Encouraging Evangelism

One area where most Christians feel inadequate and even guilty is personal evangelism. A recent survey by Moody Bible Institute found that 95% of Christians say they have never led anyone to Christ. Only two percent have shared the gospel with anyone during the past year, and 59% have never shared the gospel with anyone. Yet almost every believer acknowledges that reaching the lost is one of our top priorities.

Why are so many reluctant to witness to others? The above study does not delve into reasons, but we could probably guess about some. Perhaps Christians find it awkward to start conversations about the gospel. Others may have few friends outside of Christian circles. Still others do not want to come across as “pushy” or they do not know the answers.

Whatever the reasons, it is obvious that the church will not fulfill its mission until its members obey the Great Commission. We must be busy sowing seed. That is agriculture 101 and also church growth 101.

One thing that motivated the outreach program of our local congregation was our struggle to rebound from the pandemic. During the pandemic our average attendance went from 240 down to 160. Our vision focus for 2023 was outreach. We encouraged our members to pray for someone they could reach for Christ. One way we promoted this involved orange ping-pong balls. The preacher gave a sermon on personal evangelism and everyone was given an orange ping-pong ball. They were told that if they invited someone to church, told their Christian testimony to someone or shared the gospel with them, they could write that person’s initials on the ball and put it into a clear plastic tank we prepared. Other balls were available next to the tank. By the end of one year, the tank was filled with nearly 400 balls.

During that year we had more baptisms than we had seen in one year since 2004. In 2024, we had even more baptisms than in 2023. During the past two years, God has raised up ministries at our church to help needy people in our area with furniture, appliances, clothing and school supplies for their children. Our youth group started serving dinner once a month for needy people which usually serves 200 or more. A retired state cop and a former prisoner are ministering to prisoners and recently-released prisoners. These ministries have impacted our community so greatly that service clubs are donating money to help us, and people are coming from other churches as volunteer workers. Also, our attendance has rebounded to pre-pandemic levels.

In addition to these special ministries, we have encouraged our members to witness to others. Our preacher has done this in his preaching, and I taught a class on personal evangelism. I also write a short piece in our church media called “Outreach Moment.” This piece alternates between giving motivations for and methods of sharing the gospel. Following are samples of the material shared in each category. Each number represents a separate Outreach Moment.

MOTIVES FOR EVANGELISM

#1 - If we are to be effective in reaching the lost, we must be motivated by our love for the Lord. Paul said, “The love of Christ compels me” (2 Corinthians 5:14). We also should be moved by love for those who are lost. The psalmist wrote, “Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them” (Psalm 126:5-6). Is your heart broken for those outside of Christ?

#2 - We should also consider what God said through the prophet Ezekiel about our responsibility to tell the lost what God requires. In Ezekiel 3:18-19 we read, “When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sins, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the wicked person, and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sins, but you will have saved yourself.” Perhaps Paul had these words in mind when he said, “Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God” (Acts 20:26-27).

#3 - We do not show love for unbelievers by coddling them. If someone is on the most important journey of their life and is headed in the wrong direction, it is not kindness to pretend they are going the right way.

#4 - Consider the following YouTube post by an atheist who said, “I don’t mind Christians being evangelistic, but I have little respect for those who don’t share their faith. How much do you have to hate someone to choose to let them go to hell rather than risk being socially awkward.”

#5 - Consider this testimony given by a man who said his life began to unravel in his 40s. He began to read the Bible and ultimately became a Christian, but he said, “Nobody ever shared the Gospel with me.” We assume that everybody in America knows about Jesus, but that isn’t so. How terrible it would be on Judgment Day if someone asked us, “Why didn’t you tell me how to be saved?” Let’s not let that happen!

#6 - We often lack self-confidence when talking to unbelievers. We will always encounter others who are brighter, better looking, more athletic or richer than ourselves. But God doesn’t want this fact to intimidate us from witnessing to them.

Acts 4:13 says, “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” If you belong to Jesus, you have a testimony to share, and the Holy Spirit will empower you to share it if you are willing.

#7 - Whenever you are hesitant to be bold in your Christian witness, think of Paul the Apostle. Paul was probably the greatest missionary in the history of the Christian faith. Yet he asked for prayer that he might not be fearful in witnessing for Christ whenever he should (Ephesians 6:19-20). So don’t be surprised when you are afraid to share the gospel, but recognize where that fear comes from and speak up for Jesus.

