Evangelism
Sunday.Our people understand that after they bring their
Many people have slipped into the mindset that evangelism is
a gift that some believers have and others do not. The reality
is that when someone becomes reconciled to God, He sends
them out to reconcile others. That's not a gift—we all have
the responsibility to take Christ to others. A church can do
four things to encourage the spirit and practice of
evangelism.
1. Build Relationships
Only a very few hear the gospel or show up at church without
first being in relationship. Most people who come to Christ
are invited by a person they know. God calls us to evangelize,
including our family, friends, and neighbors. He invites us to
invite others. Personal relationships are the best way to reach
out. Sometimes the world gets the wrong idea that
being a Christian means our lives are perfect.
2. Encourage Engagement
Sometimes the world gets the wrong idea that being a
Christian means our lives are perfect. They feel disconnected
and unworthy. So whenever we can remind our people and
those looking in that we are all in need of a Savior, it breaks
down walls that keep people from Christ and the Church.The
church and its people must understand that no one gets
through a broken world unbroken. So as they go back out
throughout the week, they should connect with broken
people as broken people who have met the One who
restores. They should offer restoration through Christ. That is
evangelism.
3. Inclusive Events
Some parts of church are more exclusive. The Lord’s Supper,
baptism, even some small groups are just for believers. But a
church has the freedom, and really a responsibility, to have
gatherings where seekers feel welcome—places where they
are ready for company. For us, one of those low-threshold
events is an annual Easter egg hunt. We ramp up by involving
the whole church. They bring their friends, neighbors, and
families. We do these events where everyone can be
involved. Why? Events can show love for our community and
increase visibility to invite people to our church. Multiple
relationships can form in these open and inclusive events.
These relationships can ultimately lead back to Christ.
4. Teach Well
The Easter egg event mentioned above is an inroad. But the
greater thing happens when we actually preach on the
resurrection—we want to bridge relationships from
something as simple as a children's event, to something as
important as the gospel.
And, we don’t just preach about the resurrection on one
friends to the church community event, there will be an
intense Gospel thrust in the following weeks. We call each
other, and the Life Group leaders make calls. Everyone knows
that everyone should invite their friends to hear about Jesus.
We teach the gospel well and over and over.
Holistic Approach
It’s a full-court press. We do all of these things in waves at
the same time, but we don’t do them all the time. Spring and
fall, summer and winter, on mission to share Jesus.
Everyone is on board. Everyone understands that our church
leadership will provide opportunities for their friends to hear
the Gospel, but their friends are their responsibility.
I don’t know their friends. They do. I can’t invite their friends.
They can. And they must. Evangelism is everyone’s
responsibility.
We can complain about the lack of evangelistic activity in our
churches, but this goes back to leadership. We as leaders
create the culture of evangelism. When the church sees we
are intentional and serious about creating a pathway, they
will be more likely to engage their friends and invite them on
the pathway.
10 Ways to Evangelize: It's Easier than You Think
1. Pray for people by name
Chances are, you already know people who haven’t heard the
Good News! (That’s what “gospel” means, fun fact.) In your
prayer time, take their names to God. God “at work within us
is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or
think.“ (Ephesians 3:20) Ask Him for opportunities to share
the faith with them and trust His timing as you build
relationships with them in advance of those conversations.
2. Go out into the world
Don’t just hang out in the “Catholic bubble.” Like-minded
friends are important to nourish our faith, but we can never
forget our duty to invite others into the family. Jesus tells us
His Great Commission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all
nations.” (Matthew 28:19) While it’s certainly easier to spend
time with other Christians, we are called to go out of our
immediate circle and reach those who would never receive
an invitation if we didn’t reach out. Jesus became incarnate
and lived among us; we follow His example when we go out
on campus and meet other students where they are, whether
in class, sports team, a club, or a Greek house. (And of course,
this applies to life beyond the campus, too!)
3. Be Bold
Introducing yourself to someone you don’t know can be
scary. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you the words you need.
Have courage! It might be awkward at first, but as we like to
say, “Heaven is worth the awkward!”
4. Extend Personal Invitations
How many invitations do you have sitting in Facebook events
right now? And how many do you actually plan to attend?
Chances are the events you attend are the ones where
someone took the time to seek you out an invite you. Invite
someone to an event with you! Your personal invitation
might reach the person who needs a friend.
