Top 5 Lists for Evangelism

One campus minister’s top 5 list for evangelism.

Top 5 Incentives for Sharing Your Faith

1. Gratitude: We are grateful God has saved us.
2. Obedience: God has commanded us to do so.
3. Compassion: We love people who are far from God.
4. Spiritual Growth: It will strengthen our faith.
5. Eternal Rewards: God promises eternal rewards for doing so.

Top 5 Books on Learning How to Share Your Faith

1. Becoming a Contagious Christian by Bill Hybels and Mark Mittelberg
2. The Grace and Truth Paradox by Randy Alcorn
3. Too Christian, Too Pagan by Dick Staub
4. Hell’s Best Kept Secret by Ray Comfort
5. The World at Your Door by Tom Phillps and Terry Whalin

Top 5 Questions to Ask a Friend Far from God

1. “What comes to mind when you think about God and Jesus?”
2. “On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate the level of effort you’ve invested in your current beliefs, and the level of confidence you have that they are true?”
3. “Hypothetically, if all your questions had answers that pointed to God as the Creator and Jesus as the Savior, how would you respond?”
4. “Hypothetically, on what basis do you believe God will or will not accept you into Heaven?”
5. Would you be interested in meeting for coffee once a week or so, to investigate your questions and study the Bible at your own pace?

Top 5 Truths to Share God’s Good News

1. God Loves Us (John 17:3, 22-26).
2. We Sinned (James 2:10-11).
3. Death is the Consequence (Romans 6:23).
4. Jesus Came to Save Us (2 Corinthians 5:21).
5. We Must Trust and Follow Him (Acts 2:38).

Top 5 Books to Give or Read with a Friend Far from God

1. Confident Faith by Mark Mittelberg
2. Making Sense of God by Timothy Keller
3. The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel
4. How Good Is Good Enough? by Andy Stanley
5. Letters from a Skeptic by Greg Boyd

Top 5 Prayers to Pray

1. The “Here-I-Am-Send-Me” Prayer: Pray to make yourself willing for God to send you to people who are far from Him, to share His love and truth, as Isaiah did in Isaiah 6:8.
2. The “Open-Their-Heart” Prayer: Pray that God open your friend’s heart, as He did for Lydia in Acts 16:11-15.
3. The “Whatever-It-Takes” Prayer: Pray that God do whatever it takes to humble your friend, as He did for Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4:1-37.
4. The “Protect-the-Truth” Prayer: Pray that God protect whatever seeds of truth are planted in their heart, that Satan not snatch it away, as Jesus mentioned in Luke 8:11-12.
5. The “Battle-on-Behalf-of” Prayer: Pray that God and His angels do battle on behalf of your friend, as Michael did in Daniel 10:12-13.

Top 5 Tensions to Balance

1. Influencing people by the example we set AND the message with share.
2. Obeying the Greatest Commission (meeting spiritual needs) AND the Greatest Commandments (meeting physical needs).
3. Upholding truth (so that people see the need for salvation) AND grace (so that people see the hope of salvation).
4. Being intentional to reach people we know (through friendship evangelism) AND people we don’t know (through initiative evangelism).
5. Surrounding ourselves with people who are Christians (so that we can grow spiritually) AND with people who are not Christians (so that we can have an influence).

Top 5 Songs to Fuel your Passion

1. “Give Me A Heart Like Yours” by Sonic Flood
2. “Carriers” by Jeremy Camp
3. “Tears of the Saints” by Leeland
4. “The Mission Field” by Blessed Union of Souls
5. “Messengers” by Lecrae

Top 5 Books for New Christians (aside from books listed above)

1. The Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren
2. I Am A Church Member by Thom Rainer
3. Simplify by Bill Hybels
4. God’s Wisdom for Navigating Life by Timothy & Kathy Keller
5. God’s Outrageous Claims by Lee Strobel