The New Testament compels God’s people to bring the gospel into the world; Jesus gave his disciples the permanent order to go and make disciples (Mt 28:19), He told them that they would become fishermen of men (Mt 4:17). Churches in Asia Minor should be prepared when people ask about their hope (1 P. 3. 15).
But it looks like something went wrong. Many Christians do not live as fishermen of men. Few people ask us about the hope we have in Christ, and when we do, we are not ready to give an answer. Evangelical churches talk a lot about evangelism, but research shows that most churches members often do not share their faith.
- I would like to suggest five reasons why churches and church members do not share the gospel in the normal course of life.
- Other articles suggest ways to remedy this situation.
- But for now.
- Let’s take a look at diagnosing the problem.
1. Churches isolate Christians from the disbelievers
First, the churches isolate Christians from the unbelievers; in other words, many Christians do not know the unbelievers; although our daily lives put us in regular contact with many people who do not know Jesus, it is easy to live life without having a close relationship with anyone. of them.
Churches allow this isolation in some respects. Many churches organize a series of programs during the week and then determine whether a church member is gifted to be present in such programs. As a result, the calendars of many Christians are full of church activities and there is little time to invite neighbors and colleagues to their homes.
In addition, some congregations cultivate hostility to the world. As our culture becomes increasingly explicitly hostile to Christianity and biblical morality, it is easy to allow a defensive mindset to be established. When this happens, the outside world becomes a scarecrow and God’s way. The people remain holy is to stay away from them. Christians therefore live lives parallel to those of the world, with their own schools, businesses, sports leagues and exploration programs, but very little chance of forging relationships with the unbelievers.
2. We believe that evangelism is extraordinary
A second reason that Christians do not evangelize is that they believe this is something extraordinary, we suspect that evangelism is only for those who have the gift of evangelism, or for pastors and other professional Christians, so they just don’t feel capable of From time to time, members of my congregation bring friends or family to me so that I can tell them about Jesus, and I must challenge them to take courage and do it themselves! After all, in Acts 8. 1-4 they are not the apostles, but the Christians, who carry the message of Jesus outside of Jerusalem and to the rest of the world.
Churches don’t talk about the cost of following Jesus
Third, our churches do not speak of the cost of following Jesus; however, evangelization can be costly. There is really no way to tell people that you believe that God took human flesh, was born of a virgin, and then, after dying on a cross, resurrected and ascended to heaven, without even risking losing your favor. But I’m fine. The Apostle Paul says that God intentionally saves us in a way that will seem crazy (1 Cor 1:18-29). Our message will not be well received by those who perish, but it will be like a bad smell in their noses (2 Cor 2:14-16).
As I correctly understand Paul, it is actually part of God’s plan that you suffer a little while sharing the gospel. If you disagree, read the Book of Acts and watch each time a person shares the gospel and something bad happens to him.
But many churches never confront their members with the reality that following Christ will cost them anything. We teach them that God is only interested in them and their sense of well-being. So when it comes to paying the price and sharing the gospel, many of us are simply not willing to lose our reputation.
4. We look for immediate results
Fourth, we’re looking for immediate results. Of course, it is easy to be discouraged about our evangelization, perhaps we read a book or listen to a sermon and go out to share our faith, only to become more discouraged when nothing visibly happens, I believe that many Christians have simply abandoned evangelization because they have made an effort and have seen no results.
But we simply cannot judge what God is doing in every specific situation. In God’s plan, we may be the first person in a long line of people to evangelize someone before coming unto Christ. I can think of many, examples of evangelistic conversations and efforts that seemed like a waste of time. Much later, I discovered that this person had come unto Christ.
The gospel is God’s power for salvation (Romans 1:16), and the word of God is alive and powerful (Hebrews 4:12-13). We must cultivate the confidence that the Lord, who is growing, will complete his redemption and save souls. Often you won’t do it according to our schedule and you may not choose the people we’d choose, but you’ll use us if we’re faithful.
5. We are not clear about the message
One last reason we do not evangelize is that we are not clear about the message. When someone asks to join our church, one of the things I ask is to briefly summarize the gospel message (in about 60 seconds). Surprised how many Christians are struggling to do that. Don’t you believe in the gospel? Many of them know their Bible very well. And while they may be nervous or surprised by the subject, it’s still a worrying trend. There’s no way to share the gospel if you’re not ready to share it.