Arise - What is Evangelism?

(This is my 2022 submission for "Arise, A Southwest Spiritual Growth Workshop" - hosted by the Southwest church of Christ in Austin, TX)

Perhaps you have thought in the past, “Evangelism is scary! I don’t like that topic, I don’t like when preachers talk about it, and I definitely don’t like when we have a seminar about it and people encourage me to attend.” Some members of the Lord’s church view evangelism as an impossible task. In many places this attitude has prevailed to the point where efforts of evangelism have virtually ceased, with no plan to start any time soon. It is required that men and women of God would evangelize. So, let’s get comfortable with it and better grasp the concept from a biblical perspective.

1) Evangelism is sharing the message of the gospel. Our English word for evangelism comes to us from the Greek language. Three times in the New Testament we find a form of euaggelistes, a noun referring to a preacher or speaker of glad tidings (Act. 21:8; Eph. 4:11; 2 Tim. 4:5). More than fifty times we find a form of euaggelizo, a verb denoting the proclamation or sharing of good news (Act. 8:4; 17:18; 1 Cor. 15:1). In these we can see a tie to the word for gospel, euaggelion, which appears more than seventy times (Rom. 1:16; Eph. 1:13; 2 Thess. 1:8). Evangelism is declaring the good news of Jesus’ identity, accomplishments, and doctrine.

2) Evangelism is concerned with souls above all. The soul is the great equalizer among mankind. Irrespective of culture, education, wealth, or politics, all souls are desired by God and their salvation is more valuable than all the world’s goods (Mk. 8:36-37; 1 Tim. 2:3-4). Jesus displayed His commitment to soul-winning in stating that He came “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Lk. 19:9-10). For this reason, the Savior tasked His followers with proclaiming His teaching to all creation (Mk. 16:15-16). Christians must faithfully carry that message, facilitating the process of conversion and obedience to the gospel, winning them to Christ (Act. 3:19; 8:12). When we adopt a soul-focused approach, it changes the way we look at everything (Jn. 4:34-35; Jude 22-23). We will see everyone we meet as a prospective candidate for Bible study and every situation of life will be made to serve our desire to share the message of the gospel!

3) Evangelism is the Lord’s will for church growth. In the early chapters of the book of Acts, several encounters are recorded in which God speaks to the lost. However, His communication to these souls is not to directly teach them what they must do to be saved but rather to unite them with a prepared presenter of His word! Concerning the eunuch, the Spirit told Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot” (Act. 8:29). Before he had met Ananias, Christ told Saul, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do” (Act. 9:6). An angel of God instructed Cornelius, “Send for Simon whose surname is Peter… He will tell you what you must do” (Act. 10:5-6). It is not the Lord’s will that He share the message of the gospel with the lost—that’s for us to do!

4) Evangelism is for ALL members of the Lord’s church. When Jesus charged the eleven with making disciples and baptizing, His instruction included “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” (Mt. 28:16-20). Continuing Christian education must contain the responsibility of sharing the message of the gospel (2 Tim. 2:2). As with any skill or discipline, we will mature and develop when we continually give ourselves to exercise and training (Heb. 5:12-14). To put it another way, if you want to be an expert at evangelizing, then you must first be willing to be a novice. The one true faith, the word of reconciliation, has been placed into the hands of the saints (2 Cor. 5:18-20; 2 Pet. 1:3; Jude 3). And all of the saints must prioritize sharing it as well as growing in our ability to share it effectively.

 

Study Questions and Application

1. Some congregations don’t evangelize and seem to alleviate their guilt by focusing more on benevolence and edification. Is this a biblical strategy? Why or why not?

2. Suppose you hear a member of the Lord’s church say, “There’s no one to evangelize to!” How would you respond to their statement? What scriptures would agree with your reply? Provide some places/situations where evangelism contacts could be found.

3. Suppose that a Christian says they are too young to evangelize and will get around to sharing the message of the gospel later in their life. Is this decision pleasing to God? Why or why not? How might you encourage this Christian?

4. Suppose that a Christian says evangelism doesn’t work anymore. How should “success” be defined and measured in a congregation’s evangelism plan? Are there different ways to fulfill the command to evangelize? How might you encourage this Christian?

5. Read 1 Corinthians 3:5-6. What would be included in the Christian’s work of planting and watering? How might someone “prepare the soil” to receive planting and watering?

6. Read Proverbs 11:30. How should fruit be understood in this context? Why would a soul-winner be considered wise? List out as many reasons as you can.

7. Read Ezekiel 33:7-9 and 1 Timothy 4:16. What does being a watchman entail? In what way would Timothy save himself? How would these passages relate to the “I can’t evangelize” attitude of some Christians today?