As Christians we are called to share our faith.
At the end of Matthew’s Gospel, we read The Great Commission:
“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’” – Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)
Sharing our faith isn’t a suggestion – it’s a command!
But most Christians really struggle with evangelism.
In fact, research shows that 80% of Christians struggle with evangelism and only 5% of Christians say they have ever led someone to faith in Christ.
Many Christians feel unqualified, unsure or even afraid to share their faith.
In this article, we’ll look at how exactly you can share your faith with a non-Christian.
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Step 1: Start with prayer
Before anything else, start with prayer!
Pray for:
- Opportunities to share your faith
- Courage to step into those opportunities
- Wisdom to know what to say
- The person you are speaking to – that God would be at work in their heart
And, when you do get opportunities to share your faith, pray again! Ask God to continue working in their life, drawing them to himself.
Step 2: Be prepared
In his first letter, Peter says:
“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” – 1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)
One of the biggest reasons Christians struggle with evangelism is because they have never taken the time to “be prepared”.
You don’t need to know everything.
You don’t need to have all the answers.
And you certainly don’t need to have a degree in theology!
But you do need to be ready to explain the basics:
- What you believe
- Why you believe it
- What difference it has made in your life
That means taking time to think through what you would say when you get the opportunity.
For example: what would you say if someone asked you “How do I become a Christian?”
READ MORE >>> What is the gospel message?
Step 3: Don’t let fear hold you back
Many Christians are fearful of sharing their faith because they are worried about rejection, damaging relationships, coming across as “weird” or appearing “pushy”.
But that assumption is often wrong.
In fact, research suggests the opposite.
A recent Bible Society study found that 31% of non-churchgoers would attend church if invited by friends or family, rising to 34% among 18–34 year-olds
That’s a huge percentage!
People are often far more open than we think.
Don’t let fear stop you from stepping into opportunities God may already be giving you.
Step 4: Look for natural opportunities
Evangelism doesn’t usually start with a speech.
It starts with a conversation.
Everyday life is full of opportunities:
- Talking about weekend plans
- Conversations about struggles or worries
- Discussions about purpose, meaning or values
- Moments when someone asks about your life or beliefs
The Bible encourages us to make the most of every opportunity to share the gospel:
“Be wise in the way you act towards outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” – Colossians 4:5-6 (NIV)
The key is not to force conversations, but to notice opportunities and gently step into them, praying as you do so that God would give you the words to say and the wisdom to know in what direction to take the conversation.
Step 5: Share your story
One of the easiest and most natural ways to share your faith is through your testimony.
Your story makes your faith personal, real and relatable.
You don’t need to overcomplicate this.
A simple structure you can use is:
- The BEFORE (what was your life like before Jesus)
- The WHAT HAPPENED (How did you hear about the good news of Jesus Christ? What is the good news of Jesus Christ? Why did you choose to give your life to him?)
- The AFTER (what is your life like now)
- The WHAT NOW (What can the person you are talking to do to accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour?)
Don’t worry if your conversion story is not a dramatic one, and don’t be tempted to embellish it, just share your story simply and honestly.
READ MORE >>> How to share your testimony
Step 6: Clearly explain the gospel
Whenever you get the opportunity to share the gospel, be sure to actually share the gospel message!
Make sure you clearly communicate:
- God created them, loves them and desires a relationship with them
- Our sin stops us from having that relationship with him
- The penalty for sin is death: separation from God now and for all eternity
- But the good news is that Jesus paid that penalty when he died on the cross
- Salvation is a free gift – we cannot earn it, but we do have to choose to receive it
- We receive that free gift by saying sorry for our sins, believing that Jesus died and rose again, and asking Jesus to be Lord of our life
Read What is the gospel message? and learn how to present the gospel message in a clear and concise way, so that when you get the opportunity you can use it well.
Step 7: Preach the gospel at all times; if necessary use words
The quote “Preach the gospel at all times; if necessary use words.” is often attributed to St Francis of Assisi, though this is disputed.
