Evangelize On The Way
How Christians can share the Gospel as they go about their day
Be the “Influencers” of Today
In a day and age where the pace of life is ever-increasing, most Christian’s either struggle to fit Evangelism into their daily routine or they don’t look for those opportunities at all. Even for those who are walking in daily fellowship with Jesus their is often a struggle to find time to share the Gospel with others. This can occur regardless if the Believer works in vocational ministry, a secular environment or in the home. My focus in writing this article is to help Christians to identify and utilize the evangelism opportunities that God gives us as we go about our daily lives. While I place emphasis upon reaching people for Christ in public or community settings rather than formal gatherings (Church services, etc), our alertness for opportunities to witness for Christ may also have a positive impact on people that we already know because what we do throughout our day often pours over into every area of our lives and influences those closest to us, whether intended or not. For example, the person who is employed in vocational Christian ministry would seek to impact others for Christ on their own time in addition to any ministering that occurs as part of their role working for a Church, Christian School or other ministry. Likewise, the person who works in the secular world should make a change in their routine if they find themselves consistently encountering the same people they have already shared the Gospel with. This has often been a factor when I have sought to make a job change or have decided to change the path that I take when walking through downtown to the office. Like most other areas in life, the more we think about it, the more we do it and the more we do it, the more it saturates every area of our lives. If we share why we do what we do with others such as our spouse, children, friends or Church family it may help them to also make similar changes in their own lives that may glorify the name of Jesus. The act of telling another person about Jesus should be motivated by love for Him and when those around us can see that our love for Christ is positively affecting every area of life, they will also be impacted and He will be glorified. We must remain alert and aware of our surroundings and take hold of those divine appointments that God schedules for us each day to influence others for Him. It is imperative for the Bible-believing Christian to keep their heart and mind focused on the things of God, not on earthly things (Colossians 3:2).
Whether it is an onslaught of emails, text messages, scrolling through social media content, work obligations, Church services & events, Family activities or other priorities, the average American Christian has many tasks competing for our time each day. Such tasks may distract us from seeing the simple evangelism opportunities presented in the most basic aspects of our daily routines and prevent us from telling others about Jesus. Thankfully, God is Sovereign in all things and He works within the Believer to accomplish His plan and purpose which includes furthering His glorious Gospel and bringing people unto Himself. In the same way that Jesus knows how busy we are, He also helps us to establish Christ-centered priorities by setting aside or reducing those unnecessary tasks in order to focus our attention in those areas that bring Him glory. After all, God knows everything that we do including the thoughts that we have and the words that we speak just as He knew all the days of our lives before one of them ever came to be (Psalm 139).
The High Cost of a Quiet Church
While countless Americans are having their beliefs shaped by well-known media, entertainment and internet personalities of various philosophical and religious perspectives, the American Church is not immune to such infiltration by people and movements that have an unbiblical, perilous belief system. This often occurs gradually and is a slippery slope for an unsuspecting Christian and could sow the seeds of doubt. Such instances are at all possible because of the abundance of regular Church attendees and members who have a “Comfortable Christianity” in which they check off a box of what American culture believes a Christian is expected to do. This practice of “Cultural Christianity” is the religious equivalent to an “Establishment Politician” and often causes people who grew up in Christian households to remain in the “bubble” by having minimal interactions with non-Christians. Once boxes are checked for the week, they go on their merry way, rarely interacting with non-believers and seldomly, if ever, sharing the Gospel with the lost. The follower of Christ should pursue the lost and seek to get the Gospel to them.
In some of my conversations with well-intended fellow believers over the years I have seen a pattern where Christians refer to Matthew 5:14-16 by expressing that Christians should not be outward with the truth of the Gospel and should rather choose to remain quiet and simply live a lifestyle of how they think a proper Christian should live. This “Lifestyle Evangelism” would then cause those non-Christians who are often in their presence to want to know why they are the way they are, all while remaining silent and not speaking up for Christ. While we should strive to live a life reflective of having a closeness with Christ that is evident to others it is also important that we do our best to let others know early on that we have a relationship with Christ so that He is glorified as others get to know us and observe our behavior. Essentially, I suggest that we reverse the order of “Lifestyle Evangelism” so that people will know upfront that it is Christ living within us and through us as they gradually observe our behavior. This approach calls for an increased level of personal accountability to live a life aligned with the Gospel in both the macro and micro issues of life because the non-Christians in our life will relate our behavior, whether, positive, negative or somewhere in between to our relationship with Jesus. Therefore, the key is that we have an intimate, growing personal relationship with Jesus Christ as we seek to reach people for Him. If not, the Christian may be inclined to keep quiet regarding their relationship with Christ out fear of rejection, being called a hypocrite or even persecution.
