Views from an Evangelist

The Apostle Paul reminds and describes the past state of Christians in these verses plus their present situation.

I Corinthians 6:9-11

⁹ Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, ¹⁰ nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

When you begin to witness to your family and friends first remember that they knew you when you were in your state of unbelief. They may still remember you in that way. So your job in beginning conversations with them as a Christian is to recenter the conversation around your faith or more specifically around the Cross of Christ.

What this means is you want to find the central reason for either their unbelief or their lack of spiritual growth. For some they remain dead in their sins and for others they are not reading the Bible on their own.

Once you find this central reason then all of your conversations and the intention of your conversations is to address this reason to either move them into faith or to provoke their faith.

If they are in unbelief then you want to have routine conversations that ask them questions about their life whereby you demonstrate a genuine interest in them, you ask how you can pray for them and then follow up to see if their situation is changing and you share naturally your life including your personal devotions, church life, special sermons you have heard lately and how the Lord is working in your life.

If they live near you intermittently invite them to attend your church and suggest sermons and Christian books they can read. Your intent is to remain in contact listening for a sign of the Lord working. Of course simultaneously you are praying for them to come to know the Lord.

For your Christian family and friends you are more direct in your Christian language and even in your exhortation for them to take the next step in their faith; you want to avoid being too pushy but natural in your communication including inviting them to join you at your church and sharing sermons and Christian books you are reading.

Your goal is what Paul says in Thessalonians: “Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.” [1 Thessalonians 5:11]

In summary, for either group, Christians and pagans, your goal is to recenter your conversation with them around the Cross of Christ and begin to minister to them with your language, exhortation to believe and prayers.