Evangelism 101
By Randy Hurst
In many situations, a preplanned message would be
uninteresting and irrelevant. Such an approach presumes that others will
respond to us, when the opposite is true: We should respond to them.
God is at work in people’s lives uniquely and individually.
And He wants to use us at strategic times to be there for them. Recognizing the
right seasons of opportunity for witness is important. But it is just as
important to know when not to push for a decision. We need to be on God’s
schedule. Only He knows when someone is ready.
Jesus — our example
Our Lord Jesus himself is the greatest model concerning
personal evangelism. It would seem that the Son of God — on a mission to
save the world and knowing how short His time was — would have a focused,
strategic plan for proclaiming His message to as many people as possible. Yet
Jesus spent 90 percent of His life in preparation for public ministry and never
traveled far from His hometown. He devoted most of His time to 12 men. He did
not record His teachings on parchment or stone. The One who had the most and
best to say simply said it. He spoke the Word and left it to the hearers to
record. He didn’t write it on a temporary medium, but on the only truly
permanent one available — the hearts of His followers.
A careful study of the four Gospels reveals an almost
startling fact about the nature of Jesus’ public ministry. Many of His most
significant teachings and miracles were in response to people and
circumstances.
Many of His profound parables were a response to someone’s
question. Jesus, the Son of God, lived an earthly life that was responsive to
common people — He didn’t mingle with prophets, priests and kings, but
with fishermen, shepherds, women and children.
Jesus shaped His words to the occasion and to the people who
asked the questions — some penetrating and some simple. But He responded
with profound truth to even simple questions from common people —
unfolding the mysteries of the universe to reveal the nature of an infinite God
in words and images even the illiterate people of His day could understand.
Jesus’ life challenges us to learn from Him and to encounter people in our
world who are seeking peace, forgiveness and hope — responding to them as
He did.
Respond individually
While the basic physical, social and spiritual needs of
people are the same, the paths by which they arrive at those needs wind through
a variety of personal interests and concerns. This raises a critical point: How
can we really know people’s individual interests? The answer is simple. Building
personal relationships and even friendships with nonbelievers is the primary
method by which we will be able to respond to them individually.
How can we possibly know enough to respond individually to
each person we encounter? Our most important “research” comes by listening to
people. That will happen only if we spend time with them — to know and
understand them. Only then can we effectively share the message of Christ with
them. God’s timeless truth must be communicated in a timely manner — with
the right words for the right occasion. In many situations, a preplanned
message would be uninteresting and irrelevant. Such an approach presumes that
others will respond to us, when the opposite is true: We should respond to
them.
Most people who come to Christ through personal evangelism
are not reached by strangers but by someone they know. Most of our witness will
be among people with whom we have ongoing relationships. In these
relationships, memorizing an evangelistic routine will not be adequate. We
can’t just keep repeating the same things to people we know. We must be ready
to respond to them in a variety of ways.
If we are to follow in Jesus’ steps, we should care about
people as individuals, knowing that each is known and loved by our Heavenly
Father. We must connect with them, not only in their cultural context but also
in their personal lives.
Jesus related to people individually and addressed their
personal needs, their confusion and their pain. He always had time for people.
He had time to go with Zacchaeus to his house … time in the heat of the day to
converse with the woman by the well. He had time for children. He had time to
rescue the woman caught in adultery. Even in the courtyard of the high priest,
in His hour of suffering, when it would have been natural to be occupied with
His own self-interest, Jesus had time for others. As the rooster crowed that
fateful hour, Jesus gave Peter a look — not an “I told you so” look, but
one that conveyed love and forgiveness.
On the cross, Jesus bore pain none of us will ever know. But
He still had time to forgive a dying thief and to ensure that His mother would
be cared for.
Jesus always had time for people. No one He met was beneath
His attention.
A plan of action
You can be a more effective witness beginning today.
Effective personal witness requires time — a difficult thing for many of
us to give. You will need to spend time in three ways.
• First, spend time in prayer. Ask God to direct your heart
to at least one nonbeliever whose life He wants you to influence. Begin praying
for that person daily. Know that it will mean a sacrifice of time — both
to pray and to share Christ when the Holy Spirit opens doors of opportunity.
• Second, spend time in God’s Word. Because the focus of our
witness is Jesus, spend time reading about His life and teachings in the
Gospels. Read the Gospel of Mark, followed by the Gospel of John. Focus your
mind and heart on Jesus — and be ready to talk with others about who He
is and why He gave His life.
• Third, spend time with nonbelievers. Make a specific
commitment to become involved in a few people’s lives and to simply be there
for them. Building a relationship with someone takes time. Establishing
credibility is critical to effective witness in a secular society that is
increasingly skeptical of Christianity.
What everyone deserves
Every person should be given an adequate witness of the
gospel and the opportunity to make a decision concerning Christ’s offer of
salvation.
People are headed toward eternity. And they deserve more
from us than canned answers to serious, heart-searching questions. People are
not statistics or impersonal souls to be won for the Kingdom. They are
individuals with distinct personalities — unique creations for whom God
has a personal purpose and plan.
People who are spiritually lost deserve what those who came
in contact with Jesus received — a personal response.
RANDY HURST is commissioner of evangelism for the Assemblies
of God.
E-mail your comments to tpe@ag.org.
