The Journey Continues: Personal Evangelism
In an earlier post I wrote about the Samaritan woman at the well, and Jesus' interaction with her: an example of personal evangelism. But as I continued to read and study John's Gospel, I found that there were other instances of personal evangelism: times when Jesus, whether one-on-one, or in small groups, focused on one or two individuals with the intent to minister to them personally: Nicodemus in chapter 3; The official and his son in chapter 4; The lame man by the Pool of Bethesda in chapter 5; The blind man in chapter 9; Jesus' time with the Disciples in the Upper room, chapters 13-17; Jesus and Mary Magdalene at the tomb and His appearance to the disciples in chapter 20, including His time with Thomas, and encouraging Thomas to place his hands and fingers in Jesus' wounds.
But what is "personal evangelism", and how can I apply that to my life today?
The example that we see in John's Gospel shows us God in human form engaging people on a personal level: one-on-one. With the woman at the well, He knew things that revealed His knowledge not only of the woman's past, but her soul. It exposed her deep-seeded Samaritan vs. Jewish belief of where to worship God. Jesus blew past all of that to get to her innermost being, and from there, He showed her great love and compassion. Verse 6 tells us that Jesus was weary. Yet despite that weariness, He engaged this woman for something much greater: her, and other's, salvation.
I find that social media gives us great freedom to interact one-on-one. But it lacks something, and that's the actual physical presence of being with someone, engaging them in conversation, be it about faith, or family, or what we may be feeling at the time. Jesus' example of this personal evangelism is that it must be done even when we are weary, even if there is a personal cost.
So again, how do I apply that to my life today? Frankly, I don't know. I pray daily for God to use me in some form of service. I have felt, in the past, a call to be a pastor, and that was confirmed when two people asked if I'd ever thought of that. Lately it's been a feeling that I want to help the homeless, in some form, either through my local church body, or in some form of faith-based ministry.
But what about the one-on-one? I tried that once, and feel like I did not succeed. Only recently have I understood that while I may not have "led the person to Christ" at that time, now over 40 years ago, maybe I planted a seed, and that person today is a follower of Christ. I marvel at my wife and how she is able to find words to witness for Christ, yet I feel that if the same situation were to happen to me, I'd be tongue-tied.
But there is a reassurance in John's Gospel that even if our personal evangelism is not overt, it can be there. In one of the greatest verses from chapter 13, Jesus commands His disciples "...that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
Personal evangelism is not just a one-on-one engagement or encounter: it's a way of life. Living our very lives as examples of the love we receive from God through Christ, and how we extend that love towards those we love, and those whom nobody loves. We may not think we are engaged in that unique experience of witnessing to someone. But we are, nonetheless, being evangelists for the Kingdom.
Soli Deo Gloria
Comments
Today the word evangelization is most often used in a Christian context, and that certainly can apply. However, the literal meaning is "an ardent or missionary zeal for a cause."
Jesus wasn't a Christian, and he did not establish a religion. I don't even believe it's accurate to call him a Jew, because the temple leadership wanted nothing to do with him. They wanted to shut him up, even to the point of having him assassinated. He wasn't preaching their message, he was revealing God's good news to the whole world, including the "unreligious."
Neither the Samaritan woman, nor the Syrophoenician, nor the Centurion (Luke Ch 7), nor the thousands who were fed with loaves and fishes abandoned their cultural practices to become "Christians." Jesus invited us to follow him and to teach people by loving them as he has loved us. There was no instruction to proselytize anybody.
Too many evangelicals have embraced a puny god (maybe fashioned is more precise), one who is so mean-spirited and so petty that he chose to have his son be tortured, humiliated and put to death. It's no wonder so many folks reject the idea. We murdered our brother Jesus; we insist that blood is needed to cover up our many atrocities. How dare anyone ascribe that vile aspect of human nature to God.
You can help to reveal God's true nature through your art. As with van Gogh's Starry Night, Michaelangelo's David, C.S. Lewis' many writings, Bach's entire oeuvre, all creative work points us back to the Divine Creator.
While I was a student, I learned that mass communication is a myth, or at least a poorly understood aspect of how messages are distributed with the aid of technology. All communication is one-on-one (actually, there are diagrams to illustrate that, but I won't bore you with them here).
When I am captivated by Gauguin's Path down to the Aven, he is opening my eyes to his unique impression. If I'm listening to The Angels and the Shepherds by Stephen Paulus, no matter how many people are in the audience, he is sharing his personal and intimate revelation with me. The singers are participating--giving an assist--but we know the best performers get out of the way, and allow the music to speak for itself.
Your photographic work shows who God is and what he desires for us more clearly than ten thousand sermons. There's a beautiful quote attributed to St. Francis of Assisi: “Preach the gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words." For you, words are not strictly necessary.