5. Share life: i.e., Be with them on their turf
Find things that you and your friends can do together, even if
it isn’t something you love doing. Sacrifice your own
preference to do the things they love. Evangelization isn’t just
an intellectual endeavor! As you spend time with your
friends, doing things they love, you earn the right to be
heard. Your friends will trust your recommendations about
movies, books, restaurants, etc. They will see that you live
your life differently — that your joy, trust, and confidence in
Jesus make you different than everyone else, and they’ll want
to know why.
6. Share your story
Your story is powerful! If you’ve never thought about it
before, consider writing down how you came to know Jesus.
How did you decide to follow Him? Saint Peter tells us
to“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who
asks you to give the reason for your hope.” (1 Peter 3:15) No
one can argue with what you’ve experienced, so always be
ready to share when someone asks!
7. Practice hospitality wherever you are
You can put others at ease with simple acts of kindness, like
being the first to start a conversation or introducing a
newcomer to everyone else in the group. Hospitality doesn’t
mean that you have to always be the one who brings the
pizza — but you could invite a quiet person to take the first
slice!
8. Share the gospel with a specific invitation
Sharing the gospel is the heart of evangelization! There are a
lot of ways to share the story of Jesus, but at its core, the
gospel includes four main points: 1.) You were made for a
relationship with God. 2.) Sin (those times when we choose
not to love others as we should) creates a chasm between
you and God. 3.) God became man in Jesus, and he died for
your sins to repair your relationship with God. 4.) Every
human person has the opportunity to have a relationship
with God if they accept God’s invitation!
When you're sharing these points with a person in a
conversation, you can encourage your friend to accept God’s
invitation using a question like, “Would you like to invite
Jesus to be the center of your life?” If they say no, let them
know you are still their friend and continue to pray for them.
If they say yes, celebrate and pray with them!
9. Encounter Christ together
Your friend’s commitment to making the Jesus the center of
their life isn’t a one-and-done deal. Now you can run together
toward the goal: heaven! Continue to invite them to spend
time with you and to come to know Jesus more deeply. This
might mean going on a retreat or a mission trip, attending a
FOCUS SEEK conference, attending RCIA together — and, of
course, continuing to spend time together doing things you
love to do.
10. Teach others to do the same
Teach your friends how to evangelize too, and do it together!
Saint Paul writes, “What you have heard from me…entrust to
faithful people who will be able to teach others as well”(2
Timothy 2:2). Jesus sent His apostles into the world by
reaching out to individuals who would be able to teach
others. You can fulfill the call to evangelize by developing
deep friendships, inviting people to follow Jesus and
teaching others to do the same!
10 ways to foster personal evangelism in the local church
1 CONVICTION: TO BELIEVE PEOPLE ARE LOST AND
NEED CHRIST.
If we do not maintain a biblical view that people are lost and
that trusting Christ in this life is their only hope, we will not
witness. Why “risk” a conversation with someone if in the
end it doesn’t really matter? The Bible makes clear that the
gospel does matter: “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the
truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except
through me’” (John 14:6). We are all called to be Christ’s
ambassadors to share this message of hope (2 Cor 5:20).
2 COMMITMENT: TO BE AN EVANGELISTIC CHURCH.
In an attempt to overcome our natural tendency toward self-
centeredness, our church adopted the motto: “It is so not
about us!” It is about the Lord, first and foremost — then it is
about others, especially those who don’t know Christ. We
constantly talk about how the church is the only institution in
the world that exists primarily for those not yet a part of it.
Paul reminds us in Romans 10:14, “How, then, can they call
on the one they have not believed in? And how can they
believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how
can they hear without someone preaching to them?”
3 CLIMATE: TO CULTIVATE A FRIENDLY
ATMOSPHERE.
I do not believe a lost person should feel comfortable at a
worship service. For that matter, if we are truly preaching the
Word, and the Lord’s holy presence is with us, believers
should not feel comfortable either. Lost people should not
feel comfortable in our churches, but they should feel
welcome. Regardless of what they look like or how they are
dressed, we should welcome them with open arms. It is not a
sin for a church to be friendly to guests. We often talk about
how the church should be “a safe place to hear a dangerous
message.” Jesus declared he had not come to call the
righteous, but sinners (Luke 5:32).
4 CONNECTING: TO IDENTIFY THE LOST PERSONS
GOD HAS PLACED AROUN D US.
