Sharing Christ with Others

We live in a country with almost unlimited Christian resources. There seems to be a church on every corner. Christian schools, bookstores, radio stations and opportunities for every walk of life. However, the Christian faith is losing ground every single day. Our churches are dying, our stores are closing and countless opportunities go unclaimed because  there is an inherent problem with our concept of Christian doctrine.

We say,” Come”  to those who want to learn our way of life, when we should be sending our believers out into the world to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If you truly want something you have to go get it. You cannot expect it to come to you. The Bible tells us that we should let our light shine on top of a hill, and I am afraid that most of us let our light shine inside of a building that most people  never enter.  We are so busy with secondary things in the church today that we fail to see that the world is dying.

The Gospel is the greatest story we could ever tell and most of us want to witness to others but we rarely do.  There are many people out there who are ready to respond to the Gospel . They are waiting for you and me to give them a personal invitation to know Jesus Christ. This is what the Pocket Christian tries to do. To arm you  with the basic facts of evangelism inspired by the passion of the Holy Spirit to help lead you to the fulfillment of the Great Commission.

One of my favorite songs is by Casting Crowns, It  goes like this,  “ Father hear my prayer, I need the perfect words, words that he will hear, and know they are straight from You.  I don’t know what to say, I only know it hurts to see my only friend slowly fade away. So maybe this time I’ll speak the words of life with Your fire in my eyes, but that old familiar fear is tearing at my words, what am I so afraid of!  So here I go again talking about the rain, and mulling over things that won’t make it past today, and I will dance around the truth. Time is not his friend, this might be the last time to tell him that You love him, so Here I go again!”

When we were kids we learned evangelism in Bible study by the number 15. We should at least spend 15 minutes a day reading our Bible, 15 minutes a day in prayer and 15 minutes a day sharing with someone else what we read.  When we become adults there should be some urgency to our calling because people separated from Christ are lost. They are swimming in a cesspool of sin, and if no one throws them a lifeline they will be yanked down into the abyss of hell for eternity.

Becoming a professional fisherman today is a requirement of every Christian. We, as saved people, are to communicate the good news to the lost.  We are to  make disciples of those who will hear and obey the Word of God. In fact the Greek word martyr means “ a witness.”

The basic definition for evangelism is to present  Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and leave the results to God. I disagree with this assessment because I don’t believe that the concept of share and walk will produce very much fruit. If you are going to go to all the trouble to plant the seed you might as well give the new seedling some water and nourishment to see if it will grow.

God expects us to fulfill His purposes. A born again Christian  cannot take his relationship with God seriously without dealing with the issue of soul winning. There are two  giant bridges to cross before most Christians can further their walk with God . One is tithing and the second is soul winning.

Lets just get off the subject for a minute and discuss tithing. Everything you own, everything you are and everything you will be is because of your relationship with Jesus Christ. Without Him you have nothing. When you tithe you are simply giving back a portion of success that He has given you. I am in a contest with God, a contest I can never win.  Because the more I give the more He gives me in return. It is a gloriously rewarding battle I always lose.  I love Him so much because of the way He does things. It amazes me that so many people are blind to His way of doing business.

When we witness to other people  we make great gains in our own spiritual maturity. This maturity is founded on two basic principles. We grow as Christians through self discipline and the total surrender of our lives to Christ.  When we control our words and actions  we grow in Christ and we set an example to others in deed and truth. Your mind and body are similar in this respect. If you feed them good and wholesome food your mind and body will grow  in a good way. Of course the opposite is also true. What goes in is generally the same thing that comes out. Filth goes in, filth comes out. Goodness goes in, goodness comes out.

The song goes, “ I surrender all.” The fact of the matter is the smartest thing I ever did was to surrender my Life, my will, my emotions and my possessions to Jesus Christ. I didn’t have anything I thought was worthy, but since I have done just that He has blessed me beyond  belief.

When we share Christ with others it motivates us  to read our Bible more. It places a desire in our hearts to pray more. The fact of the matter is you can only pray for so long about yourself, but you can pray for others for hours. If we are faithful in witnessing the reward and joy we see through the eyes of others is by far the greatest gift on this earth, and our reward cannot be measured in this life alone.

Never underestimate the impact you have on an individual you shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ with. Why it was just a lowly shoe salesman who witnessed to Dwight L. Moody. From just a few  minutes of a poor man’s times the Moody Bible Institute was founded. People like R.A. Torrey, J. Vernon McGee and Billy Graham  learned how to evangelize through Dr. Moody’s school.

