Most Christians struggle with telling the gospel to anyone. In fact, many believers will never evangelize another person. If you struggle with this task, here are some simple starting points:
- Ask God to restore your wonder and passion for Him. When we’re most amazed by Jesus, we’re much more likely to talk about Him. That’s the primary reason I wrote my little book, Nobodies for Jesus – to help us be fascinated again.
- Start wondering about the spiritual condition of everyone you see. Make yourself do it—ask in your mind, “I wonder if that bank teller knows Jesus.” Or the convenience store clerk. Or your neighbor. Or your co-worker. Or that driver who cut you off in traffic. Learn to see people as Jesus did, as sheep without a shepherd.
- Focus on five non-believers you know, and pray every day for them. Ask God to open their blinded minds to hear the gospel (2 Cor. 4:3-4). Your daily praying – even if it’s brief – will deepen your burden for people to know Jesus.
- Every day, tell somebody you know something good about God. All of us can speak about the way God cares for us. Even if all you say is, “God has been really good to me today,” that’s a start. If you speak about God at least once each day, you’ll learn to speak more.
- Connect with a church leader who seems to be doing evangelism. Learn what steps he’s taking to do evangelism. Ask if you can accompany him when he evangelizes. Watching somebody else do it might give you the courage to do it.
- Participate in your church’s evangelism training. If your church isn’t providing any, ask your pastors for guidance. A church that isn’t training people to evangelize isn’t fulfilling its responsibility.
- Be upfront and honest with a non-believer. I realize this approach isn’t always possible, but I’m increasingly doing evangelism this way: “You know, I’m a follower of Jesus, and one of our responsibilities is to tell others what He’s done for us. May I take a few minutes to tell you how He’s changed my life?” It’s honest, it’s to the point, and . . . I’ve found some folks willing to listen.
What steps would you add?
Hospitality. I am learning it is so key to evangelism. Grateful for that Desiringgod.org article entitled Hospitality and the Great Commission
Thanks, Ron, for the suggestion.
I agree! Be honest. I can’t tell you how important this is. It’s unfortunate how much time the evangelist spends trying to discern if the person is interested and beating around the bush. What I have done is just go around and simply say, “Excuse me, I am a Christian. And I am just walking around trying to find someone who wants to talk to me about Jesus. Are you interested.” I have had some good conversations with people this way, but I have not wasted anyone’s time.
Good to hear from you, Gary.