Modern Evangelism

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
When Jesus issued what has been called the Great Commission it appears that His intent was for all believers in all eras to take His message around the world.  Through the years this challenge has been fulfilled by Christians when the populous was receptive and during eras of intense persecution.  There have been societies that have welcomed the gospel, others that have oppressed the message and prosecuted the messengers, then there have been periods when the truth has been met by a collective yawn.  There have always been individuals who were willing to hear and obey the good news, but some societies were more fertile than others.
As we consider this challenge in the 21st Century (especially in the United States) we seem to be facing an apathetic response.  There is not an intense opposition to the message of Christ, but we sure don’t have people packing the pews to bask in the Truth of Jesus.  During the 2017 Oklahoma Christian University Lectureship Dr. Jim Baird presented a class called “What Is Post-Truth – Why Does It Matter” in which he took a look at evangelism in the modern era.  He reviewed some of the background for why people tend to view religion (especially Christianity) with skepticism, then offered suggestions on how we can improve our approach to teaching the gospel to today’s world.  There isn’t room to summarize all of his points, but a couple of things really stood out:
Realize that “authentic” trumps “polish”.     Do we really believe in what we preach?  Do we sincerely care about people?  Preparation is necessary and “flash” can be a bonus, but people will listen to us when they are convinced we are convicted.  There are too many people who don’t trust “evangelism”, so we must overcome this barrier with genuineness and compassion.
People desire a personal (rather than an impersonal) approach.  We can call it “Friendship Evangelism” or “Meeting People Where They Are”, but today’s society is more apt to respond to those with whom they feel connected.  Interestingly, more people may be captivated by hearing our personal testimony than by a logically-themed doctrinal treatise.   Of course we must be doctrinally-sound to be pleasing to our Master, but our ability to tell our own story can open the door for the truth.
Despite Dr. Baird’s challenging topic he came across as being optimistic about modern evangelism because we have something special.  We need to remember that we are ambassadors of the King – emissaries with a life-changing  message.  Let’s fulfill our responsibility and allow God’s Word to penetrate broken lives.

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