Posts Tagged ‘class’

Evangelism, at least in my circles of influence, seems to be a dreaded word. At its mention, some people feel queasy, the hairs stand on the back of their neck, people want to secretly leave the room. One participant in a class I taught said, “evangelism scares me”.

Why Some hate Evangelism

1. It violates the golden rule – most Christians would not want to be approached by a member of another religion the way Christians approach others in evangelistic attempts.
2. It calls the authenticity of relationships into question – are you my friend because you’re really my friend, or so you can convert me?
3. The moment of truth – we think we must identify a “no turning back” point where you pressure someone to make a decision, and if they don’t respond well, that jeopardizes the relationship.
4. Asking someone about the Gospel feels like making a pass at them.
5. If I like my friends, and want them to continue to be my friends, I have a major incentive NOT to try to evangelize them.

Jesus said, it is appointed for a man to live but once to die. That means every single person, 10 out of 10 people will die at some point! Point two, anyone can answer that so quit using it as an excuse not to have the conversation. Point three, it’s not you that gets the decision, that’s God’s Job! Just PLANT the seed with the conversation. Point four? Not even worth mentioning, and point five, on the day of judgment, if your friends eyes meet yours on that day when they are condemned to an eternity in the lake of fire, will they think of you as a friend???

Below is a list of some of the most common fears why we don’t share our faith.

• Fear of Rejection
• To mess up and somebody’s eternity destiny is your fault
• Interrupting somebody’s life
• Losing a friendship
• Fear of offending
• Fear of what others will think about you.
• Stuck with unanswerable questions
• Feeling inadequate
• Being seen as arrogant
• Fear of being kicked out of your family or breaking a family relationship
• Fear of your own weakness, hypocrisies, and inadequacies
• Doubt and not being certain about your own beliefs.
• Guilt
• Fear of being a hypocrite.

All of these fears are answered in a class I teach called “The Way Of The Master”, this class is coming to Warehouse 727 Church June 10th. Contact me here if you would like more information.

Imagine the scenario:

You and a non-Christian friend are sitting in a Starbucks, talking about life, drinking a cup of coffee.

In a relaxed and safe manner, the talk naturally turns to your faith in Christ.

The person looks at you and asks with complete sincerity: “What is the gospel?”

How would you answer?

Uh, I don’t know

I tell a similar story in front of  people in my classes.

I raise the same question.

Without a warning, I ask the audience to turn to their neighbor and answer the question.

You can audibly hear the air get sucked out of the room with a collective and fearful inhale.

The surprise catches people off guard.  They instinctively hold their breath for a moment as the task sudden looms before them.

The tension in the room rises as people try to get their thoughts together.

Eventually, some conversations get started, but most fumble attempts at an answer.

“I saw it on TV”

After doing this in many classes of The Way of the Master, I’ve discovered that many people (including pastors) can’t answer this question when put on the spot like that.

Why not?

No practice.

You think you know it, after all, you’ve likely heard it hundreds of times.  But when you have to put words to what you think you know – you suddenly discover you don’t know.

You don’t know where to start.
You don’t know what content to include.
You don’t know what order to present the claims of the gospel.

You might know all the theology of the gospel, but when given a chance like what happened to me, the reaction is one of disorientation, not one of content.

You can’t deliver an effective Chuck Norris karate chop when needed in an emergency, after only watching him do it on a TV movie.

Being familiar with the gospel from TV or Sunday sermons doesn’t mean you can verbally deliver it on a moment’s notice.

No practice.

Learn a Script

We need a “Default setting.”

A default setting is one that we have so mastered, that it is second nature to use it.

A default setting enables us to explain a few points of the gospel clearly when its appropriate. A default setting allows us to be diamond clear, rather than muddy clear.

Gospel scripts can serve as a default setting.  Over the years, various scripts have been developed, such as

Four Spiritual Laws
The Bridge
Evangecube
Way of the Master
Romans Road
Do vs. Done
the Four Rs
Evangelism Explosion
Wordless Book and the Bead Bracelet
The Good Person Test (a setup for the Way of the Master)
FAITH

Each one of these can provide a script that we can use as a “default setting.”

However, we still need to listen to the person we are talking to and be flexible with the script, adapting it to the context of the conversation.

The Key to Using Gospel Scripts

The key to using gospel scripts is to know ONE “inside out”so that your explanation is crystal clear.

Don’t follow the script like a cake recipe.  Gospel scripts are not designed that way.  Rather, they provide a foundational outline for your conversation.

Your conversation partner may want to linger on a certain point a little longer.

Knowing the Script inside and out helps you from getting lost.

Take the freedom to go off script to develop a particular theme appropriate in the context, then return to the script outline.

Once you are deeply familiar with one, then add another one to your skill set.

Practice.

Practice.

Then, when your friend asks you what is the gospel, you can calmly communicate what you know.

You’ll have a mental outline to help you move forward.

You’ll have an organized order to present your points.

You’ll have greater confidence that removes much of the fear.

Let me ask you this?

Can you calmly and clearly communicate the gospel on a moment’s notice?

What is your personal choice for a script?

Do you want one-to-one help with your personal evangelism?  Consider our Evangelism Training and Mentoring services.