What other things should we consider in our efforts to evangelize? The very first thing that comes to mind that we can do is to be an example. If we are truly living our lives as a “Biblical Man” people will notice. The old saying that people remember what you did and how you made them feel but rarely will remember what you said is very true. The old sayings and clichés are still around simply because they are true and the truth never changes. Remember being a Christian and feeling the grace and contentment is contagious to others and is hard to hide and should be easy to share. Unfortunately, many of us are intimidated by sharing our beliefs. We have already agreed that to be a Christian and to be a “Man” would not be easy. We have to make up our minds that we will accept rejection, scorn, and ridicule. But as a “Man” we will not quit. The fact that we will not quit is one more example to the nonbeliever that this Christianity business must be something special. So, even when we are not successful with a person, we really are more successful than we know. In other words, as Christians when we lose, we still win. At no time did Jesus threaten anyone, coerces anyone, or try to force anyone to follow him. He gently showed those that would listen to the benefit of accepting him and the cost and misery that they would pay if they choose not to follow. This gentle persuasion worked well for Jesus and it will work for us if we maintain the message and show a lot of patience. However, we cannot force someone to believe if they are not ready, and if we persist, we may never be successful. Small positive persistent steps over a period of time are best and we must never give up. The next great tool is to pray. “Prayer is the greatest weapon that any disciple-maker can wield, and God’s people are using it effectively around the world at this very minute. Prayer takes the spiritual battle out of the human realm and puts it fully into God’s hands, and not even the powers of hell itself can stand against His mighty Spirit. It is a prayer that has opened the doors of mosques, torn down the walls of bigotry, and broken the weapons of hatred. When God’s people kneel in prayer, God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).” (Trousdale, 2012) In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 we are told to “Pray without ceasing,” and in Philippians 4:6 we are directed “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” I am sure that everyone that looks at Facebook has seen the meme about prayer that states something to the effect that a man was asked what happens when he prays, he responds that nothing happens. He then tells what he loses as a result of his prayer. He says he loses “anger, ego, greed, depression, insecurity, and the fear of death.” This meme goes on to say that “sometimes the answer to our prayers is not gaining but losing; which ultimately is the gain.” I am a firm believer that all prayers are answered. But we have to be satisfied that the answer will come in God’s time not ours and sometimes the answer to our prayer is “No”. If we pray for the people, that we are involved in our evangelism God will answer as his plans have been prepared. We may never know his answer but we have to have faith that it will be taken care of. “Prayer is often more caught than taught and ‘believing prayer from the heart’ is contagious. Men instinctively recognize a genuine prayer anointing and respond to it, and testimonies of answered prayer need to be trumpeted aloud.” (Adkinson, 2017) This contagious prayer is especially true when praying with a nonbeliever because they are not used to it and they have an underlying desire to know prayer. God’s spirit is in our hearts regardless of our belief. Once a person finds this spirit and accepts the fact that it is in their heart accepting Jesus becomes possible. The writers at “Beliefnet” tells us that Seven Things Happen When We Pray (Staff B. , n.d.) “God hears your prayers, Time slows down, You grow closer to Jesus, You help others, Your burden is lifted, You commune with the Saints, and You worship.” All of these will assist your evangelistic efforts, some maybe more than others, but the ones that don’t directly help will be helping you during the process. The sharing of your faith and beliefs in an honest way is a strong form of evangelism. Most people can tell in a short time if a person is being truthful and honest. If you truly believe it will show and your listener will be more receptive to the message. Remember, with God’s help and intervention your delivery of the “Good News” will become contagious.
Google has 70,100,000 results for “Evangelism”. I am a firm believer that it is important to follow Jesus’s method and keep it simple. Most folks that we encounter do not want to listen and if we complicate matters, we will lose their attention. My advice is to be moderately persistent, never quit, and never give up.