Evangelism: It’s Not a Scary Word

Evangelism—Just the word tends to strike fear into the hearts of the introverted and shy.  There’s a sense of dread when the Pastor stands in the pulpit and challenges the church to evangelism.  Half the church sinks in their seat, guilt-ridden and shamed. 

But have you ever wondered why?  Why do we tend to feel guilty about evangelism? I think it’s because we tend to force people to evangelize how extroverts (let’s call them Peter and Paul) evangelized.  Several years ago, I would take students to a youth evangelism conference.  I loved the challenge, and I loved the call to students and adults to live on mission.  But I dreaded the application.  “Go out into a neighborhood and knock on a stranger’s door and tell them about Jesus!”—ugh.  I dreaded it!  Not for me. I didn’t mind talking to people who answered the door.  I dreaded it for our students.  Especially the ones who were so nervous…the ones who weren’t Paul and weren’t Peter. That first year I watched them nervously stumble through the Gospel.  The second year I watched a few of them begin to weep, actual tears running down their face. With conviction, I thought to myself, “This isn’t how evangelism should be!”  I began to change my approach.  I told our students, “If you want to talk to someone on the street about Jesus, come with me.  If that makes you uncomfortable, then I want you to think about who you can tell back home.  Write them a letter or send them a text.  Just ask them if they’ve ever considered going to church before.  Somehow start the conversation and see how it goes…”. 

That year, I watched our students become unleashed to evangelize! I had no idea at the time, but what I was doing had a name, “Personality-Based Evangelism,” And it has precedence in the Bible!  Paul and Peter were bold, in your face telling anyone who would listen to repent and believe!  Today, the “Paul and Peter” types write most of the evangelism curriculum.  And they expect everyone else to be just like them.  But consider the woman at the well.  There is no recorded example of her telling anyone the ABCs of the Gospel.  Instead, she shared her testimony!  And the Bible says an entire village came to faith in Jesus.  And what about Andrew?  The Bible says he was invitational, inviting Peter to come to Jesus.  You can evangelize through service.  In a few weeks, our church will be serving a meal to those in need in our community.  Right now, as I type this, we have men from our church crossing the border in Juarez, Mexico to build a home for a family—serving them—so that they can share the Gospel with them.  

Evangelism isn’t always done in the Peter and Paul way.  Maybe you’re the woman at the well or Andrew, or maybe you’re the servant-heart type.  OR—maybe you are a prayer warrior.  That is HUGE in evangelism.  The truth is this—Evangelism is SOOOOOO much wider than what we tend to think it is.  It truly is a church-wide endeavor.  So, when the Bible says, “Do the work of an evangelist.”  It takes all of the Church, filled with different types of people evangelizing in different types of ways, to do the work of evangelism. 

On Wednesday, October 19^th, our church (FBC Moberly) will be trained in “Personality-Based Evangelism.”  We’d love to have you join us!  It’s one hour, it’s basic training for evangelism…and it’s freedom from guilt! You’ll finally be free to share the Gospel without feeling guilty that you aren’t a Peter or a Paul!  Be who you are and share Jesus!

To God be the glory, great things He has done.
To God be the glory, great things He will do!