Evangelism Series: To Speak or Not to Speak
For this next installment, I’d like to explore the “why” behind sharing our faith with others—particularly others who already adhere to another religion or who feel they are intellectually satisfied with their own idea of atheism or Gnosticism. This is one of the questions I came across when considering our ministry in Cambodia, a country which is 98% Buddhist.
Our current culture praises and promotes (almost above anything else) the idea that no one’s personal opinions or values should be contested. We are constantly told to respect all beliefs, values, behaviors, and perspectives. We are told not to “force our value system” on others. This leaves many Christians in our generation wondering if Evangelism is even appropriate—especially to those who already adhere to a different religion.
Nic and I simply hope to provide you with some food for thought on this matter. The topic of evangelizing our world with the truth in Jesus obviously deserves volumes, and here we’re only touching the tip of the iceberg. Our hope is that this will pique your interest and help you start your own journey of sharing your Christian faith with others.
The Bible Tells Us So!
Let’s first take a moment to review the fact that evangelism is a pretty clear Biblical mandate. The great commission spoken by Jesus would certainly be enough, but we have numerous other directives throughout scripture that likewise command us to spread God’s plan of salvation.
Consider the following: (references from the NIV)
The Great Commission: Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation. (Mark 16:15)
For this is what the Lord has commanded us: “I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth“. (Acts 16:47)
Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. (Psalm 105:1)
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8)
“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” (Matthew 4:19)
The Church Tells Us So!
I also love the following from excerpt from the Catechism of the Catholic Church that directly addresses the evangelizing of those who have never heard the salvation story:
“Although in ways known to himself God can lead those who, through no fault of their own, are ignorant of the Gospel, to that faith without which it is impossible to please him, the Church still has the obligation and also the sacred right to evangelize all men.” (Paragraph 848, emphasis my own)
Recalling the Biblical imperative to witness does much to help us on our way to accepting this great responsibility. Still, we often need a little more instruction to understand the why. How do we address the modern concern that witnessing means that we are disrespecting the beliefs of the person we are witnessing to? How do we reconcile sharing a belief system with someone who already adheres to another?
A different perspective
Let us consider Nic’s analogy of the warehouse:
“I always think of earthly life as taking place within a long, expansive warehouse with an entrance door on one end and and exit on the other. Between the two doors is a winding path that weaves between both amazing sights and experiences and perils of all kinds (you know, deep pits with ravenous beasts, rotating blades, explosive land mines—the typical perils.)
For the longest time, the warehouse was plunged into darkness because of a foolish decision on some ancient ancestor’s part. As a result, people floundered and pawed their way through the warehouse, trying their best to avoid all the danger and still experience some good moments. Left on their own, an occasional few dragged their way to the exit successfully, but, for the most part, people perished along the way for myriad reasons.
At one point, a chosen few were given a powerful flashlight, and they began guiding a small amount of people safely through the treacherous journey and even provided them glimpses of the beauty around them.
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5)
Consider for a moment, was it rude or obnoxious of them to share this guiding light with their fellow travelers?
The allegory continues: Later still, finally and miraculously, the power source was fully repaired, bathing the warehouse in beautiful light. Suddenly, the dangers weren’t so dangerous. At last, the exit was visible and readily attained! Not only that, the beautiful vistas could now be seen and the experiences enjoyed. Life was, quite literally, enlightened and illuminated! However, by this time, multitudes of people had grown so accustomed to not needing their eyes that they had kept them closed. They remained in darkness despite the brilliant light around them, and continued to stumble through the perils. Again consider; is it judgmental or closed-minded to try with all of your heart to convince them to open their eyes and see? Or, is it compassionate and caring, truly demonstrating the love of God?”
I love the perspective that this analogy provides, and hope it provides you with some food for thought. Let us not forget that those living without Jesus are walking through life without His love, peace, comfort, mercy, and guidance (to name but a few). We have the ability to help others walk with us in the light.
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light. Ephesians 5:8
Stay tuned for our next installment!