Evangelism is Not a Natural Activity
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Alex Crain What topic related to Christianity, faith, and the Bible is trending online and in social media today? - Updated Jul 15, 2014
Many Christians can identify with the statement: “Evangelism is not a natural activity,” as Ed Stetzer wrote today on his blog, The Exchange. But many times, we shrink back from witnessing because we think of it in terms of confrontation rather than conversation. Perhaps the primary model of evangelism in our minds is street preaching (click for VIDEO). Most have beheld the scene where a bold young man stands shouting into the open air, often arguing with a heckler as he tries to explain the gospel to a small circle of people. We pass by thinking: “Oh, I could never do that.” So, we go away with the mistaken idea that we cannot evangelize since we’re just “not gifted that way.”
“Many believers would like to be bold about witnessing for Christ,” writes Stetzer, “But there is often a disconnect between aspiration and action. Many Christians are aspirational witnessers—always feeling good about wanting to share Christ. [But] sometimes people need tools or resources that help them to be more evangelistically engaged.”
Of course, the proper motivation to evangelize begins with our own hearts, as one blog commenter noted aptly:
“Could one problem be that we aren't walking as closely with the Lord as He wants and we don't see Him at work on a daily basis in our lives? If we did, we would be so blessed and excited about Christ that we couldn't keep quiet. We don't have to be invasive or intrusive about sharing the gospel... we just have to be walking in step with Jesus and He will do the rest!”
Your turn. Maybe you have a heart for God but can still often find yourself (as I do) to be an “aspirational witnesser." Check out Stetzer’s list of evangelistic tools and see which one fits you:
1. My Hope Campaign.
3. The Story
4. I am Second
8. The God Test
What tools would you add to the list? Which of these do you think would be the most helpful to you in sharing the gospel?
Alex Crain is the editor for Christianity.com
