Evangelism is the preaching, proclamation, sharing, and the announcement of the good news of God or the gospel. The word evangelism originates from a Greek phrase “ euaggelion” which means good news or gospel. In Christianity, evangelism is the dedication and commitment to publicly preach the word of God without fear and shame with the aim of persuading people to follow the teachings and ways of Jesus Christ (Poe, 1996). First and foremost, evangelism entails teaching the good news. Evangelism can be done by anyone so long as they are a follower of Christ and have received salvation. The main reason is that you cannot preach the gospel that you have no idea about . Also, it is not easy to persuade someone to follow Christ while you are not a follower. Therefore, evangelism must be abided by love and unity. The paper discusses in details various types of evangelism that people encounter, the most common objections to Christianity and responses and the how people are effectively reached for the purposes of the gospel.
There are various types of evangelism that people encounter. There is the friendship evangelism. This type of evangelism is defined as evangelism where a Christian or a follower of Christ makes friendship with individuals or people before introducing them to Christ (Sider & Unruh, 2001). The friendship evangelism is classified as more of a personal approach. A Christian first becomes friends for sometimes the person hence this helps the Christian understand the person better. This also helps in bonding and enhances the way they will relate with each other. It also assists them to develop a genuine friendship, and this proves to the person that you genuinely care about them.
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The advantage of friendship evangelism is that once an individual becomes comfortable with you and trust you, it becomes easier for both of you to communicate and share information. The person will be probably willing to open up to you and tell you more about themselves. They will be able to discuss and disclose things such as their fears and doubts. Therefore, after you have acquired such information, you can then pray and seek more intervention from the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will reveal to you what you are supposed to do to persuade the person and break through their hearts. Also, the Holy Spirit can show and expose more details that you did not know concerning the person. For example, if they had disclosed some information to you and the Holy Spirit reveals it to you, then you discuss with them about it. Then they will believe what you are saying is from God.
Also, another advantage is that through this one friendship you have established it is more likely that the person will also introduce you to their friends. Since the person trusts you, they will share and tell their friends about you. Therefore, this will help reach out to many people even some you never thought you would. However, the disadvantage of the friendship evangelism is that it consumes a lot of time before establishing and building a friendship or relationship. This is because people may take time to trust each other hence slowing the whole process.
Contact evangelism, this is the type of evangelism where you meet a person and start preaching to them and telling them about the word of God. A good example is when Jesus met with the woman at the well, and he begins to speak to her. Also, when Paul was in Athens, it happened that he started talking and preaching to anyone that he met in the market. This happens mostly to people you do not know. The main aim is usually winning their hearts for Christ. Therefore, people preach to strangers’ people who they have just met, and after accomplishing their mission, they leave.
However, contact evangelism since at times you may request to speak to someone, but they say they are not interested and they do not have the time. It makes one feel demoralised, but since there is the guidance of love and Holy Spirit people continue . However, it is a useful method since society is spiritually hungry and not everyone in the world has the opportunity to hear and learn about spiritual matters. Therefore, for such type of people, they usually are excited and interested to listen and learn more about the Word of God.
Also, there is the context evangelism. This type of evangelism occurs when an individual finds themselves in a situation together with other people brought about by circumstances. This might be in a taxi or uber, in waiting rooms in offices or even sitting next to a person on a bus or aeroplane . The conversation usually starts; then one decides to share the gospel with the person or people they are together. This type of evangelism happens very many time since people generally meet in different places even though they were no arrangements done.
Christianity is a religion which people have objected and despised the faith and some of the actions done by Christians. These are various objections that people pose towards Christianity. Christians practice hypocrisy. People say that Christians pretend to be someone they are not. They argue that at times they behaviours and actions do not match and follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. However, the reality of the matter is that they are and will always some hypocrites in the church. Therefore, this does not mean that everyone who is a Christian is a hypocrite . However, Jesus Christ asks people to follow His teaching and not others. This is because some people may represent or claim to serve Jesus Christ but it is poorly . The Bible also describe and present Jesus Christ as perfect and holy. Thus, people should only focus on the word and teachings of Jesus Christ and stop observing and monitoring other peoples’ actions and ways .
Also, some people say Christianity is a crutch. Author Karl Marx poses critics to Christianity. The author states that Christianity is a religion of people who are not able to put up and cope with the pressures of life. Also, some say that Christians claim to be strong in the Spirit, but they are not brave and sturdy enough to face and handle the roughness and the negative side of life. They claim Christians are weak and that is why they go to seek their comfort in church since they cannot afford money to find peace somewhere else. However, practically, that is not the case because there are individuals who are active in faith and wealthy but still find peace and comfort in their religion . Money cannot buy and give access to the order , prosperity, and happiness found in God. Some people are wealthy but do not have a peaceful and healthy life. Therefore, if money is the source of joy, then Christians are the happiest people since silver and gold belongs to God. Thus, they have every reason to be satisfied .
