Evangelism

I don't go up to strangers and pester them. Do you enjoy talking to strangers about normal everyday topics? If the subject arises in natural conversation nothing objectionable about answering questions.

 

I do not use the four spiritual laws (don't think they are the best tool), but I do try to evangelize. However, I still believe I am woefully inadequate in evangelism.

I also found that most of my contacts were with Christians, so I changed my lifestyle recently.

First, I am doing something I never have done before, I take the bus everyday (mondy-friday). This has allowed me to meet people from all walks of life and has allowed me to share my faith on a number of occassions. While I believe I have missed many opportunities, I have also had more opportunities than normal. Please pray for wisdom because I feel that, in retrospect, there were doors that have been opened that I have not walked through to share. If anything, this has shown me how neglectful I am in evangelism, but I am learning and growing.

Second, God has opened up other opportunities and has allowed me to be a bold witness in another segment of my life. Really, I love to say that I am "bold" but in reality I think God put me into a couple of situations where I am forced to be bold, not one that I have truly sought out or where I naturally became bold. Yet, I was and am able to witness on a continual basis to some people, and minister to others.

Both situations have allowed me to form relationships with people. This all has been a learning experience for me in an area I continue to need God's grace to lovingly display God's glory.

 

Usually, I'll either do it through open air preaching or one on one.

There is almost always a story in the news of a celebrity dying or some tragic event, so I'll usually say something like, "Boy, that was something about so and so dying. He was so young and had it all, didn't he? Just goes to show you that death comes to everybody eventually..." and then go from there.

One of the guys in our church went to Best Buy when Call to Duty came out. There was a long line and he walked up to a bunch of them and asked how long they'd been waiting. They told him that they'd been waiting for several hours and still had a couple of hours until the game went on sale.

So he said, "So then I guess you'd be pretty disappointed if the time came and the manager opened the door and stood in the doorway and said, 'Sorry, we don't have any games. You've wasted your time. Go home!'"

He said that you could see the blood drain from their faces at the very thought. "Yeah, we'd be [mad]", "That wouldn't be fair", "I'd burn the store down", they told him.

"So let me ask you this", he responded, "How many people here think they're going to go to Heaven when they die?" All raised their hand. "Why?"

"Because God is all loving." "Because I've been good." "Because my dad was a Methodist pastor."

"OK. What would you say if, after all that, after a whole lifetime of good works, you died and went to Heaven and Jesus told you, "Depart from Me, for I never knew you? If you'd be that disappointed about not getting a video game, then what do you think looking forward to Heaven and then being rejected by God do to you?"

And he went from there.

I get to witness on a lot of college campuses (campi?) and one of my favorite openers is, "So what's your major?"

There are numerous ways to go with this. For instance, if they say, "English Lit", then I say, "My mother and grandmother were both English teachers who helped me to develop a lifelong love of reading (which is true). One of my favorite books is 'The Picture of Dorian Gray'. Have you read that?" Now, it's even better if you're using that example when open air preaching because using the book to illustrate the effects of sin. The book, in case you don't know, is about a young man who makes a deal with the Devil in exchange for eternal youth and beauty. Every time he sins, a portrait of him, painted by the Devil ages, until at the end, the portrait is horribly disfigured and the very sight of it drives him to insanity.

More later...

 

Then perhaps your calling is not to evangelize but to uplift the Body from within. (I Corinthians 12)

 

>I don't either - but I have the ability to find something in common with them - and within a few minutes,after I am no longer a stranger I can actually move the conversation over to spiritual matters

GOOD WORK!

 

I remember a business once teaching their employees NOT to discuss business with a new customer for at least 20 minutes. Talk about their home, family, work, life,,anything but the product you want to sell. First, they are on the defensive when the enter the business. Try to relax them with familiar things. I think there is a good lesson there for our approach with the gospel.

Cheers,

Jim

 

After spending over 25 years learning all the new, hot, latest evangelistic presentations, I have gone off the ranch, so to speak, and simply talk to people.

To be more precise, I ask questions that allow persons to speak out their own version of the "gospel" whatever that is for them, even atheism. I have nothing to fear, for I know who's I am, and to quote one of the brothers on the board, "I am, I AM'S."

When asked to share their version of faith, many people realize that they don't have a well-thought-out view of big issues surrounding salvation and what happens after we close our eyes for the final time. This generally leads to them asking me questions in return where I get the chance to share what I believe in a non-threatening way.

I've found, after sharing my faith with countless thousands of people, that any prepared talk, tract, evangelism program, etc., will fail rather quickly because the people realize what you are doing in short order, and a second reason for failure is that we are often trying to tell people what they must believe. That is commonly rejected out of hand these days where it is culturally permissible to be mixed up in one's personal theology and Soteriology, even to the point of atheism.

I've found that I can get into a conversation with almost anyone about salvific issues at almost any time, without much effort by simple letting them talk instead of me doing all the talking. If you want to try, just ask the person standing in the grocery line with you next time a question like, "What do you think is the big problem in the world? Is there a cure for that big problem? Then let them speak, prompting for more information to provide active listening along the lines of, "I heard you say that you believe in reincarnation; how do you reconcile the problem of who decides when and how to send you back into the world to try again? Certainly some nebulous 'force in the universe' would not have that level of personal power and insight, right?"

 

There is never really a time when we dust off our feet, but we may watch and wait for God to orchestrate some circumstance in that person's life that causes them to look to God for help. It is often at that time that the seed planted earlier in the evangelistic effort takes root and begins to grow.

But, that does not mean that we continue to :BangHead: with someone who is obviously at war with God. We're not the Holy Spirit, nor the final "convincer." We share the "good news" in love and with care, learning the worldview of the person with whom we share so as to enter their life with the right aspect of the gospel.

Edit: Give an example of the above.

As an example, I have neighbors across the street from me who live an alternative lifestyle. When I first met the girls they were very antagonistic. Over a 3 1/2 year effort at building a relationship and not worrying about calling out their sin, we've become friends enough that we drop in at each other's house. I invited the couple to attend church with us the Sunday after Christmas and they accepted and attended. From there comes conversation wrapped around the Scriptures. Who knows what (and when) God will take care of what only He can do.

 

Ruiz my brother, are you proficient in Spanish? Many Spanish neighborhoods opening up in my neck of the woods & allot are committed to Catholicism (I think?) Id love to meet with these people & share the Gospel except for my very limited knowledge of the language. Same for Russian & Ukrainian neighborhoods in close proximity.

I have had my greatest success with socializing with ordinary people, sometimes in lunch environments....most are hurting (IE Economy downturns, Loss of Jobs, Alcoholism, sickness, divorce etc). The key is when they trust you & see that you live an abundantly joyful life....they want that! They ask you why & then your in....thats your opportunity.