Effective ways to spread the Gospel

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psalm6819

Guest
#1
[SUP] Romans 2:4 [/SUP]Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee
to repentance?

I have a bracelet that has WDYTOJ- what do you think of Jesus and I find it a nonconfrontational way to begin a dialogue. ( I don't see "Hi my name is Robin and if you don't believe in Jesus you'll burn in Hell forever you miserable sinner" as a good opening)

I'm hoping for some other approaches. What works for you?
 
A

Ariel82

Guest
#2
i just talk to someone and work my way into what i'm studying in the Bible at the time and what their beliefs are.
 
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psalm6819

Guest
#3
Thank you for your response and God bless you in all endeavors. :)
 
M

Mooky

Guest
#4
Great that you should ask - this is something I have been looking into myself.
I have been taught that as Christians we are here to win souls for Christ - otherwise we would be taken straight to heaven once we got saved.
So - my two cents on effective ways to spread the gospel?
There are a number of ways that I am aware of.One would be friendship evangelism - where one actively cultivates relationships with the intent of loving others into the kingdom.It can be a costly and self sacrificing activity and difficult - especially as in my experience - not everyone will be interested in knowing Jesus and may seek to take advantage of your kindness - but (so I am told )- it is one of the most effective ways of bringing Christ to the lost.
Then of course there are gospel tracts, which can be distributed in public places such as train stations or just on the street.If this is too confrontational for you, you can also consider leaving them anonymously in phone booths, library books, rest rooms,or on benches in shopping malls.Jack Chick has a myriad of tracts which come in the form of cartoons - making them more likely to be read.Chick Cartoon Tracts
Remember that although it's great to evangelise in your neighborhood - there are millions who have never heard the name of Jesus - who live in what we call the 10/40 window.Joshua Project - The 10/40 Window
I strongly believe that evangelism is not just a matter of telling the gospel , but should be accompanied with prayer.One way of reaching the unreached who do not have access to the bible or to missionaries/churches is to pray for them.Operation world is a fantastic organisation which documents christian activity all around the globe and raises issues for prayer.Operation World | Home
Finally, we need to remember that when we seek to live lives which are characterised by integrity, repentance and the power that comes from reading the Word and speaking to Jesus regularly - people will be naturally drawn to us, because they will see the light in our lives.We can then bring them to church, where they will recieve input from other christians and be able to see how a loving community of Jesus-Followers deal with the issues of life.After all,teamwork has its own sort of synergy and the christian life was intended to be a communal endeavour.
One word of warning - when you evangelise others, you are on the offensive - so expect opposition from the enemy - he likes to stir up trouble for those christians who seek to plunder his kingdom.So be prepared - bathe your efforts in prayer and know your stuff - ie. the bible - be clothed in the armour of God (Ephesians 6:10-18)
Also, don't be disheartened if you do not have immediate success - we are just called to be faithful and sow seeds - it is God that gives the increase.(1 Corinthians 3:6)Sometimes people remember seeds which have been planted a long time ago and only then decide to make a decision for Christ - so every bit counts.
Hope that helps.
 

crossnote

Senior Member
Nov 24, 2012
30,704
3,649
113
#5
I think 'where' you target is as important as 'how' Those on skid row will show more interest than those on a luxury cruise liner.
Paul went to the synagogues and the Areopagos both a place where an interest in truth could be found. As long as people are self satisfied in their sin, results will be small.
 
May 5, 2013
161
0
0
#6
Make friends with people, let them know you are Christian, casually bring about the Gospel, and eventually they will follow your lead I think.
Sure there are hardcore athiests who will argue with you, but I think there are a lot of people just sitting on the fence ( who are luke warm ) who just need a nudge in the right direction ( from their Christian friend ) after you get to know each other.

This might not save peoples in other countries who have never even seen a bible, but it will help those who are lost in your city.
 

maxwel

Senior Member
Apr 18, 2013
9,261
2,386
113
#7
[SUP] Romans 2:4 [/SUP]Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee
to repentance?

I have a bracelet that has WDYTOJ- what do you think of Jesus and I find it a nonconfrontational way to begin a dialogue. ( I don't see "Hi my name is Robin and if you don't believe in Jesus you'll burn in Hell forever you miserable sinner" as a good opening)

I'm hoping for some other approaches. What works for you?
That's very astute.
Unfortunately, we need to send you on a lecture tour to American churches.

: )
 

Angela53510

Senior Member
Jan 24, 2011
11,780
2,940
113
#8
"Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." Co. 4:6

I think we do need to prayer for God to bring us to people who are open to the gospel. But we also need to live the gospel. That means in words and actions.

For me, a testimony is the best sort of sharing the gospel. Because no one can refute what God has done for you. I was visiting an atheist who was dying of cancer this year in long term care for over 6 months. I prayed for him every day, but he would NEVER let me say a single word about God. But he was always happy I took the time to visit with him.

The final day of my practicum, God just opened the doors to give some of my testimony, in front of his wife and son, who were also atheists. Turns out, he had a lot of family in ministry and they were also praying for him. I know the chaplain was also praying for him. I need to go back there soon and see how he is doing. I am still praying that God will touch his heart before he dies.

I also don't worry if I don't lead the person to the Lord, although sometimes I have had that amazing privilege.

