Evangelism - Missio Nexus

EMQ » Jul – Sept 2025 » Volume 61 Issue 3

Summary: The gospel is more than words. It encompasses all the riches of Christ in us, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). Too often evangelism has neglected the importance of relationships, context, and Christ’s lordship. Communicating the gospel includes how we live, according to where we live. From a place of belonging in each context, Jesus welcomes people in. As we embrace the people and culture of the context we serve in, we are more able to give answers to the questions they are asking.

By Evelyn Hibbert

When I was young, evangelism was simple. It was a short, straightforward script, sometimes shared with the aid of a simple written text (tract). The Billy Graham crusades typified this message’s simplicity and effectiveness. Thousands streamed into the kingdom in response to a call to confess their sins, believe in Jesus and be born again. But it was bewildering that others using the same script did not evoke the same response.

Those of us who went to hard-to-reach people often felt a need to develop a rationale for lack of responsiveness. Sometimes, this became an excuse for lack of evangelism. Some justified mission as presence, without proclamation. Consequently, we neglected to plant gospel seeds. Instead, we busied ourselves with other things. Perhaps we hoped God would blow in fertile gospel seeds when his Spirit finally rushed in.

Both a simplistic message and lack of proclamation are problematic. Focusing only on words can downplay the importance of relationships, context, and Jesus’ Lordship. Billy Graham’s effectiveness increased in concert with the thousands of Christians who worked together across cities and countries to introduce friends and neighbors to Christ, bringing them into church communities.

For those sharing the gospel across cultures, understanding the gospel encompasses the rich depths of all Christ does for us is critical. The way Jesus’ people live, not just the words they say, brings deeper meaning and urgency to the evangelical task. Evangelism means introducing the Word become flesh, such that he belongs in each culture. From his home among his people, he welcomes others – whether in an apartment block in a mega city, or a nomadic tent in an isolated wilderness.

For some time, people searched for redemptive keys, or the right verbal formulas, that would unlock unresponsive peoples. But now it is clear the gospel is more than words. It is Christ in us calling people to himself. He uses words but they are only part of the message. This compels us to go deeper in our relationship with God – to know him and his word so well that we are always ready to give an answer about the hope we have (1 Peter 3:15).

We are still called to go to our neighbors, cities, and the ends of the earth. We are compelled to keep moving outwards (McMillan). Perhaps we can spur movements (Prinz). Our calling is lifelong (Smith). It is also mutual. Together, churches and mission agencies (Salloum), local people and expatriates (Paul), communicate Jesus’ love to a dying world.

There are many dimensions to communicating Jesus’ love. Even the maps we use to present the state of the world can have different meanings (Onnekink). Having identified those in need of the good news, it takes time to understand their felt needs and how the gospel provides answers (Dye). We can use questions skillfully to spark curiosity (Nussbaum) and tell stories of people in the Bible to create connections with people today (Steffen).

As we create connections with local leaders, we need to be careful about the meaning of those relationships (Kimiti). The primary relationship must be with Christ, not ourselves (Truong).

None of us are superhuman (Young) but we have a superhuman God. He gave his son so all who believe in him would have everlasting life.

Read this issue of EMQ →

Evelyn Hibbert
Editorial Director

Responses