The Heart of God in Evangelism

Over Fall Break, I had the opportunity to engage in cross-cultural evangelism and church-planting work in the heart of North London, specifically in a burrow called Camden.

When you think of London, you picture red phone booths, Big Ben, and people saying “Cheers” to their waiter as he collects the bill. All of those generalizations are true, and I did get to say my fair share of “Cheers” on my trip, but what I didn’t realize is that London is a place that has become Spiritually dark and has almost completely forgotten the rich Christian history of just a few hundred years ago.

As we aided an IMB team focused on reaching North London, I experienced just how different the culture of London was from the States, especially the South. In America, we are often trying to get nominal Christians to understand the true call of the Gospel; in London, we had the task of engaging a post-modern culture that wanted nothing to do with organized religion or the person of Jesus.

On one of the days of outreach in Camden town, I and a fellow team member spoke with a local for close to an hour about the Bible, God, and the person and work of Jesus Christ. It was apparent to me pretty early on in the conversation that he was well familiar with the Scriptures, and had his defenses ready for why the Bible doesn’t line up with his understanding of morality.

The task of engaging in a Gospel conversation with someone who didn’t believe in absolute truth or morality was something I learned about in my classes, but it was an entirely different experience when I was standing in front of them. The beauty of the Gospel, Christ’s love for us, and the salvific power of the atonement were all overshadowed by the issues of God’s judgment and wrath, His testing of Abraham in the Old Testament, and the exclusivity of the Gospel.

In a culture that worships tolerance and fluidity, the exclusivity of the Gospel doesn’t fit within their picture of love and grace.

I will admit that I didn’t have a perfect answer for every apologetic argument he drummed up; I don’t think there will ever be a time when a Believer is perfectly equipped for every counter-argument thrown their way as they share their faith. But, that doesn’t mean we are not responsible for being well-equipped to give a defense for our faith (1 Peter 3:15).

What I realized over this week was that Londoners weren’t looking for forgiveness for their sins, but for spiritual peace, the ability to overcome addiction, and for greater purpose. Is sin an irremovable element of the Gospel message? Absolutely. But through my outreach, I recognized that people were searching for the things of God in all the wrong places. They were turning to new age mysticism for peace, instead of the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). They were turning to drugs or drinking for satisfaction, instead of the true God who gives perfect satisfaction (Psalm 90:14). They were trying to fight addiction by their own strength, instead of through the Lord who grants wisdom to all who ask of it (James 1:5).

A post-modern context like London will respond to a Gospel presentation vastly different than someone in North Carolina. While the content of the message is not determined by the bias of the hearer, we can look to Paul’s ministry and seek to practice good contextualization just as he did in his Gospel presentations as he considered his audience and the worldview they were operating from.

The Gospel message is relevant to all people, at all times. It is a diamond through which we can look at many facets of, and see all the different ways it impacts our lives. These different facets resonate with different people, and it was in Camden where I saw the facets of the spiritual peace the Gospel offers, and the selfless love of Christ, as deep yearnings the people were having—they were just looking for them in all the wrong places.

God’s heart behind His mission is love for people. Because He so LOVED the WORLD, He sent His only Son (John 3:16). The heart of God’s mission is love for people, and to love someone, you have to truly know them. Our heart for missions has to reflect God’s, if we will be any good at it. Our love for the lost must be what drives our evangelism; a love that causes us to get to deeply know people, walk alongside them, to recognize the spiritual needs that they are hopelessly filling with false things, and show them how Jesus is the good portion. It’s a slow work, an intentional one, but one that reflects the love of God and how patient He is with each of us.

“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9

My time in London showed me the value of deeply knowing the spiritual yearnings of the local people, the importance of relationship building in evangelism, and the value of listening to what someone is really seeking. Behind the intellectual debate that my friend on the street wanted to have was a soul that was angry at God, searching for real love and purpose, and struggling to make sense of how a loving God could condemn sin. When we see through the mist and press into the questions that someone is really trying to ask, we can apply Gospel truth to their life and communicate how the work of Christ is sufficient.

The harvest is plentiful in places like Camden. People are searching for spirituality in all the wrong places, and we have the beautiful task of carrying that good news to them. When we reflect the heart of our Lord in how we love people and out of that love share how the Gospel satisfies the longings of their hearts, we get to partake in evangelism that isn’t a rigid and rehearsed spiel, but a conversation where we listen and respond with Biblical truth, in love.