A helpful article by Mark Dever, taken from ‘The Gospel and Personal Evangelism’ (Crossway 2007).
Many “ordinary” Christians feel scared or ill-equipped in evangelism, and often the “professional” clergy folk give the impression – intentionally or unintentionally – that they’re the only ones who can do it. Should we leave evangelism up to the extroverts and the professionals?
No – it’s for all Christians! What Scripture says on the subject:
(i) The Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20) is for all Christians. John Stott: “[This] commission . . . is binding upon every member of the whole Church. . . . Every Christian is called to be a witness to Christ in the particular environment in which God has placed him. Further, although the public ministry of the Word is a high office, private witness or personal evangelism has a value which in some respects surpasses even that of preaching, since the message can then be adapted more personally.”
(ii) The New Testament gives many examples of ordinary Christians evangelising. In Acts, the Great Commission was obeyed by many ordinary Christians. In chapter 2, all the Christians present at Pentecost had God’s Spirit poured on them – preparation for the work of prophetically giving out God’s Word. This was done by ordinary Christians in 8:1-4 and 11:19-21. Elsewhere, the letter writers encourage their readers to continue in their evangelism (eg, 1 Peter 3:15-16).
(iii) Christ was our example. He came to seek and save what was lost (Luke 19:10), and we ought to seek sinners also, inviting them to come to him.
(iv) It is loving to do so. Jesus says the second most important commandment is to “Love your neighbour as yourself” (Mark 12:31); if you desire to love God with perfect affection, you will desire that for your neighbour too.
How should we evangelise? By living and speaking for Jesus. Live a life that commends the gospel, speak of Jesus and his good news. “Hold out the word of life” (Philippians 2:16) in our lives and our words.
The love shown in a community of believers is integral to their witness to the world (John 13:34-35, Eph 3:10); the life of the local congregation makes the audible gospel visible. John Stott:
The invisibility of God is a great problem. It was already a problem to God’s people in Old Testament days. Their pagan neighbors would taunt them, saying, “Where is now your God?” Their gods were visible and tangible, but Israel’s God was neither. Today in our scientific culture young peopleare taught not to believe in anything which is not open to empirical investigation. How then has God solved the problem of his own invisibility? The first answer is of course “in Christ.” Jesus Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. John 1:18: “No one has ever seen God, but God the only Son has made him known.” “That’s wonderful,” people say, “but it was 2,000 years ago. Is there no way by which the invisible God makes himself visible today?” There is. We return to 1 John 4:12: “No one has ever seen God.” It is precisely the same introductory statement. But instead of continuing with reference to the Son of God, it continues: “If we love one another, God dwells in us.” In other words, the invisible God, who once made himself visible in Christ, now makes himself visible in Christians, if we love one another. It is a breathtaking claim. The local church cannot evangelize, proclaiming the gospel of love, if it is not itself a community of love.
So, we evangelise by building up the local church – by organising, leading, teaching and equipping, providing hospitality and encouragement, praying, serving, showing mercy, giving. But we must also speak of the good news both inside and outside the church. These are the responsibilities of all Christians, whether “professional” or not.
