The Role of the God in Evangelism

John 4 reveals that three people are involved in evangelism… the non-believer, the believer, and God. Let’s look at the second of these roles – God:

God – He is the One who goes before you with you and after you in evangelism.

The Scriptures describe Him this way:

Draws us to Himself – John 6:44
“No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws him”

Giver of new life – 1 Corinthians 3:6
“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase”

Sender of disciples – Matthew 28:18-19
“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore and make disciples of all the nations.”

Desires all to be saved – 1 Timothy 2:3-4
“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God, our Savior who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

Diligent to convict – John 16:8
“And when he comes He will convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment.”

Evangelism works because God is intimately involved convicting, pursuing, sending, drawing, and giving. He is the One who has the compassion and is moved to action on behalf of His creation.

Focus on What God Thinks of People, Not What People Think of You

Fear in evangelism often results in being too self-focused. Notice that I used the word self-focused, not selfish. Most people I’ve observed who want to talk to acquaintances about Christ are not selfish people. The very fact that they are concerned about somebody else’s eternal welfare and not just their own says so. Selfish people are content to go to heaven alone. Selfless people are not.

Self-focus is different. It results from worrying too much about what others might think of you if you share the Gospel with them. Questions such as, “Will they still be my friend?” “Will they think less of me?” “Will I lose respect?” hinder evangelism. Nobody in their right mind would enjoy any of these negative responses. Who wants to lose a friend, be thought less of, or lose respect? At the same time, “I” is at the center of all of these worries. Focusing on yourself becomes distracting at its least, defeating at its worst.

There are two words consistently used in Scripture that help refocus our attention. The first word is love. Biblically defined, it means to put the other person first, even if it means the sacrifice of ourselves. John 3:16 explains, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” The proof of God’s love is that He put us first even though it meant the sacrifice of His own Son. The second is the word compassion. It means to be filled with pity. Matthew 9:36 tells us, “But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.” Jesus Christ pitied non-Christians.

Both of these words switch the focus to how Christ feels about the lost, not how they feel about us. Furthermore, if Jesus Christ was willing to sacrifice His life for us, we ought to be willing to sacrifice friendship, pride, or respect. In fact, it is only a matter of time before Chirstlike love and compassion overcome fear. Possible rejection takes a back seat to the real issue of salvation. Knowing that we have a message that will save them from eternal separation from God and give them life that has meaning, purpose, and fulfillment becomes the focus.

To be consistently bold in evangelism, we must focus on what God thinks of them, not what they think of us.

The Compassion of Jesus

Let’s look for a moment at Christ’s life. Beyond the disciples, who did He spend His time with? Tax collectors and sinners. He had a heart and a compassion for those who were lost. His time was not only spent behind the walls of the local synagogue or temple, but was spent out where the people were. His attitude was not “come and get it”, it was “go get them!” He went where the lost were because He had compassion for them and, as a good shepherd, did not want them to be without the directions to find Him.

Do we truly have compassion for our friends and neighbors and relatives? Compassion enough that we are willing to risk fear, rejection, being misunderstood, and having the tough discussions? Do we see them as Paul did in Ephesians 2:1 where he described them as literally “walking corpses.”

A friend of mine told the story of a conversation he was having one day at a table with another Christian friend and a mutual friend who was not a believer. The discussion was rousing and pointed at Christianity, when the unbeliever turned to my friend and said this about the other Christian. “Do you know what my friend here thinks about me? He thinks I am in a burning building and he wants nothing more than to show me the way to safety. Though I disagree with him, it means a lot to me that he cares that much about me.”

The compassion of Christ says we see our friends as they truly are and want desperately for them not to stay in that condition any longer. If we lose sight of the fact that they are still in a burning building, then we lose the compassion for them that motivates us to share the exit map. The old saying is true, “They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. No matter how they might view you, compassion says, “Go get them” and show them the way to Christ.

by: Mark Rae