TIP 1
The Importance of Your Life
“For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.” (I Thessalonians 1:5) In this passage, the lips of the servants of God had preached and people had heard, but the most convincing part about the presentation was the lives of those who presented the truth. The word makes reference to “what manner of men.”
Jesus stood before people who knew Him inside and out and asked this question, “Which of you convinceth me of sin?” (John 8:46) There were no stumbling blocks in the life of the Lord Jesus that would cause people to turn away from the truth. The most important excuse people use as to why they are not interested in spiritual things is the hypocrisy they have observed in the lives of those who claim to be Christians.
People are not saved by simply observing the lives of Christians. However, an attractive life that matches what the lips declare can be a sweet savour. “For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ” (II Corinthians 2:15) I am attracted to the smell of morning coffee. If only someone could get it to taste like it smells! There should be an attractive savour or smell to the child of God, which creates a curiosity in the lives of the onlookers.
I cannot take ownership for someone’s decision to reject the gospel message. I can take ownership of myself so that there is nothing in my life that causes the rejection. The apostle Paul describes our lives as an “epistle,” or “letter” that people read (II Corinthians 3:2).
"The Gospel According to You"
"There is a sweet old story translated for us
but it was written long ago.
The Gospel according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John of
Christ and his mission below.
We read and admire that the gospel of Christ
with its love so unfailing and true.
But what do they say and what do they think
of the Gospel according to you?
Tis a wonderful story that gospel of love
as it shines in the Christ life divine,
and oh that its truth might be told over again
in the story of your life and mine.
Unselfishness mirrors in every scene,
Love blooms on every sod.
And back from its vision the heart comes to tell,
The wonderful goodness of God.
You are writing each day a letter to others,
Take care that the writing is true.
Tis the only gospel that some will ever read
That gospel according to you."
-Author unknown
Allow me to give you a few things to help you examine your life so that your life speaks volumes:
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Have a clean life (John 15:3) “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.” This clean life comes through much time in the word of God.
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Have a different life (II Corinthians 6:17) “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, a life that is not tainted by anything that is unclean.”
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Have a godly life (Titus 2:11-12) “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;”
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Have a life beyond reproach (John 8:46) "Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?"
Are there areas in my life which could create a stumbling block if I were to speak out for Christ? What about my attitude, habits, speech, actions, styles, fashions, entertainment that might fall under the category of ungodliness?
Why not examine your life today? (II Corinthians 13:5) Is it a building block or a stumbling block? Write out on a piece of paper the areas in which change is needed. Bring it to God in prayer and ask Him to help you take the necessary steps to effect change.
TIP 2
Witnessing with our Light
Tip 1 spoke of sharing our faith through our lives. People are looking for reality today. The most popular programs on TV are reality shows. People are tired of watching shows were they only see people acting. The desire of the world is to see real people in real situations. The world is fed up with people acting like Christians. People outside the church watch people walk through the doors of the church and act like Christians on Sunday morning but live for the devil the rest of the week. If Tip 1 deals with witnessing with our life, then Tip 2 deals with witnessing with our light. (Matthew 5:16) “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” This verse does not tell us that we are saved by good works, but rather good works give evidence of the reality of our faith. If I tell you that I have fire in my fireplace, you have a right to say, “I should see smoke in your chimney.” The fire is salvation and the smoke is the good works that flow out of salvation.
What is it that I can do for someone that might open a door to speak to them of their need of Christ?
My wife and I were greatly burdened for our neighbors who were far from the Lord. On several occasions, I cut their grass. The man of the house would come and say, “Why do you do this?” I would reply, “We love our
neighbors.” We noticed he had his winter wood piled up in his back yard and the wood needed to be piled in his basement. One day we took the wheel barrow and piled in his wood for him. Once again, he asked the reason why we were doing this. We were once again able to communicate the fact that we loved our neighbors. It was on a Thursday night the man of the house came over and asked me how he could be saved. It was not long after he and his wife invited us over to share with us how his wife had trusted Christ. We did not do a lot of preaching in that period of time. Through some good works we were able to attract his attention to the reality of Christ in our lives. When we see a need we try to provide a deed. I have picked up hitchhikers along the road and put them up in a motel for the night and arranged for morning breakfast for them. I was able to lead these individuals to Christ. As you study the life of Christ you see Him moving among the multitudes, providing the wine for the wedding, a meal for the hungry five thousand, water for the woman at the well, sight for the blind, and so many other acts of kindness. These good works provided a platform for Him to share the truth of God’s word with the folks who were the object of His good works.
