Personal Evangelizing

The English word evangelist is derived from the Greek word euangelistes - which means one who brings good news. It is listed as one of the four foundational offices of the early church to mentor the spiritual growth of the Christian community, “to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature attaining the full measure of perfection found in Christ.” (Eph.4:12, 13 New International Version.) Those evangelists, together with the apostles, prophets and pastors-teachers, were especially imbued with the Spirit of God to perform the work required in their respective ministries. While these offices of responsibility were limited to only a few among the growing numbers making up the body of believers, the brother hood as a whole participated in broadcasting the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. After the martyrdom of Stephen, we were told that a great persecution broke out in Jerusalem and the brothers were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Concerning such ones we read: “Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.” (Acts 8:4 NIV.)

Keeping in mind that an evangelist is one who declares good news and that these brothers and sisters preached the good news wherever they went, it seems fair to conclude that while they did not have a special anointing in this regard, they carried out a lesser (but vital) form of evangelizing as a basic component of how the good news was spread and what it meant to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. The example they set well serves as a model for us today. Jesus said, “And this Good News about the kingdom will be preached through the entire world, for a witness to all mankind; and then will come the end.” (Matt. 24:14 Good News Bible.) So it is imperative that every Christian take seriously the need to bear witness concerning the kingdom of God. That being said, we can consider the various ways we can do that.

THE CONTINUING NEED FOR FACE-TO-FACE WITNESSING

In this fast moving electronic age there has been an explosion of communication made possible via the computer and the internet. Avenues like E-mail, Facebook, Twitter, etc., have opened up a worldwide ability to connect up with individuals and develop friendships. Christians can, and do, make effective use of these electronic wonders to preach the good news. But at the same time we need to remember that our obligation to serve as ‘light to the world’ does not begin and end with our computer keyboard. It also includes our neighbors, our workmates and others we encounter and interact with in daily life. Such ones get to know us in ways that electronic contacts do not. It is those people who interact with us in ordinary ways that get to see what kind we are; whether we are generous, honest, kind and caring.

In Jesus’ command for us to serve as salt and light to the world, he went on to say, “A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matt, 5:14-16) Do we not see in this command the need to evangelize those who observe our conduct in ordinary course of everyday living? It is such ones who observe our good deeds and come to know the motivation behind them-love of God and love of man. Our witness to that effect will convince them that we are not to be praised, but the God and Lord that we serve are to be praised. Our righteous actions give weight to anything we might say. Lord that we serve is to be praised. Our righteous actions give weight to anything we might say. And I believe are more inclined to listen to someone they have come to respect in this manner.

Another advantage in face-to-face witnessing is the opportunity to convey attitudes as well as words. Nothing equal’s the intimacy of simple conversation between two people; eye-to eye-contact, facial expressions, the sound of one another’s voices, body language, the tone in which things are said all help2 to establish meaningful exchanges and provide a guide as to how to proceed-or if to proceed. No matter how earnest or skillful we are in our efforts to share the good news, not everyone will respond favorably. There are those who are not the least bit interested in spiritual things and there are others who already have a religious faith and feel no need. But we need to bear in mind that success in the matter of personal witnessing rests in simply doing it! Jesus said the preaching about the good news would be for a witness. We fulfill that command by simply telling about the good news of the kingdom. Whether people respond or not. Regardless of how people respond, we will have proven ourselves faithful as witnesses of Jesus Christ, and that is the most important thing.

I believe most believers feel he or she could do more in this matter of personal evangelizing. There is, however a certain frustration as to how to go about doing that. Nearly all day-to-day interaction with people is mundane in nature, involving ordinary topics: work, the weather, family, health, etc. Generally speaking, these topics do not lend themselves to a natural transition into a more serious matter such as religious faith.

It presents a challenge to all of us to learn the skill of how to plant a spiritual seed in such conversations. But it can be done. Recently I had a brief conversation with an acquaintance whose husband died of Alzheimer’s’ disease. She related how he had been ill for twelve years and had spent the last four years of that time in a nursing home. I said that must have been very difficult for her during those years. In an effort to comfort her I said, “Well we have the hope of the resurrection.” That, at the moment, was the extent of my witnessing. She didn’t say anything in response to that, so I left it there. But she now knows I am a believer and that I believe in the resurrection of the dead. Was a seed planted? I don’t know. I will see this lady again and there may be a further opportunity to speak with her. At least by listening to her story I learned something of her loss and can use that knowledge in any future conversation we may have.

The point I am trying to make in mentioning this experience is that we can listen to people and get some idea of where they are at. By showing interest in this lady’s tragic loss and simply listening to her I was able to share sympathy and offer my comment about the resurrection hope. Years ago, I had a similar conversation with a woman whose teen- age son was accidentally killed. It was my speaking about the resurrection hope and the fact that her son was asleep and not alive in a burning hell (which was what she feared because he was not a baptized Christian) that conversation led to a Bible study. She became a believer as result of that witness.

