Cultivate,
Stimulate, & Recognize Opportunities In this article, I want to summarize our lessons on cultivating, stimulating, and recognizing evangelistic opportunities. Inside there is a chart you can use to remind yourself of the components of conversational evangelism we’ve discussed. You can use the chart numerous ways, including:
Conversational Evangelism Paul asked Christians to pray for him and his evangelistic efforts. We need to pray fervently for our evangelistic efforts, individually and as a church. As Christians, shining our lights and answering the world’s questions, we want to share our faith with everyone we contact. We accomplish this by being ourselves and opening up to people, sharing our failures and successes, as we show others the gospel of Christ and God’s power (Rom. 1:16). This shows that they are interested in talking about church and spiritual topics. You can follow up by asking them questions about their church. The conversation may allow you an opportunity to tell them about the church of Christ and our congregation. You may even have an opportunity to point out some differences between the Lord’s church and other churches. You probably won’t be able to open a Bible and read from it, which may turn them off anyway. But it’s good to bring the Bible into the conversation, showing that it is the authority for your life. This will be of interest to individuals who are searching for a church that relies on the Bible for the things it does, not on the opinions and doctrines of men. And it will give you credibility with people who are searching for the truth. Everything has something to do with God and religion; therefore, every conversation has something to do with God. This question is an inoffensive way to find out if they’re looking for a church. If they’re not going to church, you have the opportunity to invite them to go to church with you, while giving the reasons you like our congregation. If they’re already going to church, you have opportunity to continue the conversation by asking a few more questions. And, you can still invite them to visit with you. Many people you contact throughout the day are interested in having a spiritual conversation. By using words like “church,” “God,” “Jesus,” and “salvation” in everyday conversations, you let people know you are spiritually minded, and that you’d like to have a spiritual conversation. People who are interested in having a spiritual conversation will often reply by using spiritual or religious words. In such cases, you can follow up, as discussed earlier in this series. When you’re talking about moral and religious topics, reference the Bible to substantiate your point. It’s usually best not to give the chapter and verse, or quote the Scripture, because many people think you are talking down to them or preaching at them. But if they ask where the Scripture is in the Bible, be ready to tell them, and possibly show them — this could be your first Bible study together. By referencing the Bible in a conversation, you show people that you are committed to God’s word, and that it’s the ultimate authority for your life. This shows them that you are a sincere and faithful Bible student, and allows you to graciously interject basic principles. Every topic relates to God in some fashion. The more conversations we can relate to God and the Bible, the more successful we’ll be at finding people who are interested in talking about God. You can practice by replaying conversations in your mind and asking, “How could I have taught a spiritual lesson during that conversation?” Then, practice what you could have said during the conversation. Soon, you’ll find yourself teaching these lessons in everyday conversation. In spiritual conversations, you can often interject something about Jesus’ church and our congregation. Like a sower sows seed in a field, talk about God, Jesus, and the church with everyone you can. If someone cares about God enough to have a spiritual conversation with you, they’ll appreciate talking about His church.
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