The American Institute of Church growth surveyed 8,000 church attendees and found out how they came to be in church.
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1-2% had special needs
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2-3% just walked in
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5-6% influenced by a preacher
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1-2% were invited
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4-5 % were reached through Sunday School
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5% came through evangelistic meetings
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75-80% came through the influence of friends or relatives
What kind of good works could I do to create an opportunity to share Christ?
1. Help someone through acts of kindness
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Help paint a house
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Help pile in the winter wood
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Provide a meal for that family whose wife is in the hospital
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Drive that senior citizen to their doctor’s appointment
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Cut your neighbours grass
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Bake some cookies and take them to your neighbour
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If you see a hitchhiker along the road who might be going in the oppose direction, find a coffee shop nearby and purchase a coffee and doughnut for him. Go back and give it to him and include a gospel tract which he can read as he waits for his ride
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As you wait in line for your coffee, why not offer to buy coffee for the person behind you
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Offer to care for that autistic child so the parents can take a break for an evening
The list could go on forever. Ask God to open your eyes to see the needs of those around you. Then provide an act of kindness for them.
2. Use your God given talents
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Tutor some student in need of help
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Teach music (Guitar, Piano) - I taught some boys guitar for free. Their practice music for the week was Christian music. I advised them to practice long and hard. When they returned the following week, they not only knew how to play the song, but they knew the truth of the song
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Do a concert for a senior’s home.
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Sing at the local Jail
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Start a Day Care for children
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Start a Nehemiah ministry. Nehemiah was a builder. Could you get a few carpenters together and use your talents to help a needy family, a senior citizen, a widow? etc.
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Start soccer, baseball, hockey program for the youth in your community.
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Fix someone’s car for them
I know you are already thinking of ways in which God could use your God given abilities to help others. As God opens doors to provide acts of kindness to others, he will also open doors to speak of Christ who is the reason behind any act of kindness.
What hinders this light from shining?
(Mark 4:21) "And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?"
In this verse God tells us that the light is hid under bushels and beds. Bushels were a measure connected to a persons business. It suggests our labors or our jobs. Many of us are so busy trying to maintain our crazy life style that we seldom find time to be kind to anyone including our own family. If the bushel speaks of our labor then the bed speaks of our leisure. As soon as we get home from the stressful day at the office we grab the old tennis racket and head for the tennis court. Between my labors and my leisure there is little time left for others.
Instead of trying to build a crowd within the walls of our churches, it might be wise to get the crowd inside our churches outside our churches and involved in the lives of a people who need to be inside the walls of our churches.
Is my life showing? Is my light shining? Be sure to check out Tip 3 on using gospel Literature to reach the lost.
TIP 3
Witnessing with Literature
We have talked about witnessing with our life and witnessing with our light, but next I want us to consider witnessing with gospel literature or gospel tracts. When we think about using gospel literature, we are reminded that our Bible is made up of the writings of many different authors who were guided by the Holy Spirit to write down God’s word. God for centuries has used this literature in a powerful way.
Gospel tracts are a great way of getting the message out to people. You might ask the question what is a gospel tract? “A simplified presentation of the Gospel message in terms that a lost man can understand, printed and packaged in concise pocket size format which lends itself to easy distribution.” Notice the highlights of this definition.
1. A simple presentation of the gospel
2. It is written with the lost in mind
3. It is easily understood
4. It is small and inconspicuous
5. It is at hand when you need it
Where do I use Gospel tracts?
A general rule of thumb is to use tracts where there are lots of people
.
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Commercial Areas - malls, restaurants, train stations, airports, bus terminals, phone booths. Leave gospel tracts on mall benches.
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Professional Areas - places where people work like doctors' offices, dentist offices, hospitals etc. You can place tracts in the magazines in these offices. I have met many people who were saved reading a tract they found in a doctors office.
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Recreational Areas - sporting events, fairs, parades, exhibitions, old home weeks
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Residential Areas - our street, block, neighbourhood. You can place elastics around certain types of tracts and hang them on door knobs
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Economic Areas - Place a tract in all your bills as you send them out in the mail. Do not include a tract if your bill is overdue. As you go through the drive-through at your favourite take out, hand the server a gospel tract and say. “There is a message in here that has changed my life. Would you read it please?” You can do the same at all places of business. Leave a tract with a good tip at the restaurant where you dine. Place a tract in the envelope provided in your motel rooms. Be sure to leave a good tip if you leave a tract.
