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Evangelism has gotten a bit of a bad reputation. The term is often more associated with televangelists and people yelling on street corners than with Christians who want to share Christ with the people in their lives. This week, John Bailey and Mark Renfroe talk about what it looks like to share the gospel well.
Key Points from the Podcast
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When a lot of the world hears the term evangelist, they think of the televangelist in the gaudy suit prodding them to send money or the guy standing on the street corner yelling at them to turn or burn.
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A guest speaker who comes to your church speaking to church people about church things is not an evangelist, but a revivalist. An evangelist is one who goes and shares the gospel with those who don’t yet know Christ.
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Evangelism events are great, but one-on-one evangelism is better since people can move beyond simply reciting a prayer and take steps into discipleship.
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It is vital to understand that evangelism is spiritual warfare. We are contending against hell for souls.
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Learning from Jesus, we can see that one of the best things we can do when sharing the gospel with someone is to ask them questions.
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Mark and John discuss the difference between friendship evangelism and friendly evangelism.
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God gives us the ministry of sharing the gospel with others. It is not up to us to get them saved. That responsibility lies with the Holy Spirit.
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Truth delivered at the wrong time may actually be an antidote to truth being received. If someone is not hungry, the best meal in the world is not appetizing.
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If there is someone close to you with whom you want to share the gospel, it is important that they see Christ reflected in how you live your life.
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Remember, when sharing the gospel with others that the primary objective is not to change their behaviors, but that they come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Let God clean the inside of the cup and the outside will be clean also.
Bible Verses Referenced in the Podcast
James 1:17; Luke 4:1–42; Isaiah 9:6; Proverbs 15:1; Proverbs 18:19; Matthew 23:26
Resources Mentioned in the Podcast
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The Cross and the Switchblade by David Wilkerson
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A Heart After God Psalms sermon series by Gary Wilkerson
About John Bailey
Pastor John Bailey serves as the Chief Operating Officer at World Challenge. John came to know Christ in jail after some difficult struggles as a young man, and God has done a powerful work of transformation since! Spending 13 years in Next Gen ministry, he excelled in discipleship and helping young leaders discover giftings to serve God. John was called next to serve as a missionary and pastor in Western Europe. John and his family then returned to plant the Springs Church in Jacksonville, Florida. Today, the church is a thriving body of believers excelling in outreach and missions. John has now brought his giftings and vision to World Challenge, accelerating the spread of the gospel in America and around the World.
About Mark Renfroe
Mark married his college sweetheart, Amy, with whom he has four adult children—one girl and three boys. The Renfroes have been involved in field missions work for 30 years. They served in the Arab community of San Francisco for four years before becoming foreign missionaries in 1995. Mark was asked to serve as the Area Director for Assemblies of God World Missions in 2007. As part of his role, he led missionaries and interfaced with national church leaders in the 18 countries of the Arab World. In 2017, Mark created Reaching Africa’s Muslims, an initiative to mobilize, equip, and deploy indigenous African missionaries to reach Muslims on the continent. Mark has graduate degrees in Intercultural Studies and Executive Leadership. He currently serves as the Chief Missions Officer for World Challenge in Colorado Springs.
