Back To The Basics: 

What is the Gospel?

The word “Gospel” means “Good News.” When Christians talk about “The Gospel” they are referring to the good news of God saving sinful humanity through the life, death and resurrection of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. Keep reading and all of this will be explained in greater detail.

Why Do We Need To Be Saved?

God created a good world (Genesis 1-2) but our ancestors chose to reject God’s goodness and rebel against Him (Genesis 3). We call this rebellion “sin”. Because of sin, all of humanity is cut off from the fullness of God’s love (Isa 59:1–2; Ephesians 2:1-5). Unless something changes, the inevitable result of our sin against God is death (Romans 6:23) and an eternity apart from God’s goodness in a place called Hell (Matthew 10:28). The solution to our sin problem is what Christians call “salvation.” All people who do not wish to die in their sin are in need salvation. To be saved is to enter into a new relationship with God (Isaiah 64:5; Romans 5:12-18).

Can We Save Ourselves?

Salvation is not something we can achieve or earn for ourselves. We are not saved by our good works (Romans 3:28; Ephesians 2:8–9) or by knowing all the right things (Acts 15:7-11). Salvation depends entirely upon the grace of God (Ephesians 2:4-5) expressed in the saving work of Jesus Christ (Acts 5:30-31; 1 Peter 3:18).

Why Jesus Christ?

The central claim of the Gospel is that God’s work of salvation is accomplished through Jesus Christ (Luke 19:10; Matthew 1:21; 1 Timothy 1:15). Jesus is the only one qualified to save (Acts 4:12) because he alone is fully God and fully human (Philippians 2:5-11). Through his life, death (1 Peter 1:18–19), and resurrection (1 Peter 3:21), Jesus defeated Satan (1 Peter 1:18-19) and freed us from the guilt of sin (1 John 1:7). As a result, Jesus Christ has rightfully and exclusively earned the right to be both our Savior (John 14:6; Acts 4:12) and our Lord (Matthew 28:18; Luke 12:8–9; Romans 10:9).

Why Faith?

Faith is a combination of belief and trust. Because salvation was fully accomplished by Christ, the only thing required of us is to believe the gospel and trust Jesus as our Savior and Lord (Ephesians 2:8). Through faith in Jesus, the believer is able to share in all the saving benefits won by Jesus through his life, death, and resurrection. These saving benefits include removal of our sin and receiving of Christ’s righteousness – being made right before God (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Is The Gospel True?

The truth of the gospel rests upon the historical person and work of Jesus. His miraculous birth (John 1;14; Luke 2:4-7), his sinless obedient life (1 Peter 2:22), his atoning death on a cross (Philippians 2:8; Luke 23:46; Romans 5:8-11), his physical resurrection from the dead (Matthew 28:1-8; 1 Corinthians 15:4; Romans 1:1-4, 6:1-14, Acts 13:30-35) and his ascension into heaven (Acts 1:19; Hebrews 12:2) are all essential elements of the gospel that really took place in recorded history.

Further evidence for the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ can be found in the fulfillment of dozens of old testament prophecies concerning Jesus as the Messiah (1 Peter 1:10–12), the apostles eyewitness testimony concerning Jesus Christ (John 19:35; 1 John 1:1-2) and the divine testimony to Jesus Christ witnessed during his ministry (Matthew 3:16-17, 17:1-13).

What Does All Of This Mean For Me?

Salvation is offered to all who believe the good news and respond to the gospel in faith. Those who respond in faith will receive the promises of the gospel which include forgiveness of sins (John 1:29; Isaiah 53:4–6), peace with God (Romans 5:1-2) new life in Jesus Christ (Romans 1:16–17; 1 Peter 1:23-25), eternal life (John 3:14-16), and adoption into the family of God (Romans 8:12-17).

How Do I Respond to the Gospel?

The gospel demands an obedient response to all that God has done for us through Jesus Christ. This is not just a one time decision, but rather a lifelong commitment. We respond to the gospel through faith in God (Hebrews 11:6) and in the saving work of Jesus Christ (John 3:14–16), by repenting or turning away from sin (Acts 3:17-20), by being baptized as a public declaration of your faith (Acts 2:38), and by growing to become more like like Christ through a process Christians call “discipleship” (John 14:15; Matthew 11:28-30, 16:24). You are not expected to do this alone. God calls all believers to join other Christians in worship and service through a local church community (Ephesians 4:1-16; Hebrews 10:25).

What if I Am Still Unsure?

