Foundation Topic

How to Evangelize

You may want to tell others the good news about Jesus, but wonder how to do this most naturally, winsomely, and effectively. Remember that evangelism naturally flows from love—love for your friend, and love for Jesus. Begin by asking God for a sincere heart motivated by love (Romans 12:9). 

Short Content

How to Evangelize Naturally, Winsomely, and Effectively

You may wonder how to evangelize in a way that is natural, winsome, and effective. We have found some helpful passages in the Bible that we believe will instruct you how to do so.

How to Evangelize Naturally

Let’s start with how to evangelize naturally.

No one enjoys awkwardness. No one wants to lack social grace. The God of the Bible tells us our second priority to loving him is loving others (Matthew 22:38-40). He does not want us to be abrasive, obnoxious, rude, or insensitive any more than we do. So, he helps us. He leads us (2 Corinthians 2:14).

For Christ to lead us, we must be ready to follow. Prayer is the way we get ready to follow Christ’s lead. In the book of Colossians, we learn how to follow Christ into evangelism opportunities:

"Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison—that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak" (Colossians 4:2-4 ESV).

To evangelize naturally, we must wait patiently and ask Christ to lead us through the open doors of conversation into the work of sharing his Word with others (Ephesians 2:10).

People will experience Christ firsthand as they interact with us when we follow Christ’s lead (2 Corinthians 2:15). Christ’s leadership doesn’t guarantee a positive outcome in every social interaction—but that’s okay. Poor reception does not indicate that you evangelized unfaithfully. God simply calls us to share—He takes care of the rest.

To evangelize naturally, we have to wait for and follow Christ’s lead in our lives by praying for and about our evangelistic opportunities.

How to Evangelize Winsomely

Let’s think about Jesus’ ministry to understand what we mean by winsome.

Winsome can’t mean loved by all, because after all, people wanted Jesus dead (Matthew 26:3-4). Winsome can’t mean charismatic, because we know sometimes Jesus escaped the crowds and shirked attention (John 6:15).

But winsome can mean blameless. For no one could find reason to condemn Jesus, even when those who hated him brought him to trial (Luke 23:4; Mark 14:56). Jesus instructs us to bear witness to him with the same kind of blamelessness:

"In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame" (1 Peter 3:15-26 ESV).

Many people try to evangelize winsomely by doing what Paul says not to do in 2 Corinthians 2:17—"peddling the word,” as he calls it. They employ good marketing, trendy communication, professional strategies, and eloquent speech to—well, to what? Win others to repent, submit to, and love Christ for all he has done for them?

No. The word peddle indicates you’re insincere. You don’t peddle something because you understand its value and want to share it; you buy something only to turn around and sell it to make a profit. All these worldly persuasions seem insincere—they may win favor for Christians, but that’s not and should not be our goal. Our goal is to offer people the precious person of Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 3 instructs us to evangelize winsomely by honoring Christ as holy. This means that we must see Jesus as the awesome pure totally unique wonderful person that he is. He is our hope. And hoping in him purifies us in a way that makes our lives spotless to a watching world (1 John 3:3). To evangelize winsomely, you must aim to see Christ such that it transforms your own character and leads you to treasure him more. 

How to Evangelize Effectively

Finally, we have to consider what it means to evangelize effectively.

We often gauge our effectiveness by our results. God gauges our evangelism differently—by our hearts. Our results are up to him (1 Corinthians 3:7).

Effective evangelism must be faithful evangelism. It must include sharing the good news about Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) for the forgiveness of our sins, salvation from God’s wrath, and restoration of our relationship with God.

If we want to evangelize effectively, we must proclaim the gospel message accurately, not partially or palatably. This requires boldness just as much as it requires us to know the good news about Jesus (Ephesians 6:19-20).

Effective evangelism will most naturally flow from a heart of worship. Jesus taught us to pray, “Father, hallowed be your name” (Luke 11:2 ESV). If our hearts are in awe of God’s kindness to us in Christ, we will want his name to be honored in the hearts of others and will speak of his wonderful salvation.  

How to evangelize naturally, winsomely, and effectively, according to the Bible?

Look at Jesus and let him fill your heart with love. Live to honor him moment by moment before a watching world, and ask for the Holy Spirit to lead your heart to worship the Father, so that you will desire to lead others to know him too. Then, ask for the Lord Jesus to lead you into opportunities to share his name, and for the boldness to walk through open doors and speak of him faithfully.

by Bibles.net

OPEN YOUR BIBLE

Theme Verse

But Jesus said, “No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.”

