Our lame excuses for not doing evangelism

We began reading 'The Gospel and Personal Evangelism' today. The first chapter brilliantly exposes the excuses we make for not engaging in evangelism and seeing them in black and white shows us how pathetic and vacuous they are.

He also goes on to suggest 12 steps to overcome our non-evangelising, all are good but I find 12 hard to remember. So we spent some time cutting it down to 5:

1. Pray - too often we try to evangelise in our own strength - it is God's gospel and his power alone that will save so why oh why do we so often forget to ask him.

2. Plan - both in terms of understanding the gospel and our testimony so we can share it with others. But also in terms of being deliberate in our week - plan to meet those who don't know Jesus. Be at the school gate in time to have conversations and build relationships, frequent the same shops, cafes etc so that you get to know those who work there, allow time for people in your planning of your work and week, plan to get to know your neighbours.

3. Fear God - We need to understand why those who are opposed to God should fear him - they face him as judge and a lost eternity that should be a spur to evangelism. But we also need to understand what it means for us to fear God as his children - it means we have a respect and a reverence and love for God, we listen to his word and take it seriously including the command to sound the evangel.

4. Take Risks - Too often I am chicken when it comes to evangelism - I listen to my heart whisper all the excuses not to take this opportunity (they may be offended, it isn't very PC, what if they reject me, I'm too busy for this now etc...). But the gospel calls me to take risks, if it is the most important thing in the world then it is the most important thing in the world and I will risk everything else for it. I will be bold in what I say yet sensitive in when I say it, I will see an opening and take it passionately not hesitantly or apologetically.

5. Love People - If we love people we will share the gospel with them, the flip side of that is that if I don't share the gospel with people it is because I don't love them! What a damning indictment on my failure to understand the gospel and the mercy, grace and love of God. Father God help me love the lost!