Sadly, many professing Christians will see that the subject is about evangelism and read very little, or skip it. People are dying and going to Hell, a place of unimaginable torment. Do you care? Jesus commanded his followers to share the gospel of God's love. Paul, Peter and others also emphasized it. Do you care?
Others may laugh, get angry, ridicule us ("Atheists will say mean things about me!") — but what did Jesus endure for us, again? There are ministries to help equip Christians to share the gospel, and creation science ministries exist to help us remove stumbling blocks that others have regarding origins. Of course, it is vitally important for professing Christians to be more than just professing Christians. We must "walk the talk" and be growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Of course, we can't be perfect. Paul lamented his own sinful nature.
Evangelism is not just a job for the professionals, but all of us must be ready to share the gospel on some level. It can be done in groups or teams, but we must be able to do it by ourselves, which can be daunting.
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| Outdoor conversation, Unsplash / Priscilla Du Preez |
We don't have to be reckless in sharing the gospel; placing oneself in danger is not necessary. I remember reading about someone who wanted to reach an isolated island tribe with the word of Christ, and was told it was suicide. He illegally entered their territory and was killed. The Western world is increasingly secularized with atheism and evolutionism (as well as postmodernism), and it is increasingly unfriendly to Christianity.
Also, there are times when discretion is in order. Take your time, observe the situation and people, pray silently. A better opportunity for a one-on-one conversation may happen later. Also, you and I do not do the saving. Our job is to be faithful, the Holy Spirit convicts and saves. What may seem to be a failed conversation may have planted seeds in the hearts and minds of the hearers.
Two recent news stories [article is from 11 November 2022] highlight the fact that ideological disagreement can be dangerous—even deadly. A conservative teenager was run over and killed by a liberal man who thought he was doing the world a favor through his actions. And a pro-life canvasser was shot as she left the house of a liberal couple who disagreed with her activities.
Christians are commanded to take the message of the gospel everywhere and to everyone. This means at least some Christians will be called to share the gospel in contexts that can become very hostile or even dangerous. This is even more the case in a society where words one disagrees with are equated with physical violence (and thus a physically violent reaction can be justified in the mind of the offended person). In these situations, we have to take extra care to exercise discernment.
You would do well to read the rest at "Sharing the Gospel in a Hostile Society."