I’m standing there, with a stack of flyers in my hand, thinking about how much I do not want to do what’s being asked of me.
Our ministry this month is focused on street evangelism. We are in Craiova, Romania, a very developed area. There are shopping malls nicer than those where I live in Memphis; restaurants, bars, Starbucks, movie theaters, Costco-style superstores, and a decently-sized university nearby. Most people speak English, and overall, I genuinely feel like I’m in the States here. We spend our days going out to the center of town, to crowded areas, to invite people to church and talk about Jesus. Can you picture yourself doing this in your own city at home in the States? Are you cringing yet?
As Americans, when we picture evangelism, or evangelical Christians, we think of the people we slam doors in the face of, flyers shoved persistently in our faces in the parking lot of a Target, or “repent or go to hell!!” screamed into a megaphone on a college campus. Overall, we typically hear evangelism and think crazy, or cult.
You can imagine my hesitancy when I’m told our role in ministry for the next few weeks will be to stand on a street corner with a flyer and try to bring people to Jesus. Yikes.
No thank you. If that’s what I’m being asked to do, and the way I’m being asked to do it, then I don’t want to tell people about Jesus. Thanks, but no thanks.
Here’s the thing: I’m a missionary, I obviously believe in Jesus and I’m not ashamed of it, I’m not afraid to proclaim it. But I don’t believe in shoving my beliefs down the throats of others. I don’t believe in being the loudest voice in the room, I don’t believe in telling others they’re wrong for believing differently. I serve a God of love. To me, it isn’t loving or Christ-like at all to spark a debate with a nonbeliever and criticize or steamroll over their beliefs. A lot of Christians sadly do this. It’s no wonder we often receive the cult or crazy labels!
I believe in exposing, not imposing. Exposing others to the love, light, hope, and joy of Christ, without imposing my personal beliefs on them. I also believe in first and foremost building relationships by way of spreading the gospel, just as Jesus did. “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Jesus…” (Matthew 28:19). Yes, our calling as Christians is to spread the good news. But even Jesus himself didn’t approach strangers on the street and say “Hello, I’m the Son of God and Savior of the world, nice to meet you!”
During month five in Siem Reap, Cambodia, I had my first experience with traditional door-to-door evangelism. I’ve witnessed it, I’ve done countless community outreach events or activities both on the Race and before, but I had never in my life actually approached a stranger and said “Hi, my name is Mallory. Have you ever heard of a man named Jesus?” We had a very different approach in Cambodia, for a very different culture, and people who genuinely do not know who Jesus is or have never even heard of Christianity. Here in Romania, just like in the States, most everyone is familiar with the church and with Christianity. And even more like Americans, most everyone has a lot of opinions about it.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve done everything in my power to look busy or unavailable when I accidentally make eye contact with a flyer-holder in a parking lot or on the street at home in America. And somehow, I unexpectedly found myself on the other end of the equation in Romania on the World Race of all places.
I’m here to serve and to partner with our ministry host. So that means that it isn’t about me. It isn’t about what I do or don’t want to do. So I smiled and passed out flyers and tried to tell people about Jesus. Some would listen to me but refuse the flyer, some would flat-out ignore me, some would say thank you and accept it but I knew they were going to drop it in the trash can on the corner as soon as I turned around.
I came home that night and then woke up the next morning feeling so defeated and frustrated. I felt like everything I did the day before only perpetuated the cult or crazy stereotype Christians are labeled, the very stereotype that is the reason why I value relationship so highly over religion. I felt like there was no way the Lord could really use me to impact people and actually plant a seed in their hearts this way. I began to think that evangelism is not my spiritual gift, so there’s no point in even doing it if I can’t be effective.
Later that morning, I read the story of Jesus calming a storm in Luke 8.
“One day he and his disciples got into a boat and he told them, ‘Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.’ So they set out, and as they were sailing he fell asleep. Then a fierce windstorm came down on the lake; they were being swamped and were in danger. They came and woke him up, saying, ‘Master, Master, we’re going to die!’
Then he got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves. So they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, ‘Where is your faith?’
They were fearful and amazed, asking one another, ‘Who then is this? He commands even the winds and the waves, and they obey him!'” Luke 8:22-25
I read those words, and it felt like Jesus was asking “where is your faith?” to me. I realised everything I had been doing the day before was out of my own strength. I wasn’t relying on the Spirit in evangelising to strangers. I was feeling awkward, uncomfortable, and wracking my own brain for the right words to say, instead of asking the Holy Spirit to speak and move through me.
We went out again that night to the same street to evangelise once again. This time, we tried a very different approach. I especially tried a very different approach, and didn’t plan or think of anything to say at all. I walked up to people, introduced myself, and literally found myself saying things and asking questions I completely didn’t expect. I didn’t overthink it. I just let go and allowed the Holy Spirit to move in and through me.
Myself and my teammate Meagan only talked to three different women in the span of about an hour and a half. We hardly talked about Jesus or church at all, really. We built relationships and had great conversations instead. Of the three women, we only gave two of them flyers, and got the contact information of one who was interested in coming to an English class at the church. When looking at the statistics of unbelievers in the world, it can feel daunting, upsetting, and make you think if only I could do something to reach the masses. But reaching the masses starts small. It takes one person at a time. 1.5 hours, three women, one that a follow-up conversation can be made with. Some may say that we could and should have done more, that I should have passed out x number of flyers in order to use our time wisely. But I value quality over quantity and I trust that the Lord touched this one woman’s heart, if even in the smallest of ways. And that’s what the kingdom is all about. That’s what the heart of Christ is all about: leaving the 99 to reach the 1.
“When they observed the boldness of Peter and John, and realised that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and recognised that they had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13
I’m learning this month’s intimidating and uncomfortable ministry of street evangelism isn’t about saying the right things or being able to bring people to Christ within 5 minutes of conversation. It’s not about me at all. All I have to do is say, yes, step out in boldness, and trust the Holy Spirit to fill in all of my gaps.