We regularly highlight Oscar Thompson’s concept of
“Concentric Circles of Concern.” God has placed people in our
lives — family, friends, neighbors, work associates,
classmates, and acquaintances. Acts 17:26 instructs us, “From
one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the
whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in
history and the boundaries of their lands.” We need to
identify those whom God has placed in our concentric circles
to receive the gospel message.
5 CARING: TO DISPLAY CONCERN FOR OTHERS AND
SERVE THEM.
Based on Concentric Circles, we have church members submit
the first names of people who need Christ so we can pray for
those individuals as a church. Prayer meetings in our
churches tend to focus on needs of members, typically health
concerns. And we should pray for those concerns. My favorite
definition of minor surgery is “that which is done on someone
else.” When you or a loved one is experiencing a health crisis,
you covet the prayers of others. But we must not let the
physical dominate the spiritual. Jesus reminds us of the
priority of the spiritual: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the
body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One
who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt 10:28).
In addition to praying, we encourage serving in tangible ways
by meeting practical needs. We emphasize how unbelievers
tend to be more open to the gospel message when they see it
lived out.
6 CALENDARING: TO ID ENTIFY SPECIFIC “HAR VEST
DAYS” AND “SPECIAL EVENTS.”
I preach expository sermons verse by verse through books of
the Bible. While I share the gospel each week as part of my
message, some passages of Scripture focus on the gospel
more directly than others. When I am about to preach one of
those passages, I alert my church members that this Sunday
would be a great time to invite an unbeliever to come (not
that there is ever really a bad time).
We also seek to utilize special events as a “doorway” to the
gospel and the church. LifeWay Christian Resources President
Thom Rainer’s research among the unchurched shows that
more than 80 percent of unchurched persons would respond
positively to an invitation to attend church from someone
they knew. Paul, in Ephesians 5:15-16, challenges us, “Be very
careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as
wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the
days are evil.”
7 COURAGE: TO OVERCOME TH E BARRIER OF FEAR.
Perhaps the greatest single reason we do not witness more
(or witness at all) is fear. It can be scary to talk about one’s
faith with an unbeliever. We emphasize relying on the power
of the Holy Spirit to give us boldness in sharing Christ with
others: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit
comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”
(Acts 1:8).
8 COACHING: TO PROVI DE REGULAR TRAINING IN
SHARING THE GOSPEL.
We are blessed today with many wonderful witnessing helps.
We try to provide regular training in the use of various
methods to share the gospel. I liken these different
approaches to different tools in one’s toolbox. Growing up on
a farm, I have amassed an assortment of tools. Some are
specialty tools I have only used once — but they are there if I
ever need them. I encourage people to fill their witnessing
toolbox with various approaches, so they have one they can
pull out that fits their current witnessing opportunity.
We have trained people in “Three Circles,” the Romans Road,
sharing one’s personal testimony, “Two Ways to Live,” “The
Story,” and how to share a gospel booklet (we utilize the
Experiencing God’s Grace booklet, produced by The Billy
Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Ministry at
Southern Seminary). This past year we read together as a
church Gateway Baptist Theological Seminary President Jeff
Iorg’s wonderful book, Unscripted: Sharing the Gospel as Life
Happens. We followed up with an one-and-a-half-hour
brainstorming session on how we could apply basic
evangelism principles in our personal lives and in the
corporate life of our church.
9 CELEBRATING: TO APPLAUD THOSE WHO ARE
REACHING OUT WITH CH RIST’S LOVE. We celebrate
those who are being faithful to step outside their comfort
zone to share Christ with others. We encourage one another
with the reminder found in Galatians 6:9, “Let us not become
weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a
harvest if we do not give up.”
10 CHRIST: TO SEEK T O MAKE KNOWING CHRIST
AND MAKING HIM KNOWN CONSUMING PASSIONS
IN OUR LIVES.
Witnessing is fueled by the overflow of our daily walk with
Christ. Jesus testified, “out of the abundance of the heart the
mouth speaks” (Matt 12:34). Have you seen the late night
infomercial promoting a DVD training course to help
grandparents gain the confidence to talk about their
grandchildren to others? No you haven’t, and you never will.
Why not?
Grandparents do not need help when it comes to talking
about their grandchildren. All a person needs to do is give
them a moment of pause in the conversation and they will
find a way to bring up the topic of their grandchildren. Why?
