Two Extremes
The call of evangelism and discipleship is an awkward one. While God requests human involvement, the effectiveness is dependent upon the Lord’s work. Unfortunately, this peculiarity about God’s work causes Christians to oscillate between two extremes: intentional complacency or intense laboriousness.

At one extreme, the complacent Christian decides not to participate in God’s plan for evangelism. He/she convinces himself/herself that God will do as He pleases. Therefore that person willfully ignores God’s commands. The realization that God is sovereign is not untrue, but it never negates human responsibility. One of the most significant consequences of this is that the potential evangelist misses out on the joy and satisfaction that comes only from participating in God’s plan.

The other extreme is motivated by legalism. The result is a person who expends all energy in evangelism, but never for God, but for self. Convinced that salvation of another depends on his/her own ability to persuade an unbeliever, the evangelist abandons a reliance on God’s Spirit. This attitude not only demonstrates pride but has the potential to generate more pride because when someone does come to Christ, the individual tends to think he/she did all the work. Unfortunately, it denies God His deserved glory.

Two Attitudes
As pastors and church leaders then, our response is crucial. These tendencies require that the conviction for evangelism we impart consists of two elements: A heart for people and a confidence in God. We must intentionally seek to impart these attitudes to people through our teaching and our example.

First, a heart for people laments that any person should experience eternal separation from God. There is no more incredible judgment than eternal separation from God. It’s certainly not something a genuine believer desires for himself, and thus, shouldn’t be a heart attitude we have towards anyone else. Such a person who has a heart for people says with Charles Spurgeon, “If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go unwarned and unprayed for.”

However, a confidence in God signifies not that it’s OK to be complacent in our evangelism but that it’s OK to be content. The difference means that instead of laboring too much or too little, the person follows God’s leading to share His truth as opportunities are presented. Such an evangelist then rests contentedly, regardless of the person’s response, knowing that he/she glorified God by being obedient. The rest of the response then depends upon God’s work.

The call of evangelism is one of those interesting paradoxes of the Christian life. That reality makes our call to transmit a spirit of evangelism more critical. We must undertake it seriously, soberly showing our people how their responsibility and God’s sovereignty coexist, imparting to them an attitude of loving God and loving others.