How to Live on Mission for God and Evangelize in a Secular Society

Contributor: Wyatt Thompson

“Many people are rejecting our gospel today not because they perceive it to be false, but because they perceive it to be trivial.” – John Stott

Growing up going to church, I have heard about evangelism quite frequently.  However, I believed that evangelism was only accomplished by overseas missionary trips and street evangelism.  In fact, I became discouraged because I had not gone on a mission trip or preached to strangers on the street and I did not necessarily feel called to doing either.

At the time of writing, I am participating in SEU’s Missional Life class.  Prior to the class, I had started to sense that there were other ways to evangelize.  Thus far, the teachings have defined what it means to live on a mission for God and confirmed that evangelism can be accomplished in simple activities and in building relationships with others.

When People Determine Their Own Truth

In The Book that Made Your World, Vishal Mangalwadi, a Christian philosopher from India, writes that rationalism helped create Western society.  Additionally, he says the ideologies of Marx, Nietzsche, and Freud are modern philosophies that have the same consequences on society as Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism.

“They ignored the facts of intellectual history…, looked at the failures of the church, and assumed that God was the source of human enslavement.  They popularized the myth that freedom meant delivering ourselves from a God who exists only in human imagination.” – Vishal Mangalwadi, The Book that Made Your World

These philosophies have contributed to postmodernism.  Some people today imagine their own realities so that life makes sense in their own minds.  Unfortunately, trying to help unbelievers comprehend the existence of God and the incarnation of Christ through reason may yield the opposite effect.  In her book Total Truth, Nancy Pearcey discusses how postmodernism affects people on the individual level as a result of not promoting a biblical worldview.

“[P]ostmodernism reduces even the most cherished scientific theories to relativistic, culture-bound social constructs.  Moreover, it does so in the name of ‘liberation’ from the dead hand of rationalism––and from the impersonal, industrialized society that rationalism has produced.” – Nancy Pearcey, Total Truth

Faith as Described in the Old Testament

Although God saved humanity through Jesus Christ on the cross, He chooses to use His followers and empowers them with the Holy Spirit to lead others to Him.  Fascinatingly, God choosing to use His people to lead others to Him is not exclusive to the New Testament.

“He has shown you, O man, what is good; / And what does the LORD require of you / But to do justly, / To love mercy, / And to walk humbly with your God?” – Micah 6:8 (NKJV)

Unfortunately, verses such as this one may be misinterpreted so as to encourage excessive zeal, which may ultimately have a backwards effect and repel people. In order to successfully do the things listed in Micah 6:8, Christians must look back at the beginning of the Bible to see what God expected from His people.

Some Christians may think that Christianity started with Jesus and the disciples and that all the Old Testament followers were part of the Jewish religion.  However, following God is about a desire in one’s heart to obey Him. 

In Genesis, Abraham chose to trust God when He called him, “and He accounted it to him for righteousness.” (Genesis 15:6; NKJV).  Additionally, since Abraham was from a pagan nation, God demonstrated that He desired to redeem those who rejected Him. 

Vishal Mangalwadi became a missionary to his own country after studying under Francis Schaeffer at L’Abri.  When he read Genesis 15, he realized how the Gospel does not apply to just one people group.

“The implication was obvious: The Bible was claiming that I should read it because it was written to bless my nation and me.” – Vishal Mangalwadi, The Book that Made Your World

So, Christianity is about having faith and trusting in God because Jesus came to Earth and died for humanity.  Additionally, the invitation is for all men and women across the globe.

A Lifestyle, Not Just a Lesson

God wants to save all sinners, not just those who have done mostly good deeds but also those who have committed more serious sins such as murder and sexual sin.  In turn, the question is this – how should Christians effectively deliver this message of God’s grace in a society that rejects God at large?  The answer is found in Peter’s second letter where he described the heart of God.

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” – 2 Peter 3:9 (NKJV)

Consequently, Christians must consider how they can affirm the truth of the Gospel while respecting other worldviews and beliefs.  I believe that one of the ways this is accomplished is by building relationships. 

“So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God” – James 1:19-20 (NKJV)

When Christians thoughtfully build relationships by responding carefully, listening intently, and addressing sin biblically, they demonstrate the love Jesus showed in His relationships.  Their patience for others reflects the patience God had for them.

Conversely, if Christians are impatient and attempt to produce a conversion or spiritually discipline nonbelievers, their efforts will likely be received as attempts to control the lives of others.

Preparing to Preach Through Words and Actions

The sacrificial love of God has changed the way I see the world.  I once saw different categories of sinners.  Although I believed the love of God could cover all sins, there were some sins that needed additional retribution.

However, Jesus did not die on the cross as a prerequisite for doing spiritual activities to earn salvation.  In turn, I want to celebrate the finality and enduring power of Christ’s sacrifice by extending compassion and consideration toward nonbelievers and respecting them and their beliefs.

“Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist.” – Luke 21:14-15 (NKJV)

I may enter into a situation thinking I will be compassionate, willing to listen, and slow to judge, but I do not know exactly how the other person will react.  In turn, I may have to change what I have prepared.  However, if I remain grounded in Scripture and consistent in prayer, He will equip me to speak truth into the situation and plant seeds that will eventually come to fruition.

For Further Learning

• “Apologetics in an Age of Despair” by Gavin Ortlund

• The Book that Made Your World: How the Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization by Vishal Mangalwadi

• Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity by Nancy Pearcey