Life Bible Study: Personal Evangelism
Personal Evangelism in the Bible
From the desk of Rev Zheng
“On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria…Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.” (Acts 8: 1,4)
After Stephen was martyred, the newborn was under a fiery trial. Saul relentlessly put Christian men and women in prison. Thousands of believers flooded out of Jerusalem and were dispersed to various places. Praise God that even though they were new believers, they did not forsake their faith. Neither could persecution silence them. On the contrary, they continue to “preached the word” at their places of settlement.
“Preached the word” here is euaggelizó in Greek, a word specifically used for passing on or telling people about the Gospel in a private setting. We call it personal evangelism. There is another Greek word in the bible for public proclamation, kérussó. For example, Paul proclaimed the resurrected Christ in the synagogue and at the Areopagus in Athens.
So, these new believers did personal evangelism fearlessly. They became evangelists in daily life! This is because they now belong to another spiritual realm, live in another Kingdom, march under another banner, submit to another King and follow another order! Above all, they had the sure hope of resurrection that comes from a risen Lord!
Many of us are not comfortable engaging in a face-to-face conversation with someone unfamiliar. Why not try to start a dialogue with something right before you: is this a good book? How did you spend your holiday? Do you understand the sermon? Do not pressure yourself if the conversation does not lead to the gospel. Starting your day with prayer can help you have a conversation that brings people closer to the Gospel. So long as we walk by the way of Jesus, the wisdom and the aroma of life exude from our daily living will arouse a curious heart. More often than not, a genuine concern for someone’s soul and a desire to know them can break the guarding wall of the heart. Thereafter, you may use the Gospel sword, your Shima statements and a 3-minute testimony to reach out to the lost soul.
Above all, it is important for us to ask ourselves a fundamental question: Am I careful and thoughtful enough for anyone to engage in a conversation with me? Let us not shy away from personal evangelism and instead be prepared to do it 365 days a year with the help of the Lord.
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