This document discusses personal evangelism. It begins by defining what evangelism is and is not. Evangelism is sharing the good news of the gospel by pointing people to Christ, not debates or discussions. The document then explains what we can and cannot do in evangelism. We cannot raise the dead, awaken others, reveal Christ's beauty, or produce faith - only God can do these things. Our role is to preach by living like Christians, praying for opportunities, noticing open doors, and offering Bible studies. It emphasizes praying for God to work through our efforts and understanding that salvation is God's work, not ours. The goal of evangelism is glorifying God and sharing his word through meek

1. Ptr. Jerry F. Smith, Th.D.
jfrsmth@gmail.com
EVANGELISM
Personal Evangelism

2. WHAT is evangelism?

3. WHAT is evangelism?
Sharing the Good News
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life.

4. What is evangelism?
Sharing the Gospel
1 Peter 3:18
For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the
just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God,
being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by
the Spirit.

5. It is NOT ...
A debate
A theological discourse
A discussion of doctrines
An argument over religions
A dispute about church ordinances

6. It IS ...
Pointing people to Christ in your conversation
Taking the word of God and showing someone
their condition
Taking the word of God and showing someone
their need
Taking the word of God and pointing people to
Christ

7. WHY evangelize?

8. 1. It is a command
Mark 16:15
And he [Jesus] said unto them, Go
ye into all the world, and preach
the gospel to every creature.
preach: proclaim, announce, discuss,
present, declare, show, bring

9. 2. It is an act of love to God
John 14:15
If ye love me [Jesus], keep my
commandments.

10. 3. It glorifies God
Psalm 105:1
O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his
name: make known his deeds among the
people.
Psalm 34:3
O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt
his name together.

11. 4. It’s an act of love for your
neighbor
Galatians 5:14
For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this;
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Colossians 1:28
Whom we preach, warning every man, and
teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may
present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.

12. Why do we evangelize?
It is commanded
Love for GOD
It glorifies GOD
Love for your neighbor

13. HOW do we
evangelize?

14. HOW do we go about personal
evangelism?
First of all, we have to have an understanding
of the things that we CANNOT do.
Secondly, we must be obedient to what GOD
CALLS us to do.

15. PERSONAL EVANGELISM
What we CAN
do.
What we
CANNOT do …

16. What we CANNOT
do…

17. 1. We CANNOT raise the dead
Only GOD can.
Remember, every lost person is dead in
trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1).
Unless GOD quickens [gives spiritual life to]
them, they will not hear / respond.

18. 2. We CANNOT awaken others to a
realization of their desperate condition
Only GOD can.
When we present the Gospel to someone,
there are things that prevent it:
Spiritual ignorance
Spiritual darkness
Spiritual blindness

19. Ephesians 4:17-18
17 … walk not as other Gentiles
walk, in the vanity of their mind,
18 Having the understanding
darkened, being alienated from the
life of God through the ignorance
that is in them, because of the
blindness of their heart.

20. Faith comes from the word of
GOD.
Romans 10:17
So then faith cometh by hearing,
and hearing by the word of God.

21. Only the Holy Spirit can convince
them:
John 16:8
And when he is come, he will
reprove the world of sin, and of
righteousness, and of judgment.

22. Using the word of GOD:
1 Peter 1:23
Being born again, not of
corruptible seed, but of
incorruptible, by the word of
God, which liveth and abideth for
ever.

23. This is why it is so important to stay
on point:
• Stay on their NEED
• Stay on their CONDITION
• Stay on GOD’s JUDGMENT
• Stay on their ETERNAL destination
• NOT Theology
• NOT Church ordinances, etc.
• NOT Denominations
• NOT Doctrines

24. 1 Corinthians 2:1-5
1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with
excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto
you the testimony of God.
2 For I determined not to know any thing among you,
save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in
much trembling.
4 And my speech and my preaching was not with
enticing words of man's wisdom, but in
demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of
men, but in the power of God.

25. When evangelizing someone...
• We must ask GOD to reveal to that person
their desperate condition
• We must SHOW them the word of GOD
• We must not think we can CONVINCE them
with excellently-prepared responses /
materials

26. 3. We CANNOT reveal the beauty of
Christ and the appeal of the gospel
Apart from the work of the Holy Spirit a man cannot
see the beauty of Jesus Christ and the
attractiveness of the gospel.
Isaiah 53:2
...there is no beauty that we should desire him.
1 Corinthians 2:12-14
...the natural man receives not the things of the
Spirit of God for they are foolishness to him.

27. The BEAUTY of CHRIST and the
GOSPEL are HIDDEN from the natural
man:
2 Corinthians 4:3
If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that
are lost.
But, we read in 1 Peter 2:7 that “unto
you who believe, Christ is precious.”

28. 2 Corinthians 4:5-6
5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ
Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for
Jesus' sake.
6 For God, who commanded the light to
shine out of darkness, hath shined in our
hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of
the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
GOD must shine His light into our hearts to get
us to see the beauty of Jesus Christ.

29. So when we evangelize, do we get
disappointed, frustrated, or angry when
someone doesn’t respond to the Gospel?
• We must PRAY for GOD to work in them
• We must UNDERSTAND their ignorance
• We must show them from the BIBLE the
beauty of Christ
• We must be TACTFUL
• We must understand that it is NOT US
they are rejecting

30. 1 Samuel 8:7
And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken
unto the voice of the people in all that they
say unto thee: for they have not rejected
thee, but they have rejected me, that I
should not reign over them.

31. 4. We CANNOT produce faith in
people
It is NOT in man to accept Jesus Christ
A dead man can do nothing
(Ephesians 2:1).

