Sharing with Confidence

How many times have you been with someone and sensed a natural opening in the conversation to talk about the Lord, but you didn't know how to begin or exactly what to say?

Here are three specific steps you can take to share the Good News. Be ready for those situations:

Step 1: Pray

Before actually speaking to anyone about the Lord, we must talk to the Him about them! We need to pray to God in faith, believing that He will enable us to do the work which He has led us to undertake by the Holy Spirit. Keep a prayer journal and learn to pray specifically for individuals to receive Christ. When you are praying for friends and loved ones, remember:

• Make sure there is no unconfessed sin in your life.
• Be sure you are filled with the Holy Spirit.
• Pray in faith for their salvation (I John 5:14,15).
• Always be a positive witness.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to provide witnessing opportunities where hearts are prepared.
• Be sensitive to God's sovereign timetable.

Step 2: Prepare

Preparation for sharing the gospel involves:

• Loving others genuinely (setting aside time to go out to coffee, lunch, etc.)
• Establishing rapport (asking them what's going on in their lives)
• Talking about Jesus
• Using stories

A great way to guide a conversation into a presentation of the gospel is to ask a specific sequence of questions. You may want to memorize them.

The first set of questions I'll share with you are helpful to use after a non-Christian has attended a Christian event (church service, lecture, concert, seminar) or if you have given the non-believer a Christian book, magazine, or tape. After the event, or after the person has had a chance to read or listen to what you gave him, ask:

1. "What did you think of the concert?" (or church service, book, etc.)
2. "Did it make sense to you?"
3. "Have you made the wonderful discovery of knowing Christ personally?"
4. "Would you like to?"

Listen intently to the person's answer to each question, then ask the next on in the sequence.

You'll see that each subsequent question is appropriate to ask no matter what the answer was to the preceding question.

The fourth question provides a natural lead-in to a gospel presentation.

Here are a few other questions which have proven effective in guiding a conversation toward Christ:

• "In your opinion, what is the greatest spiritual need in the world today?"
• "Where do you see yourself on your spiritual journey?"
• "If you were to die today, do you know for sure you would go to heaven?"
• "Would you like to be sure?"

Practice asking these questions in a confident, natural way. Then, as the Lord leads, put them to work in your conversations to help lead others into a discussion of the gospel.

As you share the gospel, you may want to consider using the Four Spiritual Laws evangelistic pamphlet. For more information on how to use this highly successful tool, look into the "How to use the Four Spiritual Laws" link.

It will show you step by step how you can present the gospel in a simple, logical, and powerful way. (And by the way, the Four Spiritual Laws are now available in many languages here on the net!)

If you are faithful to present the truth of the gospel to those who do not yet know Jesus, you are a successful witness no matter what their response.

Success in witnessing is simply taking the initiative to share Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God. The only way we ever fail in our witness is if we fail to witness.