What is evangelism? What do people mean by the term? I'm glad you asked. Evangelism is the proclamation of the historical, biblical Christ as Savior and Lord, with a view toward persuading people to come to know him personally and so be reconciled with God. To evangelize is to spread the good news that Jesus Christ died for our sins and was raised from the dead according to the Scriptures, and that as reigning Lord he now offers forgiveness of sins and the liberating gift of the Spirit to all who repent and believe.
At this point you might be thinking, "Steve, do you really believe that stuff?" "Isn't that 'Sunday School' talk?" And the answer is, yes I believe it, absolutely, unequivocally I do. Jesus is utterly unique, and even in today's increasingly pluralistic, syncretistic culture, he remains that way.
"But isn't Jesus just one way of many to God?" No…at the center of Christianity is the doctrine that God became man in Jesus Christ then did for us what we could not do for ourselves. There is no other name, no other person, no other belief system by which people can be saved. You can discuss the gospel's meaning and significance, but you cannot ignore it, or dismiss it, or tamper with it to fit your taste. It's God's gospel, not ours.
What's more, the good news, while "free," is also very costly. It cost God a great deal. Jesus still calls all who would follow him to deny themselves, take up their cross, and identify themselves with his new community, the church. Nothing irks me more than the purveyors of spiritual pabulum who claim all it takes is to "give your heart to Jesus" and "repeat this prayer after me" and then your life will be a cakewalk. No…it takes much more than that. The gospel calls us to unconditional surrender of all that we are and all that we have to God.
No, I didn't really see Elvis today, but I did bow down to the King. How about you?
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