Live a Transformed Life
The most eloquent and fluent Gospel presentation is muted if unbelievers identify you by patterns of sin in your life. The more holy and the more set apart our lives are, the more powerful our evangelism generally will be. In fact, the consistent testimony of a changed life is one of the more compelling proofs of the truth of the Gospel (Rom 12:1).
Pray Relentlessly
I have seen in my own life that in times where I am not praying for evangelistic opportunities, I have a hard time identifying them. However, the more I pray and ask God to open opportunities for evangelism, the more opportunities I seem to have. Prayer is not only answered by God bringing more non-believers into our lives, but is also answered by God allowing us see the opportunities that are already present. A sign of godliness is earnest prayer for the lost (Rom 10:1).
Start the Conversation
Because of your love and compassion for your neighbors and co-workers, develop a relationship with them. Get to know their names, their interests, their joys and their trials. Ask them questions, and listen to the answers. I am always surprised about how many Christians don’t even know the names of their neighbors. It is not likely that your neighbor will randomly knock on your door and ask what he must do to be saved. Instead, start the conversations with them, and watch how God may develop relationships that lead to the Gospel being proclaimed.
Explain the Gospel
In the course of your relationships with friends and neighbors, talk about spiritual things. Ask questions in a loving way, and be prepared to explain what you believe, and why it is different from their beliefs. Explain why you have an eternal hope. Explain who God is, that he is holy and that he is the creator. Explain why man is sinful and in need of a savior. Explain how Christ is that savior and how his death and resurrection can restore us to a right relationship with God. And finally, tell them what a saving response looks like by challenging them to count the cost, deny themselves, and become a follower of Christ.
Don’t be discouraged
The worst-case scenario in evangelism is that people reject the Gospel. They do this because they are spiritually dead and blind to the things of God (Eph 2:1). The evangelist has an impossible task, one for which it seems we are completely insufficient (2 Cor 3:5-6). But we rely on God who can bring the dead to life, and we are faithful with the opportunities that God gives us, trusting him with the results.
Peter Cockrell reposted this excellent piece. I commented to Peter that I thought Johnson unnecessarily restricted "Live a Transformed Life" to that of living a holy life (which I took implies righteous). I love Peter's response:
I would say it like this: transformation is more than being set free from personal bondage to sin, but not less than it. All other areas of transformation (including miracles and the corporate testimony of the body of Christ) serve the ultimate reason for, and power of, the gospel, namely deliverance from sin so that we can see and savour God. I think a text that could be driving the author’s comments might be Titus 2:10, where believers are exhorted to “adorn [”make attractive” NIV] the doctrine of God our Saviour”. The context demands moral transformation rather than miraculous attestation. Compare verse 10 with verse 5, where the same kind of thing is said negatively, i.e. not causing the word of God to be “reviled” by inappropriate behavior.
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