How to Share the Gospel

Your First Steps to an evangelistic lifestyle

Why Should I Share the Gospel?

Sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with others is an incredible privilege. As followers of Christ, we get to be a part of what God is doing in our neighborhoods and around the world to win people to Him. The Bible makes it clear that sharing the Gospel is something God has called us to do as well. In Matthew 28:19, Jesus tells His disciples (which includes all Christians), “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always,evento the end of the age.” This is called the Great Commission. It is a call for us to spread the truth of Christ to others as we go about our daily lives.

So, how do you get started?

Below, you’ll find five important first steps to help you start the amazing journey of being on mission to share the gospel with others!

Step One: Start Praying Evangelistically

Consistent, fervent prayer is the most critical foundation to sharing the gospel. When some people ask “how do I share the gospel?” they are looking for a 5-minute video on what to say. While this can help you gain some helpful phrases, it leaves out Someone essential to any evangelistic encounter: The Holy Spirit. By coming to God in prayer and seeking the help and wisdom of His Holy Spirit, we put ourselves in the best possible place to begin sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.

Four specific areas to pray for are boldness to say what God has put on your heart, opportunities to start spiritual conversations, sensitivity to the direction of the Holy Spirit, and salvation for those in your area of influence. The Apostle Paul specifically highlighted the importance of evangelistic prayer in Ephesians 6:18-19. We should see it as important, too.

Step Two: Be prepared for fears

Fear is the top reason why more people don’t share the gospel. However, this is often because they think fear is something that has to go away before sharing the gospel. This simply isn’t true. One of the most important things to know is “fear in evangelism is normal.” Every evangelist, pastor, and missionary will tell you they face nervousness when sharing the gospel.

Even the Apostle Paul mentions words like “fear,” “trembling,” and “weakness” when he talks about sharing the gospel with the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 2:3-5). But in verse five, he makes sure they know there is a purpose to his fear – so that their faith may rest in the power of God, not the wisdom of men. We must keep this in mind today as well. Avoiding fears is not the goal. Instead, we need view fear differently. Fear is the great reminder that we share in humility and that the power to save is not in us, but only in God. Without fear, we could run the risk of sharing out of pride, eloquene, or impressive tact. But in our weakness, He is strong!

Step Three: Have a Method for Sharing the Gospel

You don’t want to wait until it’s time to share the gospel before you start thinking about how to share the gospel. This is why having a basic method for sharing the gospel is so important. At EvanTell, we use the Bad News/Good News method, which provides a clear and simple presentation of the gospel that is easy to explain and memorize. Watch this method in our gospel presentation video.

Step Four: Have Intentional Conversations

A gospel conversation is just that – a conversation, not a presentation. It’s a dialogue, not a monologue. We engage in conversational dialogues regarding nearly every topic we discuss with others, which is natural. However, when it comes to the gospel, many of us think we must switch to a one-way monologue, which is unnatural. This is one reason why so many avoid evangelism. They feel like they have to abandon natural dialogue to begin an unnatural monologue. But that’s simply not true.

The key here is to have intentional conversations that naturally point to areas of significance. We can’t cover all that in a quick overview here, but we have a very helpful webinar that can help you be more intentional and turn conversations toward the Gospel. Watch our webinar on turning conversations toward the gospel.

Step Five: Invite others to trust ChristYour Title Goes Here

The gospel isn’t just information, it is invitation. Telling someone about who Jesus is, what He has accomplished, and how they can have eternal life with Him is absolutely essential – but don’t forget to invite them to actually make that decision for themselves. It’s not knowledge of Jesus that saves, it is trusting in the person of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior that saves. When the Lord opens an opportunity to share the Gospel, don’t forget to invite them to trust in Christ as their Lord and Savior.

EvanTell offers an array of helpful tracts and resources that can help you both present the gospel clearly and invite others to trust Christ. Browse tracts and resources from EvanTell.