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I unquestionably believe that evangelism is a primary means for spiritual growth. I’m not debating the importance or priority of meditating on the Word, depending on God in prayer, gathering in fellowship, or practicing regular rhythms of fasting.

I do, however, believe that sharing our faith is critical to our spiritual growth and the lack of doing so impedes our Christian growth.

The Enemy’s Ploy

The enemy has tactfully distracted us from one of our primary means for spiritual growth. Having pastored for 28 years and spoken to hundreds of Christians across Canada, I know that evangelism is challenging for many if not most of us. We huddle in, rather than reaching out. The enemy has convinced us that:

  • We aren’t smart enough to share our faith (What if they ask me a question that I don’t know the answer to?).

  • They aren’t interested in our faith (They would just ask if they were, right?).

  • That faith is a ‘private matter’ (You shouldn’t talk openly about your faith, your political views, or your finances).

  • That we’ll lose friends or family if we share our faith (They won’t want us around them).

  • That we should leave evangelism to the ‘experts’ (Isn’t that what pastors are trained and paid to do?).

Most of us remain silent. We’ve even stopped praying for God to open doors. Yet, one of the greatest joys and delights of the Christian life is watching the Lord open the eyes of an unbeliever across from you, in your living room or a local coffee shop, as He saves them. If heaven rejoices when someone repents, certainly we should! Seeing God save someone anchors your faith to your soul.

In not wanting Christianity to flourish, the enemy convinces us to remain silent. He’s successfully persuaded most of us to be benchwarmers, robbing us of the privilege of leading friends and family to Christ. Yet, God has called all of us to bear witness to His work in our world and in our lives.

Our Call to Witness

  • In Matthew 28:16-20, Jesus calls the disciples (and through them, us) to go and make disciples. Your ‘go’ is where God has currently called you to live, work, and play.

  • In John 20:21-23, Jesus commissions His disciples (and through them, us) as sent ones to bear witness to the peace God has granted them.

  • In Acts 1:6-8, Jesus declares that His disciples (and through them, us) will receive Holy Spirit power for witness.

  • In 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, the Apostle Paul explains that he was dependent on the Spirit’s power as he declared ‘Jesus Christ and Him crucified’.

  • In 2 Corinthians 5:11-6:2, the Apostle Paul describes us as ministers of reconciliation and Christ’s ambassadors.

  • In Colossians 4:2-6, the Apostle calls us to pray for both open doors and clarity in declaring the gospel.

Why Is Evangelism a Primary Means of Spiritual Growth?

1 Evangelism necessitates our dependency on God in prayer and fasting.

You pray day after day, month after month, year after year for God’s salvation for friends, family, and colleagues, and you fast in dependence on God. We can’t save anyone. We cry out to God to open the eyes of those with whom we are sharing the gospel. We petition God to open a door in their lives so we can share our hope in Christ. We ask God to enable us to declare the gospel clearly.

Thirty years ago, a year before we met, the Lord saved my wife from an unbelieving home. We have prayed faithfully for her family. He has graciously saved her mom this year. Thanks be to God.

We should be praying, “God, would you open doors in the life of my family member, friend, or colleague? Would you grant me the strength to walk through the doors you open. Would you empower me to share the gospel clearly and open their eyes to Your saving truth.”

2 Evangelism necessitates our reliance on the Holy Spirit.

We can’t change anyone’s life or convict a heart of its need for salvation. We can’t raise someone from the dead. The Holy Spirit does. In Acts 1, the Apostle Paul reminds us that the Holy Spirit gives us power for witness. In 1 Corinthians 2, Paul wanted his message to be demonstrated with the Spirit’s power and not with wise and persuasive words so that the new faith of believers would rest on God’s power and not on human wisdom.
God’s Spirit is in us. He is our Counselor and Guide. In John 16:8-11, Jesus reminds us that the Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin because people do not believe in Him. His convicting power turns them to their need for a Saviour. May we learn to rely on the Holy Spirit.
Htoonay was born in Myanmar. He grew up without running water, sanitation, or electricity. His family came to Canada when he was a teenager. Having only a grade 7 education from a refugee camp, he soon turned to a life of drugs. His parents evicted him from their apartment. He stayed with his grandfather from time to time. His grandfather was a godly man, also illiterate. The only portions of the Bible he knew were those he had memorized. Having never read an apologetic book, he relied on the Spirit to faithfully witness to his grandson. He lovingly and graciously pointed his grandson to Christ. At his grandfather’s funeral, God opened Htoonay’s eyes to the truth of the gospel and saved him (as heaven rejoiced). Evangelism necessitates our reliance on the Holy Spirit.

3 Evangelism necessitates a rigorous study of God’s Word

In Matthew 28, Jesus commissions us to teach new disciples to obey everything He has commanded. When an unbelieving friend asks, “What’s a Trinity?” or wonders why we believe the Bible is God’s Word, we dig into the Word to answer them.

Several years ago, I was discipling a young man whom God had recently saved. He was struggling with employment. When we sat down to discuss the passages he read that week, he started the conversation by saying, “I decided to turn to God’s Word for help with employment. I read the book of ‘job’ looking for a sample resume or six steps to a better career, but it was about a man named Job.”

A young man that God saved from a Buddhist home recently shared with me that when he wanted to work on his character and learn how God would have him ‘act’, he read the book of Acts.

A young man or woman coming to faith from an unbelieving home knows nothing about the Bible. God will use us to disciple them, which will necessitate our faithful reading and study of His Word.

Sharing our faith is a primary means of spiritual growth as:

  • Evangelism necessitates our dependency on God in prayer and fasting,

  • Evangelism necessitates our reliance on the Holy Spirit, and

  • Evangelism necessitates a rigorous study of God’s Word.

This Christmas season, many of us will have the opportunity to interact with unbelieving friends, family, and colleagues. Pray that God would open doors into their lives, as we rely on the Holy Spirit to move in power to save them. May we rigorously study the Word of truth to direct them to Jesus, Emmanuel, the Christ, teaching them to obey everything He has commanded.

May our conviction be that the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is the hope and longing of every human heart, and may the Lord be gracious and add to our number daily those that are being saved—not just in our world or our countries but in our cities and local churches. I’m thankful our God loves to save.

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