10 Questions to Evaluate Your Own Commitment to Evangelism

This past week, I had a doctor’s appointment in preparation for some upcoming minor surgery. Now that I’m 65 years old, my physician also reminded me that I must now schedule my first “Medicare” visit that requires me to complete a questionnaire prior to the appointment. His office staff, in fact, told me the questionnaire has a lot of questions that will take some time to complete.  

Questions are not a bad thing when they help us do a necessary and detailed evaluation of some important aspect of our lives. In this article in our series on evangelism, I am offering a number of questions to help you consider whether you are yourself an evangelistic believer. If you are a church leader, these questions can also guide you as you consider your church’s evangelistic efforts as well.  

1. Am I broken over lostness? 

   It was the apostle Paul’s prayer and heart’s desire that Israel would be saved (Rom 10:1). In fact, he wrote that he was willing to be accursed so others might be saved (Rom 9:3). That’s a level of burden that most of us cannot fathom. It’s also that kind of burden that results in evangelistic leaders and evangelistic churches. What would your prayer life say about your level of burden for non-believers to know Jesus? 

2. Was I more evangelistic earlier in my spiritual journey? Our evangelistic fire often burns most brightly during the first months after our conversion. For certain, I remember when I was willing and ready to tell a wall about Jesus—and not worry whether that wall wanted to listen! The problem is that most of us are far from those days of great zeal—and thus too far from that evangelistic fire. Now, we often must “work up” our passion to evangelize.  

3. If other members of our church assume I evangelize regularly during the week, how accurate would they be?  Some of them probably do make that assumption--and to be frank, they have a right to do so if you are a church leader. Whether you are an elder, a deacon, a small group leader, a ministry leader, or any other leader in your congregation, you should be a model of evangelism. Your reality about evangelism should match the positive assumptions of other church members.  

4. What are the names of the non-believers for whom I am praying regularly? I encourage believers to have a minimum of five non-believers for whom they consistently pray. They way I put it is this: a genuine burden for a non-believer has a name and a face behind it; it’s not a generic, “God, save all the lost people” burden. The specificity of your prayer life is a starting place to determine your evangelistic passion. Can you name five folks on your prayer list today?  

5. How many genuine friendships with non-believers do I have? It’s so easy for church leaders to get cocooned in the church world that we must intentionally choose to connect with unbelievers. I go so far as to argue that “cocooning” is one of Satan’s subtle strategies to keep us from evangelizing. We won’t reach non-believers if we don’t really know any of them—and they are unlikely to come to us. We must take the initiative to go to them.   

6. When was the last time I personally shared the gospel with someone? A mentor once challenged me to tell the good news to somebody at least once a week. Another seeks to speak a good word about God to somebody every day. If it’s been a long time since you actually shared the gospel with someone, either one is a good place to start. As I’ve said before in this series, just do something to speak the good news! Inactivity is too costly when we’re God’s plan for getting the gospel to our neighbors and the nations.  

7. Have I limited my evangelism to talking only with non-believers who come to me? It happens to many of us who are leaders in a church–we proclaim the gospel from the pulpit, in our office, or during a small group training or teaching. That is, we evangelize only when we almost have no other option but to do so because our position demands it. Our evangelism is only reactive, and we fail to initiate evangelism in the street. 

8. Do my church members and friends know my conversion story? Many church members don’t know the testimony of their closest friends in the church--or of their pastors. They may not even know the stories of their own family members in some cases. If we don’t even tell our story to other believers, we’re not likely to tell it to the lost world. How many of your closest Christian friends have no idea how God caught your attention and saved you?   

9. Based on my life, would those who know me best believe the gospel is transforming? The real question here is, "Is there anyone in my life who wouldn't trust my gospel witness because of the way I live?" That’s a tough question to answer at times, simply because we’re not always the best judge of our own character. If you really want to be a strong witness for Christ, take a risk to ask this question of someone who knows you well—and who will speak truth into your life. Then, just listen. . . . 

10. Will I intentionally tell somebody about Jesus today? Your answer to this question will determine what you do with this article. At a minimum, ask God to give you opportunity today to tell somebody what Jesus means to you. Let your testimony of God’s grace be a starting point toward proclaiming the gospel to someone who needs to hear. And, check out this previous article in this series if you need a simple strategy to evangelize today.  

What are your responses to these questions?