Moreover , there is an objection that the only thing that matters is being a nice person who has the right morals and that Christianity does not matter. Some say that whether Christianity is correct or false what matters is the behaviours of the person. They believe that if one is a good person and sincere, then religion is not a matter of concern. However, sincerity does not matter to God. According to God, the truth is what is determined. It does not matter how perfect one can be but if you do not know the truth then you still not there. God’s word is the truth. One may be a good person, but with the truth then one’s opinion is of no importance. The basis of God’s judgment is truth and not how a good a person is or their opinions and views. Therefore the truth is Jesus Christ and that is what matters.
Also, people object Christianity in that if Jesus Christ is love and compassionate why then is there pain and suffering. People say that pain is evidence that God is not concerned about humankind. They believe Christians should be not allowed to suffer since they believed in God. However, pain is used for both good and bad purposes. Pain is a vital mechanism for the survival of the body. Suffering and pain can also be a spiritual sign of something. It might be used to act as the reminder that our life is fragile and that we should keep track of our deeds and morals. Also, suffering is temporary it does not last forever. Pain may also be used to warn people of great trouble and danger ahead. Therefore, pain is experienced by everyone and being a Christian does not mean that one will not feel pain but it implies that they will God will always offer a way out and relief of their burdens.
Moreover, people ask if God is loving and caring why then would God send people to hell. God is loving, and that is His nature. However, God does not support evil and bad morals. God hates evil, and one day it will come to an end. Crime is real, and it is happening in the world. Therefore, one day will deal will all evil, but in the meantime, God tries as much as possible to have many people acquire salvation. That is the reason why Jesus Christ died on the cross. God gave grace that is sufficient. Therefore, it is one’s decision to choose which way to follow and go. Thus, people will have sent themselves to hell and not God. Therefore, people are locking themselves from the choices and decisions they make.
Through social media, social media platforms provide an easy way of communicating with one another and efficient. Through social media Christians can easily share testimonies with people that are not close to the Word of God. Technology has also made it easier to access the Bible through mobile phones. This makes it easier to share the word of God with different and many people and even words of inspiration. Through weekly Bible studies that can be held in every person’s house. Through Bible studies, family members and friends can get to have a good understanding of the word of good and understand how God works (Wagner, 2010). Through the bible studies, it can help us share our problems and find the solution of various problems
Also, arranging and holding church seminars where family members or co-workers can attend. Through the workshops, they get to interact with other Christians and share the experience they have had. In these seminars, some speakers can be invited to preach as well as assist them understand the scriptures better. This not only gives us a good understanding of the scripture but also brings people from different backgrounds together and helps create new friendships. Also, through the formation of support groups where church leaders can allow members who have lost their ways to come and share their problems (Wagner, 2010). Here, they can access help at a personal level because in these groups everyone shares their problems. Therefore, these people will get to understand that issues and temptations are happening to everyone and they are part of life. They will learn that all these situations are temporary . In all cases , God helps us overcome and get through them and remain strong.
In conclusion, evangelism entails teaching the good news. The word evangelism originates from a Greek phrase “ euaggelion ” which means good news or gospel. In Christianity, evangelism is the dedication and commitment to publicly preach the word of God without fear and shame with the aim of persuading people to follow the teachings and ways of Jesus Christ. There are various types of evangelism that people encounter. There is the friendship evangelism, Contact evangelism, and context evangelism. The friendship evangelism is classified as more of a personal approach. A Christian first becomes friends for sometimes the person hence this helps the Christian understand the person better. The advantage of friendship evangelism is that once an individual becomes comfortable with you and trust you, it becomes easier for both of you to communicate and share information. Another advantage is that through this one friendship you have established it is more likely that the person will also introduce you to their friends. Contact evangelism is the type of evangelism where you meet a person and start preaching to them and telling them about the word of God. These are various objections that people pose towards Christianity. Christians practice hypocrisy, Christianity is a crutch, some say that whether Christianity is correct or false what matters is the behaviours of the person.
References
Poe, H. L. (1996). The Gospel and Its Meaning: A Theology for Evangelism and Church Growth . Zondervan.
Sider, R. J., & Unruh, H. R. (2001). Evangelism and church-state partnerships. Journal of church and state , 43 (2), 267-295.
Wagner, C. P. (2010). Strategies for church growth: Tools for effective mission and evangelism . Wipf and Stock Publishers.
