BIBLE STUDY ON EVANGELISM II

SIMPLE TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE EVANGELISM

Knowing our battle-orders

“Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:17). How much do you want to live on the cutting edge of the will of God? Do you want to fight in the front lines of battle or at the rear end? If you desire it above all else, then set your sights on it, and don’t let anything deter you from that goal.

Condemnation, Doubt and Discouragement will whisper lies in your ear to try and take your eyes off your goal. They can be dealt with through faith in God’s promises. Watch them though, because they will be wanting to move back, the moment you push them aside.

The fundamental principle to getting each hindrance to move back, is the authority you and I have in Christ. If you are in Christ, you are a son or daughter of the most High God. The flesh, with all its appetites, is no longer a puppet for the devil. The strings were cut at Calvary. Jesus Christ gave you the right to boldly approach the Throne of Grace. God will open doors at just the right time for you to get your heart’s desire. It is your blood-bought right to break out of the comfort zone of mediocrity, obscurity, mundane and defeatist Christianity, and live on the cutting edge of the will of the Living God.

Doing Your Own Thing

The quality is in the seed, not in the sower. A farmer can, with great proficiency, place his skillful hands in the sack of seed and scatter it on the soil It will produce fruit if it falls on good soil. A gullible person can place his unskilled hands in the same sack and scatter the same seed, and it will also produce fruit, because the quality is in the seed and not in the sower. This is of great consolation that God doesn’t require my ability, just my availability to take the quality seed of His Word and scatter it on the soil of men’s hearts.

Is Evangelism a gift, or a command?

The New Testament presents it as both. Obviously, evangelism is the main task God has given us Christians to do. All of us Christians are to be evangelists. As Apostle Paul admonished Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

To fail to proclaim the gospel to others is to miss the very essence of what God has left us on earth to do. Evangelism is simply sharing your faith in Christ with others.

The Bible says in 1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

That is as you worship Christ as Lord of your life, if you are asked about your Christian hope, you must always be ready to explain it.

This verse tells us that we should be prepared to share our faith every time the opportunity comes our way. Like in other areas of our lives, being prepared beforehand can make things a lot easier and more relaxed.

How do we get ready?

Evangelism may be a stretch, uncomfortable, and time-consuming. Most times it brings failure and humiliation. It is proclaiming a seemingly crazy and foolish message that is intolerant to many and exclusive. Yet this is what God would have us do. Perhaps you are one of the many who does not find evangelism easy or natural. Here are some steps to take to help your evangelism be more effective:

1. Prayer

If we think about it, most of us who know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior can probably look back and think of someone who prayed for us to be saved. It might be an elderly grandmother or another family member, even a friend or a work mate.

The truth is that if you are not praying for evangelistic opportunities, you will have a hard time identifying them.

However, the more you pray and ask God to open opportunities for evangelism, the more opportunities you will seem to have.

Prayer is not only answered by God bringing more non-believers into our lives but is also answered by God allowing us to see the opportunities that are already present. Someone praying asked the Holy Spirit to move in your life and to draw you to Jesus Christ and make you aware of the need for a Saviour.

Prayer also helps you to know who to share your faith with. When you meet new people always pray and ask God if this is someone you should share your faith with. If it is someone you need to talk to, you usually find you have the desire to pray for them and opportunities to talk open up in a natural way.

1. Prepare a Testimony

A testimony can bring the Bible to life. It is true that people love hearing stories of how God has done great things for you. When you share about your testimony you need to touch on three main areas. These three things will really help you to structure your story and how Jesus’ story impacted and changed your life.

1. Your life before Christ – share things like how you felt, what sort of things you were in to, your religious upbringing and the sense of emptiness you had inside. These things set the scene.
2. Your conversion – then share how you came to Jesus. Talk about how you were feeling in the year before coming to Jesus, the people who helped you and the story of Jesus coming to die on the cross for you.
3. How your life has changed – Finally share how knowing Jesus personally has changed your whole life and outlook. Talk about the love, acceptance, hope, joy and purpose you now feel inside.

You can also share some of the things that God has done for you.

Actually, have several short testimonies that you share with people depending on the situation.

1. Know relevant Bible verses

Work out a simple presentation by putting a few verses together and memorize them. You might like to write them in the back of your Bible or somewhere easily assessable so you can refer to them easily. If you can’t remember them all, remember the first one and put references to the next one in your margin of your Bible.

Here are some verses that might be useful to start with –

• John 3:16– For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
• Romans 3:23– For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
• Romans 6:23– For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
• Romans 5:8– But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
• Ephesians 2:8-9– For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.
• John 14:6– Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”.
• Acts 4:12– Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.
• Revelation 3:20– Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

• John 5:24– I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.
• Romans 10:9-10– That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved

1. Think about questions people may ask

Many people have big questions that act as sticking points, which prevent them from going further in accepting Christ. Some can be like a minor bump in the road, others can be like a roadblock! If you can answer these questions they might be able to move a step closer to receiving Christ.

Here are some that are easily asked –

• Why is there so much suffering in this world if there is a loving God?
• How could a loving God send people to hell just because they don’t believe in Him?
• Why do you believe JesusChrist is the only way to salvation?
• What happens to those who don’t accept Jesus?
• Why do you believe?
• What does it mean to be born again?
• What happens when we die?

It is a great idea to have answers ready, especially Biblical answers!

1. Have some evangelistic tools (tracts & cards) handy

There are a variety of evangelistic tools that you can use to reach people. Sometimes people seem to want to talk about things at the strangest times. Having something on hand can help in those situations.

Here are a few examples –

• Tracts – You can keep one handy in your purse or wallet just in case an opportunity arises. They are very handy if you don’t have much time or perhaps are a bit nervous about sharing your faith. You can even put a library pocket in the back of all your books. Instead of a library card, put a tract in it!
• Audio tapes and CDs – A simple gospel message on an audio CD may be all it takes to reach someone. These you can give it to people who ask questions.
• Books– Look out for books on different issues especially ones where your friends or family may be interested in or if they are going through hard times.

Closing thoughts

It should be said though that while being prepared is important and can help you in your efforts, the key is to have a strong personal relationship with God. Spending regular time alone with Him in prayer and reflective Bible reading will help you to be strong in your faith. This combined with being yourself and building natural relationships as you go about your daily life will help you to be effective in sharing your faith with those around you.