Best way to share the gospel?

[Modus]

What is the best way to share the gospel with people?
What do you say to a homosexual? Do you let your actions do the witnessing? Do you use the law like Jesus did? Do you tell people how Jesus can make them truly happy? Should you bring up hell?

I have a lot of thoughts on this subject and I started this thread mainly to hear how people are sharing the gospel.

 

[pmarquette]

What is the best way to share the gospel with people?
>>> our lives , do the right thing
What do you say to a homosexual?
>>> Jesus loves you , Jesus can help you
Do you let your actions do the witnessing?
build relationship , meet a need , extend a hand
Do you use the law like Jesus did?
use the word , the truth , by Holy Spirit " it is written "
Do you tell people how Jesus can make them truly happy?
yes , but they cannot receive it yet , for they are without eyes and ears
Should you bring up hell?
grace and mercy work better than hellfire and damnation

I have a lot of thoughts on this subject and I started this thread mainly to hear how people are sharing the gospel.

good ; if it works use it , if it don't flush it ... practical , pragmatic

 

[Hez]

I think it's best to show love first....sometimes you'll have to answer those questions, sometime you won't. You really should let your actions do the witnessing...there's a quote, I don't remember exactly how it goes, but it says something like like preach the gospel, use words if necessary. Pmarquette is right.....faith , hope , love... the other stuff will come up, and I don't know if there is a set answer to use for everyone....you just have to depend on God to give you the right words for that person...

Hez

 

[icebreaker]

Not much else needs to be said Pmarquette usually hits it on the nail. I usually try to avoid being a salesperson and instead be their friend and witness to them that way. Read my signature.

 

[kwimmer]

Actually, I just read I really interesting book called Questioning Evangelism by Randy Newman. Sometimes people don't want answers. Jesus asked a lot of questions and sometimes he didn't give answers. Asking questions can really open up roads to presenting the gospel. Sometime people believe things that they have never honestly thought about. Sometimes people don't see the gospel as being plausible. Sometimes people really ask questions as an attack. Answers don't do much good in many of situations and sometimes they can harden peoples hearts by showing how simple minded and uncaring we can be. But questions so interest and compassion, which a person may need more of than an answer. So I would say be genuine and show interest.

I've done a review of the book on my website if you are interested.

 

[Modus]

Actually, I just read I really interesting book called Questioning Evangelism by Randy Newman. Sometimes people don't want answers. Jesus asked a lot of questions and sometimes he didn't give answers. Asking questions can really open up roads to presenting the gospel. Sometime people believe things that they have never honestly thought about. Sometimes people don't see the gospel as being plausible. Sometimes people really ask questions as an attack. Answers don't do much good in many of situations and sometimes they can harden peoples hearts by showing how simple minded and uncaring we can be. But questions so interest and compassion, which a person may need more of than an answer. So I would say be genuine and show interest.

I've done a review of the book on my website if you are interested.

I agree 100%. Studying the way Jesus witnessed to sinners is the single best thing you can do to learn how to witness to people. He was the master and our example, so when I hear people say things like "Jesus will give you a happiness that nothing else can give" and "you are going burn in hell if you don't exept Jesus" or "I just tell them that Jesus loves them" . of course these things are true, but when people use those things as a motivation for salvation they will almost undoubtly create a false convert. This is an unbilblical and uneffective way to witness!

Iv'e heard so many testimonies where the gospel was preached as Jesus makes you happier and they tell you how bad their life was before they were saved and how its so much better now. If you witness like this or you think this is a right way to witness, I challenge you to show me one example of this in the bible. Jesus never said anything like this, nobody did It's simply not there!

If you don't agree with me here please ask questions. Like I said before, I have a lot to say on this subject becuase I think that most chruches, quite frankly, are completely lost when it comes to the right way to evangelize, the way Jesus did it, so I will be spending some time here teaching what I've learned (mostly from Ray Comfort, and currently a lot from Spurgeon) And for anybody reading this that already knows about using the law to witness, please jump in here!

 

[ccunning001]

The best way to share the gospel I have found is to first show them that you really care for them. Before Jesus would share, most of the time he would show he cared. He did this by healing, feeding, or just paying serious attention to his audience. Today caring is so important I really do not think you can share Christ with out it.

 

[Periann]

I think (like basically every other poster here) that it should come from the heart. I knew someone once who would just argue and argue with non Christians and it even got me annoyed for them! Sometimes you just got to be tactful you know??

 

[Modus]

I think (like basically every other poster here) that it should come from the heart. I knew someone once who would just argue and argue with non Christians and it even got me annoyed for them! Sometimes you just got to be tactful you know??

So true! Though Jesus did reason with people he didn't get too caught up in arguments. He went straight to the point. Reasoning is a very big part of witnessing, we are all embassadors for Christ and we should always be prepared to give reasons.

So how did Jesus keep from getting into the argument zone?

