Evangelism: Proclaiming the Christian Faith

By Evan Stewart, April 2005

Before ascending to Heaven after His resurrection, Jesus says to His disciples, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:29, 20). This commission of the disciples has become the commission of all Christians and rightly so. Even though this was a responsibility given directly to the remaining eleven disciples and the rest of the Body of Christ is not mentioned by Christ, the indirect implication for all Christians is clear. These eleven disciples, by carrying out this message of Christ, in turn taught more and more people exactly what they saw and heard and consequently would have instructed their disciples to do the same. Likewise, the history of the Church testifies to the instruction of discipleship being carried out by most if not all believers; otherwise Christianity would not have spread as quickly as it did nor would it have spread at all.

In today’s American Christian culture, and possibly even in the world wide Christian culture, the doctrine of evangelism seems to be misunderstood, stereotyped and even feared by some within the Body. Some well intended Christian leaders and laypeople have so categorized evangelism into multiple series of strict methods that this simple and vital doctrine of Christ has become clouded, difficult to understand, and even has been somehow separated from the daily Christian life. Evangelism is not some secret, hard to understand, or overly complicated method of practice, but simply a part of Christian living. Whether you know it or not, whether you accept it or not, as followers and servants of Christ we all are an evangelist every single second of the day.

What is evangelism?
To understand how evangelism is a part of the Christian life, and before we can come back to a commonsensical understanding of evangelism, we must first define evangelism. The term evangelism comes from the Greek word euaggelizo which means, "to bring good news, to announce glad tidings" (Thayer's and Smith's Bible Dictionary). This Greek word is usually translated as the phrase "preach the gospel" (1 Cor 9:16, 18; Rom 1:15, 10:15; Acts 8:4, 12, 40, 14:21, 16:10). Therefore, the act of evangelism is simply the preaching of the gospel. This idea of preaching, however, should not be confused only with the business of a vocational preaching minister. Some Christians may be tempted to say that since they are not a "professional" preacher then the responsibility of evangelism is a responsibility that does not fall onto them. However, the act of preaching is not only isolated to the Sunday morning pulpit. Preaching the gospel merely means "teach the gospel" or "instruct the gospel". The idea is not some formal, theological exposition of Scripture but the communication of the message of Jesus Christ to another person. Every Christian can do this. Anytime we talk to our friends about the salvation message of Jesus Christ, whether in a formal setting with a formal presentation or in a casual setting with a casual presentation, whether at home, at work, at church, or at the neighborhood store, if we communicate to others the message of Jesus Christ then we are actively "preaching the gospel"; we are actively evangelizing. This is evangelism plain and simple; communicating to others the salvation message of Jesus Christ.

I should clarify one more point before I go on. Evangelism is not "soul winning" as some seem to propose. What I mean by this is that our goal in evangelism is not to personally convert souls to Christianity. Surely, the ultimate hope of every evangelist should be the conversion of the unbelieving soul, but the job of the evangelist is not the conversion of the soul. Again, the duty of the evangelist is to communicate Jesus Christ to others, in other words when we evangelize our ultimate duty is to clearly introduce Jesus Christ to others while our ultimate hope is the conversion of the unbelieving soul. I say this as a word of clarification because I worry that some Christian leaders and laypeople, although well intended, have turned evangelism into a commercial business of sorts. That is, evangelism is seen not as the introduction of Jesus Christ and faith in Jesus to the unbelieving world, but the business of converting a soul and chalking another number on the quota sheet. An attitude shift occurs under this mindset that if an act of evangelism does not result in the immediate or relatively short timed conversion of the unbelieving audience, then the evangelist has failed. Again, our hope should always be the conversion of a soul and we can rightly and hopefully expect a rebirth to occur, but the success of evangelism is not dependent upon a known conversion. If the gospel of Jesus Christ is communicated in an understandable and Biblical manner, then the act of evangelism is successful. If we become disillusioned or disheartened by a lack of rebirth, then we have missed the point of our part of evangelism. John 6:44 says that only God draws men and women to Himself through Jesus Christ. God is the one whom is responsible for the conversion of the soul. Since He is the active agent in the final stages of evangelism, or the initial stages of salvation, He is the one responsible for the conversion and rebirth of the soul. In other words, after we present the gospel to an unbelieving person, the rebirth of the soul is a matter to be handled between God and the unbelieving person. Our job in evangelism is not the conversion of the soul, but the introduction of the gospel and so evangelism that does not result in conversion does not always indicate a failed attempt. God handles the conversion. He may use you as the vessel who offers the first and/or the last message of Jesus before the unbelieving soul repents or he may use you simply to provide the information; either way the act of evangelism is successful.

