LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Evangelism Vision Paper
Submitted to Dr. Bishop
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
EVAN 525
Contemporary Evangelism
by
August 20, 2018
Table of Contents
Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………….......1
What This Semester Has Taught Me …………………………………………………………….2
My Personal Vision ……………………………………………………………………………...3
How I Envision My Future Ministry …………………………………………………………….5
Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………………………….6
Bibliography ………………………………………………………………………………...…...8
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Introduction
Being a Christian with a core group of friends that are Christian and getting into certain
routines can take one away from the act of evangelism. Some can even go so far as to not believe
in its importance because God is ultimately in control and will choose who he is going to choose
regardless whether we reach out to the lost or not. When discussing common misconceptions
about evangelism, Wheeler and Whaley, in the book, The Great Commission to Worship:
Biblical Principles for Worship-Based Evangelism, discuss the fact that many Christians falsely
believe that evangelism is a choice. The authors continue by adding that it is generally accepted
in Christian circles that many believers rarely share their faith with unsaved people. A main
factor for this misconception is that evangelism is taught that it is an individual choice rather
than a biblical command which becomes misleading and dangerous because it directly
contradicts the Great Commission.1
The truth is that evangelism is simply friends telling friends and neighbors about Jesus,
the person who saved them. Evangelism is powerful and has the power to reach people and give
them the little push necessary to accept Jesus. It increases the joy of everyone involved,
including the person sharing the gospel as well as the person receiving the good news, and even
all the people in heaven that rejoice over the salvation of one soul. Lastly, evangelism is joyfully
addictive2 and once the smallest bit of fruit is seen and produced, it will motivate the person
evangelizing to keep on evangelizing and bearing more fruit for the Kingdom of God.
Evangelism should come natural to the believer. Once a person is saved by the grace of Jesus,
this alone should motivate the believer to want to do everything in their power to tell others
1 David A. Wheeler and Vernon M. Whaley, The Great Commission to Worship: Biblical Principles for
Worship-Based Evangelism (Nashville, Tenn.: B & H Academic, 2011), 13.
2 David Wheeler and David Early, Evangelism Is… How to Share Jesus with Passion and Confidence
(Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2010), 9.
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about this grace that saved them from an eternity in hell. We have been saved by grace through
faith and the lost unbelievers are what we once were, and they deserve that same chance and we
should be the ones to offer that chance to them. The worst thing a Christian can do is not tell
someone who is unsaved about Jesus and his power to save them from an eternity separated from
Him.
What This Semester Has Taught Me
This semester started out the same as many of my past semesters, with too many classes
and too much reading and assignments to juggle with trying to fit everything else in my life in
that same schedule. But, this class has peculiarly reignited my passion for evangelism. When I
was a newer Christian my evangelism was at an all-time high, but so was my arrogance as I was
a child spiritually. I was straightforward, but rude. I was knowledgeable but presented that
knowledge without love. I was all about getting my point across to the person without actually
listening to what they had to say about their side of the story and their thoughts about Jesus, the
gospel, and their upbringing. This semester has rekindled that same spark for evangelism but
now, being more mature in the faith, I can apply the lessons learned from this class into my real
life without hesitation, with confidence, and most importantly with love. Also, knowing that
evangelism is a command from Jesus and not a suggestion or a personal choice, brought me
clarity and made me take it more seriously when studying various methods and approaches this
semester.
The biggest challenge for me this semester had to be the witness reports. It is so terrifying
to approach a person and basically tell them that their worldview is wrong, and that Jesus is their
only way to be saved. But, as I said earlier, knowing that this is a command not a choice made
that part a bit easier. Earley, in his first chapter, first sentence says exactly my personality and
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thoughts on evangelism. He says that the thought of talking to anyone about Jesus made him
break out in a sweat and get queasy inside. He said he is an introvert (like myself), and talking to
people about anything, let alone something controversial like Jesus, was way beyond his comfort
zone.3 Although the witness reports this semester were most challenging, it did bring me joy, as
Earley mentioned, simply because God commands evangelism from his servants and our
obedience to his commands produced joy within me. Also, making the name of Jesus more
famous naturally brought me joy despite my fear of reaching out to others when witnessing to
them.4
My Personal Vision
Being in vocational ministry for just over three years now, I have seen and worked with a
variety of pastors, ministry directors, and leaders. They all do a spectacular job within their
specific field and specialty they are trained in. The one thing though that I have seen lacking
from all is their (and mine) dedication and obedience to evangelism. I recently asked our
executive pastor who he hangs out with outside of church. He named a few people who all
happened to be members of the church. It was clear that he has little to no contact with non-
Christians. It seems as if many people in vocational ministry are typically stuck in an office all
week and the only free time they get, they want to spend with their family or immediate friends.
