Module 1: Cultivating the Heart of Evangelism
Section 1: The Heart of Evangelism
Matthew 22:36-40
“Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”
For many Christians, evangelism can be one of the sorest spots in their walk with Christ. On paper, the idea of going out to “convince” others of your religion and get them to join your church can feel like a soulless pyramid scheme. Rather than feeling like an organic process, evangelism is often boiled down to schemes and quotas. People go along with these things because somewhere in their heart they know one fundamental truth. People need Jesus. But the methods that we have to go about doing so feel out of touch with our hearts.
On a personal level, evangelism can also be scary, socially and energetically draining, difficult, awkward, and leave people with a bad feeling afterwards. Some do it out of a sense of duty toward God and as a result of feeling like He has commanded it as part of salvation. The feeling of “real Christians evangelize” is an all too frequently propagated teaching.
Today, I would like to get at what the heart of evangelism really is so that it can be transformed from something that exists at the fringes of our thoughts to something that is fully integrated into our theology and being.
It starts with an understanding of Matthew 22:36-40. In these verses, we see God’s heart for all of humanity. It begins with loving Him. Loving God with our heart means that that we connect with God’s heart. We allow Him to express His love and concern for us, the value He has placed on us through the cross, and reality that we are connected to His family through adoption. To love God with your soul speaks of a connection with God in the spiritual realm. We literally have a greater capacity to love God as the Holy Spirit dwells and moves in us. We love God though acts of worship, prayer, and the spiritual gifts. These are ways in which God’s love for us is evidenced and though which we communicate with Him. Finally, we love God with our mind. In this way, we learn about Him through the scriptures, meditate on the scriptures, reflect on how God has acted in history, remember the things He has done for us, etc.
It is from this commandment and its implications that all other things flow. The second commandment is a logical extension of the first. If God loves us and wants us to love Him, it is only natural that He would have us love each other. The question is what does that love look like? Its answer is subtle: love your neighbor as yourself. Well how do we love ourselves? Many think back to the secular definition of love and simply say, how do I treat myself? But that is falling far short of God’s intention.
We are to love each other with the same love that God has for us. So as we experience the heart of God for ourselves, by extension we should begin to feel the same way towards others. As we spiritually experience God, we should begin to feel connected to other believers through the same spirit. As we read in the scriptures we should begin to understand that our neighbors are in the same place we are. They are fallen and in need of a savior. This is the birthplace of evangelism. When we learn what it means to love our neighbor, we simultaneously understand on a heart level that a core piece of loving our neighbor is to share the love of God with them through the gospel.
Evangelism is not about numbers, nor is it about expanding the kingdom for the kingdom’s sake. It is about God loving humanity and us loving our neighbors. The question is what if you do not feel that love in such a way that it compels you to share the gospel and have it on the forefront of your mind when you interact with people? The answer is not mustering up more courage, nor is it to force your way through it, nor is it to build up an emotional wall so that you can get the gospel out there.
The first step is humility and recognizing and facing the fact that we have weakness in this area. The second step is prayer. It is important to be part of a community who is seeking God in the same way that you are and go to God in regular prayer to increase our love for others so that evangelism can happen. Additionally, it is important to contend in the spiritual realm against the fear of man or evangelism. God can and will supernaturally grant courage so that the gospel will go forth. This can be seen in the way that boldness came up in Peter and other disciples when they preached (ref. Eph. 6:19) In this way we can cultivate the true heart of evangelism that is the love of God for His people.
Section 2: The Great Commission
The First Part of the Great Commission
John 20:21-23
Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” After saying this, He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
The great commission is not one of the two greatest commandments, rather it is an extension of the second commandment and is one of the primary ways in which we love our neighbors. However, the great commission is actually contained in multiple verses and includes more than just the command to “make disciples.” The full revelation of the great commission includes how we are to accomplish the command, where we are to focus our efforts, and when we know we are ready to begin.
In this first revelation of the Great Commission, we can see that a focus of the commission is to be sent. God the Father in Heaven is going to send Christians out. What might this look like? If you do not feel sent, this is a good area to start praying over. Waiting on the Lord to give you a place or people to be sent to is a key part to receiving the heart of evangelism. For example, some feel sent to prisons to preach the gospel and so the grace for evangelistic efforts is more present there than will co-workers. For others, they have a call to their marketplace and so God gives them grace for preaching the gospel in that realm. Still others are sent overseas to preach the gospel to foreign nations. Once you have a call on your life and a “commissioning” from God linked to the local church, the inner conviction and drive to evangelize increases dramatically.
