EVANGLISM METHODS
As we approach the Feast of St. Valentine, we often (at
least in western culture) consider the topic of love. February 14 has become
something of an enigma, having moved far from its original intent. So little is
known of St. Valentine that the Catholic Church has removed the Feast of St.
Valentine as an official feast day but has opted to keep it on local calendars.
Nevertheless, in western culture, Valentine’s Day is the day we celebrate love
so on the topic of love, as a follower of Christ, I would like to discuss the
relevant topic of evangelism. I relate evangelism to love because of our urgent
call to preach the gospel and share the love of Christ. God is love and has
given people a way to him through Jesus Christ. How much then do we have to not
love people to refuse our participation in evangelism? If love doesn’t compel
us to evangelize, we should be compelled first and foremost by the mere fact
that God has called us to it (2 Tim 4:5); therefore, it is a command. God’s
command then should be enough. Yet, often it isn’t. In the name of love for
humanity, let us be evangelists.
What is the best method of evangelism? I was raised in an
evangelical Baptist church that not only believed in evangelism but also practiced
it, and we utilized various methods of evangelism. A plurality of acronyms and
methods were fed into my brain from an early age. One I remember is the FAITH
method. Each letter of FAITH represented a part of the gospel message. The
goal, at the end of the presentation, was to get people to receive[1]
Christ. Methods such as this could certainly be beneficial, especially for
people like me who enjoy structure and planning. When I preach, speak, or give
a presentation, I want to know what I will say. That is not to diminish the
prompting of the Holy Spirit. Structure, however, helps people like me. No
matter how we employ it though, evangelism is necessary for all believers. We
are called to evangelize so how should we do it, and why is it important? I have
some thoughts regarding evangelism methods that I would like to share.
Christians Are
Called to Preach in Season and out of Season
The Apostle Paul tells Timothy (and
all believers) to preach the gospel in season and out of season (2 Tim 4:2),
i.e. at all times and in all circumstances, Christians should preach the gospel
message. Paul’s instructions here are broad but encompass everything and leave
out nothing. An inference may be made here that while building relationships is
certainly helpful, it is not imperative. In season and out of season is
indicative that “the Christian . . . must always be
on duty. He must take every opportunity to serve, whether the occasion seems
opportune or not.”[2]
We might derive then that relationships are not absolutely necessary. No matter
which evangelism method we employ, our call and command to preach, witness, and
evangelize must not be taken lightly. It is not an option for Christians. Not
all believers are given the office of an evangelist, those who are called to equip
the saints in the local church for the work of ministry (Eph 4:11), but all
believers are called to evangelize. All evangelistic actions we take then stem
from this overarching call to evangelize. We must realize it and act no matter
the time or season. Evangelism is of utmost importance.
Practically
Speaking, Relationships Help
I do not intend to diminish the
importance of relationships; practically speaking, relationships unquestionably
help. Many of us know this from personal experience. We have had better results
speaking to friends about faith than we have random people. Pragmatically,
people are more willing to listen to and have discussions of faith with people
they know, which is why we should also strive to build relationships. Without
expecting the lost to act as if they are saved, we should build loving and
meaningful relationships with those who do not yet know Christ. Doing so then
opens multiple opportunities of evangelism that could prove far more effective
than if we did not build those relationships. The goal of anything in life is
the glorification of God. The goal of relationships, similarly, is the gospel
message of hope in the glory of Jesus Christ. While we are called to evangelize
constantly, relationships surely help. Our goal in relationships then should be
a continual proclamation of the gospel message in our work of evangelism.
Be Wise about the
Language You Use
If we are not careful, we might
(wrongly) assume that those who are lost understand the language we use as
Christians. Reasonably, the world does not understand much of our biblical and
spiritual language for a multitude of reasons. Often, we speak to each other in
biblical language that we would not ordinarily use in colloquial conversations.
Words such as sanctification, salvation, and eschatology do not register with
the common lost person. We should be careful and wise with the evangelistic
language we use. This is yet another reason building relationships is helpful;
we have time to gauge how we speak to those we witness to if we already have a
relationship with them. Bear in mind also that older evangelistic methods are
often ineffective in modern society, e.g. one should probably not start a
conversation with someone they have never met by asking, “If you were to die
today, do you know where you would spend eternity?” This is likely a bad
conversation starter in any situation, but particularly in evangelism, there
are better conversation starters. God has given us brains and social skills for
his purposes; evangelism is one of those purposes. Let us then be wise with the
language we use in evangelizing.
Something Is
Better than Nothing
In all the thoughts I have presented
here, I realize that something is better than nothing. Many Christians use the very
points I’ve made to make excuses for not sharing Christ. St. Francis of Assisi once
said, “Preach the gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.”[3] We
evangelize not only with words but with our lifestyles. God uses the foolishness
of preaching (1 Cor 1:21) so no matter the method we use, the Holy Spirit continues
to change lives. The way he does not is by the people of God neglecting to evangelize,
i.e. there is no excuse for not participating in evangelism. We will not get evangelism
100% correct, but the Spirit always will. Our part is to trust God and obey him.
We should be wise in how we present the gospel, but we should not neglect to present
it. Think; use common sense; study; pray; and polish your gospel presentation; but
do not neglect to obey the task God has given us of fulfilling your call as an evangelist.
[1] Many would say accept rather than receive. I choose
the word, receive, for theological reasons.
[2] Donald Guthrie, Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary,
vol. 14, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity
Press, 1990), 185.
[3] Jamie Arpin-Ricci, “Preach the Gospel at All Times?,”
Huffington Post (August 31, 2012), accessed
January 1, 2018, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/jamie-arpinricci/preach-the-gospel-at-all-times-st-francis_b_1627781.html.
