Workshop: How to Share Your Faith

Note to presenter: As you teach through this outline, remember the goal is to
share the basics of evangelism and witnessing. Since statistics reveal that 95%
of Christians have never led another person to Christ, we teach this workshop
assuming people feel ill-equipped to do so. Studies show that less than 2% of
Christians are actively sharing their faith with others. We want to leave
participants with an essential understanding and some practical tools for getting
started.

Environment: Set up the room with tables so that people sit in small groups.
This will facilitate the conversation exercises in this teaching.

Welcome and Opening Prayer:

De ne Evangelism: Evangelism comes from the Greek words euaggelion — a

good message, or gospel — and euaggelizo — to announce, declare, bring, or
preach this good news.

Evangelism means preaching, announcing, telling, or otherwise communicating

the gospel, our salvation. It’s delivering the message that Jesus Christ is not only
the Son of God, but also gave His life as a sacri ce for our sins. In doing so, He
ensured eternal life for anyone who believes.

Discuss the different ways people perceive evangelism and address potential
misconceptions. When we use the word “evangelism,” not everyone will
understand what we mean.

Note: This is a good place for the facilitator to tell a story about someone they led
to Christ.

1. Understanding Evangelism Biblically:

• Sharing the gospel message is the responsibility of every Christian.

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing 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 28:19-20)
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 • The Holy Spirit will empower us to share our faith with others.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be
my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the
earth.” (Acts 1:8)

• Telling others the good news and what Jesus has done in your life is a
privilege.

We all love share good news! Whether something good happened in your family,
on your job, or the test results from a medical exam, we love telling others when
good things happen.

The word “gospel” actually means “good news!” We must not assume that people
already know the gospel and we should not conclude they don’t want to hear. As
the Holy Spirit leads you, step out in faith and share what Jesus has done for
you. Do it with some excitement! It’s good news.

Jesus as the Model Evangelist:

• Brie y tell the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman in John 4:7-26 and/or
the story of Jesus and Zacchaeus. Emphasize the way Jesus used a natural
conversation as a tool for evangelism.

2. Practical Tips for Sharing Your Faith:

How do we get started? Pray and ask God to put someone on your heart with
whom you can share about Jesus. It’s likely God will lead you to someone who is
already in your life, someone with whom you already have a relationship. Pray
about family members, work colleagues, classmates, neighbors, and people you
know in the marketplace.

• Build Genuine Relationships.

At times, the Holy Spirit will lead us to divine appointments with people we don’t
know. God brings people into your life for the purpose of you sharing with them
the gospel message. However, it seems that most of the time, God uses us to
share His message with people we already know.
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Imagine with me what could happen if every Christian would share Christ with
those they already know? If you are struggling to know where to start, begin
writing down a list of people you know. Start close to home and then expand. We
all have a signi cant sphere of in uence.

• Why are relationships important when it comes to evangelism?

• 80% - 90% of Christians say they were led to Christ by someone they
knew.

• Practical tips for conversations about the gospel:

• Build trust.
• Be genuine and authentic,
• Pray and ask God to give you an opportunity.
• Ask for permission to share the difference Jesus has made in your life.
• Tell your story.
• Listen to their response and answer questions.
• Explain the simple gospel message and share some relevant verses.
• Be patient and respectful.
• Offer to pray for them.
• As the Lord leads you, ask them if they are ready to pray and place
their faith in Christ.
• Invite them to attend church with you.

• Sharing Your Personal Faith Story:

To be effective in our evangelism, it is essential that we are prepared. Many

Christians have not prepared their testimony in advance. Given an opportunity to
share, they would not be prepared. Let’s get ready.

• Prepare a three-minute testimony of your salvation.

Table conversation: At the tables, have each participate take turns telling their
salvation story in only three minutes. To ensure we have enough time, have
someone at each table use the timer on their phone.

• Prepare a thirty-minute testimony of your salvation

Homework exercise: Write out your story, telling the events that led up to your
salvation, who and what God used to bring you to faith, and what God is doing in
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your life today. Practice telling your story in thirty minutes so that you can do so
naturally, without notes.

3. Addressing Common Challenges:

• Overcoming Fear and Rejection:

• Share stories of biblical gures such as (Jeremiah, Paul, etc) facing
rejection and how they overcame it.

Table Conversation: At the tables have the participants share with one another
what they fear about sharing their faith. This exercise helps people understand
they are not alone in their feelings of intimidation.

• Tips for overcoming the fear of sharing your faith.

• Often we feel fear because we are unprepared. We don’t know how to
start the conversation. Now that we know how to prepare we can
overcome this obstacle.
• Many have a hard time sharing their faith because they fear being
rejected. Remember this: Your responsibility is not to save the person.
That’s God’s job. Your role is to be His witness. It’s possible you will
face rejection, but once the Word is spoken, God can still use it in the
person’s life.
• Pray and ask God for boldness and courage. Remember He has
promised the Holy Spirit will give you power to be a witness.
• Start with small steps. The gospel message doesn’t have to be given all
at once. God may use you over several conversations.

• Navigating Dif cult Questions:

It’s natural for unbelievers to have questions. You likely had questions before you
became a Christ follower. One of the fears we face is that we won’t have the right
answer if someone asks a challenging question. Let me set you at ease - You
don’t have to have all the answers! Don’t pretend you are an expert. You are just
a witness. Focus on your story and the basics of the gospel message.

• Stay calm and composed. Refuse to get baited into an argument. No

one is ever argued into the Kingdom of God.
• Give your friend the gift of a listening ear. Don’t interrupt them. Let them
share their thoughts and questions.
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 • Be honest and transparent. Acknowledge that no one has all the
answers, and it's okay to seek understanding together.
• If you don’t know the answer to a question or objection, let them know
you don’t have the answer. Agree to study and come back together for
another conversation.
• Ask another believer for guidance on how to best answer the question.
• Pray for God’s wisdom and guidance.

4. Bible verses to memorize for the purpose of evangelism:

• “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

• “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus
our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

• “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever
believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his
Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
(John 3:16-17)

• “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

• “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from
yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”
(Ephesians 2:8-9)

• “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that
God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that
you believe and are justi ed, and it is with your mouth that you profess your
faith and are saved.” (Romans 10:9-10)

• “for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans
10:13)

• “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to
the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
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5. Get Ready

• Make a list of people with whom you could potentially share your faith. Begin
to pray and ask God to prepare their hearts and to open the door for a
conversation.
• Finish preparing your three-minute and thirty-minute stories of how you came
to faith in Jesus.
• Continue to practice reciting the Bible verses you have memorized.
• Ask other Christians about their experiences sharing their faith and what they
have learned.
• Study and learn about common questions or misconceptions about
Christianity. Research and prepare thoughtful answers.
• Be ready and available. God will give you an opportunity soon!

Remember this instruction from Scripture: "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)

6. Questions and Answers

Closing Prayer