Devotional: What is Evangelism?

Written by Claire Tippett

In Josiah Queen’s song “Garden in Manhattan” he says “If I'm the closest thing to a Bible that they read, let the words they read be what You wrote”. I think this is a great example of what evangelism should look like in our day to day lives. Evangelism in its simplest terms means proclaiming gospel - the good news - of who we are, who Jesus is, and what he has done for us. Why do we do this? Because it’s what Jesus commanded his disciples - and everyone who follows him - to do in Matthew 28:19-20:

“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.”

This is called the great commission and here we get the basis for evangelism. It sounds great in theory, but when we think about applying this to our everyday lives, it can feel daunting.

However, evangelism isn’t always going on missions to the other side of the world or making life changing speeches to huge crowds. There are hundreds of opportunities for evangelism in our daily lives. Here are 4 easy things you can do to evangelise to your friends everyday.

Don’t edit your life.

This is a really easy way to open up a space for conversation. Here’s what I mean by this: Often when we’re in conversations with non-Christian friends we subconsciously edit our lives. We avoid mentioning that we’re Christian because we’re afraid of their reaction. When I say don’t edit your lives, I mean don’t edit what you share about yourself to other people. A really simple example of this would be if a friend asks you what you did on the weekend, don’t just say oh, I went shopping and slept. Say, I went to church. When you do that, you open up the opportunity for conversation especially if the friend already has questions about faith.

Live out your faith.

John 13:35 says “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another”. You’ve probably heard this a million times, so I won’t repeat everything. But let me give you two really practical things to do so that you may be known for your love. Firstly show love for each other with hospitality. Welcome outsiders, start a conversation with someone who seems out of place. Secondly, serve others. Always be willing to serve, to do simple things to help others.

Be prepared

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” 1 Peter 5:13. This verse explains everything that needs to be said. If someone asks you why you’re a Christian or why you believe in God, have an answer ready. Reflecting on why you’re a Christian is also a great way to examine yourself and strengthen your own faith.

Pray

Finally, pray for your friends, and I mean this. You can talk all you want about your faith but if God doesn’t open their heart to you, all your work is useless. We don’t change hearts, God does, and sometimes we get the privilege of being his voice. So pray for your friends, pray for opportunities, pray for the right words, and pray for God to work through you to reach out to others.

I hope these 4 simple things help you to start evangelizing and spreading the gospel to your friends. I challenge you this week to apply one of these things to your life. Remember, you’re not alone. God is with you always to the end of the age.