Evangelism

It has always amazed me how “evangelism” can be a topic that is apparently experienced as so difficult and burdensome. Just flip through any number of Christian magazines and see for yourself the accuracy of this observation.

What I mean is this: it is understandable that it’s terribly difficult for a doctor to tell their patient that he or she is terminally ill. And it is understandable that it’s hard for a parent to have to tell their child that the vacation they were so looking forward to cannot happen. But that it would be difficult and burdensome to tell a joyful message—that I simply cannot comprehend. Who finds it difficult to tell their neighbor they’ve become a father or mother to a healthy baby? Or that they’ve won the lottery? It seems to me far more difficult to keep such things to yourself!

I have only one reasonable explanation for the difficulty people experience with “evangelism”: they are not truly (or: not really) telling a joyful message. What they are doing, in many variations, is pointing out to their fellow human being that he or she is on the way to hell (or words to that effect), but that there is an emergency exit. You can wrap that kind of message in a bow, but it remains a tragedy. It’s like pointing in panic to the fire escape. Of those who bring such a message, one can hardly say: “How beautiful are the feet of those bringing an evangel of good!” (Rom. 10:15).

The essence of true evangelism is that one is (to speak with Isaiah 52:7) a bringer of joy. One should speak of God’s love for this world—without conditions or caveats. One should speak of God who is GOD, and who works out all things according to His plan, without anything going wrong. One should speak of Christ Jesus, who paid the price and brought Life to light for all. Or, as Paul writes elsewhere: the living God is the Savior of all mankind! These are, one by one, joyful tidings—regardless of whether the listener likes it or not. We have a joyful message for all people, ESPECIALLY for those who believe!

Pass it on!

Delen: