The Simplicity of Sharing the GospelExemplo

Love trumps fear

Fear is an emotion everyone feels, but love is infinitely more powerful than fear. Love compels us to take risks. Love acts like an anesthetic, numbing us to fear so it won’t govern our actions. As 1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear.”

At one of our “Schools of Evangelism,” a young man asked me an honest but painful question during Q&A. “I have been preaching on the streets for more than 20 years, but have never led anyone to Christ. What must I add to my message to get results?” The answer was immediately obvious to me. I simply responded, “Love.” And that answer applies to more than a frustrated street preacher; it applies to all of us. According to 1 Corinthians 13:1, a message without love turns us into “clanging cymbals!” How utterly annoying and unappealing!

I’ve encountered many people who view the lost as “targets,” or a convert as a “notch in the belt” (perhaps even been guilty of this myself). Winning the lost is all about “winning” for them. So they think they must be a better debater or more clever and witty than their “target.” But that’s not how it works.

“Winning” the lost often means being willing to look like a “loser.” It requires vulnerability. It means being willing to be embarrassed and even accepting persecution. What compels us to subject ourselves to such exposure? Love – seeing the lost the way Jesus sees them.

Love is not selfish. That means to love others is to put them before ourselves. If fear of rejection keeps us from sharing the Gospel, it means we love ourselves more than we love the lost. Love risks the loss of comfort, convenience, and security for the Gospel’s sake. I believe love is the most crucial part of evangelism. Let’s ask God for a baptism of love. Evangelism will become as easy as breathing!