Thank you for visiting. We trust that you have enjoyed reading our articles.
Evangelism Begins With Discernment
“Calling the Twelve to Him, He began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits” (Mark 6:7 NIV)
Evangelism is typically defined as the spreading of the Christian gospel by public preaching or personal witness. Many Christians are uncomfortable with active engagement in evangelism because they do not consider themselves a preacher and are too timid to engage in personal witness. The gift of evangelism is directly from Christ: “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors, and teachers.” (Ephesians 4:11).
You may not be called to pastoral ministry but by your baptism and profession of faith you are called to ministry. It is important to acknowledge we are all uniquely called to spread the Good
News. According to Romans 12:6-8, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.”
Below are five steps to help discern if evangelism is right for you.
Start with prayer: Prayer is essential to discern God’s will for us. It is essential that we follow His will and not try to have Him follow our will. God demonstrated in Exodus 13:21 that He wants us to follow him. “By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light so that they could travel by day or night.”
Talk with your pastor and friends. In addition to prayer, God will speak to us through our friends and our pastor. Talk and pray with them and ask for their assistance in determining what your spiritual gifts are.
The best evangelism doesn’t involve words. St. Francis of Assisi is known to have said, “Speak the gospel wherever you go and use words when necessary.” The best method to extend the reach of the church is by sharing Christ’s love through missions and Christian action; be the hands and feet of Christ to the unchurched.
The Great Commission. One of the greatest blessings we have as Christians is The Great Commission. We have all been called to the priesthood of all believers and to make disciples of all nations. Matthew 28:16-20 teaches, “Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Be the light of Christ: There is plenty of darkness in the world. As Christians, we should all strive to be the light of Christ and bring His light into the darkness. John 1:5 tells us “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Be the light. Be blessed.
Prayer: Dear God, Thank you for the blessing of evangelism. Please give us the courage and discernment to live out the Great Commission.
Meet the Author
Todd Shupe is a Men’s Ministry Specialist through the General Commission of United Methodist Men and is in training to be a Certified Lay Minister through the Louisiana Conference of the United Methodist Church. He currently serves as the President of the Baton Rouge District of United Methodist Men and is a Board Member for Gulf South Men and serves on the Action Team for The Kingdom Group. He is a volunteer for the Walk to Emmaus, Grace Camp, and Iron Sharpens Iron. Todd resides in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
We welcome your comments below.
Liked this post?
Read more below or search for more topics...
-
Different Roads but the Same Destination
Different Roads but the Same Destination “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us? ” (Luke 24:32 NKJV).“As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’” (Acts 9:3-4 NIV).Each of us has our own personal story of how we came to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. For some, the journey to Christ is sudden and dramatic as what happened to Saul, later... -
Dealing With Toxic People
Dealing With Toxic People "Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character" (1 Corinthians 15:33 NIV). Many years ago as a college student I took a biology class, and we spent some time learning about toxicology. I remember learning about the toxic threshold, which is the exposure level or dose of an agent above which toxicity or adverse health effects can occur. I recently listened to a radio show about “toxic” people on a local Christian station. Clearly, exposure to these people is not lethal, but it is very problematic. All of us can be toxic to others at times, and Christians are not... -
Knowledge
Knowledge “My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands. Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the LORD, and you will gain knowledge of God. For the LORD grants wisdom! From His mouth come knowledge and understanding" (Proverbs 2:1-6 NLT). I think society tends to confuse knowledge with education. However, a person can have extensive education and college degrees and not necessarily be very knowledgeable. Perhaps they...