By Pat Steele, YFC Missionary / Director of Hope Movement

Jesus commanded His followers to GO into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation (Mark 16:15). But sometimes the ways we view and approach evangelism can make it seem like a daunting fruitless chore. A burden that we strive to live out rather than a natural expression of our faith.

I want to share with you a few things that have helped me in my journey of evangelism and I pray that they will help you too.

Some years ago I had this revelation when I was reading Habakkuk 3 of the archer with a quiver of arrows that I'm like the arrow and God is like the Archer.

God draws us into intimacy with Himself – into a place of knowing Him and loving Him and hearing His voice.  

That brings me to my first tip for effective evangelism – Love.

Love

Scripture says that God is love. And it then goes on to say that as He is so are we in this world and that we love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:16,17,19 ESV)

It's out of that abundance of love that we received when we received salvation that we share with others.

So it's out of that abundance of love that we received when we received salvation that we share with others.

And, like the archer drawing an arrow first to Himself, it's out of that place of intimacy that He launches us with precision and power to reach the lost.

Nineteen years ago I had this encounter with Jesus Christ and He totally transformed my life. I was set free from addiction and I was completely healed. I was saved. But it was this love, His love, that radically changed who I was and it's out of that place of being loved that I can now share love with others.

Yield

The definition of yield is: to give up the control of or responsibility for something.

In the archer analogy it’s not the arrow that decides where the arrow goes. The archer decides where the arrow goes.

The arrow just yields to the archer’s will and it's out of that place of yieldedness to the archer, to God, that we can be effective in evangelism.

I’ve learnt that following Jesus and sharing with others is not about striving, it’s about surrender.

following Jesus and sharing with others is not about striving, it’s about surrender.

Holy Spirit

A lot of people tell me that evangelism is scary and hard but I believe evangelism is fun and easy with the Holy Spirit.

We can’t do evangelism without the Holy Spirit.

“…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8

Jesus told His disciples they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them. Now I love the experience of the Holy Spirit as much as anyone but Jesus didn't just stop there. 

He said you receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you to be witnesses.

That power, that dunamis, explosive, miraculous power, of the Holy Spirit has a purpose and that purpose is to empower us to go and proclaim the glorious gospel, the power of God unto salvation – to our friends to our families to our cities, to our towns, to our nations to the end of the earth.

…the Holy Spirit has a purpose and that purpose is to empower us to go and proclaim the glorious gospel…

God wants people to be saved more than what we do. He loves people more than what we do. Scripture says that he's not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

So if we listen to Him, if we’re led by Him, He'll lead us to the ones who are ready, at the right time and we’ll find that evangelism is fun and easy with the Holy Spirit.

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