It’s easy to convince myself that I’d be better at sharing my faith if my skills were better, or my knowledge broader. And it’s true that both need improvement. But I know that the best hope I have for fruitful outreach lies in the depth of my own heart.
Consider what Martyn Lloyd-Jones says about the methods of evangelism: “In the Scriptures from beginning to end, the emphasis is on the messenger, not his external methods — on his character and his being and on his relationship to God” (from Sanctified Through the Truth). Lloyd-Jones captures the truth of John 15:5 — “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me, and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
While we may need to sharpen our skills and increase our knowledge, the greatest hope we have for fruitful outreach is abiding in Christ. This means then that the greatest barrier to evangelism is not, as we often assume, lack of knowledge, poor communication skills or irrelevant evangelistic literature. It’s not even fear, busyness or opposition. The greatest barrier to evangelism is distance from Christ.
One of the best ways to seek for fruitfulness in outreach, then, is to examine our hearts. Is there sin that’s blocking the power of the Holy Spirit in my life? Am I at odds with a Christian friend, with whom I need to be reconciled? Has my love for Jesus cooled off?
As ministry leaders, we need to ask the questions, “Are we addressing issues of the heart clearly and directly? Are we integrating our outreach with our teaching about spiritual growth? Fruitful evangelism can’t be separated from a clear call to holiness and a love for God.
What’s the link between my spiritual health and my outreach? For one thing, if I am weighed down by unconfessed sin and unresolved conflict, I lose my energy and desire to tell other people about the freedom that comes from the gospel. But when I do repent, humble myself and seek to restore my relationship with God and others, I am all the more eager to share that experience with others.
I do need to improve my outreach skills and I do need to increase my understanding of God’s Word. But more important, I need to draw close to Jesus and remain there, as if life depended on it. That’s the best hope I have for leading my friends to Christ.