“30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,

And he who wins souls is wise.”

Proverbs 11:30 (NKJV)

In our era, it is clear that many have turned away from God and Biblical principles as a whole. However, many likely did so without closely examining the substance of our faith. It is alarming how many have paid little attention to the Gospel. Only in Jesus Christ can we find salvation and eternal security in Heaven (John 14:6). Nevertheless, the fact that so many have turned away or initially rejected Christianity should not dissuade us from spreading God’s Word. If anything, it is fair to say, this ought to inspire us to be all the more proactive about reaching out to the lost.

Many of us overlook opportunities to talk about Jesus Christ with non-believers. There may be various reasons for this occurrence, likely varying from person to person. For instance, some may not be ashamed of Jesus Christ but might be afraid of rejection. Other believers might lose sight of the eternal value found in pursuing lost souls as God has commissioned us to do (Matthew 28:16-20). Finally, perhaps others find it intimidating because they do not feel adequately equipped to share an uncompromised reflection of doctrine as they reach out to non-believers.

While some of those concerns are worthy of consideration, if we genuinely embraced what was at stake combined with the scarcity of time, I think the bulk of us would go out of our way to evangelize more. There are seasons when I find myself passionately seeking divine appointments to be a vessel of God at a higher frequency than others. If I get physically, emotionally, and spiritually drained, I take a step back to rest. Without doing this, we run the risk of burnout. While life is short, in this sense, I think we should view it as a marathon. What good is it to run a sprint and compromise our well-being before we have a more prolonged, sustainable impact for God’s glory? These are the situations where it is an asset to know your limits and make sure you take the proper steps for self-care and spiritual nourishment. It will ensure we do not grow weary in doing right (Galatians 6:9).

There are strategic ways to overcome practically any reason I think would lead someone to avoid evangelism. For example, if you are introverted or shy, you can share the Word by inviting people to your local Church or sharing Gospel tracts. You can occasionally step out of your comfort zone to engage people as God empowers you. If you do not feel equipped with the right words, I encourage you to remember we are God’s vessels, but we do not need all the answers to share the Gospel. When someone asks you a question you cannot answer, there is no need to come up with something spontaneously. Instead, I would point out how good their question was and, if applicable, let them know that you would also be curious to figure it out for yourself.

Another general principle that persuades others is presenting a balanced message to the non-believers you encounter. For example, if we were to explain to someone that they were sinners and hammered only on that topic without talking to them about God’s love, mercy, grace, and provision, it might only push them away. Likewise, if we only spoke about God’s love, mercy, grace, and provisions but avoided elaborating on our fallen nature and our need for Jesus Christ because of our sins, it would also be a one-sided message. When we present both to them, we show them that God demands justice for the sins we have committed against Him, but we also give them the hope we find in Jesus Christ. This balanced message allows the person to understand why they need Him as Lord and Savior in the first place.

We should consider how much time we spend with the person we share our faith with. Is this a co-worker we see daily for hours and speak with them frequently at lunch breaks or during team projects? Are they someone we have only encountered a few times at a local restaurant, bookstore, or elsewhere in a scenario where we may not see them again? Could it be someone God has led us to encounter for a few short minutes on an uber ride, in an airport waiting for a flight, or even on a brief elevator ride? There’s no need to fret with anxiety because, in the end, we save no one. However, we might want to try a different approach in each of these cases. For instance, we can share our testimony at our workplace and lead by example. They might even ask us specific questions about our faith when the opportunity arises. More leeway with time allows us to maneuver more flexibly than your average evangelist encounter.

On the other hand, if the situation is more time-sensitive, such as on a bus ride, we may only have a limited time to reach out. In this case, sharing some resources for them to refer to may come in handy after your conversation ends. It could be a Christian website, your favorite ministry’s Youtube channel, or a known teacher whose doctrine you know and respect. Even in an elevator, you can plant a tiny seed by greeting someone with a smile, asking them how their day is going, listening intently, and saying: “God bless you,” or whatever God puts in your heart as you part ways. It may not seem like much but God can use anything He desires to spark a curiosity in someone to seek Him (John 6:44). The Gospel tracts are fantastic resources for those shorter encounters.

 Ultimately, it is an integral part of our mission to be vessels of God (2 Timothy 2:20-21). How you do that each day depends on where God leads you and whether you are willing to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit to pursue opportunities. God has blessed each of us with unique gifts and talents. It follows that our purpose is intertwined, but we execute it in diverse ways depending on where God leads us. It is up to us to stay the course and obey His lead. Submitting to His will is always the superior choice to maximize His glory and our well-being (Romans 8:28). It helps to surround ourselves with like-minded Christians who serve alongside us and inspire us to grow in faith. These are the kinds of circumstances where we will flourish. 

Finally, we cannot underestimate the value of community in our lives. It is safe to say the recent pandemic serves to solidify this reality in many of our lives as we missed face-to-face communication with much of our family and friends for many months. I enjoy quiet time and solitude a great deal, but there is only so far online communication, and FaceTime or Zoom will take you compared to seeing one another in person.

On that note, let us remember not to take even one day for granted. We do not know if this is our last day on earth or if God blesses us with several more decades to live. Our eternal salvation is secure if we have come to saving faith in Jesus Christ. Now it is our turn to spread the Gospel message in truth and love to as many as possible. Whether in brief instances of in-person interactions, online discussion forums or even on a blog like this one. We must consistently remind ourselves that this fleeting life we are living reflects on eternity, and we need to redeem the time for the glory of God (Ephesians 5:16-18).