It is a good idea to consider all of this before you make a decision (Luke 14:26-33). The gospel cannot accepted halfheartedly or in part (Matthew 12:30). At the same time, we must not delay too long. We do not know how much time we have been given, and we must respond in repentance and faith if we are to receive from God’s offer of salvation in Christ (John 3:36; Acts 3:19).

Why Share Jesus?

Reason 1: Sharing Jesus shows that we Love God:

God is worthy of worship, but he cannot be worshiped by those who do not know him. God not only created every good thing, and continually blesses us with good things that we do not deserve, but he also sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty for our sins and to give us the gift of eternal life. God wants to have a relationship with us here and now, and to give us eternal life with Him in Heaven. It should bother us to know and believe all of this, and yet know that many people do not know God or have a relationship with him. 

And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Romans 10:14-15)

When we tell others about God and what he has accomplished for us through Jesus Christ, we are performing an act of worship: 

“Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!” (Psalm 96:3)

When you tell people about the goodness of God and the good news of Christ, you are bragging about God and he receives glory and praise even if they do not accept the gospel right away. 

Reason 2: Sharing Jesus shows that we Love our Neighbors:

Sharing Jesus with others is the most loving thing that you can do for someone. If they are already a Christian, they need to be reminded of God’s love for them. If they are not a Christain, then they need to hear about Jesus as often as possible. The more they hear the more they will consider the gospel and the more likely they will come to believe and begin to follow Christ. 

God’s Word is clear that apart from faith in Jesus there is no hope for salvation: 

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

“Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (1 John 5:12)

So not only are you giving God the glory, you are also giving your neighbors the truth that might give them a saving relationship with God that will result in eternal life in heaven. Whatever fears may hold us back pale in comparison to the good that could be accomplished by sharing Jesus with the people around us. 

Addressing Some Misconceptions

“Sharing Jesus is Scary”

You may not realize this, but you do things every day that would terrify someone else. There was a time when you couldn’t drive a car or ride a bike, and I am sure that learning was a little intimidating. Now we probably don’t even think twice about it because it is second nature to us. Likewise, when you started your career you were probably nervous and unsure about how to do everything, but you eventually learned how things worked and became proficient at whatever it is you did to earn a living. It’s funny how things that used to frighten us eventually become routine or second nature if we do them often enough. Sharing Jesus is no different. 

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” - 1 John 4:18a

The reason many people freak out is because they have not done it enough for it to become second nature. Part of the problem is the ways in which sharing Jesus has been taught and carried out in the past. 

“I Don’t Have The Personality For Sharing Jesus”

For some reason our methods for sharing Jesus became oddly similar to the methods that door to door salesmen used (back when door-to-door salesmen were a thing). We were taught to pop in uninvited into a stranger’s life, to give them the rehearsed sales pitch, and to try to get them to make a decision right then and there all in the span of maybe five minutes. It feels unpleasant, unnatural, and uncomfortable because it is all of those things. 

Sharing Jesus has been made to feel like public speaking, which is one of the greatest fears people have. It also catered to extroverted and aggressive personalities (the type who would make a good salesperson) but most of us are not that type of person. People tend to envision a street preacher or a door to door evangelist, but that’s not what sharing Jesus has to look like. 

You may not know it, but the most effective form of sharing Jesus also tends to be the most comfortable form of sharing Jesus for most people - a conversation. The most effective and active evangelists tend to be people who; (1) Love Jesus and follow him daily and (2) who want to share Jesus with others because they love and follow him. 

"We are unable to stop speaking about what we have seen and heard." (Acts 4:20)

Principle #1 - You Already Have All That You Need 

Sharing Jesus Is An Overflow Of The Christian Life 

Sharing Jesus happens when we live our lives with Jesus at the center. We already tend to talk about the things we know and the things we enjoy. People talk about their jobs, what they did on the weekend, the movies or tv shows they watched, the latest sports news, what their families are doing, and all sorts of things like that without even thinking too much about it. Why? Because they are what naturally comes to the forefront of our minds. 

How come Jesus (who most of us would say is the most important thing in our lives) is not on that short list of conversation topics we all have in our heads? If we are honest it is probably some combination of distractions, difficulties, and disobedience. I could spend a lot of time on this, but I think all that really needs to be said is that if you aren’t spending time with Jesus and taking care of your own spiritual walk, then it will feel unnatural to try to talk about Jesus with others. It will feel forced and unnatural, because it is forced and unnatural. So, for some of us that may be step one. We may need to work on our own walk with Jesus so that we can share Jesus from the overflow of our lives. 

