In the Apostle Paul’s final words to his pastoral protégé
Timothy, he gives Timothy several imperatives or commands. One of them is, “do
the work of an evangelist” (2 Tim. 4:5).
The execution of evangelistic effort
is a multi-faceted enterprise. In other words, evangelism is not one-dimensional
or one-sided. It has many forms or may employ different methods that work together
toward its objective of winning souls to Christ. For instance, God used Paul to
plant and Apollos to water (1 Cor. 3:6). They each had a role in the process of
God causing the work to grow.
There is a three-dimensional model, called the 3 P’s
of evangelism, that depicts three levels of responsible action in the ministry
of evangelism—presence, proclamation, and persuasion. The evangelist’s role varies at each level, yet each level
is a vital and integral part in evangelizing the gospel.
The first level is presence. This level is
foundational to the other levels of evangelism because it prepares the pathway
for furthering the work of evangelism. It is at this level that we show the
love and good works of the gospel by letting our light shine and sprinkle the
salt of savory saints (Matt. 5:13-16). This level is where we let our presence
be felt and known particularly outside the four walls of the church into the
community. The goal is helping and loving people—feed the hungry and homeless,
provide clothing, visit the sick, advocate for the hurting, helpless and social
justice. This level is the music of gospel; witnessing in warmth. Presence
evangelism enables people to feel and
see the “good news” of the gospel. It
has been said that “people don’t care how much you know until they know how
much you care.” Additionally in our post-modern society, people won’t come to
church until we show we care first.
Presence evangelism is the music of the gospel, whereby people feel and see the “good news” of the gospel.