Evangelism
Biblical evangelism begins with prayer for the guidance of the Holy Spirit in witnessing, open doors of opportunity, and a clear understanding of the bad news of sin and wrath and the good news of love, grace, mercy, and faith. In The Word Ministries ensures that Biblical truth is priority.
When trying to decide how to share Christ with someone, the starting point should be the same as that of John the Baptist and Jesus Himself. Matthew 3:2 tells us that John began his ministry with the words “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Repentance refers to a “change of mind,” which implies sorrow for past offences. What man could not do to save himself, God accomplished on the cross. Jesus exchanged His righteous, holy nature for our sinful nature so that we can stand before God completely clean and pure, new creations with the old sin nature gone forever, (2nd Corinthians 5:17-21).
We are here to bring you the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, in word, deed, and through evangelism which leads to discipleship in some cases.
Street Evangelism
Street preaching, or preaching openly in a public area, has been a method used throughout the history of Christianity for the purpose of evangelizing people who would not typically enter a church. Ever since the apostle Peter preached in the streets of Jerusalem in Acts 2, Christians have used this method to lead many to faith in Christ.
Evangelism Approaches
Direct
This approach involves directly preaching the gospel, often to more than one person. Direct evangelism is straight to the point–less focused on building relationships or arguments and more on just getting the message out there in a strong way. One example of this is Peter’s address to the crowd at Pentecost in Acts 2. He directly lays out who Jesus is and what the crowd needed to do to get right with God. The direct approach is what many picture when they hear the word evangelism, but there are many other approaches as well.
Apologetic
An apologist is someone who defends a belief using logical arguments and evidence. An apologetic approach to evangelism focuses more on intellectual persuasion, perhaps overcoming a person’s hesitation by assuring them that the Gospel is true and trustworthy. These discussions may focus on history, science, or other issues that are important to the person being witnessed to. Paul shared an example of this in Acts 17:16-34 when he argued in front of the Athenians using their own culture and literature.
Testimonial
This approach relies less on intellectual argument and instead just focuses on telling a story–your personal story. You can simply tell how Jesus has changed your life or how you became a Christian. It doesn’t have to be miraculous or flashy, only true. In John 9, the blind man whom Jesus healed did just this before the Jewish leaders. He didn’t try to argue who Jesus was; he simply said, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” (John 9:25, NIV).
Relational
Many times, evangelism and discipleship happen through building a personal relationship with someone. This approach takes time but can be very effective. If someone knows you genuinely care about them rather than seeing them as a potential “convert,” they may be more receptive to hearing about the gospel that’s changed your life. One example of this is Jesus eating with tax collectors and other “sinners” at Levis’ house in Luke 5:27-32. His calling came through spending time with them, eating, and talking.
Invitational
Another way to share the gospel is by inviting friends, family, neighbors, coworkers, etc. to come with you to services, Bible studies, etc. at your church. They may be more comfortable going with someone they know, and you can help talk through the experience afterward. Another alternative is starting your own Bible study at your home and inviting people to that. John 1:46 shows an example of invitational evangelism when Philip invites Nathaniel to “come and see.”
Service/Life-based
Finally, in 1 Peter 2, Peter makes it clear that our actions are just as important as our words. As we share the gospel, we should remember that people are watching how we live and how we choose to spend our time and resources. Sometimes acts of service can demonstrate that we care about others and want their well-being, creating an excellent opening for sharing the good news of the gospel.