The Son of God  didn’t come to earth to teach us how to live, However the example He set has not been duplicated until this day. He didn’t come to earth to teach us a moral code. However, His behavior on this earth was  sinless. He came to die and to be resurrected from the dead to redeem or pay the ransom for our sins so we might live forever. In every gospel you will find the recording of the Great Commission.

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Mathew 28:19 – 20 “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.  He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. Mark 16:15 – 16

“Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,  and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.  And you are witnesses of these things. Luke 24:47 – 48

So Jesus said to them again,  “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”  John 20:21

Christ shared His plan of salvation to everyone who would listen and from those who paid attention  He selected a small group of people He knew the others would follow. His disciples were recognized only by their association with Jesus and their only requirement was loyalty. He freely surrendered all that He was and showed them how to live. He assigned them tasks and supervised their completion. Finally He expected them to produce fruit just as He had produced fruit through them. These are the basics of evangelism. You start with a small  group of believers who study the Bible.  Select  a few of your group to be leaders. You spend extra time with your leaders / disciples until you can build a bond of trust with each other. You prove your faith to them by surrendering your life to Christ.  You let your life be a living testimony for all to see, and then you encourage them to go out and start their own small groups watching over them all along the way.

Now go out and start practicing evangelism. Seek after people who are close to your own heart.  Make yourself approachable to others. Learn to relate to others through their lives. Live your life for them, and watch the love of God grow through you like morning glories in full sunshine. Sometimes it feels like there is a river of love flowing out of my chest. Follow up with people you haven’t seen in a while. Paul was famous for letter writing and, of course, pray continually.

Theology is the systematic  study of religious truths founded on the Word of God.  Theology and evangelism go hand in hand  by wedding practical matters  with the basic doctrine of God. These basics should include: God is the Creator. God is One – in three persons. God is holy which means “to be separate or distinct.” God is love,  and through His love He offers us a personal relationship.

Important theological facts includes the total depravity of human beings. It demonstrates God’s love and God’s justice are in perfect harmony. Salvation comes by the grace of God, it cannot be earned in any other way.  The believer can trust God in knowing that his salvation is secured through His grace.

Our salvation was paid for at a very high price through the work of Jesus Christ.  Some resounding facts we need to convey to others include He was born of a virgin, and His life was sinless.  Our redemption was paid for by the His sacrificial death and resurrection. Other facts about Jesus include His reign in heaven, His impending return and His eternal kingdom.

The atonement of Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of Christianity. He made Himself a sin substitute .  He redeemed us from our sins. He did that by purchasing our freedom with His death. He also justified us like we have never sinned and He sanctified or separated us and our sin  so all may come back into fellowship with God.

One aspect of evangelism that most Christians have difficulty with is the transformed character of a Christian.  When we accept Christ as our Savior we are given a new, divine nature. Unfortunately for us  our old nature will be present in ourselves until the resurrection of the saints. Our new nature has no power to overcome our old habits, and that is exactly what we are  creatures of habit. The psychiatrist tell us our brain has synaptic connections that cause us to be habitual creatures.

However, there is hope, good news for us. The world is not looking for a bunch of “perfect Christians.” They are looking for Christians who are real. They are looking for someone to relate to their own problems and their inadequate ability to overcome their state of separation from God. If God needed perfect human beings to fulfill His task at hand He certainly wouldn’t use us because we are all very far from it . He would simply do it Himself.

There are two traits needed today to advance the kingdom of Jesus Christ. I don’t care if you are of ordinary capability. If you only graduated the 6th grade . A person with great enthusiasm and determination will outperform a person with a graduate degree any day of the week. There are a few basic character traits that God wishes to bestow on us prior to the beginning of our journey.

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,  casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6

Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. 1 Timothy 4:12

Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous;  not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. 1 Peter 3:8  To these things I would like to add integrity.  Examine your behavior because  your actions have consequences. Sometimes it seems I spend half my life just trying to stay out of trouble. So live by principle, not by emotions. Do not spend your time on popular opinions, Instead concern yourself with God. Above all, tell the truth,  for no one can live a lie and get away with it. Lies will always come back to haunt you.