Sharing Jesus is Storytelling (You Have A Story)

Everyone knows how to tell a story and all stories basically fall into the same three act structure. There is an introduction (act one) followed by the big event (act two), and then the story ends with how things changed (act three). It doesn’t matter how long or short the story is, almost all stories follow this structure: 

LORD OF THE RINGS:

• Act 1 - Frodo is given the Ring 
• Act 2 - Frodo journeys to Mount Doom and Destroys the Ring
• Act 3 - Middle Earth is saved 

A BORING STORY ABOUT PAPER TOWELS: 

• Act 1 - I ran out of paper towels
• Act 2 - I drove to the store to buy paper towels
• Act 3 - I now have paper towels at home. 

Now Just apply this to the good new of Jesus: 

WHAT JESUS DID FOR ME: 

• Act 1 - My life before Christ
• Act 2 - How I came to know Jesus as my Savior and Lord
• Act 3 - My life after Christ 

WHAT JESUS DID FOR YOU:

• Act 1 - God Loves You (For God so loved the world)
• Act 2 - Jesus Died For You (That he gave his only Son)
• Act 3 - Salvation Is Available To You (That whoever would believe in him would not perish but have everlasting life) 

What is the point of all of this? It is to show you that you don’t have to know everything to be a witness for Christ. Children know how to tell a story and if they have been in church many of them could tell you the gospel, so don’t overthink it or get too stressed out about leaving something out. What they need to know is the good news of what Jesus did for them and how they can respond to that good news.

Sharing Jesus Is Not Winning Arguments (Remember The Cross)

One of the reasons why so many Christians are scared to share their faith is that they think this requires them to enter into a debate about why Christianity is right and everyone else is wrong. There is a time and a place for working through all the issues that might come up, but it does not have to be right then and there. Sharing Jesus (Sharing Jesus) is about sharing good news, not winning arguments. 

Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth touches on the very things we are talking about. Listen to this passage from the beginning of the letter: 

For the Jews ask for signs and the Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified… (1 Corinthians 1:22-23a)

The Jews were asking Paul to do some sort of sign or miracle to prove that his words were true. The Greeks on the other hand were more prone to talk intellectually and they tried to treat Jesus like he was just another philosopher whose teachings could be questioned and debated. Today there are still people who demand to see some sort of miraculous evidence before they will repent and trust in Christ. There are still some who will hear the gospel and try to turn it into a debate about ethics or philosophy. There is a time and place for these discussions, but Paul understood first and foremost that the message was the cross. 

Listen to a longer passage from the end of the same letter: 

 For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers and sisters at one time; most of them are still alive, but some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one born at the wrong time, he also appeared to me.

For I am the least of the apostles, not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. Whether, then, it is I or they, so we proclaim and so you have believed. (1 Corinthians 15:3-11)

Notice what Paul includes in this short two paragraphs: 

1. What Jesus Did (died for our sins and rose three days later - in accordance with he scriptures)
2. His Life Before Christ (I persecuted the church of God) 
3. His Life After Christ (his grace towards me was not in vain)

He also pointed to the testimony of others as further Christ and he tied it up neatly by saying that (whether Paul or another believer) they proclaim the good news and call others to believe it as well. 

If it helps think of a courtroom in which you are called to testify as a witness. The witness is not there to make an argument, to win a debate, or even to persuade anyone of anything. They are simply called to testify to what they have seen or what they know as it pertains to the case. Now their testimony can (and often does) change the outcome of a trial, but it is not their responsibility to do that. Likewise, we are called to bear witness about Christ but it is the Holy Spirit’s job to convict and to convince. 

Another analogy that the scriptures use that may be helpful is a farmers analogy. When we share Jesus with someone we plant a seed in their heart and mind. Someone else may come along later and water that seed, but regardless it is up to God whether or not that seed will grow. 

R-E-L-A-X

When a baseball player is struggling at bat, do you know what the majority of coaches will tell them? Most coaches will not tell them how important it is to hit that ball, how much is riding on this game, or how many people are watching them. No, most coaches will tell them to try to relax. Why relax?

For starters a stressed mind is not a focused mind. Stress is the body’s way of dealing with a crisis and so stress puts you on high alert and sends your mind racing - that can be helpful in some situations, but in others it makes you impatient, unobservant, distracted, and tends to make you rush when you do not need to be in a rush. A baseball player who is too stressed out will almost certainly swing too soon or too late, and either way the result is going to be a strikeout. 

Now the good news is that sharing Jesus with people is a lot easier than hitting a ball thrown by a major league pitcher, but the principle is still the same. If you are stressed out going into the conversation you probably are in your head instead of listening to the person you are talking to, you may feel too much pressure to say the right thing, you may feel pressure to rush to make sure you get all the information out, you may be worried about what to say next, or you might freeze up and say nothing at all. 

