From the beginning, God’s plan has been to spread news about Jesus Christ through His children. Consider the following:
“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Jesus — Matthew 28
Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” John 20
“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.” Jesus — Acts 1
Now those who were scattered went about speaking the Word to others. Luke — Acts 4
And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to Himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to Him. God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And He gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making His appeal, through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. Paul — 2 Corinthians 5
“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Paul — Colossians 4
“Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains.” Paul — Ephesians 6
“In your hearts revere 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.” Peter — 1 Peter 3
God intends His children to be the way for most people in the world to hear about Jesus, and for many to believe in Him. So, Christians need to be trained how to share the faith, especially their own faith!
A few things, before we dive in:
Remember: Many people in the world haven’t heard a clear and accurate explanation of the gospel, and so reject its message because of being misinformed or having faulty assumptions.
Don’t use Christianese. If you’ve been in the church for any period of time, you may have heard lingo used by some Christians. Remember, the person you’re talking to may have little or no idea what you’re talking about. It’s not that you can’t use certain terms that are common in the Bible, but you may have to define them along the way.
Your testimony is powerful! That’s why sharing your story is often a good way to start a conversation. Because it’s personal, it’s hard to argue with it. They can argue about the church, theology, experiences they’ve had, but they can’t argue with your story, because it’s YOU! It’s striking how often Paul started talking to others about what happened to him – it was his own story.
Your testimony is a bridge to ask others: What is your story?
In his video, THIS CHANGED MY APPROACH TO EVANGELISM FOREVER, apologist Greg Koukl talks about knowing where the person with whom you’re going to share the gospel is coming from. Some helpful things to keep in mind:
Take the pressure off by seeing yourself as a ‘gardener’ (the brunt of the work in evangelism) and not as a ‘harvester’ (those wonderful times when the Holy Spirit moves in a person’s heart and makes them ready to receive the gospel).
Gather info to get the lay of the land:
Are they a Christian?
Did they use to be a Christian and aren’t now?
Have they ever thought about Christ?
Are they hostile to Christianity?
Answers to questions like these are valuable for knowing the path forward!
3. Don’t worry about the endgame – winning them to Christ;. The Holy Spirit takes care of that.
CONNECTING WITH THE LOST
INVITE!
The easiest way to help someone begin to consider Christ is to invite them to come with you to a place where Christians are worshipping. Then, have lunch with them and ask them about their experience.
Stats…
Here are a few statistics related to inviting others to church:
In a recent survey, 82% of people said they’d be open to going to church if they were invited by a friend.
79% of unchurched individuals say that they’ve never been invited to a church.
(If you’re like me, my spirit sinks into my gut when I hear this. Many folks around us would come to church, but the church just doesn’t invite them.)
Only 60% of Protestant church attenders have extended an invitation in the last 6 months.
Only 30% have extended 3 or more invitations in the last 6 months.
And 40% of Christians said that they wouldn’t invite someone because it would make them feel uncomfortable or because they wouldn’t know who to invite.
Again, this is disheartening. If we know that Jesus is the only way, but we aren’t going to tell those we meet about what Christ has done, we need to ask ourselves if we really understand and believe what Jesus has done for us!
Conversation…
One of the least threatening ways to reach lost people is to invite them to a local body of believers with you. (If it’s fitting, you may want to invite them over for a cookout afterwards, with others from the church.) The conversation could go something like this:
“Hey, Shawn, it was good to have you/your family come with Jenny and me this morning.
“Was there anything that really struck you?”
“What was different from what you thought it would be?”
“What was most meaningful to you?”
“Do you or Jenny have any questions about anything? Was there anything you were wondering about?”
After the meal, it’s fitting, say: “Hey. If you and Jenny want to go with Leigh and me again, you’re welcome to join us!”
TESTIMONY
One of the most effective ways for you to communicate the gospel is by simply sharing what knowing Christ and following Him has done in your life.
In Revelation 12, John hears a voice shouting out about how Satan was overcome:
And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb
and by their TESTIMONY. Rev 12.11
The death of Jesus on the cross, combined with the testimony of those who believe, is what overcomes satan and brings salvation to the world. So, every believer’s testimony is vitally important!
If you came to know Christ after an IMMORAL life…
You can start a conversation with various comments, and then a simple question:
I lived a pretty wild and self-centered life. Then, one Sunday, we went to a church with some friends, and the pastor talked about how Jesus…
What did you pick up about Jesus, growing up?
