Dear Doves,

 

As with most great advice, sometime the simple stuff is not always obvious.  So when I came across the following article, I was thoroughly impressed.  Hopefully, you will be too:

 

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It's one thing to share Jesus from a pulpit, a TV studio, or a computer screen. It's another to share Him ON A PERSON-TO-PERSON BASIS.  It's THE PERSON-TO-PERSON method that I want to focus on today.

Most evangelicals have been trained by some local church to knock on doors, invite people to OUR church, and leave some salvation tract with them.  Although this method may yield SOME result - and it certainly IS BETTER THAN NOTHING - it's NOT the best way, and it's not the method Jesus or His apostles used.

That it's NOT the best method IS PROVEN by the fact that it has spawned a whole generation of confused, anorexic Christians, who live 90% of the time in worldly pursuits, who wouldn't share Christ with an 8-year old, and worse, wouldn't even KNOW HOW.

For starters, your goal is NOT to get people to attend or "join" your local church.

Repeat: your goal is NOT to increase attendance or membership for your local church.

Nor is it to increase Sunday school attendance.

Nor is it to bring someone into YOUR denomination, should you have one.

That may serve THE PASTOR'S personal interests, BUT IT'S NOT IN JESUS' BEST INTEREST.

Your goal is TO BRING THAT ONE SOUL to faith in Christ, PERIOD.

WHERE he or she chooses to attend church - IF he or she chooses to attend on a regular basis AFTER receiving Christ - IS ENTIRELY UP TO HIM OR HER!

That's between Jesus and them. Let it go.

One-on-one evangelism requires that you INVEST TIME in, and BECOME FRIENDS WITH, that person:

1. GAIN THEIR TRUST

Focus on ONE person at a time.

Step one is to CULTIVATE that relationship, BECOME their friend, GRADUALLY get them to open up and GAIN THEIR TRUST. 

You must have GENUINE interest in that person and demonstrate that you like them, UNCONDITIONALLY, NO STRINGS ATTACHED.

DON'T PRY. DON'T PUSH. Don't make them uncomfortable: Let THEM open up ON THEIR OWN.

Talk as you would to any other friend: about your jobs, families, interests, likes, dislikes etc.

It's A LOT easier to bring A FRIEND to Christ than a stranger: Someone who likes us and trusts us and with whom we share OTHER INTERESTS:

Someone, in short, who's become our buddy.

2. FIND SOMETHING YOU BOTH LIKE

You don't have to START BY talking about Jesus. Talk about something else that interests you both.

If he likes football, or cars, or airplanes, then talk football, cars and airplanes. If she is into fashion, or movies, or cooking, or gardening, TALK ABOUT THAT.

Hang out. Meet for coffee. Have lunch. Go to the movies. Have them over for dinner, or to watch that "all-important" game on TV.

And BE THERE for them whenever possible: if he needs help changing a tire, or picking out a new computer, or if she needs to get her nails done, or someone to babysit.

3. Once steps one and two are met, THE REST IS A CINCH.

At some point that person will CONFIDE IN YOU and share something deeply personal, something that troubles him/her, or some challenge he/she is facing...

THAT'S when the door opens wide AND YOU SHOULD THEN GENTLY, LOVINGLY AND PROUDLY, INTRODUCE JESUS TO THEM.

4. DON'T COMPLICATE IT. KEEP IT SIMPLE.

Jesus' Message is SIMPLE.

It's GOOD news:

His ETERNAL, ABUNDANT Life in exchange for your heart.

His PERFECT righteousness in exchange for your COMPLETE TRUST.

He will forgive EVERY sin EVER committed (Matthew 12:31-32), ERASE it, come to LIVE IN YOUR HEART, and you'll NEVER be lonely again.

You can ACTUALLY EXPERIENCE the Living God and He is THE MOST EXCITING, Wonderful Person you've ever met.

He's is ALWAYS WITH YOU, you can talk to Him ANYTIME you want, day or night, and He's 100% on your side.

There is NO BETTER NEWS ANYWHERE than THAT!

5. CLOSE THE DEAL

After THEY OPEN UP and you tell them how totally Wonderful Jesus is, don't leave them hanging. CLOSE THE DEAL:

"You know, Bob, as much as you know that I like football... man, there's NOTHING in this world that compares with EXPERIENCING Jesus in your innermost being.

There's NO HIGHER "high" than that.

Jesus is THE ANSWER to any problem you're facing, and He will give you THE WISDOM to deal with ____.

He's made a HUGE DIFFERENCE in my life, and I know He'll do the same for you:  ALL you gotta do is INVITE Him into your heart.

Would you like to receive Him into your heart and EXPERIENCE Christ right now (I promise you'll thank me later)?

When Bob or Stacey says "yes", LEAD THEM in a SIMPLE prayer to do just that.

6. DON'T ABANDON THEM

After they come to Christ, you need to be an EVEN CLOSER friend than before.

They'll have questions along the way that you need to answer.

They'll need some guidance.

Start them off by reading the NEW Testament. Begin with the Gospel of John.

Better yet: have a 15-minute Bible study TOGETHER twice a week.

If he or she wants to congregate it's A LOT BETTER, MORE PRODUCTIVE, and much less intimidating to a new believer, to join a HOME-BASED Bible study/prayer group where it's more personal, you can ask questions, interact with OTHER believers and make new friends, than attending a local church, especially some MEGA 18,000-member church that meets in A HUGE FORTRESS-like building. 

There's also NO PRESSURE about "joining" anything.

At some point AFTER they've received Christ they should be baptized in water, in obedience to Christ's directive. You or the leader of that home study group can immerse them either in a private or public pool, or in a river.

I discourage baptisms in lakes, because of the danger of predators (alligators, etc.) and bacteria.

There you have it: SIX EASY steps.

There's NO EXCUSE for NOT sharing Jesus.

Keeping Him all to ourselves is SUPREME SELFISHNESS. 

Don't appear before the King of kings empty-handed.  Jesus doesn't want gold or silver.  What He values more than ANYTHING, is A SAVED SOUL (Mark 8:36).

Now, go get ‘em, tiger!

 

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Brothers and sisters, are you ready to meet the Lord in the sky?  Repent and believe that grace is by faith alone and can ONLY be attained through Jesus Christ.  Get ready and leave the temptations of this world behind and ready yourself as a Bride.

 

Surely, time is almost up.

 

YbiC, MathMan