Like many of my brothers and sisters serving as campus missionaries in our great state of Missouri, I place a great emphasis on evangelism. This manifests both in leading by example but also in the training and equipping of my students at Central BSU as we seek, together, to make disciples of all nations.
I spend a great deal of time with students helping them and encouraging them as they prepare and set up gospel appointments with their friends and peers. I love, and my students love, the resources from Paul Worcester [National Collegiate Director at NAMB and founding director of Christian Challenge at Chico State] regarding gospel appointments, how to prep for one, doing the actual gospel appointment, and follow up. There’s an entire website dedicated to the ins and outs of gospel appointments here.
Strategies and efforts aside, in the midst of reaching our campuses for Christ, all of us—campus missionaries and students alike—need to remember and be reminded of four things with regard to our efforts in disciple making:
Be Patient in Evangelism
Be patient. Don’t get in front of God. Share the gospel simply and leave it there. invite the person to follow Jesus, then wait for the person to respond.
Don’t Be Pushy in Evangelism
Resist the urge to be pushy. A hard-pitched sell may lead to a broken relationship. People don’t care what you know till they know you care. Besides, no amount of arguments or pushing can change a human heart.
"People don't care what you know till they know you care." -Jerome Stockert #collegiatedisciplemaker 4 Great Reminders in Sharing the Gospel Click To TweetTell the Truth in Evangelism
Tell the truth—the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Don’t change the gospel to fit someone’s preference. Love others, but don’t love them more than you love God and His Word.
“Tell the truth — the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”
Jerome Stockert
Don’t Give Up in Evangelism
Be encouraged. Remember, it’s not up to you. Whether they choose to follow Christ or not, you shared, and that is not failure. Yes, you want people to repent and believe, but that is in the Lord’s hands. Trust in God’s timing and not your own.
Evangelism You Can Enjoy
When we trust God and remember these reminders as we share the gospel, the pressure reduces. With the stress lowered, we can actually enjoy the discipline of evangelism—sharing the incredible news of who Jesus is, what He’s done for us, and how He has transformed our lives!
