4 Encouragements for Ordinary Evangelism
Last week, I was toddling down the sidewalk, enjoying the scenic passage between my pastoral study and a local coffee shop. As I approached the counter, the barista and I exchanged knowing smiles, and I received a warm cup of extra-bitter espresso (everyone knows lesser men drink the sugary stuff).
Finishing my afternoon energy shot and folding away my tattered copy of Martin Luther’s Bondage of the Will, I noticed a man sitting next to me reading a Bible. I stroked my beard and wondered, “Is he reading an acceptable translation?” Thankfully, I observed the ESV impression on the binding when he raised the book to give himself a closer look at the text.
The man realized I was eyeing his Bible, and, with an inquisitive look, he longingly asked, “Sir, can you help me know what this means?” Sliding his Bible over to me, he put his finger on the page, indicating his concern with the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. He was particularly vexed by chapter 2, verses 1-10, so I made use of the passage.
Starting with verse 1, I scourged him for being a terrible wretch. The pitiable man tearfully agreed, and even admitted that he was worse than I knew. Resisting his emotional attempt to derail my exposition and draw upon my sympathies, I simply continued. But when I read verses 4 and 5, he rudely interjected, “Who is this ‘Jesus’?! And what does it mean to be ‘saved’ by ‘grace’?!”
As you probably figured, this story is entirely made up (except for the bitter coffee part… seriously, be a man). Evangelistic encounters probably never happen like this.
In fact, I am a pastor of a relatively small church in rural East Texas, and evangelism can be tricky in my neck of the woods. I only remember meeting three conscious non-Christian in the last eleven years (Royce, Courtney, and Kedrick). My hometown evangelistic conversations usually focus on gently pointing out the inconsistencies between the professions of faith I hear and the unfaithful practices I see. I often feel like quoting Inigo Montoya. “You keep using the word, ‘Christian.’ I do not think it means what you think it means.”
Christians should be evangelists, but sometimes the task can feel intimidating and exhausting. Here are four things I try to remember about evangelism so that I might be more faithful to the task. I hope these will be an encouragement to you.
One, evangelism is teaching the gospel with the aim to persuade.
I am stealing this definition of evangelism from Mack Stiles. His little book Evangelism is fantastic. Among numerous gems in this book, Stiles defines evangelism by writing, “Evangelism is teaching (heralding, proclaiming, preaching) the gospel (the message from God that leads us to salvation) with the aim (hope, desire, goal) to persuade (convince, convert).”[1]
Each part of this definition is worth our time, and Stiles dissects it in the book, but let me stress the content of evangelism here. Don’t assume the gospel. The gospel is the power of God, but only if we convey the message from God that leads sinners to salvation in Christ (Romans 1:16). I try to remember that evangelism is happening when I articulate, explain, and apply the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
It’s that simple, and it helps if I don’t complicate it. Be encouraged, and just make the content, the description, and the application of the gospel part of your normal conversation. I sometimes run into a guy at my gym who will say to me, “Tell me something good.” Inevitably, I remind him that the holy God of the universe has reconciled guilty sinners like us through the life and death of His own Son. This is the best news of all, and you might be surprised at how easy it can become to include it in common conversations.
Two, if you’re a pastor, then preaching and teaching are your primary evangelism.
It’s good and right for church members to look to their pastors as exemplary evangelists, but this can sometimes be misunderstood. Pastors don’t usually work among non-Christians, and they typically spend the bulk of their time among their own church members and family. This means that pastors often do not have nearly as many evangelistic opportunities as their church members do out in the world. However, this does not mean that pastors are not regular evangelists.
There are several passages in Scripture which make me involuntarily shudder when I read them. The Apostle Paul’s charge to Timothy “in the presence of God and Christ” is one of those passages (2 Timothy 4:1-5). What a thrilling and serious charge! The responsibility given to Timothy is “preach the word” (v2). Paul describes that task by writing, “be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching” (v2). After Paul warns Timothy of the resistance he is sure to encounter, Paul urges him again, “do the work of an evangelist” (v5).
These charges – “preach the word” and “do the work of an evangelist” – are not separate from each another or disconnected. In other words, to be a preacher of the Scriptures is to do evangelistic work. I try to remember that the primary and profound work of every pastor is to teach the gospel among his own congregation by preaching good expositional sermons regularly. If you’re a pastor, then be encouraged that your preaching and teaching are your primary evangelism.
Three, evangelism is life to some and death to others.
While every Christian has the privilege and responsibility to teach the gospel with the aim to persuade, its important to remember that not everyone will hear the message of the gospel with gladness. In fact, some will not respond well at all.
The Bible reminds us that the “aroma of Christ” is a “fragrance of death to death” for some (2 Corinthians 2:15-16). Of course, some will breathe in the gospel with pleasure, as a “fragrance from life to life” (v16), but this is not always so. I try to remember that some people will love the gospel and others will actually hate it.
If your evangelistic efforts are not well received, then be encouraged. It may be that you need to take a hard look at how you’re communicating - you may be harsh, unkind, or unloving. But even if you’re making the best effort, you cannot change any sinner’s heart - only God can do that. If you will simply be faithful in evangelism, you can trust God with the results.
Four (speaking of results), the results of evangelism are God’s alone.
If the aim of evangelism is to persuade, then we measure success by rate and frequency of conversion, right? Well, not exactly. Obviously, our deep longing is for the lost to be found, the dead to be raised, the unregenerate to be born again. Therefore, we do celebrate when someone responds to our evangelistic efforts by repenting from sin and trusting in Christ!
However, we are unwise to think that evangelistic encounters are only worthwhile if we can experience a positive response. The Bible buttresses our faltering confidence in the face of an undesirable reaction by reminding us that we may “plant” and “water” the seeds of the gospel, but “only God gives the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:7). I try to remember that faithful gospel conversations are always worthwhile, and I ask God to produce growth.
In ordinary Christian living, there are many and varying opportunities to bear witness for Christ in the world. If you are like me, then you may regularly feel a sense that you are not doing all you can or that you are not seeing the kind of results you’d like. And yet, we can take heart and be encouraged.
If we are faithfully teaching and talking about the gospel of Christ with fellow Christians and non-Christians, then we are doing the evangelism God has called us to do. If we are lovingly and prayerfully conveying this exceptionally powerful message, then some will love Christ and others will hate us. In all of this, we may be sure that our Chief Shepherd sees all, and He shall reward His servants with an unfading crown (1 Pet. 5:4).
Now, let’s go get a manly cup of joe and talk with someone about Jesus.
[1]Stiles, J. Mack. Evangelism: How the Whole Church Speaks of Jesus (9marks: Building Healthy Churches) (p. 27). Crossway. Kindle Edition.