Evangelism Phobia
by Joe Boot, “A Slice of Infinity” e-mail from
(http://www.rzim.org/publications/slice.php)
It is as true today as ever before that we are living in a lost world, a world of people missing out on the salvation found only in Jesus Christ. Yet despite the necessity and urgency of evangelism, many Christians hesitate to evangelize. Is it because we are starting to accept that sharing our faith today is intolerant, offensive, impractical and
impossible? Or, worse still, that it is theologically unnecessary given the contemporary consensus among so many people that God will welcome one and all eventually--so long as they are on some sort of spiritual pilgrimage? Or are there other things that hold us back?
Evangelism is sharing the good news about Christ in a coherent, meaningful manner. If we do not really believe that it is appropriate, possible, commanded, or necessary, then we will certainly lack confidence in the value of living an evangelistic life. Instead, there will be a fear of, or powerful resistance to, the very idea of sharing Christ.
If we are to rebuild confidence in our mission, first and foremost we must be individually and corporately convinced of several related beliefs: the objective exclusivity of the gospel, the absolute necessity of evangelism, and the irrevocable validity of the divine command to "go into all the world and preach the gospel" (Mark
Another key trigger for evangelism phobia is self doubt. Many of us feel that because we are broken people, because we have failed at various points in our Christian lives, we are simply ill equipped or unqualified to share our faith. Perhaps we even feel hypocritical.
It is, of course, true that the church is full of broken people. We live in a fallen world with all its attendant problems, and we wrestle against the "old nature" on a daily basis. But this is precisely why people need Christ: the one who binds up the broken, a savior who offers total renewal and restoration of the human person. Christ's salvation is to the
uttermost--spirit, soul, mind, and one day, the body. If we were already whole and perfected we would not need the gospel at all. Part of our witness is that we are a redeemed people, a holy nation, a people belonging to God.
When we shun sharing our faith because of some personal failure, we have allowed a subtle form of pride to enter our hearts. To suggest that brokenness disqualifies us from the task is to say that Christ's sacrifice for my justification and sanctification is insufficient, and that the gospel is dependent upon my state of mind and heart, rendering God powerless. It is pride of a highly destructive nature that leads us to believe that because I am broken, I cannot share Christ the savior with other broken people.
Yet the good news we offer carries an authority far beyond our deficient words and imperfect testimony. The God of Scripture calls us to speak. If his Word did not carry divine authority then it would be the height of arrogance to impose our opinion. It is precisely because it is not a mere opinion--but God's infallible revelation--that we can have a holy boldness seasoned with gentle grace as we share our faith.
Joe Boot is executive director of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in
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Copyright (c) 2005 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM)
"A Slice of Infinity" is aimed at reaching into the culture with words of challenge, words of truth, and words of hope.
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