The ABC of Evangelism
Readings: 2 Timothy 4:5–17 and Luke 10:1–9
May my spoken word be faithful to the written word and lead us to the living word. Amen.
I want to begin with an observation. I was once in a church with people who were excited evangelists. They loved knocking on doors and telling people about Jesus. My observation is that the majority of Christians are not like this. Am I right? We would much prefer that people knocked on the door of the church, and then we can tell them about Jesus. Is that fair?
Today we celebrate St Luke, the Evangelist, and our Gospel reading takes us straight into the business of sharing our faith. Yep! Evangelism!
Jesus sends out seventy disciples, telling them to proclaim that the kingdom of God has come near. They are not simply sent to be nice people, although they certainly need to be that. They are sent to speak as well as to act. They are to heal the sick, offer peace, and tell people that God is at work among them.
Not, I’m afraid, to wait for the people to come to them!
Now, I suspect that the word evangelism might make some of us feel a little uncomfortable. We might picture someone standing on a street corner with a Bible, or a person pining us down - probably not literally, to ask whether we have been saved.
I was at the Christian resources exhibition this week, yes, there is such a thing – it’s like the good food show, but well, has stands like Holy Socks and take away communion plastic cups with little wafers! Anyway, a rather aggressive man came up to me and asked me if I was saved. When I hesitated, having just arrived after an early start and bad traffic to get there, he told me if I couldn’t answer I as going to hell. That is not good evangelism.
I want to suggest this morning that evangelism is not about becoming someone we are not. It is about learning to share something of the faith we already have. And St Luke the Evangelist can help us discover how to do that.
So I will give you an ABC of evangelism: Authenticity, Boldness and Confidence.
A — Authenticity: Be yourself, and tell your story
Why do we call Luke the Evangelist? The word evangelist comes from the Greek word meaning good news. An evangelist is someone who announces good news.
We know relatively little about Luke personally. Paul refers to him as a beloved physician in his letter to the Colossians, and in our reading from 2 Timothy we hear poignant words: "Only Luke is with me."
He is a faithful friend and in his writing the outsider is always welcomed. Luke’s good news is drawing our attention to people who others might overlook, and showing us how they are seen by God. His experience of Jesus inspires him to tell the stories that matter to him.
We all like sharing good news. I might say to Natalie or Gill when we're in the office together, ask me about football on Monday night, and when they do I usually can talk them through the brilliant goal I scored!
And that is where evangelism begins for us, too. Not with learning a script, or memorising a list of arguments, but with asking ourselves what our good news is. Why do we come to church? What difference does following Jesus make to the way we live?
Authenticity is important , not perfect answers = answers like- "I don't know why that happened, and I don't understand it all, but my faith has helped me through some very difficult times." Or, "I find that coming to church gives me hope."
When I had a period in my life where I was feeling quite down - and actually it wasn't connected to any of the major stressful things that have happened in my life - I was just feeling lost, and despite having lots of people around me, quite lonely and useless. Someone read Psalm 139 to me- because another person had done the same for them at a similar time in their life. The psalm told me that God knew me, that there was nowhere I could go where the Spirit of God wouldn't be there with me, and that I was fearfully and wonderfully made and his hand would guide me.
I share that with you, because that is good news. That is evangelism. That is a story I can tell authentically to someone else. To tell this I have to be bold, and that brings us to the B, of our A, B, C.
B — Boldness
Authenticity, however, is not the whole story. We can be kind, generous, welcoming and compassionate, and all those things matter enormously. But if we never speak about our faith, how will people know what motivates us? And why we do what we do?
There is a saying often attributed to St Francis of Assisi: "Preach the Gospel at all times; when necessary, use words." It is a good quote, but there is a danger in using it as an excuse never to talk about Jesus. Words are necessary. Jesus did not simply heal people and hope they would work out who he was. He taught and he told stories.
