19th Century preacher Charles Spurgeon once said "“Have you no wish for others to be saved? Then you're not saved yourself, be sure of that!”, he also said “Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter”. These are some strong statements! It certainly goes to show just how important the role of evangelism (sharing your faith) truly is. Even prominent Atheist and Magician Penn Jillette of Penn and Teller once said, "I’ve always said that I don’t respect people who don’t proselytize. I don’t respect that at all. If you believe that there’s a heaven and a hell, and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life, and you think that it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward—and atheists who think people shouldn’t proselytize and who say just leave me along and keep your religion to yourself—how much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?— I mean, if I believed, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that a truck was coming at you, and you didn’t believe that truck was bearing down on you, there is a certain point where I tackle you. And this is more important than that”.
He absolutely nailed the heart and severity of evangelism!
When non-Christians hear the term "evangelism", the first thing that comes to mind is likely "evangelists" or more precisely "televangelists". Without stirring up too much controversy, most "televangelists" aren't doing much evangelizing and sharing their faith with non-believers. Some are for sure, and some may have in the past. For the most part TV preachers are in an echo chamber of Christians who already believe what they believe and are just delivering a sermon.
This is changing somewhat in the world of the internet. With YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, and other online video streaming platforms, more and more preachers and evangelists are taking to the world wide web to preach, teach, and share the gospel. But this isn't what we are talking about today. We are talking about the old tried and true, classic evangelism.
What does that look like? Biblical evangelism has 3 primary means of delivery:
- One on One Street Evangelism
- Open Air Preaching
- Personal Evangelism
Let's dig into each of these, starting with One on One Street Evangelism. Street evangelism is true grassroots evangelism. This is where you go out either by yourself or with a group (teams of two work great for this... plus it's biblical, see Mark 6:7), then you find people to and strike up a conversation. From there you transition the conversation to the spiritual, and share your faith with them. Some times an effective way to do this is to find common ground, maybe it's a shirt they are wearing, or they have a pet, or you simply hand them a Gospel tract (pamphlet that has the Gospel printed on it) and say, "did you get one of these?". Basically you are looking for an "in" to start a conversation and discuss the spiritual. We see Philip in the book of Acts, chapter 8 use this when he ministers to the Ethiopian Eunuch. The Holy Spirit led Philip to the Eunuch who was reading from the Scroll (book) of Isaiah, and Philip was able to show him that Jesus was the one who was prophesied over in that passage.
I remember approaching some young men once because I actually heard them talking about heaven and hell. This was a great segue into the gospel. Once at a church sponsored community event, my wife and I saw a young woman by herself walking her dog through the event. We simply asked her about her dog and were able to strike up a conversation about spiritual things from there (dogs are very effective evangelism tools).
Open Air Preaching, is where you preach in front of a crowd. This could be in a public square or a church outreach event. In Acts 17, Paul preached a sermon on Mars Hill to the people of Athens. This is another situation where he was able to relate to them first before preaching his sermon. He spoke to them of their Unknown God, and was able to use this as a way to preach Jesus to them. On the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, Peter preached a sermon as a crown gathered. This was a very important day in Church history and other great example of open air preaching. Evangelist Ray Comfort is know for both his one on one preaching, as well as preaching open air. You can find videos of his on YouTube.
The last and probably the most common form of Evangelism is Personal Evangelism. This is where you share your personal testimony and faith with your family, friends, and acquaintances. There is this concept in Christendom to be "in the world, but not of the world". That is to say that you are set apart. Jesus said in John 15:19 "if you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you". Romans 12:2 Paul tells us "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect". Paul also teaches Titus (in the book of Titus) how to live in his mission to Crete. We are expected to be a part of our culture but not to be negatively influenced by the cultures.
Keep in mind that failing and making mistakes is not part of your salvation. We are saved by Grace through faith and not by works (paraphrased Ephesians 2:8-9). In James 2 we see this conflict of faith and works being played out. Ultimately the argument that James put forth is that faith comes with works as a by product. I've heard it summed up this way. Salvation is not Grace + Faith + Works = Salvation. Rather it is Grace + Faith = Salvation + Works. Meaning true contrition that leads to faith with have good works and transformation as a byproduct.
People will see this transformation in you which makes your testimony all the more powerful. But if you feel like you just aren't living the life you should be, take heed. We are ALL a work in progress! I have seen people who get saved, and are delivered immediately from that sin, and I have seen people who have to take up their cross daily continually renew their minds as they struggle through temptation. Don't let the enemy tell you that you don't have a testimony or that you aren't qualified to share your faith with your loved ones just because you still struggle with sin. We all do! But the more we draw towards God, the stronger we will become. So share your faith with your loved ones. Show them what God is doing in your life.
Lastly, a word about being called to serve in the ministry. We are all called to ministry in some capacity. We may not all be called full time ministry but we are all called. We had some missionary friends once say you are either a "Goer, Sender, Mobilizer, or Welcomer". Some people are sent out as missionaries to travel and preach the gospel. Others are the ones who send them by supporting them financially. Mobilizers are the people that stay behind, pray for missionaries, help organize missionary causes, plan out reach events and utilize administrative resources to support other missionaries. Welcomers are the people who welcome and serve their local body. These can be greeters, hospitality workers, children's ministry workers etc. This is an opportunity for you to minister where people come to you. This is where joining a local church is so important. There are many opportunities to serve your community and minister at your local church. I've heard it said that "if you can fog a mirror, you can serve in church". But remember, that service to your church is ancillary to our calling to be evangelists and spread the Gospel as Jesus commanded (Matthew 28:19).