Recently I finished a really great course on evangelism , In one of my papers I had to choose and discuss several different styles and methods of evangelism. I spoke about The Roman Road to Salvation(a way of explaining the good news of salvation using verses from the book of Romans), Servant Evangelism (involves demonstrating the kindness of God by offering to do humble act of service with no strings attached) and The Way of The Master (uses the Ten Commandments and a series of probing questions as a basis to establish one being lost, and to present Christ.) This is only a few of the many methods there are. That being said , there are advantages and disadvantages to each one. I wanted to share my thoughts on applying these many methods to ones life.
In applying these methods or choosing one that most suits me, my reply is that I do not think any one method suits me completely, as I also believe that not any “one” of the methods would or could be a cookie cutter to evangelize the non-Christians in my life. I believe that I have used many of these concepts or methods and many other believers do as well without really knowing that we are. How can I say this? Let me explain. It is the Father who draws the person to his son Jesus (Jn 6:44) and starts softening the heart. It is the Holy Spirit who convicts the person of sin. (Jn 16:7-10) and how they are living and their need for salvation through the word (Scripture) spoken to them. It is the church (body of Christ) that takes his word to the lost. (Matt 28:18-20). So I need only to be obedient and not worry about what to say (Matt 10:19-20).
I believe we focus too much effort on methods. We forget who is sending us, who is within us and who is truly speaking. If we as Christians would be bold in our faith and witness, staying in tune with the Holy Spirit, looking around and seeing who God is putting in our paths, we would see God at work and understand that it is not me or my methods saving or changing anyone, but it is the father’s work through his son by his Spirit. We are his chosen vessels and need to store up his word in our hearts (Psalm 119:9,11 ESV) so that we will be able to give an answer to anybody who asks about the hope in us (1 Pet 3:15 ESV). You see, each person will hear and receive the message differently; and one method might not be as effective as the other. But the spirit of God knows what he will use to penetrate that hard heart, so we need to seek discernment and boldness to give our testimonies; how Jesus changed us and how Jesus can change them, then leave the changing to God. We need to be in his word, in fellowship and prayer. Remember why it is we do this, not only because it is a command but it is out of gratitude and love for Jesus and the lost. In closing I would like to say that I do not think that any of these methods of and in themselves are good or bad, wrong or right, but it may be different for each person the Holy Spirit calls us to witness to. We need to be able to be flexible and not hold too tightly to any one method, but be willing to let the Spirit speak and not try to force things along.