32. The ability to BELIEVE is a GIFT of GOD:
James 1:18 … of His own will begat He us with the word of
truth that we should be a kind of firstfruits.
Philippians 1:29 For it is given to you in the behalf of Christ,
not only to suffer for His name, but also to believe.
Acts 11:18 When they heard these things, they held their
peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to
the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.
GOD must produce faith.

33. Our role is to share the seeds of the
word of GOD (Luke 8:11, 1 Peter 1:23)

34. Do we try to push people to salvation?
• We must PRAY for GOD to grant faith
• We must UNDERSTAND their ignorance
• We must SHARE the word
The rest is GOD’s will.

35. Luke 24:45
Then opened he [Jesus] their
understanding, that they
might understand the
scriptures.

36. REVIEW
(What we CANNOT do)
1. We CANNOT raise the dead.
2. We CANNOT awaken others to their
desperate condition
3. We CANNOT reveal the beauty of Jesus
Christ and the appeal of the gospel
4. We CANNOT produce faith in people

37. Those are things that
we CANNOT do.

38. So, what CAN we do?

39. What does GOD call
us to do in
evangelism?

40. 1 Corinthians 1:21 tells us that GOD is
pleased to accomplish the salvation of
souls through the preaching of the
gospel:
“…it pleased God by the foolishness of
preaching to save them that believe.”

41. Romans 10:14
How then shall they call on him
in whom they have not believed?
and how shall they believe in him
of whom they have not heard?
and how shall they hear without
a preacher?

42. Our part in evangelism
is to PREACH.
PREACH: proclaim, announce, discuss,
present, declare, show, bring

43. PERSONAL EVANGELISM
How to preach?

44. We must first examine some
things that GOD has ordained
to support preaching...

45. 1. Live like a Christian
Acts 1:8
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is
come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me
both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria,
and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
1 Peter 3:15
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready
always to give an answer to every man that asketh you
a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness
and fear:

46. 1 Peter 3:15
Written in the context of persecuted believers.
People may say, we abuse you, we ridicule you, we
try to get you to sin with us, yet you continue to walk
that Christian lifestyle. But you continue to love and
share the word of GOD.
Then you have the opportunity, from a
CONSISTENT lifestyle [conversation], to speak of the
hope that is in you.

47. Be ready
We must speak.
We must have a knowledge of GOD’s word.
The gospel and scripture must simply flow out of
our lives.
“Ye shall be my witnesses…”

48. How’s our testimony?
• What do we LOOK like?
• What do we SOUND like?
• What do we TALK about?
• How do we BEHAVE?
• Is our TESTIMONY worth people asking
about the reason for our faith?

49. 1 Peter 2:9
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal
priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar
people; that ye should shew forth the
praises of him who hath called you
out of darkness into his marvellous light:
Do we look like the world? Sound like
it? Act like it?

50. Let your light shine
1 John 1:5
This then is the message which we have heard
of him, and declare unto you, that God is light
[holy], and in him is no darkness at all.
Matthew 5:16
Let your light so shine before men, that they
may see your good works, and glorify your
Father which is in heaven.

51. 2. Pray for open doors
Colossians 4:3
Withal praying also for us, that God would
open unto us a door of utterance, to
speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am
also in bonds:

52. 3. Notice open doors
2 Corinthians 2:12
Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach
Christ's gospel, and a door was opened unto
me of the Lord,
1 Corinthians 16:9
For a great door and effectual is opened unto
me, and there are many adversaries.

53. 4. Pray to speak the Gospel boldly
Ephesians 6:19-20
19 And for me, that utterance may be given
unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly,
to make known the mystery of the gospel
20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds:
that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to
speak.

54. Do we take advantage of our
opportunities to share Christ, or do we
remain silent?
• Do we LOOK for opportunities?
• Do we LISTEN for opportunities?
• Do we SPEAK when we can?
• Do we talk about WORLDLY things?
• Does our SPEECH point to Christ?

55. 5. Be meek (gentle, forbearing)
1 Peter 3:15
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready
always to give an answer to every man that asketh you
a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness
and fear:
2 Timothy 2:25
In meekness instructing those that oppose
themselves; if God peradventure will give them
repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

56. 6. Pray that the word of God would
not be restricted
2 Thessalonians 3:1
Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of
the Lord may have free course, and be
glorified, even as it is with you:
Matthew 13:23
But he that received seed into the good
ground is he that heareth the word, and
understandeth it; (also Luke 8:12)

57. Successful evangelism (sharing with
unbelievers) is where the word of God
(as it relates to salvation) is shared!
Romans 10:17
So then faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God.

58. 7. Offer them a Bible Study / Bring
them to Church
1 Corinthians 14:24-25
24 But if all prophesy, and there come in one that
believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of
all, he is judged of all:
25 And thus are the secrets of his heart made
manifest; and so falling down on his face he will
worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.
(See also Acts 2:47)
A place where the word of GOD is taught.

59. And that is why the church must function according to
the word of GOD..
Why the church must always be characterized by a
profound reverence, and love for GOD and His word
In the prayers, in the singing, and in the teaching
everything is directed toward honoring GOD and His
word.
Paul says that an unlearned man, an unconverted man
will come in and will know that there is something
different here, GOD is here. It is not like any other
place.

60. Review (things to support preaching):
Live like a Christian
Pray for open doors
Notice open doors
Pray to speak boldly.
Be meek.
Pray for fertile hearts
Offer a Bible Study / Bring to church

61. May we learn to humble ourselves before
GOD in evangelism, and look to GOD who
saves (not us: we do not save anyone).
And may we give all the credit in
salvation to GOD.
He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord (2
Corinthians 10:17)

62. THE END

63. Reference:
Haak, Carl. (October 20, 1996). Personal
Evangelism: How? No. 2806 The
Reformed Witness Hour