermore, with ever-developing modern technology and communication systems literature evangelism could now reach an audience of much wider and larger areas than personal evangelism could ever hope to achieve.

3.       The Scope of Literature Evangelism

Literature evangelism could be directed towards two groups of people - the members of our Church, as well as the non-members, whether they be non-Christians or Christians of other denominations. The unbelievers need to accept the Gospel, believe in the salvation of our Lord Jesus, accept His grace, and receive the eventual blessings of the Heavenly Kingdom. Christians of other denominations on the other hand, need to recognise the True Church set up by God in the end-time, and be guided back to the correct doctrines; gathered under one flock and tended by one shepherd, united in the Truth (Jn 10:16, Eph 4:4, 5:l2). Literature evangelism should also help our members in their pursuit of spiritual advancement by expounding the teachings of God, serving as a means of increasing their biblical knowledge as well as a form of encouragement to do good, to become sanctified, thereby pleasing God.

The exchange of news can also help bridge churches throughout the world, creating a better and deeper understanding among the children of God and establishing an enhanced spiritual communion united through His love.

4.       How Can You Contribute to Literature Evangelism

Given the importance of literature evangelism, what contribution could we make towards it? This is one question that should be in the minds of each and every one of us.

 a.      You can write

The Bible tells us that all our talents and abilities come from God, as gifts, exemplifying His love for us. It is only right that we should use these gifts to serve Him and to repay H is grace. Those of us who are blessed with the gift of writing should therefore utilize this opportunity to bear witness for Him, remembering the words of Elder John: “What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have beheld and our hands handled, concerning the word of life... And these things we write, so that our joys may be made complete” (I Jn l:1-4).

 b.      You can witness

Even without the gift of writing, contributions could still be made in this area of the divine work. All of us have one time or another experienced the wonderful grace of God upon us or our families. Unless we testify of these experiences they would remain unknown, which means that the grace of God too would remain hidden and His name unglorified. God’s blessings upon us should not go unnoticed or ignored. We should instead bear witness for Him and through our testimonies, gifted writers could put them into the written word allowing readers to appreciate God’s grace and praise His wonderful name.

 c.      You can distribute

The Church has produced numerous publications in recent years, mostly geared towards the spreading of the Gospel. The relatively simple task of distributing these publications to our relatives and friends is another contribution towards Literature Evangelism, while handing out these journals we could at the same time preach should the opportunity a-rise. With the help of our Lord this combination of proclamation and literature evangelism would surely bear fruits

 d.      You can offer

The efficient circulation of literature requires the availability of manpower and money, another area of participation for us to consider. The wider circulation, the heavier the financial burden. Our financial support would ensure that the Gospel of truth could be spread more effectively, opening the door of salvation for a larger number of people.

 e.      You can pray

Prayers are the chief contributor towards the success of any divine work, including literature evangelism, and this is one area which all members could participate. It is only with the guidance of God that literature evangelism could achieve its objects in spreading the Gospel to all creation.

Conclusion

The Lord has placed the commission to preach the Gospel to the whole world upon the Church. The Church consists of all the members, and so each one of us must take up this duty to contribute to the success of the Church’s evangelization efforts. Even if we are not able to contribute directly to either oral evangelism or literature evangelism, we can at least pray that the Lord will bless all the evangelical programmes of the Church. Let us share in the divine work of conveying the word of salvation to all the world and we will receive our due reward when the Lord comes.