Why We Don’t Share the Gospel
America’s Evangelism Crisis
Jesus has a mission. Jesus is saving people. Jesus is bringing people into the life and family of God, forgiving their sins, and transforming their hearts. Jesus, the resurrected King, is raising the dead. The best part is that He has chosen to include you in the greatest mission on earth. The only message that can give eternal life to your friends, coworkers, neighbors, and enemies is His message, His good news, His Gospel.
“Gospel” literally means “good news”. It's the greatest news ever proclaimed. It’s the announcements of God’s ultimate defeat of sin and death, and the free offer to lay hold of the victory that He has secured. The great privilege of the Christian life is participation with God in the salvation of His people. We participate through the proclamation of this Gospel message. We are the mouthpiece for God’s saving work in the world. This is why Jesus, in Acts 1:8, calls His followers “witnesses”. We are to testify to others, as ones who have seen it ourselves, of the saving power of God. And this power is found exclusively in the Gospel. It is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes….” (Romans 1:16).
But there’s one big problem: Christians in America aren’t spreading this message. Every year, less and less Christians seem to be engaging in evangelism, or the practice of sharing their faith with others. According to a study conducted in 2016 by LifeWay Research, 47% of unchurched Americans are open to having religious conversations with their friends, while 79% say that they don’t mind their Christians friends talking about their faith. While the unchurched around us are generally open to spiritual conversations, 40% of them say that they have never had a Christian explain the benefits of going to church, the benefits of becoming a Christian, or how to become one at all. While these numbers were slightly different in a 2021 Evangelism Explosion Study, it was still found that 66% of Americans are open to having spiritual conversations with their religious friends.
Why are so many unchurched Americans completely unreached? Another study sheds light on Christian’s unwillingness to share their faith. The 2022 Evangelism Explosion Study, conducted again by Lifeway, gives us a glimpse into the fears and insecurities driving America’s evangelism crisis. The study found that 70% of Christians had not shared their faith with an unbeliever in the past 6 months. But why? Why would people who confess to believe that Jesus is the only way to salvation neglect to share that news with others? According to the study, 52% of self-identified Christians believe that encouraging someone to change their religious beliefs is “offensive and disrespectful”. Another 42% say that sharing their faith is scary and intimidating. Here lies two great road-blocks hindering the mission of the church in America; fear of increasing hostility and moral relativism.
Opposition Will Come
For the past 200 years, the church in the west, and in America specifically, has been blessed with a period of peace that is rare in the history of our faith. For much of the past two centuries, Christianity has been the dominant belief system in the western world. But as with all good things, this blessing can also be a curse. In our unprecedented era of prosperity, we have lost a key strand of the Christian DNA; the ability to handle hostility. The church was founded as a counter-cultural movement. The founding of our faith took place not in a great cultural victory, but in a moment of intense persecution and hostility; the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. From the earliest years of the Christian movement, persecution has been the norm rather than the exception. Jesus Himself warned His disciples of the persecution that they would surely face, “If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you… But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know Him who sent me” (John 15:20-21). Peter reiterates this sentiment by encouraging us to embrace the persecution that Jesus spoke of,
“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” (1 Peter 4:12-14).
The Bible speaks often about the certainty of opposition. They hated Jesus, so surely they will hate us. They killed Jesus, why would we expect any differently? Jesus even calls those who are persecuted for His sake “blessed” (Matthew 5:11), while cursing anyone who is spoken well of by everyone (Luke 6:26).
Faithful commitment to Jesus and His mission guarantees opposition. If you aren't being opposed, slandered, gossiped about, or maligned for your faith, you probably aren't doing something right. Now, this doesn't sound like a great pitch for Christianity. “Come to Jesus and everyone will hate you.” isn’t the pitch that would sell a used car or a timeshare. But this is precisely the call that Jesus made to those who would follow Him. He told His potential followers to “take up [your] cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). The cross is not a pretty symbol made for necklaces, it is Rome's most brutal execution tool. The call to follow Jesus is a call to lay down your very life. Why on earth would someone do that? Because Jesus is worth it. Christianity is not a message of accepting Jesus to get a better life, it's a call to receive Jesus as your life, no matter what it costs you. What could be more valuable than the God who made you and can ultimately satisfy you?
When pondering each of our own fears regarding persecution and opposition, we must come face to face with this question; what is Jesus worth? If He is who He said He is, then He is worth everything. If He is worth everything, then giving up anything for Him is a no-brainer. Paul ponders his own life in the face of persecution and reaches this striking conclusion,
“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him” (Philippians 3:8-9).
