Why do Christians evangelise?

Preaching to shoppers who are hurrying by; knocking on doors like sellers of double-glazing; running Alpha courses in their homes and churches; trying to steer conversations towards Jesus at work… Just why do Christians feel such an imperative (and, to some, annoying!) need to share their faith with others—doing what they call ‘evangelism’?

Many answers could be given—not least, the fact that Jesus told us to do it (Matthew 28:19-20):

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

But that doesn’t mean we do it out of mere duty; rather, we do it out of glad response to what we’ve discovered about Jesus for ourselves.

So here’s three of the top reasons for why Christians evangelise.

First, Christians evangelise because Jesus has changed our lives.

We’ve discovered that a relationship with Jesus puts a totally new spin on life.

Social media is full of people telling us about secrets they have discovered—how to remove stains from the carpet; how to get rid of wrinkles on your face; how to get upgrades on flights. You name it, it’s shared on social media. Why do people do this? Well, for some it’s just to get ‘hits’ and make money; but many do it simply because they’ve found something that works and they want to share that with the rest of us.

That’s how it is with Christians. We’ve discovered that a relationship with Jesus puts a totally new spin on life. It really is like Jesus described it: being “born again” (John 3:1-8). Why? Because it deals with our past by forgiving our mistakes; it deals with our present by revealing God’s presence in everyday life; and it deals with our future by assuring us that death isn’t the end. And all of this is so great and has so changed us that we can’t help but want to tell others about it. As Peter, one of Jesus’ first followers, put it when questioned about his faith, “We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19-20).

Second, Christians evangelise because we love people.

God cares about people who are lost and without hope—even those who don’t yet know it. And because God cares, we care. Some of that care is expressed through action, and Christians are some of the biggest non-profit providers of education and care in the world. But some of that care has to be expressed through words, for actions alone can be ambiguous. We want people to know that there really is a God and that he loves them and cares for them; and that the ultimate expression of that love is seen in Jesus, God’s Son, whom he sent to the world to show his love by both words and actions—especially through dying on the cross to pay the price of all the stuff we’ve done wrong.

The Bible says that, without Jesus, people are heading for disaster—what Jesus called “hell”, separation from all that is good (Mark 9:43-48; Luke 12:4-10). And just as it would be monstrous not to warn a blind person that they were about to walk off the edge of the cliff, so it is monstrous to not at least give people the opportunity to hear that they are going in the wrong direction in life, but that there is a God who loves them enough to rescue them and turn them round.

Third, Christians evangelise because we believe we have the truth.

Truth is an increasingly strange concept nowadays. From former President Trump’s dismissal of objective and verifiable truth as mere ‘fake news’ (meaning, news he doesn’t like) to the current trend of speaking about ‘your truth’ and ‘my truth’ (meaning, how I choose to see things), truth is a changing, even vanishing, commodity. Not that this is new, of course; for even at Jesus’ trial, the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, rebuffed Jesus’ comments with the words, “What is truth?” (John 18:38).

But when we abandon ‘truth’ we are on dangerous ground. You might believe with all your heart that there is no such thing as gravity; but step off a ten-storey office block and gravity will win. Clearly, there is such a thing as objective truth—something that our entire science-based world has been built upon. And in the same way, Christians believe there is spiritual truth—truth that is rooted in a person (Jesus) and expressed in a book (the Bible). In that book, Jesus is recorded as saying, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). That’s why we believe that the only way that we can find God and be ‘saved’ is through him. Yes, that might sound arrogant or offensive in days when it is fashionable to claim that ‘all religions lead to God’ or that ‘all religions are different expressions of the same thing—though people who talk like that clearly haven’t dug into any of those religions, for they often teach completely contradictory things. So, while they might all be wrong, they can’t all be right.

Our answer is not to give you a list of arguments, but rather to invite you to look at a person: Jesus

So, how do we know?

All this still begs the question: but how do we know all this is true? Our answer is not to give you a list of arguments, but rather to invite you to look at a person: Jesus—whom we have met and with whom we have a daily relationship. And the more we’ve shared our life with him, the more we’ve discovered that he really is who he says he is and that his ways are both true and life-changing.

So why not test this out for yourself? Get a Bible (you might prefer a modern translation rather than one with ‘thee’s and ‘thou’s) and read one of the four accounts of the life of Jesus—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Read a short passage each day, then think about what Jesus said and did. But before you read, pray this: “God, I don’t know if you are there; but if you are, and if this book is your truth, then speak to me now as I read about Jesus.”

You have nothing to lose—and, who knows, you may have everything to gain!