“Jesus came and told His disciples, ‘I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’”
While the words “evangelism” or “evangelize” aren’t found in Scripture, the term “evangelist” is and was used to describe those who weren’t Apostles but were commissioned by the Holy Spirit to share the gospel. An Evangelist is the bearer of good news, specifically news about who Jesus is and what He did on the Cross. As a believer in Jesus, it should be in our DNA to want to share Him with others.
For the early Jesus followers sharing about their new life in Christ wasn’t a burden, but a privilege. It never entered their mind NOT to share their love for Jesus and to encourage everyone they met to do the same.
Ed Stetzer made an interesting observation when he wrote: “Many Christians love evangelism as long as someone else is doing it.” On some levels for a person who is born again of the Spirit of God to not desire to share their love for Christ is like a parent not wanting to talk about their child. It’s counter intuitive. Why is that?
Could it be we’ve come to believe that because we’re not a Pastor or church leader we have no responsibility to share? Or could it be we just don’t know how? May I ask you, if you’re a parent, who “taught” you to talk about your baby? “But that’s different!” You may object. How is it different?
A new life has been brought into the world by you and someone you love and with whom you’ve shared life. When a person becomes a child of God, there has been a “new birth” experience that has required two persons, us and our proud heavenly Father who has given us the privilege of having His Holy Spirit come to dwell in us. Why? To empower us to live the life of a Jesus follower.
While it’s not necessarily intuitive, like being a new parent, we learn from those who are parents, but some things we learn by trial and error. The first time I was left alone with my infant daughter I couldn’t get her to stop crying. I checked her diaper, offered her a bottle, laid her down, picked her up, rocked her, and walked her up and down the hallway, but nothing was working. Finally, in desperation, I began to hum songs to her and finally she settled down and went to sleep.
What’s my point? Just because it’s unfamiliar to share your faith with an unbeliever, learn from your mistakes, but don’t stop trying to reach them. What motivated me to keep trying to help my daughter was my love for her. When she was upset, I was upset; when she needed attention, I was there to give it to her, and even if I didn’t know exactly what to do to help her, I kept trying things until something worked.
Because someone I love rejects my efforts to lead them to Jesus, I don’t stop trying. There are two fundamental “rules of faith” that I have to keep me moving in the right direction. First, I don’t push them to make a quick decision. If I sense they’re getting agitated or uncomfortable, I backoff. But, secondly, I continue to love them in practical ways until they give me another opportunity to have a faith conversation with them.
Leading someone to the Lord is rarely a one contact or one conversation process. I have friends and loved ones with whom I’ve been sharing Jesus for years, but there are others who have been much more receptive and have given their lives to the Lord more quickly. The point is, don’t stop trying. Keep praying, learning, and investigating new ways to share your love for Jesus with whomever will listen.
What motivates me to share my faith isn’t my love for evangelism, it’s my love for those who will die and miss heaven if I don’t.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 