Coming out of the end of carol service season (yes, I’m writing February’s article with four out of 17 carol services still to go), I’m reflecting on how easy it is for us musicians to become lazy in our evangelism. We love putting on or serving at evangelistic events, but we’re not so keen to do the hard graft of talking about Jesus to those who come to those events.
As musicians we know that we can make or break an evangelistic event (notwithstanding the sovereignty of God!) — certainly the case with carol services, which would be slightly dull without music. The trouble is that we musicians tend to kid ourselves that we don’t really need to be involved in evangelism because we ‘do the music’. In fact, sometimes we even like to think that our music is our evangelism.
Done my bit?
There is some truth that if we are providing music that serves to support gospel preaching and proclamation, then, if there are unbelievers present, we could indeed say that we are involved in evangelism (unless, by some lapse of theological discernment we got everyone singing about Good King Wenceslas). But I sense in my own sinful heart that playing for 17 carol services ticks my evangelism box, and I can relax on Boxing Day having done my bit. However, my invitations to people who I wanted to hear the gospel at these services were pitifully few, and my only non-believing guest who actually turned up was invited by someone else. My excuse? Too busy organising and providing the music.
