Personal Evangelism I. Introduction A. Matthew 28:18-20 1. The Great Commission: go and make disciples 2. A task given to all (cf. Acts 8:4) B. We do well to consider how to promote the Gospel in our lives C. Let us consider the most critical of all forms of evangelism: personal evangelism 1. What is personal evangelism? 2. Why is personal evangelism so important? 3. What are some ways in which we can engage in personal evangelism? II. Personal Evangelism A. Personal evangelism involves promoting the Gospel on a personal level with people you know and who know you B. Personal evangelism stands in contrast with impersonal forms of evangelism 1. Impersonal forms of evangelism promote the Gospel among people with whom there is no significant relationship 2. The use of websites, mailings, Bible correspondence courses, radio or television broadcasts, and such like are "impersonal" forms of evangelism 3. Such forms of evangelism may not involve person-to-person contact, or begins with people whom we really do not know 4. The public proclamation of the Gospel in the first century was more impersonal (cf. Acts 2:14-36, 3:11-26, 13:13-49, etc.) C. Personal evangelism represents the majority of the opportunities which each individual believer will have today to promote the Gospel 1. Parents instructing children (cf. Ephesians 6:1-4, 2 Timothy 1:5, 3:15) 2. Friends and family pointing others to Jesus (e.g. John 1:40-51) 3. It certainly involves one's life and influence (cf. Matthew 5:13-16) 4. But also demands speaking (Matthew 10:32-33, 28:18-20) D. Ultimately, all evangelism must become personal evangelism 1. John 17:20-23, Romans 5:6-11, 1 Corinthians 12:12-28, Ephesians 3:10-11, 4:11-16, Philippians 2:1-4: God's purpose is to reconcile people to Himself through Jesus, have them be reconciled to one another in Christ, members of one body, strengthening each other 2. Therefore, even if someone comes to the knowledge of the truth through more impersonal means, we must work to get to know them and they us, and that process is very much "personal" evangelism! E. Personal evangelism, therefore, is very much the work of encouraging others to walk with us in the way of Jesus (cf. 1 John 1:7, 2:6)! III. Why Personal Evangelism? A. Why is personal evangelism so important? Why can evangelism not just be the job of the evangelist? B. Evangelists are to preach the Gospel and equip Christians for ministry through encouragement and instruction (Ephesians 4:11-16, 2 Timothy 4:1-4) 1. Evangelists do have a significant role to play in preparations, equipping of Christians, influence on evangelistic strategy and direction and in fostering an environment conducive to evangelism and conversions! 2. In a LifeWay Research poll of why "unchurched" people (those who were not a member of any church or had barely attended a church over a period of years) eventually chose a particular church, 90% responded that the "pastor" or the one doing the preaching factored into their decision heavily 3. In the same poll, 88% suggested that doctrines were also a strong factor, reminding us that people do expect Christians to stand up for what they believe and promote it (cf. 1 Timothy 3:15) C. Nevertheless, while evangelists have their place in the work and the promotion of the Gospel, evangelists cannot and should not do it all D. A major challenge for evangelists today is the trust factor 1. In the first century, Christians could enter a town or city, find public venues in which to proclaim the Gospel, and receive a hearing on the basis of what was said (Acts 2:14-36, 3:11-26, 13:13-49, 17:16-34) 2. Today such endeavors would prove quite ineffective! 3. Very few people are persuaded to change their minds or habits based purely on reason or argument; trust proves more important than reasonableness of argumentation 4. In short, people will not listen to you or give you the time of day unless they open up enough in trust to give you a minute of their time! 5. American culture was built upon skepticism toward inherited authority, and these days, Christianity and its truth claims are often seen as such inherited traditions 6. If an evangelist starts trying to tell a person about the Gospel, how often will that person wonder, in the back of their minds, if the evangelist's motivation is only to gain more persons so as to gain prominence and more offerings? 7. Evangelists, therefore, are often treated with skepticism, since their livelihood is based on the preaching of the Gospel 8. "Regular" members, though, have more credibility, since they do not stand to gain financially from increased membership 9. Likewise, if a person knows you, and your character is growing ever more consistent with that of Jesus, such will be a powerful testimony to the faith (cf. Matthew 5:13-16) 10. If you believe something and actually act like it, people will take notice, and that provides an opportunity for evangelism! 11. In the end, people are more likely to be persuaded by you if they trust you, and trust often takes time and energy to build E. The value of the personal influence of each member is difficult to overstate! 1. According to the same poll mentioned earlier regarding why formerly "unchurched" persons began to attend a given church, 41% said that the personal witness of a church member, 38% a family member, and 25% another relationship other than a family member were strong influences upon their decision 2. Whenever I talk with churches which are growing about how they are growing, the story is almost always the same: church members promoting the Gospel among their family, friends, and associates, either through direct Gospel promotion or through inviting them to the assemblies of Christians 3. And think regarding yourselves: what brought you to faith in Christ? What brought you to this particular congregation? F. Personal evangelism is of the greatest importance to the advancement of God's purposes, the growth of the church, and for healthy Christianity! 