(from The Gospel & Personal Evangelism by Mark Dever)
How should we evangelize? There is a certain balance that we want to strive for in our evangelism, a balance of honesty and urgency and joy.
HONESTY
First, we tell people with honesty that if they repent and believe, they will be saved. But they will need to repent, and it will be costly. We must be accurate in what we say.
According to the Bible, sin and guilt are at the very heart and core of the gospel. Making people aware of their lost and sinful condition is part and parcel of sharing the good news of Christ.
URGENCY
We must emphasize the urgency with which people ought to repent and believe if they will be saved. They must decide now. They certainly shouldn't wait until a "better deal" comes along.
It's not manipulative or insensitive to bring up the urgent nature of salvation. It's simply the truth. The time of opportunity will end.
JOY
The truth of this news of a restored relationship with God brings us great joy. So we should joyfully tell people that if they repent and believe they will be saved.
What do we gain in coming to Christ? We gain a relationship with God himself, which includes forgiveness, meaning, purpose, freedom, community, certainty, and hope.
So that's the balance that we want to see - honesty, urgency, and joy.
