I grew up in Ghana so the word evangelism used to hold a certain meaning that was negatively connotated and I therefore didn't like it. It brought up images of seemly incensed men of God on buses, at street corners and busy markets yelling into a microphone at the top of their lungs calling people to repent because the kingdom of God was coming. There was almost always a collection basket somewhere close by to take people’s money after their “sermon”.
That's probably what I didn't like. I saw evangelism as a special calling for certain people ( men) but as I read the Bible and the gospels for myself, I saw that Jesus has called me to proclaim the good news to all the world.
Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 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 everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.- Matthew 28:18-20.
I can't remember exactly when the Lord opened my ears to hear and my mind to truly understand but I remember coming to understand this scripture as how I was supposed to live the rest of my life.
You see this very text, commonly referred to as the Great Commission is one of the last things JESUS said to his disciples after his resurrection. During his earthly ministry, JESUS preached a message of repentance for the forgiveness of sins and that the kingdom of God had come. Not everyone believed in him but as John 1:12 States “ Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God”.
Jesus shared his messages with many convincing proofs that he was the son of God. He also had many followers but of all the people who followed him around, he had 12 core people whom he called his disciples and it was to this group he gave the charge of the great commission.
A disciple is defined as a follower or student of a teacher, mentor or master, there's an implied devoted allegiance to the teachings of the one the disciple follows. We become disciples of JESUS when we confess faith in him and trust him for our salvation which means we get to partake in this very important charge he left his disciples with.
As sinners who were once lost and wretched but found by the grace of God and clothed in his righteousness, we rightly understand how deep the Father’s love is. We share his gospel message with others not out of mere duty or obligation but out of love for our Lord and Savior.
DON'T WAIT FOR A FEELING OF LOVE IN ORDER TO SHARE CHRIST WITH A STRANGER, YOU ALREADY LOVE YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER, AND YOU KNOW THAT THIS STRANGER CREATED BY HIM, BUT SEPARATED FROM HIM, SO TAKE FIRST STEPS IN EVANGELISM BECAUSE YOU LOVE GOD - JOHN PIPER.
We know the cost he paid for our sins as Romans 6:23 States “ for the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus”.
However much we love the Lord, I know that sharing the gospel can come at a cost and be scary. It seems that we live in a generation whose hearts have strayed far from the Lord and who have" their own truths" that they believe. It’s not fun to tell someone that what they believe is not truth but Jesus makes it clear that he is the only way, truth and life and that no one goes to the Father except through him.
What really gives me boldness, courage and confidence to share the word is the latter part of Matthew 28:20, where Jesus shares that he will be with me till the end of the age!!! That is a promise I hold on to dearly, he doesn’t just tell me to go proclaim his word aloof but he promises that he is with me as I do this. I need only to look at the book of Acts to see that this promise is true! In this book, the promised Holy Spirit descends on the apostles and enables them to live out the great commission.
If you call yourself a follower of Christ but have not taken the mission to share the gospel boldly with all the world seriously, don’t fret!
Start with prayer.
Confess where you have been lukewarm or haven’t taken the great commission seriously. Ask the Lord to burden your heart for what burdens and breaks his. Surrender in prayer, every fear, worry, anxiety, barriers or boundaries (what you think prevents you from sharing his word). Daily spend time in scripture and prayer.
If you have never had to articulate the gospel message to someone else and therefore feel inadequate, that’s ok. Start looking into resources and tools you can learn from the Bible to share the word. I have personally used gospel presentation tools such as “ the 3 circles”, “Roman’s road/bridge illustration” and “testimony” which are easily accessible online.
Identify your spheres of influence and strategically think and pray about how you might reach them.
Missions is the means to evangelize and share the word with all the world. We all have a role to play in missions. If you yourself are not on the mission field, you should be mobilizing, giving, and praying.
Consider 2 Corinthians 5:20a “We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God is making his appeal through us”. Brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ let us boldly proclaim the name of the Lord to the lost and dying word until our master comes to make all things right!
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