Chapter 6 - What is Evangelism?
The word ‘evangelism’ in the English language is defined primarily as the preaching of the gospel, the work of an evangelist. Even though this is usually defined with Christianity in mind, the word, like much of Christianity and related terms, have become hijacked for non-Christian use, making the definition somewhat blurred at best.
Two Greek words are combined to form the primary word, the prefix ‘eu’ meaning good or well and ‘aggéllō’ meaning to tell or proclaim. The Bible uses three basic variations of this word ‘euanggelízō’ referring to evangelize by bringing good news, to preach the gospel; ‘euaggélion’ always used in referring to the good news of Jesus; and ‘euaggelistés’ referring to an evangelist, a preacher of the gospel. Please note that when the Greek letters Epsilon and Upsilon are together they create a Greek diphthong (also known as a gliding vowel as their pronunciation is formed by the combination of two vowels in a single syllable) where the ‘Upsilon’ picks up a sound similar to our letter ‘v’.
To clarify the Biblical use of the word, there are two basic forms of evangelism, the first is that which is done or offered by an evangelist. Now before you accuse me of circular-reasoning, this is a specific task that is performed by a specific person. As discussed in the previous chapter, the Apostle Paul tells us that some people have been gifted with the special ability to evangelize (Ephesians 4:11-12). I believe the best-known evangelist today is Billy Graham, or perhaps his son Franklin, or maybe Greg Laurie. These are people that God has given great passion and enthusiasm to save those that are lost as well as a special ability to clearly communicate the gospel message. You say that’s not you? Well don’t stop reading now, we’re not done talking about evangelism!
While all the rest of Christianity may not have the gift of evangelism, we know that sharing our faith is our top priority. Just prior to Jesus leaving to be with His Father in heaven, He gave all of us believers what many might call an edict: “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20, ESV) This is commonly referred to as, “The Great Commission,” which is also reflected in Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:46-49 and Acts 1:8. First note that all authority has been given to Jesus, we should already understand that what He has to say is important, but this now clarifies one big point, the only thing that matters in life, is Him! The next thing you should note are two words, the words ‘go’ and ‘therefore’. The ‘therefore’ is obvious, He just said all authority has been given to Him, so listen up! He is saying, GO! A verb that means we all need to do something. Do what? We are to make disciples of Jesus throughout the world and baptize them. How do we do that? We teach them to observe everything He has taught. Hopefully it didn’t take this verse for you to realize how important studying and applying the gospel message and the Word of God is. The desire to grow in God’s Word is an earmark of all Christians, as it is only in His Word do we know how to please Him. As we grow in knowing Jesus, we also grow in our love for Him and as a result, we desire to share the good news about Jesus and His plan of salvation to as many people we know.
If we are not full-time evangelists, how can we effectively share the gospel message? We begin by understanding that Jesus is not only our Savior, He is our boss. That’s right, our boss, and He places us where He wants us to be. You may have thought that your company placed you in the city you are at, or that your friends were through random associations, but the truth is, as we discussed in the previous chapter, God placed you where you need to be. To do what? Your job, that’s right, your job, if we all treated our work as we would do for Jesus, people will take notice. Does it matter what you do, if it brings glory to God? Why is that important? The Apostle Peter answered it this way, “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,” (1 Peter 3:15, ESV) It’s important because as a result of someone seeing Christ in you, they may ask you for the “reason for the hope that is in you.” Now you have an opportunity to share with them the gospel, although just as Peter says, we need to do it with gentleness and respect, otherwise known as love. If you love someone or have a passion or concern for their eternal destination, they will take notice, even if they don’t agree or accept the message. If they do not accept Jesus as their Savior, don’t get upset, keep praying for them! God will open opportunities for you to share, all you need to do is be willing to be used.
There is a well-known quote that goes something like this, “always preach the gospel, and if necessary, use words,” while the phrase is most-often attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi (1182-1226), there is no evidence of that being true. The premise is that our actions are to reflect the gospel message, and that is true, but we also need to know the words and that will only happen if we are willing to diligently study the Bible.
