Maybe you need some hand holding when it comes to sharing the gospel? Yeah, me too.
Even though I’ve been a missionary for many years, sharing the gospel with a stranger can feel scary, intimidating, and awkward.
Maybe you’re wondering about ways to share the gospel?
Or maybe your looking for fresh, creative ways to share the gospel.
Maybe you just want someone to walk beside you while stepping out into the uncomfortable. You want to know you’re not alone.
Creative Ways to Share the Gospel:
(Note: When you see purple text below, it links to the respective resource)
When we talk about how to share the gospel, it’s important to understand what the gospel is. It is not your personal testimony. It isn’t sharing arandom scripture. It isn’t an apologetic debate. Neither is it a heated argument over theology.
The gospel is simply the good news about the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Christ…important tidbit to keep in mind as we learn how to evangelize and look at the following ways to share our faith.
Before you get started, I invite you to check out my 6 personal tips for sharing the gospel. Finding your own favorite simple way to share the gospel can give you confidence when it’s time to present the gospel with someone, so try several different ideas! You can share the gospel without fear!
And just for fun, what is the best way to share the gospel?I likethis answer here; andthis admonition to talk to strangers. Sharing the gospel can be fun!
Ready? Let’s get equipped with these methods of sharing the gospel!
Creative Ways to Share the Gospel:
(Note: When you see purple text below, it links to the respective resource)
When we talk about how to share the gospel, it’s important to understand what the gospel is. It is not your personal testimony. It isn’t sharing arandom scripture. It isn’t an apologetic debate. Neither is it a heated argument over theology.
The gospel is simply the good news about the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Christ…important tidbit to keep in mind as we learn how to evangelize and look at the following ways to share our faith.
Before you get started, I invite you to check out my 6 personal tips for sharing the gospel. Finding your own favorite simple way to share the gospel can give you confidence when it’s time to present the gospel with someone, so try several different ideas! You can share the gospel without fear!
And just for fun, what is the best way to share the gospel?I likethis answer here; andthis admonition to talk to strangers. Sharing the gospel can be fun!
Ready? Let’s get equipped with these methods of sharing the gospel!
Personal Testimony
Our stories are not the gospel; the gospel is the good news about Jesus Christ. Our stories can incorporate this good news though! Every believer should be ready in season and out of season to share what God has done in her life.
If you’re like me, something as simple as a personal testimony can seem overwhelming.
Never fear because this is actually super simple if you know the three simple elementsPaul includedwhen sharing his testimony in Acts 26:1-23.
First, take three minutes to read Paul’s testimony for an example of what you’re aiming for. Now you’re ready to prepare your own short story.
Here are the three elements to a basic testimony:
1. Give a brief description of what your life was like before you received Christ. (see verses 4-11)
2. Describe how God spoke to your heart and opened your eyes to spiritual truth. Include the basic facts of the gospel and your response of faith. (verses 12-18)
3. Finally, share how your life has changed since receiving the forgiveness available in Christ. (verses 19-23)
That’s it! If you haven’t taken the time to jot down your personal testimony, why not do it now? This is probably the easiest way ever to share your faith and everyone likes to hear a personal story. It’s okay to practice this a few times so it is natural and you are comfortable with it first. Try to keep it short (2-3 minutes) and authentic. Each time you share, speak it from the heart!
For a worksheet to help walk you through these steps, grab my FREE PERSONAL TESTIMONY WORKSHEET HERE!
Ask Spiritual Questions
Sometimes before you can share your testimony or a gospel presentation, you simply need to get to a spiritual conversation. You can do that by asking a few good questions. This is the approach I personally take with strangers I encounter during the course of every day living. I do this with taxi drivers, store clerks, and others I happen to strike up conversation with.
I do need to say that we are people talking with other people. The goal isn’t just to vomit gospel facts all over someone. It is to show the love of Christ and be the aroma of Christ. This means that you’ll need to listen. Like a lot. Sometimes I listen a whole lot and end up sharing a verse or only saying something like, “God loves you” to the other person before our time is up. While my goal is to share the entiremessage, it sometimes doesn’t work out. That’s okay because I want to be authentic and genuinely compassionate. I trust the Lord to take the little I do and multiply it.
Here are some ideas to get you brainstorming on conversation starters. I suggest you take a few minutes to come up with your own set of questions that come naturally for you.
> Are you a religious person?
> Do you know how to have a relationship with God?
> Did you grow up in church? What were you taught about God growing up? Do you still believe that?
> May I pray for you? Do you have any special needs I can pray for?
> What do you think the solution to (insert recent troubling news event) is?
> Do you have time for a short story? It’s the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me and I love to tell people about it!
> What did you think of the pastor’s message this week? (After attending a church service.)
For a good article on asking deep questions that lead to sharing the gospel, read this post from Desiring God Ministries.
Evangecube
This method of sharing the gospel uses pictures and is super easy to use. When we first arrived on the mission field, we kept one of the cubes in our home and used it to share the gospel. This simple gospel presentation came in handy when we had limited language ability- the pictures were so helpful! The makers of the cube have produced many different resources you can carry on your person, such as a bracelet, a card, a key chain, a cube, a ball, and more. Click the link to check them all out.
