Evangelism - Expectations and Excuses

I have been reading on the issue of evangelism. It is an area in which I want to grow and to become more effective within the design of God. You may have the same desire for yourself.

As I consider the balance which we must pursue in our understanding and practice of evangelism, I’ve identified certain statements (or thought processes) which tend toward imbalance. Here are three (comment below with other aspects that you think create an imbalanced perspective of evangelism):

“The Main Thing”

I’ve seen evangelism presented as “the main thing.” The old adage is “keep the main thing the main thing.” However, this seems to elevate evangelism above every other function of the church and highlight it as the primary purpose of the believer’s existence. What about the “teaching them all things whatsoever I have commanded you”? What about Christians working together to serve and meeting together to worship? Are these less important?

When evangelism becomes primary, it seems that doctrinal clarity suffers. If evangelism is the main thing, then it will require the main part of our focus and resources. (But again, what kind of focus and resources are allotted to discipleship and simply caring for the needs of the body?) A pastor may feel that the Sunday morning message needs to be an evangelistic message every Sunday. He may be more concerned about the “outreach” of his ministry than the depth and practicality of his messages in growing and guiding the sheep of his flock. Missionaries are put under undue pressure to produce numbers of conversions, but what care is demonstrated by supporting churches about the spiritual growth of that foreign church and the missionary’s ability to equip those people to reach and teach the next generation?

I’m afraid such a focus, though well-intentioned, may be a little off center.

“Thousands upon Thousands”

Is the expectation that we should see thousands upon thousands saved a biblical expectation? Well, in part, it may depend on where you live, but I admit here that I am usually skeptical when I hear reports of these numbers, even more so when the context is the United States. I don’t have as much difficulty believing that the underground church in China is thriving as I do in realistically expecting “thousands upon thousands” to be converted in some geographical portion of the United States. The hope of the gospel is more apparent under tyranny, but first-world comforts tend to make men arrogant. Humans – at least some of them – will not repent until they have exhausted their arsenal of solutions, and unfortunately, many will remain unrepentant even then.

I read a book recently that said something like this, “Could you imagine if thousands upon thousands of people in your community were saved?” I had to chuckle internally and answer “No” because my town has roughly 550 people. My entire county, comprised of over 500 square miles, boasts a population under 7,000. In contrast, New York City proper is just over 300 square miles, but they boast a population of nearly 8.5 million. It seems more realistic to have an expectation of “thousands upon thousands” being saved when that is but a fraction of the population of a given area.

Call it cynicism, though I would hope that it savors more of Biblical realism, but we must remember that mankind aren’t sinners because of ignorance but because of innate willfulness. It is true that millions have never heard the gospel, but innately they have chosen since childhood to go their own way. If they were merely ignorant, then enlightening their awareness would equate to conversion. But if their lost condition also reflects a self-oriented thought process and requires repentance and a confession of wrong, then it would be realistic to expect that many would continue to choose their own way above God’s way. Jesus said, “…strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” (Matthew 7:14, emphasis mine) This should not discourage our obedience, but it should temper our expectations and our perspective of “success” in evangelism.

In the first two statements above, it appears that I am diminishing the value of evangelism or attempting to depress any expectations at all. This is not the case. On the contrary, the gospel is not at risk of being overshared. Sadly, many Christians are too apathetic, fearful, immature, or ignorant to pursue growth in this area. Let’s consider a single excuse (and there are many more, I’m sure!) that we might hear as people attempt to minimize their responsibility to share the gospel at home or abroad.

“The Gift of Evangelism”

I can’t say that I’ve heard someone claim that they didn’t have “the gift of evangelism,” but so many of us certainly tend to act like that is a valid excuse. Evangelism is not a gift; it is a work – a work which God expects us to do. Paul told Timothy to “do the work of an evangelist.” An evangelist does evangelism, but so should others. The giftedness of the evangelist can serve as a model for the rest of us, but we should still be pursuing God’s design for us all to be salt and light. One of the most striking verses related to evangelism by ordinary (“non-leadership”) Christians is Acts 8:4, “Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.” The previous verses tell of the recent martyrdom and burial of Stephen as well as the great persecution against the church! Consider the scene: families displaced because of this persecution and imprisoning of believers, gathering their belongings and traveling to some other region, hoping to find a place to live and a way to support their families. When they left, did they moan and complain to their new neighbors about how awful their circumstances were? That’s not what the text says. It looks like they took the opportunity to proclaim the word (which would certainly include the gospel proper). What a testimony!

May we be motivated to share the truth with those around us, despite our sense of inadequacy. It will be helpful to have proper expectations in our witnessing as well as a willingness to invest ourselves in all of the responsibilities that we have as redeemed people.