FINDING COMMON GROUND

While there is no fixed formula as to how to proceed in the matter of individual evangelizing, it seems a good idea to draw people out, if possible, in an effort to make your witness as appealing to them as possible. We need to know, wherever possible, where people are-not where we are. The apostle Paul set a good example in this regard. It was while Paul and Barnabas were on their first missionary tour that they came to Antioch of Pisidia. They went to a synagogue there and Paul was invited to speak. It is interesting that he made no mention of Jesus Christ in his introductory remarks. Instead he went back to the history of Israel and their time in Egypt. He proceeded through Israel’s history until he came to King David. It was only then that he bore witness to Jesus. He said, “From this man’s descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised.” (Acts 13:23)

Up to this point his audience would have been listening eagerly because Paul was reviewing the history of their people-their ancestors. He had established a common ground; mentioning those things that were most sacred to their Jewish ears. He used that common ground to then present a thorough presentation of how Jesus Christ fulfilled the prophetic promises. Some of his hearers responded in faith but others became jealous of Paul and Barnabas and stirred up the people against them. It seems well to point out that in his witness Paul did not begin with the Lord, but he ended up with him! So, too, we do not 3 necessarily have to begin with a witness about the Christ. Like Paul, we may find a way to establish a common ground which gets the attention of someone and lead up to a witness about the Lord. It is not necessary to dominate the conversation. If we can engage the interest of people and they are inclined to talk, then let them talk. And we should listen carefully to what they say as this will help us find clues as to how to proceed. One can give an excellent witness even though the other person may have done most of the talking.

Another example of finding common ground is in the exchange between certain Greek philosopher’s and the apostle as recorded in (Acts 17.) He was invited to a meeting at the Areopagus, which was the name of a hill on which the council would assemble. The name was also used to identify the council that met there. These pagan philosophers were curious about Paul’s teaching which was foreign to them because he spoke about Jesus and the resurrection. (Vs.18) Paul’s introductory remarks to the council illustrate Paul’s ability to establishing common ground:

“Then Paul stood up before the Court of Areopagus and said: ‘Men of Athens, I see that in everything that concerns religion you are uncommonly scrupulous. For as I was going around looking at the objects of your worship, I noticed among other things an altar bearing the inscription ‘To an Unknown God?’ What you worship but do not know-this is what I now proclaim.”’ (Acts 17:22, 23 New English Bible.)

From this point on he gave a powerful and logical presentation of God as the Creator of all and who does not dwell in manmade temples. He even quoted two of their poets. One of whom said concerning God, “We are all his children.” Using that quotation Paul went on to say, “As God’s offspring, then we ought not to suppose that the deity is like an image in gold or silver or stone shaped by human craftsmanship and design.” (Vs.29). It was only after this that he bore witness concerning the coming world judgment by the one whom God had chosen and had raised from the dead.

The result was that some became believers while others rejected his message. What is recorded in Acts may only be a summary of what he had to say, but we can agree, I believe, that he did his very best to appeal to his audience, taking into account their worldview. Paul had a heart for others. Again we note that he did not begin with Christ Jesus but he did end with him. In addition to the many spiritual gifts that God granted Paul he also had a heart for others and put the interests of others ahead of himself wherever possible. His objective was to make the good news as appealing as possible to his hearers. Concerning this he wrote:

“Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to in the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel that I may share in its blessing.” (1 Cor.9:19-23 NIV.)

The spirit that Paul brought to his evangelizing ministry is the spirit we should have. Our love and concern for those we try to evangelize will help us become more inventive as to how we can best present the gospel of Jesus Christ to them. There are no fixed words to use as every situation and circumstance presents a unique moment of opportunity. Some Christians are more outspoken by nature while others are more reticent in nature.

But whatever our strengths or weaknesses maybe we should bring a flexibility to our efforts that allow us to adjust what we say and how we say it to the needs of the person or persons we are talking to, keeping 4 in mind the need to seek a common ground. Drawing people out by taking a genuine interest in them will often create an opportunity to say something positive in a spiritual sense. Asking questions is one way to keep a conversation going and may open an opportunity to give a meaningful witness based on what you heard them say.

I have known Christians who are bedridden who used to write notes to various ones as a means of preaching the good news. Every form of communication is a valid form in this regard. The use of Bible tracts and distributing them from door –to- door has also been used. Some years ago I created a tract titled: The restitution of all things by the Kingdom of God. This pocket-size tract contains a dozen scriptural quotations that briefly outline the events in Eden to the coming kingdom of God. I distributed it in my neighborhood and often carry a few to share with certain ones as opportunity provides. Visiting people who have lost a loved one in death also presents a good opportunity to speak of the resurrection hope. There are many ways and opportunities available if we seize the moment. The only way to develop the skills needed in personal evangelizing is to make a start. It has been said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with but one step. If one feels the need to enlarge (or begin) his personal evangelizing ministry he should pray to God for guidance and direction through our Lord Jesus, and step out in faith that our efforts will be blessed.

“Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that our labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (1 Cor. 16:58 NIV.)