"So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. [SUP]8 [/SUP]He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor.[SUP]9 [/SUP]For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building." 1 Cor. 3:7-9
 

jb

Senior Member
Feb 27, 2010
4,940
586
113
#9
Effective ways to spread the Gospel
Like the early Church did! Mark 16v14-20, Acts 4v31, 5v12-16, Rom 15v18-21 and so forth...
 
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psalm6819

Guest
#10
I thank each one of you for responding and may God bless you richly.
 
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Graybeard

Guest
#11
How we live life is a very powerful testimony and witness to others. Lead by example.
 
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BishopSEH

Guest
#12
I would say the best Gospel is the one people read. That Gospel, believe it or not are the the four in the Bible. No, rather its you. If you claim to be a follower of Christ you need to live it "loud and proud". No i am not saying to be prideful. Rather i am saying to fully live your faith, in private and in public.

You see my picture on mt post? I don't walk around dressed like that all the time. I do on the other hand evangelize all the time. I practice apologetics all the time. There are times when you need to be aggressive in both of these. Those times are best set aside for the more irritating atheists. But, your average person a gentle approach is better. Once you ascertain that a person is not a believer one thing I do is ask them if its ok if I pray from them. Sometimes I just go ahead and pray right there but usually I simply pray later. Even if they say no I pray for them anyways but I simply wanted to let them know I wanted to pray for them. This is called plowing.

You have seen throughout the bible that Jesus regularly used farming in His stories. Prayer is plowing a field for planting. The better a field is plowed the better it will accept the seed. For this reason I am really big into prayer groups. I aim for 5 - 8 people in a group to keep the time manageable. I have found that by first plowing that when I speak to a person about Christ that they are more amiable to hearing about the truth of God.

I also search for questions I think might come up and seek out the answers. These days I don't need my flash cards but i still carry them just in case. But sometimes I still get hit with something I don't know the answer to. Guess what? There is nothing wrong with admitting there is something you don't know. There is something very wrong with leaving it that way. When I do get hit with a question I don't know I tell them i don't know but if they will give me a week i will get an answer for them. Here is a tip? Do the research and if after a week you still don't know admit it.

There is one other big evangelism secret. Two questions. Is that true? and What do you mean by that? Ever heard someone say "there is no truth"? Well is that true? If they say yes then they acknowledge that there is truth. If they say no then they admit they are lying. The other, What do you mean by that?; most non-believers are simply tossing out things they have read or heard that sound good to their ears. They think they believe it but strangely enough most can't explain it. If you put them on the spot to explain what they claim more often than not it simply falls apart. When that happens it is much easier to teach the truth.

Hope this helps.

In Christ,

Bishop SEH
 

maxwel

Senior Member
Apr 18, 2013
9,261
2,386
113
#13
The most natural thing, like many have mentioned, is simply to reach out to those already around you, like at your work, school, etc.

To move beyond that, you need to give some thought to the culture you're trying to reach, what your natural gifts are, and the best ways to put those two things together.
 

Angela53510

Senior Member
Jan 24, 2011
11,780
2,940
113
#14
I would say the best Gospel is the one people read. That Gospel, believe it or not are the the four in the Bible. No, rather its you. If you claim to be a follower of Christ you need to live it "loud and proud". No i am not saying to be prideful. Rather i am saying to fully live your faith, in private and in public.

You see my picture on mt post? I don't walk around dressed like that all the time. I do on the other hand evangelize all the time. I practice apologetics all the time. There are times when you need to be aggressive in both of these. Those times are best set aside for the more irritating atheists. But, your average person a gentle approach is better. Once you ascertain that a person is not a believer one thing I do is ask them if its ok if I pray from them. Sometimes I just go ahead and pray right there but usually I simply pray later. Even if they say no I pray for them anyways but I simply wanted to let them know I wanted to pray for them. This is called plowing.

You have seen throughout the bible that Jesus regularly used farming in His stories. Prayer is plowing a field for planting. The better a field is plowed the better it will accept the seed. For this reason I am really big into prayer groups. I aim for 5 - 8 people in a group to keep the time manageable. I have found that by first plowing that when I speak to a person about Christ that they are more amiable to hearing about the truth of God.

I also search for questions I think might come up and seek out the answers. These days I don't need my flash cards but i still carry them just in case. But sometimes I still get hit with something I don't know the answer to. Guess what? There is nothing wrong with admitting there is something you don't know. There is something very wrong with leaving it that way. When I do get hit with a question I don't know I tell them i don't know but if they will give me a week i will get an answer for them. Here is a tip? Do the research and if after a week you still don't know admit it.

There is one other big evangelism secret. Two questions. Is that true? and What do you mean by that? Ever heard someone say "there is no truth"? Well is that true? If they say yes then they acknowledge that there is truth. If they say no then they admit they are lying. The other, What do you mean by that?; most non-believers are simply tossing out things they have read or heard that sound good to their ears. They think they believe it but strangely enough most can't explain it. If you put them on the spot to explain what they claim more often than not it simply falls apart. When that happens it is much easier to teach the truth.

Hope this helps.

In Christ,

Bishop SEH
Really good points. I had a prayer prof, who was a former missionary and a real ZEAL for God. He said one of the best methods he found was asking people if he could pray for them, like you said. He said in a restaurant, he would ask the server if there were any prayer needs in their life, because they were going to pray before the meal, and he would almost always get some need. And after going to the same restaurant for a while, the person would want to know more, and they would often get saved.

However, he said it was important to give a big tip! Because Christians have a reputation as the poorest tippers, and it makes us look like misers, instead of generous! LOL