It doesn’t really matter who said it, the point is this: if we preach the gospel, yet our actions do not reflect our words, we are hypocrites and we will be poor evangelists.
Jesus said:
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” – Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV)
We must live out the gospel through our behaviour. When we do, God’s light will shine out of us so brightly that people will notice and be drawn to him.
When we live out the gospel message, we also often get more opportunities to share the gospel – people want to know “the reason for the hope that we have.” (1 Peter 3:15, NIV)
Of course, we shouldn’t leave evangelism entirely to our actions (one of the key criticisms of this quote). People do also need to hear the gospel preached IN WORDS!
But our words will be far more effective if they match up to what people see in our daily lives.
Step 8: Speak with gentleness and respect
How you say something matters just as much as what you say.
The Bible is clear: when we share the gospel we are to speak with grace, gentleness and respect:
“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” 1 Peter 3:15
“Be wise in the way you act towards outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” – Colossians 4:5-6 (NIV)
This means not arguing aggressively or trying to “win”, but rather being gentle, humble, respectful and listening more than we talk:
“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” – James 1:19 (NIV)
Being angry, aggressive or disrespectful is not the way the Bible teaches that we should share the gospel. And is likely to do more harm than good.
Step 9: Be patient – it’s a process
A big reason why many Christians don’t share their faith is because they tried once or twice and it didn’t go very well, so they stopped.
But the truth very few people become Christians after one conversation.
Usually it takes multiple conversations, with multiple different Christians over multiple years for someone to become a Christian.
It’s important to remember that God doesn’t usually call us to take someone from 0 to 100 (where 0 is staunch atheist and 100 is Christian).
Usually he calls us to take someone from 9 to 10, or 27 to 29, or 89 to 95.
(And when you do get the opportunity to lead someone all the way up to 100, it’s usually because dozens of people before you had faithfully shared their faith with that person, and you just happen to be the person who gets the joy of doing that last 99 to 100 step!)
God often uses many different people over time.
So don’t be discouraged if you don’t see immediate results.
Faithfulness is what matters.
And remember…
Step 10: Conversion is God’s job
This is crucial.
Your job is not to “convert” someone.
Your job is to:
- Pray
- Be prepared
- Make the most of opportunities
- Share your testimony
- Share the gospel message
- Make sure your actions reflect your words
- Speak with gentleness and respect
- Trust God
God’s job is to change hearts.
As Paul explains:
“I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work.” – 1 Corinthians 3:6-8 (NLT)
This takes the pressure off.
You don’t have to force anything.
You simply need to obedient… and let God do the rest!
Final thoughts
Sharing your faith doesn’t have to be complicated or intimidating.
You don’t need to be perfect.
You just need to be willing and obedient.
And let God do the rest!
Our job is to be prepared, to pray, to take every opportunity to share our faith, to preach the gospel with our lives as well as our words, and to be gentle, respectful, patient and persistent.
God’s job is to change hearts and bring people to faith!
Your next step: The 30 Day Evangelism Challenge
If you want help building a consistent evangelism habit, I invite you to join the 30 Day Evangelism Challenge.
Each day includes:
- A short Scripture passage to read
- A brief teaching on the passage
- A guided prayer activity
- A short evangelism-related challenge to do at another point in the day
- Reflection questions to help you track your growth
Over the course of 30 days, you’ll grow in your knowledge and understanding of Biblical evangelism, and you’ll begin to build a foundation for a regular habit of evangelism.
Join the 30 Day Evangelism Challenge!
Recommended books on evangelism
- Out Of The Saltshaker And Into The World – Rebecca Manley Pippert
- Stay Salt – Rebecca Manley Pippert
- Honest Evangelism – Rico Tice
- The Case For Christ – Lee Strobel
- Evangelism And The Sovereignty Of God – J.I. Packer
READ MORE >>> Recommended books on evangelism
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