Evangelism is about love.
Why don’t we do evangelism?
There are different ways to answer that question. Here’s one – we don’t do evangelism because of a failure to love.
Or rather, because of a failure to love properly. Everyone loves, the issue is what we love and how much we love it.
This is what Jesus zoomed in on when he was asked which commandment is the greatest. Of all the commandments he could have highlighted, Jesus puts the spotlight on our love:
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Listen to what Jesus says. First, we’re to love God supremely with an all-consuming love. Second, we’re to love others with the same level of concern we naturally have for ourselves. And whatever else God wants us to do, Jesus says it all hangs on these two things – love for God and love for others.
So, what does that have to do with evangelism?
Evangelism is about love for God
In the Lord’s Prayer we pray ‘Our Father, hallowed be your name.’ When we pray that, we’re praying that our Father’s name would be uniquely worshipped. Because we love God, we passionately long that he will receive the worship he alone is worthy of.
The reverse is also true. Love for God also means it’ll really bother us when God isn’t given the worship he is worthy of. Paul was ‘greatly distressed’ when he saw the idolatry of the Athenians – so distressed that it drove him to call them to worship the true God (Acts 17:1 etc).
Consider what people can devote themselves to – career, family, pleasure, health, self... All while ignoring and belittling God. What a scandalous outrage! Doesn’t it grieve you?
If we love God, then we won’t sit idly by when we see people devote themselves to idols. We’ll call them to worship the true God in Christ. With the Psalmist we’ll urge people to ‘ascribe to the LORD the glory due to his name’ (Psalm 96:8) – even if not quite in those words.
The greatest thing that should grip our hearts – even above wanting people to avoid hell – is wanting God to be worshipped. Out of love for him we’ll long for people to turn from sin to praise him.
Evangelism is about love for others
Jesus commands us to love others as we love ourselves. Notice that Jesus takes for granted that we love ourselves. That is, we naturally pursue what (we think) is good for us. There’s nothing wrong with that.
But here’s the twist: Jesus takes the love we naturally have for ourselves and says, in effect, ‘show the same level of love to others – if you would want something good for yourself, then seek it for others, with the same level of concern and dedication for their good that you naturally have for your own.’
So ask yourself – if you were facing a terrible eternity and there was a way to escape it for eternal life and joy, would you want it? Would you want that salvation for yourself? Of course you would! That’s only natural. And if you’re a Christian, it’s yours.
And now remember Jesus’ command. If we’d want something good for ourselves, we’re to want it for others. That means we’re to seek salvation for others with the same level of concern and dedication to them that we naturally have for ourselves. Loving others as we love ourselves. That’s the love Jesus is calling us to.
Evangelism is about love – love for God and love for others. How will we grow in our evangelism? By growing in that love, as we reflect more and more the one who perfectly loved God and others by winning God worshippers and saving sinners through his self-sacrifice. Let’s admire him and ask God to remake us in his loving likeness.