#8 - If you have been seeing evangelism as a terrifying thing, here is a suggestion. Stop thinking about evangelism. Instead, think of it as RECOMMENDATION. If you found a good restaurant your friends didn’t know about, wouldn’t you tell them? We share good news with those we love. Jesus offers us abundant life (John 10:10). He will give us more hope, peace and joy than the world, the flesh and the devil (Matthew 11:28-30). He gives us eternal life which can be found through nobody else (John 14:6). If we love Jesus and devote ourselves to his purpose, everything that happens to us will be for our own good (Romans 8:28). Now those are benefits we can RECOMMEND to anyone!

METHODS of EVANGELISM

#1 - The methods we use in our gospel outreach must begin with our message. How would you respond if somebody asked you how to become a Christian? If we are going to share the gospel, here are six basic Scriptures in God’s plan of salvation. 1) Romans 3:23 - All of us have sinned against God. 2) Romans 6:23 - Because of our sin we deserve hell, but God offers us the gift of eternal life through His Son. 3) 2 Corinthians 5:21- Jesus tasted the hell we deserve so those who believe in him don’t have to go there. 4) Acts 16:31 - We must believe in Christ as our Lord and Savior. 5) Romans 10:9-10 - We must believe that Jesus Christ is the risen Lord and confess our faith to others. 6) Acts 2:38 - We must repent and be baptized so that our sins may be forgiven and we will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

#2 - In most cases, we must earn the right to be heard before we share the gospel with someone. The formula for this “ice-breaking” process may be seen in the word PRACASHA. This is a made-up word which stands for PRAYER, CARE and SHARE. PRAY for an unbeliever you can connect with. CARE for them through friendship and concern. SHARE with them what Jesus has done for you and what he can do for them. Every day pray this prayer: “Lord, please give me at least one person to share your love with today.”

#3 - We must remember that leading a person to Christ has two sides–example and witness. If our friends, neighbors and relatives see Christ living in us, they will more likely want to hear about the Savior who makes our love, joy and peace possible.

Sometimes Christians say, “I’m not very good at talking, but my way to evangelize is by living a good life. However, example and witness are like the two wings of an airplane. A plane with only one wing cannot fly. People need to see Christ in us, but we also must tell them how to make Christ their Savior. As Romans 10:14 says, “How can they call on the One they have not believed in? And how can they believe in One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear unless someone tells them?”

So pray for someone you can invite to church. Tell them what Jesus has done for you. If they have questions you can’t answer, either find the answer or find someone to help them. On Judgment Day you will be glad you did (Matthew 10:32).

#4 - Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). Our words reveal what we care about. We can witness for Christ even during casual conversations.

When someone tells you about a problem, you can say, “I will pray about that.” When discussing entertainment, you could recommend a Christian movie or concert. If something of an ethical or spiritual nature comes up, you might say, “I’m a Christian, and the Bible says this about that.” Comments like these can sow seeds which may ultimately bear fruit.

#5 – 1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.” Such people have put up a wall around their mind when it comes to spiritual things. The Bible does not make sense to them. It has been wisely said that “most books must be understood to be believed, but the Bible must be believed to be understood.”

This does not mean that we should accept the Bible by so-called “blind faith.” There is a mountain of evidence to support the authenticity and authority of the Scriptures. For people who are struggling with this issue, a good book for them to read would be Confident Faith by Mark Mittelberg. Also, of course, pray that they will escape the deceptions of the evil one.

#6 - We must learn to give push back against fuzzy thinking concerning spiritual matters. Many people say things like, “I believe in God and try to live a good life, but I am not a religious person.” A good response to this would be. “You can see the evidence for God in nature, but you should also read the Bible which is able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 3:15). Then ask them if they have a Bible. If not, offer to get them one.

#7 - Another spiritual error believed by many states that “All the major religions of the world are just different ways to reach God.” But Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

How can we persuade people that Jesus is right? We can start by showing that the Old Testament contains well over 200 Messianic prophecies about the person and work of Christ. These were written centuries before Jesus was born. Then tell how Jesus was miraculously born of a virgin, taught as no one ever taught, performed innumerable miracles, lived without sin, died for our sins on a cross, on the third day rose from the dead and was seen by hundreds of his disciples over a 40-day period (1 Corinthians 15:3-8).

