Should Christians Focus on Evangelism or Reality?

“Evangelism is great, but I want to focus on reality.”

When I overheard these words, I was confused. Reality? What is truth without an omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient creator God (Genesis 1:1, John 1:1)? It doesn’t exist without Him.

Yet I turned those words over in my head. Did evangelizing matter? Would it be better to focus on so-called “reality,” and was I wasting my time reading my Bible, reaching out to people, writing these posts? Or did “reality” not matter—should we throw ourselves into full-time mission work and hope God provides for our everyday needs? Is there supposed to be a balance?

Does life have any meaning if we aren’t using it to glorify God?

I believe that answer is “No.” Our sole purpose of creation was to honor Him (1 Corinthians 10:31).

We Need the Gospel

Without the Gospel, life is meaningless. It’s just a rat race, an impossible labyrinth to find the cheese that doesn’t exist. It’s a video game with an infinite amount of levels that you have to beat to get to the top, and we keep trying, but we still manage to get low scores.

Without the Gospel, we are broke, soul-sick, thirsty beings with an unquenched desire for a savior. Nothing but aimless objects with no purpose, no future, and no hope.

Without the Gospel, there’s nothing to pull us from the quicksand of sin that leads us in circles: Temptation. Deception. Sin. Shame. Temptation. Deception.

And around and around we go.

There’s nothing and no reason to be free from our sin cycles because they feel like the only freedom.

Evangelism is a Calling

Do you remember the Bible passage where Jesus asks if Peter loves Him? It’s recorded in John 21:15–17. He asks His disciple three times, and by the end, Peter is exasperated. “Yes, Lord, You know I love You!” And each time, Jesus responds with, “Feed My sheep.”

Who are His sheep if they aren’t lost souls?

In Luke 15:3–7, Jesus tells the parable of the lost sheep. The shepherd left the ninety-nine to search for the wanderer.

If Jesus goes searching, why can’t we?

If “reality” is all about money and fame, then how come parables like the hidden treasure (Matthew 13:44) or the pearl of great price (Matthew 13:45–46) don’t hit us to the core? They say the kingdom of Heaven is something you’d be willing to give up everything for—without question. Where is our excitement over the Gospel? Over Jesus? Over our King and Savior?

Evangelism is a Lifestyle

If Jesus knocked on the door to our hearts, why haven’t we gone knocking on others’ hearts, too? (Revelation 3:20)

Going to church on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays doesn’t get us to Heaven if we refuse to share a relationship with the transformer of our souls. (Matthew 7:21–23)

If faith without good works is dead, then why is participating in communion the only good work we ever do? (James 2:26)

One of the Ten Commandments is “Don’t worship idols.” But it’s what we do when we make excuses for not evangelizing. We worship the idol of comfort, time, or convenience. We say that Netflix, an inviting bed, or compliments are more important than lost hearts. 

These are the lies Satan is selling! That comfort, rewards, or beauty—things that do not last, things we will get in Heaven—are better than following Jesus.

He never promised following Him would be easy. He told us there was a cost, that we had to take up our cross (Matthew 16:24–26, Matthew 10:38). Crosses aren’t fun to carry, now are they?

But He did promise that He would be with us (Matthew 28:20, Jeremiah 31:31, Psalm 139:7). He did promise to sustain us (Psalm 55:22, Psalm 37:23). And He promised it would be worth it (John 12:26).

The Reality of It All

Evangelism isn’t comfortable, easy, or normal. It’s one of those things that haters will hate and fake Christians will cringe at. “Reality” includes politics, careers, and plans. Sure, these things matter. They’ve become a part of life. But they don’t last to the next kingdom. It all gets thrown out the window when Christ walks into the room.