Personal Evangelism is a process, not an event.
By process, I mean a number of intentional reoccurring events rather than a “flash in the pan” random act of sharing one’s faith devoid of any preparation or groundwork being laid in effort to connect one with the person and work of Jesus Christ.
Here are four things to keep in mind as you witness to and pray specifically for the salvation of those who are far from God.
1 ) Make it Personal
While one can witness without developing a relationship, personal evangelism needs to be just that, personal. Apart from relationship, the personal element is lost, and the trust of the messenger is virtually nonexistent. Trust for one another is rooted in an investment of time and shared experience which cultivates into relationship. The saying holds true, “people don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”
2) Make Progress
Moreover, personal evangelism must be a process which makes progress. Sharing coffee for years without ever sharing Christ is not evangelism, its unequally yoked fellowship with nonbelievers. Christians are charged with the responsibility of clearly communicated the message of the cross without reservation. The effective evangelist will be able to explain three things with clarity and relative ease:
- What my life was like before I met Christ?
- How did I come to know Christ as Savior, Lord and Life?
- How has my life changed since coming to know Christ?
We need to be able to tell the story of why Jesus is important to us. If we can’t, how will we convince anyone else that Jesus is important for them?
3) Maintain Right Perspective
We need to keep right perspective in our evangelism efforts. We must know our part and God’s part and be able to differentiate between the two. We are messengers who share the truth of the Gospel with those who are far from God. Those with whom we share the Gospel are completely dependent upon the Holy Spirit moving and working in their own hearts and lives to affect the miracle of regeneration. We tell the truth, and God does the saving.
4) Pray, Pray, and Keep on Praying
Most importantly, we must soak every effort we make for the Kingdom in prayer. Pray that God would soften hearts to be receptive to the Gospel and pray that God would use us as His agents to proclaim the Good News of Jesus with power and boldness to those who are lost and headed for eternal damnation. To claim to be concerned about the salvation of others without being concerned enough to pray is a sign of one of two things, ignorance or hypocrisy.
We have a divine mandate to reach out to those far from God with the hope that only Christ can offer. Make it personal, make progress, maintain right perspective, and pray, pray and keep on praying. Perhaps you’ll get to see someone pass from death to life as God uses you to light up the darkness.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing (Jn. 15:5).”