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As a Christian, God, commands us to go out and make disciples. Evangelism is an essential part of Jesus following, God fearing person’s life.
“But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. 18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 [e]Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you [f]always, even to the end of the age.”
--Matthew 29:16-20
1.Jesus has commanded all His followers to go out and share His good news. God has commanded this.
So how do we do it effectively?
Let us define what evangelism is
Evangelism: εὐαγγελιστής, οῦ, ὁ. Comes from the word greek word euaggelion meaning “gospel” or “good news.” The verbal forms of euaggelizesthai, meaning “to bring” or “to announce good news” occur some fifty-five times and are normally translated with the appropriate word “preach.” Evangelism has to do with the proclamation of the message of good news.
Source
https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/hbd/e/evangelism.html#:~:text=Evangelism%20is%20derived%20from%20the%20Greek%20word%20euaggelion%2C,with%20the%20appropriate%20form%20of%20the%20word%20%E2%80%9Cpreach.%E2%80%9D
2. To Evangelize the gospel You must Know the gospel.
This might be a simple concept but many Christians, and non-Christians cannot properly articulate the good news of Jesus Christ. Paul wrote many of his letters to new churches to help them defend against false teaching and to preserve the true teaching and preaching of Jesus Christ. If we get the gospel wrong then we run the risk of having people following the wrong Jesus or not even following Jesus at all.
“11 [d]Prescribe and teach these things. 12 Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example [e]of those who believe. 13 Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching. 14 Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the [f]presbytery. 15 Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. 16 Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will [g]ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”
1 Timothy 4:11-16
So what is the gospel?
We are all sinners. Born into sin. We deserve to die and go to hell. God has other plans. He sent Jesus down, who is hundred percent God and 100 percent man, God Himself came down to humanities level. He lived a perfect, sinless life and died on the cross. He came back to life three days later, defeated the grave, and for what? So that we can have faith in Christ and be saved through our confession and faith in Christ alone.
“…that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, [f]resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, [g]resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be [h]disappointed.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; 13 for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
--Romans 10:9-14
Salvation happens through…
-Faith in Christ alone, not our works
We are saved from…
-Our sinful nature, the world isn’t good, God is, God gives us His goodness, everybody is born into sin, everybody needs salvation
We get peace from…
-Knowing that Jesus has given us a free gift of salvation
-Knowing that It’s not up to us to save ourselves
-Knowing that Jesus forgives us as we continue to sin and repent throughout our lives
We get joy from…
-Knowing that we get to participate in God’s ministry
-Knowing that God wants to save the world, He wants people to hear His good news.
“8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and [h]that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”
--Ephesians 2:8-10
This is the good news of Jesus Christ. You cannot preach a works-based salvation—this is not biblically true AND not true to Jesus’ ministry. You cannot Preach the gospel without preaching on our sinful nature and sin—In order for people to understand the “goodness” of the news you share we must share why we need to be saved. It is a balancing act.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 Now those who [k]belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
Galatians 5:22-24
3. Prepare to be bold, brave, and prepare to build relationships.
Now that we know the gospel; what comes next?
Well, we go out. Yes, it’s that simple. Take a step. Meet new people. Go to secular spaces that need to hear about Jesus (be prepared to even share the gospel in your church).
There are different types of evangelism
1. Street evangelism: (walking around proclaiming the gospel to passers-by)
2. Mission work: Going on a long term or short-term mission to proclaim the gospel in another area (usually another country or another city in your country)
3. Hospitality: Building a long-term relationship with someone. Living with them, bringing them into your home, making a friend. This will lead to deeper conversations and trust.
4. Pastoring: Becoming a pastor is a form of evangelism. Your job is to evangelize and mobilize your congregation.
-Remember, we must proclaim the gospel at some point to evangelize to someone.
-Evangelizing is not necessarily about converting someone—it’s not up to you to save people, it’s up to you to lead someone to the one who saves.
-Be bold in your proclamation—some will listen but many won’t and some may even hate you.
-Your motivation for evangelism must be a thankfulness and outpouring for what God has done in your life. His Holy Spirit empowers us to do this through many gifts which are found when we spend time to worship God.
You will be struck with fear as you begin to share the gospel. It will be scary. But know that Jesus is with you, the Holy Spirit is empowering you and rely on these words from Jesus.
“12 “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do what I command you.”
“If the world hates you, [e]you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also…”
-John 15:12-15, 18-20
Examples of evangelism in the bible (the book of Acts specifically)
Stephen the Martyr—Acts 7
“You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. 52 Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become; 53 you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it.”
Acts 7:51-53
Paul and Silas in the Jail Cell
“25 But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; 26 and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. 27 When the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!” 29 And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas, 30 and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
The Jailer Converted
31 They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 And they spoke the word of [n]the Lord to him together with all who were in his house. 33 And he took them that very hour of the night and washed their wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household. 34 And he brought them into his house and set [o]food before them, and rejoiced [p]greatly, having believed in God with his whole household.’”
Acts 16:25-34
The Ethiopian Eunuch
26 But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, “Get up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza.” ([h]This is a desert road.) 27 So he got up and went; and there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he had come to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and he was returning and sitting in his [i]chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go up and join this [j]chariot.” 30 Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this:
“He was led as a sheep to slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He does not open His mouth. 33 “In humiliation His judgment was taken away; Who will [k]relate His [l]generation? For His life is removed from the earth.”
34 The eunuch answered Philip and said, “Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him. 36 As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch *said, “Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?” 37 [[m]And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”] 38 And he ordered the [n]chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, [o]but went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip [p]found himself at [q]Azotus, and as he passed through he kept preaching the gospel to all the cities until he came to Caesarea.
Acts 8:26-40
Paul’s Sermon on Mars Hill
22 So Paul stood in the midst of the [s]Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. 23 For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; 25 nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; 26 and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, 27 that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and [t]exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’ 29 Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man. 30 Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, 31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge [u]the world in righteousness [v]through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men [w]by raising Him from the dead.”
32 Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some began to sneer, but others said, “We shall hear you [x]again concerning this.” 33 So Paul went out of their midst. 34 But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.
Acts 17:22-34
Tools and Sources to look further into
Gospel Coalition Article
Ray Comfort Ministries (Street Evangelist)
Billy Graham Evangelism Ministries
https://billygraham.org/grow-your-faith/how-to-share-your-faith/tools/