1. God made us to share in relationship; little wonder, then, that relational evangelism is most effective (John 17:20-23, etc.) 2. Yes, we are to "go" and take the message of Jesus out to the world, but we do not have to go far in order to "go"! IV. Evangelizing in Life A. So how can we go about personal evangelism? B. How one goes about personal evangelism will depend on one's understanding of the faith and confidence in Gospel promotion, the condition of the relationship with those whom we wish to evangelize, and the particular disposition of the ones we wish to evangelize 1. In short, there cannot be one particular paradigm; it will depend on each person and each relationship 2. A Christian younger in the faith will approach it differently from one more mature and experienced in the faith 3. One will have to work with a child or parent differently than a co-worker or best friend 4. Likewise, some people are more outgoing, others more reserved; some would rather study with one person, others with more 5. And, beyond all these, each person has a different level of engagement with Christianity in some form or another and have different feelings toward Christianity and the church! C. Therefore, we do best to consider some general guidelines D. Individual or Group Bible Studies 1. One way of promoting the Gospel is to encourage friends, family, etc. to join with you in a personal or group Bible study 2. Ideally you would guide it; an evangelist can direct it if necessary, as long as you make that known 3. Many people feel more comfortable in such a smaller, more relaxed environment 4. The studies can then focus directly on the people involved and help them come to a knowledge of the truth E. Invitations to the Assembly 1. Yes, the assembly is designed for Christians, and should not primarily focus on those outside (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:26, Hebrews 10:24-25) 2. Nevertheless, those outside certainly can be present and be convicted about their condition (1 Corinthians 14:23-25) 3. In America today, for better or worse, when many people want to find God, they think of going to church 4. Therefore, one way of evangelizing to people is to invite them to the assembly 5. Some people feel more comfortable visiting an assembly than attending a Bible study 6. Statistics from LifeWay Research polls show that many people are willing to be influenced toward visiting an assembly a. 82% of "unchurched" persons would be at least somewhat likely to visit if invited to attend an assembly b. 66% would be willing to hear more about a church from a family member; 56% would be from a friend or neighbor c. Of people who used to frequently attend a church, 4% are interested in going to a church other than the one they attended, 6% are interested in returning to the church with which they used to assemble, and 62% are not actively looking but remain open to the idea of assembling again d. 41% would be open to responding to an invitation from a friend, 25% from their children, and 25% from an adult family member e. 35% would feel more comfortable with the idea of attending if they knew that "people like them" were attending as well f. Of those who were once members of a church but left, 41% would be open to an invitation to visit it again if a friend or acquaintance from the church invited them back g. 61% believe that a personal invitation to church would be somewhat or very effective in getting them to visit! 7. All the statistics in the world mean nothing in terms of one-on-one engagement, but they do show that people are far more willing to discuss Christianity and visit with a church than is often imagined F. Taking Opportunities 1. On a day-to-day basis, we do well to take small opportunities as they arise 2. We should certainly be serving and reflecting Christ to those with whom we interact (Matthew 5:13-16, Galatians 2:10, 6:10) 3. An opportunity might arise to pray with someone 4. Perhaps religion comes up in conversation, and you can preach Christ with love and respect (cf. 1 Peter 3:15-16) 5. If we look for opportunities, we will find them; if we do not seek for them, we will not find them! G. People, not Prospects, not Projects! 1. Above all else, let us keep in mind that we are seeking to encourage everyone in their faith 2. Therefore, those to whom we preach the Gospel are not "prospects" or "projects"; they are people! 3. Our goal is that they come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved (cf. 1 Timothy 2:4), yes... 4. ...but that should feature a long-term relationship of encouragement as well (John 17:20-23, 1 Corinthians 12:12-28, etc.)! 5. If the only reason we talk with people or hang around people is to preach Jesus to them, they will pick up on that, and the witness will not seem truly sincere 6. But if we seek to love them as Christ has loved us, continually seeking their best interest whether they listen to us or not, and prove to be a true friend, we prove that our interest is in them, and not what we want from them, and that will go a long way to establish credibility (cf. Luke 6:27-36, 1 Corinthians 13:1-10) 7. Ideally, "personal evangelism" should be nothing more or less than how each Christian works to develop relationships with his or her family members, friends, associates, and others, loving them as Christ loves all of us, seeking their best interest, and therefore showing concern for their spiritual welfare as well! V. The Challenge A. Personal evangelism is a most worthwhile endeavor, honoring the commandment of the Lord (Matthew 28:18-20) B. Yet it remains a challenge for most! C. Many, consciously or unconsciously, often make distinctions between their "spiritual" friends and their "worldly" friends lest they lose credibility with either group because of the other D. Fear remains a powerful motivator 1. We are afraid of rejection 2. We are afraid of embarrassment 3. We are afraid of having to apologize for others 4. We are afraid of losing face or relationships because of our witness 5. We are afraid of letting Christ down with failure on our part 6. We lack confidence in our ability to evangelize E. Such is why LifeWay Research polls show that only 2% of churchgoers invite others to their assemblies, and 70% of non-churchgoers do not remember ever being invited to an assembly! F. Some things can be done to mitigate these fears 1. We can learn more of the Gospel and gain confidence in our ability to tell others about it 2. We can work to create a congregational environment where people feel welcome and the chances of being embarrassed or needing to apologize are reduced G. Yet, in the end, we must all face our fears and overcome them through practice! 1. We will be rejected at times, and our personal relationships might suffer 2. But if we never ask or never tell, how can we ever know what could come of it? 3. If we really believe the Gospel is God's power unto salvation (Romans 1:16), and we are too afraid of rejection or losing a friend to tell our friends about it, are we not putting fear before love, and proving that we are ashamed of the Gospel? 4. Do we not want our family members, friends, and others to be saved? 5. What if they would listen to us and actually want us to tell them about Jesus or invite them to our assemblies, and yet we never take courage and ask? 6. What if someone else does for them what we are too fearful to do, and they end up following after some false doctrines and are condemned, and we never took the opportunity to show them the way of truth beforehand (cf. Galatians 1:6-9, 1 Timothy 4:1-4, 2 Timothy 4:3-4)? H. How can we say we truly love our family, friends, etc., if we prove unwilling to put concern for their spiritual welfare above our fears and trepidation? I. Let us prove unashamed of the Gospel and ever seek opportunities to promote the good news of Jesus and His Kingdom to all those with whom we share our lives! J. Invitation/songbook