Learn to
Share Your Faith
A tutorial to guide you
Hello. Welcome to the Share Your Faith tutorial.
Here you'll learn a simple recipe to share the good news in a way that's clear, concise and complete.
This tutorial is based on the Evangelism Explosion (EE) gospel presentation.
Being able to share your faith through conversation is a powerful skill that every believer should learn. But many can't attend an EE course. We created this tutorial to make personal evangelism training accessible to everyone.
You'll learn to:
- Initiate a spiritual conversation
- Assess a person's spiritual condition
- Present the gospel using a five step format
- Lead that person to salvation
- Assure them that salvation happens instantly and can't be lost.
To get started please listen to the following gospel presentation. In the lessons that follow, this is what you'll be learning to share.
Okay, let's get started.
Lesson 1
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The gospel presentation is built from five keywords: Heaven (Grace), Sin (Us), God, Jesus and Faith. To make them easy to remember, each keyword is linked to a finger. This is called the hand outline.
Next, the five keywords are expanded into five gospel points:
1. Heaven (Grace)
Heaven is a free gift. It can't be earned or deserved.
2. Sin (Us)
We are all sinners. We cannot save ourselves.
3. God
God is love and he does not want to punish us. But God is also just and he must punish sin.
4. Jesus
Jesus is both God and man. He died on the cross and rose from the dead to pay the penalty for our sins and purchase a place in Heaven for us.
5. Faith
Faith is not head knowledge that
God exists. Neither is it temporary faith. True saving faith is trusting in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life.
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In a future lesson we'll add an illustration to each point to make it easier to understand. For example we'll use an illustration called ‘Friend’s Gift” to illustrate that heaven is a free gift. We'll also add two scriptures to each gospel point to confirm that each point is bible based.
But, to get started let's see a bare bones gospel presentation. In the first part of this video you'll learn how to use the fingers on your hand to remember the five points that make up the gospel. Then you'll learn how to combine them to present the gospel.
Please memorize what each finger represents. Say it out loud.
Thumb - Heaven (Grace)
Index - Sin (Us)
Middle - God
Ring - Jesus
Pinky - Faith
Now memorize the five gospel points. Say them out loud. Use your fingers to remind you of each point.
1. Heaven (Grace)
Heaven is a free gift. It can't be earned or deserved.
2. Sin (Us)
We are all sinners. We cannot save ourselves.
3. God
God is love and he does not want to punish us. But God is also just and he must punish sin.
4. Jesus
Jesus is both God and man. He died on the cross and rose from the dead to pay the penalty for our sins and purchase a place in Heaven for us.
5. Faith
Faith is not head knowledge that
God exists. Neither is it temporary faith. True saving faith is trusting in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life.
These five points are the foundation of the gospel presentation. It's important that you know them well. Please practice until you can say each point with confidence. There should be no fumbling or hesitation.
Lesson 2
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There are three important things to keep in mind before you share the gospel:
Yes, sharing the gospel is urgent. But it’s important to be respectful. Therefore, always ask for permission before sharing.
Here are two examples:
“Can I share with you how I came to be sure that I have eternal life and how you can be sure too?”
“Hello. My name is Silas. We're from the church. We're going around telling people about Jesus. Can we talk to you for a few minutes?”
Our job is to share the gospel clearly and accurately. Don’t try to be convincing. The pressure is not on us. The pressure is on the Holy Spirit. It’s Jesus who saves, not our clever words.
At the start of every presentation we ask two diagnostic questions. They help us to locate the person spiritually.
These are the Two Diagnostic Questions:
1. If you were to die today, do you know for sure that you would go to Heaven or would you say that's something you're still working on?
2. If God had to ask you, "Why should I let you into my Heaven?" What would you say?
If the person responds to the second question by saying something like, “Because I’m a good person,” it means they are trusting in their works and not in Jesus.
1. The person has never received Christ and is trusting in their good works to save them. In this case you should share the gospel and then invite them to receive the gift of eternal life.
2. The person has received Christ but they're not sure they are going to heaven. In other words they don’t have assurance of salvation. Many believers are in this place. In this case you should share the gospel.
3. The person has received Christ and is trusting in him alone to get into heaven. In this case there’s no need to share the gospel. Instead ask for their testimony.
This video shows how to start a spiritual conversation, share your testimony and then ask the two diagnostic questions.
Please memorize the two diagnostic questions. It helps to say them out loud.
1. If you were to die today, do you know for sure that you would go to Heaven or would you say that's something you're still working on?
