It has been well said that the only reason the church is left in the world is to evangelize; everything else that it does could be done better in heaven.  But there will be no need for evangelism in heaven. 

Evangelism is the work of every believer.  As we have benefited from and come to realize the effects of God’s grace on our lives through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it should encourage and empower us to share this grace with others. It is not the work of a select few or only those who are “gifted” in evangelism, but of every believer.  Believers should encourage one another in this work and hone the skill of sharing the faith. 

What is Evangelism?
Evangelism should be thought of as communicating (Rom 10:14) the truth about God, man, sin, judgment, Jesus Christ and the offer of forgiveness and eternal life to those who respond by believing on Him and confessing Him as their Savior (Rom 10:9).  It is the “issuing of a call to turn as well as to trust; it is the delivering, not merely of a divine invitation to receive a Savior, but of a divine command to repent of sin” (J.I. Packer).

We are responsible as ambassadors for Christ to make an appeal to others to be reconciled to God (2 Cor 5:20).   But the results are up to Him, not us (Jn 1:13).  Just as God gives us the power and ability to share the Gospel, it is also God who changes the heart of the hearer (Eph 2:4-5; Col 2:13).  We cannot detect the elect (2 Tim 2:10).  We rely on the sovereignty and the power of God when we speak the Gospel (Rom 1:16; 1 Cor 2:4) and pray for the conversion of unbelievers (Rom 10:1; 1 Tim 2:1).  If the Gospel is rejected, they are not rejecting us but Christ (Luke 10:16).  It is not our duty to only share with those who we think will welcome the message but to all men regardless of an expected outcome  (1 Cor 9:22; 1 Tim 2:3-4). 

It is imperative to cultivate an evangelistic lifestyle that is on the alert for opportunities to share the faith (1 Pet 3:15; 2 Tim 2:15). Christians should keep their antennas up at all times so that we may impart spiritual truth to our lost friends both in word (2 Tim 4:2) and in manner of life (1 Pet 3:15). Unfortunately, this does not come naturally for most Christians.  It must be learned and we must pray for this attitude and train ourselves to do this. 

Those who welcome the Gospel and place their faith in Christ must be discipled and encouraged to grow in the faith through Bible study, church fellowship, worship and pursuing holiness, in obedience to Christ’s commission to His followers (Matt 28:19). 

Evangelism happens when we do the following:*

1. Tell people with honesty that if they repent and believe they will be saved – but it will be costly.
2. Tell people with urgency that if they repent and believe they will be saved – but they must decide now, before death.
3. Tell people with joy that if they repent and believe the Good News they will be saved.  However difficult it may be, it is all worth it!
4. Use the Bible.
5. Realize that the lives of individual Christians and of the church as a whole are a central part of evangelism. 
6. Remember to pray.

[*From Mark Dever’s Nine Marks of a Healthy Church]

Evangelism is NOT:

• Handing out tracts – Although there are many good tracts, most are inadequate in their breadth and/or their prescribed response to the Gospel.  But even with good ones, we should familiarize ourselves with them and take the time to walk through it with others. 
• Outreach programs – AWANA, Upward Sports, a booth at the fair and other “open church functions” where the public may come in contact with Christianity  may provide venues for evangelistic opportunities, but they should not be thought of as “doing evangelism”. 
• Apologetics – providing proofs for scripture’s reliability or the existence of God is helpful in breaking down barriers, but until they are confronted with their own sin and the offer of Christ’s sacrifice for our sins, evangelism has not taken place.  Apologetics might help get the lost person to that point. 
• “Imposing our views on other people” – the Gospel of Christ is truth!  It is based in historical facts.  It’s not our opinion or a lifestyle we’ve chosen that happens to work.  There is no manipulation or coercion in this message.  We are simply telling the truth in love to the lost. 
• Leading someone in a prayer, walking the aisle, baptism, etc – There are certain cultural, traditional and even biblical acts that can be confused with what saves us.  We must never give anyone the idea that we are saved by anything other than believing on Christ.  Everything else is an effect or a confession of faith.
• “Evangelism is not making of proselytes; it is not persuading people to make a decision; it is not proving that God exists, or making a good case for the truth of Christianity; it is not inviting someone to a meeting; it is not exposing the contemporary dilemma, or arousing interest in Christianity; it is not wearing a badge saying “Jesus Saves”!  Some of these things are right and good in their place, but none of them should be confused with evangelism.  To evangelize is to declare on the authority of God what he has done to save sinners, to warn men of their lost condition, to direct them to repent and to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.” – John Cheeseman 

[This is not to say that we should not participate in these activities; but they should not take the place of the real work of evangelism.]

Why Evangelize?

• We love God – God saves sinners.  If we are one of those saved sinners then we should have a deep appreciation for God’s mercy in giving (and receiving) the spotless Lamb for our sins (Jn 1:29).  We love Him because He first loved us (1 Jn 4:19). Since He has so loved us, we owe Him our lives and we show our love to Him by giving our time and energy to the furthering of that message.  Our love for Him will also make us want to communicate the Gospel correctly (1 Cor 15:1-10).  We love God when we evangelize to His Glory (Rom 11:36).
• We want to obey God – If we love Him, we will obey His commandments (Jn 14:15).  He has commanded us to “Go” (Matt 28:19) and “do the work of an evangelist” (2 Tim 4:5). We are to give Him glory in all things (1 Cor 6:20; 1 Pet 4:16) and what better way to proclaim His glory than His offer of eternal life to sinners (Rom 1:5).
• We want to honor God – Whether lost people repent or not, if we honestly proclaim the truth of the Gospel of Christ, we are honoring and glorifying Him before men  (1 Pet 4:7-11; Rom 14:11-12). We are proclaiming a risen Savior not a dead Messiah (1 Cor 15:17,19).  When the Truth is declared, God is honored whether we are a sweet aroma or the smell of death (2 Cor 2:15-17).
• We love our neighbors – The second greatest commandment given by Jesus is to love your neighbor as yourself (Matt 22:26-30).  Without Christ man is bound for hell.  There is no greater deed we can do for someone than to show them the way to life (John 14:6).  We lay down our own lives (John 15:13) when we forsake our pride, status, time, money, etc. in order to share the “foolishness” of the Gospel to dying men (1 Cor 1:25; 1 Pet 4:6). 

One of the best ways to be prepared to share the Gospel with others is to know the Gospel.  The following are recommended books on the Gospel and Evangelism. 

Recommended Books:
Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God – J. I. Packer
The Gospel and Personal Evangelism– Mark Dever
What is the Gospel? – Greg Gilbert
Tell the Truth – Bruce Metzger
Reasoning From the Scriptures Series by Ron Rhodes (resources for sharing with JWs, Mormon, Muslim and other faiths)