Mike Taylor’s Tips to Evangelism!

1Tim. 4:16 “Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.”

• Need to have firm gospel convictions and a godliness and holiness of life to be effective in evangelism
• Prioritise walk up as roughly 70% of people in Sydney don’t know a Christian and only if you go outside your friends network to meet strangers will these people be reached.
• We are all to evangelise – imitate Paul who says woe to me if I don’t preach. Also 1 Cor 4:11-21 we have this ministry of reconciliation also great commission, also nature of praise is to declare gods deeds, psalm 66:16 and 1 peter 2:9.
• Romans 10:14-17 how can they believe without hearing…”How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’ But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?’ So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”
• “Love neighbor” – most loving thing is the gospel saving them from hell.
• Lie of satan is that your beliefs are private – secularism – conviction is all need to repent because time is short and Jesus is judge 2peter 3
• Jesus says you will suffer for him if your really a disciple and so one test of how your going following Jesus is whether your willing to look silly for Jesus and be ostracised because of Jesus.
• Read newspaper and listen to someone like Albert Mohler to think of how you can turn popular contemporary topics toward the gospel.
• Live differently: assumption of people asking you to give a reason for the hope you have is that you have in your heart set apart Christ as lord. 1 Cor 9 is about giving up rights but not falling into sin. It is often how we are different that attracts people.
• If you don’t know any non Christians do intentional things to make friends with them or meet them- sport hobby work.
• Do evangelism in packs don’t always be a Lone Ranger – Naremburn gospel dinners chat about topic and bring it to the gospel or talk about Jesus and ask questions with friends.
• Book yourself in to do it with someone – this keeps you accountable as satan always gives you a reason not to.
• God works through your weakness so trust him even when you think you stuffed it up, Paul 1, Cor 1-2
• Don’t moralise – it is not the gospel
• Personal testimony – not about you but Jesus. Not most powerful thing but gospel is power.
• You will be surprised as most people are actually willing to have a conversation from what I’ve found. Especially the people you first look at who don’t look like they will want to talk.
• Try and find something you both agree on to find some common ground and to help them get onside – like justice or something wrong with the world or church abuse.
• People try and avoid Jesus- Always being it back to Jesus
• Try and smile
  Make eye contact
  Listen and repeat back what they have said in summary – these show that you care.
• Don’t try fall into the trap of spending all your time talking about apologetics as this doesn’t save.
• Often people use common objections as reasons they don’t believe – gauge through conversation whether or not they really are a barrier- if not change topic back to the gospel
• Remember people’s problem is always sin not apologetics so don’t be fooled
• Always remember that God is sovereign and will save his elect…
• Read the bible with them- get them to read it
  Leave them with a bible
  Try and get there number to follow them up
• If you get asked a question and you don’t know how to answer it that’s ok. Tell them you will look up the answer for them and get back to them. Start writing this stuff down for future use.
• Get to know churches in Sydney and which ones are solid and which are not so you can send people to good churches. If they say, oh, Hillsong is down the road- don’t just be like oh good go there. Tell them where s good church is somewhere near by.