David Dann has been working with the West Main church of Christ in Lewisville, Texas since 2010. ddann1@hotmail.com

The Lord has made the spread of the gospel a top priority. Matthew wrote of the focus of Jesus’s earthly ministry, saying, “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people” (Matt. 4:23, NKJV). The spread of the gospel, or good news, was the focal point of the Lord’s work as He walked this earth. It is also evident that the spread of the gospel was at the forefront of the Lord’s thoughts following His resurrection in that Mark writes, “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned’” (Mark 16:15-16). The spread of the message of salvation has been, and continues to be, a top priority for the Lord.

The sharing of the gospel is both urgent and important, because the gospel message represents the only hope of salvation for sinners. Jesus made this clear in referring to Himself as the only way of salvation (cf. John 8:24; 14:6), and His teaching was echoed by the apostles, who said, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). There is no hope of salvation for sinners outside the gospel message of Jesus Christ.

Evangelism must take place in order for sinners to be saved. To “evangelize” is “to make acquainted with the gospel” or “to preach the gospel from place to place” (Webster’s English Dictionary). Therefore, evangelism refers to the process by which men and women are made acquainted with the gospel of Christ. Sinners must receive and obey the message of Jesus Christ in order to be saved and, in view of this fact, the apostle Paul writes, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek” (Rom. 1:16). If sinners are to be saved they must first be evangelized.

What Is the Essence of Evangelism?

1. The ongoing process of sharing the good news. “Essence” is defined as “that which makes a thing what it is” (Webster’s English Dictionary). The true substance of evangelism has to do with a continual process of spreading the message of salvation to others (cf. Rom. 10:13-17). At its core, evangelism simply involves presenting the message of Christ to those who are capable of hearing and believing it. When one person tells another person the story of the gospel, then the power of God is brought to bear on that individual’s heart, and his response to the message will determine his eternal destiny. That this process should never end is easily seen in that Paul instructed Timothy, saying, “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:1-2). The true essence of evangelism involves the ongoing spread of the gospel to those who are in need of it.

2. God’s people spreading God’s message. Evangelism is centered on God’s people sharing His message of salvation with others. The spread of the message may take place in the assembly of the local church, in some other public venue, or in private interaction between individuals. Peter spoke to the crowd in Jerusalem, saying, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). Philip “preached Jesus” to the Ethiopian Eunuch as they traveled along the road (8:35). When Paul and Silas were presented with the opportunity to share God’s message with the jailer in Philippi, the Bible says, “Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house” (16:32). Paul reminded the Ephesian elders of his evangelistic work among them, saying, “I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house” (20:20). Paul reasoned with Felix “about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come” (24:25). While scripturally-authorized programs and projects have their place in evangelistic work, the substance of evangelism may be boiled down to one person telling another person how he can go about receiving the salvation offered by Jesus Christ. The true essence of evangelism has to do with faithful followers of Christ helping their friends, relatives, and neighbors to hear and understand the gospel of Christ so that they, too, might become faithful followers of Christ.

What Is Not the True Essence of Evangelism?

1. A personality contest. Some make the mistake of centering evangelism on the personality of the one doing the evangelizing. It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that what is really needed in order to perform effective evangelistic work is someone with a charismatic and magnetic personality who will easily be able to draw others to hear the gospel. While some personality types may find it easier than others to begin a conversation about spiritual matters with a friend or neighbor, it is the gospel that is to serve as the drawing power (Rom. 1:16). Jesus said, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself” (John 12:32). Evangelism must be focused on the Savior, rather than on the personality of the one doing the evangelizing.

2. A man-made magic formula. Some are always searching for a humanly-devised fool-proof method that is sure to convert the lost. But God has already provided the effective formula for performing evangelism. The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, saying, “And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:1-2). This is the formula Paul used in Corinth when “many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized” (Acts 18:8). While many good methods of presenting the gospel of Christ are available, the focus in evangelism must remain on presenting the gospel of Christ.

3. Numeric church growth. Some have a warped perspective of evangelism when it comes to equating evangelistic efforts with numeric church growth. Brethren who notice that the local church is dwindling in number will sometimes urge that there is a sudden need to get busy evangelizing because the attendance numbers are down. While it is certainly true that believers are continually “added to the Lord” (cf. Acts 5:14; 11:24) as the gospel is spread, it needs to be understood that numeric growth is simply a byproduct of evangelism rather than its true essence.

What Is the Real Purpose of Evangelism?

1. Salvation for the lost. Evangelism is not about trying to help people to improve their lives, their marriages, or even their conduct. As the Lord told Paul, the sharing of the gospel is instead intended “to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me” (Acts 26:18). In concluding the parable of the lost coin, Jesus said, “Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10). The purpose of evangelism is to lovingly assist those who are lost in sin in finding the way of salvation in Jesus Christ.

2. Hope for the hopeless. The apostle Peter wrote to the Christians of Asia Minor, saying, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (1 Pet. 3:15). Because of the salvation that is in Jesus, the Lord’s people have a hope that those of the world do not have. The purpose of evangelism involves using the Scriptures to explain the hope of the child of God in order to persuade others to be partakers of this hope of eternal life rather than face the prospect of partaking of the Lord’s wrath. As Paul writes, “Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men” (2 Cor. 5:11).

3. Life for the dead. Paul wrote to the saints in Ephesus, saying, “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins… For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Eph. 2:1, 8-9). John wrote to those who had already obeyed the gospel, saying, “We know that we have passed from death to life” (1 John 3:14). Those who are spiritually dead, having been separated from God through sin, can be made spiritually alive through hearing, believing, and obeying the gospel of Jesus Christ. John writes, “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (5:12). The purpose of evangelism is to help those who are dead in sin to enter into a relationship with the Lord so that they become partakers of spiritual and eternal life.

Conclusion

The greatest, deepest, and most profound need of the human race is to hear, believe, and obey the gospel message of Jesus Christ. It is both a wonderful privilege and a great responsibility to be entrusted with the task of spreading that message to all who will hear it. In our efforts to spread the word may we never lose sight of the true essence and purpose of evangelism.