There seems to be two disturbing concepts present in the church. Each is represented by a statement that sounds good but is very detrimental to a Christian’s ability to respond to Jesus’ commandment to “make disciples.”
One problematic concept is found in the statement “I don’t have the gift of evangelism.” This likely comes from misreading or misunderstanding the passage from Ephesians 4:11. Paul gives a list of assignments including: “(God) gave some to be evangelists.” It is curious that in 1 Corinthians 12:28, Paul does not mention “evangelists.”
Is “I don’t have the gift of evangelism” an excuse or a reason? Whichever, it is antithetical to the Great Commission. The commandment to make disciples was issued to every Christian; the understanding being that every Christian would use his or her individual life situations or opportunities to connect with non-believers and use whatever gifts God has given individually to “make disciples.”
Try to imagine that when Jesus was issuing his command to the eleven remaining disciples he would say something like this, “Now I know that you, Bartholomew and Nathaniel, don’t have the gift of evangelism, so you are excused from making disciples.”
It is very misguided and sad for a Christian to make the claim not to have the “gift of evangelism” as it precludes that Believer from accepting and obeying one of the most critical of Jesus’ commands. Perhaps that person has forgotten another statement Jesus made: “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” -John 14:15
A second disturbing, and more insidious, concept is indicated by the statement: “Preach the Gospel and, if necessary, use words.” This statement, often mistakenly attributed to Frances of Assisi, is used by some Christians to excuse themselves from sharing their faith.
Apparently, they feel that all they are called and expected to do is to live an exemplary Christian life; that non-believers will see and understand what it means to be a Christian and make the decision to follow Jesus without any guidance or help. Without any conversation about accepting God’s gift of salvation, believing in Jesus alone, and living a Christian life, non-Christians will decide to become believers based solely on the exemplary example of his or her Christian life and lifestyle. And so, the Christian can avoid engaging in conversation or developing a relationship that would involve explaining how God is important in his or her life.
The obvious and serious difficulty with operating in this manner is what the non-believer actually sees and concludes as he or she observes a Christian’s life. The problem is that non-Christians will not necessarily attribute a believer’s good deeds and behavior to being a follower of Jesus. In today’s society there are persons of other religions who are fair, generous, kind, thoughtful, and loving who cannot be distinguished from Christians by observing those good characteristics and behaviors. The same might even be said of some atheists. No, “preaching the Gospel” by only living an exemplary life is not an option!
Can you imagine raising a child only by demonstrating good behavior, hoping the child will learn what is right and wrong solely by observation? If you never tell a child why you behave in a certain way, why you chose right instead of wrong, why you do not lie, why you give generously to a needy person, why you love the child even though the child misbehaves, etc., what kind of person will the child grow up to be?
Making disciples obviously involves the proper mix of living a powerful Christian life that can be observed by a disciple-to-be, with verbal explanations, and “giving reasons for the hope that lives within us.” Conversations about God, Jesus, the Bible, church, becoming a Christian, and living a Christian life are important.
Christians must not fall into the trap of believing that being a highly moral person is all that Jesus required when he said, “As you go (about your daily life) make disciples.”
Ruben has served as a missionary, pastor, and taught math at several universities. Along the way Ruben earned a Doctorate in Math from Purdue University. He currently is the secretary for Vital Words and lives in Indiana.
