6 Tips for Sharing the Gospel (personal evangelism project #1)

So the Lord keeps impressing this one thing on my heart. Everywhere I turn, *this* is in my face. I even dreamed about it last night. I know God wants me to do this thing!

What is it, you ask? To set a personal challenge for sharing the gospel.

 

My personal EV challenge has two parts:

1. A time frame (beginning and ending date) and

2. A number goal.

 

I know the Lord wants me to set a goal and a time frame for sharing the gospel. And Monday, I’m going to give you the details here on the blog and invite you to join in! 

If you’ve never shared the gospel with someone else or it’s been awhile and you don’t do it regularly, please, please, touch base on Monday so we can do this together. I promise you won’t regret it! Will you stop right now and ask the Lord to prepare your heart for this awesome privilege?

Today and tomorrow, I want to equip you for Monday’s challenge. Today I’ll share some tips and tomorrow I’ll give a ton of resources for actually doing it. I encourage you to look these over prayerfully as you prepare yourself for Monday’s EV challenge.

**UPDATE: You can find the resource list of 20+ Simple Ways to Share the Gospel here.

 

These 6 tips from missionary and author Arabah Joy will encourage you to become a personal evangelist

 

6 Tips for sharing the Gospel:

 

These are tips I’ve learned over the years of being a church planter, pastor’s wife, and missionary; and after personally sharing the gospel with hundreds of people. Hopefully, they will help and encourage you.

 

1. Set your mind for action.

As you leave your home each day, mentally prepare yourself to share the gospel. Don’t let distractions, busyness, and other things veer you from the wonderful privilege of being the aroma of Christ. I’ve found I can have two mindsets: Ho-hum, reacting- to- life – as- it- happens sort of living… or intentional living. I need to set my mind on sharing Christ.

I’m an introvert, y’all. I do NOT have the gift of evangelism. I am the least likely person to actively share my faith. But the Bible doesn’t say you need the gift of evangelism in order to share the good news about Christ. All it takes is a desire to share the wealth of Christ with others, which we all should have.

Jesus told us to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel” (Mark 16:15). Those words are not merely addressed to pastors, teachers, evangelists, and missionaries; they are addressed to every follower of Jesus Christ! You have permission to be a personal evangelist!

 

2. Have a clear understanding of what the gospel is.

Your testimony is not the gospel. A random verse of scripture is not the gospel. The gospel is the good news about Christ. While sharing these other things are good, helpful, and necessary, they play a supporting role to the gospel itself. Understanding this will benefit you in the long run. The goal is always to talk about what Jesus has done for us.

I like Greg Laurie‘s definition of the gospel: “The message that God will give us pardon from our sins and eternal life with Him in heaven, if we will turn away from our sins and turn to Him, accepting His Son, Jesus Christ, as our Savior and Lord. “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).”

Having a good grasp on the gospel message is essential to effective sharing.

 

3. Know that God is for you.

If there were ever something to claim God’s blessing and favor upon, it is you sharing Christ. God loved us so much that He shared Christ with the world. Furthermore, He has made us those who proclaim His excellencies. He is 100% for you every time you open your mouth about Christ. You need to know that deep, without a shadow of a doubt, regardless of the response, outcome, or how you feel you botched it (cause at times you will.)

 

4. Let go of pre-conceived ideas.

Sometimes you’ll attempt to share the gospel and get shut down. Sometimes a child will need something or some other need will arise and you’ll be thwarted. Sometimes spiritual warfare will be intense. Sometimes you will blunder your way through and feel like a plumb idiot.  Don’t let these things discourage you or stop you from doing it again.This is all part of sharing the gospel and is perfectly normal! Trust me~ smile!

And very often, the person you are sharing with may not be over-the-moon-thrilled-and-responsive. This is also normal. Remember there are two parts to a harvest: sowing and reaping. Each time we share the gospel, we scatter seeds. We can keep sowing regardless of the response because we leave the results to the Lord of the harvest who is Faithful and True.

 

5. Pray.

I ask God for opportunities to share the gospel, then I accept by faith that He has heard and honored that request. It has taken me a long time to get to this point so I hope by sharing this, you can get there quicker than I did!

This means that whoever I come in contact with, I see as an answer to my prayer and I act in faith by opening my mouth. Don’t wait for a liver-shiver experience before sharing. Don’t ask God for a “sign.” Trust that God has seen your desire and has answered your prayer because that’s what His Word says He does… then speak!

 

6. Involve a friend.

The disciples were sent out two by two into the towns and villages. While you don’t have to physically be with someone else to share the gospel, it does provide courage, prayer support, and focus if you can go with someone. I won’t be doing my challenge with someone else standing beside me, but I will have a friend on the other side of the world doing it where she lives and holding me accountable. Why not ask someone to join you in your personal EV challenge?

 

That’s it for today! Are you up for this challenge? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

Before you go, check out these 20 Simple Ways to Share the Gospel and use this tool to JOT DOWN YOUR PERSONAL TESTIMONY... and get ready to be salt, light, and a minister of reconciliation in your community.

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6 Comments

  1. I’m so glad you are putting this challenge out there. I think many times people do think that sharing the gospel is for the preachers and those in full-time ministry. But it is a command given to every Christian. Like you, I am an introvert and have a hard time getting words to actually make their way out of my mouth, or like you said I am unintentional and sharing the gospel is an afterthought (which means I often forget.) When I purposely pray before I go to run errands, “God, please put someone in my path that I can share the gospel with”, He always answers! And He gives me the words to say. And it’s exciting. And I wonder why in the world I don’t do it more often! I appreciate the encouragement to challenge myself afresh!

  2. I’m so glad that you’ll be sharing more of these types of posts. Sharing the gospel with other people has never been easy for me, but I’m making a more intentional effort to do just that. This is very helpful.

  3. Thank you for sharing these tips. I’m starting over in my walk with the Lord and evangelism is something I’ve never fully explored. These ideas were really helpful.

    God bless!!!!

  4. I enjoyed your suggestions in this post about how you share GOd’s word with others. I Ann working on doing a better job off this as our world is so in need if our Saviour. You said: “Each time we share the gospel, we scatter seeds. We can keep sowing regardless of the response because we leave the results to the Lord of the harvest who is Faithful and True.” This left a big impression in me and I’m hoping to remember it!

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