Faith Background

 

    To evangelize about faith you need to understand people's spiritual interest and back grounds.  Not everyone will respond to the same approach.  Some need a strong debate, some need a gentle conversation, some need to see you live out your faith, and some need something completely different.  The reality is that no one can change how another person believes.  Only God can do that, but you do have a role to play by living out your faith and telling people the truth.

    Learning a person's background requires building trust and a real relationship.  There is no technique that can be taught to make that happen.  You either connect with people or you do not.  If you do not, then do your best to live out your faith in front of them, tell them the truth about Jesus, pray, and trust that God will send someone else to connect with them.

    Evangelism needs sensitivity.  You need to be sensitive to hear the Holy Spirit's direction.  You need to be sensitive to the person's experiences, but that does not mean that you are not upfront and honest.  It is all about the body language and how you present the truth.  Your evangelism style needs to reflect God's love in a way that the recipient can hear it.  It does not mean that they will automatically accept it.  

    Ask questions to get to know people.  Ask them about their church background, where they attend now, and if they are a member anywhere.  Church hurts can cut the deepest and last the longest, so you need to be careful with how you proceed when dealing with that.  Prayer may be the only answer.  However these questions will really help you know a person.  

    The last thing you ever want is to come across threatening as a Christian.  No one is interested in what you have to say if you scare, threaten, or are rude to them.  Before you go out make sure you pray especially if you are in a bad mood or had a hard day.  You may come across differently than you want to be perceived.  

    Remember if Godsends you that means that Satan is tailing you.  He will do his best to get you to get in your own way.  Do not take people rejecting Jesus as personal rejection.  It is hard because Jesus is so much a part of your life.  Jesus is strong enough to take it, so give all your hurt feelings over to him.  

    Keep the first conversation simple and lay out your faith and why you believe.  Save the controversial discussion for when you are prepared, ready, and already have a relationship.  You want to always leave the door open to talk more about Jesus.  Go in too hard too soon and the door can be slammed in you face.  

Proverbs 3:5-6, Matthew 17:14-20, John 3:16-17, Acts 1:6-8, Romans 10:5-18, Ephesians 2:8-10, & Hebrews 11:1-3

Faith Transition

 

    When you become a Christian through faith your world begins to change.  The more discipleship training and practice you do the more your relationships will change.  You will lose some, you will find new ones, and some will be strengthened.

    How you talk is something that will change and transition to become more holy.  It starts with listening to the Holy Spirit.  He will convict your heart when you start talking in a way that disparages God or anything He created.  You are a creation of God along with everyone else, so you can no longer tear down yourself or anyone else without hurting God.  

    Rapport may be something that you will have to work on.  You may need to practice in a mirror or with a trusted friend.  Rapport is when you invest into listening to someone else speak and respond in love or kindness.  You can tell hard truths without being insulting, intentionally hurtful, or rude.  It is okay to be honest and forthright, but do not always be blunt.  Consider your words and how they impact other people.

    Conversations are not all about you.  You need to learn how to ask questions that will impact the person you are talking to.  Hopefully it is in a good way, but to have deep conversations, you need to have deep questions.  Ask for opinions, thoughts, insights, viewpoints, and reasons.  The goal is to understand someone's heart if you have any chance to reach it to get them to really hear Jesus.

    When it comes to asking about faith, you will get a confirmation, title only response, unclear about what faith is all about, or no opinion/anger.  You need to be prepared to deal with every person and their response.  If they are already a Christian, then you can basically treat it like a family reunion and a chance at a new friendship.

    If a person's faith is based off of works, then they need a perspective change.  They are close.  They probably want it, but they are missing the door of opportunity.  The majority of so called Christians are in this area or they believe they are because their family was or is.  You can't inherit faith.  It is a personal decision.  You can't earn faith.  You have to take a leap into the unknown and trust that God will catch you.  You need to be sensitive when addressing this so you do not push them further away from God, but do not shy away from the truth either.