You may not be able to afford a personal trainer when you go and work out at the gym,  However, you have the greatest trainer in existence in your spiritual life, the Holy Spirit. The foundation for all Christian study is the Bible, but what you study is the issue at hand. Some people like to follow a certain preacher. Others are always looking for some kind of sign from God , while  others are basing their experience with God on feelings.  The successful Christian witness is one who uses scripture as their guide.

I don’t want to step on too many toes, but the greatest problem in our church today is idleness. We are obligated by God to read our Bible every day. We fail our Christian responsibility when we do not read our Bible through at least once a year. Our problem is we are lazy. I hear the excuses. It is difficult to understand or it is boring, but that is because reading your Bible is work and we should address  our behavior as such. We should set aside a specific time every day. We should memorize important verses we need to share with others. We should remind ourselves  that people’s lives are at stake. It could be someone in our own family. We should be motivated by obedience to God.

The second greatness problem  with Christians today is the lack of time we spend in prayer. It is the image of our desire to know God. Prayer draws us closer to Him and further away from the lust of the world. It is absolutely essential to Christian growth. After all, the very concept of Christianity is a personal relationship with God.

Our prayer life should  praise God for Who He is. We should thank Him for everything He has done for us. After all, we are the most blessed people on earth.  The Bible says, “ In everything give thanks.” We should daily confess our sins to Him because He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We should go to Him with other people’s troubles. Intercessory prayer  enables us to ask God to tell us what to do on their behalf.  We  should ask God to fill our needs. To watch over us, to guide us and to give us strength through Him. Finally we should listen, because it is not the case as to whether God is speaking to us, but are we listening to what He has to say.

When it comes to sharing the Gospel with someone we should pray for the opportunity. We should ask God to make us a bold witness. We should ask Him to help us  build strong, Christian relationships. We should ask God, as Isaiah did, to open their ears that they may hear, to open their eyes that they may see God’s Word through their hearts.

We should ask that God fill us with the Holy Spirit  so   there will be consistent control throughout our life. So we will produce the fruit of the Spirit and perform the function of the Spirit which is to bear witness to Christ. In turn the Holy Spirit will convict the lost person of their sins. The Holy Spirit  will regenerate the lost person, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.

To prepare to share the Gospel with someone else we need to develop our own testimony. It is best to write our testimony out to help us develop a true story line. Your testimony is unique to you and it is a reflection to the person you wish to share with. The focus is always how Jesus changed our life, how you have felt the presence of His Spirit, and how He has answered your prayers. Try to relive your experience and show that you are convinced that the Bible is true. Your testimony should be relevant and should change as you grow as a Christian. Share some of the scriptures that show the certainty of your salvation.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. John 3:16 – 17

So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Acts 16:31

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. Romans 5:9 – 11 You may never get an opportunity to share your testimony with someone, however, just writing it down can be a great spiritual experience.

Now let’s remove some of the stigmas about sharing God with someone. Witnessing is simply a conversation with another person (s). We overcome our fear by simply doing it. The old adage ,” Practice makes perfect” applies here. We need to prepare ourselves for rejection because some people will not appreciate our perspective. However, we should never take it personally. Look at the countless people who rejected Jesus Christ during His earthly ministry. I have never been one who could go up to another person and start a conversation with someone else about God. I look for people I relate to in every day living. I naturally look for topics in our conversation to express to someone my beliefs. I may get their interest by asking them if they go to church? When people realize that I am a Christian, through my words and my actions, the conversation will lend itself to:

1.) Someone asking me to pray for them. I respond by asking them if they will pray with me right now. We pray for their concerns, and then I share the basics of the Gospel of Christ and invite them to church.

2.) Someone will ask me how that I can be sure the Bible is true. I explain to them that in the beginning I wasn’t sure either, but through Bible study and prayer the  Holy Spirit convinced me that the Word of God was true.

Then there are leading questions like:

1.) Have you gotten to a place in your life where you are certain you have eternal life? The Bible says,  “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.”  John 5:13

2.) If you were standing before God. What would you say to Him if He asked you Why He should let you into heaven? Jesus says,  “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.” John 6:47

These are the facts of this life that no one can dismiss.

1.) For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23

2.) For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23

These are the facts about Jesus Christ.

1.) For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,  who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. Timothy 2:5-6

2.)  Jesus said to him,  “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6

God loved us so much He made the greatest sacrifice of all.

1.) For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit. 1 Peter 3:18

2.) It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification. Romans 4:25

When we believe these things we are saved, not by our own ability but by the grace of God. Now our response to God is to repent from our sins. It’s not just feeling sorry for what we have done. We change direction from sin and walk towards God.