He went straight for their heart using the Law. The bible says that the law is written on everyones heart so that their conscience will bear witness to their sins and hold them guilty before God. The law stops people from justifying and shows them that they really are guilty, that they really do need a savior. For a really good example of how the law is used to witness, check out this link http://www.livingwaters.com/good/

For the best example of how to use the law, just look at how Jesus made people feel guilty be showing them the law, and look what that does to the arguments.

 

[Modus]

The best way to share the gospel I have found is to first show them that you really care for them.

This is very important! We should always aproach people with 100% grace and also 100% truth. Not 50/50. On one hand we must be loving and on the other hand we must be truthfull. In the book The Grace and Truth Paradox by Randy Alcorn (which is exactly about this subject and very good) Randy Alcorn says this: "What would Jesus do? There is always one answer: He would act in grach and truth.
Truth without grace breeds a self-righteous legalism that poisons the church and pushes the world away from Christ.
Grace without truth breeds moral indifference and keeps people from seeing their need for Christ.
Attempts to "soften" the gospel by minimizing truth keep people from Jesus. Attempts to "toughen" the gospel by minimizing grace keep people from Jesus. It's not enought for us to offer grace or Truth.
We must offer both."

So when we don't tell people about hell and show them that they have sinned and that they are in trouble, we are not doing what Jesus did, we are softening up the gospel. And like ccunning001 said we should show them grace. And on the other hand, if we do not show grace and we only tell them about hell and we toughen up the gospell we will also drive sinners away from Christ.

It seems to me that most churches I have been too are in the softening catagory. They don't want to tell people that they are going to hell becuase they don't want to be "harsh" That is why the law is so important when we witness. It is the truth and it is the way Jesus witnessed to proud sinners and somehow it has been forgotten by most modern day churches!

 

[Chris Green]

Keep posting please Modus.

This is a real help.

 

[Chris Green]

Anyone listened to:
http://www.livingwaters.com/listenwatch.shtml

(Hell's best kept secret)

 

[Modus]

Anyone listened to:
http://www.livingwaters.com/listenwatch.shtml

(Hell's best kept secret)

Yeah I strongly encourage everyone to listen to all of Ray Comfort's messages.

If you don't have audio on your computer, you can read it on my site here http://www.geocities.com/dearmodus/hellsbestkeptsecret

 

[pmarquette]

how do you speak to a teenager ?
a little , wait , a little more , waith
what do you desire to convey ?
I care about you , even when I disagree with you
or disapprove of what you are doing

 

[Modus]

how do you speak to a teenager ?
a little , wait , a little more , waith
what do you desire to convey ?
I care about you , even when I disagree with you
or disapprove of what you are doing

Can you elaborate on this a little more, I'm kind of confused on what you are trying to say here. (sorry, I'm a little tired)

 

[michael servetus]

What is the best way to share the gospel with people?
What do you say to a homosexual? Do you let your actions do the witnessing? Do you use the law like Jesus did? Do you tell people how Jesus can make them truly happy? Should you bring up hell?

I have a lot of thoughts on this subject and I started this thread mainly to hear how people are sharing the gospel.

First they need to understand sin. If they don't, there is no need for Christ!

 

[Purpletigy]

I think when you witness, you should be definately prayed up before going. I also think that you should go with another person for your own protection, and to have prayer back-up. I think that you should ask the Holy Spirit to guide you on who to speak to. There are alot of people out on the road that have no desire to hear the word, and will get hostile and violent. If we pray before we say, then God can move through us to the right person who he has prepared. I saw on tv a stupid show at a friend's house called "Cheaters". (I know, it's a horrible show) but this one girl was at a place in Dallas where a group of street witnessers went up to her while she was confronting her boyfriend, and started trying to be up in her face, preaching at her. Needless to say, they didn't look like they were really caring what the girl was going through, they were just not considering what impact they were having. It was as if they were just really trying to get on TV. I don't want my witness to be in-your-face. I want to be able to address someone with something they can use other than simantics. This is how I feel about it. I'd like to see some feed back regarding my comment. Thanks

 

[parker4Christ]

in the campus ministry i'm involved with, we use surveys to talk to ppl about Jesus. as far as i know, our campus pastor came up with them. they start off just asking ppl about their beliefs regarding some issues, and then it asks them if they believe Jesus is the Son of God. then it asks if they think Jesus would agree or disagree regarding the earlier questions....it's got other stuff too, but basically it's just a way to get ppl thinking, and it gives us an opportunity to share out faith in a non-confronting way. i know for me at least, it can be really hard to go up to a complete stranger and just start talking to them about Jesus....the survey is just a way to open up the door and start a convo with someone.

 

[AdJesumPerMariam]

Along with The Way Of The Master, Mark Cahill has a website,markcahill.com . Order his book, it is very good! Great suggestions for witnessing, using surveys, questions to ask, etc.

Love-n-Blessings!
dee

 

[Salvatore Gonzales]

Be an example and stand strong.

Keep in mind when you go into the world,
there are many who will seek to tear you
down.