Like any good coach would tell you, you need to relax. Sharing Jesus should feel less like you are making an important presentation for work, and more like a conversation that goes at its own place. When you love Jesus and follow him, he impacts every aspect of your life. For a Christian the real secret to sharing Jesus is to stop avoiding him and welcome him into our daily dialogues. 

Summary: You do not need to know everything about the Bible to share Jesus. You do not need to be good at winning arguments to share Jesus. You just need to be growing in your own walk with Jesus and be willing to share the basic gospel good news of what Jesus did and how they can respond to the good news. 

Principle #2 - Have Conversations Instead Of Making Presentations 

There are few things people hate more than having to listen to someone make a sales pitch. Why do we enjoy talking to friends and family, but hate when we get a spam call or when we have to listen to a salesperson trying to get us to buy into some product or service? The answer is that one feels genuine and relational, while the other feels fake and manipulative. Do you know why sales pitches feel fake and manipulative? Because they are. 

Having an honest and friendly conversation about faith is so much more engaging than giving a monologue where you recite five verses and then ask the person if they want to accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord. 

Some Hard Truths: 

1. Most people can tell if you really care about them. 
2. Most people can tell if you believe what you say. 

This is why street sharing Jesus or door to door sharing Jesus is difficult to do well (not impossible, just difficult). The best way to share Jesus is to do so in the context of a conversation that takes place within a relationship. I would guess that most Christians have relationships with someone who is not a Christian, or who is a nominal Christian (a Christian in name only). 

Some Helpful Tips:

1. It is easier to start with the relationships you do have, as opposed to trying to start a new relationship from scratch (See Concentric Circles of Concern). 
2. It may be easier just to focus on one person and pray for opportunities to share Jesus with them. We are more likely to act on a commitment to “talk with (a person we know) about Jesus” (specific) rather than “talk to someone about Jesus.” (general)
3. If you cannot identify anyone in your circles who is not a Christian, then your next step is to start making more friends until you have some non-Christians in your circles. 

Concentric Circles of Concern: 

 

• Self - This one might seem redundant, but as we pointed out earlier - Sharing Jesus is an overflow of the Christian Life. If you are not confident that you are a Christian and you do not have an active Christian faith then this is where we need to start. 

• Family - How confident are you that the people in your immediate family have real faith in Jesus? If you are not confident in any member of your immediate family then I would start there. 

• Relatives - How confident are you that the people in your extended family have a relationship with Jesus? They might be someone you need to reconnect with, or maybe you just need to pray about ways to talk with them about Jesus. 

• Friends - How confident are you that the people in your friend circles have a relationship with Jesus? You may need to start praying for them and looking for opportunities to talk with them about Jesus. 

• Neighbors & Associates - Do you know your neighbors or the people you work with? If not, pray for and look for opportunities to introduce yourself and interact with them. See if you can become friends and see if they have a relationship with Jesus. 

• Acquaintances - What about the people in your life that you know on a first name basis, but you really don’t know much about them. Could you start working towards building relationships with them?

• Person X -  If all else fails then you might need to brave the unknown and find ways to connect with people you might have never met before. Maybe join a sports league or find a way to connect with people over a shared hobby or interest? 

Once you have someone in mind, start praying for them every day, and look for opportunities. You may have to go out of your way to make opportunities, but that is not a bad thing. Sometimes opportunities come to us when we aren’t looking for them, other times we have to seek them out. 

Every Context Is An Opportunity: 

Ask and Listen: People love to talk about themselves and so if you care about them enough to listen and to ask then most people will begin to open up. What does this person value? What are they excited about? What bothers them? What are they worried about? You could probably answer these questions about your friends and loved ones. Even if you couldn’t, I bet if you spend time with someone and look for it you could find the answers. Listen to the stories they tell and ask questions about the things they want to talk about. 

People Are Curious: Once a person sees you as a friend they will start doing the same thing back to you. They will want to know what you value, what excites you, what bothers you, etc… These all give you opportunities to bring Jesus into the conversation, and if you are following Jesus daily then you probably won’t have to force it either. If Jesus is your Savior and Lord then he will come up when you share your life with others. 

If they get a sense that you are comfortable talking about faith and religion (and that you are their friend and not a salesperson) then they will likely have questions that they want to ask. In fact the most recent Lifeway surveys (2022) find that 51% of Americans are open to having faith conversations with strangers, and 66% of Americans would be interested in having a spiritual conversation with their friends. 