Tips for using tracts
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Get in the habit of passing out tracts
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Develop a “1 Tract Mind.” Pass out one tract after another
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Build up your own personal tract supply
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Have tracts for every occasion
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Write tract companies, view web sites, get samples
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Carry tracts in shirt pocket, purse, glove compartment, jacket pocket.
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Smile, be relaxed and friendly
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Pass out tracts in love
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Consider tracts as $100.00 bills for poor people
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Make sure your tracts are crisp and clean
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Be sure you have read the tract yourself
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Be optimistic and realistic. You may only see the results of this ministry when you get to heaven
Leave tracts in the following areas:
Phone booths, doctors offices, mall benches, grocery stores, public washrooms, mail boxes, stock up for vacation, hang on doorknobs, throw at the feet of hitch hikers, under windshield wipers of cars, in elevators, bulletin boards, magazine racks, shopping carts, place tracts in junk mail where the postage is already paid.
What are the benefits of using Gospel tracts?
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It obeys God’s command to Evangelize
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You do not have to speak to people
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Tracts are inexpensive
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You are not limited by language and geography
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Tracts lead to further conversation as people show others what they received
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You do not need large blocks of time to do this. Just a few minutes here and there can result in lives being changed for all eternity
How Do I get started?
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View websites
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Order sample packs
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check the selection at Christian Bookstores
Crossway
1300 Crescent Street
Wheaton, IL 60187
www.crossway.org/tracts
It is time to get started now! May God grant you a blessed time as you obey His command to evangelize the world through gospel literature.
Sample Tracts:
Steps to Peace with God (My favourite - This is a pwerful tract, but difficult to find.
A similar version is found at Majestic Media LLC
It is time to get started now! May God grant you a blessed time as you obey His command to evangelize the world through gospel literature.
TIP 4
Witnessing with our Lips
(1 Peter 3:15) "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason for the hope that is in you with meekness and fear."
Two ways to share my faith with my lips
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Prepare to give your testimony
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Practice for possible opportunities
Prepare to give your testimony
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Look at the Scriptural testimony of Paul (Acts 22, 26)
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Be prepared to share in 3-5 minutes
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Pray for God to grant you wisdom
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Be honest and do not exaggerate
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Be natural, you do not have to preach
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Speak of your past without glorifying your sin ie - the emptiness of your life - speak of how you came to the cross (time, place, circumstances, and the moment of decision)
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Speak of your present state and the changes that Christ has brought. Make your testimony interesting, powerful, effective, warm, enthusiastic and persuasive
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Radiate the love of God as you speak
The popularity of our many talk shows tells us people are fascinated by a real life story. People may argue against your theology, but they cannot say a word against your life story because it is your personal story.
Practice for possible opportunities
When our verse tells us to be ready I think it means to be prepared in advance. I should prepare to share the gospel message when I go to the doctor, dentist, lawyer, wedding, funeral, banquet, awards presentation, restaurant, car dealer etc.
Allow me to share an opportunity I had to share with a car dealer as I was doing door to door visitation. I knew the man was in the car business. The conversation went something like this:
Visitor: We are doing some visitation in your area tonight. Is this a bad time to stop by?
Car Dealer: Please come in.
Visitor: How long have you been in the car business?
Car Dealer: Most of my life I guess.
Visitor: I have bought a good number of cars over the years and I have pondered the question: How does one sell cars?
Car Dealer: I can teach you how in five minutes. Nobody leaves my lot without making a decision.
Visitor: Wow! How do you do that?
Car Dealer: If I notice you on my lot spending some time looking at a particular vehicle I will approach you and say: “Do you like this car? If we say, “ I do not really like the colour,” You reply, “I like blue.” I will then make you make a decision by saying, “Are you saying if I had this car in blue you would buy it?” I then wait for your decision.
Visitor: I then explained Christ to him and advised him that I also refuse to allow anyone to leave my lot without making a decision for Christ. I issued an invitation for him to trust Christ. After a few moments we knelt, and he trusted Christ as his Saviour.
I, many times, pretend to have an individual in the driver’s seat of my car. It may be a cultist, a good living person, an atheist etc. I imagine what that person might say to defend his position. I then think through possible answers and verses to point him to Christ. I reason with this individual in my mind. This is helps me prepare to share. When the real opportunity presents itself, I am better prepared to share.
As the piano teacher once said, “practice, practice, practice.”
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All Rights Reserves, 2024