Is every Christian an Evangelist or simply called to evangelize?
The next point to consider before considering the Biblical "how to" of evangelism is a distinction between two classes of Christians. By classes I do not imply an air of superiority or elitism between the two, but merely a difference in role or function. As explained above, every Christian is called to evangelize, however not every Christian is an Evangelist. Let me explain the difference. The Evangelist is a Christian whom has been given the spiritual gift of evangelism. Ephesians 4:11 offers insight into this Christian role or position of duty. The apostle Paul writes that God gave some to be evangelists (euaggelistes). What is important to note here is that Paul does not say that all Christians have been appointed as Evangelists by God, but rather only some have been appointed to this position and duty. So how can a Christian be called to evangelize but not be called to be an Evangelist? The Evangelist is the Christian who has been given the spiritual gift of evangelism which is the ability to speak openly and effectively to peoples or groups with whom they have had little to no personal history and to usually prompt, by the power of the Holy Spirit, a conversion of the soul. In other words, an Evangelist is a person who evangelizes and the efforts most always result with a conversion of the unbelieving audience. Billy Graham is an example of this definition of Evangelist. When Billy Graham evangelizes during his crusades he effectively and openly speaks to many people with whom he has had no or little previous interaction and the result of his evangelism usually is the rebirth of multiple unbelieving souls. Contrary to this is the Christian who has not be given the gift of evangelism nor has been called to the position of Evangelist and more often communicates Jesus Christ to relatively small groups of people and the efforts do not usually result in the immediate conversion of the soul. Is one better than the other? By no means. Both the Christian appointed to be an Evangelist and the Christian charged with the task of evangelism are equally valued and used by God but in different ways. The Evangelist will verbally proclaim his or her faith more often than the Christian not called to the office of Evangelist but both are still responsible to communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ to the unbelieving world and both are used by God in the salvation of others. One class in the hand and the other the foot, but both are vital parts of the same body.

What is the primary motivation for sharing the gospel of Jesus?
Many respected teachers of the faith primarily answer in favor of obedience to the command of God when asked the reason as to why a Christian should evangelize. This is not an incorrect answer. As explained above, Jesus instructed the eleven disciples to teach the gospel to others and in turn the disciples of the eleven carried out this same mission. Jesus’ commission was obeyed out of a desire to be obedient to the commands of God. However, I think that we can dig deeper into this answer and provide a motivation that is more close to the center of the Christian heart.

Psalm 96, among other references, offers a picture of what I think should be our primary motivation of evangelism. The psalmist joyfully and emphatically writes, "Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, bless His name; proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day. Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples. For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised" (Ps 96:1-4, emphasis mine). The psalmist is proclaiming that we should all tell nations of God’s good tidings, of His glorious might, and of His salvation offered by His amazing grace. Before Jesus even came to fulfill His predetermined destiny, the call for evangelism was already apart of the believer’s life. The psalmist is calling for all those who know God and believe in His power and promises to tell everyone that they can about this great God that they worship. Furthermore, as verse four clearly explains, the motivation for the psalmist is the glory of God. He calls out to the heavens and all that is in the fields because God is great and greatly to be praised! He does not evangelize in order to merely fulfill a command, rather he evangelizes because the act of evangelism in the only logical and joyful response to a God who is so great.

What I want us to see here is that evangelism should be the reasonable response of every Christian. It is the reasonable response because God has done so much for us and has loved us so much that He saved us from a condemnation that we rightly deserve. He sent His one and only Son to be brutally murdered so that we may enter into to His grace and be united with Him for all eternity. We should not respond this way in order to "pay God back". For nothing we do can reimburse the heart ach and pain that He endured on our behalf nor does He require a reimbursement. No, we should respond in this manner in humble brokenness and joy. The greatest thing that could ever happen to the human race has occurred and we should find difficultly in not evangelizing. We need not to obey a command in fear of guilt or condemnation, but obey the commands of God in joy of His awesome love. As Paul writes in Romans 12:1, we should "by the mercies of God, [present our] bodies a living sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is [our] spiritual [or reasonable] service of worship." Although we are commanded to preach the gospel of salvation, evangelism is a commonsensical response to a saving faith in Jesus Christ.

