Evangelism

Time is short for people to hear the Gospel.

  • Jesus has called us to travel out and make disciples across the world (Matthew 28:19), which starts with sharing it with everyone open to hearing it.

Sharing Jesus is a lifestyle decision that comes from understanding and imitating what Jesus did (1 Peter 2:21).

Evangelism is for everyone.

  • The angels could do a better job than Christians, but God wants believers to share in the experience (Luke 1:11-20, Acts 1:10-11).
  • Any Christian can share the Gospel, even right after becoming one, and can simply be a 2-minute conversation.
  • God will place people close to your skill level for sharing, so don’t worry about fouling it up.

There are many competitors and deceptions, so it won’t be easy.

Your personality defines how you may want to approach others about the subject.

  • Share Jesus and what He’s done for you.
  • Share the philosophical/theological reasons why you believe.
  • Simply learn what other people believe, then wait until they’re interested in your views.
  • Do something public and attention-grabbing.

Some people imagine sharing the Gospel is telling as many people as possible.

  • Effective Gospel presentations share Christ’s story and why it’s important.
  • However, people are typically influenced more to convert through directly observing a Christian’s decisions and lifestyle than hearing a compelling story.

Many people groups have never heard of Jesus.

  • They need to hear.
  • If God is calling you to it, go there and tell them.
  • If you can’t go but still have a heart for them, support them with your skills, donations, and prayer.

Lifestyle Evangelism

We frequently overlook opportunities to share Jesus.

  • Instead of waiting for future chances, take advantage of what you have now.
  • They’ll be suspicious or think you’re crazy, especially as God starts permanently changing you from the inside.

Most people won’t care about what you have to say until they’ve seen evidence of you changing.

Expect dramatic conflict (Matthew 10:34-36).

  • If any pre-conversion friends also convert to Christ, it’s usually long after they’ve parted ways with you.

Your new lifestyle will create rumors.

  • Extended family, casual friends, and coworkers will see your changes.
  • Expect to lose more relationships as time goes on.
  • Don’t be surprised if you lose your job, professional affiliations, and reputation.
  • Eventually, your ministry will become public knowledge because it’s difficult to not talk about Jesus when your life revolves around Him.

Search for new people to fill the new void.

  • Find a healthy church (irrespective of denomination) where you can connect with other believers.
  • As you lose friends, you’ll connect with other believers (even ones you may have previously disliked).
  • Not all people in Christian culture are Christians, so don’t implicitly trust a church’s brand.

The easiest way to share the Gospel is to donate something you have (e.g., time, energy, resources).

  • Your most effective work will come through sacrifices that align with your spiritual gifts.
    • Use existing skills (or learn them) to fill the needs you see.
  • Volunteer at churches and organizations to serve others’ physical/emotional needs.

Pre-Made Presentations

Some churches make rigid Gospel presentation systems.

  • If it helps you, use that system to share Jesus, but the Holy Spirit will more often draw from your personal experiences than a formalized.
  • However, most believers will eventually have a unique story as they gain personal experiences.
    • It’s a presentation of what God has done, so style it to your preference and experiment.
  • The best Gospel presentations come from personal experience and established beliefs, not a scripted speech.

Many Gospel presentations have additional creative media beyond the spoken/written word:

  • Visual media – e.g., videos, pictures, tracts, comic books
  • Performance art – e.g., body language, plays, children’s entertainment
  • Toys – e.g., colored gloves, cube toy with printed content
  • None of the additional media is necessary, but it makes it easier to consume.

Every Gospel presentation requires a few elements for sufficient theological accuracy:

  1. We’ve sinned and are separated from God.
  2. God loves us and desires to reconcile.
  3. Jesus Christ is God who came to this earth.
  4. Jesus died for our sins and rose again.
  5. Anyone who believes in Jesus will have their sins forgiven.

Don’t obsess about appearing professional, precise, or convincing.

  • The Holy Spirit will work through your imperfections, and often in remarkable ways.
  • Most mainstream Christian evangelistic publications may generate leads, but do not bring people to Jesus nearly as much as sincere, personal conversations between non-Christians and Christians.

Spiritual Conversations

Make casual friendships with non-believers and seek opportunities to serve your neighbors (Mark 12:28-31).

