Shaking Salt & Shining Light (Part 6)

     When it comes to sharing our faith in Christ with others, there are a few important things to keep in mind. First, know the gospel like the back of your  hand. You cannot tell others how they can be changed by the life-saving power of Jesus Christ if you are not clear on it yourself. There really is not a lot to remember if we just keep in mind 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, which tells us the gospel by which we are saved is: Christ died for our sins and rose again according to the Scriptures. Many different methods are helpful in outlining the gospel so it can be explained to an unbeliever in way that helps them see their need for Jesus. I am currently teaching some of these methods during the services on Sunday nights. One thing that can help you with this more than anything though is simply talking about the gospel as much as you can, even if it is with your Christian friends. When you talk about something with another person it forces you to  be clear and  organize your thoughts.
     A second thing to keep in mind is to have gospel conversations with unbelievers instead of giving gospel presentations to them. You might be thinking this sounds like semantics. And it is; but it makes a big difference in the way you talk to people about your faith. If you view the gospel as a list of facts that you must present to someone you will approach them as a teacher does a student. This immediately puts up people’s defenses and causes you extra stress/fear as you think about what you are about to do. Instead, think about having a conversation with someone—you talk and they talk, they listen and you listen. This is why I think remembering a conversation progression helps us as we share the gospel. A conversation progression should look something like this: you see another person and you strike up a conversation with them, you actively listen to them by asking them what is going on in their life, you transition to talking about spiritual things, you share the gospel,  and you ask them if anything is keeping them from trusting Christ right now. All throughout though you are asking them to discuss these things with you. So, don’t think, “how can I present the gospel with someone today?” Think, “how can I converse with someone today about the gospel?”
     A third, simple thing to keep in mind is: be natural. My heart’s desire is that God will help me to make talking with another person about the gospel as natural as it is to talk to them about the weather. I hope God will do the same for you too. Besides praying for this, it can also be helpful to understand your style of evangelism. There are at least six different styles of evangelism found in the New Testament and because everyone is different, you will find that one or two are much more natural for you than the others. I will be teaching these in a couple weeks on Sunday nights and giving out a questionnaire that will help you figure out the style with which you would be most comfortable.
     May God gives us all wisdom and courage to share Christ!           -Pastor Matt