MARK 5:19 NLT

How to Evangelize?
Verse
1 Peter 3:16-17 ESV 

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

Quote

If you knew
how to be saved,
you know how
to tell somebody else how.

Messages: 45 Min

Being on Mission

by Dave Patty

Verse
Colossians 4:2-6 NIV 

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

Article: 7 Min

4 Ways Christians
Should Share Their
Faith That Are
Actually Effective

by Matt Chandler at Relevant

Quote

Joy is the
winsome magnet
that draws people in
because it is
the one thing
they do not have.

Author Unknown
Quote

How to Grow in My Desire to Share About Jesus

When Christ is central in the heart of the man, what does the man want to do? He wants to tell others about Jesus, and he will do so effectively.

Let Jesus Christ be central in the heart of a man, and he is going to be burdened and troubled because millions have never heard of Christ. It is going to disturb him and bring him into action. What he needs is not more exhortation; he needs Christ. And the Christ within him who died for the world will speak through him to that lost world. Without true passion for Christ, nothing works consistently. It loses its power.

by Joseph Carroll | Source
Messages: 35 Min

A Jihadist
Overcome
by the
Love of Jesus

by Al Fadi, former Muslim from Saudi Arabia

Messages: 25 Min

All the Lonely People

by Alistair Begg

Quote

How to Pray for Your Friends

Jesus’ burden for the lost multitude resulted in his instruction to pray that the Lord would send laborers into the harvest field (Matthew 9:38). In his deep burden for the unsaved he commanded prayer for the saints instead of the sinner.

Likewise, the apostle Paul requested prayer for both the opportunity to witness (Colossians 4:3) and the courage to present the gospel (Ephesians 6:19-20). To pray for our lost friends is a naturally loving instinct, but it is God’s Word that guides us how to do so. It instructs us to pray that the Lord would send someone into their lives who would have the opportunity and the freedom to clearly present the gospel.

by Bill Thrasher and Erwin Lutzer | Source
Image

Live clean,
innocent lives
as children of God,
shining like
bright lights
in a world full of
crooked and perverse people.

Philippians 2:15 NLT
Article: 7 Min

Evangelism Is Not a Solo Sport

by G’Joe Joseph at The Gospel Coalition

Article: 12 Min

Connecting Evangelism and Church  

by Jonathan Leeman at 9Marks

Quote

I sometimes do
not like my way
of doing evangelism.
But I like my way
of doing it better
than your way
of not doing it.

Article: 10 Min

18 Prayers to Pray
for Unbelievers

by Tim Challies at his blog

What Do I Say When Evangelizing?
Verse
1 Corinthians 2:1-5 NIV 

And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.

EVANGELISM QUOTES

Article: 10 Min

Personal Evangelism 101

Jesus' confrontation of the young man (or rich young ruler as some call him) in Matthew 19:16-22 gives us much-needed insight into reaching the lost.

by John MacArthur at Grace to You

Verse
Acts 2:37-38 NIV

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Image

Consequently,
faith comes
from hearing

the message,
and the message is heard
through
the word

about Christ.

Romans 10:17 NIV
Quote

The Power of Personal Evangelism

One thing I have observed in all my years of ministry is that the most effective and important aspects of evangelism usually take place on an individual, personal level. Most people do not come to Christ as an immediate response to a sermon they hear in a crowded setting. They come to Christ because of the influence of an individual.

by John MacArthur | Source
Verse
John 4:37 ESV

For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”

Quote

How to Grow in Evangelism

The closer you get to Jesus—the more you read of him in the Bible and see him at work in your life—the more glory you will see, and the more you will long for him to be treated as he deserves. 

by Rico Tice and Carl Laferton | Source
Verse
Mark 13:10-11 ESV

And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.

Infographic

"I Love to Tell
the Story"

Telling others about Jesus is a great joy to all those who know and love Jesus. This hymn expresses that joy. Feel free to save this graphic as a screensaver or share it with a friend!

Quote

There is not a
better evangelist
in the world than
the Holy Spirit.

D.L. Moody
Quote

When It Comes to Evangelism, Just Go for It!

I saw that it were better to make a mistake in one’s first effort at personal religious conversation, and correct that mistake afterwards, than not to make any effort. There can be no mistake so bad, in working for an individual soul for Christ, as the fatal mistake of not making an honest endeavor. How many persons refrain from doing anything lest they possibly should do the wrong thing just now! Not doing is the worst of doing.

by Henry Trumbull  | Source
Books
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