God is committed to his plan to cover the earth with his presence and to his people, the body of Christ, being the ones who spread that presence. That is the biblical foundation for evangelism. While God is committed to his plan, we live in a broken world, where the prince of the power of the air is still at work (Ephesians 2; Galatians 5). This means we have a real enemy in our evangelistic efforts. Because this is true, it would be wise for us to acknowledge the challenges we might face as we are trying to reach our lost neighbors. Three challenges in our evangelistic efforts are: the lack of margin in our lives, a numbness to the good news of the gospel, and we assume people know the gospel they are rejecting.
Challenge 1: Lack of Margin
In our fast-paced culture, one barrier to sharing the gospel is the busyness of our schedules. We can get caught up in all the good activities we’re doing (even serving at church) that we don’t have time to hold a conversation with someone about where they are spiritually. Throughout the New Testament, we read of Jesus and the apostles “seeing” people (Matthew 9:36-38; Luke 15:20; 19:5; John 1:38; Acts 3:4). At one point in every Christian’s life, someone saw you and shared the gospel with you. When was the last time you saw someone long enough to recognize their needs and how the gospel could be good news for them?
Challenge 2: Numbness to the Good News
Another challenge to seeing people’s need for the gospel is that we have become numb to the gospel. The joy felt when receiving a gift or something you deeply desire is unmatched. But over time, the initial joy fades until one day, the desire for something new is stronger than the joy of having the old thing. The kingdom of heaven is compared to a treasure hidden in a field; upon discovery, it is worth selling everything to buy the entire field (Matthew 13). Jesus is that great Treasure worth giving up everything for (Mark 1:15).
When we first believe, it’s easy to see that Jesus is worth everything, and like the new present, it is easy to tell everyone we know about the free gift of salvation. But so often, a numbness can come over us, which initially leads to a lack of preaching the gospel to ourselves, then eventually prevents us from sharing the gospel with others. What’s the solution? The way to prevent growing numb is to run back to Jesus and be reminded of the gospel. Three ways to do this are:
- Re-read the Gospels to be re-acquainted with the beauty and wonder of the person of Jesus.
- Ask the Lord to restore the joy of your salvation as King David did after he was caught in sin (Psalm 51).
- Surround yourself with people who are excited about Jesus.
Challenge 3: Assuming People Know the Gospel
As we are re-acquainted with how great a treasure Jesus truly is, with the Spirit’s help, we will see that many non-Christians around us are rejecting Jesus without knowing the gospel. What do I mean by that? When I was growing up, most people had a working knowledge of God, Jesus, and sin. In that culture, evangelism was “simply connecting the dots that listeners already possessed in order to prove the truth of the gospel.”1 This mindset can no longer be assumed in Western culture. People no longer have those “dots.”
For example, several years ago, I was reading the Gospel of John with a college student who told me it was his first time reading the Bible for himself. We were discussing John 1, and I asked him if he knew who Moses was, and his response was: “I think so, he was a Greek god, wasn’t he?” I realized then that I was going to have to put the dots on the map.
We can no longer assume people have the categories that come with a Christian worldview (i.e. there is a Creator or humanity is sinful). This is a great challenge in evangelism: all people are part of God’s big story, but many do not know God’s story or their place in it. This creates great opportunities to show people that Jesus is their greatest need and “proclaim the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).
As the Holy Spirit reminds us to look for others in the midst of our lives, and as he awakens our hearts to the beauty of Jesus, we will be ready to share the good news that Jesus came to invite us into a better story. We can never forget that God is committed to seeing his glory cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. Therefore, when we acknowledge the challenges of evangelism, we can rest in the truth that God will complete the plan he set in place before the foundation of the earth.