The second part of the great commission that this verse hits on is the reality that Jesus told them to “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Attempting to do evangelism without the Holy Spirit is possible, but as this verse indicates, it is not recommended. There is something about partnering with the Holy Spirit in evangelism that makes it easier, more effective, and more convicting. The difference between the two can be described as trying to evangelize with the lights off vs evangelizing with the lights on. A Holy Spirit connection and guiding is pivotal to evangelism. Finally, Jesus ends the commission on the note of authority. What Jesus is accomplishing here is letting the disciples know that His authority extends to them and it is by that that they may forgive sins and proclaim things in the name of Jesus. This is an extremely important point theologically. It is not out of how we are doing personally, or out of our walk with God that we derive the ability or authority to evangelize. Rather it is purely based out of the finished work of Jesus. When we declare someone else healed or forgiven it does not come from a “spiritually powerful moment” but rather it is an extension of the authority of Jesus Himself through the atonement that He provided.
The Second Part of the Great Commission
Matthew 28:18-20
Then Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Here Jesus begins in the place that He ended the first part of the great commission. By reminding the disciples that He has all the authority. Thus, anything that we do according to His will and His name will be granted as an extension of His authority. Some of the things this includes are: casting out of demons/dealing with demonic oppression, preaching the gospel, declaring healing, expanding the kingdom, etc.
The second thing that He hits on is that the authority is being passed through us unto a specific mission, so that this authority is being used for the right purposes and unto His will. The authority we are given as a church needs to be looked at in light of the churches general mission. This mission has four parts, the first of which is to make disciples
The only reason that God has not consummated the end times is that His mission has not yet been completed. To that end, it is important that we see the church and all the gifts that God has given us in light of the mission He is on. One of the prime questions concerning this is what does it mean for the church and individuals to make disciples? How this looks for Kings Park specifically is located further down in the document. But for now here are some of the core aspects of discipleship split into hard aspects and soft aspects.Hard AspectsSoft AspectsRepentanceInner HealingWater BaptismCharacter and Integrity DevelopmentHoly Spirit BaptismSpiritual DisciplinesMember of ChurchPrayerGenerosityScriptural InterpretationPraising GodFastingEvangelismLeadership Development
The second part of the mission is to go to all nations. “Of all nations” is not an individual or even a local church mandate. Rather it is a mandate for the entire universal church. This includes ethnic, socioeconomic, geopolitical, ideological, religious, and language boundaries. The most important aspect of this part is to understand which “nations” God has called you and your church to.
The third part is to baptize in the name of The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. Baptism is the primary means by which discipleship is initiated as it includes the gospel message in action. Also, the reality of the trinity is emphasized in this part of the great commission. Taken together it is possible to derive the entire gospel message from this verse, and helps to form the necessary components to the message we are to preach.
Solo Gospel Verses Interlude
The following are a few solo verses that you can use to share the gospel. Following each verse is a brief statement about the points to focus on and other things you will need to clarify as working from a single verse does not give a complete picture even though it can give a lot of it.
Ephesians 2:8-10
“For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.”
This verse does a wonderful job at explaining how salvation comes to us from God. It also places repentance in its proper place as a good work which we were created to do in advance. However, this verse does not actually talk about the atonement event itself, nor does it talk about the blood of Jesus, both of which would need to be discussed before salvation. Additionally, it would be wise to include a discussion of the resurrection as well and how that fits into the story of God.
1 Corinthians 15:1-7
“Now brothers, I want to clarify for you the gospel I proclaimed to you; you received it and have taken your stand on it. You are also saved by it, if you hold to the message I proclaimed to you—unless you believed for no purpose. For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. Then He appeared to over 500 brothers at one time; most of them are still alive, but some have fallen asleep. Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles.”
These verses are excellent at explaining the specific sacrifice of Jesus, how it applies to us and the necessity of the resurrection. However, they do not mention baptism, repentance, belief etc. which are all important to the gospel message. Additionally, with these verses, it is going to be necessary to discuss the fall of man and one’s individual sin and how it relates to divine wrath.
Romans 3:23-25
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. God presented Him as a propitiation through faith in His blood, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His restraint God passed over the sins previously committed.”
These are great verses that encompass the whole of the gospel. Again some discussion of repentance and baptism should occur as well as a the importance of the resurrection to the faith.
Romans 10:9-10
“If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.”
These verses do a good job at connecting our part in accepting salvation with the actual event that saves us. There will need to be some discussion of atonement on the cross to make sure that a person is not confused by the resurrection being necessary for salvation vs. the resurrection being the sacrifice itself.
