Relational Risks of Evangelism
What’s the real reason Christians often avoid evangelism? Some would say they’re afraid of being asked hard questions. Others might mention the inappropriateness of pushing religion on people. We might blame it on the busyness of life or on our social inadequacies. But I have observed that in my own life and in the lives of others, the problem is much simpler than that.
The real reason many of us avoid evangelism is the relational risk it brings. We don’t want people to avoid us. We fear losing friends. We dread the awkward Thanksgiving with a relative who mocked our gospel presentation, or the cold shoulder of a coworker who ridicules our belief in the resurrection. We tell ourselves that our commitment to maintaining relationships—at all costs—is to protect opportunities for future gospel conversations, while our highest priority is actually our own comfort—at all costs. If we’re ever to overcome our fear of evangelism, not only must we love others more than ourselves, but we must also believe that evangelism’s benefits outweigh any risks involved. But what are the benefits associated with sharing the gospel? Rather, what might we lose if we subtract evangelism from our lives? Here are five things to consider.
1. Joy of Obedience
Before Jesus ascended to heaven, he left his followers the important task of spreading the gospel to all people. The disciples got right to work making Christ known throughout Judea and the surrounding areas (Acts 1:8). Later, Paul took the gospel to places like Philippi, Athens, and Ephesus. He could confidently say at the end of his life that he had obediently finished the race set before him (2 Tim. 4:7). He experienced the joy of knowing he had served God through his missionary endeavors. We can experience similar joy through faithfully sharing the gospel.
Evangelism is one of the most important ways we can please and honor God because it spreads the news of Christ’s redeeming love for us. We glorify God when we share the gospel and help people understand it. If we subtract evangelism from our lives, we fail to obey God’s command, and we miss out on helping to make his name known everywhere.
This volume of TGC’s Disciplines of Devotion series invites women to draw near to God through evangelism. Equipped with simple, practical ways to engage the lost with the gospel, readers will experience joy, not fear, when sharing their faith.
2. Deeper Gratitude for Our Own Salvation
Every conversion is a miracle. Sinful man is hopeless without God’s intervening grace (Eph. 2:8–9). But as time passes in the Christian life, we can easily lose sight of just how lost we were before God saved us. Scripture’s truths can become so familiar that we begin taking our salvation for granted. A friend once confessed, “Sadly, I realize that I am underwhelmed by the gospel.” Interestingly, she also admitted that she had never shared the gospel with anyone.
When we speak to others about Christ and their need for regeneration, we are reminded of our own conversion. We remember that we, too, had to hear the bad news of God’s coming wrath before we could truly comprehend our need for repentance. When we subtract evangelism from our lives, we miss out on a unique opportunity to deepen our gratitude for the mercy we’ve been shown.
3. Opportunity to Grow in Knowledge
Unbelievers often ask great questions. They ask about the Bible’s reliability. They ask for proof of the resurrection. They ask why children die of cancer, where God was on 9/11, and what happens to people who never hear about Jesus. They sometimes challenge us to think more deeply about our beliefs than we would in a group of fellow Christians. So, in fear we might shy away from gospel conversations with unbelievers. But hard questions about Christianity are not dangerous or threatening—they’re beneficial.
Rarely are we asked to explain our faith in conversations with other believers. Unfortunately, this can dupe us into thinking we understand Christian truths better than we do. But lost people sometimes lodge questions we can’t answer, and in those times, we can learn and grow by going out and finding the answers we need for our next gospel conversation. We should always be ready to give a reason for the hope that we have (1 Pet. 3:15), but apart from regular evangelism, we may never be asked questions that require us to do that.
We glorify God when we share the gospel and help people understand it.
4. Joy of Witnessing Conversion
I recently heard a young college student say that her own life was changed when a friend was radically converted. This friend had plunged into drug and alcohol abuse that led to a DUI but later heard the gospel and trusted in Christ. Watching a sinner be transformed from a lover of evil to a child of God is a privilege many never experience. But it is glorious, and encouraging, and exhilarating, and amazing.
Unfortunately, we often have unrealistic expectations when sharing the gospel. We might expect repentance and faith to happen on the spot, but it often takes time for someone to understand what it means to follow Jesus (Luke 14:25–28). We may plant a seed and another faithful Christian may witness the harvest, but if we aren’t sharing the gospel at all, we’ll never experience the joy of another person’s conversion. When we subtract evangelism from the Christian life, we eliminate the possibility of being present when God turns a hardened heart into one that beats for him.
5. Reminder That Many Are Still Lost
The reality of hell is unfathomable. Though passages like Matthew 25, Mark 9, and Revelation 20 describe it as a place where unregenerate sinners rightly experience God’s wrath, none of us likes to think about any of our unsaved loved ones going there. And the more we spend time with other Christians, the easier it might be to forget the inevitable fate of the lost. Regular evangelism reminds us that there are still unbelievers among us. It brings us face to face with a soul that will surely perish unless God intervenes. It keeps us from lulling ourselves to sleep, thinking that people will be okay in the end. Hebrews 9:27 chillingly reminds us that it is “appointed for man to die once and then comes the judgment.” So, the clock is ticking for every unsaved heart, and regular evangelism keeps that reality before us in a gut-wrenching way. When we speak to people about their spiritual beliefs (or lack thereof) and realize their lostness, we can’t ignore the importance of sharing the gospel. Through Christ we enjoy living in the light (John 8:12), and subtracting evangelism from our lives makes it far too easy to forget those still living in darkness.
Evangelism often feels more like a duty than a privilege—and sometimes duty isn’t enough motivation to do hard things. But when we consider the benefits of regularly sharing our faith, we realize that speaking to unbelievers about Christ is a gift. When we subtract evangelism from our lives, we lose the opportunity to receive all the benefits God offers to those who will join him in his mission to seek and save the lost.
Sharonda Cooper is the author of Evangelism.
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