I was born and raised in China and have lived in Melbourne since 2010. I want to share some personal evangelism experiences to honour my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Romans 16 reminds us that God despises flattery and delights in genuine Christian encouragement—not to spotlight individuals but to highlight His grace.
Before discussing my testimony, I would like to ask: what is evangelism? Jesus Christ teaches us about this in Mark 4 – in the parable of Sower. The Sower went out to sow seeds and the rest of the parable is about the state of the heart. The seed is the Word of God, and the power is in the Word of God. We sow the seed, it goes into the ground, it does what it does, and we do not know how it works. The soil produces crops. When the crop is ready, then comes the harvest. It is the divine grace that brings the harvest, not the skill of the Sower.
When I proclaim the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, to friends, colleagues, and neighbours, their responses often range from agitation to aggression. By agitation and aggression, I mean reactions expressed through words, actions, and facial expressions. My gospel presentation follows a simple structure: Creation, Curse, Christ, Cross, Re-creation, and Response.
I will provide two examples of this. First, a close friend in China denies the existence of God and Jesus Christ. He prioritises self-reliance and worships money. I shared Romans 1:18-3:20, explaining that Jews and Gentiles alike are all born in Adam and that wickedness pervades our thoughts, actions, and emotions. The Apostle Paul, in the book of Romans 8: 13, writes, “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” My friend has disengaged from me since then. I continue to pray for him.”
My second example involves a colleague who became aggressive and provocative when I mentioned God and Jesus Christ, even threatening my life if I continued to share the Gospel. He argued that religions cause global problems, yet he denies objective morality and believes that truth is relative.
In the Gospel of Luke, chapter 23, Pilate found no guilt in Jesus Christ, and neither did Herod; nothing deserving of death was done by Jesus Christ. But Pilate still delivered Jesus to be mocked, stripped, and crucified. This is the truth. In the Gospel of John, Jesus Christ said to the unbelieving people, “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.” I continue to pray for this colleague.
These reactions may discourage us, but the Bible offers us encouragement. Hebrews 4:12-13 states: “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”
God is sovereign in both grace and command, commanding us to preach the gospel to all living creatures. My brothers and sisters, let me conclude with this passage from the Gospel of Matthew 5:11-12 – “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Now the question is – Are you ready to rejoice and be glad?