How are we to evangelize?
Evangelism is a two part activity; the first part being action. Our primary and most effective way to evangelize as Christians who are not called to be Evangelists is silent action. In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus teaches, "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lamp-stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven (emphasis mine)." This is a telling insight into proper and effective evangelism. Jesus says that by acting in such a way (that is a God honoring manner, which is living a life in submission and obedience to and love with God) these actions can be viewed by the non-believing and even believing world and the people who see will be directed to the glory of God. Such an amazing truth and such a great motivation to live a holy and God glorifying life. Our silent actions when performed in a godly manner, whether we know it or not, have been and will continue to be used to present the truth of God to anyone who sees. Our actions can point someone to God and to His salvation. Although the Bible shows that evangelism by word is the most common form of evangelism that results in the salvation of the unbelieving, evangelism by action is just as necessary and important. You will not always have an opportunity to verbally tell others about Jesus Christ and the glory of God, but you always have the opportunity to act in a holy manner in front of anyone. Paul echoes the words of Jesus in his epistle to the Colossian church (Col 1:10).

The second part of evangelism is verbal. As implied by the word "evangelize" and as explained above, we are not only called to evangelize through action but also through word. Our actions can only go so far in evangelism. By our actions we please God and offer an example of true life to others and an indication from where true life emanates. However, the Bible clearly teaches that the form of evangelism that results in the salvation of the non-believing is verbal evangelism. In order for a man or woman to be given the salvation of God, he or she must be told the gospel of Christ. This makes perfect sense. By my action I only indicate that there is a God but I do not explain that there is a God nor do I clearly explain that God is only to be found through and by Jesus Christ. Holy living most usually prompts questions from an unbeliever, for they will not know exactly who I serve unless I tell them who it is that I serve. Our actions do not explain a saving knowledge and faith of Jesus Christ but by our words we explain that if a person confesses with his or her mouth Jesus as Lord and believes in his or her heart that God raised Him from the dead, he or she will be saved (Ro 10:9, 10). Word and deed go hand in hand and both are equally vital to the evangelistic life; for actions without words prove futile, and words without actions prove vain.

What is the message that is to be preached?
The definition of what we are to evangelize is the most important question in this whole matter. The knowledge of what evangelism is and how we are to evangelize proves futile if we do not know what we are to proclaim. To answer this question one only needs to study the sermons of the early apostles recorded in the New Testament. Acts 2:14-36, Acts 13:16-39, and Acts 17:22-31 are three of the many passages in the New Testament that offer the components of the gospel message. The sermons given by Peter and Paul contain the information that any other gospel presentation must contain in order to be a true and complete message of Jesus Christ. The method of your presentation can differ from the ones found in Scripture, but the components must be the same. These three examples in Acts all differ in presentation and audience yet are consistent in regards to the gospel message content. By reading these passages we can come to the answer of what should be presented when sharing the gospel to another person.

First, we must be clear that the God of Abraham is the one and only living God and He is the God whom we serve. In all three of the passages listed above, both Peter and Paul establish without question that the God of Israel is alive, real, and true and is the sustainer and sovereign power over all things (Acts 2:17-21, 22, 24, 30, 32, 33, 36; Acts 13:16-22, 23, 26, 30, 33, 36; Acts 17:24-31).

Second, we must clearly communicate that man has sinned against God and condemnation is upon everyone apart from the grace of God. Again, this is established without question by Peter and Paul (Acts 2:23, 24, 29-36 implied; Acts 13:38-41; Acts 17:30-31). Without explaining why Jesus came to die and why salvation is needed, our words will only be a wonderful story at the least but never truth to the unbeliever’s ear.

Third, we must speak about the physical death and physical resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul writes in Corinthians 15:13 and 14 that without the fact of the resurrection our faith and preaching is in vain and that we are to be pitied among all men. The foundation of any gospel message must be the death and resurrection of Jesus without question. Again, both Paul and Peter lay everything on this miraculous event (Acts 2:22-24, 32, 36; Acts 13:28-31, 33, 34; Acts 17:31).

Fourth, we must firmly assert that forgiveness of sin is found only in the resurrected Jesus (Acts 2:33 implied; Acts 13:38, 39; Acts 17:30-31). Without this the gospel message is incomplete.

