Evangelism comes naturally to some. They count it as a spiritual gift. For the rest of us it can feel like a challenge or even a grind as we flop around like a fish out of water, not knowing what to do or how to do it. We may not recognize the opportunities in front of us to be undertaken, regretfully seeing many of these opportunities in the rear-view mirror.
Jesus commands us to “go make disciples” prior to his accession into the heavenlies (Matthew 28:18-20). Therefore, it is the responsibility of all men to be involved in evangelism, sharing the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ– regardless of spiritual giftedness.
The obedient man of God is involved in evangelism. To say otherwise runs counter to Biblical teaching. It would suggest that a man does not need to be merciful, does not need to serve, has no need to be generous–simply because he does not identify any of these as his spiritual gift. Certainly, a lack of giftedness in a particular arena is not an adequate justification in neglecting obedience to those things to which God has commanded.
Evangelism is for every one of us–not because God needs us. He alone builds His Church. He gave us evangelism because we need it.
The man of God who understands this attempts to weave evangelism into the fabric of his day. Having a mind for evangelism helps a man daily “regard no man according to the flesh” (II Corinthians 5:16) and helps him maintain an eternal perspective throughout his day. “While we look not at the things which are seen, but thing which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
We need all the help and tools we can get in order to maintain a daily eternal perspective which is so imperative to have success in our walk.
Evangelism is unique. It can put a man at risk of losing a relationship, looking like a zealot, or perhaps even looking like a fool. Paul tells us that he and the Apostles are “fools for Christ’s sake.” (I Corinthians 4:10) Are we willing to look like fools for the sake of the Gospel? Jesus tells us in Luke 9:26 “for whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”
Thankfully the Scriptures tell us that “God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power, love and discipline.” (II Timothy 1:7) The word “timidity” is translated in the KJV as FEAR. God has not given us a spirit of FEAR but of POWER. In the following verse of this passage (vs.8), Paul connects our spirit of POWER and not of FEAR, to us not being “ashamed of the testimony of our Lord.”
Instead, he instructs, “join with me in suffering for the Gospel.” It is because of the FACT that we have been given a spirit of POWER and not of FEAR that we can and should have confidence as we are active and involved in Evangelism!
Below are some action steps that can help us get started or refocused in our Evangelism efforts.
- PRAYER – Pray for eyes to see the opportunities that God has given us
- SEEK – ACTIVILY and DAILY seek out opportunities to share the Gospel
- TRAIN – Seek out men and resources who can help and encourage you in your evangelistic efforts
The link below is to a message Walt Henrichson delivered on the “Principles of Evangelism.” It is a phenomenal message with real tangible principles and training to encourage you in your journey.
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