Shoreline exists to worship the Lord, deepen his disciples, and extend the free offer of the gospel to the world. Evangelism is sometimes a daunting task, so here are a few helps to make the process easier for you.
Contents
Learn Simple Strategies to Begin Spiritual Conversations
The classic Evangelism Explosion question is: “Have you come to the place in your spiritual life where you can say you know for certain that if you were to die today you would go to heaven?”
Does that not roll right off your tongue?
For a long list of more natural transitions into gospel conversations, take a look at Throw a Boomerang. This short pamphlet is a guide of simple questions you can ask in normal conversation that often come back to you, and for which you can give spiritual answers that move the conversation towards Christ.
Learn to Share the Gospel... Easily!
Once you’ve started a conversation about Christ, here are some simple ways you can clearly share the gospel:
Let Jesus Explain the Gospel For You
Sharing the gospel can be tricky, but you don’t have to figure it all out yourself!
We know that the Bible is living, active, and powerful (Heb 4:12) so, instead of learning a pre-patterned gospel presentation, allow Jesus to explain his mission and the offer of the gospel in his own words!
The next time you have the opportunity to share the gospel, open up your Bible (or Bible app) to John 3:1-21 and say, “Here’s what Jesus said Christianity was all about. Why don’t you read it out loud and see what you think?”
Share a 90-Second Gospel Video
Some visual presentations of the gospel are very helpful in communicating to modern audiences. Here’s a short, riveting video presentation by famed evangelist Glenn Scrivener of Speak Life.
We especially appreciate this gospel presentation because it focuses on how Christ entered into our circumstance, paid our debt of guilt, and reconciled us to God. (2 Cor 5:18–20).
Share the Roman Road
The “Roman Road” is a series of verses in the book of Romans that succinctly lay out the need for the gospel, the solution of the cross and empty tomb, and how we can come to benefit from God’s grace by faith:
Romans 3:23 - “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Romans 6:23 - “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 5:8 - “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 10:9-10 - “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
Romans 5:1-2 - “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
Romans 8:1-2 - “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”
To share the gospel using the Roman Road you can:
List out the verses in your Bible and share by pointing them out to someone.
Install a Roman Road app on your device. Search your favorite app store for “Roman Road to Salvation.”
Share the 3 Circles
The North American Mission Board has produced a free evangelism program called the 3 Circles: Life Conversation Guide.
Watch the 12-minute video training and then you’re ready to draw the 3 circles on a napkin, or download the app (Android, Apple) to use on your device.
Prepare for Objections to Christianity
Our culture isn’t always friendly to Christianity. (Though most individuals are a lot less hostile than most Christians fear!) So one potential barrier to evangelism is our fear of people’s objections or hostilities to the gospel.
Suspicion is an Opportunity
When someone exhibits an initial resistance to Christianity, that provides us an an entrance point for the gospel in our conversation. And we know it's a topic they find relevant because people object to things that matter to them.
So, when someone leads with a negative suspicion regarding Christianity, we can offer to talk about it more and know it's something they’re interested in, just by asking, "Would you like to hear what Jesus says about that?"
Read the article to learn more and see some examples.
Answers to Common Objections
Christians sometimes feel reluctant to share the gospel because they’re scared they won’t be able to answer people’s objections. Bolster your confidence by preparing ahead of time!
Shoreline’s elders have suggested answers to objections you have mentioned to us.
Cru has put together a guide on a great strategy for discussing objections. Rather than simply providing an answer, ask more questions!