Evangelism: a Scary and Foreign Concept? Beverly’s Testimony
Evangelism was once a foreign and scary concept to me. When I thought of evangelism, the image of people carrying bibles outside Toa Payoh library waiting for their next “prey” usually surfaced. I did not see the need nor the urgency of evangelism, but all these changed when I joined Cru (formerly known as Campus Crusade for Christ) in university.
In Cru, I got to understand what evangelism really meant at the heart of it. I still vividly recall my very first street evangelism experience several years ago. It was shortly after Christmas and a friend and I were on the streets asking people what they knew of Christmas, hoping to spark spiritual conversations as the Spirit led. Through the conversations, my eyes were opened to see that not many people actually knew who Jesus is, not many people knew the complete Gospel message and many of them had misconceptions about the faith. How will they then know of the truth if no one told them?
First street-e experience with my friends from Cru
“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” (Romans 10:14).
The mandate for us Christians is not to convert people, for only the Holy Spirit can convict hearts, but to share the love of Christ with others through our actions and to boldly proclaim the goodness of God and the hope we have in Jesus.
Bill Bright, the founder of Cru, mentioned that success in witnessing is simply taking the initiative to share Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God. Initially, I was hesitant to speak about God to strangers, friends and family because I was afraid of rejection and afraid of not having the right words to say. But time and time again, I was reminded that it is the Holy Spirit who empowers and equips and all I have to do is to be bold and take the first step. I was not responsible for the end result - this took a huge load off my chest.
While it may be daunting to evangelise on the streets, university campuses and in the marketplace, evangelism normally starts first with those around you. Here are some steps you can take to reach out to those around you:
Prepare your own testimony on how you have encountered Jesus/ how He has been real in your life. It typically consists of 3 parts: your life before you knew Christ, how you encountered God, your life after knowing Christ. It will be great to practice saying it in front of some Christian friends. This testimony should last 3 minutes or less.
Think of how you would like to present the Gospel. It is important for the Gospel to be presented in an accurate manner but to also keep it short and concise. I normally use the Four Spiritual Laws (hardcopy) or an app called God Tools which contains the softcopy of the four SLs.
Pray for those around you and ask God to reveal those He wants you to reach out to in this season of life.
Find a group of Christian friends (can be your small group) that you can be accountable to on this evangelism journey.
“Those who hope in the Lord will never be disappointed” (Isaiah 49:23). In my past few years of evangelism, whenever I shared the Gospel, I could always feel the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. It was as though God had placed words in my mouth and my heart would be filled with so much joy as I proclaimed the message of Christ. I would also experience a renewed faith and conviction as I proclaimed God’s goodness.
I met a pre-believing friend during Summer Exchange and managed to share with her my personal testimony as well as present the Gospel. While she did not accept the Gospel then, she was open to hearing more. Through events like Celebration of Hope as well as bible study sessions, she got to know more of who Jesus is and what He has done for her. To the praise and glory of God, she gave her life to Jesus at the start of the year. Indeed, “let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).
Fang Yu, the friend who recently gave her life to Christ.
One motivation why I share Christ with others is because I feel that it is the heart of the Father to see creation turn back to Him. He loves us so much that He doesn’t want to see anyone perish. A verse that I hold dearly is John 10:16, which reads “I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.” When I read this verse, I felt God asking me if I would help to bring His lost sheep back into His kingdom.
Today, evangelism is no longer a scary or foreign concept but it is a journey of trusting in God every step of the way. As I proclaim God’s goodness, I am reminded of His grace and faithfulness in my own life. As I look to the needs of others, it keeps my heart tender, soft and sensitive to His prompting.
Will we break our hearts for what breaks His? Will we step out in faith and obedience to boldly proclaim Jesus? Will we live our lives for His glory knowing that, “only one life, that will soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last”?
The time is now.
About the writer
Beverly is a youth leader who currently leads a youth cell group and serves in the community team at The Saturday Service.