Why Evangelism Is Easier Than We Think
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What’s up, guys? Welcome back to The Ordinary Evangelist Podcast. In our last episode, we talked about why evangelism is so hard for us. Today we’re going to talk about why evangelism is actually easier than we think.
1. We Have the Unstoppable Gospel
Evangelism exists to extend the rule and reign of Christ throughout the entire cosmos. It exists because God designed men and women to bring him glory. God is passionate about his glory, and he has guaranteed that he will rescue sinners to delight in his goodness and grace. He has chosen to redeem a people through the gospel, the victorious message that Christ died for sinners.
Scripture shows us that the gospel is more than a message about what God has done or promised to do. The gospel is “the power of God for salvation” (Romans 1:16). It is a dynamic, unstoppable force that goes out to accomplish God’s will. We are proof that the gospel is powerful to save. It’s why we’re here.
Colossians 1:6 says, “All over the world [the gospel] is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth.”
Confidence in the Gospel
Understanding the gospel and having confidence in it is key to our success in evangelism. We need to recover our confidence in the unstoppable gospel that still changes lives. Our confidence in sharing the gospel can’t rest on the latest evangelistic technique or the perfect apologetic response. It rests on the power of the gospel.
The gospel is breaking out. It’s bearing fruit and growing. It’s moving forward. And we have the amazing privilege of joining God in his unstoppable plan.
Confidence in God’s Sovereignty
Along with confidence in the gospel, we need confidence in God’s sovereignty in salvation. God does the heavy lifting. It isn’t up to us to do this on our own. God is the key in evangelism, and that’s good news.
We don’t have to put undue pressure on ourselves or think it’s all up to us. It’s not. It’s up to God to bring the lost sheep into the fold. As 1 Corinthians 3 says, we plant and water, but God gives the growth. God guarantees success because he is sovereign in salvation.
2. We Have the Calling
In the last words recorded in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus said:
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18–20)
God has given us authority to make disciples. We have officially been given the mission of proclaiming the gospel to the lost, even if we aren’t wise or strong or bold. Jesus promises to be with us in this mission. The Lord never sends us anywhere without going with us. Beyond his presence, he provides inexhaustible grace that fully empowers and equips us for this calling.
A Command Worth Obeying
We are all commanded to reach out to the lost with the gospel. If we don’t, if we don’t tell people about Christ, we neglect the command of the King who has commissioned us as his messengers.
And this is a good command to obey. Seeing someone come to know the forgiveness of all their sins in Christ will bring us more joy than anything in this world. Are you lacking Christian joy? Try reaching out to someone with the gospel.
Our Role in God’s Plan
Some people wrongly think that God’s sovereignty in evangelism means we have no role to play. We do have a role, and it’s a very important one. When God saved you, he added you to the community of his people, the church. His desire has always been to redeem and increase that community.
Jesus overflows with love and blessing, and he wants to share it with all who are broken and lost. He wants to use you to do it so that his family will grow. What a privilege to join God in building his church and extending his love and blessing to the lost and broken. That’s why we aren’t saved and then told to sit around and wait for heaven. We have a mission to bring the light of the gospel into dark places.
Facing Our Fear
I know you probably feel weak and scared when it comes to this mission, and you’re probably tempted to think God can’t use someone like you. I’m scared too. In 35 years as a Christian, I’ve been scared every time I’ve reached out to someone.
But evangelism isn’t about erasing our fear. That will never happen. It’s about overcoming our fear by being filled with the Spirit and reaching out anyway. It’s looking at that pain line and saying, “It’s worth it.” And remember, it isn’t our job to save anyone. We simply share the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit and leave the results to God.
This is what we are all called to do. More than called, we are commanded. We see this throughout the New Testament: Mark 1, Luke 15, John 20, Acts 8, Romans 1, Colossians 4, 1 Thessalonians 1, 2 Timothy 4, James 5, 1 Peter 2, and others.
It isn’t a matter of ability or effectiveness. The fact that some people are more effective than others doesn’t mean you’re excused. We may not feel effective at rescuing someone who is drowning, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. However weak you feel in evangelism, you are not disqualified.
3. We Have the Power of the Holy Spirit
Thankfully, God doesn’t expect us to muster up our own strength and courage to proclaim the gospel. He promises to give us power for the work he has commanded through the Holy Spirit, who is the very presence and power of the risen Christ at work in us.
Acts 1:8 says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” This is a promise, not just a command.
God doesn’t always promise to remove opposition and persecution. The answer to our fears isn’t to eliminate opposition, make the message more palatable, or remove every sense of discomfort. The answer, and the promise, is power to overcome those fears and proclaim the message anyway. That power comes through the filling of the Holy Spirit.
Being filled with the Spirit isn’t only for personal blessing. It gives us boldness to overcome our fears and be witnesses for Christ.
4. We Have the Tools
God wants to use the way he made us, including our strengths and interests, to share his good news. He has given us everything we need to obey him.
I’m not saying some people aren’t more effective than others. I’m saying that all of us, not just some, are gifted and called to reach the lost. Christians don’t need to be uniquely gifted to evangelize. We need to use the gifts we already have and learn to leverage them to reach the lost.
Be Yourself
God can use you. Yes, even you. He wants to use you with all your strengths, weaknesses, and personality. The key is to be yourself. That’s liberating, because you don’t need to be someone you’re not, and evangelism won’t look the same for everyone.
God loves diversity in the people he makes. He gives people different gifts and abilities, strengths and weaknesses. He gives those gifts not only to build up the church but also to reach non-Christians.
Your Interests Matter Too
It isn’t just your gifts. God can even use your interests to reach those who don’t know Christ.
What gifts, talents, and interests do you have? How might God use them in evangelism?
So What Are We Waiting For?
We have the unstoppable gospel. We have the calling. We have the power of the Holy Spirit. And we have the tools we need.
So what are we waiting for? Let’s join God in the unstoppable spread of the gospel.
Jim Donohue has over 30 years of experience helping ordinary Christians learn how to share the gospel with confidence. He’s a pastor at Covenant Fellowship Church in Glen Mills, PA and the Director of Evangelism for Sovereign Grace Churches. His Proclaim course helps ordinary Christians get equipped to share their faith, and his Bridge Course invites skeptics and non-Christians to explore the Christian faith.