2. If God had to ask you, "Why should I let you into my Heaven?" What would you say?
Lesson 3
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In lesson 1 you learned the five points that make up the gospel and how to combine them into a basic gospel presentation. The complete gospel presentation includes three more elements:
Illustrations
These are simple stories and examples that make each point easy to understand.
Scriptures
These demonstrate that the gospel points come from the bible and are not something we're making up.
Transitions
These are statements and questions that help us to move smoothly from one gospel point to the next.
Please download this gospel presentation cheat sheet. It’s a roadmap that will help you see how all the elements fit together.
This document contains the illustrations that are mentioned in the Cheat Sheet.
Take a quick look through these two documents.
Now let's see how everything fits together.
fiveJC.com is an example of online multilingual evangelism. You'll find a written gospel presentation with illustrations, scriptures and transitions. There are more than 40 languages. Please read it in your first language, if it's available. Take careful note of how the illustrations make each point easy to understand.
In this video the speaker shares the "God" gospel point and the "Bank Robber" illustration.
In this video the speaker shares the "Faith" gospel point and the "Boat" illustration.
In order to make the gospel easy to understand, you must be able to share each illustration in your own words. Imagine you are talking to a friend. Practice by saying each gospel point and sharing the illustration that makes it clear. Please refer to the illustration sheet that you downloaded above.
1. Heaven is a free gift. It can't be earned or deserved.
>> Friend's Gift
2. We are all sinners. We cannot save ourselves.
>> Omelette
3. God is love and he does not want to punish us. But God is also just and he must punish sin.
>> Bank Robber
4. Jesus is both God and man. He died on the cross and rose from the dead to pay the penalty for our sins and purchase a place in Heaven for us.
>> Garcia
5. Faith is not head knowledge that
God exists. Neither is it temporary faith. True saving faith is trusting in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life.
>> Boat
In the coming week I suggest that you set aside 10 minutes a day to practice.
Lesson 4
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Please listen to this gospel presentation again. The speaker explains how to present each gospel point. He follows the step by step structure that's set out in the gospel cheat sheet you downloaded in lesson 3.
Your goal in this lesson is to understand how each of the elements you've learned can be combined into a gospel presentation. Your presentation style will be different and you might also use different illustrations. But the presentation sequence should always be the same.
These are separate audio clips.
Please memorize the two scriptures that go with each gospel point. You'll find the scriptures on the cheat sheet that you downloaded in lesson 3.
Lesson 5
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After presenting the point on faith you should ask:
“Does this make sense to you?”
If the person says yes, then ask:
“Would you like to receive the free gift of eternal life?”
If the person says yes again then say:
“Then I can lead us in a prayer and we can tell God what you just told me.”
Some people are nervous about praying. This statement puts them at ease because you are assuring them that you'll be taking the lead and you both will be praying together.
Then lead them in the salvation prayer. There’s no fixed wording. This is one example:
Dear Jesus. I am a sinner. I want to receive your free gift of eternal life. I believe that you are the son of God. I believe that you died for my sins. I believe that you rose from the dead. I choose to place my trust in you alone. Thank you Jesus for the free gift of eternal life. Amen.
After the prayer welcome them to God's family by saying:
“Let me be the first to welcome you to God’s family.”
The next step is to assure the person that he or she received the gift of eternal life instantly.
You should ask:
“When you prayed that prayer would you say that you believed?”
When they say yes respond by saying:
“Let’s see what the bible says about what you’ve just done.”
Point to John 6:47 in your bible and ask them to read it. In John 6:47 Jesus says: I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life.
Tell them that this verse confirms they received the gift of eternal life the instant they believed.
Now you need to assure them that salvation is permanent. To do this you demonstrate the Roman handshake. It's shown in the image above.
Say, “In ancient times the Romans shook hands like this.” [Show the handshake]. “When you received the gift of eternal life, God took hold of you in the same way. Even if you let go, he's always holding on. You are part of his family. He’s never going to let go.”
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The Bible says, "But to all who believed him [Jesus] and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God."
Once a baby is born, that child can never be unborn.
Jesus said:
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
John 10:28 NKJV
This means that nothing, not even your own actions, can cause you to lose eternal life.
Finish by asking the two diagnostic questions again. This will give you assurance that the person has understood what just happened. However, if the person still does not answer correctly don’t worry. Sometimes it takes a while for the brain to catch up with what has happened in the spirit.
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This audio clip demonstrates the committment steps. However, it does not include the step where you would use the Roman handshake to illustrate that salvation can't be lost.
Please take note of the sentences or questions we discussed. At specific points in your presentation you must make these statements or ask these questions clearly and decisively. Please memorize these statements and questions. Practice by saying them out loud. Here they are again:
“Does this make sense to you?”
“Would you like to receive the free gift of eternal life?”
