I find a strange phenomenon at work among Christians. They question why they evangelize people. In fact, the introspection may be debilitating. Some will not reach out to the unchurched or non-Christians, because they fear doing so for the wrong reasons. Now they appear in other areas of their lives, specifically at work and in their walk with God to be motivated by love for God and others. But when telling receptive people about the Lord, they pause, "Am I doing this for the right reason?"Some go as far as to invoke the gunslinger analogy, "Am I witnessing in order to have a notch on my belt?" Another invocation quotes a saint, (that sounds better) St. Francis of Assisi, "Witness, and if you must, use words." (Problem: St. Francis did not provide this golden quote according to the Franciscans.) This misquote accomplishes, however, two desirable outcomes: 1. It points to the need for the Christian witness to live a life of integrity including good deeds. 2. The second desirable outcome is that it excuses the Christian from saying anything. ("Desirable" because the person quoting St. Francis seems to prefer being a silent witness.)
We have a saying, "Some things go without saying." The Gospel is not one of those things. Our lives and acts of kindness do not automatically point to Jesus. Our lives do not explain what begs to be known. The atonement needs some explanation. Repentance is not what people do without Christian encouragement. We must witness using words. Let me invoke another saint. Paul wrote, "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?" (Romans 10:14).
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Contributed by Dr. Lyle Pointer
