For some people it is very difficult to share their faith and experiences. To be able to do this you simply have to find the courage, even if it makes you nervous. Courage is not the absence of fear but is about doing what is right even when you don't feel safe and comfortable.
Steps
Step 1. Pray before evangelizing
Remember that there is a world of lost souls out there, many of whom have never known the gospel. Ask the Lord to guide you and reread the key verses of the gospel so that you can pass it on to others in an authentic way:
- Isaiah 66: 8, "when labor began for Israel, it was then that she gave birth to her children." The reference is to fatigue and not to an easy task.
- 1 Timothy 2: 1, 4, "Pray for all men … it is God's will that no one perish, but that all be saved." Adopt a possibilist thinking: negativity is not productive.
Step 2. When you are with someone, do not jump directly into the subject of the testimony
Start with a few pleasantries and be interested in the person in front of you and how things have been going with them lately. Don't expect everyone to immediately confide in you. It often takes time for a person to open up.
The Billy Graham Association reported that 90% of converts remain faithful to a church where they have found friends. So if you go to school or college, you can try this experiment: sit next to the same people in the school cafeteria for 3 days and offer them your friendship first; then on the third day present your testimony. You could get surprising results: This person could open their heart to you, talking about themselves for hours and asking you questions about the Bible. Some people who have had this kind of experience have opened several Bible study groups to accommodate their friends' commitments
Step 3. Pay an attentive ear to others
It would not be very nice of you to see the person you are bearing witness to simply as an additional opportunity to evangelize; people like to feel heard. Show them that you really care about their salvation (because it should be important to you!). Be prepared to give an account of your hope.
- An effective tool you can use for evangelism is the survey. You can ask four questions about a person's life, and once you have the information about their needs and beliefs, you can give your testimony based on each point of view. Avoid putting pressure on people who remain closed to you, but persist with those who turn out to be open. The latter, in fact, will let you give your testimony because, since they spoke to you 4 times while you were listening, it would not be polite of them not to let you speak in turn. So if there is interest, this will be a good place to start.
- You can ask pretty much any question, but make sure the fourth question is, "if you died today, do you think you would go to heaven?" People often stumble with this question, so it is good to read John 3:16 to them and ask them to say the sinner's prayer.
Step 4. Talk about the Ten Commandments
You can start by comparing God's holiness with our sinful nature (it is important to emphasize "ours"), or you can begin by reading the Ten Commandments with your interlocutor. Remember that the law is of the proud, but the grace of God is of the humble. People generally think they are good and good; Through the Bible, we know that there is no one perfect except God. Ask your interlocutor if he ever lied, if he ever thought of another person with lust, if he ever stole, and so on.
After having read together the laws of God, perfect for the conversion of the soul (Psalm 19: 7), since we have all sinned and have failed before the glory of God, proceed to give your interlocutor the good news! The true message of the gospel is that God loved us so much that he sent his only son to die for us and take our place on the cross. Be sure to tell him that he needs to repent (change his beliefs) and put all his trust in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. Here is the ABC for becoming a Christian: A (admitting that you are a sinner) B (believing that Jesus his the only child of the living God and that he died for your sins) C (claiming that He is your Lord and Savior) …. but without repentance for our sins, we do not place our complete trust in Him for the remission of our sins
Step 5. See if the person is well disposed and pray together
Finally, if the person appears to be receptive to the gospel or recognizes that they need a savior and repents, placing all their faith in Christ, then proceed, in this wonderful witnessing meeting, by talking to them about the changes that should take place in their life. (being a new person in Jesus Christ, we begin to hate the sin we once loved so much, as sin is against the law of God and against the least of our "brothers and sisters"). An excellent source to draw on and which you can read with your interlocutor to discuss this topic is 1 John. "What was in the beginning … what we have seen and heard we pass on to you, so that you too may be in fellowship with us; and verily, our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ."
James 5:20, "Remember: he who turns a sinner away from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins."
Step 6. Share your testimony to encourage the person, and tell them about your experience and how God has changed your life (in regards to faith and hope, the joy of salvation and love for all humanity, not just for those who are saved)
Advice
- Don't interrupt the other person while sharing their point of view with you. It doesn't matter how misguided his beliefs are; interrupting another person is still rude.
- If in the end the person does not become humble in front of the Lord, simply tell him that you will pray for him, give him some tips and give him a Bible. And always keep a friendly attitude.
- DO NOT immediately throw yourself into a sermon on evil and hellfire and also avoid offering a super simplified version of the prosperity message. It simply reports the basics of the good news of the gospel: how Jesus came from Heaven and endured all the punishments we deserve (not that we deserved (past), but still deserve (present)). Tell the person how He died on the cross so that both you and I could live. He was physically resurrected (in His body) from the grave on the third day and now sits on the right hand of the Father. Show your interlocutor how God's law (the 10 commandments) is like a mirror that reveals all the sins we have committed against the Lord and show him how, by means of the law, we are all condemned to eternal separation from God but how, thank you To our Lord Jesus Christ who paid the price for our sins with His sacrifice to the point of dying on the cross, we can have an eternal friendship with the Father and live in the house of God forever.
- We don't convert people. All we are called to do is proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ and pray for the person to whom we are bringing it. It is the Holy Spirit who regenerates us.
- If the person you are trying to convert does not want to be converted, leave them alone and talk to someone who is willing to receive your message.
- Remember that a newly converted person will not be spiritually mature right away! Give the person time to grow and, if possible, teach them. Do not invest her with demands that she will not be able to satisfy before she is raised in the grace of God to overcome bad habits (above) naturally.
Warnings
- In some countries you can be put in jail for it. If they want to put you in prison because you did what every Christian should do (even if not all Christians do), then preach the gospel in prison! Use your legal guardianship (e.g. your citizenship, that country's freedom of worship - if any, etc.).
- Proclaim the Truth of the Gospel without scruples about people or favoritism. Do not use non-biblical views and doctrines and traditions when trying to explain the gospel of Christ to non-believers or members of other religions / denominations. Relying on extraneous ideals of that kind is the last thing one should do when preaching the gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
- Don't carry a gospel of false hope. Bring the authentic Gospel, the Gospel of the "Good News". Anyone who says that once you become a Christian your life will always be wonderful and perfect has "never" read the New Testament correctly.
- If a person is already a member of another creed and you are aware of it before you even begin evangelizing, try to use tact in establishing an approach, keeping in mind what the person believes here. If it seems to you that your interlocutor is not listening, do not be too insistent.
- Evangelize / preach the gospel of Jesus Christ for the right reasons. If your reasons are social or material, you are no better than a merchant. The Lord constantly approaches non-believers, but you can put a spanner in the works if you are a hypocrite.