Honesty Is The Best Policy: Sometimes the idea of a dialogue seems scary because we assume we have to know all the answers. That’s not the case. If someone asks you a question about your faith and you don’t know how to answer it, just be honest. In fact, if you don’t know the answer you can say something like “That’s a really good question, I’m going to try to find the answer and get back to you” which almost guarantees another conversation about Jesus. 

A Biblical Example: 

*** Read Acts 17:16-33 ***

At first glance this might seem like Paul just walked into a crowded area and started preaching, but that is not what happened. First he went to the places where people were gathered (the synagogue and the marketplace) and he made a habit of talking "day by day with those who happened to be there" (V. 17). From context clues we can discern that Paul listened to their beliefs and their religious practices and talked about his faith in Jesus. Some people were dismissive of him, but others were curious, and eventually they brought him to the Areopagus to speak before a crowd of people. 

What started as small person to person conversations turned into an opportunity to speak before a large gathering.

 Notice also how Paul addresses the crowd. 

1. He knows the people are religious and have many idols. 
2. He uses that as a conversation starter to talk about the gospel. 
3. He tells a story 
1. Act 1 - We have been living in days of ignorance (not knowing) 
2. Act 2 - But God revealed himself through Jesus (the rasing of the dead) 
3. Act 3 - Now is the time to repent and put your faith in Jesus. 

Notice also the response that came from it. 

1. Some sneered. 
2. Some wanted to hear more.
3. Some believed and became Christians. 

This is what we should come to expect whenever we share the gospel with people. Some people will think what we believe is weird. Some people won’t be ready to fully accept it, but they will be curious and want to know more. Others will believe the good news and want to start following Jesus. This actually segues well into Principle #3… 

Summary: Conversations are better than presentations. People can tell if you care about them or not, so it is a good idea to start sharing Jesus in the relationships you have already built and work outward. If you show genuine interest in people they will eventually begin to open up about their lives and give you opportunities to do the same. If you can show someone that you care about them and are not afraid to talk about spiritual matters then they will likely have questions and want to know more. Don’t be afraid to share what you know and admit what you don’t know. Once you get in a habit of starting friendly conversations, you will be amazed how many gospel opportunities present themselves. 

Principle #3 - Redefine The Win

Sharing Jesus is Not A Contest 

One of the things that discourages people from sharing Jesus is that they compare themselves against the most gifted evangelists and feel that they don’t measure up. We know that we are probably not going to be the next Billy Graham preaching to thousands of people at a time. We know we probably are not going to be the street preacher with a megaphone or the door to door evangelist who knocks on five hundred doors a day. God bless those people who are using the gift of evangelism that God gave them, but it is ok if that is not your spiritual gift. You are still called to share, but you don’t need to feel pressure to “compete” with people who seem to have a special gift and calling that you don’t have. 

You may be someone who leads a dozen people to Jesus in your lifetime. You may be someone who leads only two or three people to Jesus. Maybe you only lead one person to Jesus. Or perhaps your calling is just to plant seeds and water them so that others can come later and see the harvest. We may never know the impact of our witness until heaven, and that is ok. 

People like Peter and Paul in the New Testament lead thousands of people to Christ, and we record those moments because they are special moments where the Holy Spirit moved in mighty ways through their testimony. Those were exceptional moments, not something that we see every time we share Jesus. Because the Bible focuses (rightly so) on the spectacular moments when God moves in a mighty way, it is easy to forget that most Christians heard the good news through uneventful common everyday conversations. They came to faith by talking with believers who loved Jesus and shared him with their loved ones, their neighbors, and the people they met in their day to day lives. 

There are probably people out there who need to hear about Jesus from someone just like you. Remember our “Circles of Concern” from earlier? Every person has different circles, and while ours may overlap in certain areas, there are other areas where you have a unique opportunity to share Jesus in a way that I do not. 

Remember that God created you exactly as you are. He gave you your personality, your likes, your dislikes, your interests, your passions, and everything else that makes you the person you are right now. He also placed you in this community at this time in history for a reason. Don’t disqualify yourself by comparing yourself to others. Instead think and pray about how God might have equipped you and placed you where you are for His glory. 

Faithfulness and Consistency are The Measure of Success 

Another thing that discourages people from sharing Jesus more often is that they do not think it does any good. They measure their success based on whether or not they see results, but this is not the Biblical measure of success. There is an assumption that if I share Jesus and they do not choose to believe the gospel, then I messed up or was unsuccessful. That mindset puts way too much pressure (an unbiblical amount of pressure) on the person sharing Jesus. 

