He said he believed, and that he would say the prayer tomorrow. I stood in front of him in the dark parking lot crying, begging him to do it now. We had no idea what might happen once he got into his car and left the church and — what if he died and went to hell because of his procrastination?

This all sounds very dramatic. We were teenagers in rural Indiana. It was the mid-90s and we “sold-out, on-fire” youth group kids saw every conversation as urgent and vital. I had been evangelizing this friend for months and could not stomach the idea of him going home without his eternity secured. To me, this was life and death.

Meanwhile, he was probably just trying to get me to go out with him, which I refused to do unless he was “born-again.” He probably needed the night to weigh whether I was worth the conversion. I’m not sure my tears and pleading helped him decide.

I’ve come a long way since then in my understanding of the Gospel and what I think about evangelism.

On social media I recently asked:

The answers were almost unanimous, each holding a piece of the same thread.

Evangelism is very important, and it starts with loving others.

People talked about kindness, care, being seen, being accepted. They talked about following Jesus’s example of meeting people where they are. No one mentioned tracks or systematic theology; no one pointed to spiritual laws or formal evangelistic training. Instead each person shared how they came to Christ, how they saw something unique in Christians and wanted to know more about it.

It was quite beautiful, a refreshing contrast to the combative and judgmental stereotype often assigned to the Church.

And it makes sense, doesn’t it?

Jesus said,“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35)

Jesus instructed his followers to love their enemies, to pray for them, to give generously to the poor and needy, to defend the oppressed. (Matthew 5:43–48; Luke 6:27–38)

Scripture tells us that God is love and “anyone who does not love does not know God.” (1 John 4:7–12)

Sadly, too many of us have been taught that evangelism is an exchange of words and information rather than persistent and consistent acts of love, mercy, and compassion.

Whether he said it or not, St. Francis of Assisi has been credited with this quote:

“Speak the Gospel always and, if necessary, use words.”

It is true; sometimes we must use words. This brings us to my question for today:

How do we start conversations about God?

Please notice that I didn’t say “about the Gospel.” Defining “the Gospel” is a topic for another post. We may also need a post discussing how we’ve conflated the Good News of Jesus with eternal fire insurance and minimized the big, holistic story of God. I may be stepping on some toes, and I may be getting sidetracked, but I do think that’s part of the point.

Good, healthy, wise evangelism isn’t a single conversation. And I believe that it should never start with debates about hell or heaven, sin or atonement. I believe it should start with God.

We want to share the Good News, right? Then maybe don’t start with making people feel terrible about themselves. Start with actual good news, like who God is. What he’s done for you. Why you love him.

That’s the beautiful part about this approach! It’s personal. You can just tell your story and invite others to share theirs.

An Example

It’s rare for me to have an actual record of what I’ve said to people. The exchange below, however, is the exact words I used when someone asked me to tell them about God.

For context: I’d known this person for a really long time, and he asked me a direct question. He was considering joining a certain group, but he’d heard several members were “religious.” He didn’t want to be an outcast; he wanted to fit in. He had familiarity with Judaism, but he wanted me to help him understand what Christianity was all about.

Here’s what I wrote:

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I would be very happy to talk with you more about God, Jesus, religion… all of it. Do you have any specific questions to start?

The basic story: God is all-powerful and living. He created the universe and everything in it. He desires to have a relationship with his people, but mankind rejected his guidance and authority. They wanted their own way, to be their own gods. This created a break in that relationship, but it also caused pain and suffering to enter the world. God promised to send one who would restore that relationship and bring wholeness again. That promised one was called the Messiah.

The Hebrews (Jews) were God’s chosen people through whom he would send the Messiah. They waited a very long time, during which God sent them judges and priests who would teach them about him and how to live righteously. Sometimes it went well; sometimes it went terribly wrong. God also sent them prophets who gave them clues about the Messiah and what to look for. Eventually that Messiah came. His name was Jesus.

Jesus lived a perfect life and showed the world how to be at peace with God. He performed miracles of signs and healings. He taught about God and how to truly live according to our design and purpose, in peace with our creator. He introduced grace — which means forgiveness without merit. But he also stirred up a lot of trouble. He was a revolutionary. He encouraged people to love their enemies, to be generous without reason, to serve selflessly. He taught us that we can be free from guilt and condemnation. We can receive forgiveness and power by trusting him… I know this sounds like a lot, and it may not make sense at first. The bottom line is that Jesus came to give us HOPE for a better world, a healed world, and restored relationship with God our creator.

There’s a lot more to the story, but that’s probably enough to start. :)

If you don’t have a Bible, I’d be happy to give you one. We have several. You can also get it on your phone for free, but the app can be a little overwhelming if you’re starting from scratch.

The Bible is the holy book for Christians. It is actually a collection of books, 66 in total, broken up into two sections: the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament is a shuffled version of the TaNaK, which were the Jewish sacred writings. Same books just a slightly different order.

What is the point of the Bible? To tell the story of God and what he has done for us.
There’s a lot of narrative (history and parables), but also poetry, prophecy, instruction, and letters to the early churches.

You would also be welcome to go to church with us on Sunday if you want to see what it’s about or just experience a worship service. We attend [personal information redacted].

If you’re looking for videos, I can recommend some. You might want to start with The Chosen.

“The Chosen” is a film adaptation of the Gospels. (The Gospels are the first four books in the New Testament; they each tell the life of Jesus, but from different writers and perspectives.) Anyway, The Chosen is a really good series that can introduce you to Jesus and the stories that have been shared about his life and how he interacted with people. You can find it on youtube… I think the first season is also on Netflix.

Shoot me any and all questions you have. I’m happy to hear them!

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NOW I am not at all saying this is the best answer. It’s not a complete answer. But it’s a start. It gave him a foundation to feel less intimidated and it gave him next steps. He could talk to me more, he could watch a video, he could join us for a worship service.

The point, my friends, is not to get a signature on a dotted line. The point is to start conversations and to engage good questions with honest and thoughtful answers.

YOUR TURN:

How do you start conversations about God? What are your thoughts on evangelism and its role in our daily lives?