Evangelism: Seven Principles

Witnessing is not spouting out verses to a non-believer, it involves everything that we are and therefore do. So the question is not will we witness, but how will we witness?
Let’s look at a few principles for witnessing.
1 Be in contact with non-believers. We hold evangelistic meetings with no non-Christians present, but to catch fish you must go where the fish are. (Luke 5:27-32)
2 Establish a common interest as a bridge of communication. There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” We Christians tend to skip the non-essentials and get right to the point, anything that calls for much preliminary preparation. Our Lord didn’t approach her that way. Here he starts by referring to something in which she is obviously interested in. (she’d come to draw water) gradually he directed the conversation from a known interest to an unknown spiritual reality. As instruments of God’s hands we must work positively and patiently.
3 Arouse interest. As we read in John 4 we can see our Lord arousing the woman’s interest and curiosity through two means: The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you ‘Give me a drink’, you would have asked him, and he would gave given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep; where do you get that water? Are you greater than Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, and his sons, and his cattle?” Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”
It is fascinating to see this woman’s curiosity kindled and beginning to burn as our Lord draws her along. First, he came where she was. Second, He showed an interest in her concerns. Now he is using his actions and words to arouse a positive response to Himself and His message of truth.
4 Don’t go too far Just give a person as much as he is ready for.
5 Don’t condemn. If someone asks you if you want a cigarette and you say, “No thanks, I’m a Christian.” You are both condemning him (one step backward) and saying, “Christians compromise fun to be oddballs” (another step backward) besides many Christians smoke and drink, and they are no less Christians. And if you are at a party and you are offered a beer, you shouldn’t feel bad about refusing, and if you invite someone who smokes to your room in the dorm or your home, you must have the courtesy to put an ash tray out to put him at ease. We don’t thereby endorse smoking, but give the respect he deserves. We also need to learn the art of legitimate compliment. In Taking Men Alive Charles Trumbull tells the story of a man who gets in his car and offers him a swallow from his flask. Mr. Trumbull said, ”No thank you. But I can see that you are a very generous man.” The man’s eyes lit up and that day came to the Savior.
6 Stick with the main issue.
7 Confront him directly. The people to whom we witness will fall into two categories initially. The first group lacks the necessary information to about Jesus Christ. Even if they wanted to, they couldn’t become Christians. With them, we must be alert to all misunderstandings, fill the gaps in their knowledge, and seize every opportunity to explain more of the necessary facts. Those in the second group already know most of the scripture, and haven’t acted on that information yet. Our repeated cramming of the same verses will just alienate them more. With them we must be very patient, pray earnestly, and love him into the kingdom of God.

These, then are our seven principles--see and know non-Christians personally; establish a mutual interest in conversation; arouse a persons interest by life and word; gear explanations to his receptiveness and readiness for more; accept and even compliment rather then condemn; stay on track; and persevere to the destination.