Yan also spoke about 3 barriers to evangelism:
- Sometimes we feel that evangelism is ‘not our calling’ and therefore we are not equipped to do it. William Booth used to say that it was not a question of not being called, but a question of not hearing the call. Whilst we may not have the gifting of an evangelist, we are all called to share our testimony and witness to God’s saving grace.
- Sometimes we feel that the church is not ready, but we will never reach a state of complete readiness! The church which does not evangelise will fossilise. The Word of God clearly tells us that we are to commit to reaping the harvest that is ready (see John 4:35) and we need to pray not only for those who will actually evangelise but for all who will hear and respond to the gospel message.
- Perhaps the most common barrier to evangelism is the feeling we have that we are not qualified to do this; a sense of our own inadequacy often holds us back. Jesus is able to change us, however: His first disciples were fishermen whom He changed to become ‘fishers of men’. All we are required to do is tell what God has done. This is the task of the whole church; we have received from God and need to give freely. Josh 3:5 reminds us that all God requires is our consecration to Him; He is the one who will then do amazing things.