Evangelism Vision
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Liberty University *
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525
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Feb 20, 2024
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Evangelism Vision Paper
Christopher Hamilton
EVAN 525: Contemporary Evangelism
December 2023
Contents
Course Reflection
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1
Worship as Evangelism
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1
Incarnational vs Informational Evangelism
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2
Personal Reflection
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3
Where I Was
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3
The Need for Vision
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4
Personal Mission Statement
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5
Family Mission Statement
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6
Beyond the Paper
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7
Bibliography
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8
ii
1
Course Reflection
Worship as Evangelism
When thinking of evangelism prior to this course, my mind went primarily into informational evangelism alone. The thought of incarnational evangelism was there but was absent from what it looked like in my own definition of evangelism as a whole. Throughout various practices and exercises, my definition of evangelism molded into the idea of contemporary evangelism. A good place to start is Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV), “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” I knew the command
but lacked a good roadmap or gameplan to get me from knowledge to implementation. The first principle that stood out to me was worship as evangelism. The idea that worship
produces evangelism was a bit foreign. Wheeler
writes, “being missional begins with a profound conviction that we are invited to join in the mission of God and that the church does not exist for itself, but rather for the world around us whom God so desperately loves.”
1
We can even see this in Matthew 16:13-18 (ESV)
. Jesus is asking the disciples who they say He and Simon Peter responds with “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Then, Jesus responds with, “And I
tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” The church should point everyone that encounters them to Jesus, Son of the living God. Evangelism is not an endgame, it is missional. Worship is the endgame of the church. 1
David Wheeler and Vernon M. Whaley, The Great Commission to Worship: Biblical Principles
for Worship-Based Evangelism
(Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2011), 119–120.
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2
Incarnational vs Informational Evangelism
When thinking about incarnational versus informational evangelism, I am reminded that both exist in evangelism cohesively. David Wheeler
writes that the gospel is like a virus, “When Jesus invades our lives, He wants every aspect of every Christian life to be completely under His control, and He won’t stop until that happens.”
2
This concept of incarnational evangelism is echoed in writings by William Fay
and Linda Evans Shepherd in the book
Share Jesus Without Fear
. Fay
and Sheperd
share that God is the one doing all the working out in the salvation process, but we change and have desires to share our faith based on the sole fact we are being transformed.
3
I used to think these were separate movements and that one contradicted the other. However, I can see scripture paints a perfect picture that both are applicable. Paul mentioned this
concept of information with incarnation several times. One that comes to mind is in 1 Corinthians 11:1
, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” A gospel transformation produces incarnation that seeks for information. The idea of a cup running over comes to mind with evangelism. As God pours out His grace in our lives, that trickles over to us sharing that message
of grace with others. I no longer think of the two strategies of evangelism as separate, but cooperative. As we are transformed by the renewing of our minds, we also bear the fruits of the Spirit. 2
David Wheeler,
“Releasing a Virus,”
in
Everyday Evangelism: Sharing the Christian Faith
(Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2010), 109.
3
William Fay and Linda Evans Shepherd,
Share Jesus without Fear
Links to an external site.
(Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 42.
3
Personal Reflection
Where I Was
To be honest, I was ineffective with sharing my faith before this class. I did find courage to share my faith, but primarily I focused on sharing it informationally. Sharing my faith involved a quick, “yes, I am a Christian,” and hardly anything substantiative to support the statement of faith. I used to keep my bachelor’s degree hanging up above my desk at my banking
job. People would come in and mostly only those who were familiar with the school would start a conversation with me about church, salvation, or something along those lines. It never got too deep, but instead connected me more with like-minded people. There was a bubble effect to where it felt safe to share our faith with each other, but it had nothing to do with building the kingdom mindset. I think back now to conversations I was able to have with unsaved individuals. The idea of incarnational evangelism was more of, let me sit back and let them see something different in my life. It had nothing to do with servant evangelism, and it ultimately became an excuse not to share my faith. The thought process was more around the idea that God was sovereign and in control and there was nothing I could do to impact the gospel in another person’s life. Evangelism to me was shallow, but my worship was also shallow. I think the two correlates in ways I was not aware of back then. Wheeler acknowledges that same concept with the question, “How is it possible to passionately pursue the heartbeat of God through worship and knowingly disobey Him at the same time?”
4
This past year, I have grown so much in my own faith, I do see my worship of God pouring out in my approach to evangelism. 4
David Wheeler and Vernon M. Whaley, The Great Commission to Worship: Biblical Principles
for Worship-Based Evangelism
(Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2011), 120–121.
4
The Need for Vision
To have a good vision, one must realize there is a need for one. Fay
explains the necessity for a why, “But the problem is, if you aren’t sharing your faith, you are not
living a good Christian life. Romans 10:14 says, “How, then, can they call on the one in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?” We must realize if we don’t explain our faith, our friends may never understand it and, therefore, never have an opportunity to be led by the Holy Spirit to believe it.
