How to Evangelize
Evangelism Tools
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. Matthew 28:19 (CSB)
Evangelizing is awkward. Let’s face it, we live in a day and age where no one wants to feel uncomfortable, and it’s uncomfortable to make others feel uncomfortable.
Unfortunately, Jesus didn’t say “Go make disciples when it feels comfortable for you,” or “Go when it’s someone easy to talk to.” Nope, He said “Go do the thing.”
A trick I’ve found helpful is having a couple of tools memorized and handy for when the opportunity arises to share the gospel, and this post is going to contain three that I think make the whole process a little easier.
The Gospel Presentation
There is another post I wrote that goes more in depth on this one (you can find it here!) but here’s a quick run down. This one is my favorite to use with kids, but also it’s just really easy to memorize.
God rules- God created everything, including us humans.
We sinned- Starting with Adam and Eve, all the way to us having this conversation, people have been sinning, and sin is what makes us unable to have a relationship with God, because it’s disobedience to Him.
God provided- God saw that we cannot live without sinning, so He decides to send His only son to die for us, so that our sins can be forgiven.
Jesus died- Jesus fulfilled God’s plan. He died on the cross, taking on our sins so that we can be clean before God, and then defeated death by rising again three days later.
And finally, we respond- If they get it, which they may or may not (you can’t take it personally), they have three steps. Admit that they’re a sinner and repent, believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that He died for our sins and rose three days later, and confess that Jesus is Lord!
This evangelism tool is a simple and easy to remember way of sharing the gospel. It contains all of the basic truths we build our foundation of faith on. I’ve said it a bunch in this post, but I usually use this one when children ask me about Jesus, and I try to teach it to my K-2 grade kids on Sunday mornings at least once a month. It’s also really good for adults who think they know the story but aren’t 100% sure about it yet.
Bad, Worse, Good and Best News!
So I have some bad news, worse news, good news, and best news. Which would you like to hear first?
Well, let’s start with the bad news.
Who likes bad news? Not I. Well, I have some bad news, our sin has separated us from God. Sin is rebellion against God, and when we do this, we aren’t able to have a relationship with Him. Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
But wait, it gets worse. There is nothing we can do about it. We are separated from God from eternity if we rely only on ourselves. Ephesians 2:8 says “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift.”
Luckily, there’s some good news that comes with all of this bad news, Jesus can (and did) do for us what we cannot. He died and bled for our sins, becoming the only perfect sacrifice to pay our debt. Stated perfectly in 1 John 1:7, “If we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”
BUT the very best news is that you have a free gift from Jesus. He died so that you can have eternal life with God. Jesus paid the debt of our sins, which is death. And now, we can redeem that beautiful gift and have a relationship with our Creator. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 CSB
Then if your person decides they want to respond, you can point them to Romans 10:9, “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.” Our faith that all of this is true, that our Savior, Jesus Christ, died so that we could live for eternity in relationship with God, is contingent upon us confessing that Jesus is Lord. We have to know it in our hearts and say it with our mouths.
If your person responds, hallelujah! Lead them in prayer and praise God!
This one is particularly great for when you feel like the person isn’t super responsive, whether it’s because they don’t seem to care or in a hurry. It’s short and sweet and to the point.
I usually use this one when someone asks me “Why are you always so happy?” or they reluctantly agree to hearing about Jesus.
Romans Road
Romans Road is my absolute favorite because it’s how I was introduced to the gospel. There are seven individual verses plucked from the book of Romans that tell the story of the Gospel. It has a lot of verses to memorize, but they are incredible verses that I would recommend memorizing anyway. As I share the verses, I also explain them a bit more. If your person is doubtful of the validity of the Bible, you can even open a Bible and go to these scriptures as you share about each one.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23 CSB
No one is exempt from sin. No one is capable of being “Good enough” to escape this fact. Sin is rebellion from God, it’s disobeying His commands, and this is the only thing that every single person that has inhabited planet earth has in common.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 CSB
There is nothing that we can do to expunge our sin. The very thing that keeps us from having a relationship with God inevitably leads to our spiritual death. This spiritual death leads to an eternity of being separated from God in hell.
But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 CSB
God provided the only solution. He sent His Son to live a perfect life and be the only perfect sacrifice capable of paying the debt we had made with our sins.
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. Romans 10:9 CSB
After Jesus died, He opened the door for us to join God’s family eternally. The only thing we have to do is believe that Jesus is Lord, believe that His death is enough to spare us from the death our sins have signed us up for. This paired with Jesus’ sacrifice, we are saved.
For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Romans 10:13 CSB
This says “everyone” not some, not a few, but everyone. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. This includes you, me, anyone who makes that decision for themselves, in their heart. And it’s never too late to make that decision.
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1 CSB
Peace! Who doesn’t want peace? Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we can have peace that it is done. Jesus even says this right as He dies, “It is done.” We can rest well knowing that God provided a perfect way for us to be with Him. We will never be condemned for our sins.
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39 CSB
NOTHING CAN SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD. While I don’t recommend yelling this in anyone’s face, I definitely recommend basking in the awesomeness of it!
I use this one a lot for people who have heard the Word for a while and decided to make the jump, someone who already knows a lot and wants to build on it. I also use it for my teens/adults who I know need a lot of facts to build their faith on. These are stone cold facts pulled from the only source that doesn’t lie, and I treat it as such.
Evangelism doesn’t have to be awkward. Evangelism is just a fancy word for talking about Jesus. And, if you feel the same way I do, He’s probably your favorite person, too.
Go, tell people about the Man who died for you so that you can be free of the guilt and shame your sin brings. Tell people about the hope and joy you can have because of this sacrifice. Share the very gospel that has given you grace when there should only be damnation. That’s all you have to do.
Pick one of these options, or any of the hundreds of options out there. Memorize it, and you’ll be shocked how easily it comes to mind when the time comes.
I wrote these options more like a script, and you should take them and make them your own! There are so many options out there that you can pull from instead.
If you don’t feel convicted to tell others, I recommend reading DeeDee’s post on why we need to spread the Word of Jesus to the people. There’s a sense of urgency, especially now, to share the only way to eternal life with God.
I know it’s awkward, but could you imagine if Paul refused to share the hard stuff just because it was “awkward?” If Jesus decided not to die for us because it was “hard”?
We have to do it! And you are more than capable of doing it, not just because you are pretty awesome, but because the Holy Spirit lives in those who are called and He is more than capable of sharing the good news!