By James Henderson
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa--"How could I possibly evangelize? It's just not my scene. God has called me to do something else in the body of Christ."
Have you thought the sentiments above, and yet you feel a pressure about personal evangelism? Evangelism has a bad reputation, and many of us do not want to be tarnished by it.
Yet, we feel guilty--maybe we should be doing something. But what? We need to understand what is meant by the phrase "personal evangelism."
A great many helpful (and a few not so helpful) books have been written on the subject of evangelism, and on how each believer has a responsibility to spread the gospel.
Some of us can feel uncomfortable about this. We conjure up images of rude, persistent door to door callers, or of people who interrupt and hand out tracts to passersby on the street, or of extreme fanatics. We know we should not judge the motivation of people who do such things, but at the same time we remain uneasy. Do we have to be involved in these types of pursuits? Is this what personal evangelism is all about?
Before coming into our fellowship I used to go from house to house with Billy Graham books and pamphlets, and would distribute hundreds if not thousands. I remember some people being upset with me, and also remember one woman who became a Christian after she was challenged by one of the books.
Does one convert justify the others who were repulsed? Difficult, isn't it? Would I choose to do it again? I don't know. I do know that I did it because I was sincere, and I wanted others to come to Christ.
One of the best discussions I have seen on the meaning of evangelism is in the first chapter of Michael Green's book Evangelism Through the Local Church (Oliver-Nelson Books, Nashville, Tennessee, 1992).
In it the author points to the widely accepted idea that evangelism is "overflow," based on an interpretation of the Greek word plerophoria as used in 1 Thessalonians 1:5: "Our gospel came to you ... in much confident overflow."
In other words, as we let Christ live in us, the joy of our salvation, like the proverbial cup that "runs over" (Psalm 23:5), will overflow into our web of relationships, and people will be positively influenced by us, and this may open the door to their meeting Jesus. This is a beautiful concept, and well worth meditating over and praying about.
Michael Green also stresses other important issues concerning evangelism. For example, he says that evangelism should point to the Father through Jesus Christ, not leaving us with a Father who is forgotten in our Christ-centered faith.
At another stage, he reminds us that evangelism has to do with making disciples--it is not enough to get decisions for Christ, but in addition people need to learn and understand how to grow in grace and in knowledge.
It is easy to think that evangelism is for the church headquarters to organize, or for a pastor or a committee of your local church. But is it for the individual? The New Testament seems to show that it is. Let's look at of some scriptural examples.
In Acts 9:39 we find that Dorcas had died and at her deathbed were the many widows for whom she had made clothes. It is recorded that she was "full of good works and charitable deeds" (9:36, New King James).
Nowadays some would say she had a knitting ministry or that she was involved in social evangelism. Whatever we call it, she had an effect. Christ's love within her did overflow into those around her.
Did her life make others think of becoming disciples? Probably yes. The widows seemed to have had their faith strengthened through contact with her. The implication is that her kind acts prepared some of the widows and others so that when they saw the miracle of her healing and perhaps heard the preaching of Peter many of them believed.
Dorcas' evangelism was personal, relational and real.
Sometimes life is hard for wives with husbands who do not care for Christianity.
Not always, as some non-Christian men can teach Christian husbands a thing or two, but that's another subject.
I remember chatting with a woman whose husband was a non-believer. She explained that nothing seemed to go right for her, and that her husband was a constant threat to her belief systems.
I listened and sympathized with her. I then asked if she saw her situation as an opportunity for the light of Jesus to shine through. Easy for me to say, of course. But life is often how you look at things. Reactions, responses. How she responded to her problems could prolong them, delay them or bring relief.
I pointed out 1 Peter 3:1: "Be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives."
But I had said the S word--submit, and she had not heard the W word--won. The stress of this verse is not on submitting, but on winning. How to win your husbands through personal evangelism, and how to go about that evangelism. Was he worth it? Sadly, the woman did not think so.
I know of other wives who in varying degrees have followed 1 Peter 3:1, and their husbands have been won--they are Christians! This scripture is about evangelism, and it begins at home, as it should.
Note that Peter says "without word." Our life speaks the loudest. That's what he means. Sometimes we can fall into the trap of trying to argue people into believing in Christ. Or we can get pesty and impatient. Don't rush evangelism. Be patient, and let the Holy Spirit do his work through you
The story of Philip and the Ethiopian is amazing (Acts 8). We can look at the narrative in various ways. This is how I see it. The Ethiopian was returning to Ethiopia, and he was sitting in his moving chariot as he read a scroll of Isaiah.
God tells Philip to overtake the chariot. Not sure what my reaction would have been! "You want me to do what, God? Run after a moving chariot? Would it not be easier to perform a small miracle and bring the chariot to me or lift me up and fly me there? I am not as young as I used to be."
Philip had none of my misgivings, though, and he did run after the chariot and engaged the Ethiopian in conversation, without, apparently, stopping to get his breath back.
This passage is a clear example of personal evangelism. God presents an opportunity to Philip, and Philip takes the opportunity. Evangelism is often like that--reacting to opportunities for Christ.
Philip was bold in his approach, but it is interesting that he did not go up and present the gospel cold turkey, that is, without an obvious lead in. The man was reading the Scriptures, and Philip took the chance to comment on what he was doing. That is also a key to use--see the person's situation in life and seek a way to respond to it.
Often a door needs to be opened, a way into a discussion. When Paul was in Athens, he began by talking about things with which they were familiar, and then introduced Jesus as a response to where they were spiritually. Common ground is usually the starting point of personal evangelism.
The Worldwide Church of God, along with other Christian denominations, has a God-given mission to reach out to the unsaved. This is why we appreciate your faithful tithes and offerings--not only do they pay for the administration of the churches but they also go toward much-needed evangelistic efforts.
But does our responsibility stop there? Should we be doing something else along with going to church and being good financial stewards?
The answer is yes. "Go therefore and make disciples" (Matthew 28:19). This is not just a command to collective fellowships or churches such as ours, but can also be seen as having a direct application to every individual Christian.
We all meet people in one way or another. We all have a Christian influence, negative or positive. We all can help friends, relations and acquaintances to meet Jesus through us. That is how personal, or relational, evangelism works.
Go therefore and be about your Father's business.
Evangelism Through the Local Church by Michael Green, Oliver-Nelson, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers, 1992.
The Church Down Our Street by Michael Wooderson, MARC, an imprint of Monarch Publications Ltd., United Kingdom. 1989.
Have I Got News for You! (How to Talk About Jesus Without Dying of Embarrassment) by Duffy Robbins, Zondervan Publishing House, 1993.
* Live the Christian life like Dorcas, and let Jesus shine through you.
* Evangelism is the overflow of the joy that is within you.
* The overflow of Christianity begins at home.
* Take the opportunities that the Holy Spirit presents to you.
* Don't be afraid to be bold for Christ, as Philip was bold.
* Let patience be an ingredient in your evangelism.
* Your good example can speak loudly.
* Find common ground that can lead into introducing Jesus Christ, as Philip and Paul did.
* Do your part in financially supporting national evangelism.
* We all have a direct part in going and making disciples.
Copyright © Worldwide Church of God, 2000