Women's Corner

A while back there was an Evangelism conference in Albuquerque. There is an intimidating label for you. Pardon me, but do we really need a conference for Evangelism? Actually, yes!

If you ask many Christians they equate evangelism with a daunting program that only the properly trained can and should get involved in. We see it as a task for leadership- certainly not regular people. After all, how would we know how to do evangelism? In the same chapter of 2 Timothy that Paul encourages Timothy (as he does us) to “Be ready in season and out of season”, to preach the gospel, Paul also says that we are to do the work of an evangelist. (2 Timothy 5) Evangelize in the dictionary means- “to preach the gospel to”, and evangelism means- “the winning or reviving of personal commitment to Christ”. Can you see yourself doing that? Is it something only the trained and taught can or should do? Absolutely not!

Evangelism happens every time you and I leave our houses. The minute we walk out of the door, we begin the work of evangelism. We do not have to be the preacher to do it. We don’t even have to speak words to “do the work of an evangelist”. Our very lives testify to the world and those around us of our commitment to Christ. The way we conduct ourselves on a daily basis “speaks” volumes to those around us of the good news of Jesus Christ and the change He can affect in a person’s life. Before you get all excited that you will never have to actually say anything to anyone about your faith in Christ, remember that the Lord says that if we are ashamed to confess Jesus publicly before men, He will not confess us before His Father in Heaven. ( Matthew 10:32-33; Luke 12:8-9) It is necessary for us to speak to others about our faith in Christ as opportunities arise. We do have to take a stand verbally for Him.

Evangelism, then, is living our lives in a way that manifests our commitment to Christ in a very real and tangible way. It is living our life as who we are in front of the world, as well as being ready in season and out to give an account for the hope that is in us. It involves being ready and willing to speak out boldly of the new life we have found in Christ, as well as living out our identity in Him before the world. It is the lifestyle of letting Jesus shine through us in the midst of our work places, play places, and everywhere in between. It is living like the child of the King that we are.

I mentioned earlier that evangelism starts the moment we step out of our door. For many of us, however, it is a 24/7 task. We are in the world of evangelism in our own household as we live our lives with our families. If you have children, it is part of your job as a mother (or father) to evangelize your children- to teach them the Gospel and bring them to an understanding and commitment to Christ. There may be others in your family that you are a testimony of Christ to. In that case, evangelism is a 24/7 lifestyle for you. In effect, evangelism is a 24/7 lifestyle for all Christians!

In our lives, no meeting is haphazard. God orchestrates those who need our touch, our word, our testimony to cross our path each day. We can either be knowledgeable of that fact and ready to seize every moment and opportunity, or we can live our everyday lives oblivious to that fact.

I can tell that by this time, many of you are nervous about this call to evangelism, wondering- how can I ever do that? Have no fear, it is not by your own power that you do that. The key is to walk in the Spirit. ( Gal. 5:16-26) Let the Spirit within you do it. If we are focused on the Spirit of God and listening to His guidance, we will be witnessing to the world of Christ in us, many times without even realizing it. The key is also to remember who we are, as well as whose we are, and go about doing the work of an evangelist-- to preach (to proclaim publicly) the good news of Jesus Christ- with or without words.