Evangelism - The story of your life!

Today we are going to look at two more styles of evangelism - testimonial and interpersonal.

Testimonial evangelism is simply telling your story. The story of how you came to know Jesus. This is one type of evangelism that no one can refute because it's your story. Take a moment right now and think about your life before Jesus, the circumstances in which you gave your heart to Him, and what your life has been like since then.
We see this in the life of the blind man as pastor Jeremy shared on Sunday. In John 9, Jesus meets up with a man who has been blind since birth and heals him, on the Sabbath of all days. The religious leaders question the man about his healing, and this where we pick up the story in verse fifteen, "Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he received his sight. He said to them, 'He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.'"

How can anyone argue with that? This man knew he had been blind all his life, he met Jesus, and now he can see.
Testimonial evangelism is exactly like that. We don't need to share our whole life with someone. Usually it only takes a few minutes to share because most people are too busy to hear a long story. Then in verse ten, it says, "The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, 'It is the Sabbath, it's not lawful for you to carry your bed.' He answered them, 'He who made me well said to me, 'Take up your bed and walk.'"

I don't know about you, but if I was healed instantly of problem I had all my life, I would most assuredly share the great news, wouldn't you? You see, testimonies can be the easiest to share because we don't have to memorize any speeches or special ways to talk. However, it is good to memorize some scriptures to be able to share with the person with whom you are talking.

Let's turn our attention to the interpersonal style of sharing the gospel. Two specific examples from my own life come to mind in which I built relationships with guys who were not believers. With one guy, I shared many an evening with and developed a friendship with him over the course of a couple years. We would talk about a lot of things from the mundane to the personal struggles and even discussed why I believed in God. I felt no need to push. Then after a couple of years, we went our own ways, and about a year later I received a phone call from him in which he told me that he had received Christ and was thankful that I had shared my life and the gospel with him.

The other is a man who comes to mind had bad church experiences in the past, which has created quite the obstacle for sharing Jesus - but I don't let that stop me! As I spend time with him and share my life with him, we go through the ups and downs of life together. We laugh and cry together. We encourage each other and we also correct each other. My faith has not changed, but my life has because of our relationship. I don't know if he will ever become a believer but only God knows that. My responsibility is not to get him saved but to love him like Jesus loves him. Jesus said in John 15: 12-13, "This in my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no on than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." So that's what I'll do, and leave the rest in God's hands.

Remember our Key for this week: Whatever you win people with, you win them to. So if you want to win them to Jesus, then the best way is to use his story, his words, and his gospel!

May God give you opportunities to share the gospel today. God bless you!