For Christians, evangelism is our responsibility. However, in the course of sharing the gospel, we could encounter many challenges. Perhaps the most common challenge is that many seekers of the faith might say that the death and resurrection of Jesus and the hope of eternal life in Heaven may sound wonderful, but these things seem to have no direct relationship with their day-to-day lives and are of no practical use, so they are not willing to believe. In this era of post-modernism, as Pastor Timothy Keller mentioned, people’s judgement on the authenticity of a matter is not based on whether it is indeed the truth, but rather on whether they consider it relevant and useful. If something is not useful to me, then what does it matter if it is or is not the truth? Therefore, while the truth of the gospel has not changed over the centuries, and the power of Jesus Christ remains unwavering, our methods of evangelism need to be contextualised.
Contextualising evangelism means that when we share the gospel with others, we aim to connect the gospel message with their personal circumstances based on their background and individual needs, thereby presenting the message in a strategic manner. For example, the fundamental sin of humanity is turning away from God and being egocentric. Nevertheless, people of different ages and cultural backgrounds may interpret the concept of self-centeredness differently. Some might think that insisting everyone follows my opinion is an example of egocentricity, while others might feel that whether or not people listen to me is unimportant - what matters is obtaining personal gain, thus pursuing self-interest above all else is self-centeredness. Clearly, for different people, addressing the harms of self-centeredness from varying angles will produce different impacts, and in turn will lead to varying understandings and reactions to the concept of redemption.
It is equally important to deeply understand the person whom we are sharing the gospel with and to genuinely grasp the essence of the gospel. The more we understand and care for the person and the more we comprehend the meaning of the gospel, the more persuasive our explanation of the gospel message can be, as we are able to communicate the gospel message using ways and words that the person can understand. Ultimately, it is the work of the Holy Spirit that brings people to faith in Christ; however, we must also do our part diligently, as Peter said,
“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter 3:15)
對基督徒來說，傳福音是我們的責任。只是在這過程中，我們也會遇到很多挑戰。最常見的也許是，有很多慕道朋友可能會說，耶穌的死而復活和天國永生的盼望聽起來是很好，可是與我現在的生活好像沒有什麼直接關係，對我沒有什麼實際用處，所以我不想相信。在這個後現代主義盛行的時代，如提摩太.凱勒（Timothy Keller）牧師提過的，人們判斷一件事情是否真實，不再奠基於它是否的確是真理，而在於它是否對我有用。如果這件事情對我沒有用，那麼它是不是真理又有什麼重要呢？因此，雖然福音真理千百年來沒有改變，基督耶穌的大能也沒有改變，我們傳福音時的方法，卻需要處境化。
所謂傳福音處境化，就是我們希望在跟人分享福音的時候，能夠根據他的背景和個人需要，將福音信息與他的個人處境聯繫起來，有針對性地向他傳講福音信息。舉例來說，人最根本的罪就是背離神，自我中心。然而不同年紀、不同文化背景的人，對於自我中心這一概念可能有不同的解讀，有些人覺得讓所有人都聽從我的意見就是自我中心，另一些人覺得聽不聽我的意見不重要，讓我獲得個人利益才重要，因此凡事追求自我利益至上才是自我中心。顯然，對於不同的人，從不同角度鞭笞自我中心的害處，必然會產生不同的刺激效果，進而對於救贖的理解也會產生不同的觸動。深入了解我們傳福音的對象和切實理解福音的內涵同樣重要，越多了解和關心對方，越明白福音的含義，我們才越可以用對方能夠明白的方式和話語向他解釋福音，讓我們的闡述更有說服力。真正讓人信主的，確實是聖靈的工作，然而，我們也當盡心盡力做好我們的那一部分，如彼得所說，
「只要心裡尊主基督為聖。有人問你心中盼望的緣由，就要常作準備，以溫柔、敬畏的心回答各人。」（彼得前書3:15）