Spiritual discussions inspire spiritual attention.

  • Expect distractions, discomfort, and awkward situations.
  • Find ways to become comfortable with unexpected breaches of unspoken social standards.
  • Your success comes from how much you and other believers have been praying, not from your skills or ability.

Behave as politely and respectfully as possible with everyone.

  • Even if others start behaving inappropriately, stay peaceable.
  • If they would rather not hear it, don’t even try to convince or convert them from what they believe.
  • If you’re speaking with multiple people present, only share toward the most open-minded people there.
  • Never control the conversation or over-assert yourself.
  • Listen, respect their views, and make healthy conversations.

Public Presentations

Fit your presentations with the culture.

  • In Jesus’ day, society permitted open-air preaching (Acts 2:14-36).
    • Open-air preaching is actually harmful to the Gospel in societies that value privacy.
  • Find creative ways to share the Gospel:
    • Open a booth at an event to advertise fulfillment and meaning, then share the Gospel to anyone who wants to hear.
    • Print, make or buy small tracts you can give to others.
    • Always keep copies of the Bible or pocket Gospel presentations with you.
  • However, sharing with people will never influence anyone as much as helping them with what they need because you love them (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).

A culture saturated with marketing tends to dislike persuasive messages, but won’t mind you sharing your personal experience.

  • Your experiences should be Jesus’ message throughout your life.
  • The story should adapt to each person, so don’t memorize the story word-for-word.
  • Avoid Christian jargon (e.g., sanctified, blessed) and refine your thoughts to simple concepts.
  • People focus on the ideas more when you use fewer words.
  • If they’re still interested, ask them if they mind you using your Bible.
  • Walk them through the basics of salvation and either drop it or pray with them as the situation permits.

God calls us to make disciples, not fix the world (Matthew 28:19-20).

Responses

Take extra effort to clearly understand that person’s specific reason for not following Jesus.

  • Ask questions to learn where their relationship with God is, not just to share your experience.
  • Before even bringing up Jesus, learn how much they’d even want to hear about Him.
  • If they resist, drop it completely and don’t mention it again.
  • Only try again later when you’ve grown to be more gentle and loving.

Pay very, very close attention to what anyone has to say about what you’re sharing.

  • People know when you’re not paying attention to them.
  • If you’re doing it to gain God’s favor, you’re sharing the Gospel for the wrong reason.

Never, ever try to force a conversion.

  • Identifying with Christ requires a long-term commitment to give up everything (Matthew 10:39), which is too much of a sacrifice for most people (Matthew 7:13-14).
  • Successfully converting someone to Christianity in a fit of emotional intensity will not create good disciples (Matthew 13:5).
    • A non-believer typically needs to hear the Gospel message about 12 times before they convert.
  • Christians who give a sense of urgency in an evangelistic presentation don’t trust God will protect them if He has plans for them (Matthew 6:26).

Once a culture has been exposed to lots of evangelism, that society becomes post-Christian.

  • Typically, post-Christian culture comes from generations raised in the moralism of Christianity but without the parents stressing the importance of a relationship with Jesus.
  • Post-Christian cultures typically need a lot of evidence, with can only come through a demonstrated lifestyle.
    • Break through the apprehension by openly discussing your own unpleasant experiences with cultural Christianity and the Church.
  • The only answer to clearly connect with post-Christianity is to have legitimate love and compassion for their suffering, without defending or condemning what happened to them.
    • Defending a group may be misplaced, since you weren’t there and there may have been a legitimate sin involved.
    • Condemning the group may be misplaced, since that person may have experienced a misplaced memory or had an isolated experience.
    • Their feelings are legitimate, irrespective of reality.

Response Types

There are a few possible, predictable ways a non-Christian will respond to a Gospel presentation.

The least likely response will be curiosity mixed with hesitant hope.

  • To some effect, they see a potential opportunity for redemption and healing.
  • They’ll often distrust many elements of it, since Jesus’ sacrifice does not require them to give something back for the exchange.
  • However, they’re fully ready to follow Jesus.

They’ll frequently feel severe remorse over their past sins.

  • They’ll have enough shame to believe they can’t be forgiven.
  • They need someone to show how much God will forgive and restore, either through your experiences or people in the Bible (e.g., Paul, Samson, Moses).
  • You can only show them through how Jesus has conquered your shame, which typically comes after tremendous work on your end.

