The treasures you will find in heaven are the people you influenced while on their road to it.
Evangelical Methods;
- Informational Evangelism – Getting the gospel in front of people’s eyes or in their ears using the advertising concept of “product placement”. This gives anyone the opportunity to view the gospel or hear the gospel anywhere it is presented.
Examples of informational evangelism;
- Gospel Billboards – A simplified gospel complimented by appealing graphics could draw attention and plant many seeds to people passing by.
- Gospel Tracts – Passed out or left in a place for somebody to find; these can be an effective tool for getting the point across.
- Letters and Emails – Slipping the gospel in at the foot of a letter or in an email signature could be a great way of having the gospel fly in under the radar. The letter could also contain the gospel or scripture based references to point the reader in that direction.
- Bulletin Boards – Anyone can post up the gospel to any of these to get the good news into an office, laundry room, gym, hotel, etc.
- Online Placement – The internet is the “information superhighway” and billions of people use it every day. Anywhere you can post the good news online is as follows.
- Your Blog – If you have a blog, you have readers. Post about Jesus
- Face Book – Witness on your profile, in a conversation or in a comment.
- Twitter – Tweet about God, church news, miracles, Christian concerts, etc.
- Your Web Site – Just like your blog, you can put something in it about Jesus.
- Social Platforms & Dating Sites – These heavily trafficked areas can get the word out to many people all over the world. Post about Jesus. Amen!
- Niche & DIY Web Sites – We can find info for auto repair and other advice on these types of web sites. You can create a Gospel Signature on your profile so when you communicate; it show up with each post.
- Church & Alter Calls – People go to church for personal reasons and that doesn’t mean they are saved. The message topic doesn’t always center around Salvation, but the end allows for a clever placement of the gospel. Invite people and make sure to say how great the fellowship is along with the singing and children’s area.
Informational Evangelism is a great tool for planting seeds and leading people to Christ.
Where could you start placing the gospel so that it can be found and understood?
- Relational Evangelism – You may be the only Bible someone will ever read. Live your life in the best way you know how and let the Holy Spirit guide you towards witnessing opportunities with the people in your life. There is no limit to the amount of people you can influence to Jesus.
We are going to do a 4 week study on this topic later on.
The basic principles in this type of evangelism are as follows;
- Listen to the Holy Spirit – How to discern spiritual promptings and learn from Jesus, the Master of evangelism, how to walk across the room to start a meaningful conversation.
- The Friend Bond – How you can build friendships that lead to spiritual conversations.
- Testimony or Story – Telling your story in a humble way that points to God’s glory and leaves the door open to share his story of redemption.
- Grander Vision Living – You will learn to live life with a Grander Vision in mind, seeing through God’s priorities of bringing people to him.
Think about who you can start to influence and where your testimony can benefit someone.
Who comes to mind when you think about think of relational evangelism?
- Confrontational Evangelism – Community witnessing or direct contact with a stranger is at the core of this type of evangelism. This includes evangelizing with a loudspeaker to a crowd, but it is better when you talk to smaller group of people and best when it is 1 or 2 people.
The smaller the audience; the more intimate and engaging the conversation is. It is very important to connect with people while you take them through the basics of the Gospel.
The Holy Spirit will guide you through this process, but some people are more sensitive than others to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
Once you have dealt with the Bad News and the Good News; you are ready to close the deal.
This is the time where you tell them that you would be “honored to pray with them” and lead them to a quick and simple prayer of Salvation. If they say no; try and figure out the problem so you can overcome it if possible. Some people will reject the Gospel and it is important not to take it personally. they are rejecting God, not you. Wish them well and move on. If they say yes, pray with them, thank God for the opportunity and lead them through the sinner’s prayer.
Make sure to get a Gospel tract in their hand and ask them to read it and invite them to church.
Give them a hug and send them on their way. Try and get their contact info to follow up on them for discipleship later on.
- Passing out Tracts – This goes hand in hand with Confrontational Evangelism as it involves approaching strangers. You have the opportunity to go over the Gospel with them or just hand them the tract and wish them well. Make sure to look presentable and be in a good mood.
Be sure to read the material you hand out so you can answer questions if any.
Tract Selection;
- Dollar Bill Tracts – People keep them because they are cool looking. Who wants money?
- Simple Foldable Tracts – Miniature and brochure type tracts get to the point quickly.
- Chic Tracts – Small comic style booklets that are fun to read.
- DVD Tracts – Gospel movies you can give away or loan out.
- Trivia Tracts – Tracts with questions you can answer that make it fun.
- Flyer Tracts – One page tracts on card stock that are double sided.
- Themed Tracts – Tracts that are meant to connect with certain people or groups.
Discipleship;
Discipleship is an important part of the body of Christ and is essential for church growth and for the spiritual health of its members. We are to be disciples first and then disciple others.
Some methods of discipleship are as follows;
- Bible Studies – Know your Bible and study it with family and friends. This is very important for spiritual growth and is a great bonding opportunity for believers.
- Church Invitations – Pastors, worship leaders, prayer councilors & elders have an important task of creating a place for believers to worship & grow together. Inviting people to join the experience is a great way to disciple people. If they come, they will benefit from it.
- Church Growth – The larger a church gets, the more influence it has on the community around it. This provides a way to disciple the city. It takes time, but more and more people will attend and lives will be changed. The more dedicated and serious Christians we have, the better because these are the types that make a difference.
- Church Plants – Once a church has reached a certain point, it can help create another church by transplanting some of its members to serve on staff and at a pastoral level. The financial part of planting another location is possible when the members are faithful in their tithes and offerings and when God makes it happen. It is all in his timing, but those that step out in faith are key to this process.
Think about how you can disciple somebody. Then, who comes to mind?