A life with eternal purpose is one composed of bringing God glory. Therefore, when we rely on Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, and He saves us from the snares of certain spiritual death, we should come to the same conclusion. The conclusion should be that since God gave us the gift of eternal life, we want to open the door to blessing as many others with this gift as we possibly can. If a human being saved you from certain death, I am sure that most of us, whether Christian or not, would feel indebted to that person for a long time to come. You wouldn’t forget them for the rest of your life, and if it were within your power to reasonably do them a favor, you would do it.

In the case of God, He doesn’t need our help or requires our favor to achieve His plans. Instead, He blesses us with the privilege of coming to saving faith and then employing us as one of His children to take part in His work. As children of God, you and I should be all about our father’s business. In other words, we ought to be in the business of saving souls. Although we do not save anyone by our power, we are vessels that God can fill with the truth of the Gospel to spread the message of hope, truth, and love to a world thirsty for answers. Unfortunately, there are many spiritually bankrupt people out there, just like we were before we came to saving faith through Jesus Christ. Our job is to reach those people with the opportunity to encounter God’s Word through us and pray for them to pursue it further once we depart their presence.

Of course, I am not making light of the calling to feed the children, clothe the poor, and contribute to the supply of shelter to those who cannot help themselves. These aspects of Christian missions are integral parts of our faith and are part of our calling. However, if we were to isolate our mission into one overarching goal, it would be to bring as many people to Jesus Christ as possible before it is too late (Matthew 28:16-20, Proverbs 11:30). Thankfully, these are not mutually exclusive pursuits either. We do not have to choose to feed the poor but refrain from reaching out to those we encounter with God’s Word. Therefore, your purpose as a Christian may feel more heavily weighted to one area in which God placed an aspiration in your heart to meet needs. This “why” or purpose will become more clearly defined and possibly even change as the seasons pass along throughout your life. However, sprinkling some level of evangelism efforts into your walk as a believer will never go to waste.

How do we recognize where our focus should reside? To answer this question accurately, we should pray for help identifying it. As far as evangelism is concerned, the Holy Spirit will often lead us during these divine appointments and help us to share the Gospel with those we encounter. We need to be open and willing vessels for God to utilize (2 Timothy 2:20-21). Granted, if you have done this almost any reasonable number of times, you will quickly notice that not everyone is receptive. However, even those who seem least compelled may slowly soften their hearts towards God’s calling upon their life. The beauty of the situation is there is no pressure on us. As long as we are faithfully delivering God’s message to them and praying for their salvation, that is the end of our responsibility. 

We can tell them that they have a fallen nature that makes them susceptible to sin and that Jesus Christ died for those sins (Romans 6:10-11). Our sins were imputed upon Him, and His righteousness was imputed upon us at the cross (Suggested reading: “Why Does Christ’s righteousness need to be imputed to us?“). Without Him having done this for them, they would be doomed to spend eternity in hell. They need to understand that they need a Savior because of their sin and that it is pivotal for them to repent from their sins and believe that He not only died but also resurrected three days later. Jesus Christ was, is, and always will be victorious over sin and death on our behalf when we could never be without Him. Later, He ascended into Heaven to be at God’s right hand. At this time, He still lovingly intercedes on our behalf from the right hand of God the Father. Thankfully, if we come to saving faith, Jesus Christ fully justifies us through the sequence above, once and for all. They, too, can take comfort in that reality and embrace God’s gift to them by taking that step of faith that God has compelled them to make. They must understand that it isn’t by their works or effort that they are saved, but rather the gift of God by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone, that saves them (Ephesians 2:8-9).

How we share a message like this may differ from person to person. A few other variables to consider are:

• How much time you will spend with the person.
• How close you are to them.
• Whether they have come across the Bible before.

I suggest having a short <5minute variation of explaining the Gospel in case the situation calls for brevity, but otherwise, I try to be thorough. The more limited the time frame, the more I would suggest plugging them into a resource to help them explore more for themselves (i.e., Gospel tract, Bible, website, Youtube, Christian podcast, etc.) My strategy might be to relay this information matter-of-factly and then invite someone to read the Gospel or perhaps attend my local Church. Someone else may prefer to hand the person a Gospel tract with a similar explanation of the core elements of the Gospel and lead by example. Still, others might not feel comfortable engaging strangers but take it upon themselves to share their testimony with their closest family and friends before they take a step of faith to share the good news with a stranger. 

No matter what, the bottom line is that this should be a critical part of what you and I stand for and aim to do as believers. We need to remind ourselves that one soul is worth more than all the money this world has to offer combined. It needs to be engrained in our minds that there is a beautiful significance to all the things we do for God’s glory that yield eternal value rather than just temporary value here on earth.

I want to encourage you to take inventory of your life this Christmas. Go ahead and enjoy your quality time with loved ones, but perhaps ask God if there is someone in your family you have not reached with God’s Word who may still need to hear it. Thank God for the food, shelter, and even presents many of us are blessed to give and receive, but always remember that these are trivial compared to the magnitude of God’s gifts to us. Just because we have not seen the culmination of what the heavenly treasure we are storing signifies doesn’t mean we cannot start appreciating it in faith. Above all, keep the emphasis on Jesus Christ whenever possible. It is God who woke you up to enjoy these beautiful celebrations. It is God who opened the door for you to have eternal security already and store up heavenly treasures through obedience to His commands. Finally, it is God who deserves all the glory and acknowledgment. It shouldn’t be shifted away from Him and turned to the fleeting pleasures of this earth. May God bless you and yours this holiday season. Remember His Son Jesus Christ will always be the rightful focus of Christmas and every day for eternity.