In our Gospel reading, Jesus sends his disciples out with a message: "The kingdom of God has come near to you." Their actions matter, but so does their proclamation.
The challenge for us is that talking about faith can feel risky. What if somebody asks us a question we cannot answer? What if they challenge our beliefs?
I suspect that many of us have had conversations like these, or have worried about having them. Someone asks, "If God is loving, why is there so much suffering in the world?" Or, "How can you believe in a God who allows war and violence?"
The answer is not to become defensive, to dismiss the question, or to try to win an argument. Nor do we need to pretend that Christianity offers a neat explanation for every tragedy. When someone asks why God allows suffering, we can acknowledge that it is a question Christians have wrestled with for centuries. We can speak of a God who does not remain distant from suffering in our own lives.
You may think this is all very well for me. I’m a Vicar, I walk around in a dog collar all day, but actually, I don’t. When I go home and go out I look, relatively normal!
Boldness is not about being loud, aggressive or certain of everything, but it is about being brave. It is about being willing to speak, even when the conversation is difficult. It is about not hiding our faith because we are afraid of what somebody might think.
I’ve recently started going to a LGTBQIA well-being walk. For now, three walks in, I’ve told them I work for a Charity. The majority of the LGBTQIA community do not have much time for the church or Christians, for good reason. On the next walk I will almost certainly tell them I’m a Vicar. I cannot stay in the charity box forever, and nor do I want to. I would not be being authentic and would not be being bold. I have good news to share!
So it's not always easy, but sometimes it is as simple as saying, "I will light a candle for you at church on Sunday." Or, "I will say a prayer for you.” If people trust us and we are secure in ourselves and Jesus’ promise to be with us, we can be open about our faith without expecting everyone else to agree with us.
So Authenticity - sharing our own stories, Boldness - gaining trust and speaking up. Finally confidence.
C — Confidence
In Luke's Gospel, Jesus consistently meets people where they are. He does not wait for them to become respectable, to learn the right religious language, or to get their lives in order before he welcomes them. He goes towards them with confidence.
In today's reading, Jesus sends his disciples out in pairs. They are to offer peace, heal the sick, and announce that the kingdom of God has come near. Notice that they are not sent out to win a debate. They are not told to prove that everybody else is wrong. They are sent to bring peace and healing, and to make God's presence known and do that with others.
We sometimes imagine that evangelism is something done by a particular kind of Christian: the Vicar, or the naturally outgoing, the eloquent, the enthusiastic.
Jesus sends ordinary disciples and they are part of a joined-up plan, we can be confident the Spirit will use our efforts.
Some of us will be comfortable talking about our faith with friends. Others will find it easier to invite someone to a service, share a prayer, or explain what a particular part of church life means to us. There is no single personality type required. What matters is that we are willing to let our faith be seen and heard because we care and want to share the good news.
Conclusion: Our ABC this week
So, as we celebrate St Luke the Evangelist, we have our ABC: Authenticity, Boldness and Confidence.
Authenticity means being honest about our own faith and sharing what Jesus means to us, without pretending to have all the answers.
Boldness means being willing to speak about our faith, even when the questions are difficult.
Confidence means trusting we are part of a bigger plan and we can do our part
This week, I want to challenge each of us to do one simple thing. Find one opportunity to put our faith into words. Not to preach at somebody, not to win an argument, and not to force a conversation, but simply to share something of what we believe.
Perhaps tell someone why church matters to you. Perhaps, when somebody asks a difficult question, resist the temptation to change the subject. Perhaps speak about how your faith has helped you through a difficult time. Perhaps offer to pray for somebody who is struggling.
So let us be authentic in our faith, bold in our witness, and confident in God’s plan. And may those who encounter us catch a glimpse of the good news we have discovered!
Amen.
Footnote: I realise I didn't talk about prayer during this sermon - you can't say everything in one sermon! But please don't forget to pray when you're talking to people. We're told the Spirit will give us the right words.