Recovering Our Evangelistic Passion :: Gospel Fellowship Association Missions

Every believer understands the painful reality that passion to share the Gospel sometimes falters. Perhaps we fail to take advantage of a clear opportunity to proclaim Christ. Or, maybe we go days, months, or even years without experiencing a longing in our hearts to see people come to know Jesus. How does this happen? Why do we neglect clear opportunities? What causes those longer periods of time when we lack urgency to share the Gospel?

Fear: What will happen if I open my mouth and talk to this person or group about sin, the judgment of God, and salvation in Christ alone? It is not surprising at all that we are tempted to fear ridicule, danger or personal harm, lost opportunities for advancement, or fractured relationships. But if we yield to those fears regularly, our hearts will soon cool toward evangelism.
A lack of visible results: We are prone to discouragement when we can’t see what God is doing. When we go on for weeks and months speaking to people about Christ and are met with criticism or pushback or total disinterest, our tendency is to begin doubting and even become cynical.
A sense of unworthiness: Some believers let wrong thinking creep in that says we must achieve a certain level of sanctification before we can effectively share the Gospel. “I missed my time with the Lord this morning, and I spoke unkindly to my kids, and I’m sure the Lord won’t use my efforts until I can conquer those things fully.” No one would say things that way, but that kind of thinking can creep in and affect our fervor.
A misunderstanding of giftedness: There are people whom God equips in extraordinary ways to share the Gospel. Most of us must work a lot harder. But we should not use “giftedness” as an excuse. We must not let ourselves think, "I’m not gifted in evangelism. I’ll exercise my gifts of teaching or exhortation or helps or mercy, and let the experts in evangelism do the evangelism." If we start thinking and acting like that, our passion for evangelism will wane.
Sin: When we allow a sin habit to take root in our lives, our evangelistic eagerness will not simply wane; it will die. Praise God that He uses redeemed sinners who still struggle with sin. We all fall, and we all must go to Christ constantly for cleansing and power. But this point isn’t about struggles which we all face. This point is about allowing a certain sin habit to go unconfessed and become a settled part of our lives. We proclaim a message of a mighty Savior who “breaks the power of cancelled sin and sets the prisoner free.” Yet if we secretly harbor some sin habit, we are in effect denying the very message of deliverance. That sin will choke out the heart of Christ for sinners in us.
Misplaced passions: There are lawful things that can become big and important and eventually dominate our passions. When we get really worked up about politics, a hobby, fitness, or anything else in such a way that it becomes dominant in our hearts, our eagerness with the Gospel takes a back seat.
Prayerlessness: A life of real communion with God seasons our lives with His purposes. The more we truly walk with Him in prayer, the more of His compassion and love for sinners we will reflect. When we cease praying, we lose that seasoning.
Ruts: “I’ve always done things this way.” Maybe it becomes routine, and your passion cools. Maybe the surroundings change and what used to be effective isn’t anymore. If you keep going and going like that, you lose freshness. We need to ask God to give us holy creativity in meeting people and sharing the Gospel.
The myth of “preparedness”: We ought to work hard at learning how to share the Gospel. We ought to take advantage of good resources and seek growth. But we must not let that learning become a never-ending process and eventually an excuse that blunts our fervor.
Busyness: Obviously there are times when our opportunities fluctuate, but our minds and hearts ought to be set on reaching people for Christ. When our lives get so full that we aren’t thinking about lost people, our lives are too full.
A lack of concern for difficult people: Have you ever had neighbors who partied loudly on Saturday nights until 5:00 a.m. Sunday morning? Some people are harder to love than others. But we must guard ourselves and seek God’s grace so that our hearts don’t harden toward them.
An overemphasis on patience and “relationship building”: It is wonderful to build good relationships with lost people in order to share the Gospel with them. But we can become really settled in our spirits and lose concern for their souls. We must be willing to put the friendship at risk and tell them about Christ!

Can you identify with one or more of these twelve “dampeners” of evangelistic fervor? If so, first, take it to the Lord with a humble, contrite heart and repent of your lack of passion for the lost. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9¹). You will find forgiveness in Christ when you confess your sin, and He will begin to restore your urgency by His Spirit. Second, reflect on the spread of the Gospel in the past. Read biographies. God uses our remembrance of what He has done in the past to stir our hearts and build our faith. Third, meditate on God’s words. The Holy Spirit will use His truth to restore our passion. Saturate your mind with Paul’s “heart’s desire” and “prayer to God” for Israel’s salvation (Romans 10:1). Picture Paul in Athens with his “spirit provoked within him as he observed the city full of idols” (Acts 17:16). God will use those meditations to shape your own heart’s desire and provoke your own spirit for the lost around you.

Most of all, meditate constantly on 2 Corinthians 5:14–16: “For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer.”

When we set Jesus before us and rejoice in His love for sinners, God does something within us. That love of Christ for sinners will control us. We won’t see people merely in earthly terms, as salespeople or clerks or noisy neighbors or fellow passengers. We will see them as objects of the love of Christ, and God will stir our hearts to share the Gospel.