Ask a Pastor Column

Q: Should Christians go out and evangelize proactively or should we wait for opportunities to come to us?

A:  Yes and yes! The Bible lays out the great commission for His Calso in Acts 1:8, “You shall be witnesses of me…” These verses make clear that our purpose for living as Christians is to share the gospel with the world and train up others to do likewise. The gospel (which literally means, “good news,”) is the best news that has ever been shared with the world and it is vitally important for the world to hear it (John 3:18; John 5:24; etc.)! Now, this does not mean that every Christian is supposed to be a missionary or in full-time ministry, since Ephesians 4:11 says clearly that Christ intends “some to be apostles (i.e., missionaries or church planters) … some evangelists, etc.” But it does mean that everyone saved by the grace of God ought to have a passion for sharing this good news with the world and we should be actively investing our time and money towards achieving that end.

       However, there is also a place for what some call relational or reactive evangelism. Reactive evangelism consists of obeying the Bible’s instructions regarding holy and godly living, thereby setting ourselves up as “the light of the world,” (as seen in Matthew 5:14-16). When we live out the transformed life that God offers us through His Word, this demonstrates to the world that Jesus Christ really does change lives. This is attractive to those who are seeking and will cause them to approach us with questions. We are to stand ready to point them to Christ should such opportunities arise (1 Peter 3:15).

       Let me offer a word of caution here, however. Because I know that many in our communities, both Christians and non-Christians, are sick of getting their arm twisted and lectured on church attendance or wrong living. Let me say clearly that I am sympathetic to those feelings and very concerned by them. There is a huge difference between biblical evangelism and arm twisting, and the key distinction is motivation. So-called evangelism with a motivation of legalism or moral obligation is blatantly false and misleads people about the true blessings of the gospel. Sincere evangelism is about joyfully inviting people we care about to

share in the blessings of Christianity; it should leave people feeling drawn to Christ, not feeling pressured by Christians.

The questions and answers compiled over the last year are now available in hard-copy and digital format. To request a copy send an email to askapastorfcc1@

outlook.com or by mail to Formoso Church; P.O. Box 66; Formoso Kansas 66942