5
It is not my job to be the Holy Spirit, but I cannot dismiss allowing Him to use me. There are two
extremes: one that says God is sovereign and He does not need me and another that says God needs me to accomplish His plan. Neither are true. God wants to use me to accomplish His plan, but He wants joyful obedience from me. When crafting out a vision, I am reminded by Jonah. Jonah had a call to go to Ninevah. Jonah did not like the Assyrians. He never verbally responded,
but rather ran away to Tarshish. It took God still working out His plan through a disgruntled Jonah that spent 3 nights in the belly of a big fish. Did Jonah obey God? He did, but he never honored God in his obedience. The difference is in myself, am I willing to be used by God with a willing heart? The vision must start in my own life, Romans 3:23-24 (ESV)
, “for all have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God,
and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in
Christ Jesus.” Since God’s grace is present in my life, I feel an obligation to share the same redemption plan God has for me with others who might not have that same gift. The work of the 5
William Fay and Linda Evans Shepherd, Share Jesus without Fear
(Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 9.
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5
gospel transforms individuals. An identity shift causes a ripple effect in our lifestyles. New creations do new things. Old things have passed away. Personal Mission Statement
It takes a lot of thought and reflection to come up with a vision or mission. As this course
navigated me through many concepts and ideas of contemporary evangelism, I had to realize that
with no vision and mission, I planned to fail to make an impact for His kingdom. Below is my vision towards evangelism. Vision: Allowing the Holy Spirit to lead me in uniting a lost world by sharing information
of transformation in my own life that compliments the biblical proof that God’s unconditional love exemplified. A vision is a good starting point to help me understand the why and what. In uniting people with the gospel, I help point them towards Christ. John 3:30 (ESV)
, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” Mission: To intentionally obey the Great Commission by sharing the gospel through information and demonstrating that same gospel by incarnation in the leading power of the Holy Spirit making a strong push to make disciple-makers who are committed to gathering for worship, fellowship, and ready to share this same gospel with others.” I believe that being intentional and having a burden for lost people makes all the difference for sharing your faith. God works through the Holy Spirit. He sent that Holy Spirit to us after Jesus ascended into Heaven. God moves in ways that without the power of the Holy Spirit, we simply cannot.
6
The living water God promises us, will always provide life. John 4:14
, “The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Family Mission Statement
Pipes
lays down a foundation for a mission statement by stating, “Discovering real purpose involves making choices—choices about who you are and what you stand for.”
6
While thinking through ways that my own family can have an impact on evangelism, it was helpful to re-read Family to Family
Chapter 2. This is another statement that stood out, “Clearly, you must be intentional about submitting to Christ as the center of your family. A family mission
statement will serve as a centerline and guardrails for your family on the road through life.”
7
After reflecting on these topics, this is what I was able to come up with for a family mission statement:
The Mission of the Hamilton household is to make God’s priorities ours by finding ways to worship God intentionally through prayer, fellowship, and scattering for ministry, service, and proclaiming the gospel through the power of the Holy Spirit. 6
Jerry Pipes and Victor Lee, Family to Family: Families Making a Difference
(Wordsearch, 2018), 23.
7
Jerry Pipes and Victor Lee, Family to Family: Families Making a Difference
(Wordsearch, 2018), 25.
7
Beyond the Paper
Thinking beyond this paper brings me back to the thought of allowing information to turn
into transformation. Romans 12:1-2 (ESV),
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of
God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Proclaiming your identity in Christ comes with sacrifice. It comes with intention. My commitment of intentionality comes with finding one person each week that I can share the information of the gospel with. Along with that, I would like to find 1 person a month I can do a huge service for: like mowing their grass, running their errands, or even just washing their car. This will all be accompanied with a gospel presentation. I really like the three circles
by Life on a Mission
presentation and plan on using it more when I share my faith.
8
In conclusion, no matter what approach I may have, the Holy Spirit needs to lead. What works for some, might not work for all. As He leads, I must be willing to submit and follow that guidance. Often, I feel like I did a poor job when I act upon what I think and not how He directs. I do see the importance of a good vision and mission. I am praying that I choose to listen to the Holy Spirit in the evangelism process. 8
Life on a Mission. Watch. The Three Circles.
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Bibliography
David Wheeler,
Everyday Evangelism: Sharing the Christian Faith
(Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2010), 109.
Jerry Pipes and Victor Lee, Family to Family: Families Making a Difference
(Wordsearch, 2018)
Whaley, Vernon & Wheeler, David. The Great Commission to Worship. Nashville: B and H
Publishing Group, 2011.
William Fay and Linda Evans Shepherd, Share Jesus without Fear
(Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999)