by Gary Becker, Director of BBM
Personal evangelism is often one of the believers greatest fears. Few believers have ever led another person to faith in Christ. Most Christians are not sure of where to begin a salvation conversation.
One of the simplest ways to begin is by telling your story. This can be going back to your salvation experience or sharing an up to date story of how the Lord is working in your life. A new friend of mine, named Jon, uses the story of how God led him to move to our area and find a church. He often then asks a question like, has anyone ever shared with you how you can have a personal relationship with Jesus.
A first step I would recommend is taking time to rethink your own salvation story. Your story does not need to be dramatic or a “Romans Road” experience like the Apostle Paul. A salvation story should include a few basic parts:
Begin with WHERE you were. Including any religious background and family history. Include anything that led you to be open up to the gospel such as difficult life situation or something that happens that made you curious about the gospel.
WHO God used to introduce to the gospel to you.
WHAT scripture or portion of the Bible that was shared with you. If you can't remember you can share “a Bile passage was something like this one (include a verse) that was used to bring me to know Jesus Christ personally.” Feel free to admit if you don't remember exactly what scripture was shared with you. A very simple example can be John 3:16. I will share more possible verses in the next post and the importance of scripture in sharing your story.
HOW you realized that you needed to make a personal decision.
Another way to begin a salvation conversation is to share how God is a work in your life. This can something recent or a major event in your life. Here are few suggestions to prepare your story for telling a life story to introduce a salvation discussion:
Choose a story that relates to a conversation you are having or one that helps answer a question someone asks you.
“In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being ready to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you . . .” (1 Peter 3:15). A good preparation is to take some time to recount your reasons for your hope. Look back a time when you found hope facing a difficult time in your life.
Never embellish your experiences.
Your story does several things:
Your story makes a personal connection to people.
Your story connects your faith to life experiences.
Your story is like a “parable.” Jesus used parables to connect the message to people.
Your story reveals how the Bible effects on life situations.
Your story builds curiosity about faith.
In one of our workshops we help people build their story and build confidence in sharing it. BBM is available to help your church prepare your people to “do the work of an evangelist.”