Evangelism for the non-evangelist

by Joel Ramshaw (2022)

A heart of intercession goes hand-in-hand with the work of evangelism. A person will have a hard time evangelizing without carrying a burden for the lost souls. That is, if you are not praying for salvations and revival, then your evangelism is most likely mechanical, dutiful, and forced but with no real heart or passion. This is a recipe for rejection as well as burnout. The opposite is also true. For a person to breakthrough in intercession, this is not really possible if not also taking actions to win the lost to Christ

A natural evangelist tends to be an enthusiastic person. Salespeople and multi-level marketer promoters are often natural evangelists. But what about the rest of us? I often made the excuse that since I’m not naturally a very extroverted or talkative person, this must mean evangelism is not my gift and I can just leave it to others “called” to reach the lost. After all, doesn’t the verse say, “if all were hearing, where would the sight be.” But we must remember that Paul is the one who wrote this, and although his primary calling was as an apostle, he still constantly spent time evangelizing. The apostle Paul was not a natural evangelist either. In 2 Corinthians 10:10 Paul said he was known for appearing weak in person and his speech was mocked. This is not a natural evangelist. Paul learned to overcome his weakness in this area however, and become a bold preacher of God’s word to the lost souls. We don’t each have to try to be a Billy Graham, but we can at least all wear Christ’s banner with confidence everywhere we go, and be ready to give an answer when people around us ask about our faith. Sometimes we take the mindset that it is good to evangelize as long as it can be done in a way that doesn’t lead to a change in our reputation, or to being seen as foolish or backwards. Christ said: “Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” (Luke 9:26). Sometimes we are afraid of being pushy. Remember, its not our job to save each person. It’s only our job to present the opportunity to them. Even if they reject at first, a seed is still planted in their mind, getting them to think about God. Later when another person evangelizes, it may result in the person’s salvation. One sows and another reaps.

For most of us it may feel difficult and unnatural to bring up a conversation about Christ with a stranger. This is where clothing can help. If we are weak in witnessing with the spoken word, the written word can help. Just as Nascar drivers and sports stars wear their sponsor’s logo we should be happy to carry the mark of the one who redeemed us, not displaying it in an arrogant way, but simply letting his name be known. Start with shirts, hoodies, or vehicle decals. Some of them are pretty corny, but just shop around longer and you can find better ones. Items with clear, basic messages in large block writing are best. The cursive font and riddles in some shirts make it unlikely that a nearby person will even discern the message of Christ. One shirt says “Lord’s Army,” but the word “Lord” is in very tiny letters while “Army” is in giant letters. Anyone who sees this will just think you are a person who loves the army and wont even notice the word “Lord,” thus it is not really evangelistic. You can buy Christian apparel at Christianbook.com or your local Christian bookstore. I got my vinyl decal off of Etsy. It was pretty cheap, I believe only around $15. The first time I tried to apply the decal myself based on watching a youtube video. This did not go well and half of it tore off. I later bought an identical decal and booked an appointment with an auto detailer to have it installed by a professional which cost an unbelievably low amount, not much more than $10 for installation.

Another place is local bulletin boards. These often have spaces where invitations to events and gatherings can be placed. Use this opportunity to place invitation posters to church evangelistic events and small groups. Even if there are only a few who respond it is greatly worth it.

Even if one soul passes and sees the message, a seed is planted in their mind to search for Christ. Even if others mock the banner you display, if at least one is saved from seeing it, it becomes worth it. The Israelites painted blood upon the doorpost as a visible mark of being for God. The enemy tries to spread his own demonic mark on his people. We need the mark of God. Putting an evangelistic decal on your vehicle helps provide extra angelic protection in traffic as well, because God wants to ensure the vehicle is a good witness and not reckless in driving.

In Canada we are often obsessed with not offending anyone. This makes us much less evangelistic compared to Americans, who have a much more “in your face” type culture. Rather than being so prideful in our Canadian culture, we need to repent and lay its failing aside to be replaced by kingdom culture. The culture of God’s kingdom is the only one worth copying and supporting, all others are dung.

There are some Bible verses (Matthew 6:1) that mention not trying to appear righteous before men or praying in front of others. It all depends on your environment. In the secular world full of unbelievers, putting on a Christian shirt is obviously not to win the approval of those around you. On the other hand, trying to act super-spiritual around other believers and being flamboyant about how good of a Christian you are is what that verse is really talking about. Don’t use it as a reason not to evangelize. Evangelism was my weakest gifting and God was able to stretch me to perform. I know you can as well. We have looked at several evangelism strategies that do not require any huge boldness or superb conversation skills. These can be done by any average person and provide an excellent witness for Christ. Building the New Jerusalem is not about trying to be a superstar, but the simplicity of each person laying their brick.


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