Three Persons In Every Evangelistic Encounter:
The Christian	The Christians calling is to pray for the lost and to tell people what Jesus has done for them and how they can respond to the good news.
The Lost Person	The Lost Person is called to repent and believe the good news of Jesus, and to then live a life of obedience to God.
God	God is the one who convicts, convinces, transforms, and saves the lost.

Great frustration occurs when we mistakenly think that we can make a lost person do what they are not ready to do, or when we think we are called to do what only God can do in the life of a lost person. Earlier we used an analogy of planting and watering seeds. That was pulled directly from scripture: 

I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. (1 Corinthians 3:6-8)

If you are talking to someone who has never heard the good news of Jesus, then you can think of yourself as the gardener who plants a seed. Maybe they have heard the gospel but have not chosen to repent and believe, in which case you are watering the seed someone else planted. In either case you are being faithful to your calling and the rest is between God and the lost person. 

Different sources have different statistics on this but the average person will hear the gospel between 18 and 30 times before they make a decision to believe. Some people believe right away. Others will never believe no matter how often they are told. Most, however, will need to hear many times, and every time they hear is another opportunity for God to work. With this in mind we should redefine evangelistic success as when someone comes to faith in Jesus (though that is certainly worth celebrating), but rather success is whenever a lost person hears the good news of Jesus. 

Practice Doesn’t Make Perfect (But Does Make it Easier): 

If you go swimming in cold water do you prefer to just jump right in or to wade into the water slowly so your body can adjust? Neither approach is wrong so long as you eventually get into the water. And yet the way we talk about sharing Jesus sometimes makes it sound like the only way to start is to do a cannonball out of your comfort zone. If you feel God calling you to do that then listen to God, but if you are still nervous about sharing Jesus with a lost person there are some ways to wade in slowly. 

Pray, Pray, Pray! 

This is the only one that I did not include as an option because without prayer we are up a creek without a paddle. Here are some ways you can start praying every day to help you wade into sharing Jesus with others: 

• Pray for God to give you opportunities to share Jesus with others. 
• Pray for the wisdom to see opportunities when they arise. 
• Pray for the courage to act on those opportunities. 
• Pray for God to reveal who in your life does not know Jesus. 
• Pray for God to bring people into your life who do not know Jesus. 
• Pray for God to open the hearts of the lost people in your life (pray for them by name). 

The more you make your desire to share Jesus a part of your prayer life, the more likely you will be to see opportunities and to take those opportunities. You may have heard the phrase “out of sight out of mind?” Well we could add “out of our prayers out of our hearts?” 

Speaking the Gospel to Yourself

That may sound strange, but hear me out. As we said earlier, one of the reasons we do not share the gospel more is because we forget (or grow numb to) just how good the good news is. It is good for your soul to remind yourself of God’s love as often as possible. When you find yourself discouraged or defeated, think about the Gospel and what that means for you. 

Pastor Paul Tripp once said, “No one is more influential in your life than you are. Because no one talks to you more than you do.” When you find your inner dialogue drifting towards anger, fear, frustration, discouragement, or defeat - try to pause and remind yourself of the gospel of Jesus. God loves you, he knows your sin and shortcomings, and he still willingly sent his Son to take your guilt and shame on the cross and to give you salvation that nothing can ever take away from you. 

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord

• Romans 8:38-39

Get in the habit of turning your thoughts to the gospel and not only will you see an amazing increase in “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control” (Galatians 5:22-23), but you will find yourself growing more comfortable and confident in sharing the gospel with others because it will be familiar to you. 

Speaking The Gospel to Your Brothers and Sisters in Christ: 

Again this may sound strange, but it is a good practice to get into. One of the main reasons that Christians are gather together is to encourage one another: 

But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

• Hebrews 3:13

One of the most surefire ways to encourage a fellow believer is to remind them of the gospel. I have yet to meet anyone who does not need encouragement. The world is a discouraging place where no matter how hard you try it never seems good enough, how refreshing to be reminded that God’s love for us is unconditional because of Christ! The Bible sometimes uses marriage as a metaphor for the gospel (Ephesians 5:25). Even people in the most happy and healthy marriages will still experience discouragement and will need to be encouraged by their spouse. Often, what a discouraged husband or wife needs to hear from their spouse is a reminder that regardless of what has them discouraged or troubled, they are loved by their spouse. It is not that they forget that they are loved, so much as it is good to be reminded and to have that love reaffirmed. In the same way (maybe moreso) Christians need to be reminded that the gospel is still true, and to have the love of God for them reaffirmed. 

