Gospel Conversations, Not Just Methods
When sharing the Gospel are people perceiving us like salesmen? Is there a way to share the Gospel that is conversational? In my most recent trip to Mexico, God humbled me as I observed my team share the Gospel. I’d love to share with you my experience, and encourage you with an easy way to share the Gospel with everyone you encounter.
According to Ephesians 4:1-13, pastors and church leaders have been entrusted to equip church members to do the work of the ministry. Part of this ministry is fulfilling the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20, to make disciples by going, baptizing, and teaching others to obey all that Christ has commanded.
How I long to see every member in my church actively engaged in the Great Commission, and not simply come to Church on Sundays to hear the pastor preach. For this reason, countless gospel presentation methods have been designed. If you’ve been in ministry, or a church member longer than 10 years, you may have come across an array of Gospel Presentation Methods like the Romans Road, 3 Circles, EE, and the Bridge Illustration. These are all excellent tools to help believers understand how to share the Gospel with a family member, a friend, a co-worker, or even a stranger. However, after spending a week in Guadalajara, Mexico in July 2022, I think that there’s an element we fail to see: the power of a conversation.
1. Speaking With vs Speaking To
Juan Duffo (crouching) and Charlie Charria (light blue Jeans) having a Gospel conversation with a stranger in downtown Guadalajara, MX.
God humbled me while I was in Mexico. I wanted to speak with as many people as possible so that more could have a chance to hear and respond to the Gospel message. During my time in Mexico, I witnessed one of our teammates, Juan Duffo, share with strangers in a dynamically different way. In a span of 3 hours, he held two conversations with strangers. I remember the first one: I was sitting far from him, and I could see how long he was taking. I was grumbling at the amount of time he was taking; I kept thinking “wrap it up!” In one hour, I could have spoken with 6 people.
But is this what Jesus did? Did he approach strangers showing diagrams? Did He have robotic conversations, never addressing the personal but only stating generalizations? Or did he engage with people where they were? Did he sit with them, and eat with them? When he met up with Nicodemus in John 3, was he speaking to Nicodemus, or speaking with Nicodemus?
Though Christ certainly confronted people with their sin and is recorded preaching “Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand” (Matt. 4:17). I think we fail to recognize the differences between preaching from a platform and speaking with someone.
As I sat grumbling about Juan’s technique, the Lord humbled me. I repented, and I was reminded that the King of kings became a human and patiently engaged with us in conversation, he experienced our pain and suffering, and he opened a channel of communication between us and the Father (Hebrews 12:24).
2. Engaging Rather Than Debating
Desiree and Daniel Buitrago having a Gospel conversation with a person they met at the park in Guadalajara, MX.
Could I have been so intoxicated with a methodology that I failed to see the importance of meeting people where they are? Certainly, there is a call to action when sharing the Gospel, but we also need to focus on what the person is saying rather than computing a rebuttal.
Moreover, having the ability to stop and engage with someone disarms a person from building up resistance to the Gospel. We live in a world in which everyone is trying to sell us something, but the Gospel is not for sale. We come bringing the greatest news, it’s not our job to convert people, that belongs to the Holy Spirit.
Every Gospel presentation method has been designed to help us share the Gospel memorably. Still, we should not use these methods to bypass engagement. I’m certain we can grow method dependence to a degree that makes us come across as door-to-door salesmen. I used to work in sales, I know how to close a sale, but the win in sharing the Gospel is to bring Glory to God, not win souls. If the goal were to win souls, then we ought to feel like failures every time someone does not surrender to Christ—such is not the case.
In addition, I think we read passages like 1 Peter 3:15 too narrowly. The passage states to “always being ready to make a defense.” But we can make the mistake of interpreting those words to mean that if a person says something false about God or His Word, we must prove them wrong. The call in 1 Peter is to live a life of holiness that demonstrates a confessional lifestyle that preaches the Gospel, “always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.” Our lives will welcome these conversations, yet we must also go to where people are, and always be in a state of going. After all, that’s what Jesus instructs all His disciples in Acts 1:8 and Matthew 28:18-20.
How can we engage in conversation and not fall for the Debate Trap?
Juan Duffo sharing the gospel with a local youth from Guadalajara.
The answer to this question is simple: Listen and respond with gentleness and reverence. I find it hard to believe that someone would perceive my quick talking points as gentleness and reverence. We need to slow down a little and not try to win an argument, we must aim to bring glory to God. We should be actively pursuing Gospel conversations, there is a preaching aspect involved. Let us remember that the phrase preaching the Gospel carries a heralding, and reporter-like meaning. In other words, we are bringing News to our listeners, but as we engage in conversation, let us not engage in endless debates. Let us demonstrate patience, understanding, and love, so that when we present our reason for hope, those engaged with us may see God’s goodness.
To Clarify, I am not suggesting that we can’t be ready to have an elevator conversation with someone and share our faith. We should always be ready! I am suggesting that we not be so quick with our methods, and listen to those we are engaging.
ELEMENTS OF GOSPEL SHARING
Part of the team in Guadalajara after eating with two locals (far left, and second from the right) who accepted Christ.
In Evangelización Total, Damy Ferreira rightly commented that a Gospel presentation has 4 elements: (1) God’s Design, (2) Our Sin, (3) God’s plan to restore us from our Sin (Jesus), (4) and our response to God’s plan (Confessing Christ as Lord). When having a conversation, we should be ready to answer any question that may arise, but we should not use our training to debate someone. The tools provided by evangelism methods should help us in our understanding and thought formulation, but we don’t depend on methods, we depend on the Holy Spirit. We must certainly communicate the entire Gospel message, and give everyone an opportunity to respond to the message.
Certainly the aim to fulfilling a successful evangelism encounter is to love those who we talk to. It takes hard work to have a heart that looks to the welfare of those who are lost, I have noticed that this where the life of the deciple becomes difficult for he must deny himself (his self centered pride, ambition, plans, desires, and whims). A man must be transformed from the inside out and be conformed to the image of Christ.
The Christian is always tempted out of his heart to a prideful and contentious evangelism approach but we must always remember the scripture for it is sharper than any sword and cuts into the thoughts and the intentions of the heart. The success of Joshua depended on one thing alone “if he meditated on the words of the Lord”, I always remember Philippians 2:3-8 since at times in my path, I have twisted and made the call to evangelism as a quantity gain game. There, a man is Lord over the harvest, however Jesus called us to be sowers…And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
Mark 4:26-29
We do not know if that seed will grow because is up to the Lord of the earth to decide if the seed will grow. The evangelist must water it and protect it However, the Lord knows whom will he reap.
A man desire to win is healthy However a man can only win if he fights with the sword and the heart of Christ.