Is Evangelism Just for Missionaries?
Our world is coming undone.
We have Covid, race riots, and more uncertainty that most of us have ever experienced in our lives. Every day that goes by seems to bring more chaos and more unknowns. Mask mandates, violence over mask mandates, what will school look like, should I homeschool, virtual school, send the kids to school…
The rug has been pulled out from under us as a society. People are angry and they’re afraid.
God is sending an epic wake up call.
As Christians, we have hope. We know the end of the story. We serve the Living God who is the only one who actually knows what’s going on and isn’t surprised by any of this.
We can’t keep this to ourselves.
We have three options:
1. Freak out - We can be fearful and anxious out about all that’s going on around us instead of leaning in harder to God and discovering what His plan is for us during this time. We can give in to the fear and anxiety that the rest of the world feels. We can get angry and find someone to blame and a cause to take up: ”Wear masks!”, “Don’t wear masks!”, “Vaccinate everyone!”, “Vaccinate no one!”, “The government is a our savior!”, “The government is the enemy!” Need I go on?
Don’t get me wrong - it’s OK and perfectly normal to have some fear and anxiety over this whole thing. We need to honest about how we’re feeling. The issue is what do we do with it. Do we take it to God and embrace His peace, knowing that He’s in control, or do we try and deal with it ourselves which only leads to more fear and anxiety?
2. Turn inward - We can lean in closer to God and give Him our fear and anxiety and embrace His hope, but then stay in our safe Christian bubble.
3. Turn outward - We can embrace God’s peace and hope in the craziness, then go out of our comfort zones and offer that hope and peace to those who are scared and angry around us.
One word about taking up causes, especially on social media… I know some of us (all of us?) feel very strongly one way or another about these different issues. There is definitely a time and a place to make our voices heard about these important debates. I’m not suggesting that we allow our freedoms to be eroded away while we do nothing. Nor am I suggesting that we be callous and unconcerned about the vulnerable around us.
But may I suggest that Facebook and social media is not that place to champion those causes? What if we stayed out of the emotionally charged, divisive arguments on Facebook and instead filled our news feeds with hope and peace and love? What if our social media was a way to sow seeds for the sake of the gospel? To build relationships across the political divides? Relationships that could later bear fruit for the gospel? By getting involved with debates on social media, we’re ostracizing people that we could be sharing our faith with.
OK, I’m stepping off my soap box.
Back to sharing our faith…
“OK, I get it, this is an especially key time to share our faith, but I don’t have the spiritual gift of evangelism. Isn’t that mainly for missionaries and those who are gifted evangelists?”
This is one argument (excuse?) I’ve heard against sharing our faith. There are a few lists of spiritual gifts in the New Testament, although most people don’t believe these lists are exhaustive. The list in Romans 12 and the one in 1 Corinthians 12 do not include evangelism. It is mentioned in Ephesians 4:11, but that’s it.
On the other hand, there are numerous places in Scripture where we are all commanded to share our faith.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)
“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.” (2 Corinthians 5:20)
“But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.” (2 Timothy 4:5)
“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15)
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
We also see what Jesus did as He carried out His ministry and what all the disciples did in the book of Acts to continue where Jesus left off. They told people how to get right with God. They spread the good news of forgiveness in Christ. There may be some who are particularly gifted as evangelists, but we are all called to share our stories of what God has done in our lives and be “ministers of reconciliation”. (2 Corinthians 3:6)
If we love God and therefore obey His commands (1 John 2:3), then we can’t ignore the one that says we are His ambassadors, sent to tell others about Him. From what I can see, there may be some who have the spiritual gift of evangelism, but all believers all called to share His love with those around them.
Not sure what to share? Check out my earlier post on that topic.
Have you found ways to share your faith during the pandemic? If not, what holds you back?
Tune in next week when we’ll talk about other things that stop us from sharing our faith.