What if you try to preach the gospel to someone but they don't listen? Here are four tips for better evangelism.
We should be wise, and most importantly, be honest when preaching.
Previously, a man named Canaan Xiu hyped up the fact that he had shared the gospel with a former prime minister in China. Believing it, many believers forwarded the message. Finally, he apologized for the false testimony, which not only humiliated the Lord's name but also hurt those simple believers. We must distinguish between true and false testimony of others to avoid being deceived or relaying false testimony.
We can see that Christians are not confident, from the false testimony of evangelizing high-ranking officials. If we believe that the gospel is the truth and that Christ is the Savior, why should we rely on some famous persons’ conversion? Christians should bear witness to Jesus by their own words, deeds, and lives.
Many people admired the faith of Roman Emperor Constantine the Great (AD 306-337), because of whom Christianity began to transition to the dominant religion of the Roman Empire. But in fact, before that, Christians had done many wonderful things, such as respecting women without status and caring for the sick during the plague, which received public recognition.
We have to bear witness to Christ with our lives, not just by Bible verses.
Passionate about evangelism, a female Christian prays desperately that her friends could believe in the Lord. Ignoring her friend's struggles and difficulties, she opens her mouth with "the Bible says…". Instead of listening, she attributes all the unsatisfactory things to that person's unbelief in the Lord, which more or less causes the disgust of the listener.
If we have the same problem, as others don’t turn to Jesus just by listening to what I say, we should live out what we believe. Such testimony is more powerful and our words can be accepted by unbelievers. Later, we can explain biblical truths to them systematically.
We should change the strategy of evangelism in this era.
Many Christians can recall the street sermons of the older generation, which is not allowed nowadays. In addition, many believers distribute gospel tracts on the road. Maybe we can do it, but how effective is it? Thinking about a street leaflet, people either won´t pick it up or will just throw it into the trash can. Not only will the believers feel hurt themselves, but it will also leave a bad impression on passersby.
In the need of the gospel and the Lord to reign in their lives, the youth are becoming more pragmatic, as they need to work hard to raise children and buy a car and house. How many Christians are willing to approach them, to care for them, or to empathize with their real situation?
Christians need to reach out to people, no longer living in their own religious group.
Influenced by fundamentalism, many Christians believe that the world is degenerate. Between the church and society, they have a sacred-profane dichotomy, which artificially separates believers from non-believers. But how can non-Christians believe, if no Christians enter the crowd to witness the gospel through charity activities, medical care, and cultural participation?
Going into society, Christians should remain unaffected by the world. But how can they bear witness to the Lord, if they cannot live in the holy estate of marriage, work with integrity, or have a harmonious family? Not only do we have to live out the faith, but we also have to share our stories with others, putting the lamp on the lampstand to lead the lost.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
