Evangelism”
is not a Dirty Word
By G re g Hicks
o, you ’ re a C hristian . . . What exactly does that mean?
For one thing, it means benefits. Benefits like salvation,
and like fellowship with and support from warm, caring
people who genuinely love us. Benefits like communion with the
God of the universe. Pretty good deal. Huh?
But being a Christian also means responsibility. We—all of
us—have a job to do. We’ve been given the task of reaching the
world with the Gospel, the “good news" that Jesus Christ dies on
the cross for everyone—boys, girls, men and women...even
teenagers. In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus said, “...All authority is
given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye, therefore, and teach
all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you; and Io, I am with you
alway|s|, even unto the end of the world.” (KJV) We have our
orders . . . want a piece of the action?
It's a job we obviously can’t do alone, but we can all have a
part. And we can start right where we are. Do you feel ready?
Probably not.
Most of us consider ourselves ill-prepared to tackle a chal
lenge as seemingly overwhelming as reaching the whole world.
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We’re no, even sure if we can reach our next-door neighbor or
our friends at work. So where do we start?
One of my early evangelism experience influenced me
toward a preference for "relationship evangelism”—sharing the
Gospel with people I already know (although if the chance
comes up. I'll still share it with anybody, anywhere). These were
the days of the "I Found It,” “Turn or Burn,” “Ge, Right or Get
Left” bumper stickers. It was 1981 and my church adopted as
their motto for the year, “Everyone win one in “8 1B asically,
you were supposed to bag a pagan before the year was over.
One week, somebody in my Sunday School class suggested
going downtown on a Friday nigh, to hand out tracts and witness
to the party-hardy street-cruiser crowd. As I handed out my first
tract that night, the person promptly held it up, flicked his Bic
and laughed at me wickedly as it went up in flames. Needless to
say, I was slightly discouraged. The rest of the evening brought
roughly the same response from the crowd. Later that evening,
when we all got back to the church, we shared war stories and
agreed that it was great to be on the firing line and to “suffer for
Jesus.”
Since then, I have been taught that what I did that evening
was called the “confrontational-intrusional" approach to evange
lism. otherwise known as “cold turkey” evangelism. It has its
place and it can surely be used by God to save souls, but it’s hard
on you and can sometimes leave a negative impression on the
person you're trying to reach. Few people like having something
shoved down their throat.
Now the fad is “lifestyle” or “relational” evangelism. And
guess wha,—it works! Because they spell out the process so
clearly, I would like to share eight steps in relationship evange
lism that are very practical in nature:
Step 1. Initial Contact. These are people you’ve met at
work, in the neighborhood, at social function, your barber or
hairdresser, the grocer, etc. To establish contact, you have to
choose to be where people are, be friendly, take the initiative,
and leave the person with a positive impression. Be complimen
tary (Acts 26:2,3). To meet people, consider having a neighbor
hood open house, a block party or barbeque, join a club, get your
kids in little league. At work, take advantage of coffee and lunch
breaks, business trips, office parties, meetings, seminars, etc.
Step 2. Become Better Acquainted. These are people with
whom you are past the “just met” stage. Ask question about
them, e.g.. where they’re from where they went to school, fami
ly background, etc. Look for common interests. Be patient—
don’t force the relationship. And. most importantly, don’t hide
your Christianity—Ily the tlag early! Activities you can share
with them might be recreational, shopping, a game night at
home, dessert or dinner at you house (or theirs), even just watch
ing TV. At work, you could car pool, join a bowling league, talk
while working, eat lunch together, etc.
Step 3. Serve Them. Expect opportunities for service and be
alert to them. Your goal is his (her) success in life. Remember
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