5 Faith-Stunting Reasons Christians Don’t Evangelise

We have the cure to death itself but not all of us are sharing it. Why?

I remember waiting for the bus one day with one other girl. I felt the Holy Spirit prompting me to talk to her. I didn’t.

As we got on the bus, I felt prompted to sit near her. You still have a chance to talk to her, I heard the Spirit say. But it’s socially unacceptable to talk to anyone on the bus, I replied. Most people won’t even make eye contact.

I moved further down the bus and sat down. At the next stop, a lady joined us on the bus and began chatting away to the girl.

That could have been you, I heard a voice say. She could have been having a meaningful conversation right now. A life-changing conversation.

I ignored the prompting of the Holy Spirit and missed an opportunity. I could have talked to that girl while we were waiting. I could have sat near her and started a conversation. I even could have moved seats to join the conversation later. But I didn’t.

But why? What reason did I have? I’m too shy? It’s some sort of social taboo to interact with other passengers?

Last week, I shared what it means to evangelise and why we should do it. Today I want to share with you 5 reasons we often don’t do it.

Five reasons we don’t evangelise

• Ignorance. Perhaps we don’t understand the true meaning of evangelism. Or perhaps we just don’t know how or where to start with telling the gospel.
  Most commonly, I find, we think it’s a job only for missionaries and pastors. The great commission (Matthew 28:19-20) was given to Jesus’ disciples. If you believe and abide in Him, you are His disciple (John 8:31).

• Fear. We are afraid of rejection. We fear strangers will think we’re weird. We fear our friends will remember our pre-Christian days and call us hypocrites.
  Release yourself from the fear my sisters. Remember it’s not you they’re rejecting but Jesus.

• Limiting beliefs about yourself. I’m too shy. I’m poor in speech. I don’t know all the answers.
  Remember that God’s power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). Embrace your weaknesses and let Him do the talking.

• Limiting beliefs about others. They don’t want to hear. They aren’t willing to listen. They already have their minds made up about God.
  In my experience, this is not true. Most people don’t know much about God and are interested to hear what we believe. They may not convert on the spot but at least we’ve planted the seed.

• Apathy. I just don’t feel like it. It’s not such a big deal. Someone else will do it.
  It might sound terrible but I bet we’re all guilty of this. I know I am. My challenge to all of us is to remember what’s at stake. Have a little more concern for their lives. Ask God for compassion.

There are many reasons and excuses for not evangelising. But the reality is, you were called to do it. And not alone either. You’ve got God on your side!

So next time fear and doubts plague your mind, remember that You are not alone. Be encouraged that you cannot fail. For if God is for you, who can be against you?

Question: Are you ready to stop making excuses?