whatever happened to evangelism?

over the last while, i've been thinking and praying alot about the gospel and our call to be "gospelizers". i've been chewing on the account of the early church, and the reality of our life in Christ in reference to all this...
i wish i could say this entry would be one brilliant flowing thought, but it won't be. i'm far from piecing this all together, and more just wanted to share with you some of my thoughts, longings and questions and invite you to think and explore and pray with me...
first of all, the whole language of sales. ah... like you (i'm sure), i'm pretty wary of conversations on evangelism that use sales language (selling Jesus, convinced about the product, marketing). it seems to miss the boat. it seems to miss out on the profoundly Spirit-ual work of evangelism, and the reality that we are introducing people to a God who is alive and personal (as opposed to selling God as a service or experience or product). ever since i read Justyn Rees' book, "Love Your Neighbors for God's sake", i've been drawn to thinking of evangelism as helping make an introduction (i.e. introducing people to Jesus, inviting people to join me in getting to know Jesus).
another approach to evangelism that grabs me is the idea of being a Christian "docent". let me explain... at many art museums you will find staff called "docents". the term is derived from the latin word for "to teach", but in this setting it refers to someone who understands the ins-and-outs of the artwork on the walls of a gallery, and roams around helping people make sense of what they are staring at.
ie. you might be staring quizzically at a rembrandt and a docent will come by and ask you, "do you know what you are looking at?" you'll sheepishly say, "not really". and they will fill in some of the story behind the artist and the scene, the context of its creation, the symbolism and artistic intent. they don't necessarily answer all your questions, but help you enough so that you can meaningfully engage with the art before you.
along with being one of the coolest jobs out there, i think the work of a docent is analogous to the work of the evangelist. we are called/invited to enter into the lives of others, to help them make sense of God's work in their lives, of God's heart towards them, of God's revelation to them... they are already interacting with God (and He with them), we just come in to help them make sense of it, to help them enter into a more meaningful dialogue, to help them respond to what God has initiated.
but all that said (and i gotta say, it sounds pretty cool), i'm often at a loss for how to go about this. most of the time, i have a hard time knowing whats going on, knowing where my neighbors are at, and how i can truly enter the dialogue that God is seeking to have with them.
hence, my growing desire to learn from others in this... others who have been gifted with (or have cultivated) the wisdom of how to discern where others are at, and how to enter in in ways that will help more than hinder... [hence, i've invited Les to come and teach us. Even though i know that some of his language about evangelism is sales/marketing language, i know from the testimony of his life that he is one who understands well how to meet people where they are and help them take a step closer to God... an ability that Christ had, and thus a dance that i'm hoping to catch the rhythm of...]
the more i read the book of Acts and the New Testament letters (i.e. everything after Pentecost), the more i'm gripped/pierced by the early Christians passion to introduce others (everyone) to Christ, to help others understand the truth of the gospel, to help others respond to Christ and become his followers... 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 (which was the text that Les referred to this past sunday) is one of those passages. it almost needs to be read loudly and short of breath. v.22, "i have become all things to all people so that by all possible means i might save some..." that verse stirs me. Paul's heart beat for the lost--those who had not yet come to receive the embrace of God in Christ. Paul's model stirs me. i see Jesus, i see the heart of the Father in him. and its been drawing me to my knees before God--that i might be so gripped by the gospel that i too would be consumed with this passion...
and yet in the midst of knowing that evangelism is central to following Christ, its become as unfamiliar as fasting to many of us.
putting lives to our words... thats where a lot of this got messed up. thats why evangelism has often become a dirty word, something that many of us now cringe at. because its been divorced from the witness of gospelized lives...
but sadly, i think many of us have swung too far, in that now are grappling for how to put words to our lives. our lives don't speak for themselves. we need to once again to words to our lives. to discern how to articulate the grace and truth of Christ that pervades our lives so that others will be able to make sense of what they see.
again another link to the work of the docent... in a sense, we are God's art, whom the world is staring at, and we need to speak into the confusion and help bring clarity to what our lives are communicating...
lastly (at least for now), is evangelism a life or death issue..? yes. but not just in the sense that this is often expressed.
yes, it has profound implications for life after death (and death after death), but it has profound implications for life now, and death now (in this life). Jesus talked about eternity. we can't deny that. but just as much, i think even more, he talked about life here and now. and evangelism needs to be driven by that hunger--for others to know Christ, life, grace, forgiveness, healing, wholeness today, here and now, and beyond...
jesus wasn't silent. how is it that we have become so silent? if anything, these are days when we desperately need to put lives to our words, and words to our lives. for Christ's sake. and for the sake of our world...
i'll stop there. i hope that my thoughts help you as you continue to make sense of what Christ, by his Spirit, is doing in your life.
your companion in the journey, scott b. anderson