In previous generations churches could open the doors on Sunday mornings or implement programs within the church and expect unbelievers to attend. But attractional ministries—such as guest-targeted services, youth programs, Bible studies, or Sunday School—simply do not draw people to the church like they have at other times.
At the same time, it is important to note that God continues to use his church as the control tower for evangelism. Instead of attractional ministry, God uses an attractive message through the words of attractive people—that is, people whose godly lives adorn the gospel.
This is not a new concept. We know of the names and details of very few of the missionaries in Acts—Peter, Stephen, Philip, Paul, Silas and a few more. But the bigger untold mission “depended primarily on the witness of unknown Christians—countless acts of kindness, family and friendship connections, provocative discipleship and significant conversations. Evangelism was a lifestyle, not a specialist activity.”[1]
How can you identify and take advantage of opportunities to be intentional with the gospel?
Think of all the activities, however mundane, that make up your life:
Each of us has a daily routine: traveling to work, eating meals, doing chores, walking the dog, playing with the children.
We also have a weekly routine: going grocery shopping, watching television or movies, exercising, and so on.
And we have a monthly routine: gardening, getting a haircut, going to the movies.
As you consider your life, you should have a long list of activities. For each one, ask whether you could add:
This will provide a host of opportunities from your life as it is now. In other words, you will not have to “add” anything to your life—you will simply be reorienting your existing life around mission. You will be living with evangelistic intentionality in your everyday life.
When you’ve thought about using your existing routines to share the gospel, you can then think about adding further opportunities for evangelism. To do this, begin by praying for wisdom, opportunities, and personal faithfulness. Then, carefully watch for places where you may be able to get know other people in view of declaring and demonstrating the gospel. There will be many things in your neighborhood, in your workplace and in your city that you can actively do to create opportunities to share the gospel.
Often times the Holy Spirit takes a lot of time to bring about the fruit of your labor. It could take a person years to become a Christian, and might involve hundreds of interactions and conversations with many different believers.
So as you seek to build evangelism into your lifestyle be patient, but faithful, knowing that it is God who brings the growth.
This is an excerpt from ‘Gospel Shaped Outreach’ by Erik Raymond, part of The Gospel Coalition’s Gospel Shaped Church curriculum.
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[1] Stuart Murray, Post-Christendom: Church and Mission in a Strange New World (Carlisle: Paternoster, 2004), 217.
Erik Raymond is the senior pastor at Redeemer Fellowship Church in Metro Boston, USA. He is married to Christie and has six children. Erik frequently writes for many publications including The Gospel Coalition, Ligonier and Tabletalk. He blogs at The Ordinary Pastor.