    Sometimes people are unclear of what they believe.  You will see this in agnostic and some atheist.  You need to pray for them and be very clear about what faith is and how it connects them to God directly.  It may require more than one conversation.  Do not give up unless they tell you to never talk to them about it again.  Even if you can' talk about it, then they should be able to see you live out your faith and you still pray for them.  Don't push them until they come to you again or the Holy Spirit tells you otherwise.

     Some people will claim to have no opinion on faith, but everyone has an opinion on eternity.  You have to ask questions to discover where they really are.  Some people may come across argumentative or aggressive.  Trust that God will protect you, but remove yourself from the situation if you need to.  God is working on their heart and they are fighting Him, not you.  

    At the end of the day Jesus made it clear.  If you seek your own safety  over faith, then you will lose your life lost for eternity.  However, if you lose your life in faith, then you never have to worry about your eternal life.  It all comes down to trusting God's promises.  Faith is knowing your body will die one day, but you are willing to sacrifice it to glorify Him.  You do not have to be a martyr to be a person of faith.  You just have to be willing.

Joshua 1:6-9, Isaiah 43:18-21, Romans 8:26-30, 2 Corinthians 5:16-17, Philippians 4:6-7, Titus 3:3-7, & Hebrews 13:8-9

Faith Discipleship

    You become a Christian through faith in Jesus.  There is no other way.  Your faith becomes discipline through obedience, but how are you to learn how to be obedient to God?  You need people to teach you discipleship and start reading the Bible for yourself, so you can really get to know the voice of the Holy Spirit.

    Part of discipleship training is learning how to talk to people about your faith.  People will have good refutes and arguments on why you are wrong and they are right.  It can be easy to back down, but the more scripture you learn and the more you listen to the Holy Spirit the quicker and confident your response will become.

    How do you build rapport with people?  This is important because it will lay out how your visits or discussions will go.  You need to take time to get to know someone, but not so much time that you never get around to talking about faith.  You don't want to rush, but you want to keep it short.  If it goes well, then there will be more opportunities to share your faith and why they need it too.

    When you are meeting for the first time introduce yourself confidently by looking them in the eye with a smile and shaking hands if permitted.  Know their name and do your best not to mispronounce it.  If you are visiting their house be forthright about what brought you there (follow up from visiting the church or whatnot).  Make sure the conversation is not one way.  Ask them questions like what brought them there?  Do they know anyone in the church?  Where are they from?  It can be related to the visit to stay on topic, but gives them a chance to speak and reveal how open they are to conversation.

    When you are trying to share your faith make sure you make a connection.  Find out what their interest are or what they are involved with, so maybe you can connect in a less formal environment.  Discipleship only works if you are willing to become real friends.  True friendship doesn't happen over time, but it does require intentionality.  If you are initiating the relationship, then you need to make them feel comfortable around you.

    Sometimes this part of discipleship is hard for people.  You may need time to prepare, study your Bible, and pray.  I recommend that for everyone, but some people do well put on the spot or in the spot light.  No matter who you are, you can do this.  You do it because it in love for God and loving people the way God loves them.  You do this to reveal soul saving truth to people who may not know or understand.  You do this because you know some people may never step into a church building and you are the only church that they may know.  

Matthew 28:16-20, Luke 9:21-27, & John 8:31-32, 13:31-38

Faith Visit

 

    Making visits is a part of evangelism.  You can go to a home, have a conversation with a co-worker, school firend, or any setting that God puts you in to give your testimony and tell people about Jesus.  Part of being ready is being alert.  You will miss opportunities if you are not paying attention.  Be yourself.  Training says to be calm and tranquil, but God gave you a personality for a reason.  He will use it to connect with other people.