1 Peter 2:24-25
“He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness; you have been healed by His wounds. For you were like sheep going astray, but you have now returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.”
These verses are another great example of the atonement and get into the redemptive and restorative properties of it. The fall is also part of these verses through the mention of the sheep going astray. Repentance is also somewhat mentioned in the returning to the shepherd. Overall, these verses are good and provide a great foundation for the gospel.
The Great Commission Resumed
The fourth part is to observe everything that Jesus has commanded. This is the part that confuses people the most about discipleship. What exactly has Jesus commanded? The top two commandments, follow Him, pick up our cross and carry it daily, lay down one’s life, die so that we might live, etc. These are things that need to be taught regularly in a discipleship relationship.
As a fifth note, while not necessarily part of the great commission, the fact that Jesus will be with us to the end of the age is very comforting and should be carried with us as we evangelize.
The Third Part of the Great Commission
Luke 24:44-49
“Then He told them, “These are My words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. He also said to them, “This is what is written: The Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead the third day, and repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And look, I am sending you what My Father promised. As for you, stay in the city until you are empowered from on high.””
The core of this proclamation of the great commission revolves around the direct statement of the message that would need to be preached. Specifically the following: the messiah has officially come, the messiah has suffered and died, the messiah was raised from the dead on the third day, repentance would come to those who believed, forgiveness would come to those who believed, the name of Jesus would be proclaimed as the Messiah. For those who are wondering what is the core of the gospel message, it is located in these verses, Gospel messages do not have to be complicated, but they do have to include a bare minimum of facts and tenets. Later we will look at the gospel more in depth.
The second aspect of this commission is that it tells the disciples where to begin and where they are going. They are to start the message at Jerusalem and spread out to the ends of the Earth from there. They are also to be witnesses – and this has heavy implications as to be a witness is very closely linked with the word martyr. To be a witness could both mean to have seen the events the selves as well as to be a reflection of those events and the one who sent you. Again the importance of receiving power from on high is emphasized and they are told to stay put until they receive it.
The Fourth Part of the Great Commission
Acts 1:8
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
The final statement of the great commission focuses entirely on how the commission will be carried out. First, there is another very important reminder that they are to go out once they have received power from on high through the Holy Spirit. That this appears in so many of the statements of the great commission cannot be understated. As an evangelistic and church planting church we recognize the need of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in our ministry
Secondly there is the aspect of being a witness which was also stated earlier. This word meant that one was willing to give up life on behalf of Jesus. The root word comes from “to know.” One must know what and why one believes what they do. Additionally the place that they would be witnesses to is secondary to the fact that they will be witnesses. That is the most important part of the verse. The Holy Spirit will enable them to be witnesses and then they will be sent to places.
Finally there is an expansion of how the gospel will go out. Jerusalem represented the local church. Judea was representative of their countrymen. Samaria was representative of their cultural and heritage neighbor, and ends of the earth was representative of the gentile population.
Module 2: Realities of Preaching the Gospel
Section 1: Preaching Takes Boldness
One of the hallmarks of the early church in Acts was that people preached the Gospel with boldness. Peter’s initial sermon was done in front of thousands of people whom he publically accused of crucifying Jesus. Talk about a hard teaching! However, the question naturally arises, how does one come upon such boldness? Is it through mustering it up within? Or maybe through self-help papyri scrolls? Or possibly it was God’s supernatural boldness and strength revealed and imparted through the Holy Spirit?
There are eight verses that talk about boldness in the book of Acts. Let’s take a look at what they have to say about where boldness comes from and why we need it.
Acts 4:29-31
And now, Lord, consider their threats, and grant that Your slaves may speak Your message with complete boldness, while You stretch out Your hand for healing, signs, and wonders to be performed through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak God’s message with boldness.
Acts 9:28
Saul was coming and going with them in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.
Acts 13:46
Then Paul and Barnabas boldly said: “It was necessary that God’s message be spoken to you first. But since you reject it and consider yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles!
Acts 14:3
So they stayed there for some time and spoke boldly in reliance on the Lord, who testified to the message of His grace by granting that signs and wonders be performed through them.
Acts 18:26
He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. After Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him home and explained the way of God to him more accurately.
Acts 19:8
Then he entered the synagogue and spoke boldly over a period of three months, engaging in discussion and trying to persuade them about the things of the kingdom of God.
Acts 28:31
proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with full boldness and without hindrance.
