2024 01 07 Sermon What If Evangelism Means Just Being Yourself?
What if Evangelism Means Just Being Yourself?
(based on the book Evangelism Without Additives by Jim Henderson)
Sermon Series 1 of 4
Baptism of Our Lord Sunday
Mark 1:4-11; 2 Corinthians 4:1-2, 5-7
Rev. Karl-John N. Stone
What does an evangelist look like? What images come to mind? Maybe people going door to door to hand out tracts, or asking if you’ve been saved? People handing out pamphlets or Bibles to whoever walks by in the airport? Street-corner preachers preaching fire and brimstone? Or perhaps more positively, a charismatic speaker sharing an inspiring message with a large crowd of people? These are common perceptions of evangelists—and they remind me a little bit of the way John the Baptist is described in the gospels: there’s something about him that stands out and attracts attention. He has a message to share and a burning enthusiasm to share it.
Are you an evangelist? Perhaps some of you have that ability to freely talk about Jesus and faith in a way that is extroverted, or you have the spiritual gift of evangelism, or you’re kind of a natural salesperson who finds it easy to make connections and understand what people are looking for, and you can talk with them about it. If you are, that’s great! Keep up the good work!
However, many people are not wired that way. Maybe you’re more the quiet type. Maybe you hear the word “evangelism” and want to hide in a corner. Or maybe no one could pay you enough to ever go door-to-door. You might find it difficult to reach out to others with such charismatic enthusiasm; not only find it difficult—but wouldn’t want to do it in the first place. If that sounds like you, that’s okay, because I’ve got some good news. You don’t have to do any of that! You don’t have to become a “John the Baptist”-type of person, if that’s not the kind of person you are. Remember that even John the Baptist, in the way he approached his ministry of preparing the way for Christ, was being true to himself. He was being the kind of person God made him to be. And this is, I think, the first thing to realize about evangelism: You can only be an evangelist by being yourself; by being the person God created you to be.
This was revealed in our gospel reading for today, when John baptizes Jesus in the River Jordan, and God’s voice comes from heaven to say “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” And these words of promise are not just for Jesus, they’re also for you. When you were baptized, God spoke from heaven to say: “you are my child; you are beloved, beloved for who you are; with you I am well pleased.” And—good news—this promise lasts for eternity. No one and nothing can take it away.
But maybe you’re thinking—what even is evangelism, and why should I care about it? I’m not an evangelist. After all, it’s a topic that often irritates both Christians and non-Christians alike, especially if it’s something that feels “pushy” or “judge-y”. So, what is evangelism? Is it adding new members for church? Is it being saved? Is it people committing themselves to Jesus Christ, and trying to follow him? Is it being baptized, or learning how to pray, or knowing the Bible? Is it people turning away from the sins and regrets of their past and finding faith and new life? Well, any of those might be the result of evangelism (the Holy Spirit-inspired result), but they are not evangelism itself.
Evangelism is something more basic. The word comes from a Greek word that means “Good News” (euangelion). This word originated in the secular world, referring to the good news a messenger would bring if their king won a great victory in battle. This message was their euangelion, their gospel, their good news. The earliest Christians borrowed this word, euangelion, because they too had a message about a great victory: the victory of Jesus Christ, who defeated sin and death when he rose from the tomb! The euangelion, the gospel, the good news for Christians therefore, is the story about Jesus, and the gift of love in Christ that we have received from God. There are so many ways each of us can share this story, in word and in deed, in ways that are authentic to who you are.
In the book Evangelism Without Additives (which my sermon series is based on), the author Jim Henderson describes how our good news about Jesus is shared through relationships. And with just a little shift in mindset, the everyday connections you make with people can become a form of evangelism. It’s not about needing to convince anyone of anything, or needing to “close the deal” to get someone to believe. It’s about “being yourself and focusing on others” using “everyday things, such as asking questions, listening, giving away your attention, and praying behind people’s backs” as the author Jim Henderson puts it. And he observes that “Each of these perfectly sane activities helps communicate the gospel… [and you’re probably] already doing them” (p. 3).
All of them also have something in common. They are about paying attention to people—not so you can ask them for something, or even tell them something, but to give them a gift—a gift of your time, talent, and interest (p. 12). If you can pay attention to someone—with love—then you just might be an evangelist without even knowing it. After all, you are already God’s beloved child. God has already sent you the Holy Spirit. Perhaps through the gift of your attention, you will help someone else to realize that they are a beloved child of God, already, too.
Pastor Matt Short, who coordinates our synod’s Faithful Innovation ministry, has a saying he shares frequently: “Being heard feels so close to being loved, that for most people they are practically indistinguishable.” Especially in today’s culture, for many people true community seems harder to find and more deeply desired than ever. What a gift of God’s love you paying attention to someone can be! It’s not fancy. It even feels like a small little thing—like a fragile jar of clay, as St. Paul might put it. But God is at work within your small fragile little offering, to turn it into a great treasure.
I learned this once from a pastor I knew back in Pennsylvania. He was from Germany, and fluent in English, but not aware of all our American idioms. And I, like many people, I’m in the habit of saying “What’s up? How’s it going?” and I say it just as an informal greeting, not an actual question. So when I saw Gunther, my German friend, at an event and said “How’s it going?” he stopped, looked me in the eyes, and proceeded to tell me everything that was going on in his life! He had a lot on his mind. So I listened to him. I just listened. And I had to adjust my mindset, my expectations, that in the future if I said to Gunther “how’s it going?” he was going to tell me, and my giving him the gift of attention would be important. It wasn’t anything fancy. I was just there, being myself, and simply paying attention.
So, what if evangelism means just being yourself? If it does, then here’s something to try this week. Instead of saying “How’s it going?” to everyone, be intentional about asking at least one person “How are you?” And then take the time to listen—not so you can respond or ask for something in return, but just as a way to give a gift of God’s love in Jesus Christ. Amen.