Unashamed Evangelism

Near the end of his narrative autobiography Seeking Allah Finding Jesus, Nabeel Qureshi shared a perspective and a testimony that I found to be quite interesting and yet also convicting. Nabeel had been a devout Muslim. He had faithfully followed the traditions and patterns of that religion. Beginning with a providential encounter with a Christian in college, Nabeel began a multi-year journey that ultimately led him to faith in Jesus Christ. I’m certainly not doing his journey justice - after all there were many debates with his friend, countless answered prayers, there was the mourning he faced over his losing his former religion and being shamed by his family.

Eventually, when Nabeel finally responded to the call of the gospel, he had an immediate change of perspective on everyone one around him. He saw people differently. He saw people in need of a Savior. That passion fueled nearly everything he did for the remaining few years of his life.

His was an evangelistic fervor that burned brightly and hot all the way to the end.

I would guess that for most of us, there are seasons when our evangelistic zeal is more passionate. There are also seasons when we simply become more complacent. It’s as though the hope of the gospel, the promise of eternal life with God, the forgiveness of sins is not good enough news for us to share with others.

Today, as we continue looking at how we can have a disciplined delight in the trinity, we come to the spiritual discipline of evangelism. Now, if you’re at all like me, you might be thinking “I didn’t think that evangelism was a spiritual discipline.” Things like reading, studying, meditating, memorizing scripture, prayer, fasting, even things like giving and serving all make sense as spiritual disciplines for most of us. Evangelism often gets relegated to the realm of “the gifted” or the “professional,” but not to me. I couldn’t do that. I don’t know what to say or do.

I’m right with you.

But let’s look a bit at scripture. Let’s consider a bit of what Scripture teaches and follow the examples of others who have demonstrated a willingness to be unashamed when it comes to their evangelism.

Open your Bibles to Romans 1. Here in the introductory chapter of this brilliant treatise on salvation, the Apostle Paul expresses gratitude for the faith that he has learned about in the Roman believers, but then also shares a desire to go to them in order to share the gospel more fully.

Romans 1:8–17 ESV

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

From Paul’s earliest days as a follower of Christ, he demonstrated that he was unashamed of his zeal for God and the gospel. As we look specifically at these last two verses, I think we can find five reasons - maybe more, that we too should be unashamed. First of all, Paul notes that he was…

Unashamed of the message -

He begins by stating “For I am not ashamed of the gospel.” He was eager to go to Rome to share the gospel, the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. Throughout his life, he demonstrated a willingness to go into some of the most challenging and dangerous situations in order to share the gospel. He faced imprisonment. He experienced beatings. He received ridicule from former friends and colleagues. He even demonstrated a willingness to share the gospel in front of rulers and skeptics alike. He was unashamed of the message that God had given him.

But, as the writers of the comments in the Christian Standard Study Bible ask - “Why might someone be ashamed of the gospel?”

Some of the reasons that the gospel might have been shameful for Paul and his contemporaries might be a bit different than it would be for us. The CSBSB writers continue:

CSB Study Bible: Notes Chapter 1

On the surface, the gospel seems like a very strange message. It is about a Jewish carpenter and teacher who was put to death on a cross by Pontius Pilate, Roman governor of Judea in AD 26–36. The message says that this man Jesus was raised from the dead and is now Lord—the (Gk) kurios. This title was used of God in the Greek Bible and was applied to the emperor by some Romans. Paul himself wrote that this message seemed foolish to Gentiles (1Co 1:23) and was a stumbling block to Jews. A crucified Messiah seemed to be a contradiction in terms to the Jews.

The message itself seems a bit strange. Jews viewed someone’s death on a tree to be a curse - and yet Paul proclaimed that as a blessing for believers because Jesus took our curse.

Galatians 3:13 ESV

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—

Paul faced possible shame from both Jewish and Roman or Gentile oppressors. But what about us? Why are we sometimes tempted to be ashamed of the gospel? Do we feel that it is good news?

offending our friends - one of the things is that the gospel requires is that people face their sin directly. For many in our culture, many of the things that scripture calls sin, our culture calls identity.

cultural universalism - have we bought into the idea that it doesn’t matter what you believe but that you believe something.

fear of others - what others might think, will we lose friends over this?

small view of God - which takes us to our next point.

Paul stated that he was not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God… It seems like in this Paul shows us by example that we should be…

Unashamed of our big God

Paul writes that the gospel is the power of God for the salvation. The Gospel really communicates so much about just how big and glorious our God is.

Who do you and I think God is? Do we see him as a cosmic daddy who wants us to be happy? Do we see Him as a grumpy old man with a big beard who is angry with us and doesn’t want us to have any fun?

Do we see him for who he is - or at least as much as we can grasp?

Sovereign Creator over all things - who spoke the universe and the worlds into existence, who fashioned all that we see and then chose, for his glory, to make us in his image.

