Understanding the Role You Play in Evangelism - The Crosswalk Devotional - August 10
The Crosswalk Devotional
Audio By Carbonatix
By Clarence L. Haynes Jr., Crosswalk.com
Understanding the Role You Play in Evangelism
By Clarence L. Haynes Jr.
“When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment. “- John 16:8
I grew up in NYC, and the doorbell would ring on a typical Saturday morning. When I looked to see who it was, I thought there would be someone from the local Kingdom Hall wanting to offer me the latest edition of The Watchtower magazine. You may know I am talking about Jehovah’s Witnesses. Many people used to get annoyed when they rang their doorbell, but I didn’t. I saw this as an opportunity to share the truth with them, so I always invited them in. Usually, they could not do it on the spot, so we would schedule a time for them to return to my house.
Sunday afternoons after I got home from church always seemed the best time. Before they arrived, I would get prepared. I would study and have all my reasons to show them the truth from Scripture and why what they believed about Jesus, the Trinity, and other doctrines was wrong. A typical conversation would include dialogue, where we would exchange questions and answers, which would go on for an hour or two. I would show them the truth from Scripture to the best of my ability. I thought they saw this, and I would wait to see how they would respond. Those conversations never led to any further conversions, and afterward, I would ask myself questions. How could I show them the truth, and they miss something so plain to see? Did I fail in my efforts to win them to Jesus?
Years later, I now understand my conversation with those Jehovah’s Witnesses was not a failure. Here’s why. In evangelism or sharing your faith, there is a role you must play, and here it is.
Your job is to tell and compel.
With witnessing, your part is to tell someone and compel them to listen and respond to the truth. That is all you can do. Sometimes we miss what our responsibility is. We think our job is to save people. That is not what God has called us to do. God wants us to go out and tell people. When we share the gospel with people or tell people the truth from Scripture in love, we have done our part. After that, the Holy Spirit steps in.
The Holy Spirit’s job is to convict and convince.
Once we do our part, the Holy Spirit takes over. Our job is to tell. His job is to convict. In Greek, the word convict can also mean to convince with solid, compelling evidence, expose, prove wrong, refute, or show one’s fault. The Holy Spirit takes the truth we share with people and makes it come alive to them. When someone experiences conviction, they know what they are doing, or thinking is wrong. That role is beyond our ability, and we must depend on the Holy Spirit to do that.
This is also true with the things people believe. The Holy Spirit takes the truth and helps people see that what they believe, specifically about Jesus, themselves, or salvation, is wrong. When he does this work, a person’s understanding of truth becomes like scales falling from their eyes, and suddenly, they can see. When I think back to the days of sharing the truth with the Jehovah’s Witnesses, they could not understand it because either the Holy Spirit did not reveal it to them, or he did, but they rejected it.
Just keep telling the truth.
From now on, whenever you share the gospel or the truth with someone, specifically the truth from God’s Word, pray the Holy Spirit will open their eyes so they can see it. Don’t get discouraged if that person isn’t instantly saved. Keep praying for, telling, and compelling them. Just know when you do this, you have done exactly what God wants you to do.
Intersecting Faith and Life:
God has called us to plant seeds and water seeds. He never told us to make the seed grow. That is his job.
Further Reading
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Justin Kendra
Clarence L. Haynes Jr. is a dynamic speaker, Bible teacher, and co-founder of The Bible Study Club, dedicated to helping people live with purpose and clarity. In addition to his ministry work, Clarence has spent the last 13 years as a trusted financial educator, guiding thousands of people across the country—including employees at many Fortune 500 companies—toward lasting financial wellness. His unique ability to blend practical wisdom with spiritual insight equips people to thrive in every area of life.
He is the author of The Pursuit of Purpose, which helps readers understand how God leads them into his will, and the author of The Pursuit of Victory: How To Conquer Your Greatest Challenges and Win In Your Christian Life. Clarence is also committed to helping 10,000 people learn how to study the Bible and has released his first course, Bible Study Basics, to achieve that goal. To learn more about his ministry and resources, please visit clarencehaynes.com.
Related Resource: What If God’s Heart Toward You Is Kinder Than You Think?
In this episode of Talk About That, you will laugh along with stories about children’s books, volleyball mornings, St. Patrick’s Day, and even the questionable legacy of the Power Team, but underneath the humor is a thoughtful conversation about one of the deepest questions of faith: how God truly sees us. John and Jonnie reflect on weakness, mercy, and the struggle many believers feel in accepting that God is not only patient with them, but genuinely pleased to call them His own. It’s an honest, encouraging reminder that our relationship with God is not built on performance, perfection, or “having it all together,” but on His love, grace, and fatherly delight in His children. You'll come away challenged to see yourself less through the lens of self-criticism and more through the steady, compassionate eyes of a God who knows you fully, loves you deeply, and may just be rooting for you more than you realize. If you laughed out loud listening to this episode, be sure to follow Talk About That on Apple and Spotify!