It is interesting to note that if we get into trouble or face persecution for professing Jesus before other people and end up facing the authorities, Jesus told us not to worry and that the Holy Spirit will provide the words for our defense (Matthew 10:26-33; Luke 12:8-12). Jesus promised: “So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven,” (Matthew 10:32, ESV) So, what do you have to fear?
For many Christians, the word ‘evangelism’ is to be feared and avoided at all costs, as it represents to them heartache and possibly embarrassment along with some bad memories. Some churches practice some direct methods of evangelism, including preaching on street corners and cold-calling on people door-to-door. While these approaches may work for a few people, techniques like that more often lead to anger than elicit a positive reaction. That is why evangelism (or should I call it that ‘E’ word, to minimize your fright) often makes a person sink silently into their chairs. If we pattern our life around Jesus and dedicate everything we do to bring glory to Him, evangelism will not require embarrassing ourselves or others!
In his second letter to the church in Corinth, the Apostle Paul reminded the people that Jesus gave all Christians the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18). Since Jesus reconciled us to Himself by becoming our atonement and taking on our sin thus withdrawing our destruction, we should not receive this gift of grace in vain, we are to be ambassadors for Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:19-6:2). What does an ambassador do? An ambassador represents someone to another as if that person was there. When should we do that? All the time, there is no break from representing Christ to the world around us.
The role of every Christian regarding evangelism is abundantly clear, we have heard it directly from Jesus in the Great Commission, we heard it several times in the book of Acts and we hear it clearly from each epistle writer. While the Apostle Paul makes a great case for evangelism in his epistle to the church in Rome, by asking the question, how else are the unbelievers going to know about Jesus without someone telling them? (Romans 10:17), our responsibility extends beyond our willingness or ability to speak the truth.
To a greater degree, Christians need to live what they preach and teach. I say to a greater degree, because people aren’t perfect, nor can they ever be perfect in this life, we can only try. Years ago, I heard the expression that Christians may be the only Bible unbelievers will ever read. While that expression can easily be misunderstood by those outside of Christianity, the premise is sound and accurate. If there is no tangible difference in a person’s life after accepting Jesus or if a person goes through life counter to the teachings of the Bible, the message of salvation could be rendered ineffective or worse, that person rejected Jesus.
God chose people, Christians, to be His ambassadors to be the primary method to announce salvation to the world. Why? Good question, I do not know (as we discussed in the previous chapter). But one thing we need to remember is that the world is keeping their eye on Christians. Probably for all the wrong reasons, they would love to see a Christian fail and undoubtedly joyfully say, “See, you’re no different!” Once when Mahatma Gandhi was asked about Christianity he made the observation that Christians are so unlike their Christ. While Gandhi was certainly no expert on Jesus (had he really studied the Bible, he would have heard who Jesus truly is), his observation that many Christians act like they are unaffected by the Word of God, is indeed valid.
All Christians know they are not perfect, as this is where forgiveness comes into the picture. If a Christian fails, falls or fumbles in life, they can seek forgiveness, repent of their disobedience and Jesus will pick them up, clean them up and restore them. But, the world does not understand that! This is how people judge other people, through their actions. You can see it in politics and other ideological subjects. Liberals judge conservatives, the poor judge the affluent and vice versa, it’s how people think, unfortunately it makes sense to them, if you can’t live the way I think you should live, then your ideas are wrong, end of discussion. So, what’s a Christian to do?
Have you ever swum upstream or walked one direction when everyone else is going the other way? You have? Okay, have you ever walked up an escalator going the opposite direction? What’s my point? Being a Christian is much like that, the world wants us to conform to its point of view and do everything like everyone else, but God is saying, no, don’t do that. But just like these examples, going the opposite direction takes time and a lot of effort. Sure, we will fail, fall and fumble once in a while, but we keep trying. Jesus loves you more than you can possibly understand, He knows you better than you know yourself, trust Him. In His letter to the church at Ephesus, Jesus told them to, “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first.” (Revelation 2:5a, ESV), this is great advice for all Christians, especially for those that are experiencing a moment of falling away.
How does this work in day-to-day living? Well I hate to say it, in everything, from being courteous while driving to helping a stranger do something. Always remember we are His ambassadors, while you might not have a special license plate or flags on your car identifying you as an ambassador, the world should know you belong to Him.