What is Jesus worth to you? Is he the supremely valuable creator and sustainer of all the universe? Is He the treasure of the cosmos? Have you seen Him so clearly that you can say that knowing Him is surpassingly worthwhile? If so, then fear of man must fade away. The longer we linger our thoughts upon the value of knowing Christ, the easier it will be to rejoice when the suffering comes, and call ourselves blessed to suffer as He suffered.
What is Truth?
If Hollywood were to remake Jesus for the modern age, we could expect him to be dressed in flowers, with a peace sign hanging from his neck, and he would probably say something like, “I am a way, a truth, and a life. I can get you to the Father, but it’s more important that you follow the truth in your heart”. The concept of absolute truth is insulting to a culture that desires to live its own way and follow its own passions. Oprah Winfey perfectly summarized the philosophy of the day when she said “Speaking your truth is the most powerful tool that we all have”. Your truth, not the truth. This concept is called Moral Relativism, and it is infecting more churches than we like to admit.
Moral Relativism is the belief that morality is not fixed, that there is no absolute standard of right and wrong, or beauty and meaning. Morals are a complex web of beliefs that are molded mainly by the society that you live in or the culture that surrounds you. Therefore, it is wrong to challenge anyone's moral or religious beliefs. To do so would be to insult the core of who they are and to declare that your truth is greater than theirs, and in our culture, nothing could be more offensive. Over 50% of respondents to the previously mentioned survey, who were not actively sharing their faith, cited some form of moral relativism as the underlying cause of their silence. Unfortunately, this belief is even more prevalent in younger generations of Christians.
Fortunately, this position is not only refuted in scripture, but with basic reasoning itself. Just the statement “morality is relative” creates a conundrum. Which moral beliefs are acceptable? Our legal system is built upon a group of people imposing their morality on another person. We say that theft is wrong, so we punish thieves. We say that murder is wrong, so we punish murderers. For someone to truly believe that morality is relative, they must admit that the moral beliefs of serial killers are just as valid as those of the sweet old lady across the street. There is a reason that all people, in all cultures and in all locations, know that murder, theft, and lying are wrong. This is because there is a moral standard that is ingrained in the conscience of every human being.
Christians have an even greater awareness of this higher moral standard. We know that the conscience is given by God to convict men of sin and leave them without excuse in their judgment (Romans 2:15). Every person has a conscience because they were created by a good and moral God. Now, this still doesn't answer the issue of absolute religious truth. A universalist like Oprah could agree that there is a god who gives us a conscience, but that all religions lead vaguely back to that god in the end. This is where the words of Jesus are offensive to the modern mind. Jesus makes plain His stance on the religions of the world through a statement of utter exclusivity, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6).
Take a moment to think about that statement. No one comes to the Father except through Jesus. He is the litmus test for true spirituality. He is the gate by which we enter into a right relationship with God. He is the only way that man can attain salvation. The exclusivity of Jesus is a foundation of the Christian faith. It’s what makes evangelism so urgent. The only way that your neighbors, your friends, your parents, your children, and your family can enter into a right relationship with God is through faith in Jesus Christ. The Bible leaves no room for moral relativism; God’s truth is the only truth, therefore we have a mission to fulfill.
Start Where You Are
Evangelism doesn't have to be daunting. Once you prayerfully begin to work through the fears and beliefs keeping you from sharing your faith, the next step is just to open your mouth. God does not work through eloquent speech, or well reasoned philosophical arguments, He works through His word (Romans 10:17). You don’t need to be the smartest, the quickest, the wittiest, or the most educated person on your street to be used by God in the salvation of people. As a matter of fact, God prefers to use the weak and simple to accomplish His greatest works (1 Corinthians 1:26-2:2). He gifts the Spirit to those engaged in His mission, so that we can be ensured of the empowering grace of God working through us (Acts 1:8).
Begin by digging into God’s word. Read Romans and Ephesians, two books that explain and expound upon the Gospel in great detail. Then, just open your mouth. Ask your friend, co-worker, or neighbor if you could take a minute to explain what you believe and what Jesus has accomplished on your behalf. Talk about our sinfulness and great need for a savior, and of God’s mercy in sending Jesus. Talk about the cross, and how Jesus suffers in our place. Then bring them to the resurrection, encouraging them that Jesus can give them new life as well. Implore them to forsake their good works, and to enter into this great salvation by repentance and faith alone.
If they reject the message, that’s ok, they are rejecting Jesus, not you. If they slander you, you are called blessed by God (Matthew 5:11). At the very worst, they could never speak to you again. But at the very best, they could be saved for all eternity and enter into everlasting joy in the presence of the God they were created to worship. The positives far outweigh the negatives. Who do you know who needs this message? And are you willing to be used by God to bring it to them?
