Because of our inclination to think of evangelism as presenting the gospel in such a way that a person has the opportunity to make a decision for Christ, we may not recognize always that it is really a process. It's usually not a one-shot deal. For instance, there may be many other Christian influences in a person's life before we ever get involved. The circumstances in one's life may contribute to an openness or receptivity to the gospel, too. Beyond that, the Holy Spirit precedes anything we do as a witness.
When a person does come to a personal relationship with Christ, that is by no means the end of the process. It is the beginning of a life-long discipleship that is to broaden and deepen -- a growing in grace. The experience of becoming a new person in Christ, the new birth, typically has its beginning, defining moment. But from there, we find ourselves turning again and again to God in Christ, being continually challenged and empowered to lay aside the weight of sin and to live more abundantly the person God calls us to be. We may have many "conversions" in that sense. We recognize, often, that God is still working with us. For example, in the areas of racial justice, interpersonal respect, integrity and honesty, dealing with feelings of anger, revenge, jealousy, greed, lust and much more! We sense that God is calling us to be a champion for the "least of these," to be aware of the inequities in society, to get our priorities aligned with God's will.
Evangelism, then, isn't just for the unbelieving person, but is for all of us. We daily meet and respond to the One who calls us to follow him.
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