Evangelism as a Lifestyle: Living a Spirit-Led Life
This is a bible study that I wrote for our Adult Bible Fellowship (Sunday School) classes at FBCE. It is intended as an intro into our four week study/campaign focusing on Bill Hybel’s Just Walk Across the Room. It’s my first foray into the task of authoring curriculum. I’m rather proud of the result as our Minister of Discipleship made a few content additions and style changes, but basically left my original in tact. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Introduction
We recently wrapped up a series led by Dr. Murray titled “Worship as a Lifestyle.” This series taught us how to continuously maintain a heart of worship outside of the few hours we spend at church each week. With the same mentality, we should faithfully share Christ. Where a lifestyle of worship connects us to God, a lifestyle of evangelism connects others to Him.
A Look Ahead
We are about to begin a series which introduces a new concept in personal evangelism. Some might call it revolutionary. Really, it’s pretty simple. For four weeks, we will dive in to “Just Walk Across the Room.” This study by Bill Hybels, founding and senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church, provides a foundation on which we can embrace a lifestyle of evangelism. Through it, we see a picture of stepping out of our comfort zones and building lasting relationships with a life-changing impact. To help put it in perspective, Author Mary Sheely wrote: “Growth requires a temporary surrender of our security.”
How Do You Feel About Evangelism?
What do you think of when you hear the word Evangelism? Here are some typical responses:
- I run the other way
- I feel like a failure
- Evangelism is not my spiritual gift
- I don’t have all the answers
- I’m not qualified
Many believers are frightened of a fairly simple task. At some point in our lives, evangelism became an assignment, a check-list, a list of steps to follow. We’ve reduced evangelism to a set of programs, tools and strategies. We’re not advocating abandoning a simple plan you have memorized to share your faith. Programs, tools and strategies are valuable items we must keep honed in our toolbox to use throughout the bigger picture of evangelism. However, by compartmentalizing evangelism into these different programs or strategies, we’ve often made it something at which we can easily fail.
The fact is that when people say no to us when we share our faith, they are not actually saying no to us, but no to God. You cannot force someone to repentance and salvation, but you can faithfully share Christ, both with your life and your words.
Unfortunately, throughout the process of a “pre-packaged” evangelism strategy, we’ve made unbelievers feel pressured, judged, or even reduced to a “project.” Nevertheless, If you fear evangelism, remember your peers, who desperately need Christ.
Keep in mind that evangelism isn’t only about sharing the Gospel. What we’ll learn over the next few weeks is that it goes much deeper than the spoken word. Evangelism starts with relationships. Through building relationships, through faithful service, and with a heart in tune with the Holy Spirit, the Gospel becomes evident before we ever say a word.
St. Francis of Assisi said, “Preach always, use words when necessary.”
Although evangelism can be a scary thing, it is centered on inviting others to join the Kingdom of God. Our role in evangelism is one of utmost importance and one that we should grasp with confidence and enthusiasm. We can better understand this by examining the source of this confidence and enthusiasm.
Okay, So Where Should We Begin?
The simplest answer is shifting from “program-led evangelism” to “Spirit-led living.” By living in-tune with the Holy Spirit, everything else becomes secondary, including evangelism. We begin to see doors open where there were none before. Just the same, we may see doors close where we’ve tried on our own to force them open in the past.
How do we Live a Spirit-Led Life?
Romans 8:2 states: “Through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit of life set me free…from sin and death.”
The Holy Spirit is at work in the hearts of believers. The Holy Spirit’s power is greater than sin. Through the Holy Spirit’s power we are victorious over sin, and are no longer slaves to it.
According to Romans 8:5-6, some people live their lives obsessed with sinful desires, which lead to death. However, a person who lives a Spirit-led life, desires what the Holy Spirit desires, and the Holy Spirit provides them peace.
By living a Spirit-led life, we build intentional, authentic, and natural friendships with those around us. Allow The Holy Spirit to prompt you when to speak, when not to speak, what to say, and even what not to say.
It is equally as important to know when to be silent as when to speak.
Don’t think of “Just Walk Across the Room” as another study or strategy, but as a lifestyle worth living. If you make room for the Holy Spirit and what He wants to do in your life during these next four weeks, your life will never be the same.
