[Re] thinking Evangelism
I was apart of a conversation the other day with two other people. We were talking about Evangelism. There is no doubt that Jesus Himself called His disciples to proclaim that He was Lord. They were called to “go out into all the Word and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). One of the most ‘overused’ passages I constantly remind people of is the divine prayer of Jesus. As He prays to His Father, Jesus states, “Father, as you have sent me into the world, so I send them into the world” (John 17:18). So far so good right?
So I watched this show on sharing the Gospel. I was very confused. As this gentleman walked up to an individual he did not know (with cameras and microphones no less), this man who hosted this show asked his first contact if he could ask him a question. Probably thinking that he was on some game show or about to win some cash, this individual accepted the man’s invitation. With a direct stare, the host asked, “If you were to die, do you know where you would be going?” The man was shocked.
Why is it that we focus so much on death and the afterlife when we are alive and well? We are not ancient Egypt you know. Do not get me wrong; I believe there is a time and place to ask that question. But to start off an encounter with someone with the thought of death is kind of spooky if you ask me. What about now? What about how we live our lives now? Does none of that matter? I believe it does. Again, I am not dismissing the importance of our post-death residence. We cannot just dismiss our actions though. I think we definitely need to rethink the way we evangelize. Any thoughts?
