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God's Call to Evangelism

Do you think evangelism is not for you but something only preachers do?

Do you want to preach Christ in your everyday life but don't know how or feel uneasy?

Don't think you know enough about the bible to preach? 

The word evangel simply refers to the Christian Gospel or good news. Evangelism is the sharing of Christ's promise and His word. 

The Great Commission

Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matt 28:18-20

And Jesus also states:

“Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world.  And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.”   John 17:18

As believers, we are all charged to share the good news that Jesus and only Jesus can save us from the evil of the world and grant eternal life.  We are commanded to share the unity and truth of the gospel as Jesus Himself stated it in the following bible verses:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.  If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is.  From now on, you do know him and have seen him!” John 14:6-7

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

We accept, sometimes taking it for granted, that Jesus died so we may be born again:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,” 1Peter 1:3-4

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3

This promise of our Lord Jesus Christ is far too important to keep to ourselves. But, how many times do we really share it with those who are in desperate need of the good news. Are we so selfish as to keep it for ourselves, I think not. We, and I include myself, have for the most part been muzzled by the politically correct nature of today's society. Being afraid to offend anyone, we keep silent.

If, in the normal course of your day, you come across a stranger who has tripped and fallen into the mud and cannot get up, do you say to yourself, I must not give him a hand for fear I might offend him? Certainly not - as a good Christian, you would step into the mud and pull him up. How much more does a person fallen into the muck of worldly lust and desires need a hand? But this hand is in the form of the promise and Love of Jesus Christ and in His Word. Be not afraid to offend, and allow their soul to perish.

Where do I get the Courage?

By the power of the Holy Spirit as Luke states:

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere, in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8

What do I say?

I have found that the most effective witness for Christ is the one for which you have the most passion and knowledge, your own testimony.

Why do you follow Christ? How has a personal relationship with your Savior changed your life? You do not need a great knowledge of the bible and you certainly do not need to be a pastor. In any case where your words fail rest assured the Spirit is in you.

I constantly pray that God would place someone in spiritual need in my path. When that happens and I am able to strike up a conversation, I turn the subject to Christ. From this point my approach is straight forward. I simply ask: “Are you a believer?” or alternately, “are you a brother (or sister) in Christ?” A believer would naturally say yes, and we would generally continue to have great conversation about our faith. A non-believer generally gives me a strange look and this gives me a good idea where they stand spiritually. I will then follow up asking what they know of Jesus Christ. Here the answers range from 'I am not worthy of Christ' to 'I do not need that stuff' and they move on. If the person shows interest I continue by explaining about Christ's love for us. As Jesus Stated:

 “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30  

This is a verse I use often to demonstrate His love here, today, in their lives.  From this point surrender to the Holy Spirit to guide the rest of the conversation.  I ask if they would like me to pray for them, and if so, I do. If necessary, I will introduce them to the bible and ask if there is a church they can go to. If not, I offer to help find one that will help disciple them further. It is imperative that a person seeking Christ is discipled or they will surely end up a seed on the rocky ground.

What if I am rejected?

If a person has not been called by God the only thing you can do is to be obedient and share Christ as you were commanded. If you are scorned for this you are in very good company, Jesus said:

“Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:11-12

The few times this has happened to me I simply say a prayer for the person and ask God to soften their heart so that the next evangelist may get through to them, then I move on.

A rejection of the Gospel is not a rejection of you but of Jesus Christ Himself.

A little about myself…

For most of my life I rejected anything spiritual. I told myself that belief in various god's and the spiritual world was for weak minded people who could not make their own way in this world. When you died, you died and I was the only person responsible for my successes and failures, except of course for a healthy dose of good old fashioned luck.  I was living large, charting my own course. At times a valiant person, my brother included, had tried to witness Jesus Christ to me. I had all of the logical reasons God could not exist. Besides, if I believed in God I knew my life would change, probably in ways I wouldn't like. I figured that if I could argue God away, I would not have to deal with all of His rules, so I ignored it all.

This worked for quite a while; you see I was called in a dramatic way when I was 53. That day is the greatest blessing I have ever known.

Like Saul of the bible, I was hard hearted and unreachable, or so we thought. Saul was blinded, mine came in the form of a heart attack. God got our attention, and we were His. God created the universe, and all of us for that matter. He can soften (and fix) any heart.

The reason I bring this up is that I am the least of all believers, just a baby in the spiritual sense. I did not have the benefit of a believer's upbringing. I am the most unlikely person to witness Christ to anyone. The only thing that drives me day and night is that If Christ would suffer and die the way He did for me; the least I could do for Him is to obey, share His promise and leave the rest up to God.

I must also share the fact that witnessing for Jesus has brought me closer to Him than I ever thought possible. To gain the ability to really make a difference in a person's life you must open yourself to share the pains of another and allow the Holy Spirit to work through you.   God has a plan and I feel blessed He has included me in such a special way.  Do you hear His call to you?

Your Brother in Christ,

Veronique and Mike Palumbo, Feed My Lambs Ministry    (870) 895-3338

This publication was made possible with the kind permission and assistance of Pastor Alan Winberry, Immanuel Southern Baptist Church,  Salem, Arkansas