When I think of evangelism, I imagine those YouTube videos where people accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior in an instant. It would be cool to experience that, but I have experienced the opposite. When I share the gospel with people, they don’t accept it immediately, but instead express doubts or even dismiss the truth because they believe the Christian life is not for them. I started to question whether I was evangelizing properly. However, after studying the relationship between Jesus and Nicodemus in John, I see that Jesus challenged us not to be discouraged, but to embrace the complicated yet significant world of evangelism.
In context, John 3 is a conversation between Jesus and a Pharisee (a Jewish religious leader) named Nicodemus concerning the nature of the kingdom of God. Nicodemus starts the conversation by saying, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him” (John 3:2). Through this statement, Nicodemus affirms that actions speak louder than words. Your lifestyle reflects what you truly believe in and who you follow. If you consider yourself a disciple of Christ, your actions will exemplify the authority of Jesus in your life. Through evangelizing, I have observed that most people’s hesitancy in receiving the gospel stems from their experiences of seeing Christians living hypocritical lifestyles—not practicing what they are preaching. Remember, people are watching you and how you act. If you want to show that the gospel of Jesus Christ is real and transformative for everyone, the gospel must evidently and continually transform your heart and habits. You do this by examining your present ways, repenting of bad habits, and daily seeking God.
Secondly, meet people where they are right now. In the first verse of John, Jesus meets Nicodemus in the dark. I suspect that Nicodemus was scared of being caught speaking with Jesus because the Pharisees were hostile to Jesus for his lack of compliance with their laws and his increasing public support due to his miracles (Matthew 9:1–8). If Nicodemus was caught by his fellow Pharisees, his reputation would be ruined. Although Jesus doesn’t fear man like Nicodemus does, He shows His love by humbling Himself to meet up at a spot where Nicodemus feels comfortable. We can exemplify this by asking the person where and when they want to meet up. When we follow Jesus’ example, we also help others understand that we care about their concerns, no matter how small they are.
This leads us to have an open conversation with them. Let’s be clear: an open conversation is not about shoving the gospel down their throats but instead allowing them to express their concerns, doubts, and/or questions without judgmental responses. Nicodemus was allowed to ask his questions, such as “Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” (John 3:4). Although it may be hard to reconcile other people’s doubts about God with your steadfast faith, it is vital that we humble ourselves and remember that we were once in their position. We once lived in the darkness and believed in the lies the world gave us until we experienced Jesus. Therefore, we must be patient and gracious with them, whilst giving them props for trying to understand the Christian faith.
After the conversation, you should give them some space to process everything. Please, I repeat, please do not go around bugging them every second about Jesus: It is annoying. If you continue to pester them, you can irritate them so much that they won’t want to seek Jesus anymore, opposite of our goal. However, as you wait for your person(s) to come to Christ, remember that you can’t sit around and do nothing. First, talk about Jesus with other people. “After [the conversation with Nicodemus], Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing” (John 3:22). Jesus did not waste time waiting for Nicodemus to believe that He was the Messiah. He understood that He only had a short time on earth to spread the message to as many people as possible. John 3:17 states that God sent Jesus so that “the world might be saved through him,” which means we need to look at the bigger picture and remember that there are other people who need to experience Jesus’ love. Let’s be Christ’s ambassadors and spread the gospel to the ends of the earth (2 Corinthians 5:18–20, Acts 1:8).
We know Nicodemus successfully processed the conversation because he took steps of faith to publicize his support for Jesus. When the Pharisees wanted him to condemn Jesus, Nicodemus asked his peers, “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” (John 7:51). It is amazing how he starts to defend Jesus to the Pharisees, whom he feared so much, four chapters prior the conversation. Another example is when Nicodemus goes with Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus, to Pontius Pilate for Jesus’ body (John 19:38–39). This is impressive because he talks to the Roman Governor! While Nicodemus advocated for Jesus behind the Pharisees’ backs, the seed from his conversation with Jesus not only stayed in his heart but inspired him to act in support of Jesus. Therefore, when we take the time to talk with people, it can further their search to understand who Jesus is.
Nonetheless, I thought John made an important point not to add whether or not Nicodemus came to Christ. Although it is nice to know if the person we have been actively seeking comes to Christ, it is actually not our business because that is between that person and God. We are only called to spread the gospel, not to convict them; that’s the Holy Spirit’s job (John 16:8). Leave it in His hands because, believe it or not, He wants them to repent more than you do. “Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?” (Ezekiel 18:23). If you have godly sorrow for someone to receive Christ, how much more does God? God cares about the people who you want to receive Christ, which is why He sent Jesus to give us an opportunity for salvation. If we trust in God, we have done all we can do.
You probably have people in your life with whom you desperately want to experience a personal relationship with Jesus. So, I will keep my advice short: do your part and let God do the rest. Show His love to others by living a godly life, engaging in open conversations, and giving them space to process and grow from the conversation. Let God do the rest. Even though evangelism can be complicated, I hope that you do not give up on spreading His love and completing this partnership with Christ to win souls for heaven!
Penn Epistle 