what is evangelism?

An artist once sought to depict on canvas the meaning of evangelism. He painted a picture of a storm at sea. Black tempestuous clouds filled the sky with forewarnings of disaster. Illumined by a flash of lightning, a little boat dashed against the breakers in the raging waves. The stricken vessel was disintegrating under the pounding of the ocean. Sailors struggled in the swirling waters, their anguished voices crying out for help. But there was no help.

The only glimmer of hope could be seen in the foreground where a large rock protruded out of the sea. And there, clutching desperately with both hands, was one lone seaman.

It was a moving scene. Looking at the painting, one could see the the tempest a symbol of mankind's hopeless condition. And, true to the Scripture, the only way of salvation was the Rock of Ages, a shelter in the time of storm. But as the artist reflected upon his work, he realized that he had not accurately portrayed evangelism.

So he painted another picture. The scene was similar to the first. It had the same storm- the black clouds, the flashing lightning, the angry waters. There was the same little boat crushed by the breakers, its crew vainly struggling in the waves. In the forefront was the same large rock of safety with the same seaman holding on for salvation. But the artist made one change. Now the survivor was holding on with only one hand, and with the other hand he was reaching down beneath the waves to lift up a sinking friend.

This is the New Testment picture of evangelism.