How to Evangelize Your Way

You can help people know God.

Yes, you.

Obviously I don’t know about your walk with God. I don’t know about your spiritual gifts, how active you are in the church, how often you read your Bible or pray. I don’t know your age or what you do for a living.

But I know this. Every follower of Jesus is an image-bearer of Christ. We have an opportunity, and an obligation, to point people toward Him. 

“But wait,” you might be saying. “I don’t know how to evangelize. I don’t know enough to talk about God. I’m no theologian or biblical scholar.”

The good news is that you don’t have to be.

You don’t need to know everything to evangelize

The easiest way to know about God is to read the books He has given to us: the Bible. As a Christian, you should read the Bible daily as a way to know God better and as a way to connect with Him.

But the fact is that most Christians don’t know the Bible inside out. They might have favorite passages or favorite books. They might know the gist of the story and they might know the basics about God, but they’re certainly not experts. If someone asked them a question about an obscure Levitical law, they would be stumped.

That’s okay.

You don’t need to know everything to be a witness for Christ. What if someone puts you on the spot and asks you a question you don’t know? 

Tyler Ellis discussed this during a series of articles he wrote about listening well and sharing Jesus. “Saying ‘I don’t know’ is an answer,” Tyler says. “This communicates humility and honesty. Not to mention, it will likely drive us to search for the answer.”

If they ask you something you don’t know, just say so. You can also postpone the answer. Say that you’ll research it and would like to talk about it at a later time. “Our goal is to have conversations that actually accomplish something,” Tyler says. “And from my experience, an off-the-cuff conversation around the proverbial water cooler isn’t nearly as effective as meeting up for coffee.”

So it’s okay to not know an answer and don’t just make something up so you have a response. “Never give a ten-cent answer to a million-dollar question,” Tyler says.

“But wait,” you might be thinking. “What if I’m not an outgoing person?” 

The good news is that you don’t have to be.

Introverts can be used by God

When you think of people sharing their faith, you probably think of extraverts who love to go out and start conversations with strangers. But God calls us all to share the Good News.

Your friends, co-workers, and people you see on a regular basis are going to be much more open to a spiritual conversation than strangers, so if you don’t want to talk to strangers, don’t. Secondly, one of the most important things you can do to help people know God is to listen well.

“Actually, introverts are really good at witnessing because often they’re very good listeners. If they can learn how to ask questions and genuinely care for people, that is the beginning,” says Becky Pippert, author of Out of the Saltshaker. 

When Tyler was part of a campus ministry, he conducted an experiment where he interviewed over 50 students, asking each of them 20 questions about their own beliefs. He didn’t share his beliefs, didn’t give any of his own input at all.

But more than half of them wanted to meet a second time so they could ask about his own beliefs. Since he had taken the time to listen to them and really understand them, without trying to force his own beliefs on them, that made them know that he cares and it sparked a desire to hear his perspective. Several of those students have become good friends with Tyler and some of them have started following Christ. Listening works.

“But wait,” you might be thinking. “What if I’m just more comfortable on my screen?”

The good news is that you can help people know God that way.

Using social media to evangelize

Nare was scrolling through her Facebook feed when she came upon a video that looked interesting. The short film was about family. Nare watched and was moved. She messaged the page that shared the video, where she talked with Hasmik. 

Nare revealed that her family was struggling. Her mother was seriously ill and her husband didn’t allow her to go out to take care of her mother. Her husband thought that her place was taking care of their four children and didn’t allow her to do much else.

Nare and Hasmik had a number of conversations over Facebook Messenger. Hasmik shared another film about a father and his son. 

“Jesus always has a way out from any situation,” Hasmik said and then prayed for her. 

Hasmik found Christians who live in the same Western Asian city as Nare and asked them to pay her a visit. They brought Nare a Bible and helped look after her ailing mother. 

“I continued to communicate with Nare and she accepted the Lord,” Hasmik says. They prayed together for her mother and husband. After some time, Nare’s husband offered to let her mother live with them. “It’s a miracle how the Lord changes people’s hearts by filling them with His love!”

Hasmik made a huge impact in the life of Nare because she shared a video and was available to respond to messages. It’s the kind of thing any Christian with an online presence can do. 

Instead of mindlessly sharing and scrolling your feeds on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or whatever is your app of choice, you can use your connections and interactions to help people know Jesus. 

You don’t need to be an influencer. You don’t need a large following to make an impact on social media. You just need to be willing to listen and engage with people.

“But wait,” you might be thinking. “I just don’t have much free time.”

The good news is it doesn’t take much time to help people know God.

How to evangelize with online mentoring

Do you have enough time to respond to an email? That’s all it takes to make an impact as an online mentor. 

Paula was an expectant teenager who feared her boyfriend would pressure her to get an abortion. She went to the Internet in search of help and found someone with a similar story on IssuesIface.com. There she reached out to an online mentor, who helped comfort her and shared the Gospel. Paula accepted Christ that night and continued to message with the mentor. 

The next day, her boyfriend joined her in talking with the mentor and then he made a decision to follow Christ as well. Not long after that, she went to a pregnancy resource center and started taking part in a Bible study group. She and her boyfriend later got married. 

Paula was introduced to Jesus at a time when she needed Him the most. And she was able to be comforted in her time of need because an online mentor was there to walk with her through the difficult time. All it took was someone being willing to respond to some emails.

“But wait,” you might be thinking. “All of that sounds great, but I still feel inadequate.”

The good news is that you can serve God even if you are inadequate.

We’re all inadequate

“Well, of course you’re inadequate,” Becky says. “I’m inadequate. We’re all inadequate, but who dwells within us? The greatest evangelist there ever was, Jesus Christ, and He helps us through the Spirit.”

The Bible is full of stories of inadequate people being used by God. Think of how many times Moses tried to turn down the job God called him to because he wasn’t a good speaker or leader. 

“I don’t think a lot of people do have the gift of the evangelist, but we’re all called to be witnesses,” Becky says. “And we’re called to enter this broken world as agents and bearers of the Good News of the Gospel.”