Holy and Perfect - a God who is without error and does not change with the shifting tides of culture

Just - consistent, upright, who establishes standards designed to both glorify him and cause us to flourish

Loving - who sees us in our sinful condition and in love sent his son to redeem us. Who continually pours out his grace

Do we see God as being the one who uses the foolish things of the world to shame the wise and the weak things to shame the strong. Who advocates for the widow and the fatherless. Who is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

A God who seeks and saves the lost.

We serve a big God who sees and knows and sustains far more than what our myopic perspective can comprehend.

So, when it comes to being unashamed evangelists, this means that we simply get to be the messenger. We get to leave the salvation up to God. We get to walk in obedience, trusting the outcomes to Him. We get to be faithful and get to watch him work.

Nabeel and his friend - his friend had taken a small view of God at one point and had pushed hard with someone else, assuming that he had to save that person. But when it came to his relationship with Nabeel, he was bold and faithful, but also invested in the relationship. He was in it for as long as it would take. He trusted that if God was going to save Nabeel, that it would be in His perfect time. So he clearly put his faith on display, but he also kept the friendship. They became best of friends, long before they became brothers in Christ. He trusted God to work.

Paul helps us to see that we should be unashamed of the message - it’s great news, that we should be unashamed of our big God - the gospel is the power of God for salvation - not our techniques or methods. Thirdly, Paul helps us see that we should be…

Unashamed because of the audience -

“To the Jew first and then the Greek”

This gospel is good news for everyone. For Paul and his contemporaries, there were really two categories of people - Jew and Gentile. For us, in many ways we could see things the same way - saved and not-yet-saved. No matter what ethnicity, nationality, level of melanin in the skin, political affiliation, the gospel is good news for everyone. Whether our neighbors come from predominately Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Atheist, or Agnostic backgrounds the gospel is Good News for them!

The challenge that I’ve run into is how exactly to introduce the gospel to them.

For example, the other day, I helped out a young man who is interning at Cross Vines in their kitchen. He and I spent about 30 minutes together on two different days as I drove him from his AirBnB in Gaithersburg to the golf course. His mom had reached out asking for some help. He clearly came from a churched background, but I know that his mom is also concerned for him. On the first day, we talked nearly the entire way about him, his background, his work in culinary school, and even a bit of his family/church. But on the second day, the conversation was a lot more awkward. It was early in the morning. He didn’t seem to want to talk. I desperately wanted to get into a gospel conversation, but frankly I failed. His brother is studying to be a pastor and his parents clearly have concerns for him. I do hope that my time with him at least left him with a foundation upon which we can build a relationship if God allows that in the future. I think part of my challenge was that I was trying to think through some of the gimmicky entry points that I have learned over the years, but I was drawing a blank. I guess that wasn’t what as needed at the time.

We should not fear introducing anyone to the gracious love of God.

Next, Paul brings up an interesting concept that I think is helpful for us to consider - that is that we should be…

Unashamed because of the means -

That means is by faith. Paul writes in verse 17

Romans 1:17 “For in it (that is, in the gospel) the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.””

This phrase “from faith for faith” is an interesting phrase. Some translators have suggested that this means that the beginning of and the end of the righteousness that is revealed from God is through faith. We receive God’s righteousness by faith in Jesus Christ. We live in and are sustained in His righteousness by faith.

Elsewhere, Paul writes

Romans 3:21–26 NLT

But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.

I realize that for most of us, this makes a lot of sense. We’ve grown up with the idea that our salvation, that eternal life, that forgiveness from sins is a matter of faith. We don’t earn it. We don’t keep it by performance. We are invited into this covenant with God. He seals us and sustains us. He welcomes us in love. We respond in love through faith which he provides.

Ephesians 2:8–9 ESV

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

For our friends and family members who are far from God, this idea of receiving something as big as eternal life, something as big as salvation and freedom from sin - as a free gift is un-western, un-American - but it is totally God’s way of doing things - and it always has been.

When God called Abraham and entered into a covenant - the Bible says that Abraham believed God - in other words - he had faith - it was counted to him as righteousness (Gen. 15:6). Abraham hadn’t done anything yet. He hadn’t lived out any of God’s expectations for him in this covenant And yet God chose him and in turn Abraham trust God.

We get to be unashamed of the means by which people are saved - through faith.

Finally, we learn in this passage that we can be……

Unashamed because of the transformation -

“The righteous shall live by faith” a quote from Hab. 2:4.

Our lives and the lives of those who truly respond to the gospel will be transformed. As the Spirit of God continues to work in us and as we yield more and more of our lives to His reign, we “put to death the deeds of the flesh” (Romans 8:13). We are transformed little by little through faith.

