Everyday Evangelism

Evangelism, for the believer, is not an option.  It is a divine mandate commanded by Jesus Himself (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16).  Additionally, this mandate coincides with believers' expressions of obedience and faith, meaning that our willingness and commitment to evangelize is directly tied to our level of faith and devotion.

Part of the consistent and widespread struggle to get believers to evangelize is a faulty understanding of what is termed by evangelism.  Evangelism is most-accurately and simply defined as proclaiming the Gospel.  The Gospel is to be understood as the Good News of Jesus.  Thus evangelism is proclaiming Jesus.  Sincerely relaying the story of Jesus and His relevance for us personally is what evangelism is all about.

There is a distinct challenge to evangelism in regards to the spiritual gift of evangelism that has been the cause for no small tensions in the Church.  God has gifted some members of the body of Christ with His anointing specifically for the task of evangelism (Eph. 4:11-14).  Although all of the spiritual gifts are purposed for the growth and health of the body of Christ, they can also be a source of division and dissension amongst believers.

The cause of this tension is two-fold.  First, those charged with the call and gifted for the evangelist's task, can become so enamored with the Great Commission's mandate that they overlook conversion's follow-up work that is done by teachers, pastors, etc.  When this occurs, evangelists can feel embittered and isolated, believing themselves to be the only ones truly doing the work of Christ.  Obviously this is not true, but it can be a thorn of frustration and relational discord.

Another reason for the tension in regards to evangelism, that evangelists are often keen to observe and note, is the reluctance on the part of "average" believers to evangelize.  To be sure, all believers are called to the task of evangelism, though only some are especially gifted for it.  The definition of evangelism is the key to overcoming this.  If we understand that evangelism is not a matter of proving the worth of the Gospel, but is in fact simply presenting the Good News of Jesus, then evangelism becomes accessible for every believer to do.

Ultimately, evangelism is the task for every believer.  Luckily, this task does not require any advanced degrees or dense theological understandings.  The only requirement of transformational evangelism is a deep and Spirit-filled personal relationship with the Lord Jesus.  Outside of this, a basic technique is in order: a willingness to talk about Jesus.  Obviously, we need to be living out the Gospel, but if we do not speak the Gospel, how will anyone know the reason for the light which illuminates our lives, which is Jesus Christ?  Let us then sieze every possible opportunity to proclaim the Gospel and evangelize the Good News about our Lord Jesus!