It might seem obvious to you why people "evangelize," but I was surprised tonight to realize that I had forgotten. So, I thought I'd write about it a bit. You see, while I was out preaching tonight on a street corner in East Lansing, Michigan, someone asked me a question. That's not unusual. Every time I go out preaching people ask me questions. However, I don't know that anyone had ever asked me this particular question under quite these circumstances before. It surprised me; not so much the question itself, but their reaction and my reaction (internally) to their reaction. The question was if I had ever actually saved anyone (or something like that). That question and that subject have both come up before. But tonight, it really got me to thinking. I fired off a response quickly at the time as usual, but the more important thing was what came up after the guy left.
I've recently heard the name Simon Sinek in multiple contexts, once at work and once when I heard him interviewed on a podcast unrelated to my job. He recently published a book called, "Start with Why." Implicit in the title of his book is the idea that we need to keep in mind not just what our goals are, and not just the minutia of what it is we are actually doing at any given time, but also WHY we are doing the things we are doing. I love that idea, because our motivations really do have a huge impact on how we do things and on what directions we go with our lives.
That said, I'll now get back to this particular guy's question. By asking it, he was implying that he didn't think my methods were effective. And, he was implying that to be "effective", I should actually be getting people saved. It is funny, because I think we all can very easily slip into the idea that "getting people saved" is what evangelism is all about. My understanding of the word, though, is that "evangelism" is about spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Are you asking, "What's the difference?" Well, in a perfect world, there wouldn't be a difference. In a perfect world, though, everyone would already be a Christ follower, so we wouldn't need evangelists! In my world, I generally have time to myself after my kids are in bed. But, I work a 9-5 job during the day and if I don't get a good night's rest, I don't perform too well at my job. So, I tend to not go out after my kids are in bed during the week. That leaves the weekend. Where am I going to find people to talk to on the weekend? Since I live next door to a secular college town, the drinking district has a lot of traffic. If I'm going to spread the Good News, I think I should do that where there are lots of people. Jesus said, "They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick." (Matt 9:12)
I believe that since there are lots of people there who are sleeping around, doing drugs and drinking lots of alcohol, that's a great place to go since there are lots of people who need to hear about Jesus. Now, they generally don't like to hear what I have to say about Jesus, but that's not really the point. Lots of people didn't like to hear what Jesus had to say when he was here, either. I imagine that his "Repent or perish" message has never been particularly well received.
Mind you, I was involved in a Christmas production last month that saw hundreds upon hundreds of people make "first time decisions for Jesus Christ." But, while I was out street preaching, I don't think the young man who asked me if I've ever saved anyone was asking about that. My response to him was, "What difference does it make?" To him, it makes all the difference in the world. If I said to him, "Oh, I get people saved at a rate of several hundred a week," then I'm not sure how he would have reacted. Perhaps I could have gained his respect. Hopefully, by admitting that was not my response, I'm not losing your respect as a reader. However, is that why I'm writing this? Do I go out preaching on a street corner to gain the respect of man? Certainly not!
Why, then? I walk by faith. I know the voice of my Lord and I follow him. I see his work in my life and in the lives of those around me. I see the difference it makes to me and my walk when I go out to preach. I see the difference it makes in the minds of the people I talk to when they stop and have long conversations with me every week. Now, I know when I got saved that it wasn't because of a single conversation I had with any one individual. I know that the Lord was working with me on any number of different issues and questions I had over a period of many years. The Bible says, "One soweth, and another reapeth." (Jhn 4:37) If I'm to do unto others as I would have them do unto me, should I not be there for students when they have questions about Christianity? That's what I would have liked to have had when I was in college. Not that there weren't people around who would have liked to have the opportunity to answer my questions about Jesus when I was in college. But, the ones I asked (at that time), didn't have what I thought were good, well reasoned answers. Since then, I've researched those questions I had back then and found good, well reasoned answers. So, I believe I can now provide to others what was not available to me when I wanted it. Should I then be discouraged because I can't see the reaping being done? Should I stop sowing seeds and watering them just because I'm not blessed to be the one doing the harvesting? Heaven forbid!
He didn't stick around long enough to hear a response as long as what I've included here. But, two weeks in a row a member of the "Wicken religion" has come back and stayed to talk for well over an hour in the cold (it was 13 degrees Fahrenheit when we left tonight). He has also talked many times to my friends on campus when they've been there during the days. A Greek orthodox man came by again tonight who's been there before. He had many questions for us again as well. I've spoken to many Muslims, too, some of whom are there for the drinking others of whom have just gotten off at one of the three bus stops that are within a block of where I preach.
Years ago while I was reading the Bible, I came to Ez 3:17 (Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel:
therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.) Up until that time, I had always thought that the term "Son of man" was used to refer to Christ. Then, that particular time, it was obvious to me that since it was a passage where the Lord was talking to Ezekiel and there was no reference to Christ, that could NOT be the only possible meaning to the phrase! What was I to do? It was as if the Lord had been talking directly to me. God is no respecter of persons and there is neither Jew nor Greek in the kingdom of God, so I couldn't claim that verse only applied to people preaching to natural Israel. That verse hit me like a freight train. I couldn't disobey my Lord and still call myself a Christian. So, I go out to warn a rebellious nation just like Ezekiel did. And, just like Ezekiel, they hate me for it. But, also like Ezekiel, I have received Ez 3:19 (Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor
from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast
delivered thy soul.) That sounds to me a lot like I'm not responsible for getting results, just for delivering the warning.
As I said earlier, I hope I'm not causing any of you to think I'm no good as an evangelist by admitting that I've not yet personally led a single person in the prayer of salvation while out street preaching. I can see the seeds I plant growing, and I no longer feel guilty of not fulfilling my calling from Ez 3:17. And, I'm out to please God, not man. So, even if no man ever thinks of me as a "good" evangelist, I'm going to keep it up until God tells me to stop.