1.) Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. Acts 3:19

2.) Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing.  For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. Corinthians 7:9-10  Then we must place our faith in Jesus Christ and trust Him.

1.)  That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10:9-10

2.) What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? James 2:14

Then we surrender control of our lives over to Jesus Christ. We do this by wanting to be identified in Him through baptism, church membership and service to others.

Now we want to clarify a commitment by asking. “Does what we have been talking about make any sense to you? Is there any reason why you will not be willing to accept Christ as your Savior and accept the gift of eternal life now? Then again you need to clarify the five basic steps in receiving the gift of salvation.

1.) Repent from your sins.

2.) Place your faith in Jesus Christ.

3.) Surrender your life  to Jesus Christ.

4.) Seek out your Spiritual gift (s).

5.) Discover what your special service is to Christ.

Now you tell them,  “lets bow our heads and pray.”

Dear Heaven Father, I admit that I am a sinner. I believe Your Son Jesus Christ died for my sins and was risen from the grave so that I can have fellowship with You.  Please come into my life and lead me in Your ways. In Jesus Christ name I pray,  Amen.”

I believe that every person we come in contact with, we have some obligation to them and God to put forth Who You are. There might be many who disapprove of you but no one will ever question Who You are. I think often times we keep our faith to ourselves so we can blend in with other people leading us to getting involved in sin.

You must be passionate about your relationship in Christ. Witnessing to others is as much about your growth as it is theirs. Unfortunately there are more Christians falling away from Christ as there are coming to Christ.

There are mainly two groups of people who have not responded to the Gospel. Those people who have heard the Gospel and have rejected it, which in my opinion, is a minority. And those who have heard the Gospel from someone who didn’t know the facts themselves. These people believe in God but do not realize the basics of Christianity. Many in this group believe  all you have to do to get to heaven is be good. This second majority group is who we are trying to reach. Billy Graham called them “ an unseeded generation that see the church as irrelevant and a hindrance to progress.”  Most of this group of people have never had the opportunity to understand basic Gospel truths. Many of the objections they raise is a self-defense mechanism to defend certain lifestyle choices they have made.

When dealing with the un-churched we are going to come across many objectionable questions . Some of which we  may not be able to answer. Some questions the Bible may not answer. That is fine because the Bible is a need to know reference book. The main thing is to keep the conversation on the Gospel and let the Holy Spirit lead.

Many objections people will not raise if you approach them with the right attitude. Never argue. Try to negotiate your position. I always place the other person on a pedestal . I humble myself before that person to avoid any suggestion that just because I know Jesus I am somehow better than them. The object here is to be able to present the truth in a loving manner.

When someone does object to something, you may try using a transition statement like, “ You have obviously given that a lot of thought.” Then answer the person’s  remarks with a question. They very well may make some legitimate complaints about this or that church they have attended. Try to express to them that the Christian faith  is  more of a unique relationship with God than it is a  religion. Avoid attacking the other person’s religion because it will never solve anything. Share your testimony with them and express the fact that we are all sinners in need of a Savior.

What about you? How secure are you in your faith? How confident are you that your family and friends are going to heaven?  Nobody likes to think about the end of someone’s life, but people die every day without the saving knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Study this book every day until you are confident in how to share Christ with others. Start with your family and see what responses you get from them. Then move on to  close friends, even if they are Christian. Let them critique your approach. Then move on to acquaintances and finally, total strangers. You will be absolutely surprised at how well you will be received in most quarters. If someone rebukes you the Bible says to shake the dust off your shoes and move on. After all, we are Christians who are to love  our enemies. Salvation is by the grace of God through faith that Jesus Christ was crucified, buried and resurrected from the dead according to the scriptures plus nothing. It is a gift from God. Communication  – we develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ through Bible study and Prayer. We share the gospel of Jesus Christ through our words and actions. Compassion – we are to love one another as we love ourselves. We are to do unto others as we would have others do unto us. Solution – congratulations, you are now a son or daughter of God. You are co – inheritors with Jesus Christ  of all creation. We do not know what we will be, but when we see Jesus we will be like Him.

I would like to thank Alvin Reid for his book  – Introduction to Evangelism. This book was a tremendous resource  and I could not have written this booklet without it. If you would like to learn more about sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ please buy Alvin’s book.