They may have unease or anxiety about the risks of becoming a Christian.

  • At that point in their lives, they want comfort more than truth.
  • Only God can change their situation, typically by exposing them to hardship or loss.
  • Feel free to coexist around them as long as they’ll accept you, but spending too much time with them may make you complacent.

They may simply be bitter or angry regarding past trauma or unconfessed sins.

  • They’ll often attribute their suffering to God, even when someone else had hurt them.
  • They’re in no way ready to hear the Gospel, and merely witnessing your lifestyle will be enough to morally convict them.
    • Jesus didn’t come for people who don’t want Him, so don’t waste your time with people who mock and condemn Him (Mark 2:17).
  • Most of the Church’s persecution comes through these people (frequently under evil leadership), but they still need God’s love.
  • If there’s a strong Christian presence in that culture, they may have severe issues with their understanding of Christianity, even when they don’t have an issue with the concept of following Jesus.

Occasionally, they’re completely uninterested in the discussion.

Some non-Christians defend their views with elaborate thinking they’re typically unaware they hold.

  • Many of them believe a few possible delusions:
    • God is a reckless child in a playground or an angry man in the clouds.
    • Sin is simply a perception, and doesn’t exist.
    • The spiritual world can be just as easily understood as the physical world.
    • Nobody, whatsoever, is trustworthy.
  • Many of them are very skilled at making Christians lose their patience and dragging out an argument.
  • Other people are legitimately seeking Jesus, and your joy is more important (and likely) than winning an argument with them.

Apologetics

Apologetics, in general, boils down to two approaches:

  1. Deconstruct the other person’s beliefs and provoke them to doubt their particular faith.
  2. Convey a reliable framework of thought for your beliefs.
  • You must choose one of them, and it’s not possible to do both.

Be careful with apologetics.

  • There is a steady subculture of Christians who obsess with making strong, articulate arguments to defend every aspect of their faith.
  • However, each person has their path to walk, and they should walk with conviction even if it’s not precisely correct the way you understand it (Romans 14:1-6).
    • In general, you’re wasting your time with denominational politics, and should focus on shared values instead (Mark 9:38-41).
    • The one exception, though, is when that denomination is practicing legitimate heresy.
  • Make sure you keep in mind that Christians aren’t known by their rock-solid views nearly as much as their love for each other (John 13:34-35).

Most apologetics does not start with the Bible.

  • There’s no reason to bring the Bible into a discussion where someone doesn’t find it relevant.
  • It only becomes relevant to them when they want to hear how it’s relevant to you.

There are a wide variety of apologetics disciplines, based on their initial approach:

  • Philosophical apologetics often draws from Catholic philosophers (e.g., Augustine, Aquinas, Anselm).
    • These are powerful in many contexts, but can’t refute the complete doubt and hopelessness represented in postmodernism.
    • The better approach is to aim for the meaning in Christ (often expressed through C.S. Lewis’ works).
  • Scientific apologetics aim to refute modern Darwinian-style thought.
    • They use the data from scientific studies to represent biblical truths.
    • This is a minority view in the scientific community, mostly because the majority of scientists are atheist, but claim to have no bias.
    • Be careful how precisely you assert some aspects of your faith, and expect to look silly if it’s a public forum.
  • Inter-religious apologetics aims to give clear answers in comparison to other belief systems.
    • The basis for the discussions should be targeted at key philosophical values, not about the culture surrounding those values.

No matter what, apologetics is only good to sow doubt, not to create a conversion.

  • Everyone who converts from one belief system to another has to go through an “agnostic” period, where they’re not really sure what they believe anymore.
  • It often takes time for someone to convert, and God is the creator of the results (1 Corinthians 3:6-8).

In general, ask questions more than give statements.

  • Never make an assertion when it could be expressed as a question.
  • Questions bring more thought than statements.
    • By asking questions, people ask those same questions in their mind even after you’re done talking with them.
    • The person answering the question has to make more assertions to defend their beliefs.
  • Do not answer the questions unless they ask you, since it robs them of their meaning from discovering a truth.
  • Most of the time, a spiritual conflict is based in emotions, not logic.
    • Your purpose should be to understand and learn about them and their views, not to dismantle their perspective.

