Evangelism In Light Of Who We Are - How to Live Jesus Out Loud

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV)

“Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.” (Ephesians 4:22-24, NLT)

Both of these passages highlight the reality that, through Jesus, who we are— our very nature, likeness, and self—is made different, entirely new, and unlike what we were before. If the substance of who we are has changed, what has it changed into? Who are we as new creations? The Bible offers three compelling metaphors to describe our new selves, and each one has ramifications for spiritual engagement.

WE ARE SALT

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus calls his followers “the salt of the earth.” If you’ve ever walked near the ocean, you may have noticed a tinge in the air, felt the grit on your skin, and seen the erosion on piers and bridges. Salt changes the landscape just by being present in the water and air. It changes the chemistry of food when added as an ingredient. As Christians, we are spiritual salt in the world, and our very presence changes things.

WE ARE AN AROMA

2 Corinthians 2:15-16 says that we are the aroma of Christ. As a native Philadelphian, I often went to Hershey, PA, home of the old Hershey’s Chocolate factory. Back in the day, when the original factory was operating, the aroma of chocolate permeated the entire town. That’s what a powerful fragrance does—it makes an impact on the environment around it. Because “we are the aroma of Christ,” our spiritual presence is pervasive.

WE ARE LIGHT

Also in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus calls his followers “the light of the world.” The reason a lighthouse exists is to keep ships safe from wrecking. Its beacon shines into the dark of the night, warning seafarers of the impending shore. It is trustworthy and steadfast because light always overcomes darkness. By its very nature, it transforms the space around it.

Though each of these metaphors defines a different aspect of Christian character, they all demonstrate at least one common truth: The very essence of our new nature has an impact on the people around us.

Our presence in the world isn’t wishy-washy or indistinct; it is potent. Just as salt affects the flavor and nature of food, just as an aroma fills a space and floods our senses, and just as light overwhelms the shadows, our new nature flavors and fills and floods and overwhelms the environment around us. When we step onto an elevator, join a line, or sit in a booth, we radiate a new quality of being—the kind that changes the atmosphere.

If you and I catch the biblical vision of our newness in Christ, we can start to engage people spiritually because we think and speak and act as spiritual beings. If we catch the vision of our potency as new creations, we can enter conversations with the confidence that we are intended to shift conversational tides. Catching the vision of who we are in Christ changes everything about how we approach evangelism. Namely, we don’t “approach” it at all. We live it. Sharing the gospel is a natural byproduct of being who we are.

Pray:

Like salt, we are transformative. Like a fragrant aroma, we are potent. Like light, we are visible, not hidden. We are spiritually new, altogether different, and we cause a marked change in the atmosphere of daily life simply by being ourselves and living out loud. Take a moment and pray that God would use you to change the atmosphere of a certain place today.