Then you can conclude by asking, “Who else ever lived without sin yet died for your sins? Who else ever laid down his life for you and raised it up again? To whom else will you turn for the forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life?

#8 - Two good questions to ask people before you share the gospel are 1) Have you come to the place where you know that if you died today you would go to heaven? and 2) If you were standing before God and He asked you, “Why should I let you into my heaven?” what would you say?

The first question tells you if they have assurance of salvation. If not, offer to tell them how they can be saved. If they do have assurance, the second question will tell you what they are trusting in for salvation.

Most people, even church people, are trusting in works. They will say things like, “I’m not perfect, but I believe the good I have done outweighs the bad.” They need to be shown that salvation is by grace through faith in Christ and not by our own goodness (Ephesians 2:8-9). We must, however, obey the gospel. If people do not know how to obey the gospel, they need to be taught and the two questions above may open the door for you to teach them.

#9 - When you tell unbelievers that Jesus Christ died for their sins, their eyes often begin to glaze over. They are not impressed because they do not see themselves as bad people. They need to be convinced that they are sinners. Perhaps the following interview I heard back in the 70's will help.

Evangelist Billy Graham was once asked on national television, “How many of the Ten Commandments have you broken?” Graham replied, “All of them.” The interviewer (Johnny Carson) then asked, “Even the sixth and seventh?” (murder and adultery) Graham replied, “Yes, even those.” Then he explained, “The Bible says that if you lust after a woman you have committed adultery in your heart, and if you hate someone you have the heart of a murderer.” Graham concluded by saying, “The Bible also says in James 2:10, “Whoever keeps the whole law and stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.”

As we witness to unbelievers, we must remember that they will not appreciate the good news until they understand the bad news. People need to know that because of our sins we will spend eternity separated from God unless we believe in Christ as our Lord and Savior. Jesus said, “The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them” (John 3:35-36).

#10 - When you share the gospel with someone, emphasize the importance of repentance. Jesus said, “Unless you repent. . .you will perish” (Luke 13:3). Repentance is a change of mind, saying that you choose to follow Christ rather than following sin and self. Never baptize a person until they have repented (Acts 2:38). However, once a person decides to repent, you should baptize them as soon as possible. Failure to do so puts you in violation of Christ’s Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). Notice also in Acts 2:38 that repentance and baptism are for the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

#11 - After you present the gospel, you should ultimately ask this question: “Will you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?” Don’t be afraid to call for a decision. They may say, “Yes,” they may say “No” or “I’m not sure.” If they don’t answer “Yes,” just say, “May I ask why?” Their answer may give you valuable information about the source of their hesitancy or doubts. But one thing is certain, they will never say “yes” unless you ask. Do not spend eternity separated from a friend because you were too timid to pop the question.

Before we close, please consider the following comments made by Chuck Colson on an interview by preacher Rick Warren. Colson was the founder of Prison Fellowship and author of several best-selling Christian books. He was invited to a banquet and was seated next to a well-known journalist. The man told Chuck he was an atheist. Colson asked, “An atheist is a person who says they can prove there is no God. So please, tell me how you did that?” The man replied, “Perhaps I should say I am an agnostic.” Chuck then asked, “When did you stop studying about God?” The journalist then said that he never had studied about God. Colson concluded, “An agnostic is someone who says that God cannot be known, and you can only be an agnostic if you have tried to know God and have exhausted the search. So, I would say that while you appear to be an intelligent person, you have made an unsupportable statement.”

Several months later, this journalist wrote an editorial telling about his visit with Colson and what he learned about the need for faith in our culture. He wrote, “Religion fills an important role by giving us a moral code to live by and hope beyond this life. Without this structure a society becomes unstable and gloomy.”

We may not have Colson’s style, but we should always be looking for opportunities to sow seeds of faith. Church leaders can use many methods to create a culture of outreach in the local church. Of course, the best way to encourage evangelism is to be zealous witnesses ourselves. This example must come from more than just church staff. People will listen to the preacher, but they are more apt to follow the example of non-professional church leaders. As has been said, “90 percent of leadership is example.”