A Vision for Evangelism: God Can Do More than We Imagine

We never know what God will do when we share the good news of Jesus with others.

In the mid 1900s, a young boy in India from a Hindu family snuck out of his home to attend secret house church gatherings. In the 1970s, after moving to the US and changing his name to Samuel Paul, he met an immigrant from Iran named Iraj.

Iraj was curious about the Christian faith. Yet after reading the Gospel of John, he thought Jesus was a self-proclaimed religious teacher—certainly not God.

But Samuel Paul prayed. Samuel Paul preached. Samuel Paul invited Iraj to church. And eventually, when the Holy Spirit opened Iraj’s eyes, Iraj believed Jesus was indeed the Son of God.

Years later, Iraj married an Irish woman, and they had two children. I am one of these children.

Because of Samuel Paul’s faithfulness to share the message of Jesus with my father, and because of the faithfulness of an unknown evangelist in India who shared the good news of Jesus with Samuel Paul, I grew up in a home where I was taught about God’s love.

God can do much more than we ask or imagine when we share the good news with others.

But sometimes it’s hard to imagine the effects our faithful evangelism in our everyday moments—and we might be missing opportunities to share the gospel with another Samuel Paul. Who might miss hearing the gospel in the next generation if we don’t share right now?

What stops us from sharing the good news of Jesus? Maybe we are unsure of exactly what evangelism is, or maybe we don’t feel equipped (been there!). A 2022 study from Barna research showed that 37% of Christians who don’t share their faith said it’s because they don’t feel qualified or equipped.

But let’s take courage. Sharing the truth of Jesus doesn’t need to be complicated.

What Is Evangelism?

The word “evangelism” comes from the Greek noun euangelion, meaning “good news,” and verb euangelizomai, which means “to announce or proclaim or bring good news.”[1]

We see forms of this word used in numerous places in the Bible. Some examples in the New Testament include

• when Gabriel proclaimed the good news to Mary that she would be with child (Luke 2:10);
• when Jesus read from the scroll of Isaiah and testified that he was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophesy to “proclaim good news to the poor” (Luke 4:18);
• when Paul encouraged the Romans to share the good news of Jesus (Rom 10:15).

In other words, evangelism is sharing good news—in particular, the good news of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection. Evangelism is not “making someone a Christian.” It is simply sharing the good news clearly. The fruit of faith is always God’s work. (What a relief!)

Reflect:

Think back to your earliest memory of someone sharing the gospel with you in a way you could understand.

Who Is Called to Do Evangelism?

Jesus commanded his followers to “go and make disciples” (Matt 28:19). Making disciples includes evangelism (telling others about Jesus and how to be saved). Jesus’s instructions about making disciples also included this: Teach them “to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matt 28:20).

So, friend, we are commanded (from Jesus, through the disciples, all the way to us) to share the good news of Jesus in a way people can understand and then teach them to obey Jesus’s commands. No special calling is required when it comes to sharing the gospel.

Reflect:

Now that you know sharing the good news is part of Jesus’s commands to all believers, what is your next step in being more deliberate about sharing the gospel?

How Are We to Evangelize?

There isn’t just one single way to share the good news of Jesus with others. People may preach on the street, post engaging gospel presentations online, or hand out tracts to passersby.

One of the most common ways to share the good news of Jesus, however, is by modeling a life of pursuing Christ and walking alongside nonbelievers. Jesus welcomed sinners of all stripes to hang out with him. He never changed who he is, and he always talked about God’s kingdom. Some people stayed; some walked away.

Sometimes, this might look like taking risks and connecting in genuine relationship with neighbors, coworkers, or others in our social circles. Other times, it might look like block parties, game nights, or inviting others over for taco night.

And when an opportunity opens to share the gospel, we will speak clearly. If people walk away, we keep the door open to that relationship. We never know what the Holy Spirit is doing in someone else’s life. Salvation is God’s work. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused it to grow” (1 Cor 3:6).