The concern that I have with such “quiet Christianity” is threefold. First, It is a glorious honor and privilege to tell others about Jesus Christ, the One who rescued me from the pit of despair and saved my soul (Psalms 40: 1-3). At this time in America, we still have the legal right and freedom to share the Good News of the Gospel which many Believers outside of the United States do not have. Such freedom increases the urgency to actively participate in Jesus’ call to go forth with His Gospel (Mathew 28; 18-20).
Next, Let’s consider the amount of people that we may encounter on a weekly basis and how we could strive to influence them for Christ. Whether we encounter a delivery driver, store clerk, maintenance worker, custodial staff at the office, security guard at a venue, a receptionist at your medical provider’s office or the homeless person asking for money, let’s remain ready and willing to share the Gospel with someone. Even if an evangelism opportunity does not arise when expected we can remain faithful by actively discerning each situation and being aware of our surroundings so that we are ready when God opens a door to share the Gospel. When the door is opened and we are faithful in that opportunity, we will be filled with a joy that only Jesus can give. While their may be an evangelism “web” where a person is exposed to the Gospel in a variety of ways before they surrender their life to Christ, we do not know (nor is it our role to decide) where we are in that process. The business of the Christian in regards to evangelism, is to faithfully share the Gospel with others and let God work within an individual to draw them unto Himself. In 1st Corinthians 3:6, The Apostle Paul states “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase”. Whether you are the person who handed a Gospel tract to a stranger when walking into the office, led a Bible study in your community, spoke with a neighbor about Jesus, proclaimed the Good News on a street corner, or prayed with a friend or family member, it does not matter where in that process of exposing that individual to Jesus you are. Our faithfulness in outreach & evangelism should be motivated by a love for Jesus Christ and a desire for others to know Him. While tracking the measurable results of your outreach efforts such as professions of faith, responses to alter calls and regular Church attendance (to name a few) may be helpful in some areas of your personal or vocational ministry it should not be the primary motivation for participating in outreach & evangelism. Only God truly knows the fruit of our labor, as it is Him who works in and through the Christian. Let’s strive to reach 1 person at a time and not focus on numbers, goals or outcomes. The Christian who shares the Gospel with the lost is like the Watchmen who warns others of the pending judgment upon those who have not yet received new life in Christ by pointing them to the only place where they can find safety & salvation (Ezekiel 33: 1-11).
Lastly, I would like to quickly circle back to what is often referred to as Lifestyle Evangelism.Yes, A Christian should want to walk closely with Jesus and live a life that produces fruit that is aligned with the Bible and accompanied by a lifestyle rooted in and reflective of His Word as evidence of the new life received in Him. However, Romans 3:10-13 emphasizes the fact that their are “none” who seek after God and that no one is righteous on their own because it is only God who brings people unto Himself (Romans 10:14-21). God uses His Word (The Bible) to inform us of His exclusive plan of Salvation that is found only in Christ (Acts 4:12). While lifestyle evangelism may be rooted in good intentions, it may be more beneficial to the lost person for the Christian to let them know towards the beginning of their relationship (personal, professional, etc) that they follow Jesus and it is their personal relationship with Christ that motivates them and guides their actions. Then, even if the Believer were never to mention anything Gospel-related again but is actively growing in their relationship with Christ, the non-Christian will have the opportunity to make the connection to Christ as the Believer consistently displays a lifestyle in a manner unlike the majority of those in that environment. Otherwise, if the Non-Christian is entirely unaware that the person that they are being positively influenced by is only that way because they have been made new in Christ, it is possible that the unbeliever credits the Christian for his or her behavior rather than God. Rather than risking that they think we are simply a nice, caring, person with morals, let’s be sure to let them know upfront that it is Christ living in us that enables us to live differently than the ways of the world.
If you are a Christian and have not been actively attempting to share the Gospel with other people, here are a few suggestions that may help to motivate you to evangelistic acton. First, consistently spend some time browsing your local obituaries and remember that people of various ages are swept into eternity everyday. Secondly, view the online arrest logs from your local jail to remind yourself of the lawlessness and human depravity that is consistently occurring close to where you live. Hold fast to the fact that only Christ can forgive sins and that eternal salvation is found only in Him. Although the Christian is responsible for exercising our glorious privilege of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with others, salvation is ultimately a work of God, paid for by Jesus with His blood.
