What an oxymoron.

Gospel proclamation was a dangerous task throughout the New Testament. Someone could pick up a rock and throw it at you (e.g., Acts 7)! In some places, it remains that dangerous.

As of now, gospel proclamation is safe in North America and throughout most of the West. We moved evangelism from the highways and hedges to the safe confines of a worship gathering. One finds few stones to throw while inside Christian-owned property. With this move, we now consider a church evangelistic because unbelievers are called to repent of sin and place faith in Jesus during the sermon.

The 5 billion will never hear if safe evangelism is our expectation for global disciple making.

How will they hear? One must be sent. . . outside the compound and into the community where rocks are found (Rom 10:14-15).

We do not go with a martyr complex; but we also do not go to the pulpit and believe the task is done.

This post written by J.D. Payne and originally posted at https://www.jdpayne.org/2020/10/safe-evangelism/, and used by permission of jdpayne.org.

Photo by Ümit Yıldırım on Unsplash.