“So go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach them to obey everything that I have told you to do. You can be sure that I will be with you always. I will continue with you until the end of time.”

Evangelism is simply sharing the gospel with the intention of persuading. Every believer has a mandate to share his or her faith with other people. Believers have been entrusted with the instructions in our verse of the day, the Great Commission.

First and foremost, looking at the verse above, we see that followers of Christ are commanded to evangelize and make disciples. When someone responds to the gospel and gives his life to Christ, then we disciple him in a local church. The process of evangelism is about persuading a non-believer to become a disciple of Christ.

Sharing the good news of Christ is much simpler when we truly consider the amazing gospel and our salvation. Humanity’s relationship with God was ruptured as a result of sin. God intended to use the sacrifice of his only Son, Jesus Christ, to rescue humanity rather than punish them for their sins. We were accepted as God’s Sons, our sins were pardoned, and we were made right with our Creator. When we consider this amazing message and God’s goodness, we are compelled to share Christ with others in an effort to win their souls.

Additionally, since we have been saved, have seen the goodness of our salvation, and are aware of what happens to unbelievers, we have a responsibility to spread the gospel in order to prevent people from perishing. There are so many verses in the Bible that talk about hell for people who do not know God. Knowing this terrible reality for unbelievers, we are burdened to try our best to save our friends, our families, our colleagues, and as many people as we can. Hence, we strive to be obedient in evangelism, because we love the Lord, and we want to see Him rightly honored and worshipped.

Let us become ambassadors of Christ, let our lives model Christ, so that even when we have not spoken a word, our way of life will have reflected the goodness of Christ already. As we share the gospel of Christ, let us become conscious of the mandates we were given. The Lord counts on us to deliver the message of salvation to non-believers, so we share it with diligence and the zeal to make disciples. This task, however, is not without its challenges. We might feel at times overwhelmed, discouraged, or fearful; but when we do it from a place of knowing that it is not about us, but Christ, we do it better. Another thing that makes it easier is constant reliance on the One who sent us.

In conclusion, we must look at evangelism as simply sharing the gospel. It is not just preaching on the pulpit telling unbelievers to repent. We must ask God to bless our technique of sharing the Gospel and that the Holy Spirit would speak to the heart to persuade and make the unbeliever believe in the One who matters the most, Jesus Christ.

By Bishop Onismo Goronga, Bible League International staff, Zimbabwe