Getting Over Yourself in Evangelism
A friend once wisely noted that the hardest part of evangelism is the first ten seconds. I tend to agree. The reason for this is that to share our faith, we have to get past ourselves, principally, the fear of being rejected, the risk of our potentially causing offense, and/or the embarrassment of our not having all the answers. What would John the Baptist say to this kind of thinking? A number of things surely:
First, “It’s not about you, and it certainly isn’t about [him].” When the delegation from the Council of Jerusalem arrived on John’s doorstep, notice his response: “And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No” (John 1:19–21). John’s answer is so very understated: It’s not about me. I am nothing; He is everything. I am not the Christ, but He is.
When the Jews asked him, “Well, who are you then?” (1:22). He responds, “I am a voice.” Period. That is all. Teapots exist to pour tea. Violins exist to make music. I exist simply to make a way for His ministry to enter the hearts of men (1:23). I rather suspect that we struggle to have this perspective because we don’t share it. We want more for ourselves than just that.
Second, the best way to think less of ourselves (or better, to think of ourselves appropriately) is to think more of Jesus. The only effective way to discount one treasure is to find one that is even better. Unless that happens, our efforts to get over ourselves will forever resemble an alcoholic trying to convince himself that he doesn’t really enjoy drinking and, therefore, should stop.
Listen to John: “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie . . . This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me’ ’” ((John 1:26–27, 30). Evidently, John has thought deeply about the glory and the eternality of the Lord Christ. Here is an idea with consequences. If you desire a bolder, more authentic witness, fill your minds with these kinds of thoughts. Convince yourself that Jesus matters and that He matters more than you do. He matters more than other people’s opinions. He matters more than anything down here on earth.
Third, remember who Jesus is and what He offers to lost human beings. He, and He alone, is able to take away our sins, not just our sins, mind you, but the sins of the whole world. “The next day (John) saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29, ESV).
We hear this so often that we take it too much for granted. Think of the power and the malignity of sin. One sin, what most people would describe as a fairly minor infraction of God’s law, was responsible for all the misery, death, and evil in this world. Milenia of graveyards owe their existence to this one sin. Cancer, old age, Alzheimer’s disease, the stinging ability of mosquitoes, divorce, murder, and rape all trace their origin back to this one sin. If it didn’t exist, neither would they.
Our first parents ate a forbidden piece of fruit, and they and all their children were ejected from paradise, creation sank under the curse of God, and all our hearts became desperately wicked and corrupt. None of us can escape the gravitational nexus connecting sin and death. We are all born well on our way to the grave. Sin really is that serious. This was no overreaction on God’s part.
Furthermore, there is NOTHING we can do to redeem ourselves from this predicament. I am reminded of the words of the naval architect of the ill-fated Titanic. After the vessel struck the iceberg and the architect faced the ‘not even God could sink this ship” confidence of the senior officers on board, he reputedly remarked, “Sirs, I can assure you. I designed this ship. She is made of iron. Sink she can, and sink she will!” So it is with mankind. As a lump, we are made out of sin. The wrath of God is our desert and our destiny, unless someone arises who is big enough and good enough to carry away our sins.
This Someone is Jesus Christ of Nazareth. He alone has shoulders broad enough to carry away the curse each of us deserves. In Christ alone do we find another nexus, that is, the joining together of the justice which God demands and the mercy which He provides. He alone is qualified to become the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
For the Christian, this should be doubly impactful. For we have already received this mercy. And now, having received it ourselves, shall we withhold it from others? To become more effective evangelists, we need to fill our minds then with thoughts not just of Christ’s glory, but also of our neighbors’ need. Think often of who they are, what they deserve (even the best of them), and how Christ alone can save them. Think not that our Calvinistic theology will absolve us on the last day when many rise up and declare, “I would have believed if only you had told me!” (Matt. 11:20-24). In light of this sobering possibility, our fears and sense of inadequacy as communicators of the gospel message must pale in comparison.