If you want to evangelize, you may face with some obstacle. What is that? And do you have experience of overcoming the obstacle?
Fear. But, fear of what?
Some think their English is not good enough or someone might say, “I don’t know enough about Christianity or about the Bible, or even about my church. What should I do if people ask me questions?”
I have a friend works in a gas station and doesn’t know English, but he puts in front of him Arabic translation and English translation of the Bible. Then locates the verse in English and shows it to people who come to the store, and ask them to read it to him. Reading one verse takes seconds, but its impact lasts much longer in life. Using this way, he attracted many people to start reading the Bible and get back to God without knowing English.
If you don’t know enough about Christianity or the church or the Bible, then it is time to start learning. We have wealth of information on books, Internet, and magazines. Prepare yourself for evangelism.
If you tell me I am a sinner. How about repentance first, then later join evangelism service.
If you’re just afraid of evangelism work, let me suggest reading the following book written by Floyd Schneider, “Evangelism for the Fainthearted.” This book is not written by an Orthodox writer, so you need to take it with a grain of salt.
If you don’t know what to say, then read “What Do You Say When?,” a book written by Nellie Pickard. I don’t suggest that you do exactly as she does, but this book would give you ideas on how to deal with excuses people usually give to themselves and to others to avoid facing God.
The main reasons Christians do not evangelize are:
Christians have no sense of urgency to reach lost people.
Many Christians and church members do not befriend and spend time with lost persons.
Many Christians and church members are lazy and apathetic.
We are more known for what we are against than what we are for.
Our churches have an ineffective evangelistic strategy of “you come” rather than “we go.”
Many church members think that evangelism is the role of the pastor and paid staff.
Church membership today is more about getting my needs met rather than reaching the lost.
Church members are in a retreat mode as culture becomes more worldly and unbiblical.
Many church members don’t really believe that Christ is the only way of salvation.
Our churches are no longer houses of prayer equipped to reach the lost.
Churches have lost their focus on making disciples who will thus be equipped and motivated to reach the lost.
Christians do not want to share the truth of the gospel for fear they will offend others. Political correctness is too commonplace even among Christians.
Most churches have unregenerate members who have not received Christ themselves.
Our churches have too many activities; they are too busy to do the things that really matter.
Fear of failure
We are afraid that the person does not come to know Jesus even after we have tried. We do not want to feel like we are a failure. If we feel this way, we have not understood our responsibility in evangelism. We are not called to convert someone to a Christian. That is the work of the Holy Spirit.
(1 Cor 12:3 NIV) Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
Our responsibility in evangelism is simply to share the good news of Jesus. We are simply called to be witnesses of God.
(Acts 1:8 NIV) But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
Therefore if we have told someone about Jesus and he refuses to believe, there is no failure on our part. There is failure, however, when we fail to be His witnesses, as we have been commanded to do.
Lack of passion
Why would anyone take the time to evangelize and risk ridicule and rejection unless he has passion for the lost? A person can do so out of pure obedience to God but after a while that obedience will become more and more difficult. In order to sustain a lifetime of evangelism, there must be passion.
“Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care.”
If we don’t have passion and love for the lost, our unsaved friends will know it and they will not be touched to respond to the gospel.
When Jesus saw the lost, He was filled with so much passion for them that He wept. Let’s ask God to give us this passion for the lost.
(Luke 19:41-44 NIV) As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it {42} and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace–but now it is hidden from your eyes. {43} The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. {44} They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”
No religious activity or any types of spreading gospel is allowed on campus now in China. That’s the biggest challenge we face now.