Not everyone is gifted and called as an
evangelist, but every believer is certainly called to evangelise (Matt.
28:19-20, Acts 1:8).
Predominately a police and military term,
“tactical options” is a good term for
all Christians to consider, but what does it mean? Simply put, tactical options are the options
you have available for your response to a situation.
In the context of this post, “what’s in
your evangelism toolbox?” Of course
there’s the bible. The bible is the basis
for all evangelism, but how do you present the truth that is found in the
bible when speaking to the lost? As you share the
good news of Jesus with others, you will find a whole range of personalities,
characters, beliefs and arguments. So
how do you deal with this range of situations?
Answer: You should know exactly
what tactical options are in your figurative toolbox, saddlebag, waist-belt or
backpack and select appropriately.
It’s probably not appropriate in every
situation to stand on your soapbox and preach “fire and brimstone” sermons on
the street corner, or to do cold-introduction street evangelism (but I do know
a committed believer who was saved by this method!). Frank Jenner was an incredibly effective
street evangelist in and around George Street, Sydney – if you haven’t read his
story, I’d recommend that you look him up…
I have a friend who teaches with story boards and know another whose artwork tells the gospel story. However, more often in our culture, we reach the lost through relationships with family, friends and associates.
Although your testimony is great,
personal and relevant, it’s not always the same conversation that leads to a
gospel bridge. Do you have enough
relational credit with your friends, relatives and associates to share your
testimony? Steve Smith in T4T (see
previous post) says that his teams aim to identify as Jesus-followers within
the first 5 minutes of a conversation with a lost person. They refer to this as the “five-minute
rule”.
It is helpful to think through scenarios
in advance, practice developing conversational bridges, and your testimony. Know common responses to the gospel and
anticipate these.
There’s another method that I have found
particularly helpful in some situations, and I have it in my toolbox: It’s the “Good Person” test and cartoon,
originally developed by Way of the Master and is available as a free download
here: http://www.freecartoontract.com/
I find the good person test is handy for
people who claim that, “God is good, so He won’t send me to hell”, or “I’ve been
a good person so I’m sure I’ll go to heaven”, both of which are wildly
unbiblical statements, forgetting the truth of Romans 3:23 and 6:23. It’s also a good
conversation for people who have some knowledge of the bible.
The
Good Person Test appeals to the unbeliever to do a
test based on the Ten Commandments to see if they are truly good. The cartoon leaflet is helpful to show the
person the progress of the test and uses the colorful cartoon figure of Mr. Nice
Guy. The point of the test is to get
the person to recognise their lostness and need for salvation, which you can do
in less than a minute.
The Good Person Test is lighthearted and
will usually get a couple of laughs, especially as the testee labels him/herself a lying thief and realises their
dire mistake. It quickly gets serious
when you come to the truth about judgment.
I believe that the appropriate method of evangelism is flexible, dynamic and Spirit-led. Pray and go where the Spirit leads.