Evangelism as a Way of Life
IF YOU LIVE A COMMITTED CHRISTIAN LIFE BUT NEVER SHARE THE GOSPEL VERBALLY, THEN HOW DOES YOUR NON-CHRISTIAN NEIGHBOUR KNOW THE SOURCE OF YOUR HOPE? CONVERSELY, IF YOU COMMUNICATE THE GOSPEL VERBALLY BUT ARE A COMPLETE JERK IN THE PROCESS, THEN THOSE WORDS OF ETERNAL LIFE MAY WELL FALL ON DEAF EARS.
By Timothy K. Beougher
Bible-believing Christians know they are called to be Christ’s witnesses (Acts 1:8) and to commit their lives to making disciples of all nations (Matt 28:18–20). But some Christians have never begun the exciting adventure of sharing their faith, while others may witness it sporadically but not consistently. How can believers cultivate a Great Commission lifestyle? In this article, I share advice for cultivating and maintaining evangelism as a way of life.
The Importance of Verbal Proclamation
Evangelism is not “mere presence.” We often hear that faulty perspective expressed today. Individuals declare, “I’m just going to witness with my life and let my life do the talking.” Some “quote” Francis of Assisi (1181/82–1226), claiming he opined, “Preach the gospel at all times; use words if necessary.” Whether or not Francis uttered that phrase is debated, but regardless, the statement is not biblically sound. Affirming “preach the gospel at all times; use words if necessary” is like saying “feed the hungry at all times; use food if necessary.”
Jesus is the gospel. Hence, the good news must be shared verbally. Evangelism is more than mere presence. LeRoy Eims shares a powerful illustration:
A Christian businessman confessed how he had unknowingly discouraged a business associate from coming to Christ for years. One day, the friend told the Christian businessman he had met the Lord the night before at a Billy Graham meeting. The longtime Christian was elated and said so, but the new Christian replied, “Friend, you’re the reason I have resisted becoming a Christian all these years. If a person could live a good life as you do and not be a Christian, there was no need to become one!”
As Eims points out, this Christian businessman had sought to live an exemplary life but had not communicated his source of strength for doing so.
If we do not tell them, will people know where our hope is found? We may think that our lives bear testimony, but the gospel has not been communicated without an accompanying verbal witness. Evangelism is not “mere presence.” We might recast the mistakenly attributed quote of St. Francis of Assisi in this way: “Share the gospel at all times, and use words because they are necessary.”
The Relationship Between a Christian’s Walk and Talk
Our life is not the gospel. The gospel must be shared verbally. But our “walk” does carry weight. The following diagram is one I developed after wrestling with the relationship between our “walk” and our “talk” in evangelism. As the chart shows, both are always necessary. If you live a committed Christian life but never verbally share the gospel, how does your non-Christian neighbour know the source of your hope? Conversely, if you communicate the gospel verbally but are a complete jerk in the process, those words of eternal life may fall on deaf ears.
Both “walk” and “talk” are important, but their relative importance is dependent on the relationship between the witness and the person to whom he or she is witnessing.
Your life (versus your words only) will speak loudly when sharing with a family member. Remember the context of 1 Peter 3. Peter is writing to wives who have unbelieving husbands; he tells them that the way to reach their husbands is not by continually preaching to them, not by trying to nag them into the kingdom. On the contrary, Peter instructs wives to communicate the good news to their unbelieving husbands and let their lives reinforce the gospel. With a family member or close friend, your walk will carry a lot of weight, but note that the gospel must still be shared verbally for evangelism to occur.
But with acquaintances or complete strangers (Person C stands for a Cornelius-type person, a “stranger” whom the Lord providentially brings across our path), the Christian’s “walk” becomes less significant about his or her “talk.” The person doesn’t know us well (or at all) and, therefore, cannot reflect deeply on the Christian character that might be present in our life. However, even how we communicate with that person, whether an acquaintance or a “Person C,” will speak loudly to them. We can share the good news of the love of Christ with others, but if we do it in a harsh, unloving manner, the message might be ignored. What is the relationship between a Christian’s walk and talk? Both are always necessary. Live out the hope found in the gospel at all times and use words because they are required.
Keeping Evangelism as a Lifestyle
How can we maintain witnessing as a regular part of our lives, not something we engage in sporadically? Let me suggest several ways.
1 COMMIT YOURSELF TO A LIFESTYLE OF EVANGELISM
Many things happen accidentally, but evangelism is not typically one of them. We must commit ourselves to sharing the good news with others. Oscar Thompson reflected, “When I am walking in submission to my Lord, I bump into more people accidentally who need Jesus than I ever could run down on purpose.” Be ready anywhere, anytime, and anyhow. Commit to sharing the good news “in and out of season” (2 Tim 4:2 ESV).
2 PRAY FOR SENSITIVITY TO OTHERS AND OPPORTUNITIES TO WITNESS
Each morning, “lift up your eyes” and see that the “fields are white for harvest” (John 4:35). We need that daily reminder because, left to ourselves, when we wake up each morning, our focus is too readily on our own struggles, our own troubles, and our own to-do lists. Pray that the Holy Spirit will make you sensitive to witnessing opportunities throughout the day. That is a prayer that God delights to answer! Beginning each day with that prayer sensitizes us to opportunities we might have overlooked.
3 PRAY FOR COMPASSION AND BOLDNESS
We often face two struggles in sharing the gospel: a lack of compassion and a lack of boldness. We too quickly lose our sense of compassion, and when we look upon the lost multitudes, instead of having compassion as our Lord did (Matt 9:36), we look at them with coldness, callousness, criticism, or condemnation. Pray often, “Lord, give me the heart of compassion you have.” Pray also for boldness. The early church prayed for boldness (Acts 4:29). Why? Because they were fearful and needed it! God delights in answering prayers for compassion for others and boldness to share the gospel.
4 BE A SOWER, NOT A SOIL INSPECTOR
Mark 4 recounts the parable of the sower who went out to sow. As he sowed, the seed fell on different kinds of soil. Notice that Jesus did not say that the sower went out to inspect the soil, and then, where he thought he found good soil, he sowed the seed, but where the soil did not look good, he withheld the seed. I am afraid that is sometimes how we approach sowing the seed of the gospel. We mistakenly believe there is a limited amount of seed because we sow it very sparingly. As the sower went out to sow, he sowed indiscriminately and widely. Yes, some seeds fell on hard soil, but some fell on good soil. Determine to be a sower and not a soil inspector.
5 CULTIVATE YOUR DAILY WALK WITH CHRIST
One of the most significant verses related to personal evangelism is Matthew 12:34, where Jesus says, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” If we are having trouble talking about Christ, that is not a speech problem but a heart problem. We do not have trouble talking about something when we are passionate about something. Grandparents don’t need any training to talk about their grandchildren. Cultivate your love relationship with Christ. Talking about him is as natural as breathing when you are passionately in love with him and when his love is overflowing in your life.
What a responsibility to be entrusted with sharing the gospel message with others! What a privilege to point others to Jesus Christ, the only Savior! How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news (Rom 10:15)! Let’s make sharing that message a way of life!