“Then I can lead us in a prayer and we can tell God what you just told me.”
“Let me be the first to welcome you to God’s family.”
Now you know all the elements of a gospel presentation.
Using the cheat sheet as a guide, do three gospel presentation roleplays with close friends or family. You could ask something like, "I'm trying to teach myself to share the gospel. Can I practice on you?”
Present the entire gospel - starting with asking the two diagnostic questions and ending with praying the salvation prayer. Then assure your friend that salvation happens instantly and salvation is permanent.
Lesson 6
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During a casual conversation with a friend or family member, how would you respectfully steer that conversation towards spiritual matters? These are good questions to ask to start a spiritual conversation:
1. On a scale of 1 to 10, how fulfilling would you say your life is?
2. What is it that makes it a [number given above]?
3. If God were part of your life do you think that would move it closer to a 10 or further away?
After asking these questions you could share your testimony i.e. share how you came to accept Jesus and how that decision has changed your life. Or you could share a God story - an incident where your faith in God has made a difference in your life.
The speaker in this audio clip explains and demonstrates this.
This video shows how people on the street reacted to these questions.
Depending on the context, a direct approach also works well. For example, when doing street ministry I get straight to the point and say, "Hello. We are from the church. We're going around telling people about Jesus. Can we talk to you?" Most people usually say yes. Then I ask the two diagnostic questions and share the gospel.
Always be honest and authentic. God does not empower lying, manipulation or trickery even if your goal is to share the gospel.
Lesson 7
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1. The key to successful witnessing is to go fishing with Jesus, because he's a master fisherman. Watch to see where God is working and join him - rather than making your own plans and then trying to convince him to bless them. With this perspective your ministry life will be simple and light, and you'll enjoy it more.
2. God will lead you to people who are open. He's always drawing people to himself. Never try to pick "green fruit". If you sense that someone is resistant to hearing the gospel then don't share it.
3. Sometimes a person may say no. Don’t take rejection personally. Thank them for listening and leave graciously. This will leave the door open for someone else to minister to them in the future.
4. When ministering on the street don’t close your eyes while praying. For safety reasons you need to be aware of what's going on around you.
5. While presenting, if the person asks a question that needs an explanation, don’t stop the presentation to answer the question. Rather ask, “Can we put that aside for a moment? I will address it at the end.” When you finish presenting the gospel, answer their question. Usually by the time you get to the end the person will find that the question has already been answered.
6. When you ask,”Does this make sense to you?” If the person says no - do not ask, “What does not make sense?” That response will throw the conversation into disarray. Rather go through each gospel point and confirm that they have understood it. For example, you would respond by saying, “Heaven is a free gift. Did that make sense?” Go through each point until you reach the gospel point that’s not clear.
7. If you are presenting to a group and one person is causing a distraction, it helps to separate that person from the group. Let one of your partners take that person aside and share with them one on one, while you continue presenting to the group.
8. Some believers I’ve met don’t think they are ready to share the gospel. They fear that someone will ask them a question that they won’t be able to answer. Therefore, they spend their lives constantly learning bible theory. In my experience tough questions are rare. And even if you do get a tough question, honestly saying that you don’t know the answer is usually enough to satisfy the person.
9. Believe that God is precise, exact and purpose driven. He doesn't waste time and he doesn't waste your time. For example, before going out to share on the street, believe that God has already prepared someone that you are going to share with and that he is leading you directly to that person.
10. When possible, teach new believers to share the gospel. It's a great way to begin discipling them and it helps to multiply your impact.
11. The Berean Standard Bible (BSB) is a modern bible translation that can be freely shared. It's available as a pdf and in other formats. Being easy to read, free and available electronically makes it ideal for sharing with new believers. Ask new believers to start with the Gospel of John - it reveals Jesus as God.
The greatest strength of the EE Course is the practical training it includes. Students are assigned a trainer who takes them into real life situations. The trainees see the gospel being shared and they have many opportunities to share themselves.
Practical training helps them to:
- Grow in confidence
- Sharpen their presentation skills
- See that people are in fact very open to hearing the good news and,
- see for themselves that Jesus is mighty to save.
But what do you do if you don't have a trainer? The same Holy Spirit who guides the trainers and powers those training experiences is also guiding you. You didn’t find this tutorial by accident.
Say a prayer asking God to be your trainer. Ask him to guide you to relaxed encounters where you can practice sharing the gospel. Then simply trust that he will steer you effortlessly as you go about your everyday life.
Thank you for working through this tutorial. May this skill propel you to a level of personal impact you never imagined possible - as it has done for many others. Now go share your faith!
Goodbye.