Simon Cox Blog: How Can We Overcome Our Fear of Evangelism?

Tuesday, 7 August 2018

How Can We Overcome Our Fear of Evangelism?

Confidence in evangelism begins in the love of God.

A short while ago I was talking with a student about the fact that so few people in North America actually engage in sharing the gospel with others. I asked her why she thought this might be so.

There was no hidden agenda behind my question; I was genuinely curious. What is it that keeps believers from telling non-believers that they are loved by God and that their sins are forgiven in Christ?

This student replied, “I think we are afraid of what people might think of us.” In that moment a light went on for me.

I do believe we should be concerned of what people think of us to the degree that we will avoid being obnoxious while sharing the gospel. We should do the work the Holy Spirit prompts us to do, and do it with all the fruits of the Spirit on full display: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

But when this student said she thought we are afraid of what people might think of us, it dawned on me that if I am more concerned of what people think of me than what God, who loves me, thinks of me, then I’m struggling with some form of idolatry.

The love of God as a counter to idolatry

The Scriptures say that “perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18). I suppose a corollary could be drawn from this that “imperfect love breeds anxiety.” If I am looking to anyone other than God as a primary source of love, then I am setting myself up to be afraid and insecure, especially when it comes to sharing the gospel.

Human love is great as far as it goes, but if we consider the weakness of our own love towards others, it becomes easy to imagine that human love, as good as it is, cannot do for us what only God’s love can.

C. S. Lewis once wrote an ...