You want to know the scariest word, second only to casserole?
Evangelism.
That’s right. Evangelism is terrifying. It is the one of the few things that EVERY believer is called to do and it’s the think I think I am the worst at. So, let’s talk about it.
Everyone has a different definition of evangelism. I like the way Bruce Finn talks about Evangelism:
“Well, evangelism, simply put, is telling the good news, that's what the word evangelism means, to simply share with another person good news. And it could mean any good news, but in the biblical sense, the word evangelism refers to the good news about Jesus. So evangelism, when I think about evangelism, I don't necessarily think of a method, or a program, or some area of the church's ministry, I think simply of an individual follower of Jesus telling their story in such a way that they're telling Jesus story too, the good news of Jesus.
“So every believer is called to be an evangelist, in a sense, in a personal one-on-one context with neighbors and friends and coworkers, and that they're doing evangelism when they simply become available in the course of conversations as the Holy Spirit prompts and gives opportunity to talk about the good news of Jesus, that Jesus Christ is the son of God, who was sent by the father to live a perfect life in our place, to die on a cross for our sins, and by his resurrection, give us eternal life, the forgiveness of sins, and the power to change. So that's evangelism to me.”[1]
Evangelism is the simple act of sharing. But that’s when it starts to get tricky for me, because if you ask my little brother, I don’t like to share my things. I like to keep my story to myself. Quite frankly, the concept of starting a conversation with a stranger, or even an acquaintance, terrifies me. And it’s because I’m an introvert who struggles with anxiety. I’ve learned to overcome it in a lot of different ways, but it makes some tasks more difficult than others.
In recognizing that the way people grow deeper in their relationships with God is to actually talk about God (who knew!), I realized that I needed to have a better understanding of evangelism and what it meant to me, so that we could grow together. Then I came across this book by Mark Mittelberg and things started to make sense.
Everyone is called to be an evangelist. But everyone is called to be an evangelist in their way. Not everyone is comfortable going door-to-door or standing on street corners talking about Jesus. Not everyone is comfortable standing at a sink, washing dishes as a sign of love. Mark helped me understand that there are many ways to do evangelism, and we each have to find the one that is right for us.
So, through the “Contagious Faith” bible study, I am hoping that we can each learn a little bit more about ourselves and our own God-given gifts and graces that allow us to talk about Jesus in a unique way. I encourage you to sign up if you can or grab the book from AmazonSmile and read it on your own. This book has made such a huge difference for me! I believe it will do the same for you.
Check out this “trailer” for the book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVnjVtKW1Uk
Comment your thoughts below!
Blessings friends,
Pastor Nicole
[1] https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-terms/what-is-evangelism.html