Let’s think about this a different way. In some cultures, they have the practice of “arranged marriages.” I’m simplifying this, but in cultures where this happens, parents will often seek out a spouse for their child. Many times this comes from someone who is already known to the family. The parents of one will talk to the parents of the other. They will arrange some encounters where the whole family can meet. For Christians in these cultures, there is likely a great deal of prayer that is included. When all of the parties are in agreement, the marriage will be arranged. After the ceremony, this couple is now husband and wife. They are devoted to each other. Covenanted with each other. Over time, they grow more and more in love with each other. Here in the west, we expect feelings of love first. There, the commitment to love precedes the feelings.

In a similar way, the Holy Spirit works like a go between - seeking out people to be in covenant with God (much like Abraham’s servant who went to look for a wife for Isaac). Through the witness of other believers, people are drawn in. When they finally accept Christ as savior, it’s as though they have entered into this marriage with Him. In time, we grow to love and delight in him more and more. Our lives gradually move from being enticed with the things of this world, and our affections shift to the things of God. We learn to love him, by faith.

But how does this relate to evangelism?

I’m glad you asked.

First, We get to trust that the Spirit is at work in people around us. He is drawing, wooing.

Second, we get to live out the righteous life by faith. We get to demonstrate what the transformed Christian life looks like. It is our identity. As we exhibit transformed lives, we help people to see that we are both not perfect, but also not finished. So as you invite friends into your life, speak of Christ. Talk about your relationship with him. Pray over the meal that you are sharing with them - don’t be ashamed. Offer to pray for him or her. Love them well.

Closing thoughts

We are called to be witnesses for Christ. We are called to unashamedly share the good news - with our words, with our actions, with our prayers. We could talk about methods of evangelism - things like

Evangelism Explosion,

Who’s your one,

The Best News, or

F.A.I.T.H.

But we might be better served by praying and asking God to give us a heart for the lost.

Pray and ask God to change our perspective on our lives. Evangelism is not someone else’s responsibility, it’s all of ours. In the book Overcoming Walls to Witnessing, the author shared the testimony of a nurse who, when asked about her profession replied: “I am a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, on mission for Him, cleverly disguised as an emergency room nurse!”

We should pray for our neighbors, classmates, friends, family members - God has placed us in their lives for a reason. Intentionally invite them into your life. Let them see how God is working in you. Even invite them for a meal or bring them to church.

If you still need or want more information or resources, here are a couple of things that I can recommend from the Book Nook:

Resources to give:

two ways to live - tract - consider giving this to friends or family, or even servers at restaurants (in addition to a generous tip) or to the people delivering packages to your home.

Your Verdict on the Empty Tomb - a short book that highlights the facts of Easter and urges people to come to a point of decision on the empty tomb and respond accordingly.

The Truth About Lies - addresses all sorts of lies that we face in our culture and how the truth of the Gospel overcomes that.

The Case for Christ

Resources to Read

What if I’m Discouraged in my Evangelism? - by Isaac Adams

Evangelism - by Mack Stiles (the same guy who wrote the truth about lies)

The Gospel and Personal Evangelism - Mark Dever

One to One Bible Reading - by David Helm - this might be a good resource to read and then use as a guide as you invite someone over lunch or before work or school to read scripture with you. This is a great tool for both evangelism and discipleship.

We don’t often think about evangelism as a spiritual discipline. Sometimes we assume that this is something that other people are gifted for and called to. In fact, this is something we all are called to do.

Matthew 28:19–20 ESV

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Romans 10:13–15 ESV

For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

Let’s Pray

Father, give us hearts that are tender toward those who are far from you. Give us wills that are unashamed. Forgive us, I pray for when we have too small a view of you and too dim a view of the hope of your salvation for others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The Lord’s Supper

Hebrews 10:11–14 ESV

And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

Benediction

Deuteronomy 6:4–9 ESV

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Questions for reflection and discussion

What is the gospel?

How do we sometimes manifest being ashamed of the gospel?

How is the gospel “the power of of God for salvation”?

What barriers exist that keep people from that power/salvation?

What barriers exist that keep us from sharing the gospel?

How have you shared the gospel with others in the past?

Who needs to hear the gospel?

Questions from Kids Connection:

Commandment: Honor your parents (Ex. 20:12) Other passages/examples: Ruth 1-4 - Ruth, 1 Samuel 18-20 - Jonathan; Genesis 37-50 - Joseph, 1 Kings 45-53 - Adonijah

What does it mean to honor your parents?

What is one example that you learned about from the Bible stories?

How did that person honor their parents?

How can we honor our parents?

Sources:

Blum, Edwin A. “Romans.” In CSB Study Bible: Notes, edited by Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax, 1777–1808. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017.

Piper, John. Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist. Sisters, OR. Multnomah, 2003.

Piper, John. Providence. Wheaton, IL. Crossway, 2020.

Whitney, Donald S. Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. NavPress, 2014.

Whitney, Donald S. TEN Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health. NavPress, 2001.

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