Or…
What do you know about Jesus?
(Share your own experience) I learned that…
At any time in the conversation, you can ask:
“Can I tell you what knowing God has done/meant for me?”
“I was lost and confused, but I was found!”
Or you could say what the blind man said to the Pharisees about Jesus:
“All I know is that, I was really blind, but now I see. And no one since the beginning of time could do that for a person.”
But, what if you GREW UP IN THE CHURCH? Your testimony will be a little different, either because…
You knew Christ from infancy and faithfully followed Him.
OR…
You came to know Christ and were saved after trying to live a MORAL life.
(Think of Nicodemus – a upright and moral man, who didn’t have a clue about what Jesus meant by being ‘born again’.)
You see, this is just as much a testimony of Christ’s saving you!
“I was trying so hard to do the right things, thinking that that would save me. But I could sense that I was separated from Christ; I felt empty and lost inside. I was still living like my life was all about me – I was selfish. Then, one day, something changed inside me, and Christ saved me. And I realized that He had been there all the time.”
SO, WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?
The GOSPEL is about bad news…
Mankind was once in perfect relationship with the Creator, but sin and evil came into the world and infected every person. That separated mankind from God, because we missed the mark of being perfectly pure. And by breaking one law, we were guilty of breaking all His laws.
But the GOSPEL is also about the good news
The good news is that the problem of our being lost while in the state of sin was solved by Christ dying for us. If I repent of my sin-life and trust in Christ’s solution – that my sinful nature was atoned for by His death on the cross, it means that I died with Him, and His right-ness was given to me, and that means that I am completely forgiven and restored to a right relationship with Him! You see, it wasn’t the Roman nails that held Him on the cross but His love for mankind. That’s the best news anyone could ever hear!
So, ask the question…
We often assume people know what to do next, but they don’t! Sometimes they’re waiting for you to guide them to the next step. Ask them if they believe what you shared with them and if they have any questions. Then ask: Do you want to leave your old life and live for Christ now?
If not, let them know you care about them and will be praying for them, and that they can come to Christ without you. Give them a way to get ahold of you down the road, should they have more questions or change their mind.
If they do want to live in the new life and follow Christ, guide them in a simple prayer like the one below, word-for-word, or something similar to this:
PRAYER…
Jesus, thank You for creating me.
Thank You for dying for me and forgiving me.
Thank You for giving me a new life in You.
I praise You for Your love.
Fill me with Your Spirit,
and help me to walk in this new life and live for You.
Amen
BEST COURSES
There are excellent courses you can use to evangelize and/or disciple (hyperlink to these subjects on website menu) a person or a group.
321 is a course that invites you to see life the way Jesus does. It’s inspired by Jesus’ vision of reality, and is designed to help you think about God, the world, and yourself through a series of immersive videos and thoughtful illustrations.
The Explored courses (Christianity Explored, Hope Explored, Life Explored, and Discipleship Explored) are tools to help people meet Jesus in the pages of the Bible. They can be run in any order that you like, depending on how much time you have to spend and the main questions you're looking to answer.
Whether you’re curious about faith or just want space to talk about life, the Alpha course has been used by many churches. It’s being run all over the world in churches, homes, cafés, and online, bringing people together to watch thought-provoking talks and have honest conversations. No pressure, no judgment, just real connection. And anyone’s welcome.
Alpha explores the foundations of the Christian faith in an honest and non-judgmental environment. Sessions typically begin with food and connecting with others, followed by a talk and open discussion.
Both Christianity Explored an Alpha are free for anyone who attends.
POWERFUL SHORTS
Here are videos that you can show to an individual or group of people off your iPad, laptop, computer or TV. They allow you to start a conversation about Jesus, and see where the Spirit leads it.
What is Christianity?
I stopped at a picnic table at the state park in Holland to talk about the gospel with this gentleman. I saw he was reading a book (by the way, coming across people who are relaxed and reading often provides an opportunity to ask: So, what are you reading?, and ask a few questions). So I stopped and asked him what he was reading. He looked up , smiled, and said, “I’m glad you asked!” It so happened that it was Joe Whitchurch, the Regional Ministry Director at Purdue University for Ratio Christi (The Reason of Christ),an evangelistic and apologetic outreach on campuses across the country. Joe became an instant friend!