I was blessed to be raised by Christian parents. In fact, most people I knew were Christians. My friends were Christians, most of my extended family were Christians, and I had the privilege to attend a Christian school all the way through college. I have literally been surrounded by Christians my entire life.
But just because I was surrounded by Christians did not mean that I was sin free. In fact, I often feel like Paul in 1 Timothy 1:15 where he referred to himself as the chief of sinners. I have found myself in sin more times than I can count and I am truly ashamed of those things. But 1 Timothy 1:15 does not just talk about Paul’s acknowledgement of his sins, this verse speaks of salvation in Christ Jesus. “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” 1 Timothy 1:15.
At a young age I was taught by faithful parents and teachers the gospel of Jesus Christ. I was taught about my sins in passages like Romans 3:23 and Romans 6:23, but I was also taught about salvation through passages such as: John 14:6, Romans 5:8, Acts 2:38, 1 Peter 3:21, and Romans 6:1-4.
Evangelism is personal in so many ways. My life has been blessed because somebody took the time to teach me about the good news of Jesus and how I can have my sins washed away in Him. That makes evangelism personal to me. It is also something we have all been called to do. Matthew 28:19-20. It is to be part of our personal walk with Christ. In practice evangelism always works better when it is more personal. We need to get to know people and invest in their spiritual life by preparing the soil and teaching them the Gospel, person to person.Afterall, it is personal evangelism.
Derek Broome