A fundamental component of many religions, specifically Christianity, is spreading one’s faith.
In 2009, an online survey of 2,500 protestant churches was conducted by Lifeway Research.
The study revealed that around 1 in 10 churchgoers (10%) average at least one monthly evangelistic conversation.
I would not want to see what the numbers are today!
I had the awesome privilege of joining The Kingdom Move’s conversation on Modern Evangelism yesterday.
Here are the questions that were asked and my responses.
I thought sharing this might be helpful for somebody who feels the burden of evangelism.
We’ve got work to do!
How Do You Know If You Are Called to Evangelize?
“‘Not called!’ did you say? ‘Not heard the call,’ I think you should say. Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help. Go stand by the gates of hell, and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father’s house and bid their brothers and sisters, and servants and masters not to come there. And then look Christ in the face, whose mercy you have professed to obey, and tell him whether you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish his mercy to the world.”
William Booth, an English preacher and founder of the Salvation Army.
Romans 10:14 asks the question, “How will they hear without a preacher?”
What Do I Do When I Feel Called to Evangelize?
“Could a mariner sit idle if he heard the drowning cry? Could a doctor sit in comfort and just let his patients die? Could a fireman sit idle, let men burn and give no hand? Can you sit at ease in Zion with the world around you damned?”
Leonard Ravenhill, preacher and soul-winning evangelist of his day.
In other words, when you feel the call of Jesus, there is simply one thing for you to do: GO!
What Are Effective Ways to Approach Daily Witnessing?
Pray – Ask the Lord to direct your path to share the Gospel with someone. Also, ask for a holy boldness.
Know your testimony – What message are you trying to leave with the individual? How did you come to know Jesus? What has your experience been like since following Jesus?
Find relevant and relatable points that anyone can connect with.
Build a relationship – One of the greatest ways to win someone over to Jesus is through relationships.
I read a book recently that spoke of how most of the people in their church came to know Jesus through the influence and witness of another individual.
They won more souls to Jesus through one-on-one than altar calls.
Use wisdom – Provers 11:30 says, “He who wins souls is wise.”
There is a saying called “read the room,” which simply means to feel out the person or energy in the room.
Look out for body language and attitudes to know when to be quiet or when to shift the conversation.
What Role Does Outreach Play in Evangelism?
In Acts 1:8, Jesus told His disciples that they would be witnesses in Jerusalem first, then Judaea, then Samaria, then the uttermost part of the earth.
We often harp on “nations” calling us when we neglect the world in our neighborhoods, communities, and cities.
Volunteering at a shelter, blessing someone at a restaurant, visiting widows, etc., are vital relationship-building opportunities.
These are opportunities to show the love of Jesus because we do not know a person’s past experience with the “Church” or someone who claimed to be a “Christian.”
I know that paying for someone’s food is always a good conversation starter because the mystery question is always, “Why would you do this for me?”
We have them hooked, and now we can share about John 3:16 and how Jesus died for our sins.
“Why would He do that for us?” Because He loves us.
It’s a great way to lean into the Gospel message.
Is Street Ministry for Everybody?
If street ministry is not for everybody, the microphone and platform should not be either.
Often, there is an unhealthy craving for the platform and a neglect for the street. Jesus’ primary ministry was in the streets.
Perhaps people wonder if street ministry is for them because it lacks the “crowd” or the level of attention they might receive in a church building.
Their heart is not for souls but to be seen by men.
“When Andrew went to find his brother, he little imagined how eminent Simon would become….You may be very deficient in talent yourself, and yet you may be the means of drawing to Christ one who shall become eminent in grace and service.”
The great theologian Charles Spurgeon.
When souls become the primary focus, questions of where or when are of no consequence.
How Do You Do Street Ministry Effectively?
When I attended a college in Ohio, we went into the hardest parts of the streets where prostitutes and gang leaders parade.
Our strategy was to use candy bags, which gave us a door for conversation and relationship-building.
Also, picking certain locations and going back can help with reinforcement.
Every time you return, the Gospel message can pull back a layer in someone’s heart til Jesus eventually wins them over.
What Are Some Effective Strategies for Evangelizing Young Millennials and Gen Z?
I was part of missions training during my undergraduate studies at Oral Roberts University.
In our training, Professor Loscher had a session for youth ministry. Here were some valuable keys I learned:
- Youth needs people to listen to them. Listen more than you talk.
- Their main focus now is their identity, belonging, and purpose. They need more Christ-centered answers to the questions they have concerning those areas.
- Youths today tend to be anxious because external stressors become internal pressures, adaptive as they adjust with creativity and agility to the new needs and opportunities they face, diverse in their ethnicity, culture, socioeconomic status, gender identity, values, and worldview, and wrangling in questions that have life-shaping power.
To have good relationships with youth, we need to notice the questions being asked, approach them as learners (hear them out to understand why they believe what they believe), and use the power of “I don’t know” (but I’ll help you find out).
Remain authentic to the standard of holiness and our convictions.
Trying to blend in with them will not help them.
They will appreciate the stand for holiness in the end than us compromising to seem “cool” or “trendy.”
Young people are not looking for something in Christ that they can have or find in the world.
How to Use Social Media to Evangelize?
- Know your target audience. – Yes, the Gospel is for everyone, but you may have a specific burden for a specific group. Once your target is known, create content that is tailor-made for them, that is relevant, relatable and still gets the message across without compromising the Gospel.
- Capitalize on trending “big topics.” – Social media platforms frequently host debates and conversations about a wide range of subjects. We should take advantage of these occasions to kindly offer our viewpoints from a biblical perspective.
- Use the features. – Social media is constantly advancing and upgrading so users can become better engaged with each other. Live streaming is a great tool to expand reach and invite audiences into a faith-based community. There are a lot of voices out there, so why not use ours?
- Share other resources. – We can find a wealth of resources on social media. Sharing sermons, podcasts, and articles from reliable sources online can foster spiritual development and offer insightful information. We should also encourage discussion, question-asking, and prayer from their online community.
How Can You Create Compelling Content That Doesn’t Sacrifice the Integrity of the Gospel?
We must realize that the goal is not to go viral.
We are not doing it for millions of people to view our content just because it may look or sound good.
We are not doing it for the thousands of shares or likes on a post. When that becomes our goal, we become at our audience’s mercy.
We become more concerned about not getting “canceled” on social media rather than proclaiming the unadulterated word of God.
We cater to what the followership WANTS rather than what they NEED, which is truth.
We have become more concerned about “losing” followers than making a Kingdom impact.
Galatians 1:10 (KJV) says, “For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.”
“Must I go, and empty-handed,”
Thus my dear Redeemer meet?
Not one day of service give Him,
Lay no trophy at His feet?
Must I meet my Savior so?
Not one soul with which to greet Him:
Must I empty-handed go?
O ye saints, arouse, be earnest,
Up and work while yet ’tis day;
Ere the night of death o’ertake thee,
Strive for souls while still you may.
Charles C. Luther, Must I Go, and Empty-Handed?
Ready to share your faith? Start today by using these evangelism strategies!
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Raphael R. Roker 