Youth Group - Wednesday Night (06/25/08)

Last week I challenged the students to take be more active in telling others about Christ. It began with making HIT (Hearts In Transition) lists with the intent to pray continually through the year for these people. As I was talking about this one of the students asked "Are you going to teach us how to share our faith?" My answer "You need to figure this one out on your own." Just joking. Of course I will.

I want to give our teens a look at different "methods" of evangelism but before I do this I want to share some principles of evangelism with them. I have designed an acrostic that will help them remember these principles. The acrostic forms the word SHARE.

Evangelism
Matthew 28:16ff
I Peter 3:15

As Christians we are all involved in evangelism whether we like it or not. So it is important to see ourselves as evangelists 100% of the time.

We already know the why (Matthew 28:18-20). The question is, how?

Let’s talk about the principles of how to SHARE your faith.

Principles of Evangelism (SHARE)

• Seek God first. (John 15:1ff) Your relationship with Christ comes first. As you grow in your relationship with Jesus evangelism becomes a natural part of who you are.

• Honestly live. (Matthew 5:14-16) Don’t try to be something or someone you are not. Be real. Be the Christian you are in the moment you are in. Also realize that actions speak louder then words. Give people a reason to listen to you.

• Always show love. (Matthew 22:34 – 40; John 15:12) Sincere relationships are the key to evangelism. People are much more willing to let you share when they see that you are sincere in your relationship with them.

• Respect people’s right. (1 Peter 3:15) Don’t get upset. Pray for other opportunities.

• Every day has opportunities. (Matthew 28:19) “As you go.” Look for the everyday opportunities to put in a good word for Jesus. This is done through action and/or speech. Pray that God helps you recognize them and take advantage of them.

Evangelism can happen at any moment, even without you knowing it. With this we need to realize that, just as evangelism can happen without us knowing it, so can turning people away from God. It is important that we try our hardest to follow Christ everyday all of the time. And incorporate these 5 principles into our everyday living.

(Note: SHARE is not a method of evangelism. It is principles of evangelism that can be used with any method.)