As Christians the way we act either leads people to Christ or away from Him. In today's society, people are hostile to belief systems that condemn them of their actions. Therefore, our message is offensive and as ambassadors to Christ we must learn how to lead others to Christ in a manner reflecting Christ. Three main areas that will aide us in our evangelizing.
First of all, we need to gain knowledge; as Christians we must know what we believe in order to share it. For example, Colossians 2:8 states "Do not be taken captive by philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, and not according to Christ."God calls us to understand other worldviews and to see the flaws in them. In the spiritual warfare that consumes Christians, we must be able to defend our beliefs with the truth. Christians need to know the answers and be prepared for the questions people will ask. Also, when answering their questions we must not mock or just spit out bible verses. In order to answer their questions, we must understand their reasoning and how to kindly share the gospel with them. Christians that merely quote bible verses without first forming a relationship are not correctly representing the gospel. To correctly share you faith, I believe you must first have a relationship with that person and thus have your actions speak for your beliefs. Specifically, our lives are a better testimony than bible verses.
Christians must be wise in the way we communicate with others. If we flounder around and are not clear in our reasoning we have misrepresented the name of Christ. Asking questions about why they believe what they believe can help us prove the legitimacy of the gospel. Avoiding 'verse-bites' about hell and damnation, and instead speaking about the saving love of God is a better approach to ministering. As Christians we often speak to others with a certain 'lingo', referencing ideas and passages that nonbelievers have never heard of. This 'lingo' will only discourage and distance nonbelievers. Proclaiming damnation on street corners is not effective, Christians should change their message in accordance with the specific circumstances they are in.
One quality that everyone struggles with is how to relate to the people around us, or possessing a righteous character. This righteous comes about mainly through growing in our relationship with God, but is especially evident when witnessing to others. We have to struggle to find the medium between being superficially nice in order to not offend anyone and being indifferent to others and their feelings. I Peter 3:15 expresses that in presenting the gospel we must be 'gentle and reverent'. Also, one of the greatest tools in evangelizing is being real with nonbelievers, not using stereotypical Christian actions and words to minister. Christians must also be ready to say I do not know, it is ok to not know all the answers, just look for them together.
Most importantly, you are not alone in ministering, God is working in you to share His story of love.
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