Reflect:

• How might God lead you to share the good news of Jesus on a regular basis? What might that look like for you?

What Should We Say When We Share the Gospel?

Whether you preach on the street or share the gospel over a good meal, you’ll want to include several points for the clear communication of the good news of Jesus:

• Start with the beginning of the world and the problem of sin (Gen 1–3).
• Explain that the consequence of sin is forever death to all, because every person sins (Rom 3:23; 6:23).
• Celebrate that God provided a way for rescue through Jesus (John 3:16).
• Clarify that Jesus is 100% God and 100% human (Matt 1:23).
• Explain that Jesus is the perfect sacrifice for sin because he never sinned (Heb 10:10).
• Tell them Jesus died on the cross to pay the death penalty of sin, and this gift is available to all (Rom 6:10; 1 Pet 3:18).
• Tell them Jesus died and was buried for three days and rose again to conquer sin and death forever (1 Cor 15:3–6).
• Continue the story about Jesus now being seated at the right hand of the Father; and Jesus will come again to judge the living and the dead (Eph 1:20; Rev 20:11–15)
• Share with them how to be saved: If they believe in Jesus, they will be saved from the wrath of God against all sin and evil (Rom 10:9).
• Encourage them with God’s desire that no one perish and all turn to him (2 Pet 3:9).
• Clearly explain that it is by grace through faith we are saved. We do not earn our salvation (Eph 2:8–9).
• Then ask them what questions they have.

Sample Gospel Presentation

God, who created the world and everything in it (Gen 1), loves us deeply. But we have a deep problem. Humanity has turned our back on God by doing things our own way instead of God’s way, which is called “sin” (Gen 3). Sin means “missing the mark” of God’s standard of holiness. And because of our sin, we are bound to be separated from God in forever death (Rom 6:23).

But there is good news! Because God loves us deeply, he made a way that we can be made right with him (1 Pet 2:24). God sent his one and only son, Jesus, who is God-in-the-flesh, 100% God and 100% man (Matt 1:23; John 3:16). Jesus lived a perfect life, never sinning, and died to pay the penalty of our sin in our place. His perfect life became our perfect sacrifice (Heb 10:10). By his wounds, we are healed (Isa 53).

But then comes even greater news! After three days, Jesus rose from the grave, conquering sin and death for us (1 Cor 15:57). He is now seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven (Eph 1:20) and one day will return as judge (Matt 25:31–46). Those who believe in the salvation of Jesus will enter the kingdom of God forever, but those who do not believe will be cast out (Rev 20:11–15). Even so, God desires that no one perish and that all turn from their sin to believe and follow him (2 Pet 3:9).

Do you believe in Jesus? Or do you have any questions I can try to help you with?

Reflect: If someone stood in front of you right now and asked you to share the good news of Jesus with them, what would you say?

Overcoming Fears to Sharing Our Faith

Boldly sharing our faith with others can feel unsafe. We may be judged. We may lose friends. We may even be persecuted in larger ways like many brothers and sisters in Christ in our generation. But let’s remember the words of Jesus to the first disciples—and by extension, to us:

Matthew 28:18–20

Then Jesus came up and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

So I ask: How will we share our faith?

God can do more than we imagine when we share the good news of Jesus. We may think our act of sharing the truth of the gospel in our ordinary moments might not change the world—but what if the unknown evangelist had never shared the gospel with Samuel Paul? I might not be a believer today. And I wonder: Who might join the Lord on the other side of eternity because you share the gospel with one more person?

For devotionals related to this article, see the following links:

The Best News Ever

The Blaze of the Holy Spirit

Reclaiming Our Identity and Purpose: 2 Corinthians 5:17–21

Further Study from DTS:

Free Course on Evangelism

The Mystic Way of Evangelism book (Bookstore)

Reviving Evangelism Table Podcast

Biblical Evangelism: Contact (Chapel message)

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[1] https://voice.dts.edu/article/heralding-the-good-news-the-origins-of-evangelism/