In each of these verses, preaching is accompanied by boldness and the primary way through which it comes is prayer followed by the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Before you begin your evangelism, you should be filled with the Holy Spirit and be in constant prayer that God would grant you boldness when preaching the gospel.
One of the best ways to do this is by meeting up with other people regularly to preach the gospel to each other, pray for a move of the Spirit in evangelism, and worship the Lord. This would constitute waiting on the Lord to receiving power from on high.
Section 2: Preaching Produces Faith
Romans 10:17
So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ.
Something supernatural happens when the gospel is preached. Faith is literally imparted. To the non-believer this can refer to the salvation faith in Christ as the Lord and Savior. No matter how badly a speaker a person is or how badly the message gets stated, as long as the core components are there faith in Christ can supernaturally come through hearing. How much does one need to know in order to start preaching the gospel? Not much, simply that Christ died for our sins and was resurrected demonstrating His victory over sin and death. However, the less we know the less we should proclaim lest we walk into error. If we are unable to expound upon something in scripture then we should refrain from teaching on it until we study it, discuss it, and come to a well-informed opinion ourselves.
There is a second part to hearing gospel though. That is the faith that it produces in the one who preaches. Just as coming to salvation faith by hearing the Word is a supernatural event, so is the faith that is produced in the believer. There are a number of reasons for this faith. First is simply the faith produced by hearing the Word of God’s revealed promises of salvation. This type of faith renews our trust in the Lord as our own Savior, reminding us of what He has done.
The second type of faith produced is the faith to evangelize. It is not that evangelism gets easier every time you do it simply because of repetition. Rather, it gets easier because faith is built up in the one who preaches. This can even happen supernaturally throughout an individual conversation! As you continue to share your faith with others you will come to see it as an integral part of your walk with God.
Section 3: Preaching Produces Persecution
It is hard enough to follow God’s Word at times that entertaining the idea of taking on additional suffering seems almost impossible. Unfortunately, when the Word and the gospel go out among the darkness, the darkness usually fights back. The Bible hits on a number of responses to the reality of persecution. This first suite of verses talks about how we should expect persecution as a result of following Jesus and preaching His gospel.
Take a moment to think about the types of persecution you could face in America. The most prominent persecutions that come to mind are that the person I am trying to witness to turns me down, insults me, swears at me, or simply ignores me. Other possibilities are that I lose some friendships or that people talk bad about me behind my back. These are very light persecutions compared to what happened to Paul or what Christians face in radical Islamic countries. However that does not mean that they are trivial. In America, we value friendships and have been conditioned to avoid conflict at all costs. That is why we need to rely on God more than ever to overcome our emotional and cultural hindrances to preaching the gospel. As you read these verses, think about and annotate what God is saying about persecution and how it relates to and encourages you.
John 15:18
“If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me before it hated you.
1 Peter 4:12-14
Dear friends, don’t be surprised when the fiery ordeal comes among you to test you as if something unusual were happening to you. Instead, rejoice as you share in the sufferings of the Messiah, so that you may also rejoice with great joy at the revelation of His glory. If you are ridiculed for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
1 John 3:13
Do not be surprised, brothers, if the world hates you.
The second set of verses provides us with incentive and encouragement to continue on in the faith in the midst of persecution. In the face of persecution and hardship, it is easy to simply give up. The temptation is always there even for the most ardent of evangelists. It can be overwhelming socially to constantly put oneself out on the line day after day for Jesus; however, these verses demonstrate that it is far better that we suffer for Christ than entertain the world.
2 Timothy 3:10-17
But you have followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, and endurance, along with the persecutions and sufferings that came to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. What persecutions I endured! Yet the Lord rescued me from them all. In fact, all those who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. Evil people and impostors will become worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed. You know those who taught you, and you know that from childhood you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
1 Peter 3:17
For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.
Luke 6:22
You are blessed when people hate you, when they exclude you, insult you, and slander your name as evil because of the Son of Man.
The third set of verses teaches us that our suffering is for the spread of the gospel. These verses hit on the idea that suffering has purpose and that there is an appropriate response to it. Sometimes it is hard to understand how the suffering and persecution we endure can amount to any good. This is why God has assured us through His Word that persecution propels the gospel forward. As you read these verses be encouraged in your walk that in times of persecution there is a just God who repays every evil deed with good!
Matthew 5:44
But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
1 Peter 3:16
However, do this with gentleness and respect, keeping your conscience clear, so that when you are accused, those who denounce your Christian life will be put to shame.