Some teachers may add to this list but their lists will not exclude these four elements of the gospel message. To preach the gospel is to at least preach the reality of God, the problem of individual sin and even original sin (the Fall of Adam and Eve, Gen 3), the physical death and resurrection of Jesus, and the forgiveness of sins found only in Jesus Christ. This can be done is a variety of ways and the presentation depends on the presenter’s personality, character traits, spiritual and natural gifts, and the audience. Take a closer look at the three passages above and you will find that each one is presented in a different manner and each one has a different audience and the presentation is adapted to the setting and people while staying true to the gospel of Jesus. One other component of the gospel that I think should be added, but not directly spoken by Peter and Paul in the example passages, is a life of obedience to God. Every Biblical gospel message implies directly or indirectly a life of repentance when salvation occurs. This means that true salvation will produce an internal desire to obey and submit to God (John 14:21; 1 John 5:3). This does not mean that sinless perfection will occur, but only that the born again soul will desire to serve and obey God and by the help of the Holy Spirit the Christian will obey God and sin will begin to become the exception and not the norm and when sin does occur the Spirit of God will discipline His child and lead him or her back to the path of holiness.

Is evangelism easy and always pleasant?
Evangelism is not always easy to do nor is it always pleasant to do. Even though our motivation should be the glory and salvation of God, at times we all will hesitate to share our faith with others and we may even not always want to share our faith with others. There are many reasons for this and I will share reasons that hinder me from evangelizing to others whether by word or deed, but what we must first understand is that we are no less of a Christian if we purposefully pass up an opportunity to introduce an unbeliever to Christ. Sometimes, God will not prompt us to verbally speak with a non-believer. This certainly does not mean that God desires for that person to perish in hell for God does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezek 33:11) and He desires for all men to come to repentance (2 Pet 3:9). On the other hand, even when God prompts us to speak to another about Christ we may resist out of fear, yet our disobedience is forgiven and God will use us again.

You may face trials and troubles when you share the gospel of Jesus with another person or a group of people. Read over Acts 13:44-52 and Acts 17:32-34. Paul and Barnabas are violently attacked and accosted by angry mobs. No, evangelism will not always be pleasant, but as Paul and Barnabas and every other hero of the faith has attested to, God is always with us and He is our first and final protection and strength.

Some reasons why I hesitate to share my faith center on a fear of rejection and/or humiliation. A fear of attack or a fear of being humiliated if I say the wrong words or if I cannot provide the correct answer or rebuttal to questions and comments hinder my words an action. Fortunately, God has provided all of us with the answers to these common fears. We must believe in the promises of God and our fears will be subdued. If you fear attack, then He promises protection (Ps 27:1). If you fear your lack of knowledge, He will give you the words to speak (Matt 10:19, 20; John 14:26; Jas 1:5-8). One last note on answering questions, never be afraid to say, "I do not know but I can find out."

What’s after evangelism?
Before I conclude I must focus on one more concern; discipleship. Evangelism, whether in action or word, is the initial stage of disciple making but there is much more that can be done on our part. If the circumstances allow for this, then we must be willing to continue a conversation about Jesus with the willing unbeliever until they are willing to stop. I do not mean that once you start talking with someone that you can never stop. What I mean is that if a person is willing to continue to investigate the claims of Jesus over a period of days or weeks or even months and you are able to continue guiding them through the salvation message, then you should do this. A one time sermon is not where evangelism ends. Biblical evangelism involves discipleship. Especially when a person comes to know the salvation of the Lord, we must be willing to continue with him or her in his or her Christian life as a mentor of sorts in Christian living and if we are unable to personally continue the discipleship then we must direct him or her to a local church or local Christian that is able to continue the task. Never leave a person that is willing to know more without direction of where to go or who to speak with as they continue their investigation. Especially never leave a new Christian without some Christian fellowship to join. Discipleship is a life long process and is not carried out by only one person, but by many Christians whom we place in our lives. You may need to spend more time than you had originally intended with a new Christian or curious non-believer, but their salvation and sanctification may depend upon your time spent with them. Just like Paul and all of the other Christian leaders mentioned in the New Testament, we must preach the gospel and help mentor young Christians when are able.

The role of evangelism, the responsibility of discipleship, is a call given to every follower of Christ. Our love of God and our thankfulness for salvation should prompt us to daily desire to speak to others about the amazing grace which we have unfairly received. As a Christian, we are instructed to tell the whole world that our God is great and greatly to be praised.