We pray for lost souls everywhere; in our community, our nation and in mission fields around the world. But often, we begin to think of evangelism as a special calling and the Great Commission as a job Christ has given to church leaders and church organizations. We support the effort with finances and prayers, but fail to roll up our sleeves and get personally involved.
Imagine for a moment that you are the only representative of the Christian faith. You are the only light in a very dark world and an example of what being a child of God is really like. You must give them hope and show them the only way out of the dark is by God’s love, mercy and grace through the sacrificial life, death and resurrection of His Son. What an overwhelming task and responsibility that would be.
As fantastic as that vision may seem, it really isn’t so far fetched at all. There are people within your sphere of influence to whom you are the only representative of the Christian faith. They have heard all of the lies the enemy has spread about Christians being bigoted, hateful, out of touch and hypocritical. You have the opportunity to show them the love and other spiritual fruit that come when a person is spiritually reborn. As they get to know you, they will see that you don’t fit that negative stereotype. Since you are the only Christian they know, they will assume you must be an exception to the rule. That is when you invite them to church or a smaller group of Christians so they can see that most Christians don’t fit that stereotype.
I love it when a man, woman or young person accepts Christ at the close of a church service. Someone prepared their heart to receive God’s word before the pastor began to speak. Someone invited them to church that morning and someone prayed for them and with them. That someone could be you. I have written before that Christianity is not a religion – it is a relationship with God made possible by the sacrificial life, death and resurrection of His Son. As our relationship with God grows deeper, it is only natural that we would want to introduce him to others. He already knows them, but He longs for them to get to know Him. That is what true evangelism looks like.