2 Corinthians 4:8-12
We are pressured in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed. We always carry the death of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who live are always given over to death because of Jesus, so that Jesus’ life may also be revealed in our mortal flesh. So death works in us, but life in you.
Philippians 1:12-14
Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has actually resulted in the advance of the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard, and to everyone else, that my imprisonment is in the cause of Christ. Most of the brothers in the Lord have gained confidence from my imprisonment and dare even more to speak the message fearlessly.
2 Timothy 2:9-12
I suffer for it to the point of being bound like a criminal, but God’s message is not bound. This is why I endure all things for the elect: so that they also may obtain salvation, which is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. This saying is trustworthy: For if we have died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He will also deny us;
Section 4: The Authority to Preach the Gospel
1 Peter 2:9-10
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
These verses are some of the best in the entire Bible at defining the identity God has desired to bestow upon us. Implicit in that identity is an authority. For example, to be a royal priest comes not just with a title, but also with a set of responsibilities and authority. For God to call us royal priests is extremely important. He has given us the authority to intercede on His behalf to our fellow neighbors and carry the message of the gospel forth. More so than any political law, ideology, or belief of man, we have the duty and the right to go forth and preach the gospel wherever we live.
Additionally, this also means that there are specific people that God has placed in our lives for us to reach out to on His behalf. These are people we need to pray for, both on the salvation issue but in general life as well. It is important for us as Christians to fully understand and allow God to help us embody who He has designed us to be, especially in the realm of evangelism.
Module 3: The S.A.L.T. Method
Section 1: Start a Conversation
The SALT method is a very easy way to take a cold introduction and turn it into a gospel presentation in a short amount of time without the conversation getting awkward. In the this module, we will go over the four main points about the SALT method, why they work in evangelism, and some examples of how they look in practice.
The hardest social barrier to cross is usually getting into a conversation with some in whom you have never met. There are all sorts of reasons why this barrier exists. 1. Normally evangelism is done in public and places where there is a high traffic of people; however, that is not the place nor the context under which people normally meet each other and so there is inherent suspicion involved when walking up and introducing oneself. 2. Starting a conversation without context generally leads the opposite person to wonder “what is he or she trying to sell or peddle?” This is problematic in evangelism as Christianity should not be seen as something to sell or convince someone of so we can ring the sales bell. 3. In America, conflict and rejection are things we avoid like the bane. As a result, we are not socially or emotionally intelligent enough to know how to deal with them when we experience them. This can make evangelism situations even more awkward.
This brings us to the first part of SALT: Start a Conversation. It is vital that when conducting this first step one in in constant consultation with God. He will guide you to the people you are supposed to meet with. Additionally, it is ok to look for situations in which you feel slightly more comfortable. For example, no one is saying you have to start out by going to the biggest group of people and start street preaching. Finding those on their own or in small groups is perfectly fine.
There are a number of ways to effectively start a conversation. The first is simply by saying hello confidently followed up by a brief introduction as to who you are and an explanation of the God test. Another way to start a conversation is by saying Hi to an individual and then asking about a current event that they are guaranteed to have an opinion on. The best conversations to start are ones that you already know have a direct lead into the gospel. For example, topics concerning morality, purpose, identity, relationships all have easy and direct feeds into the gospel as will be demonstrated later.
The primary direction of this first part is not to provide a place for you to start talking, but to get the other person talking to you. Technically, it can be about anything, but the closer it is to the gospel to begin with the easier it will be to get there by the end.
Section 2: Ask a Question
This is an extremely important step. If the other person has not had a chance to contribute to this point now is the time to engage in their thoughts. It is important that the other person be able to voice his or her opinions as early as possible in the conversation as this will establish relational capital and form the basis of being able to complete step 4 “Tell the Story” later on. There are an infinite number of questions one can ask at this point, but it is important to follow the following basic guidelines when asking the question. 1. The question should lead the person to state what they place their hope or salvation in: Example, “What do you think is going to lead to this world getting better?” 2. The question should reveal what the other person thinks about either the person’s beliefs about origins of mankind, morality of humanity, the way in which the world becomes a better place, or the way in which he or she becomes a better person. An example question could be, “I know that we all think ISIS is evil, but they think they are doing God’s will. How do you know that they are wrong and you are right?” 3. The question should be about a topic that is not an emotional pressure point. For example, it is unwise to discuss the morality of homosexuality with someone who either is gay or has gay friends/relatives. That is not to say that the topic can never be broached. However, in a first conversation it can lead to distrust or outright rejection.