    If you are doing a visit with someone you do not know introduce yourself.  Tell them where you go to church and look for ways to start a conversation.  If they are in the community, then the church you announce will already let them know what kind of person you are.  If you are not able to be proud of the reputation of the church, then you may want to look for another church.  Ask yourself does my church make people turn away or want to come?

    Do not just jump into preaching to someone.  Have areal conversation.  Find out about who they are and what they are facing in life.  If you are a team doing a visit, then one can do most of the talking, one can pray, and one can take physical or mental notes.  The point is to make a real connection and make them fell wanted.  You want them to want Jesus.  Take your ego out of the equation.  

    Allow the Holy Spirit to lead the conversation and be spiritually prepared.  If you don't feel confident, then practice conversations before going out.  Your appearance should be clean, neat, and tactful.  You should give off the feeling that you are kind and respectful by how you shoe concern for people and their needs.  You need to learn how to be a good listener.  Basically make yourself approachable and inviting.  

    The final thing is incorporate your personal prayer life into your visits.  Pray for the team.  Pray over where to go.  Pray over conversations.  Pray for the people as they allow you into their lives.  Pray for those that shut the door in your face.  Pray over everything that may happen.  It is always good to keep a group prayer journal, so you can revisit victories and find ways to improve.  Victories are important to keep you motivated, but failures can teach you a lot.

Psalm 121, Mark 9:23-24, John 11:25-26, 14:23-26, Romans 4:20-25,  Hebrews 11:1-3, James 2:21-26, & 1 Peter 1:8-9

Faith Evangelism

 

    If you are a Christians, then you have been commanded by God to go out and make disciples.  That means that evangelism is to be a part of your life.  That does not mean you have to be a minister, pastor, or anyone like that.  This evangelism is the fact that you love God so much that you are compelled to live your life with Him in it and to tell people about Him.  If you lead someone to Jesus, then you stay with them to make sure they are trained Biblically and not worldly in what the Bible says.

    You need strong faith to deal with opposition.  The more you stand in your faith the more opposition you will face from the world.  Do not let it stop you from teaching the people who want to know about Jesus who He is.  Disciple them so well that you know when they go out into the world that they are prepared.

    Church is where believers come together for this purpose.  That way no one is working alone.  Iron sharpens iron.  Make sure you are a member of a church that focuses on Jesus and the command to make disciples.  The goal should to reach spiritually lost people in your community.  

    Be open to look at things differently and develop a new perspective.  When you read the Great Commission what do you envision?  Has God already given you an inspiration for how to reach people: coffee shop, visitation, small groups, book club, sports, hiking, singles ministry for older adults?  There is so many ways to incorporate evangelism in your life.

    Your Christian lifestyle needs you to be around other Christians.  You really need to have a couple of people of the same sex that are stronger in their faith than you to help you become stronger.  You need to do Bible study, prayer, and fellowship with other believers.  

    Here is where most of us have to change.  It needs to be seven days a week.  That does not mean we need to meet everyday.  A short call, email, or text would suffice.  It is about staying connected and making sure the world does not influence you more than God's people.

    When you have Biblical friendships like this, then you are prepared to talk to anyone who is not a believer.  You have support, help, and prayer warriors backing you.  How can people know how to pray for you if they don't know what is going on in your life?  

    These evangelical friendships will also help you draw people into the church.  These are the relationships that people are craving for.  They may not know or understand how to have them, but everyone needs friendships that are loyal, honest, and hold each other accountable.      

Matthew 28:16-20, Mark 16:15-20, Luke 19:1-10, John 20:19-23, Acts 1:6-8, 2 Timothy 2:1-2, & 1 Peter 3:13-17

Reaching Out in Faith

 

    There are a lot of people out in the world.  When you come together as a church to go share your testimony or connect with people to invite them to join you at church who do you go visit.  The leaders should have a clear plan, but if you have been praying and a name keeps coming to you then you need to share that with your team.  There needs to be structure with visitation, but also flexibility to give the Holy Spirit room to work.

