Chapter 1 Reached By God to Reach Others
Essential Components of a Contagious Faith
This is God's Mission
Jesus came to seek and to save the lost world, and then told us to go into our world and do the same. Matthew 28:18-20
This Mission Is for Every Believer
God's challenge to reach a lost world is not a task that's reserved for elite Christians, those with special gifts or training. We are ALL members of the church to which Jesus gave the Great Commission.
We Must Have it Before We Can Give It Away
Evangelism is best described as overflow – it's letting the good we have in Christ spill over into the lives of people around us. But that means we really need to have it first.
God Can Use Us at Any Stage of Development
Most of us feel 'out of season' or not ready most of the time. But if we'll make ourselves available to Him, He knows how to make up the difference, using us at whatever our current stage of development might be.
We Must Be Fueled by Love
Christ's love compels us
If you're driven to share your faith by any motivation other than love, then you're running on the wrong fuel.
Our mission is ultimately not to win arguments, to prove people wrong or get them to join our church or cause. It's to lovingly point them to the Savior so that they too, can experience the love and forgiveness of our gracious God.
We Must Grounded in God's Truth
If you want to lead others into the faith, then you must first make certain that the faith you're leading them into is anchored in the clear and consistent doctrines of God's Holy Word, the Bible.
We Must Communicate Through Both Works and Words
Good works can open hearts; grace-filled words can open minds. The Holy Spirit can use the two elements together to redeem lives for eternity.
Reaching People is a Process
Those we hope to reach rarely make the journey to true faith in one fell swoop. The journey usually happens over time.
We need to show people why these beliefs make sense – and this requires time, energy, information, and patience.
Reaching People is a Team Activity
The process of someone coming to faith in Jesus is NOT all dependent on you.
We just need to be prepared and available, and then “make open doors to spiritually encourage and speak to people for Him.
As each of us is faithful doing our part, He will use us TOGETHER as a team to communicate his purposes of grace and redemption.
Reaching People is a Spiritual Activity
Helping people come to Christ is not just giving them information or answers to their questions and objections. Nor is it just about being passionate or persuasive.
It is a spiritual struggle that is being fought at an unseen level, and because of this, we are all out of our league and need God's wisdom, help, and intervention.
Ultimately it is the Holy Spirit who draws people into God's loving arms. We need to be as attuned to Him and His workings as we possibly can be.
This will come only through spending deep and consistent times with Him in prayer, as well as regularly studying God's Word, the Bible.
Pray frequently and fervently for the people in your life who need to know Christ. In doing so, you will activate divine forces and unseen activities that we can barely understand – but which will nevertheless impact eternity.
We Were Made to Live for So Much More
A life spent following Christ is a good thing, but one spent contagiously spreading the grace of Christ to others is an extraordinary thing.
There is nothing more rewarding than knowing that the God of the universe is loving through you, that He is speaking through you, that He is reaching through you, and that He is in the process of changing the lives of precious men, women, and children through your efforts to bring them to Him.
Ripple Effects of a Contagious Faith
Seriously, what could be more rewarding? What could be better? What could be more important? What could be more urgent? What else can we invest in that will last forever? In what other ways could small risks turn into changed lives, transformed families, and more and more people headed for eternity with God?
Chapter 2 Finding An Approach That Fits You
Discovering Your Natural Approach
We categorize evangelism as an activity for one of two kinds of Christ followers: Superstar Christians who have the skills needed to share the gospel effectively, or Offbeat Believers who lack those skills but do it anyway!
The vast majority of believers end up in “evangelistic no-man's land,” thinking somebody ought to spreading the Good News – but that somebody isn't going to be them. Unfortunately, studies bear this out. A recent LifeWay Research publication reports, for example, that less than half of the churchgoers they surveyed (45 percent) had shared information on how to become a Christian with someone in the prior six months.
You can be that spiritual ambassador. You can be a God-appointed missionary, sent at least initially to reach the people you know best. Now you just need to get prepared. You need to find your natural niche for spiritually influencing others. You'll also want to hone a few Key Skills on how to tell them about your faith.
