-by Bro. Anointed Enogwe
On many occasions, I have gone out to evangelize while feeling afraid.
Fear in evangelism is a common occurrence, which is why Larry Moyers said in his book –How to Book on Personal Evangelism:
“Fear in evangelism is normal; it has nothing to do with the presence or lack of spirituality!”
From the scriptures, we see the Apostles too had to deal with fear in evangelism. For example, in Acts 4, after the religious leaders had threatened Peter and John not to speak at all or teach in the name of Jesus, we see the church pray for boldness to overcome their fears in Acts 4:29(NKJV):
“29 Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word,…”
What is evangelism?
“Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creation: old things have passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, which hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the whole world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.”
2 Corinthians 5:17-19(KJV)
Evangelism is preaching the gospel to lost men so that they might believe it and be reconciled to God. All believers have this responsibility to evangelize/reconcile lost men to God through the preaching of the Gospel (Matthew 28:19-20; Romans 10:10-14).
Additionally, seeing that Christ expressly instructed His disciples to “…go and make disciples of all the nations…” we know that evangelism is not just something we are to do in our free time or as a hobby. Evangelism is a core responsibility for every believer.
It is a sacred trust and a massive privilege because only by hearing and believing in the gospel can men be eternally saved in Christ.
Practical ways that we can deal with fear in evangelism:
1. Talk to God about your fears:
In Acts 4, which we looked at previously when the apostles Peter and John were threatened not to preach in the name of Jesus again, they went to their company, and they all prayed for the boldness to keep on preaching/evangelising.
Prayer in evangelism is also essential because evangelism is spiritual warfare.
We are going out to witness/set the reign of Christ in the hearts of men whose minds are blinded by the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4). Hence, our preaching will only be effective if we pray fervently before and after we witness to others.
2. Obey despite your fears:
Matthew 28:19-20 is not God pleading with us to go out and preach the gospel. It is God commanding us. Evangelism is our God-given responsibility; hence, we ought to obey it heartily.
Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever.
Daniel 12:3(NKJV)
Our obedience to God and His commands proves our love for him (1 John 5:2-3). It is also the evidence of our faith, and it causes His blessings to manifest in our lives (James 1:22:25). When we obey God by preaching the gospel in spite of our fear, God honours our faith and helps us (Mark 16:20; 1 Corinthians 3:6-7).
We should never forget that we are never alone as we preach the gospel; Jesus said unto the disciples while giving them the great commission, “…and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:20KJV).
3. Keep evangelising:
As we obey the great commission Christ gave to us and speak the gospel more despite our fears, we will see that boldness comes to us more than fears. We become bolder in preaching the gospel because we would have learnt one or two things by actually stepping out to preach.
If you don’t want to do it alone, ask a friend to join you so you can encourage each other.
In Conclusion, always remember that you have been given this sacred trust from God to speak his message of salvation to others. God is counting on you to tell others that Christ has paid the debt for their sins and now all they need to do is believe in His sacrificial death, burial and resurrection and confess Him as their saviour and Lord.
This message is the power of God unto salvation, translating people who are in spiritual darkness into His marvellous light. Preach it boldly and cause great joy to erupt in heaven again and again on your account (Luke 15:7-10).
Glory!
