Evangelism Part 3: Sharing the Gospel

In the first blog I wrote about how important it is when we consider evangelizing that we get our heart right with God with a deep gratitude for what our Lord Jesus did for us by dying in our place on the cross. He did this so that we sinners who repent and put our faith in Him alone for salvation can be justified as righteous before a just and holy God. In the second blog I shared the importance of releasing the power of God’s law to bring conviction of sin to those we share the gospel with. As Galatians 3:24 states, “Therefore the Law has become our schoolmaster to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.” In this blog we will discuss how to initiate a spiritual conversation, and proceed as God leads to share the gospel with our lost family, friends, and neighbors.

To begin evangelizing we need to get people to talk and open up about spiritual things. Smile and be friendly. People like to talk about themselves, so ask and be interested in them with talk about their family, sports, or whatever interests them. To transition to the spiritual, I commonly ask someone if they have a spiritual background. If they mention they have gone to church I would ask “How does someone go to heaven in your church?” if their answers indicate they may not be saved, I love to ask this great question: “Would you consider yourself to be a good person?” Most would say yes as they may be trusting in their good works to get them to heaven.

At this point I like to challenge people to take the good person test to see if indeed they are a good person. Usually this piques their interest, and they welcome the test. I would go through a few of the Ten Commandments, the test God says you must pass if you think your good works will be satisfactory before a just God to get into heaven. I usually begin with the 9th commandment which states "do not tell a lie.“ Have you told a lie? I ask. “And what does that make you?” A liar they often respond. Then I move on to the 8th commandment which states "do not steal." Have you ever stolen anything? This makes you a thief. It doesn’t have to be a material item; it could be just stealing the bosses time by looking at your social media account while you are on the time-clock. The i would ask about the 7th commandment which states "do not commit adultery." Jesus took this to a heart level when he stated in Matthew 5:28 that "everyone that looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery in his heart." This is a high standard. You can go through more commandments, but if you see conviction of sin in the person you are talking to you can stop there. They have already admitted that they are a liar, a thief, and an adulterer before God.

Next, ask this transition question as outlined in the Way of the Master program that we are teaching this Spring here at church. “If God judges you by the Ten Commandments, would you be innocent or guilty?” If they say guilty, I will then ask, “Would you go to Heaven or to Hell?” Surprisingly many will say heaven at this point because they see God as someone who will overlook their sin, and since they tried to be a good person they believe a loving God would admit them to heaven anyway. This is a misunderstanding of the character of our just and holy God. He can’t just shove our sin under the rug and wink like some type of Santa Claus. Present them with a court scenario to illustrate. Suppose you are in a court of law guilty of a serious crime with a $50,000 fine. The judge proclaims you are guilty. Then you state, “But judge, I’m sorry for what I have done, please let me go!” Can a good judge let you go simply because you are sorry? No.  You should be sorry, but a crime was committed and a penalty has to be paid. However, if someone pays the fine for you the judge can let you go. Two thousand years ago Jesus paid that fine for us. He suffered and died on the cross on your behalf. If you turn for your sins and trust Him, God will dismiss your case-not just because you are sorry, but because Jesus paid your fine.

If my friend still thinks he will go to heaven without his sin fine paid I would lovingly let him know that the Bible makes it clear that he will go to hell. Mark 9:44 states that hell is a place of eternal, conscious torment where “their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.” Luke 13:28 further states concerning hell that “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” I sincerely let my friend know that I don’t want him to go there, and then ask him if this concerns him. If this does concern him, I would then ask, “Do you know what God did for you so that you wouldn’t have to go to hell? God did provide a way for you to be forgiven. The question is, how do you obtain this forgiveness?”

You can often tell when God is regenerating a soul and opening eyes to receive the good news of the gospel. I would share with my friend that God loved you so much that He sent his only Son to live the perfect life we could not live, and He then suffered and died in your place, taking your punishment for you so that you could live. Then Jesus rose from the dead and defeated death. It is this simple. You broke the law, but Jesus paid your fine. If you will repent and turn from your sin and place your trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, God will forgive you and grant you eternal life. He will change you from the inside out and make you a new person in Christ. If my friend is ready, I would encourage him to pray and repent of his sin and put his faith and trust in Christ alone to save Him as his Lord and Savior.

There is nothing more exciting than to see God use you as His minister of reconciliation. As 2 Corinthians 5:20 states, “We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us;” And what is that appeal that God wants us to proclaim? The rest of the verse states that clearly; “we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God!” If God is nudging you right now to join His fighting force of ministers of reconciliation, please join our evangelism team as we go door to door sharing the gospel in our Canal Winchester area the first and third Fridays of each summer month at 6:30 pm beginning June 2nd.  We would love to have you join us!