Evangelism? Me?
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Please open your Bible and read Matthew 28:16-20.
Evangelism. Does the word make you uncomfortable? It makes a lot of people uncomfortable. Sharing the good news of the gospel is sometimes a thankless job. Yet Jesus calls us to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).
Don’t we have an obligation to share the message of God’s grace and love with others? Paul says “woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16, KJV) It would be rather selfish to keep such amazing truth to ourselves!
Why then is evangelism so uncomfortable? One reason is that we’re worried that we’ll fail. We know that often people don’t accept the gospel. Sometimes people refuse to believe even what’s right in front of their face. Read the passage from Matthew again about when Jesus appeared on the mountain to the disciples: “When they saw him [Jesus], they worshiped him – but some of them doubted!” (Matthew 28:17) Did you catch that? Some of the disciples even doubted!
When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus, a prominent Pharisee, Jesus lamented that we Christians “speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony” (John 3:11). We shouldn’t feel that we’ve failed when people do not accept the gospel, for it is only through God’s grace, not our own efforts, that someone may be saved. By sharing our faith and giving someone to think about, we may have helped alter their life course to bring them one step closer to knowing the living God.
A second reason is that we may have negative images of what evangelism is like. Street evangelism (such as handing out tracts or shouting “Repent sinners!”) is surely not the only way to share our faith. The internet, for example, gives us an incredible new method to reach people all over the world. Over one billion people worldwide now have access to the Internet, and this is an amazing opportunity to share the gospel all over the world regardless of whether you are shy or outgoing. Your talents and God-given gifts can be used for ministry online. Let’s use the internet for God’s glory!
“Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out!” Psalm 107:2, NLT
Questions: Why do most people find evangelism so uncomfortable? How can we seek to alleviate this discomfort?
Thank you Doris, Jamie for your word of encouragement and prayer. Telling people how Jesus making a difference in my life – and indeed He has – and that is where I need to remind myself when I see those opportunities.
You would not be alone Kevin, if people lost interest in hanging out with you. Even Jesus had loads of people stop following Him because they thought He was a fanatic. “And He was saying, ‘For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.’ As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.” (John 6:65-66) If people turned their backs on Jesus they will also turn their backs on you if you are following Him. “No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.” (John 15:20) I guess you could say the same thing another way: if people aren’t turning their back on you and persecuting you are you really following Jesus? Not that you go out of your way to make people mad but as you live your life in step with the Holy Spirit, living out the life of Christ some people are going to want nothing to do with you. He is “A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall” (1Peter 2:8)
Let me ask you another question Kevin: What value is your relationship with people if they are never presented with the truth about Jesus? Do you think your friendship will be a consolation for them as they experience the torment in hell? (“Well it sure is hot here but at least I was able to have a great friend like Kevin. Yeah, he never told me there was a way to avoid this but we sure had some good times together.”) Why would you want to rob eternal life from someone? Why would you want to condemn a friend to living life on this Earth without the freedom of life in Jesus Christ?
As far as what to say, the greatest words of testimony are your own. Tell people about how Jesus saved you. Tell people about how He is making a difference in your life today. No of course that presupposes that He is indeed making a difference in your life today. If He is not then you need to get your focus back onto Him because if you are living under His control you will be aware of His leading in your life every day. That is why Paul prayed, “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge– that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” (Ephesians 3:16-21) That prayer is for you Kevin, that you may know and that Christ may do immeasurably more in you. That is something to talk about! That is something to share with the world!
Let me encourage you to have a look at a website that is designed to encourage you and all the rest of us who follow Christ. Its http://www.theLife.com Watch the video there to see how God uses your story and your voice to rescue people from the hopelessness and darkness of life without Christ. Talk to Him about how He wants to use you to proclaim His Good News to people in your life. Take the challenge to at Anytime and Anywhere, at Any Cost, do Anything that Jesus would call you to. Your life will never be the same!
Lord God, I pray for my brother Kevin, and all others like him who are intimidated about speaking of You to people. Free his tongue by Your Holy Spirit to proclaim to the people that You have brought to him to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ. Give him the insight into Your character so that when he speaks it is out of the bounty that You have poured into his life. Free him from the legalistic requirement to speak but turn it into a well-spring of life and love flowing from Your Holy Spirit within him. Take him on this adventure of life lived under Your control and use him to rescue hundreds of other who are bound for destruction. In the powerful name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Fear is one of the biggest things that stops us from sharing with others. Whether that is fear of saying that wrong thing as in your case Sharon, or fear of what people will think as in yours Kevin. One of the things that has really helped me is to remember Dr Bill Bright’s definition of successful witnessing: Successful witnessing is simply sharing Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God. When I remember that I am no longer afraid and realize that it is God’s place to convict people and mine to simply share Christ and shine His love into their lives.
People will think that I am a fanatic or religious. I may end up with people loosing interests in being connected with me. Also, when opportunity presents itself, I am not exactly sure what to say that will keep them interested in the gospel.
most of the time i am afraid i will say the wrong thing