Effective Evangelism

God has called each of us us as His child to be an agent and active participant in His redemptive plan. We have been called to be an ambassador of God to represent His heart and fulfill His will in the earth. As the body of Christ, we are Jesus’ hands and feet on this earth to continue the work that He began.

As finite beings we do not have the foresight of knowing the cravings and challenges of each individual we are sharing with. However, God knows the deepest secrets of every person and through the Holy Spirit He is able to speak through us to touch the depths of the human heart. Only the Holy Spirit can give us the words to convict and compel others to follow Christ. The following are some things I have personally found to be helpful with evangelism.

Tips for Effective Evangelism

1. Be led by the Holy Spirit (Acts 16:6, 9-10). Like Paul in Acts, I continually ask the Holy Spirit to lead me to people whose hearts are ripe and ready for the harvest. Consider asking the Holy Spirit to lead you to those who desperately searching for more in life and will be open to God.
2. Be convicted by eternal reality. What is your motivation for evangelism? Are we just doing it because it is the Christian thing to do? Are we doing it to try to please God by our good works? Are we doing it to try to grow a bigger church? Pray and ask your Father to give you his heart for the lost. When God shares His breaking heart with us, we will share His burden for the lost.
3. Listen to soul cravings. I believe everyone has cravings for purpose, meaning and significance in life. By listening to and speaking into a person’s cravings, you can delicately awaken them to recognize the fulfillment of all their cravings can only be found in God himself.
4. Develop relationships. Jesus was the complete expression of the Father’s love to the world; the love of God flowed like a spring of living water from the life of Jesus. I believe that in many cases, God’s love can be more compelling than scientific evidence of God or a theological argument. Is God’s love flowing through you? Are people in your life compelled by how passionately and personally you care about them?
5. Share your story. You have a very powerful story and God wants to use it! People will be most compelled by your thoughts and experiences because they know you. If Jesus is a tangible reality in your life, others will see that and want it.
6. Be empowered by the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). Learn to look to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and allow the Holy Spirit to take over the conversation. Know with confidence God will lead you and give you the right words to say to the right individuals.
7. Be patient and faithful. For many people evangelism can be very discouraging because they don’t see immediate results. Though the ultimate goal of all evangelism is to lead people to Christ, it may not happen overnight. Each person is in a different place in their journey and some may not be ready to fully commit their lives to Christ. Our responsibility is to simply lead them further down the path and bring them closer to finding a relationship with their heavenly Father.
8. Pray unceasingly. One of the most essential components of evangelism is prayer. You may have loved ones or friends you have been continually praying for years to come to Christ. Do not give up hope! Prayer is the catalyst that initiates God’s will being done on the earth.

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