Matthew 28:18-20
This past week at the Institute we studied the topic of Evangelism. It was an incredible week of learning and I was challenged a lot as we looked further into Scripture about God’s call for Christians to share the gospel and what that requires.
Afshin Ziafat, a predominate and sought out Muslim-converted Christian speaker, spoke on Wednesday about a side of Christianity that most churches in America don’t preach- suffering and persecution. Someone told the class a metaphor saying, “If you saw someone walking blindfolded toward the edge of a cliff wouldn’t we grab them and pull them far away? So why is it that we don’t say anything to the friend, co-worker, or stranger who hasn’t heard the gospel?”
We’re afraid of rejection, afraid of persecution, and afraid of suffering. We like the parts of the Bible that make us feel good, we obey the commands that come easy for us, and we live out our faith when it’s most convenient for us and fits our busy schedules. We are refusing to accept the entirety of being a follower of Christ. We pay no mind to Jesus’ words that persecution will come as a result of following Him (Matthew 5, 10, Luke 21). We somehow forget that Jesus’ radical teachings put him against the worst persecution and lead Him to death on a cross! Paul wrote in Romans 8:16-18 that as fellow heirs with Christ we suffer with Him. But “we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him” knowing that this time on earth can’t even be compared to the glory of heaven!
The gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes! (Romans 1:16) Jesus’ death and resurrection that allows me to now be reconciled with Him is what gives me hope and joy and purpose in life. So if I, a proclaiming follower of Christ, am not suffering for the sake of the gospel, then what is it that I’m doing? If the gospel is the greatest message I’ve ever heard why do I not share it more? Why do I not want more people to know it?
Afshin gave us a better picture of what Christians in other parts of the world face because of their faith. Over in Iran, where Christianity is illegal, friends of his this very day are being harshly imprisoned after being caught sharing the gospel! They are risking everything to spread the power of the gospel. They have grasped Matthew 16:24,25 that says, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”
Well the day after Afshin spoke, Thursday, we were asked to step out of our comfort zone (and for many of us it was definitely uncomfortable at times) and go into the Branson community with the intention of sharing the gospel. There are many different methods Christians have come up with to share the gospel: Door-to-Door and Street Evangelism, Tracts, Soularium Cards, Romans Road, Four Spiritual Laws, The Bridge Method, Relational Evangelism, and Media Evangelism to name a few.
I went to Walgreens and Books-A-Million to evangelize relationally. My whole perspective on the day changed. Everywhere I went I was much more aware of the people around me and more engaged in the conversations we had. I cared more about what people were saying and when I went into a conversation with the hopes of sharing the gospel my questions to them were different. I would try to ask questions that could transition easily into questions about faith. At Walgreens there were a few ladies getting Christmas cards made in the photo center and I was surprised by how excited they were to just talk to someone about their family and what Christmas means to them. The ladies I talked to at Walgreens were all Christians and it was encouraging to just have a conversation with other believers. At Books-A-Million I had a good conversation with a lady working there who helped me find the book “The Cost of Discipleship” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. She said she wasn’t a believer but had thought about it before. It’s interesting how willing unbelievers are to listen to your beliefs when you are genuinely interesting in listening to what they have to say. She’s still skeptical of Christianity but maybe she’s thinking more about it after our conversation.
I think evangelism has hurt the Church a lot because people go evangelize with the soul purpose of converting someone right then and there and it seems so forces and there’s a “holier than thou” attitude that’s obviously repulsive to unbelievers. There is not much willingness to listen, or care for the person- just get the message out there and go! But God is a relational God, He is patient, and deeply cares for the lost. Those are important for the church to remember when evangelizing. We’re supposed to spread the gospel and love and let God work.
Two verses that have been sticking out to me are-
2 Corinthians 5:20 “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”
Matthew 16:24,25 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.’”
What I took away from this week on evangelism is that nothing I say or do will make an impact on the world without the Holy Spirit at work. But as a follower of Christ I have a responsibility to take part in the great commission and be willing to face whatever good or bad comes of it for Christ’s sake.
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