It is critical when we begin to think about engaging others in our lives with the truth of the gospel that we 1) understand the gospel, 2) make it a practice to prayerfully “preach the gospel to ourselves” on a regular basis, and 3) prayerfully speak the word of God to others.

The ‘others’ to whom we should prayerfully speak the word of God begin with those we know best, i.e. family members and close friends. Most likely, if we have been believers in Christ for some time then these folks will also be believers. Some may be strong in their faith and others may need encouragement in their faith. Next, we can share with those who have already expressed some interest in spiritual matters or are curious about the faith claims of Christianity. Finally, we can prayerfully speak the word of God to those who are unbelievers.

I recently received a link to a blog that gave some great tips for how to begin to be more evangelistic. Here are the tips and the link. Start soon to put these tips into practice.

A Few Tips from J. D. Greear for Gospel Sharing

* I frequent the same places. People in our society don’t respond well to strangers, so I try to eat, drink coffee, buy gas, get my car worked on, and shop, etc at the same places. Relationship is not essential for evangelism, but it sure helps. At most of those places I mentioned people know me by name. Inevitably a chance comes up to pray for them, ask about their lives, invite them to church, etc. For example, several of the people from my local coffee shop have started to come to our church, and a few have become believers and gotten baptized. My mechanic has recently attended our church.

* Where relevant, I leave BIG tips. Especially if I know someone is having a bad day. I’ll jot a little note and tell them I’m praying for them.

* I ask people, sometimes, how I can pray for them. Most people don’t mind to be prayed for, and if they don’t want to talk, they answer shortly and I let it drop.

* I invite them to church. Over and over.

* When in a conversation, I use an acrostic I learned years ago to help guide the conversation. F- Family; I- interests; R- Religion; E – Evangelism. Yes, that can seem wooden, I know… but it can also help you move a conversation along. Sometimes in talking about religion I’ll say, “Do you feel like you have a relationship with God?” I get the most interesting responses back to that question. And usually, it provides me a chance to tell them my story… how I grew up in church but came to know God personally later. As I talk about how I came to know Christ, I make sure to give the Gospel along the way. People don’t like to be preached to, but they do like to be asked their opinions, and they do like to hear your story.

Here is the link to this blog: http://thecripps.net/a-few-tips-from-j-d-greear-for-gospel-sharing