Section 3: Listen
In the listening phase, it is extremely important to begin to catalogue what a person is saying. Here is an example dialog, followed by the types of information that can be gleaned from it.
Question: “I know that we all think ISIS is evil, but they think they are doing God’s will. How do you know that they are wrong and you are right?”
Response: “I think we can know that they are wrong because the majority of society in general has judged it to be wrong. I think that this type of logic can be applied to all levels of society. For example, if the majority of people in a society think that something is bad, like possession of marijuana, then it’s bad. But if a majority of society deems it is okay, then it becomes alright. The difference is that in the case of the ISIS murders, I don’t think it would ever happen that the majority of people would be okay with that.”
There are a number of instant worldview judgments that have been made in the very common response above. First, the second that someone says that society or majority determines right and wrong, they have fundamentally revealed themselves as a moral relativist. Great follow up questions to the moral relativist are the following: “But if the majority determines what is right, what hope do minority opinions ever have at seeing social change?”, “If the majority is always right, does that mean that slavery was at one time intrinsically morally correct?”, “Do you think that in microcosms where discrimination is still present it should be left alone because it is the majority opinion?”. These types of questions get a person to realize that what they believe is not congruent with how they act. In the moral relativist’s case, he or she would like to believe that society is capable of governing itself, and that it will always do so properly. However, when faced with the reality of slavery and other atrocities throughout history, the moral relativist realizes he or she cannot condemn them unilaterally. This reveals them to be in an ideologically precarious situation. Because no one wants to live in a universe where slavery and genocide could possibly be okay at any point in history.
Back to the response, it is interesting to note that the responder brought up the topic of marijuana legalization even though it was not part of the question. This could be an indication as to their political leanings, and a variety of worldview assumptions can be gleaned from it. For example, a person who would bring this up unprompted may have the view that government is the primary way through which we achieve a better society. This is an example of a person’s salvation focus, the primary means through which a person believes that individuals, their local society, and the world become fundamentally better. Other examples of salvation focuses include: education, relationships, religion, doing good acts, science, and medicine. By identifying a person’s salvation focus and asking questions to uncover its unsatisfactory ability to actually make change, a person can be primed to receive the gospel.
Section 4: Tell the Story
After you have listened to a person’s explanation of their salvation focus and have uncovered its inadequacies through various questions, your next question should always be, “Could I share with you how the bible looks at that situation, I think you might find it interesting and I think it addresses the questions you raised.” It is very rare that after having fully explained their thoughts, a person would say no to this question. Now the challenge is to link what they said to the gospel message. The way to bridge a person’s hope for a better life or a better world to the gospel is to connect it to the story of God. First one needs to discuss how things were before the Fall. All of the concerns and worries expressed by the person you are evangelizing to should be linked back to their pre-Fall state where they were not problems. It should then be stated that the reason why the person desires these things is because they have existed in the past and will exist again in the future. Next it is important to demonstrate the reason why things went bad; mankind fundamentally cut themselves off from life and all that is good when humanity rebelled and attempted to find sources of life and goodness apart from God. In this way, though people might think they are accomplishing good apart from God through education, medicine, the legal system, etc, these are only able to attempt to control fundamentally flawed beings. There is no way that any of these things will end in humanity attaining a utopia, people regaining eternal life, or people becoming fully satisfied. The only way by which the world can be changed is through reestablishing a life-giving connection with God. As that happens in individuals, the ills and sufferings of society will begin to fade, not because of the rule system God has but because God empowers individuals to live with pure hearts.
At this point it is necessary to give a clear description of Jesus’ atonement on the cross for our sins, stating that the only way to reconnect with God was through God Himself paying the penalty of our disobedience through His death on the cross. By accepting this and believing in Jesus and making a conscious decision to turn away from our former lives we can reconnect with God and the restoration of the world can begin. Where restoration ends is best found in the book of Revelation.
Revelation 21:1-7
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea no longer existed. I also saw the Holy City, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband. Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look! God’s dwelling is with humanity, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will no longer exist; grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer, because the previous things have passed away. Then the One seated on the throne said, “Look! I am making everything new.” He also said, “Write, because these words are faithful and true.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give water as a gift to the thirsty from the spring of life. The victor will inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son.
After going through the story of God, ask what the person thinks about what you’ve said. If the Holy Spirit leads you, this is a good time to ask if they wish to respond to the gospel, however, you can also address any questions they have at this point. Now that a relationship has been established, it is vital that you follow up with this person. Make sure to get their contact information and ask if they would like to get together again or come to church or a small group with you.
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