If you are like most people, just reading that challenge causes you to seize up inside. I, Like most people, am not a natural evangelist. To me, "going out to share the Gospel" seems insincere and forced. That is not who I am and it does not come naturally. Thankfully, true evangelism is more about lifestyle than it is about knocking on doors, handing out tracts or inviting people to pray the sinners prayer. Evangelism, in it's purest sense, is sharing something you are passionate about.
If you wear an Iron Maiden t-shirt, you are evangelizing for Iron Maiden. If you are a collector of Coca-Cola memorabilia and you have Coke slogans around your house, you are evangelizing for Coke. True evangelism is naturally promoting something. It really is that simple. If you saw a good movie and told a friend, "Hey, you really gotta see this movie!" you've evangelized. Evangelizing the Gospel needs to be just as natural.
I think the problem for most people is evangelism has been program-ised by the church. We give training classes and then go out and cold call people to practice what we have learned. This is not necessarily bad, but it places evangelism in a category of an event rather than a natural part of everyday faith. We can have evangelistic events, just as we have prayer events and worship events, but, evangelism, like prayer and worship, should be a regular part of a believer's life.
True evangelism is simply living your life for Christ and demonstrating the love of God. You do not need to be a Bible scholar, you do not need to be persuasive or pushy. An anonymous quote often mis-attributed to Francis of Assisi says, "Preach the Gospel and if necessary, use words." Our very lifestyle should testify to our faith.
Successful evangelism is not about how many people you get to repeat a prayer. Successful evangelism is any time you obediently share your faith in word or deed. Jesus said, Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Jesus did not say, "walk up to strangers and ask them if they are going to heaven."
Yes, at some point, evangelism will require words. If you are naturally passionate about your relationship with Christ and you are living in a manner pleasing to Him by serving others in your gifting, natural opportunities to share your faith will present themselves. No different than discussing your favorite menu items at a popular restaurant. True evangelism is often about relationship building. True evangelism is really a component of disciple making, something we have all been commanded to do.
Yes, there are those who have a gift of evangelism. A person with this gift seems able to turn every conversation toward Christ and every chance encounter becomes an opportunity. Not everyone has this gift, in fact, most people do not. In Romans 12, we find a list of gifts God gives each believer. Romans 12:4-8 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
In Ephesians, we find a list of distinct roles: Ephesians 4:11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,
We are called to serve God according to our gifting and to evangelize the same way. Do not be discouraged because you feel inadequate to share your faith according to our flawed understanding of evangelism. Know that your life is a living testimony and the more you operate in the manner for which you were designed, the more natural evangelism will take place in your life.
I will continue on this topic in my next post, next week, hopefully.
Until then - Go live as Christ.... and give the devil hell!
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