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5 Keys to Energize Your Evangelism this Year

by Putti Benner

Associate Director, The University of Texas at Arlington, Baptist Student Ministry

February 3, 2020
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Starting off the new year, many establish new goals, whether in areas they feel completely confident in or in areas where little notice has been taken. Sharing your faith is key to growing closer to God, but is often an aspect of discipleship in which believers feel they have a lot of room to grow. Whether you’re a rookie or a pro at witnessing to others, here are five tips to energize your evangelism goals.

 

  1. Celebrate the Privilege 

Romans 10 reminds us that people can’t believe in Jesus unless they have heard about Jesus. It goes on to celebrate those who share the good news, calling them beautiful. Evangelism is not just an important idea, it’s a command (Matthew 28:16-20). In order to begin sharing our faith, we need to recognize the high privilege and honor it is to share the most important message in the world–the only message that can bring about salvation (Acts 4:12)!

 

  1. Learn a Tool and Use It 

Sure, many of us confidently understand the gospel, and think that evangelism tools and booklets are unnecessary for witnessing. But I encourage you to use an evangelism tool, not just for you to efficiently share the gospel but for the people you’re sharing with to efficiently understand the gospel. A tool is valuable because it allows the person hearing the gospel to be able to reference back to an illustration or booklet as opposed to simply trying to recollect different points you’ve made and possibly getting confused. Tools help you be concise and clear. They help us to work smarter, not harder. Some of my favorites are Three Circles, Knowing God Personally Booklet, and The Bridge Illustration (using Romans 6:23).

 

  1. Pray for Your Sphere of Influence

Pray every day for 3-5 people who reflect the people, places and passions that surround you. Keep the list of people in your wallet or phone so you can see it regularly. Make specific goals for sharing with them and follow through by initiating plans that week. Then, make new goals the following week. Meet with someone over coffee or lunch, share this list with them, ask them to make a list too, and commit to praying for their sphere of influence. People who involve others in their prayer life not only sow more seeds but reap more fruit. Praying for one another is the surest way to encourage one another.

 

  1. Recognize that Lost People Don’t Know How to be Saved. 

In Acts 2, Peter preaches to a crowd. How do the people respond? Verse 37 says, “When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’” The people were both convicted and confused. Peter responds clearly, “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.”  The number one difficulty people have when they share the gospel is that they don’t ask for a response. When asked about their conversation afterward they may respond, “No, they didn’t decide to follow Jesus today.” The question is, why not? Do they know how? We can’t assume people know what to do next. People don’t know how to be saved. There is no middle ground. We all stand guilty or innocent. It’s your responsibility to clearly ask them to respond by either receiving Christ or rejecting Christ. Because of this, make sure to choose an evangelism tool that includes a call to respond.

 

  1. Teach Someone Else How to Share the Gospel. 

Matthew 28:16-20 commands us to make disciples. A disciple is truly made when they can turn around and make a disciple themselves. Paul’s ministry is a great example. 2 Timothy 2:2 identifies four generations being impacted by the gospel: “And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.” God used Paul to teach Timothy who taught faithful men who then taught others. You don’t need to be the most skilled evangelist to be able to teach someone else how to share. You can simply have that person invite you and a friend to coffee, share the gospel and afterwards debrief the meeting. We are believers because someone shared with the person who shared with us. If there was a line of people before us, should there not be a line of people after us?

Share your personal evangelism goals for the year in the comments. Which of these keys will energize you as you share your faith this week?