Eventually, you will get a question you don’t know the answer to.

  • Humbly and openly accept that you don’t know.
    • Refusing to accept you don’t know makes you as conceited as the rest of the world.
  • Their questions frequently open up the need to study more into it, which can only grow you.
  • Refer them to a more educated Christian or ask if you can research and get back to them.

Defending Christianity can be emotionally draining, but is frequently necessary.

  • Don’t run from the conflict or pretend they’re not asking legitimate questions.
  • Focus on sharing ideas and alternate views, and don’t get distracted by their behavior in the discussion (John 4:37).
  • Even if they become verbally abusive, your conduct can show Christ-like behavior.
  • The situation becomes vastly more complex (and more important) when dealing with cults.

Do not let yourself fall into a rhetorical trap.

  • Highly educated people (e.g., philosophy teachers) sometimes bait ambitious believers into a debate.
    • However, they frequently have an unspoken advantage (e.g., a microphone), and will cut you off as soon as they see they’re not winning.
  • The best thing to do is to avoid a direct conflict by owning that it’s not the right time or place, and let the conversation move on.
  • Often, you’ll get the freedom to have a discussion with some people later over the public exchange.

Honor the government

Christianity has a complex, predictable pattern with all authority:

  1. Leaders tolerate Christians until they interfere with those leaders’ power.
  2. Christians are called to submit to both God and anyone He sets in authority, even under heavy persecution (Romans 13).
  3. Over time, a successful Christian presence creates a politically relevant minority.
  4. After many years, Christians are eventually in high-ranking leadership roles.
  5. Christian values slowly trend into public opinion.
  6. The leaders’ successors maintain the moralism without the Christian presence.
  7. Without Jesus, the values eventually decay.
  8. Society eventually dislikes Christianity again with an unfair bias.

By honoring authority, you’re showing the world how we should honor God.

  • God told us to honor them, irrespective of whether they hate or love Christians (Luke 6:27-36).
  • A permissive government provides opportunities to share the Gospel message, but an oppressive government gives room for God to work through Christians prevailing over hardship.
  • The world’s laws were designed for the wicked, so believers have nothing to fear (1 Timothy 1:8-10).

Don’t stop sharing the Gospel as appropriate.

Evangelism and Politics

Christians are ambassadors for Christ and citizens of God’s kingdom.

It’s awful optics and detrimental to the Gospel message to use political activism tactics (e.g., publicly screaming, making demands).

Sins like homosexuality aren’t necessarily worse than fornication or adultery.

  • Homosexuality and every other variety of sexual deviation need Jesus and the Gospel as much as everyone else.
  • Even the most dogmatic Christians tend to fail at seeing that homosexuality simply God permitting a symptom of self-worship (Romans 1:22-28).

Take a stand against abortion, suicide, and murder.

  • Life is God’s creation, and every person is an image of God (Genesis 1:27).
  • Outside of fulfilling justice, only God is entitled to give or take it away.
  • Instead of protesting or condemning abortion, adopt the children or help them find good homes.

Christians should always oppose explicit, apparent evil:

  • Genocide
  • Sex trafficking
  • Pedophilia

Many political issues have very few grounds for a Christian to make an opinion on, and even less for political activism:

  • Gun rights
  • Recreational drug use or legalization (except maybe 1 Peter 5:8)
  • Privacy rights
  • The economy
  • Climate change (except that God has full control of it all)
  • Government decisions and spending
  • The government’s use of the death penalty
  • Immigration
  • Foreign policy
  • Election systems and ballot fraud
  • Gay marriage (though gay parenting may have precedent)
  • Violence and sexual content in media
  • War, unless they run the country

Most Christians can stand for many civil rights, they must only do it within the realm of what they can control, and must always keep God’s long-game in mind.

If you start getting severely affected by the troubles in this world:

  1. Stop ministering.
  2. Devote yourself to Him more thoroughly.
  3. Trust that He will heal you.
  4. Engage in ministry again when you’ve found joy in Him.

Not Everything

Your evangelism is, to the person who converts, the beginning of a long relationship with Jesus.

Keep pursuing Him, praying, and serving to discover your spiritual gifts and role in His Kingdom.