Evangelism is something that used to really scare me. But as I’ve become more spiritually mature and to be honest, a lot more confident in what I believe and why, I’ve learned not to see evangelism as anything out of the ordinary. As Christians walking the earth on a daily basis, we all have the tools to evangelise. Just because we’re not all “called” into the office of an Evangelist (Ephesians 4:11-13), does not mean we can’t still spread the gospel (the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
Let’s identify what exactly is evangelism. “In Christianity, evangelism is the commitment to or act of publicly preaching of the Gospel with the intention of spreading the message and teachings of Jesus Christ.” Hence, as long as the platform is “public” in some form, evangelism doesn’t have to be limited to the way in which it has been traditionally/stereotypically viewed i.e. abruptly approaching “strangers” in the street and talking to them about Jesus. Now don’t get me wrong, I truly believe that there is a place for that type of evangelism, and if done well, it has the power to change lives (which is ultimately The Great Commission of Matthew 28:16-20). There are so many benefits to overtly preaching on the streets, or on public transport, or handing out flyers whilst inviting people to your church. But what about the rest of us who perhaps aren’t Evangelists by calling, but still want to fulfill our roles as Christ’s Ambassadors in sharing the gospel?
Let your social media presence speak for itself
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I’m not going to labour this point too hard for two reasons. Firstly, I’ve got an upcoming blog post dedicated to explaining how we can use our social media to glorify God more. Secondly, I’ve already written about it extensively in Christians and Social Media and more recently in The Truth About Being A Christian Lifestyle Blogger.
So all I will say now is just to reaffirm what I’ve said before… I encourage you to conduct a quick social media audit. When was the last time you shared the Word instead of a random, (probably not very edifying either) song lyric? Have you ever just shared what God has done for you with your followers, for no reason other than to spread His goodness?
“As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.” – Proverbs 27:19
Make a physical statement: Wear the gospel
Our choice of clothes and accessories can act as a stepping stone to evangelism. Physical statements can help us to start a conversation due to the natural curiosity of others. And from personal experience, whenever I’m wearing my Grateful apparel top for example, and I’m complimented/asked where I got it from, I always make sure to mention that I bought it from a Christian apparel brand whose sole purpose is to fulfill the Great Commission.
The story behind the founder of Grateful Apparel is a great one to tell because it perfectly demonstrates God’s ability to bring us out of the darkness (living a life of misery and sin) and into the light (finding our purpose on this earth and genuine everlasting happiness in Him). If you’ve got a spare two minutes you can check out the full story of the brand here.
Other Christian apparel and jewellery brands I recommend include FaithXThreads, What We Wear To Church (WWW2C) and FairBloom Jewellery.
FaithXThreads was born from a conversation on the train between two sisters that started like this: “I was thinking, bold graphic shirts that have scriptures on them, that babies can wear, adults can wear and pretty much everyone can rep.”
WWW2C‘s mission is more than fashion. They are not here to show us what we should wear to church… rather, they are here to show that it’s not about how you dress your body, but how you dress your heart that matters.
FairBloom Jewellery represents the vision of all women knowing their true beauty and worth in God. We are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). Each piece in the “Truth” Collection is inspired by Bible verses.
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body. – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Stop assimilating and start living your truth
There’s a temptation to assimilate when you get into certain spaces and you feel like you’re the minority, especially in the workplace. I’ve only had 2 real “jobs” in my life but I’ve already experienced multiple instances where the question of assimilation versus honesty crops up. For example, one way to seize the opportunity to evangelise is to not shy away from answering questions honestly such as, “so how was your weekend?”. I’m probably asked this question every single Monday morning, who else can relate? If you did go, say you went to church!! Don’t just meet a question like this with a shallow response about vague things you did at the weekend. This is a perfect opportunity to even share what the sermon was on, or even invite someone to your church.
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Another prime example: You’re out with your work colleagues to celebrate a birthday and you are noticeably sober or not drinking copious amounts of alcohol like everyone else. You are asked, “why don’t you get drunk?”. This is your chance to say the real reason, whatever that might be for you. For example, you could start by saying that drunkenness is sinful according to the Word of God (Proverbs 20:1; 23:20; 29–32; Isaiah 5:22; Ephesians 5:18; Romans 13:13). More often than not, there will be follow-up questions, and that’s great because it gives you the opportunity to share a new perspective on intoxication that whoever you’re speaking to might never have even considered. Bingo – the good seed has been planted!
In essence, I am charging us as Christians with the responsibility of showing the real us and not giving so many politically correct answers to avoid our Christianity leaking out.
Ask: “Can I pray for you?”
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I’m the type of person that people tend to come to for advice, even when I don’t put myself in that position. So if you’re like me, and you often find yourself being on the receiving end of listening to people’s problems, don’t let this opportunity go to waste. Instead of giving surface-level advice from our very limited “wisdom”, we should be asking to pray for people.
Your friend has lost their job? Ask to pray for them. Your friend just broke up with their boyfriend/girlfriend? Ask to pray for them. Your friend was in a car accident? Ask to pray for them. Your friend has depression? Ask to pray for them. There’s no situation which you can’t pray about, big or small, God is able to do absolutely anything for anyone.
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:6-7
It’s amazing how even non-believers are open to being prayed for if they think there’s any chance that this God that we say we believe in can help them. Try it. Next time someone is using your shoulder to cry on, ask to pray for them, and let God speak through you to provide healing to the situation.
What are your thoughts on evangelism techniques? Is it something you’ve done before or you would consider doing? Let me know your thoughts in the comments down below 🙂
Jesus said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation…” – Mark 16:15
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4 Simple Ways To Share The Gospel And Evangelise To Non-Christians Evangelism is something that used to really scare me. But as I've become more spiritually mature and to be honest, a lot more confident in what I believe and why, I've learned not to see evangelism as anything out of the ordinary.
