I am reading a book that considers the Christian’s approach to witnessing to an individual about Jesus Christ. I have not gotten too far in the book because I am forever arrested by the author’s words. At one point, he states that Jesus never approached any two people the same way. This made me pause to reflect on the individuals He talked to. The author was right. Jesus did not use a “formula” or “steps” to minister to individuals. Instead he met them where they were.
Dr. Guinness uses the phrase “cookie-cutter evangelism” to describe the method that most churches use when reaching out to the lost. This made me think about the church where I first got saved. My enthusiasm for my newfound faith in the Lord motivated me to join the evangelism team. They taught me the “method” to witness to souls. It was okay to put it in my own words, but certain things had to be covered before walking away from the candidate.
There was an apartment complex located down behind the church. It was on the next street. Once a month, the evangelism team would have a service there on Saturday. We would gather at the church around 10:30 a.m. for prayer. Then we would walk down to the apartment complex as the church van played gospel music announcing our arrival.
Once we got to the complex, we knocked on doors, and passed out gospel tracts, and then we gathered to sing songs. Then someone would encourage people to gather to hear the message of the day. There would be some soloists singing before the speaker brought forth the Word. Then altar call would be made before we left. The workers would get upset because the majority of the tracts were thrown on the ground. Now I know why. We used the same method every time we saw these individuals. They knew the routine, and they knew what we were going to say. It was old and outdated. No wonder they were hard to win to Christ! It was never fresh. The Word of God should be fresh—not stale!
I hope this makes you think about how you approach an individual who you are trying to win to the kingdom of heaven. It does make sense doesn’t it?
Living in the Light of Jesus' Words 
Excellent thought! I get tired of cookie-cutter approaches to ministry and those who say I’m wrong if I don’t do it their way.
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Thank you! We have been called by God for a specific purpose with a uniqueness specific to us. You and I are pastors. I don’t have a building because my congregation is found in the street. It consists of the homeless. We meet in Starbuck’s for Bible study or in the basement of a local library. People give their lives to Christ under a lamp post at midnight. Then I teach them the Word of God and lead them to a nearby church for fellowship and continued fellowship and growth. Some prefer to call me pastor and stay with me. In that case, I continue to see and meet with them every single day. We meet for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We pray and study the Bible twice a day.
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My church recently did a study on evangelism and it is one of the things I know I have been called to do and i thought it was so important for us to understand that all will not be reached by the same method…we must ask God for Devine instructions in every encounter
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Btw, would you mind saying what the name of that book was please?
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Yes, of course my friend. I do not mind giving you information on the book I am talking about. I meant to give this information in the post. Here it is:
Fool’s Talk: Recovering The Art of Christian Persuasion
by Os Guinness, InterVarsity Press 2015
I purchased my copy on a website called Christian Book Distributors. It was not that expensive. At first, I thought I bought the wrong book to study apologetics. When I finally decided to read it, its contents proved me wrong. It is vey insightful. In fact, I am preparing to write another post discussing something else that he brings out. It is very eye-opening. I can also say that it is a book that you cannot read in one sitting. I find that I have to stop and reflect on what he says about certain things.
I hope that you might be encouraged to purchase your own copy and read it slowly and carefully. You will be amazed by what you will learn.
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OK thank you! I appreciate it!
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