What is evangelism?

Evangelism is sharing the Gospel with those who have never heard it before. “Witnessing” and “sharing your faith” refer to evangelizing. When someone evangelizes, he or she shares the good news of the Gospel message with someone who has not heard or understood it before. Also, if the person being witnessed to is a Christian, the person evangelizing can aim to encourage the Christian in his or her faith.

Who is qualified to evangelize?

If your faith is in Jesus Christ, you are qualified to evangelize. You do not have to be a pastor, theologian, or seasoned saint walking with the Lord for thirty years to share your faith. You do not have to have all of the answers, just point people to the One who does. You have testimonies of how God has worked in your life that will minister. You have been touched by Scripture that other people would be blessed to hear about. And by sharing your faith with those that God has cross your path, you may be able to connect with people who do not know a single other Christian. God wants to use you to encourage Christians in their faith and to bring others into relationships with God too.

Why should I evangelize?

Spreading the Gospel through evangelism is God’s method of using believers to reach the world. Multitudes around us are unsaved and headed toward hell. Equipped with the “good news” of the Gospel, we can share the message of salvation with them and point them to the destiny of heaven.

“Christian” means “mini-Christ,” and Jesus Christ was an evangelist who came to seek and save the lost. If we want to be like Jesus and the Holy Spirit is working in our lives to shape our character to be more like His, we will desire to evangelize. Jesus commands His disciples, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). He promises to be with those who do and encourages that the Holy Spirit empowers us to be witnesses (Acts 1:8). God designed evangelism in His perfect wisdom, Jesus modeled it as His mission, and He commands us to live out His Great Commission.

How do I evangelize?

There is no set, single way to evangelize. Being led by the Holy Spirit is indispensible though, and He shows us how to share our faith with individuals in individual situations. The various methods that you can use to evangelize are like tools to a carpenter. A carpenter doesn’t use the same tool for every single job, and we shouldn’t use the same method with every single person. On a friend with a hurting heart, maybe God will lead you to give a gift coupled with a card that shares the Gospel. Maybe you purchase a coffee for the person behind you in line, explain that it’s a little gift like God’s grace, and see where the conversation goes. Or you could meet a stranger at the bus stop and share how you once realized that you fell short of living according to God’s Law and were in need of a Savior, just like your new friend needs too.

What if I’m rejected?

Or what if you’re accepted? Did someone lead you to the Lord? What if that person had been too fearful to share with you? Fear of rejection is a common excuse that keeps people from sharing the “good news.” But remember, the news of Jesus is good – not bad! And when we are faithful to share it, we act in obedience to and accordance with God’s will, which is our responsibility. How the person we are witnessing to responds is their responsibility. Many of the people we fear opening up to about Jesus may be hurting and hoping to hear the Gospel. Perhaps they have a tangible need that can be met coupled with sharing the Gospel message. Maybe they can be prayed for. It might be the perfect time to sit them down and share a personal testimony and Jesus’ testimony of conquering the cross. On average, people hear the Gospel 7.6 times before they place their faith in Jesus. That means that when we share our faith, we might be one of those first seven who are planting seeds of the Gospel message. Those seeds have the potential to be seemingly rejected now, but they can bloom into full faith later. Isn’t possibly saving a soul from an eternity in hell worth starting a conversation about Jesus?

Won’t people see my actions and come to Jesus?

Hoping that people will see that you are nice and then make the connection that they should put their faith in Jesus is asking for a lot. There are plenty of nice atheists, but that is not grounds to convert to atheism. Most people who are Christians today were led to the Lord by someone – verbally. Our actions should backup our faith, but we should not rely on them alone to point people into a relationship with God. Plus, if we really examine our actions, we might realize that not all of them glorify God one hundred percent of the time. Upon further examination, we may also realize that the reason we don’t want to talk about God is not because we think our actions will lead people to God better, but because we are ashamed of the Gospel or fearful of sharing it. Jesus actively spoke about having a relationship with God though, and we are to model our lives after His.

What if I don’t know enough about God and the Bible to evangelize?

If you know that Jesus died for our sin, was buried, and rose again in victory over sin and death, so that if we place our faith in Him we will be saved, you know enough! Often the fear of the unknown (what if I’m asked a question I won’t know how to answer) keeps people from evangelizing. Often people don’t even ask the questions we fear being asked though. And, check out “Questions You Get Asked When Evangelizing” in case you want to brush up on some answers.

If you do not know how to answer a question, people appreciate genuine honesty. You can say, “That’s a good question. I don’t know. If you give me your e-mail address I will find out and get back to you though.” Then, include an invitation to church with the answer! Or, answer with a question and ask, “If you knew the answer to that question would you place your faith in Jesus? Is that what’s holding you back from trusting God?”

Do people need to say a prayer to be saved?

There are no magic words that someone must recite to be saved. Prayer does not save people’s souls. Faith in Jesus saves people’s souls. The important thing is to get people connected to Jesus and for them to understand and invest their faith in Him. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16, italics added for emphasis). Notice, it doesn’t say “whoever prays.” While prayer does not save people, it is an appropriate and great response to placing faith in Jesus. You can pray to God thanking Him for the gift of salvation through Jesus. You can express that you were stuck in sinfulness and deserving of hell until trusting in Jesus dying for your sins and resurrecting in victory over them. You can pray for strength in persevering when trial comes and for discernment to cast away any doubts that pop up. You can certainly pray and praise Him for the wonderful relationship He invites us into with Him!