Have you ever tried to share the gospel of Christ to a friend or family member – but stopped short because you didn't feel confident enough to share it? If you've ever experienced this, then you've got to develop your evangelism skills.
Your skill and aptitude in sharing the gospel, which I will refer to as "evangelism muscles," need to be built up so that you will be more confident and effective in sharing the gospel with anyone you meet. Just like how a person's physical strength and endurance grow with the development and building of his muscles, a Christian's ability to effectively share the good news of Christ gets better the more the Christian builds himself in it and then shares it.
Take for example the believers in the book of Acts. Some of them were unschooled and untrained yet they were able to shake the world with the good news of salvation in Christ. Peter, your average neighbourhood fisherman, preached just once but through that the Lord added thousands in the number of believers in just one day! If Peter was able to do that with the Lord's help, then we should feel confident that we can share the gospel effectively, too.
Do you desire to build your evangelism muscles up? Here are some ways to build them up, like a bodybuilder builds his muscles.
1. Get proper nutrition
When a person wants to build his muscles, he has to have the right diet loaded with proteins and carbs. If you want to build your evangelism muscles, then you've got to load yourself up on the truths of the gospel of Christ. You can't read an entertainment magazine or a self-help psychology book, go into a TV marathon of your favourite superhero movies and then share information to a person – and expect that person to be saved.
Feed yourself with the gospel truth, and with a growing relationship with the Holy Spirit. Read the gospels, the whole New Testament (especially Paul's epistles), and pray in the Spirit always! Load up!
2. Lift weights
Lifting weights are necessary to beef up your muscles, especially the biceps, triceps and other parts of the body. In the same way, you've got to carry your cross – the people to whom you should relentlessly share the gospel to.
The Bible tells us that Christ carried our sins upon Himself so that He could atone for them (read Isaiah 53). In the same way, you've got to have a burden in your heart – you need to have the heart for the salvation of others. If you don't see the need for them to be saved by Christ, chances are is that you won't be sharing the gospel to anyone, even your loved ones.
3. Keep exercising
Bodybuilders know that they need to maintain their fitness and exercise routines to keep their muscles in tip-top shape, or else they will become fat and lose those ripped abs and shoulders. In the same way, the best way for you to maintain those evangelism muscles is to keep sharing the gospel to others.
Share the goodness of God to your mom, dad and siblings. Share the truth of the gospel to your friends, co-workers, peers and everyone you know. Disciple people and remind them about the truths of Christ's atoning death and resurrection.
You'll be surprised at how your evangelism muscles remain firm, fit and strong when you couple constant obedience to the great commission, and a growing relationship with God.