By speaking the gospel to your brothers and sisters in Christ,  you are helping to encourage and discipling your brother/sister in Christ, while also growing comfortable with talking about Jesus with someone who is already a believer. Again, like speaking the gospel to yourself, you will find yourself growing more comfortable and confident as you begin to develop a habit of consistently sharing Jesus. 

Summary: Some people are especially gifted evangelists, but you don’t have to have those gifts or a specific personality to share Jesus. Every person is different and that is a part of God’s plan. We should not look to measurable results (decisions made or number of people reached) to evaluate our success or failure in sharing Jesus. The true measure of success is whether we are faithful to obey and consistent in our obedience. Whether a person comes to believe is between them and God. Our duty is to pray for the lost and to share the truth of Jesus with them. Some easy ways to build up confidence (and desire) to share Jesus with others is to pray for yourself and the lost, to regularly remind yourself of the goodness of the gospel, and to make a habit of using the gospel to encourage your brothers and sisters in Christ. Familiarity with the gospel will make it a lot easier to share. 

Principle #4 - Remember The Two Big Commands (Love God and Love Neighbor) 

Jesus was once asked what was the greatest commandment. His answer was simply to love God and love your neighbor: 

One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

•  Matthew 22:35-40

In case you were wondering, your neighbor is whomever happens to be in your life at any given moment. But what does it really mean to love God and love our neighbor? 

Love in Action

One common misconception when we read this passage is that we think of love almost exclusively as a feeling. Love, however, is an action verb.  We love God not just by feeling affection towards Him, but by obeying His commands and offering Him praise and worship. We love our neighbor through acts of kindness, service, and by helping them in times of need. 

The apostle Paul wrote to the church in Galatia: 

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

• Galatians 6:2

How do we carry other people’s burdens? Sometimes you don’t even need to ask that question because you already know their burdens. For others, you may need to work your way into their lives and get to know them better before you can really start showing Christlike love through service. Here are a few ways you could get started: 

Simple acts of service: 

• Invite them out for a cup of coffee or over to your home for dinner. 
• Write them a note of encouragement. 
• Offer to help with a big task or upcoming project. 
• If they seem discouraged or troubled, ask them about it. Listen to what they share and offer to pray for them.

If we seek to be a voice of encouragement and a source of support in people’s lives, then people will inevitably begin to see us as a friend (because we are) and will open up more and more of their lives to us. Our job as Christians is simply to make sure that as we come and go into people’s lives, that we are bringing Jesus with us. 

Blessings and Brokenness

Take a moment to think about a specific conversation you shared recently with a coworker, a neighbor, or a friend. Not just a passing hello, but any conversation of substance. More than likely in the course of that exchange, part of what the person brought up as you talked involved one of two things: either (1) a place where they're experiencing blessing, or (2) a place where they're experiencing brokenness. They probably didn’t use those words, but almost all substantial conversations revolve around something good or something bad that is in our lives. The Good news is that these two topics provide the most natural foundation for discussing the gospel.

You never need to force people to talk about the things they love. It's not a burden for them to tell you about their families, their jobs, and their various life interests. When someone is passionate about a hobby or something, they'll talk about it. 

The same is also true for the places where people are hurting, where they are experiencing brokenness in this world. Dreads and worries will tend to find their way into everyday conversation because they're never completely out of mind. Just as the things and people that a person loves are right there on the tip of their tongue, the things and people who've hurt them are rarely far behind.

Blessings

Blessings are one of the easiest topics to bring Jesus into. Afterall, “every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father…” (James 1:7). A conversation about faith can come as naturally as taking gratitude and directing it where it belongs, upwards to God. 

When someone shares good news with you it is not hard to say something like “Praise God!” or “God has certainly blessed you!” That might not result in a spiritual conversation 100% of the time, but sometimes their response opens up a door in a way you didn’t expect. This is even more so an opportunity if the blessing they received is something you have been praying for on their behalf. In that case let them know that their blessing was an answer to prayer. 

You can also use the blessings in your own life as a way to open the door for a spiritual conversation. When you talk about good news or good things in your life, give God the credit He is due. In the little things and the big things, give God the glory. If nothing else it shows people that you have a relationship with God, and you may be the only person in their life that they can say that about. When they feel the need to talk to someone about a matter of faith, they very well may turn to that friendly person who is always giving God the glory. 

Brokenness:

Just as blessings can be an open door to a spiritual conversation, so too can brokenness. If people love to talk about what is good in their life, then they doubly enjoy complaining about what is bad. Why do people complain? They complain because they want sympathy. At some level they want to hear their pain and frustration heard (whether that pain is big or small). The want to know they aren’t alone in feeling the way they feel. 

