One on One Witnessing.

Phrankdatank

New Member
Alright, I know the Bible says that we're to go out into the world and preach the gospel to people and everything, and my preferred style is via signs, shirts, and yelling at crowds.

Like, today in class I made a sign from scratch that said "REPENT NOW!" that I could hold up for everyone coming into class to see. I know they probably wouldn't read it, but even if they got a glance of it they'd get the gospel message, at least I think.

The second thing I got is shirts, I wear Christian shirts every day so they're bound to get read and everything, especially if I face the door as people come in and everything.

If in class I'm given a chance to ask the professor a question concerning Christianity in a way that gets my beliefs out, I'm perfectly capable of doing that. For example, yesterday I asked one of my professors how some people could claim to be Christians and constantly live in sin, and how I didn't believe someone could constantly party and have immoral sex without ever changing their ways and still be a Christian, and the professor brought up King David, and I said that the difference was that David changed his ways and the guy we were talking about(a famous "Christian" minister) didn't and partied up to the day he died.

Finally, if given a tract I prefer to lay it in a place where people don't see me laying it down, such as a bathroom stall, beneath where I'm sitting, or slipping it into someones book/folder for them to see the next time they open it.


However, witnessing to someone one-on-one is a whole other beast for me and totally scares me. What should I do about that?
 
I think the best way for 1on1 evangelism is doing it. It doesn't matter really what style or how you do it as long as you are doing it. Even the absolute worst way is > not doing it. Remember that we are not salesman, God is the one that will do the saving and regenerating work of grace. God often chooses to use the weak as to show it was clearly His power at work and not your own. You can't convince someone to have their heart of stone turned to a heart of flesh. Only the Spirit can do that.

That being said, I really like personal testimony of God as a loving father. Try to work on a 3min brief description of how the Lord is loving you and providing for you as the ultimate Father. Then you show this same love to others around you. When you are given the chance to talk about God 1 on 1, show them how awesome your Heavenly Father is and ask them if they want to know Him as well. Then simply share the Gospel in any way you know best and trust that the Spirit will take care of the rest.

Some people will say that holding up a sign is not a good way to do evangelism, I say it is way better method then the method of not evangelizing. Any way is better then their way if they are doing nothing.
 
Your message has to be clear... but for that to happen, you have to decide what part of God you're wanting to share. Yes, God is the God of justice, righteousness, and purity. But He is also the God of Love, Forgiveness, Mercy, and Grace.

I think it's important that people understand that God is all of that, and so much more. Holding up a sign that says "REPENT!" on it probably wouldn't have reached out to me when I was lost, but it may be the catalyst that someone else needs. But if you're holding that sign, wearing that shirt, slipping that paper under the stall wall, you need to be ready to back it up. You're inviting people to come talk to you about the hard questions they have.

-Why do bad things happen to good people?
-Why do babies die?
-Why doesn't God do anything about all the injustice in the world?
-Does God hate homosexuals?
-I do a lot of good things. that means I go to heaven, right?
-A virgin birth? C'mon. Why would you believe something that isn't scientifically possible?
-Can God make a rock so big that even God can't move it?
-How can you say that God wants me? You don't know how much bad I've done.
-How can you say you're a Christian? I saw you doing X, Y, and Z...hypocrite!

and I'm sure that there are hundreds more that skeptics and the seekers alike will have ready for you.

As to your initial question, how do you deal with the stress of 1-on-1 chats? Toss a quick prayer to God that you'll speak whatever He wants you to speak, and let it roll. When you're in the moment, God will give you whatever words you're supposed to share. But the more of the Bible that you know, the more of God's living word you can use. Quoting scripture is your best best to show why you believe something.

If someone asks "why do bad things happen to good people?" and your response is "well, I know that God is a just God, and you need to repent from your wicked ways!" you'll lose your audience. But being able to quote Romans 3:22-24:

22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Shows them the standard that we are each judged against. I'm not good. So the idea that bad things happen to good people is flawed. Once they get over their preconceived notions that man is basically good, it's a lot easier to see that we need saved. Left to our own choices, we tend to screw up pretty bad, and hurt a lot of other people in the process.

Anyway, short on time, I have to teach in 25 minutes...so I'm out :)
 
Armor with truth and Listen like their life depends on it! Seriously LISTEN for it is not our voice they need to hear! I have been banned on four or five servers so far and I say very little to preach lol and wonder why little can do so much! hehehe Skin heads and dope heads need loving too hehehe GOSH! Save the how comes and whys until the "you can't understand me" sinks in! Then you will feel his peace by the encouragement and direction given!
 
I heard this in Men's Ministry tonight and it made me think of this thread.

1 Corinthians 1:21

21 Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe.
 
Here is a great video of 1:1 evangelism with a guy I would have given up on almost immediately.

If you want more help or more videos check out Living Waters.

I'm curious what you think about this.
 
Ahahaha thank you Abba! I can relate to the contact and I loved how he listened and focused simple questions! In my eyes I witnessed total control of direction and courage hehehe for the truth is out there! hehehe Sorry for UFO thought!
 
That is a good video. I use some of the same types of techniques when talking with unsaved friends. It's the "what if" technique. You don't come across as being pushy, just questioning.

Just the other week a friend came to me talking about this new show he started watching "Ghost hunters."

To which I replied something like "Sure I believe that things go bump in the night, I just don't believe that they are the same thing most other people do."
"Oh, what do you mean?"
"I mean, what if the things that go bump in the night are something more sinister then Aunt Martha not crossing over....."
 
"I mean, what if the things that go bump in the night are something more sinister then Aunt Martha not crossing over....."

Good answer!
 
I posted this question on another christian gaming forum and one of them posted about 1st Corinthians 1:10-17

"
I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas[a]"; still another, "I follow Christ."

Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don't remember if I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power."

And he said that could be read to mean that while different people have different styles of evangelism, all benefited the Kingdom of God and that there is no "sure-fire cover-all method".

Some people will respond better to a message about God's love, others better to a turn-or-burn speech.

My style, as mentioned, is being a "Jesus billboard" by wearing shirts.

However, with this style comes a real keen sense that you have to watch your behavior. Now, all Christians definitely are held to a higher standard by God and the World, but when you're wearing shirts everyday like I do, it definitely is important, and I do have a tendency to fail and start swearing when I'm going through a frustrating period in class, which in prayer I felt God telling me that was a symptom of my lack of confidence in His ability to help me through the toughest of classes which resulted from a lack of prayer on my part.
 
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