Because their mouths are speaking out of that which fills their
heart. Grandparents find it easy to talk about their
grandchildren because their hearts are filled with love for
them. When love for Christ fills our hearts on a daily basis, it
will be natural to talk about him to others.
Evaluate your own personal life and your church context.
Which of these 10 things are happening now? Which may
need to begin? Which may need to be re-visited? None of
these 10 areas will happen by accident. They must be
emphasized, and re-emphasized, and then re-emphasized
again. The church is the only institution in the world that
exists primarily for those not yet a part of it. Pastors, let’s
equip and encourage our people in personal witnessing. Let’s
model that commitment in our own lives, where we don’t
end up conveying, “Do as I say, but not as I do.” Finally, let’s
constantly pray to the Lord of the harvest to “send out
workers into his harvest” (Matt 9:28), all for his glory and
honor and praise.
od has called each of us to partner in His redemptive
plan. Some of the greatest joys in the Christian life
come from making Jesus known to those who don't
yet know Him personally.
As the body of Christ, we are Jesus' hands and feet on
earth to continue the work that He began. As finite
beings we do not have the foresight of knowing the
cravings and challenges of each individual we
share with; however, God knows the deepest secrets
of every person. Through the Holy Spirit He is more
than able to speak through us to touch the depths of
the human heart. Only the Spirit can give us the
words to convict and compel others to follow Christ.
Here are 10 things I have personally found to be
helpful for sharing my faith.
1. Be led by the Holy Spirit (Acts 16:6, 9-10).
Like Paul in Acts, I continually ask the Holy
Spirit to lead me to people whose hearts are
ripe and ready for the harvest.
Consider asking the Holy Spirit to lead y ou to
those who are desperately searching for more
in life and will be open to God.
2. Be convicted by eternal reality. What is your
motivation for evangelism? Are we just doing
it because it is the Christian thing to do? Are
we doing it to try to please God by our good
works? Are we doing it to try to grow a bigger
church? Pray and ask your Father to give you
His heart for the lost. When God shares His
breaking heart with us, we will share His
burden for the lost.
3. Discern soul cravings. I believe everyone has
cravings for purpose, meaning, and
significance in life. By listening to and
speaking into a person’s cravings, you can
delicately awaken them to recognize that the
fulfillment of all their cravings can only be
found in God Himself. Learn more about soul
cravings.
4. Develop relationships. Jesus was the complete
expression of the Father’s love to the world;
the love of God flowed like a spring of living
water from the life of Jesus. I believe that in
many cases, God’s love can be more
compelling than scientific evidence of God or
a theological argument. Is God’s love flowing
through you? Are people in your life
compelled by how passionately and
personally you care about them? If yo u have
few non-Christian friends, try this
challenge to move beyond the walls of the
church.
5. Share your story. You have a very powerful
story and God wants to use it! People will be
most compelled by your thoughts and
experiences because they know you. If Jesus
is a tangible reality in your life, others will
see that and want it. Here's some help to
craft your story strategically.
6. Be empowered by the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8).
Learn to look to the guidance of the Holy
Spirit and allow the Holy Spirit to take over
the conversation. Know with confidence God
will lead you and give you the right words to
say to the right individuals.
7. Be patient and faithful. For many people
evangelism can be very discouraging because
they don’t see immediate results. Though the
ultimate goal of all evangelism is to lead
people to Christ, it may not happen
overnight. We must remember that only God
knows when the seeds we plant will bear
fruit.
8. Remember that people are on a journey. Each
person is in a different place (or approaching
a different spiritual threshold) in their
journey, and some may not be ready to fully
commit their lives to Christ. Our
responsibility is to simply lead them further
down the path and bring them closer to
finding a relationship with Jesus.
9. Pray unceasingly. One of the most essential
components of evangelism is prayer. You may
have loved ones or friends for whom you
have been continually praying for years. Do
not give up hope! Prayer is the catalyst that
initiates God’s will being done on the earth.
10. Remember that it's not all up to you. Campus
Crusade for Christ founder and lifelong
evangelist, Dr. Bill Bright, had a very simple
and powerful definition of success. He said,
"Successful witnessing is simply sharing Christ
in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving
the results to God." That's it. Isn't that
encouraging? If you have taken the
opportunity to talk about Jesus with
someone, then you have been successful.