When you hear the word ‘Evangelist’ or ‘Evangelism’, what do you think of? Do you think of someone on a street corner holding a big sign and shouting at people? The kind that when they approach you, you feel a bit uncomfortable? Some people are very comfortable with sharing their faith in this way, but I’m not convinced that I am called to do or be any of these things, yet I am certain that we are ALL called to evangelise.

Or maybe you think of a famous evangelist. Maybe Billy Graham, who preached to thousands of people or Smith Wigglesworth who would preach and punch people and they’d get healed!

My Journey

I used to struggle to consider myself an evangelist, purely because I didn’t think that I fit the stereotype. I am not a particularly loud or extroverted person, and I certainly would not feel comfortable shouting at people telling them to repent. Often I discounted myself and assumed that this wasn’t a gifting that I had. However, whilst I was at Bible College, and since, a few people who I consider to have significant influence in my life have described me as having an evangelistic gift. I spent quite some time denying this, convincing myself that it wasn’t true! But then I realised that although we sometimes have a stereotypical view of ‘Evangelists’ I realised that this wasn’t the only way. And actually, I believe that this stereotypical method quite often in our culture isn’t always the most effective. Did you know that historical data shows that over 75% (three-fourths) of all conversions occur in the context of a family or personal friendship? This suggests that lifestyle evangelism is the most effective method of evangelism for inviting people into a personal relationship with Christ? This is according to the Church Growth Inc.

In Acts 13:47 it says this: ‘For this is what the Lord has commanded us: “I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.”’ (NIV)

Regardless of whether you consider yourself an evangelist or not, we are all called to share our faith and be a light to those who don’t know Jesus!

So, how can we share our faith effectively? Here are 8 ideas that I hope will help you to be more confident to share your faith in a relational way.

RELAX – It’s going to be okay!

Sharing your faith with someone can be scary, it is a vulnerable thing to do. However, you do not need to put too much pressure on yourself. The first step really is just to relax. You do not need to have a PhD in Theology. Sharing your faith is to share with someone all that God has done in your life. To share the hope of Jesus with them.

Jesus commands us to share our faith – we call this the Great Commission. But Jesus never commands us to do this on our own. In Matthew 20:18-20, Jesus says:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

We have the Holy Spirit with us, so allow him to guide you and help you.

Pray for yourself and them

Secondly, pray. Prayer is essential in our lives as Christians, but it can be easy to be complacent and forget the power of prayer. Prayer is powerful! James 5:15 says that the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

We need to pray for salvation for those around us. We can share the gospel with people and plant seeds in their hearts, but it is only God who saves. It is only an encounter with God which will see a life changed. The beauty of evangelism is that God partners with us. He uses us to share Jesus with others! Prayer for the unsaved is another way we can partner with God and see God changing lives and situations around us. Just be ready, because if you pray for a friend, you might just find that God opens up an opportunity for you to share your faith with them.

However, when we pray, we do not just need to pray for other people, but we should also be praying for ourselves. We should be praying for the Holy Spirit to empower us, and ask God to see other people how He sees them. I truly believe that when we see people the same way that God does, when we experience that deep love for others, and the sadness that they do not know Jesus, when we reach out for them we have a God given motivation for caring about them. This authenticity is such an incredibly powerful thing. When was the last time you asked God to be able to see people as he sees them? When we do, we find that hearts break for the lost, and we can do nothing else but want to share Jesus with them! 

Focus on Friendship

Some people start following Jesus, and then only surround themselves with Christians. I’ve never really understood this! We need friends from a variety of cultures and backgrounds. Diversity adds so much value to our lives! Through sharing our lives with people, they can see our vulnerability and struggles, but also the difference that faith has in your life. That something shines out of you which doesn’t make sense in this broken, fallen world. That something is, of course, Jesus and the hope he brings to your life.

When a close friend who doesn’t know Jesus, sees God’s unconditional love flowing out of you in the context of your friendship, that friend will see Christ in you.

Sometimes being a light is demonstrating the impact that Jesus has on your life, and the hope that you have in Christ, and waiting for opportunities to share your faith with them. Offer prayer and speak hope into their lives.

1 Peter 3:15 says that we should in our hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But to do this with gentleness and respect.

Vulnerability is Key

We should be the kind of Christian that people who don’t know Jesus want to meet! We need to remember that friendship goes both ways. To build a genuine, authentic friendship with someone, servanthood should be mutual. Yes, we should ready and willing to serve the lost, to share Jesus with them and to disciple them if they make a decision to follow Jesus. But how many of us would allow that other person to serve us? Most of us are willing to serve the lost, but would you ever ask the lost to serve you? Does pride get in way? Real friends show their weaknesses and are humble enough to ask others for help.

We should be wanting genuine friendships with people, not just being their friend to get them to come to church. People are NEVER projects. A genuine love for someone should be unconditional, you should always be able to have a friendship.

We can’t expect other people to be vulnerable with us, if we cannot be vulnerable with them too. Our friendships must be rooted in a deep sense of the value of people. 2 Timothy 4:2 says this: ‘We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.’ 

Allow your worlds to mix

Invite your Christian and non-Christian friends out together at the same time, stop keeping them separated! When Jesus said, “I will make you fishers of men,” he was referring to believers working nets as a team, not fishing alone with a rod and reel. Sometimes you will have Christian friends who can connect with a non-Christian friend on a deeper level that you can because they have a shared interest. Watch God work through community, because different Christians can show different aspects of Christ love to people.

I used to find this really hard to do. I can remember once as a teenager I purposely had two birthday parties to avoid the two groups mixing because I was scared that they wouldn’t get along, or that one of the groups would find something out that would make things awkward. Looking back now, I realise how silly this was, but at the time, my fear was very real.

Authenticity is being you, regardless of the context. We are not called to live a double life.

Matthew 23:27-28 says this: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.  In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.’

God does not value hypocrisy, and neither do your friends, regardless of their opinion on faith.

Share your faith with them in a relevant way

Sharing your faith needs to be relevant. If you are close to someone, if you have a deep relationship, then you should have some awareness of what is going on in their world. You have the opportunity to speak hope and life into specific situations. Sharing how your faith helps you to be hopeful, joyful and passionate about life, and guides the decisions you make, even when things are really hard.

Your story is a great way to share your faith with someone. Talk openly about what God has done in your life, your journey to salvation, healings you have seen or experienced, provision you have received, when we talk about what God has done for us, people cannot argue with our experience.

Romans 1:16 says: For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.

Can you think of some ways that you can share your faith story or experience with someone this week?

The Power of an Invitation

Invite your friend into your church community if they are interested. Whether a Sunday morning, social event or Alpha course, there are lots of ways to extend an invitation.

Did you know that it takes 6-8 invitations sometimes for people to accept an invitation to church? How often do we give up inviting someone after trying once or twice? If someone turns down an invitation, keep praying for them, spending time with them, and wait for another opportunity – God will give you one!

An invitation isn’t the Gospel, but for many people, it is a step closer to Jesus.

Be Yourself

My final suggestion is simple: be you. You don’t need to change your personality to share your faith. Share your faith within your own personality and character, your own way. We all need the Holy Spirit to guide us, help us and give us boldness and courage.

 

What top tips do you have for sharing your faith with your friends?