Evangelism

Please would you allow me to clarify what evangelism is. The word comes from the Greek, ‘eu –angelion’ which literally means ‘good news’. This good news is the message that Jesus Christ is the creator and Lord of this world, yet he came to this earth to die on that cross in order to bear the sins of all those who acknowledge him as Lord of their lives. To evangelise is therefore to share this message. To do this effectively we must have some rapport and trust with the person or people we are talking to but it does not always take a long time to establish this. It is the message that people primarily need to hear and if they hear it from someone who is obviously sincere, it may make them think and subsequently turn to God.

A little while ago I met a couple that were visiting our church. We started talking and they came across to the church hall for some coffee. We discussed where they lived and how they had come to St Paul’s for a change as they had heard that it was “a lively church”. I gently asked the man,

“Would you describe yourself as a convinced Christian or aren’t you sure about these things?”

He thought for a moment and said,

“I would describe myself more as a convinced churchman than as a convinced Christian. My wife is a convinced Christian.”

That was how the discussion started. We talked about whether he would like to sort out what the gospel is and whether it is really true. He jumped at the opportunity and came to a basics course that started a couple of weeks later. He became convinced that he desperately needed to be forgiven by God and recognized who Jesus was and what he had done for him on the cross. He asked to be forgiven and opened his life to the Lord Jesus.

They came round for meals and have become close friends, joining in a Bible study group where they have been trained in what the Word of God teaches.

The point of this is to make it clear that the gospel is a message that can be heard by many means. Sometimes a short conversation is enough, sometimes reading a book or listening to a sermon will help someone understand to relevance of the gospel to them. They will also need to be drawn into the fellowship of other Christians but this often takes place only after someone is converted. It may be only then that outsiders can tolerate some of the practices of Christians!

There are occasions when we will only meet people for a short time, such as when we are in a train or bus. What a wonderful skill it is to be able to explain the gospel to others in such a way as to show the relevance of the Lord in a meaningful way. Jesus was frequently doing this as did his apostles. It did not take Paul long to lead Lydia to Christ when he visited Philippi. Young Philip was taught how to do this by the apostles and we desperately need to pass on these skills to young people of today.

Thus the Bible does not teach that “all ‘Evangelism should be long term,” but it does teach that discipling Christians is longterm. Everyone needs to learn the ‘Word of God’, whether they are Christians or not, because it is God’s word to the whole world, whether they like it or not. Many people become true Christians as they study His Word, which is also the way that people are discipled.

BVP