This week I had the opportunity to discuss evangelism with a handful of pastors and a missionary back home for a break. We were discussing the "why?" of evangelism from a believer's perspective. We are all evangelicals and believe Romans 10:14-15 and the blessing and necessity of sharing the Gospel with the world.
What we were discussing is the motivation to share. We concluded that there are several reasons why people share. Not all of them are actually God-honoring or sustainable, but we fully recognize that the only person to ever share the Gospel rightly - with the right truth and heart - was Jesus. Everyone else does the best they can and in God's grace and for His glory the Lord chooses to work through jars of clay.
The three obvious motivations we all saw were guilt, pride, and love. We concluded that the first one was not sustainable. We believe that the last one is sustainable and appropriate. We acknowledged that the second one would only be as sustainable as it was gratifying to the person's ego.
Guilt is not a healthy or sustainable motivation for sharing the Gospel Sharing because you simply feel sorry for people and want them to have it as good as you, is not enough. The fact of the matter is there are times when we don't feel that we have it all that good and in those moments we won't share. Sharing because we owe it to Jesus and we feel guilty, if we don't, denies the very Gospel that is to be shared. We can never pay Jesus back for what He has given us. The eternal gift that cost the Lord His life is a gift that we will never never never be able to provide proper thanks or pay back. Sharing out of a sense of payback dishonors the gift of grace and the gift giver.
There are a lot of people that share out of pride. They share because they have a quota to meet and it makes them feel great because they shared with a certain number of people. When someone does respond, it puts another notch in their belt. There are a lot of dangers in sharing out of a sense of pride. One is it is easy to turn people off who feel like they are getting a sales job. People know when someone is interested in them and when they are trying to be won to another person's side. Another danger is that it can create an elitist attitude. I have heard many say for the wrong reason, "I don't know why more people don't share." What can make a statement like that inappropriate is if in their heart they are thinking, "I wish more people were more spiritual like me and were as active in sharing their faith." One more danger I would mention is that it minimizes the power and impact of the Gospel. When the Gospel is shared in pride, it becomes a means to the end of stoking a person's ego. The Gospel should produce humility and awe of God. It should never produce pride and awe of self.
The one motivation that is healthy and sustainable is love. When we share the Gospel because we genuinely love God and want to honor Him for what He has done and because we possess an authentic love for people that we want to see saved from a life separated from the rule and love of Christ and an eternity separated from God in hell. When we share from this motivation our plea is passionate. Our joy is in what it does for others and God's glory. Our peace is in giving hope and finding assurance of our own faith, as we define it and at times defend it. It remains faithful to the Gospel itself, which was given out of love to produce a life of generosity and compassion.
In the end God can use all three motivations to spread His Kingdom. As Paul told the Philippians what is important is that Christ is preached. Philippians 1:15-18 "It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 18But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice,"
Share your faith today, but share it with love. Don't share it out of a sense of guilt or to build your pride. Share because you love God and want others to know how great He is. Share because you love people and want them to know the gracious life giving God you know.
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