My vision would be for myself, my church staff, the congregation, and all churches to be
committed to Jesus’ command to evangelize. In order for this to be done, there needs to be time
and space made for it. I remember when I first started interning at the church I am currently
employed, I asked the family pastor if we really sat in our offices this many hours a day rather
than being out and about telling people about Jesus. I have always had a heart to evangelize and
3 Ibid., 3.
4 Ibid., 9.
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believe it is vital for the Christian to reach out to the non-believer if they truly believe in the
saving power of Jesus. It would be ideal in my vision for all churches and all staff to dedicate a
specific amount of time and effort to reaching the lost by doing personal evangelism. Jesus gave
his time on earth, and his was far more precious than ours.
There is no possibility to reach out to the lost if we are always surrounded with our close
Christian friends. Earley discusses the importance of having and keeping non-Christian friends.
He says God calls us to go into his harvest and to not be in isolation from the world with our
only friends being in our comfortable Bible study, Wednesday night church get-togethers,
Sunday school, Christian picnics, retreats, homeschool events, and concerts. He adds that we will
never experience the joy of sharing our faith by living this way and it will become dry because
we are ignoring the call to work in God’s fields. Lastly, he states that we will lose a sense of
vitality that comes from obedience to the Great Commission.
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This evangelism and boldness on my behalf would most likely happen in the places I
frequently attend. I go to Lowes often for building materials, so rather than staying quiet while
checking out or looking for things on my own, I can ask for help and start up a conversation and
simply invite the employee to a young adult gathering or to a Sunday service. I have many
tattoos and people always ask about them because many are biblical, so that is always a good
Segway into a conversation about Jesus. I am not a very outgoing person. I am reserved and
possibly an introvert, but with the help of my wife, this can be done confidently. She is fearless
and has no problems starting conversations and letting me ease my way into them. This vision
can and will be accomplished to make Jesus’ name more famous in my city.
How I Envision My Future Ministry
5 Ibid., 114.
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Because my current ministry is being the men’s director, I will discuss my ideal future
ministry with the men. First and foremost, I love the idea of being involved with evangelism and
multiplication leading to the support of planting churches. But before any of that can take place,
Ed Stetzer, in the book has a quote that I believe is vital for any action taken in Evangelism is…
any ministry. Stetzer says, “The earliest churches obeyed the Great Commission by planting new
congregations to carry out the assignments of discipling, baptizing, and teaching that would
begin the multiplication process of planting more and more churches. You notice that the process
begins and ends in obedience.” Obedience is key to the implementation of the multiplication
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process which leads to church planting, disciples, and much more. My future ministry would
have to take all the biblical commandments, not just what they want, seriously and learn to be
obedient to them. We would need to come to terms with the fact that Jesus is not merely
suggesting good ideas but giving commands for us to live by and apply to our lives.
My future ministry would need to start somewhere simple with simple first steps that can
produce disciples who make disciples. The first step would be for each man to choose two to
four other guys a month to meet with. This meeting can be coffee or lunch or whatever they
please. And the point of the meeting is to simply get to know the other person. The man does not
have to push or try to ask difficult questions. After they meet, the man will take notes, whether
mental or physical, on the meeting and follow up with them within the coming weeks. This
process will take place over a few months and each meeting will be with a new man, thus
establishing relationships and following up in order to build on those relationships.
When the men come to my weekly study, this will be more of a networking opportunity
for me to introduce certain men to other certain men. My studies will be more focused on
evangelism and discipleship, rather than going through a book in the bible with no real tangible
6 Ibid., 25.
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outcome. I would like for the men to be obedient and see a life transformation in all aspects of
their lives, including their family life and the relationship with their wives. Being fully
committed to Jesus and following his commandments will make disciples who actually want to
make other disciples, who will then want to reach out to lost people, so they too can become
disciples.
Conclusion
In closing, I am grateful for the opportunity I have had to be able to take this course and
learn as much as I did this past semester. As I said before, I now have a rekindled flame for
evangelism within me and I am joyful and hopeful as I look for opportunities to share Jesus with
others. I have always been hesitant on sharing with others because of my personality and how
God has wired me, but knowing that evangelism is a command and not a choice gave me a whole
new outlook on this matter. The heart of the matter is that I too was lost and ion desperate need
of a Savior, so why would I, being saved by grace, with hold that gift and not tell others about it
if I am truly in fact saved? Everyone needs saving and we are the troops on the ground that are
able to carry out the task of simply telling others about the one person who can truly save them.
I know there will always be a tiny part of me that is scared to share the gospel, but with
prayer and obedience to what Jesus has commanded, I am confident that the Spirit will guide me
and speak through me when I do in fact reach out to others. I am excited for the journey ahead of
me and my current vision for my life and how I will place evangelism into all aspects. I am also
excited for what my future ministry will look like with the men I lead. It brings me joy to know
that disciples will be made that are making disciples who will change the world for Jesus and
make his name more and more famous.
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Bibliography
Earley, Dave, and David A. Wheeler. Evangelism Is…How to Share Jesus with Passion and
Confidence. Nashville, Tenn.: B & H Academic, 2010.
Wheeler, David A., and Vernon M. Whaley. The Great Commission to Worship: Biblical
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Principles for Worship-Based Evangelism. Nashville, Tenn.: B & H Academic, 2011.
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