Lately the Lord has been giving me a greater burden for evangelism. What is evangelism?, one might ask. It’s presenting Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit to sinful people, so that they might turn from their sin, trust in Jesus as their Savior, and serve Him as their King in the fellowship of His Church. Or, to define it more succinctly: “Evangelism is communicating the gospel.”
I am deeply troubled by the growing number of professing Christians who are under the mistaken impression that as long as we “live out our faith,” we don’t need to verbalize it. It is true that we are to let our light shine before men (Matt. 5:16) and that we show the genuineness of our faith by our works (James 2:18). But simply living a godly life does not communicate the essential message of the gospel, namely, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, was buried, and rose again the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:1-4).
This reminds me of a true story I read about a man who became a Christian at an evangelistic crusade. He was so excited about his salvation, he told his boss about it. His employer responded, “That’s great! I am a Christian, and I have been praying for you for years!” The newly saved man was crestfallen. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?” he asked. “You were the very reason I have not been interested in the gospel all these years.” “How can that be?” the boss wondered. “I have done my very best to live the Christian life around you.” “That’s the point,” explained the employee. “You lived such a model life without telling me that it was Christ who made the difference, I convinced myself that if you could live such a good and happy life without Christ, then I could too.”
Do you see how important it is that we not only practice our faith but also to proclaim the gospel? Just this morning I received word that my step-sister suddenly went home to be with the Lord. She was only in her mid-forties and leaves behind her husband and 14-year-old daughter. Had she not heard and believed the gospel, she would be in hell instead of heaven this very moment. What if she had chosen to “live out” her faith instead of also sharing the gospel with her husband and daughter? Then she would have done nothing to offer them the hope of heaven, where they would see her again and be with her and Christ throughout all eternity.
Do you see how important it is that we share Christ with people? How we need to pray for one another as Paul asked others to pray on his own behalf: “… That utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, … that in proclaiming it, I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak” (Eph. 6:19-20).
Amen, Pastor Matt!
Every enounter with an unbeliever is an opportunity, and a divine appointment, to express the Good News of Jesus Christ.