Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:16-20
Now those who were scattered (because of persecution) went about preaching the word.
Acts 8:4
72% of practicing Christians pray monthly to share their faith with non-Christians. 40% pray for opportunities to share their faith daily. Practicing Christians are not opposed to sharing the gospel with non-Christians. But, there is a segment that believes that it is wrong to share our faith with the hope of converting the person shared with. 27% of all practicing Christians and 47% of millennial practicing Christians believe evangelism is wrong. 1 I can only conclude that the 27% who believe evangelism is wrong either don’t believe the Bible, which makes their Christianity suspect or their shepherds are not good shepherds and are leading them astray. I suppose there may be some other reasons since human behavior is complicated.
While the hero of the Book of Acts is mainly the Apostle Paul, the role of the ordinary believer should not be overlooked. Jesus had given his command to make disciples of all nations, and it was a few years before any meaningful spread beyond Jerusalem took place. And, then, it was largely accomplished not by the Apostles but by ordinary believers who were scattered because of the first serious outbreak of persecution that was initiated with the stoning of Stephen. The Apostles remained in Jerusalem instead of obeying Jesus and taking the gospel to not only Jerusalem but also Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth. It was ordinary believers who did the yeoman’s share of the work. That is true today as well. While mega-church Pastors get the press, in reality, the work of taking the gospel to the masses is being done by ordinary believers.
There are a few barriers to believers that keep them from sharing their faith more than they do. The top two barriers are “Don’t want to be pushy” and “Prefer instead to live out the gospel through my actions.” There is a simple solution to both of these most often quoted barriers. It is a simple conversation.
Conversations can follow this pathway. They move from casual, to meaningful, to spiritual, and on to discovery conversations. What are these stages? Casual conversations are the wave and “Hi, how are you?” conversations when you see your neighbor getting into his car and heading off to work. Meaningful conversations are those in which you share deeper content, sharing things like fear about employment or maybe your child is getting into trouble, and you are worried about them. It could be sharing about a bad diagnosis you just got from your Doctor. These are meaningful conversations.
Spiritual conversations are conversations about any spiritual topic. Maybe you discover that your neighbor is a Muslim. You ask them about what their religion means to them. How important is it? How does it affect their life living in the United States? It could be your neighbor telling you how much they have appreciated the spiritual aspects of the Yoga that they have been practicing. These are all spiritual topics, but not Christian.
The Discover conversation is telling. A discovery conversation is one in which you can share a story preferably or maybe a quote from the Bible. The idea is to allow them in a simple conversation to hear God’s word. Tell the story and ask, “What do you think?” Let them give their feedback and ask their questions. You will soon know if they are spiritually hungry or not. Whether the Holy Spirit has been grooming them or not. If they are indicating spiritual hunger, take the big step and ask if they would like to read the Bible with you and learn more about God and how he can meet whatever their perceived need is. If the say, “Yes,” you are off the the races, as the saying goes.
This conversational process is referred to as the conversation quadrant. Picture a square divided into four sections. The top left is labeled “Casual.” The top right is labeled “Meaningful.” The bottom right is labeled “Spiritual.” and the bottom left is labeled “Discovery.” So, conversations with friends and new acquaintances will usually make their way from the top left to the top right to the bottom right and finally to the bottom left. The goal is to invite them into a Discovery Bible Study. It is easy, and it is natural. But it is only effective when saturated in prayer and lead by the Holy Spirit. It is not mechanical.
Pray and pursue gospel conversations. Watch God change lives and bring his Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
