The biggest misconception about sharing the gospel
We all want people to be saved. But telling someone about Jesus in today’s polarized world can be scary. People may think that we are judgmental or may not even want to hear what we have to say.
But the reality is for people to be saved they have to hear the gospel. But here is the freeing truth about sharing the gospel.
Anytime you share the good news of Jesus with someone that is a win. It is a win because they at least have had the opportunity to accept the offer of salvation and forgiveness.
Also, it is a win because even if they reject the message of the good news God will send someone their way for round two and so on. You may sow the seed of the good news in their hearts while someone else may experience them actually deciding to accept Christ.
Do you like me wonder how can we see more people saved that we share the gospel with? Even though it is God who saves a person, there are some actions we can take to increase our chances of seeing God transform someone’s heart.
Pray for people to be saved
The crusades of Billy Graham were some of the most successful attempts at bringing the lost to the Lord. There are many reasons for that. But one reason was prayer.
Billy Graham was a big proponent of praying for the Lost. His team would sometimes arrive in a crusade location a year in advance to begin saturating the community in prayer.
So if it was good enough for Billy Graham I would say it is good enough for us. Since God is the one who saves would it not make sense to bring our appeals before Him so that He might act.
Successful farmers have to prepare the soil of the field for planting and the work of saving souls is no different. In praying for those we know who are lost we are allowing God to prepare the soil of their hearts for the seed of the gospel.
Also as we pray for the unsaved it begins to cause us to have more concern and love for them. I personally do not just pray before the gospel is shared.
But it is also important to pray as you are telling people about the gospel. So that at that moment God can begin to take the blinders off the enemy has put over the eyes of their heart.
Get your hands dirty for people to be saved
The gospel was not easy to accomplish. It was not easy for Jesus to leave heaven, live on earth, die a torturous death on a cross, and then raise from the dead.
But that is what it took for us to have the offer of salvation and a home in heaven. Jesus didn’t just preach to get rid of your sin but became your sin on the cross so you could be saved.
Jesus didn't just preach get rid of your sin but became your sin on the cross so you could be saved.
Now obviously we cannot become someone’s sin. But there is an important truth in the example of Jesus. that truth is that if we want people to be saved we have to get our hands dirty.
We have to meet people in the mire of their morally questionable decisions and offer them a hand up. Jesus even stated that if we were not willing to take up our cross then we couldn’t be His followers.
what was He talking about? Jesus was saying that just as He had to use the sacrifice of the cross to bring us to God we have to make sacrifices to bring others to trust in the gospel.
That may be the sacrifice of our lunch break to share a meal with someone who isn’t saved for the purpose of gaining their trust. So that they will listen to the good news when we tell them about it.
One pastor had a heart for gamers that were not saved. But did He give up once they wouldn’t come to church? No instead he went to them. By creating a forum and gamer online church service that is reaching droves of people because he was willing to sacrifice.
So don’t give up if they won’t listen instead sacrifice for the sake of gaining their trust. And once they trust you they will be more open to the good news you have to tell them.
A Christian without a cross will be a Christian without converts.
avoid distraction detours in order for people to be saved
In my experience, people love to deflect the claims of the gospel onto some other scapegoat. It comes in many forms. They may say there are too many hypocrites in the church.
Or they may attack some beliefs of the church. These attacks may be on creation, end times, or even other forms of theology we believe to be true.
But the reality is that when you are speaking with someone who does not know Jesus they will not believe what you believe. No matter how many things they get wrong there is one central issue that is to be the focus of the conversation.
That issue being we are sinners that will be separated from God if we do not accept the offer of Salvation. So if we want people to be saved then we have to make the choice to not take the theological bait of a belief rabbit trail.
Because at that point we will never get through to the entire presentation of the gospel. And secondly, if you are concerned about their wrong mindsets on all these other issues remember the Holy Spirit is a better convincer than any of us.
So if they accept Christ then the Spirit of God will direct them to what is true and right. If you have ever read the story of the Samaritan woman and Jesus at the well you have seen the master at avoiding distraction detours.
This woman at the well deflected the gospel but Jesus kept bringing her back to the central issue. That she was a sinner and needed salvation.
So if you begin to pray for those you want to be saved, choose to get your hands dirty on their behalf, and avoid distractions by bringing them back to the gospel then you will surely see people saved.