I’ve never considered myself to be much of an evangelist, at least in the street-pounding, tract-handing-out, door-knocking, altar-call-giving, kind of way. That’s mostly because 1.) I think there are more effective ways of doing evangelism, like actually developing a relationship with an unbeliever, and 2.) I hate the artificialness of handing out a tract, knocking on door, and yelling in the street. I mean really, does evangelism have to be this contrived and awkward? And 3.) I am scared.
But nevertheless, being in YWAM has meant being exposed to a wide range of evangelistic endeavors, including all of the above. I’ve knocked on doors, started conversations on the streets, preached from street corners, and yes, even given altar calls.
For example, when we were working in Australia, I would often lead a Friday night outreach in the city center. I would usually come back with a spiritual high; amazed at the conversations and prayer times that had occurred. And God did move in incredible ways, because when we step out in faith, He always does. But as I’ve reflected on those times, I’ve realized that my level of commitment to those I was reaching out to was pretty low. Sure, I was willing to talk with them for a while, pray with them; even meet them again and bring them to church. But mostly I was interested in having a dynamic street experience so I could have a story to tell; a no-relational-strings-attached experience of how someone got saved and I was responsible for it.
I know that sounds horrible, but the truth is I think a lot of evangelism functions like this. It’s this “gospel of salvation” mentality; we pray a prayer or give an altar call and call this “salvation.” And then we say goodbye, and expect that someone else will take care of the discipleship; the part that actually requires a committed relationship. (And never mind that “salvation” and “discipleship” are concepts that, biblically speaking, were never meant to be separated.)
The truth is that depending on where you are in the world, it really isn’t all that difficult to get a stranger to pray a prayer, raise their hand, or even come forward to an altar call. It’s not rocket science. There are hurting and broken people in this world, and God wants to reach them with his love. I also believe that the Father is an opportunist, and therefore He is willing to use any and every method to reach people; even methods that I might not consider to be “effective.” Like door knocking, tract passing, and street crusading. God’s love is big enough for bad methodology or my own biases, whichever it may be.
But that’s the thing: evangelism is about the Father’s love. And love is relational. Love is committed. Love will not pray a prayer with you and leave you; love will pray a prayer with you and then feed you and clothe you and heal you and take you in and walk beside you for the rest of your life. Because love is God, and God is the triune Father, Son, and Spirit; the very definition of commitment and relationship. God is faithful to us, and his love doesn’t waver when life gets messy. In fact, it’s his unwavering faithfulness and love that helps us to realize that maybe we can be cleaned up and one day live without our messes. Love doesn’t leave us alone to work out the details of how to raise our kids, what job to apply for, what school to attend, and what to do with our financial problems. Even when life gets really messy, with addictions, sickness, war, poverty, abuse-even then the Father’s loves is there.
The substance of our faith is not our commitment to God, but his commitment to us. This is very much at the heart of the gospel; that when we in our darkness break covenant with God and fail our side of the relationship, he refuses to leave us in darkness, and instead binds himself to us in sacrificial love. The gospel is the proclamation that we are accepted, included, and yes, still loved, and in Christ we are free to step out of the darkness and discover our identity as children of the Father.
Evangelism is the exciting privilege of spreading the word. But to be understood by the receiver, it has to be lived by the giver. It is our faithfulness, commitment, and love toward an unbeliever that witnesses to the truth that we proclaim.
It may start with a tract, a prayer, or an altar call, but it never finishes.
