Is evangelizing required in order to be saved by Jesus?
"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I among them" (Matthew 18:20)
As a youngster, social pressure conditioned me to deny my faith. In school, I noticed my peers mocking those who believed in God and who shared their beliefs with others. Even though I felt an urge to defend my Christian friends and possibly embrace their religion, my insecurities and ignorance stopped me from taking action. I wasn’t aware of the story of God’s commandments, but the values of the laws resonated deep inside. I didn’t even know how to spell Leviticus, but I was familiar with the concept in chapter 19, verse 18 — “Love thy neighbor as thyself.”
I knew my friends were wrong to bother our gospel-sharing classmates, but with no training, I couldn’t plan the words to speak against the situation. I lacked the experience and direction to defend those being harassed. God’s word wasn’t spoken in my childhood home.
As an immigrant at age eighteen, my mother, who escaped from her war-torn homeland in the Sudeten Mountains in Europe, brought with her the morals and values rooted in her upbringing surrounding God, and faith and family. However, she desired that my sister and I have an American childhood, so, in hiding her culture and her childhood trauma, she left her European ancestry behind. Unfortunately, that included most of her religious practices. She didn’t raise us with the Lord as a part of our daily lives. She never shared her faith or the importance of having a relationship with God.
I don’t know how my father grew up; he shared little about it. I believe his mother may have been mentally unstable, which gave my dad a tough childhood. Despite my father’s reluctance to discuss his past, I deduced from his tense interactions with his mother that his childhood hadn’t been great. Like my mom, my father didn’t teach us, his daughters, much about religion, either.
I lost both my parents when I was in my twenties. Doctors diagnosed my father with malignant melanoma at 54. My dad spoke to me about his belief in spirituality and in the healing powers of nature. I supported him, read about tribal healers, and talked with him. We sat in quiet contemplation, wishing he had more time, knowing the outcome was near as we waited until it was his time to go.
Spirituality, when practiced privately, can be felt if not heard.
During the few months he suffered through the medical treatments, he sought guidance from a local pastor. My dad had little faith in doctors, but, as it turned out, he believed in God. The pastor visited a few times and, I assume, prayed with my dad about his final approach to heaven. This relationship with the pastor proved deeply personal for my dad and I wasn’t included. My father still didn’t share God with me.
My father’s passing left my mother as a widow with no will to fight when, a few years later, doctors diagnosed her with ovarian cancer. Even as she lay in the hospital bed, at 56, to receive a lethal dose of morphine that would end her struggle to live, my mom didn’t ask us to pray.
Keeping the painful childhood she suffered hidden within, I pray that in death she was set free.
Silence filled the hospital room as my sister and I each held one of her hands. In the moments before she drew her last breath, I saw in her expression several emotions: sorrow for leaving us, questions about the future of her soul, maybe anxiousness? I will never know.
Though they didn’t draw attention to it, my mother and father lived faithful lives, devoted to each other and to us. They did not share the gospel. Not even to their children did they preach, or practice religion for that matter. And yet their influence was profound. They lived an example we could follow. We are fortunate that from our mother and father’s unspoken devotion to the Lord, my sister and I inherited the benefits of many blessings.
Not long after they died, when I found myself overcome with grief compounded by hardships in life, I asked the Lord to mend my broken heart, and I received Jesus as my savior. Living a Christian lifestyle as my parents did, I had felt the power of the Holy Spirit with me often. In raising my daughters, there were challenges to be overcome, many times when danger came and passed. I felt someone must have been watching over me.
I was joyful, filled with a strong inner spirit, and felt optimistic. To this day, I find good in most situations. Though I had lost the opportunity to pray with my parents, since accepting the Holy Spirit I have healed those wounds and others that have come along the way.
Throughout the Bible, from the contributing voices of the many authors who heard God’s word, are messages to evangelize.
Mark 16:15 “He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.’”
Direct orders. “Go”! The hard-sell method. I bristle at the thought of evangelizing when I compare it to network marketing history.
After getting involved in a few pyramid schemes, I didn’t like making every conversation a sales pitch. After a while, my friends and co-workers were avoiding me. I didn’t blame them. Even I desired an escape from myself.
Judging from history, I am not proficient at marketing. I couldn’t get people to buy things they needed back then. I am certain I will not do well selling my faith to non-believers now. But will I be disappointing God if I don’t evangelize? Can the Holy Spirit live in my heart even if I don’t obey this commandment?
In searching for answers, I have found evangelism has a softer side:
1 Peter 1:13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
A more indirect, less commanding method of spreading the good news is lifestyle evangelism. This is what my parents did. In living a Christian life as an example, my parents’ approach for sharing the gospel was so indirect it was subliminal.
Research tells me God wants us to share our faith to the degree that we are capable. Evangelism for individuals skilled in widespread outreach might be a fit. For those not so equipped, they can join others in ministries. Charity. Most can share the gospel with grace in quiet conversations.
We can embody the teachings of Christianity through practicing lifestyle evangelism. Helping others without seeking credit (Matthew 6:3) or expecting anything in return (Luke 6:35) are examples of lifestyle or servant evangelism.
The Bible describes the attributes and qualities of an evangelist thus: prepared, prayerful, courageous and loving.
1 Peter 3:15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.
For me, it is about knowing God, connecting from the heart, and praying. Also, being quiet enough to listen when God answers. I will equip myself with the above qualities so that when I find someone who asks, I will have the courage to share my story.
In Philippians, the apostle Paul writes a thank-you letter of encouragement from prison to the Christians who continue to spread the gospel despite setbacks. From Philippians, I find a lot of answers to my questions about evangelism. Whether you speak to many or few, the point is to speak through your faith in Christ’s message. It is God’s sovereign responsibility to reach out His Devine hands, offering His spirit to those who seek salvation.
Philippians 1:18 It does not Matter! I am happy about it—just so Christ is preached in every way possible.
This is all I needed to know. My quest for eternal life continues as the insight I gain from my search for answers brings me one step closer. I can live by Christian values and share my story, showing that Jesus died for my sins so I am saved. I can assure people that they too can have eternal life if they believe. What’s being lost when taking a step of faith?
Profound in its simplicity, my duty as a faithful Christian is the easy part. God will handle the rest.
