Evangelism without Words on Turning Mountains into Molehills

I know a word that scares many Christians. That word is evangelism – spreading the Christian Gospel by public preaching or personal witness. Knees knock, and hands sweat at the thought of sharing the Gospel with others. So often, we tell ourselves that we are not qualified for such a task or that it should only be done by “professionals.” Even God’s command in Matthew 28:19 does not convince us of our responsibility for spreading God’s word. But, God used a mission trip to show me how I could use evangelism without words. Now, I want to share this story to encourage fearful hearts.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

Matthew 28:19 (NIV)

Evangelism Without Words

My first mission trip went to Haiti in 1997, and other than the COVID years, I try to go on one every year. In 2003, the mission trip took my family to Salta, Argentina, for a construction project. We built a daycare center at a local church in an impoverished area. I enjoyed this type of mission work because I could serve God without sharing the Good News of Christ. Because I, too, experienced fear and trepidation when sharing about my faith.

Evangelism without Words – How we live our lives is a testimony to our faith. People without faith watch us to see how we handle the stresses of life. Our actions show them the authenticity of our faith. Click To Tweet

Like most construction projects, the work started early, mainly to beat the heat. Even so, the daily hard labor wore us out. The trip to the church took about 30 minutes, so we left the motel each morning around 7 AM. The same four taxis picked us up each morning and brought us back each evening. We just wanted to rest after long days of backs bent in labor. Because of the exhaustion, we rode in silence in the taxis.

Silence can be Golden.

Finally, the last day to work on the construction arrived. Tears flowed as we bid farewell to the other workers. As we returned to the motel, our taxi driver pulled me aside. I grabbed one of our interrupters to translate for me. What occurred next still fills my heart with joy.

The only words I ever spoke to this driver were hello and good night. But, he watched our team each day. And now, he commented, “I am not sure what you have in your life, but I want to learn more about it.” He wanted to know what filled our hearts with joy and why we would travel so far to help such needy people. I think my mouth probably dropped open at this point. I explained a little about my faith. Then we connected him with our host to continue the conversation in his native tongue.

Silent Evangelism Lessons

The seeds of faith were sown without a spoken word—evangelism without words. I learned several important lessons from this event:

How we live our lives is a testimony to our faith. People without faith watch us to see how we handle the stresses of life. Our actions show them the authenticity of our faith.
I learned that doing good works for Christ can and will open the door to sharing the Gospel.
My only job in evangelism is to plant the seeds of the Gospel, as Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 3:6-9:

“6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.”

1 Corinthians 3:6-9 (NIV)

Encouragement to use Evangelism without Words

There is no doubt that our Bible instructs us of our role in spreading the seeds of faith. But, have no fear; God is with us in the task. He gives us the strength and courage to do so, and if necessary, He will also give us the words to share. I used to fear sharing my faith, but after the events in Argentina, I learned that my life is also my testimony. Adding words then became much more manageable. God gives us each a unique story to share, and your narrative might be all it takes for someone to turn to Christ. Later, I learned that the man from Argentina started going to church to discover more about faith.

Evangelism without Words – God is with us in the task. He gives us the strength and courage to do so, and if necessary, He will also give us the words to share. Click To Tweet

A Final Word

I leave you with the words of Mark 16 to remind you of the Great Commission:

“14 Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. 15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

Mark 16:14-16 (NIV)

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that as the seeds of the Gospel are scattered and planted today, that they will land on good soil. Make them bear fruit, Father. Help me understand my role in Your plans and give me the words to say when necessary. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

Do you need prayer? I would love to pray for you. Submit your prayer request on my website at https://yvonne-morgan.com/submit-your-prayer-request-here/