Evangelism According to the Scriptures

In my many years attending church, I have come across many who view evangelism in an unbiblical format. They think living a moral life in front of people is equivalent to sharing their faith. They think they need to form a close bond to another person before they can talk about the things of God. They think that providing a service to someone else or praying with them is evangelizing to them. However, Scripture has a very different picture of evangelism/witnessing/sharing one’s faith. First let’s address what is wrong with these forms of “evangelism” and then discuss the biblical model of evangelism.

Lifestyle Evangelism – One might argue that they are drawing people to Jesus through their moral living. They will often use verses such as these

· “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.

· You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

- Matthew 5:13-16

While living a life of holiness before the world IS important, it IS NOT proclaiming the gospel. Our Christian walk should add credibility to what we are saying when we evangelize but it is not a means of evangelizing itself. A Christian can live a moral life in front of all their unsaved loved ones their entire life, but if they never verbally tell someone about Jesus and his propitiation for sin, their loved ones are still going to hell when they die.

Merely behaving morally does not keep a person out of hell. Repentance and faith do. There are moral Muslims, Mormons, Atheists, etc. who are all nice people on their way to hell. It is ONLY by grace through faith in Jesus Christ as He is portrayed in the Scripture that saves a man.

· Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. – John 14:6

· For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. –Ephesians 2:8-9

Friendship Evangelism – Friendship Evangelism is based on the premise that one must build into a relationship with another person before they can talk about spiritual things. There are several things wrong with this type of evangelism.

First, it is not seen in Scripture. Jesus did not invest months and years into a relationship with a person BEFORE talking about godly things. A perfect example is the Samaritan woman at the well. He did not stay with her for a long time BEFORE He addressed her sin and revealed Himself to her.

Another instance we see evidence of this was with the Pharisees. He did not befriend them before proclaiming truth to them. Nowhere do we see in Scripture someone investing long amounts of time BEFORE telling them to repent and turn to the Living God of the Bible.

Second, there are dangers to waiting to share the gospel with someone. Primarily the issue of not knowing how long that person is going to live or what tomorrow holds for them. We may not get another opportunity to talk to them about their eternity!

 Third, the Bible makes it clear that it can be dangerous for us to associate too closely with unbelievers. Please do not misunderstand. We CAN be friends with unbelievers but Scripture gives many cautions throughout its pages.

· “Bad company ruins good morals.” (1 Corinthians 15:33)

· Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14) While this verse refers to marriage, we can see that having a close relationship with an unbeliever is frowned upon.

Even in the Old Testament, God did not want the Israelites to intermarry with others for fear of them turning away from Him and towards idols instead.

Servant Evangelism – Servant Evangelism is a specific form of Lifestyle Evangelism as it is another type of “evangelism” focused on doing good in front of others in hopes that someone will be saved. This typically takes the form of some type of community service. Again, there is nothing wrong with helping others or filling needs, but it is NOT sharing the gospel. Filling someone’s stomach with food will not save them on the Day of Judgment.

Invitational Evangelism – Invitational Evangelism focuses on getting an unsaved person to church in the hopes that they will hear the gospel. There are several problems with this style of evangelism.

First, the church is and always has been the born-again believers of Jesus Christ. The church is for Christians, not the lost.

Secondly, there is no guarantee that the pastor of your church will preach the gospel. While it is important that the gospel be preached in the pulpits of our churches, it does not always happen. One such example can be on a missions week. In my experience, those Sundays are focused on what the missionary is accomplishing on the mission field and not a public proclamation of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection.

Thirdly, and I may get some angry readers for this one, invitational evangelism is the epitome of laziness and selfishness. We want the easy way for a person to get saved and, let’s face it, we’d rather have our loved one angry at our pastor than at us for pointing out their sinful nature and need of a Savior.

Lastly, again we need to realize that life is not guaranteed for anybody. Our loved one could die on their way to hear the gospel that Sunday.

Biblical Evangelism – We’ve talked at length about what is not biblical evangelism and now it is finally time to talk about what IS biblical evangelism. Evangelism as it is portrayed in Scripture is the verbal proclamation of the gospel. It is telling someone about God, Sin, Judgment, and Jesus’ atonement. It is through showing or proclaiming the Word of God to the lost person. Scripture makes hearing the good news vital to one’s salvation…

 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. –Romans 10:13-17, Emphasis Added

And what is the “good news”?

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures – 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, Emphasis added

We see this example time after time in the Bible. Men of God preached on man’s sinful nature and the consequence of that sin and then talk of God sending His only Son to redeem mankind. It is this method that leads to genuine salvation. People will see their wickedness and need for a Savior leading to repentance and faith in Jesus. Why resolve to use other methods when Scripture reveals clearly what is effective in reaching the lost?

Christians need to stop using false methods of evangelism as an excuse not to partake in biblical evangelism. We need to be concerned more about the fate of a lost man, then our own reputation or popularity.

Are you guilty of partaking in unbiblical methods of evangelism? Repent today. Admit to God that you haven’t been sharing the gospel as His Word teaches and surrender your fears to Him. Trust that He has given you the strength to step out of your comfort zone and make known the truth of God’s Word to a lost and dying world.

*Unless otherwise stated, all of Scripture from this article will be taken from the English Standard Version.