Posts Tagged ‘training’

There’s obviously always fear in evangelism. Sometimes fear comes because we are expecting things from people. That, interestingly enough, never happen.  People seem to want to talk about spiritual things. They simply want to be approached in the right way. By that, I mean that people will be most interested in what you want to tell them when you come to people with

1. A caring spirit
2. An attitude of grace, and
3. A genuine concern.

I often tell people that it’s not that they don’t’ want to be approached. They simply want to be approached in the right way. Sometimes when people seem uninterested, it’s because they feel like it’s being “jammed down their throat”, or forced upon them. That rarely ever works. But when you come “up from underneath” them, and they sense sincerity about you, it’s amazing how open they are to talking. As you talk, it’s easy to find one way or another to talk about spiritual things, and ultimately the Gospel. In our day when people fear cancer, terrorism, and the uncertainty about the economy, they’re even more open and approachable.

I encourage each believer I meet to just begin a conversation with non-Christians with the objective of hopefully talking to them about Christ. Take it one step at a time and show your genuine concern in them. When they sense they’ve met a friend, they might be interested in talking about your Friend!

Most people don’t think they can share the gospel with someone who will actually believe it and trust Christ for their salvation.  Many have a misplaced expectation that comes from being results-oriented.  We don’t think our job is done unless someone believes.  Not so.

Here are five things we can do:

1. We can share the gospel simply and clearly with someone who knows us; it’s not hard to learn.  Go get some training on how to witness.
2. We can tell them what we believe.  What our life was like before we understood that Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead.  How we learned we were forgiven, that we could have an actual relationship with God in our life right now and go to Heaven when we die.
3. We can tell how our life has been changed.  We show them the Bible verses. We can ask if they would like to trust Christ too. We can all do that.  If we let go of the responsibility for their belief.
4. We can be faithful to do what He told us to do.  We love Him.  We tell His story.  We smile at the mercy and grace He gives us every day.
5. We are an ambassador carrying the message of the King.  We deliver it.  The one who receives the message must make the decision with Him.

“He is so evangelistic. I think he would try and convert a fence post. He obviously has the gift of evangelism, but I don’t. Evangelism scares me, so what do I do?” How many times have you heard a fellow believer say something like that? More importantly, have you said it? Two ideas may transform your thinking and even fear of evangelism.

Recognize you are normal.

Giftedness in evangelism is not what characterizes most believers. Every gift is needed for the building up of the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12). Therefore, the things that frighten you about evangelism frighten most believers. Evangelism is not first and foremost an issue of gift; it’s an issue of discipleship. The first thing Christ ever taught His disciples was “Follow Me and I’ll make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19).

Receive training.
Training is not an answer in evangelism. It is THE answer. Evangelism training will help overcome the two biggest problems in evangelism – fear and not knowing how. Fear may take on many forms. Fear of not knowing how to turn a conversation to spiritual things. Fear of not knowing how to answer questions or objections. Fear of rejection. But that is where know how comes in. Training that provides the “howto” will help you know how to turn a conversation, address questions non-Christians have, clearly explain sin, repentance and faith (the three essential parts of the gospel presentation) and even know how to pray for yourself and the lost person to whom you are speaking. You may not realize it, but the most effective evangelists have received training. Giftedness in evangelism alone is NOT what makes a person effective. It is gift combined with training. That is why On Fire For Jesus specializes in evangelism training – training that is biblical, clear and complete. We have found, through experience, that when people are trained properly, it forever changes their attitude about evangelism. Instead of approaching lost people with the attitude, “There they are Lord. Send someone to reach them,” we pray, “There they are Lord. Use me.”