Practical Ways to Fit Evangelism Into Your Daily Routine
As we endeavor to think outside of the box to reach people for Christ it is important that we consistently soak our requests to God in fervent, heartfelt prayer. Yes, we must rely on God and His Sovereignty to connect us with people to share the Gospel with. It is imperative that we are fully dependent upon Christ when seeking an evangelism encounter and to give honor and praise to the Lord if you are blessed to share His gospel with even one soul. Let’s guard against religious pride or arrogance from creeping in and refrain from comparing ourselves to other Christian’s who either reach more or less people than we do. I suggest only mentioning your evangelism encounters and outreach experience as a way to edify and support other Believers in growing in their relationship with Christ and to glorify the name of Jesus Christ. Ultimately, all of our works are as filthy rags in the sight of God except for the love and grace that He pours on us and the new life that He has blessed us with in Christ (Isaiah 64: 6-8, John 3: 16-21.
If you believe that God opens a door for you to influence another person for Him and you freeze and miss the opportunity, do not get down on yourself. Go to the Lord in prayer, keep moving forward and onto the next opportunity. While I fall short of the goals that I believe God has led me to set for myself and have missed many opportunities to further the Gospel, it is during those times where I am closest to Christ that He encourages me to strive to reach All people, at All Times with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to utilize active, affective, Biblical evangelism. It is the same Holy Spirt who brought us unto Christ who will empower us to share the Gospel with another person and will then work within that person to lead them to Christ just as we were led to Him. God uses His people to get His word to others and then he works within them, for His glory. Amazingly, God gives us the pleasure of partaking in the process by telling others about Him so try not to over-think the process or feel as though you need to have every answer for every question that someone may have before witnessing to them. We do not have to be able to refute, correct or defend against every person who has a disagreement or different opinion. Stick to the Word of God, refer to the Law of God as referenced in Romans 7:7 and be dependent upon Christ to work through you and within the person you are communicating with. Do not take it personal or be offended if you receive pushback or hostility. Salvation is a work of the Lord.
Below are some steps to take and practical ideas to add evangelism into your routine:
When seeking to reach the lost with the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ, first ask God to search your heart & mind and show you any sin in your life. Repent of it and depend on Jesus.
Pray for the Lost, for revival and that God gives you opportunities to share the Gospel.
Always have Gospel tracts or a pocket Bible with you to give out if an opportunity arises.
Gift Tracts: During holidays, celebrations or special occasions, set aside a certain amount of money that you can spend towards Gospel tracts and gift cards. Buy gift cards with $5-$10 on each and put a Gospel tract inside. Then give them out to random people that you encounter or to anyone else in your life that you would like to share the Gospel with. Give sacrificially.
Budget a certain amount of money that you can spend. Get $1 bills, wrap them around a Gospel tract and hand them to random people that you encounter throughout your day.
Identify a need in your community. Start a group at a local park or rent a gym and have a Bible study where the needs of the attendees are also addressed after the Bible study. My experience in this area pertains to having a group where a kickboxing heavy bag workout was held after having a group Bible study. The attendees practiced self defense, received a good workout and most importantly had a Bible study involving Christ-centered discussions.
Volunteer for a Prison Ministry when they are in your area (this will also bless you).
Volunteer at a Homeless Shelter and seek opportunities to share the Gospel with others.
Homeless Packs: Put together bags to give to those who are currently homeless. In each bag, include a snack, water, hand/foot warmers, Bible/Gospel materials, blanket, towel, a list of contact information for resources where they can follow up for additional information.
Gather Gospel materials, put them into an envelope, mail them to random addresses and include your contact information or your church’s contact information for follow up.
Obtain employment at a prison, jail or in the human services field and if given the opportunity, in conversational format, share the impact that Christ has made in your life with others.
- Call, send a text message or leave a voicemail to a friend, relative or acquaintance and tell them the good news about Jesus Christ. To “break the ice”, consider sending them an email or letter.
Host a party or gathering and give party favors that include Bible-based materials & literature.
- If your situation or circumstance does not allow for you to participate in Evangelism directly, diligently identify a fruitful evangelism ministry and support them in the best way that you can.