When someone is hurting, try to remember that their hurt (big or small) is a consequence of living in a sinful and fallen world. Jesus came to fix all that was broken and will one day make all things new and good. The cause of the hurt will be dealt with and only what is good will remain. That is an amazing comfort for those who are in Christ, and can be an avenue to speak about our hope to those who are looking for hope in their struggles: 

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience…

• 1 Peter 3:15-16a

 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

• 2 Corinthians 1:3

Remember that all of this takes place in the context of a conversation (not a presentation). If Jesus is at the center of our lives he will naturally flow out into our conversations, especially when we talk about topics like suffering, brokenness, and hope. 

As 2 Corinthians 1:3 reminds us, the comfort from God we receive in our troubles was meant to be shared with others during their troubles. And as 1 Peter 3:15-16 reminds us, we need to be prepared to give a reason for hope (Jesus is the reason), and to do so in a way that is gentle and respectful. 

Sometimes people are at their most receptive to the gospel when they are most aware of their brokenness. Just look at the type of people who flocked to Jesus in the gospels. Other people, however, will use pain and brokenness as an excuse to go further away from God. We won’t know how someone will respond until we open that conversational door and invite them in, but even if their are not receptive we still did the right thing by trying to give them the hope and healing that Jesus provides (Remember Principle #3).

Summary: Jesus tells us that the two greatest commandments are to love God and to love your Neighbor. We love God not just by feeling affection towards Him, but by obeying His commands and offering Him praise and worship. We love our neighbor through acts of kindness, service, and by helping them in times of need. We can love our neighbors in a variety of ways including small acts of kindness and service. These open up opportunities to form new relationships with people, which also opens up opportunities to share Jesus with others as they open up about their blessings and their brokenness. 

Principle #5 - Make A Commitment

The last principle is also one of the most important, and that is simply to make a commitment to share Jesus with someone. Earlier we talked about how it may be easier just to focus on one person and pray for opportunities to share Jesus with them. You and I are a lot more likely to act on a commitment to “talk with (a person we know) about Jesus” (specific) rather than “talk to someone about Jesus” (general and vague). 

Whether or not you have one person in mind or you just want to start being more consistent in sharing Jesus with whomever God places in your life, it is good to make a commitment and to start taking steps towards keeping that commitment. 

As always, the first step is to pray! To refresh a point we made in Principle #3: 

• Pray for God to give you opportunities to share Jesus with others. 
• Pray for the wisdom to see opportunities when they arise. 
• Pray for the courage to act on those opportunities. 
• Pray for God to reveal who in your life does not know Jesus. 
• Pray for God to bring people into your life who do not know Jesus. 
• Pray for God to open the hearts of the lost people in your life (pray for them by name). 

If you make this a consistent prayer you will be surprised by how many opportunities present themselves. More often than not we have opportunities all around us, but we are not looking for them and so we easily pass them by. 

When you inevitably miss an opportunity (either by not recognizing it until the moment has passed or by becoming too freaked out to act on it) do not let that discourage you to the point where you stop trying. Every new habit takes time and commitment to develop, and no one becomes an expert without being an awkward amateur for a season. I would strongly encourage you to keep pushing forward, even if it feels awkward at first. Like any skill, with time and patience it becomes second nature. Then before you know it you will be Sharing Jesus without freaking out. 

 

Summary: The tricky part of becoming the type of person who shares Jesus is keeping the desire to share Jesus in front of your mind and pushing through the season when it will feel new and awkward. Prayer is a huge part in sharing Jesus, and after we have laid the foundation with prayer the only thing left to do is to get stated and to keep going for as long as God gives us people to share the love of Jesus with. 

BONUS: Barriers To Belief  

It is usually a good idea to assume that people have no knowledge of the gospel, but you will inevitably come across some people who know all the right facts and still refuse to believe. What do we do then? 

Most people who know the gospel and yet refuse to believe it are experience at least on of the four common barriers to belief: 

Barrier #1 - Hostility: 

Some people have been hurt by churches or by people who claimed to be followers of Jesus. They may have suffered real trauma and abuse at the hands of self-proclaimed Christ followers, or they may have bought into many of  anti-christian narratives that are in the world. 

How to respond: First, remember that these people still need the gospel no matter what they say. If they are willing to talk, try to listen even though it may be painful to do so, and do not return hostility for hostility. Remember to try to keep sharing the truth but to do so in the most gentle and loving way you can. If they have been mistreated by churches or christians, you can sympathize with their hurts and acknowledge that the way they were treated was wrong, but do not apologize for believing in the gospel or following Jesus. 

Barrier #2 - Suffering: 

Some people struggle to believe in a good God because they see t