By Osbourne Bailey
Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28: 16 – 20)
The evangelistic space is not a physical place. It involves any reference to anything that can potentially impact the atmosphere in which the work of Personal Evangelism is done. We continue today the discussion started last week on a few things to be noted as we seek to build proficiency in managing our own space.
THE BRIDGE TO THE GOSPEL PRESENTATION
The bridge is the process that the soul-winner employs to get permission to use the Bible in the Gospel presentation. The soul-winner should be conscious that not every sinner may be willing to accept the Bible as the source of their salvation, hence the need for this bridging process of seeking permission.
The bridge is to be used before the Gospel presentation and after the process of self-introduction and validation of the need of the salvation-seeker. With the acceptance of the proposition laid out in the bridge, the soul-winner now has permission without reservation to conduct the Gospel presentation with the use of Scriptures.
Getting this crucial permission to conduct the Gospel presentation using Bible verses may be sought with the use of the following question:
If you became terminally ill or helpless and discovered that the remedy is only to be found in the Bible, would you be willing to diligently search the Bible until you find it?
This question, though hypothetical, likens sin to a terminal illness. The Gospel is likened to a cure found only in the Bible. It is expected that just as they would be willing to search the Bible for a cure for a physical condition, they would be willing to search the Bible for a cure for a spiritual condition. From here on, the soul-winner can use their exclusive right to use Bible verses and stories to present and illustrate the Bible’s five-point plan of salvation. From here on, you can and should confidently and consistently say, “The Bible says,”or, “God’s Word says,” without fear that referencing the Bible so often may be considered a turnoff.
PERSONAL EVANGELISM AND TIME MANAGEMENT
As a personal evangelist, you must invest quality time if you are going to become an effective soul-winner. You must be prepared to invest quality time in every aspect of the soul-winning process. Jesus attested to this in His ministry.
To begin, you must thoroughly rub out the idea of “finding time” and replace it with the idea of “making time.” Like Jesus, you must make time to pray and invest time in your evangelistic work. Jesus additionally made time to teach His disciples. This did not, however, prevent Him from making time to rest.
- The total time for a Personal Evangelism encounter, could last between thirty to forty-five minutes. However, depending on several factors, including your familiarity with the material, it may be longer or even shorter.
- An excellent personal evangelist should spend much time in daily prayer and preparation. It takes time to learn to listen to the Holy Spirit.
- If the person is unwilling to allow you to use the Bible to share the Gospel, then ask permission to simply share your testimony with them instead. You may then use your testimony to briefly share your conversion story and the Gospel with them. Some persons may even object to you sharing your testimony. This may mean more preparation time needs to spend with this candidate before you make another appointment to share the Gospel with them.
- The Personal Evangelist is a consistent student of the Word. Spending time with the Bible and learning to extract the Gospel stories from its verses will sharpen your skill in sharing the Gospel.
Although I am a free man (my time is mine), I have made myself become a servant to everyone (I have set my priorities) so that I can win as many people as possible so that I can become successful as I manage my role as a personal soul-winner operating in the evangelistic space – The Apostle Paul (1 Cor. 9:19).
When next we meet, will look at setting up the personal evangelism encounter. For some of us, this time may come via a pre-established appointment. For others, it may occur suddenly and unexpectedly. Whether pre-appointed or sudden and unexpected, all encounters to share the Gospel are divine appointments.
Bible teacher Rev. Osbourne “Pastor Bill” Bailey has a Spirit-driven desire to fulfil the LORD’s Great Commission by not only witnessing to un-Believers, but also training and transforming the ordinary Believer into a powerful soul-winner. Ever since his call to Ministry in 1980, he has been passionately engaged in “resharpening the edge of the Church’s evangelistic sword” and has written a book by this name.
Contact: [email protected], 876-793-3393.
