This is Part 6 of our Summer Leadership Lesson Series: Imaginative Evangelism. As we lead our groups and ministries, we must strive to forcefully advance the Kingdom of God through strategic evangelism, exponential discipleship, and sacrificial service. And that begins by understanding and being able to clearly communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Today, we will talk about how to enter the stories of others and engage them with the Gospel of Christ.
Last week, I shared a lot of examples of how not to share your faith with others– all regrettably pulled from my own personal life. 
Knowing how to engage others, enter their stories, and point out the fingerprints of God in their lives is an art that we must develop as Christ-followers. Here are a few ideas:
Remember that the Holy Spirit is already at work- We often fail to recognize that the Holy Spirit is already at work in the life of the person with whom we are sharing our faith. If they are on our radar screen, then they are definitely on the radar screen of God. We must be sensitive to the voice of the Spirit and seek ways to engage where he is already at work.
Develop spiritual friendships- people don’t need a travel guide, transmitter, or salesman. They need friends. Everyone needs friends. And Christ-followers should be the best friends people could want. That is, if the fruit of the Spirit is growing and abundant in our lives. What kind of friend are we being to the people around us? What friendships do we need to renew? What friendships to we need to nurture?
Let Christian community point people to Christ- evangelism is not a solo mission; it’s a team effort. In many places in the New Testament, it’s community that points people to Christ. Consider John 13:35, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” And John 17:21, “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” Francis Shaeffer called community “the final apologetic.” Let’s invite our friends into our faith community and let the love of Christ draw them in. Alpha is a great example of this principle at work!
Look for connecting points- look for areas of commonality. Interests, passions, experiences, doubts, fears, questions, uncertainties. They can help you develop a friendship and they can serve as springboards to faith conversations.
Avoid clichés or simple answers- do I need to say more here? No jargon. No Christianese. No pat answers.
Enter into the journey instead of pushing them to the destination- instead of trying to complete the sale or reach the destination, let’s keep showing pictures and traveling on the journey. We’ve got to be willing to pack our bags and be in this with people for the long haul. Not just for one or two quick conversations.
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