    Reaching out to people about your faith have many avenues.  You can go visit people in the hospital, nursing homes, schools, houses, or other locations.  You can set up weekly coffee and devotional times, sporting events, hiking groups, or other activities where you can connect with people and talk about God.  You can reach out to the people on your Sunday School roster that have not been there or put yourself somewhere to meet strangers and try to talk to them about God.  There is not set way on how you have to reach out to people in faith.

    When you plan on going out as a group for visitation there are several ways you can do it.  I recommend coming together to read some scripture and pray before going out.  The Holy Spirit directs, but people need to get out of their own way sometimes.  You can go out with only your Bible (including being on your phone) or you can take other tools too like presentation guides, leaflets, assignment or participation cards, or polls.  Tools serve a purpose, but all you need is God's Word, prayer, open heart, and an attitude to go.

    If you follow the lead of the Holy Spirit, then you will not do it wrong.  Not every time you go out will people accept Jesus.  That is okay.  You planted a seed.  Celebrate the wins with a humble heart and be prepared to walk with the people that do come to Jesus.  They are starting a new life and will need help and guidance as they discover their new identity in Jesus.  

    As you help the newbie in growing their faith you get a friend.  Hopefully it will become a lifelong relationship based on holy love, trust, and submission to Jesus.  Salvation is meant to bring glory to God not you.  Your job is to teach them how to become a disciple and how to make new disciples.  However a true friendship is always a great perk.  It will help you lead them to their place in the church, evangelism, discipleship, fellowship, ministry, and worship.  At the same time it will strengthen your faith and position in following Jesus.

Proverbs 3:5-6, Matthew 17:14-20, Ephesians 2:8-10, & Hebrews 11:1-3

Faith Schedule

 

    Faith takes time to grow.  It needs to become a part of your daily schedule: bible study, prayer, meditation, fasting, and going out into your community to witness. You have to be intentional about your faith.  A journal will help you stay focused especially if God is working on one are in your life for a period of time.  A journal will help you see your growth over time.

    When you go out into the community as a team it is important to pray together and take the time seriously.  Do not show up late or go off topic.  You came together for a purpose.  There is time for the fellowship, communion, and witnessing.  You need to make time to just hang out and have a cup of coffee, tea, or do some activity but not when you are intentionally trying to reach unsaved people.

    Each person in the group is responsible for expressing their expectations to set boundaries.  Let each other know where your gifts, talents, and passions are.  You also need to let them know of known weaknesses or insecurities.  You can't help each other out if you don't know where people need help.  

    When going out into the community or mission field a single man and woman should never be sent out alone.  Each group should have at least two women and two men so they can talk with any one.  This does not mean that anyone would do anything inappropriately.  It is protection from gossip, temptation, bad perception, or misconceived ideas.  It also can set people up to be more comfortable.  

    The leader of the group is responsible for keeping everyone on schedule to respect everyone's time that they are giving to the group and God's work.  They are in charge of training if the group wants formal training.  They lead by example not just instruction.

    The team members need to respect everyone's time and stay focused and prayerful.  Share what you are learning and highlights of the time spent together to encourage each other.  Work on your personal testimony.  It can be your salvation story, but if you have been a Christian for a long time it would be better talk about what God is currently doing in your life.  The point of the testimony is to build a bridge between unbelievers and God.  

    Another reason to go out is to get people in the community to come to church.  It is not about the numbers or the money.  It is about them finding God, building a relationship, fellowship, and learning.  For some people in the community they may not have any support system.  The church should be their support, family, and sense of belonging. 

    Church is where you should be able to find life long friends that will push you to grow, motivate you, and hold you accountable.  Real friends are not nice.  They are kind.  They will call you out in a loving way.  If you only have people telling you what you want to hear, then you need new friends because no one is perfect. 

Proverbs 3:5-6, Isaiah 40:26-31, 2 Corinthians 5:6-10, & Hebrews 11:1-3