Some Cautions to a Spirit-led Life
In understanding how to live a Spirit-led life, we must be aware of a few cautions. Until we truly surrender every single moment to the Holy Spirit, we live in a state of flux, one which can easily provide a truly human excuse: “The Spirit didn’t lead.” This can quickly become the response to why we didn’t just walk across the room.
When we accept Christ, we are baptized with the Holy Spirit (John 14:15-17). Additionally, according to Romans 8:13-17: The Holy Spirit lives in us to intercede on our behalf and guide us through our daily lives. That’s the whole point of this study. However, sometimes we think that because the Holy Spirit lives in us, we’re automatically given the knowledge and wisdom we need to share Christ with our peer.
We can only build intentional and successful relationships with our peers, for the purpose of sharing Christ, when we are daily engaged in the necessary spiritual disciplines such as: prayer, Bible study, and fasting, etc.
However, we can lose our conduit with the Holy Spirit if we don’t actively live our lives for Him, listen for Him and His prompting us to follow Him through obedience.
Balance is crucial. Our goal is not to manufacture opportunities, but wait on the Holy Spirit to prompt us when to act. We need God’s timing and power to be truly effective.
Enter the Holy Spirit
John 14:15-17, 26
15 “If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—
26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
In John 14, Jesus introduces the disciples to the Holy Spirit. Jesus explained that He would soon leave them, but in truth, He would remain with them through the Holy Spirit. It is in this same way, the Holy Spirit lives with, and in us today.
He Gives Us the Words to Say
Luke 12:11-12
11 “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”
God will never leave us unprepared. God’s Word promises us that the Holy Spirit will supply the necessary words when we give an account of what we believe. We need to pray for opportunities, and then trust that the Holy Spirit will prompt us in speaking the proper words.
This promise, however, does not exempt us from preparation (2 Tim 4:2). If we study God’s Word and keep it close to our hearts, by memorizing it, the Holy Spirit will bring those truths to mind when we need them most. He will also help us to present them in the most effective way.
He Opens Doors
It was tradition for Paul to go to the Synagogue in the city when he would first arrive, and preach the Gospel of Christ to the Jewish leaders. This often put Paul in precarious positions.
Acts 22:30
The next day, since the commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin to assemble. Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them.
Even in a time of persecution, Paul’s own enemies were giving him a platform to speak. When the Holy Spirit is involved, we will find opportunities even when and where it seems least likely.
By living a Spirit-led life, our physical and spiritual senses become heightened to a point where we are more aware of his voice and the circumstances in which he has placed us. Through this, we cannot help but join God in the work for which He has called us.
Our Response
Acts 4:20
“For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
Peter and John were threatened to keep quiet about Jesus. Their lives were literally at stake; however, their belief was so strong that they could not remain silent.
KEY QUESTIONS - If we are truly living a Spirit-led life, should our boldness equal that of Peter and John? Why or why not?
Why is it that we are so afraid of confrontation and rejection? Why do we freeze up at the thought of sharing our faith, both in our words and with our lifestyle?
Galatians 5:25
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
As we live Spirit-led lives, we should voluntarily submit every aspect of our lives to God. This action isn’t isolated only to our hearts and His calling for us to be salt and light to a lost and dying world. No! It involves every aspect of our lives. This includes the emotional, physical, social, intellectual and vocational aspects of our lives. Each of these will become a byproduct of us living Spirit-led lives.
Study Questions
- Let’s play a word game. Without thinking, and avoiding any Sunday school answers, what are the first words that come to your mind when you hear the words “evangelism,” and the “Holy Spirit?”
- Why do you think we are so afraid of sharing the Gospel?
- What are some ways that we sometimes bypass the Holy Spirit in relation to evangelism? Can the Holy Spirit still work through these situations?
- Think about the last time you felt the Holy Spirit prompting you to get out of your comfort zone. How did you respond? Think about a time that the Holy Spirit led you to remain silent, when you wanted to speak. Again, how did you respond? Did these events change yours or someone else’s life? If so how?
- How can we develop the discernment required to faithfully serve Him in the circumstances in which we are placed, if that is not our spiritual gift? (Read I Kings 3:3-9)
- What are we to do if evangelism isn’t our spiritual gift? Does that give us a legitimate excuse not to share our faith? Why?
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