Sidewalk Chalk Gospel Presentation
Courtney shows a super fun way to share the gospel using sidewalk chalk. This is a creative way to share the gospel with you and you can do this at the beach in the sand or at the cafe on the back of a napkin. Kids can learn this too!
Give a Tract
There are many, many great gospel tracts available for every occasion imaginable. You’ll want to find one or two you personally feel comfortable giving out and talking about. I like shorter tracts simply because they are more likely to be read.
Here is a list of bestselling tracts written by people like Billy Graham, John MacArthur, John Piper, Josh McDowell, and others. You can get a pack of 25 for just $2.50. Start with one of the variety packs to find a few you really love.
Share the gospel with an international
Can’t speak a foreign language? With these resources, you don’t have to! This site has tracts, audio, and other resources in many different languages. If someone in your community is from another country, be sure to check out this site for free resources. *Note: I have not read all the material on this site. I recommend reading through their English materials before using.
Use an App
These days you can use your phone to share the gospel. I’m grateful for those who have designed Bible apps specifically for sharing God’s Word, aren’t you? To find an app (or two or more!) for your device, simply go here and select the device you are using. Wow!
Life in 6 Words book and video
This is a gospel sharing campaign designed for teenagers (but suitable for everyone!) The folks at Dare 2 Share have put together some great resources and a simple plan for using them. I highly recommend checking them out to know what’s available.
Scripture Presentation
This is another way of presenting the gospel that every believer should know. There are many different scriptures that can be used for giving a simple presentation of the gospel message. One set of evangelism verses is the Romans Road. This selection of scripture is taken solely from the book of Romans and covers the basics as follows:
- Our universal problem (all have sinned): Romans 3:23 and Romans 3:10
- The wages of sin is death and separation from God: Romans 5:12, Romans 6:23
- But God provided a way for our sin to be forgiven and not held against us any longer: Romans 5:8
- We personally receive forgiveness and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ: Romans 10:9,10,13
- Salvation brings us peace with God: Romans 5:1, Romans 8:1, Romans 8:38-39
I personally suggest having the other person read the scriptures for themselves. This is much more effective than you trying to tell them a bunch of facts. Ask them to tell you what the verse is saying.
If someone is ready to respond to the Gospel, re-read Romans 10:9-10 and invite them to confess their sin and their faith in Christ through prayer. Explain to them there are no magic words to pray; prayer is simply an expression of the faith they have in their heart. Encourage them to talk to God in their own words.
Write a Letter
Maybe you have someone on your heart but emotional distance keeps you from having a good conversation with them. Writing a letter and including your personal testimony and the facts of the gospel is a great way to share the good news.
Folded Paper Method
Use one sheet of paper to tell the gospel story. This is so fun and will keep young and old alike riveted! You’ll want to practice before hand so you have it down; then just keep a piece of paper with you at all times and you’ll be ready to go!
Navigator’s One Verse Method
This simple method covers the basic message of Christ using Romans 3:23. It is an easy way to share the gospel conversationally and visually. This article walks you through how to use it.
Jesus film, HOPE film, or Magdelena film
Each of these films are adaptations of scripture. Some have been around for awhile but arestill great ways to present the gospel. Host a movie night and invite neighbors overor have each family in your small group invite a lost friend or family member to the movie night. Be prepared to follow up with spiritual questions.
Host a Movie Night
Speaking of movie nights, we know a missionary family in our city who regularly hosts movie nights for the purpose of sharing the gospel afterwards. Some of the movies they have watched are Courageous, Soul Surfer, Luther, and Fireproof. There are many new Christian movies that would work well for a movie night and for talking about God and our faith in Christ. Be intentional about presentingthe gospel after the movie.
Creation to Christ
Besides my personal testimony, this is the method I use most. I don’t include every aspect of the story every time because the entire presentation takes about 15 minutes.But this method is very effective when sharing with those who do not have a churchbackground. You can download an app from this site as well as a PDF, and view the entire presentation.
Plan of Salvation Bracelet
You’ve probably seen this one~ it is a simple bracelet with colors representing the facts of the gospel. Just wear it and use it! Christian book.com carries thebracelet and scripture referencecard. This is a great resource if you’re looking for how to share the gospel in five minutes or less.
Home Bible study
If you have a relationship with anunbeliever who isopen to learning more about Christ, starting a short study with them is a great option. You can help them learn how to study the Bible for beginners with these 10 best Bible study tools. This is a wonderful option for discipleship and sharing more about the gospel in-depth. Two my husband and I have to use with unbelievers are:
Christianity Explained
: a six week study of the book of Mark
Storyteller’s Bible Study: From Creation to Christ in 12 Lessons
: a 12 week overview study from Creation to Christ
More Resources For Personal Evangelism Ideas, Trainings, and Tools:
Billy GrahamEvangelistic Association
Way of the Master with Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron
CROSStraining by North American Mission Board
145 Ideas for sharing the gospel
Christian Outreach Tools– church outreach ideas, or activities for your community
Christian Outreach Tools – a simple way to share the gospel using the most familiar verse in the Bible
I hope this helps equip you with practical resources for becoming someone who shares her faith. In fact, let’s each commit to choosing one of these methods of personal evangelism this week. Let me know what you’re committing to in the comments!
Let me know how I can pray for you and be sure to share your favorite resources as well…I’m praying for you!
