Evangelism begins with preparation.
Just as a fisherman prepares himself with nets, baits and fishing tackles before he goes fishing, so we too need to prepare ourselves when reaching out.
All preparation to reach out begins with prayer.
Jesus said in Matthew 9:37-38 "Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest"
It is the Lord's harvest thus there should not be a problem for us to reach out to the lost. The only pre-condition is for us to "pray" to the Lord to move the heart of the harvesters. Noticed that the harvest is the Lord's, the laborers/harvesters are also the Lord's thus all evangelistic efforts belong to the Lord! So we can truly RELAX in reaching out to the lost.
Other than prayer preparation, we would also need to prepare to be friendly. Prov 18:24 "A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother"
The easiest way to be friendly is to SMILE. A smile symbolized friendliness and warmth. A smile invites more smiles from others. A smile speaks more words in warmth and friendliness than the hundreds of words that we can speak. Indeed each smile is an invitation to be friendly.
In fact a smile can be intentional and purposeful as well. A smile is a sign of victory. A smile when we are depressed has the magical effect of uplifting our spirit.
1 Sam 2:1 "And Hannah prayed and said, "My heart rejoices in the Lord, My horn is exalted in the Lord. I smile at my enemies, because I rejoice in Your salvation"
Job 9:27 "If I say "I will forget my complaint, I will put off my sad face and wear a smile"
Indeed a smile will also help us to forget our complaints and our problems. I must try this the next time, my boss were to scold me or the next time I am sad or depressed. Even when under spiritual attack, try smiling! We are laughing at our enemies.
The third preparation is to do good works. Doing good works never fail to give us a platform to share the Gospel.
I remember how I helped a good friend with finances when she was in need.
I remember how I prayed for a friend in the office when she encountered problems with her boss. When the prayer was answered she was so thankful for me that she agreed to accompany to FGBMF meetings held in the hotel nearby. She later accepted Christ and brought her whole family to the Lord.
I remember how I shared Christ with my sister when she confided her problems in her marriage. I actually led her to say the sinner's prayer over the phone.
Just recently the tea lady in my work-place became a widow. Her marriage was not registered so HR asked my advice. They wanted the marriage certificate to prove her marriage so that they could give her a compassionate allowance of RM500. They asked her to do up a statutory declaration on her marital status. They asked me how much a lawyer would charge. I said probably RM500 plus. However I could do it for her for free. So I prepared the declaration for her and introduced a Commissioner for Oaths nearby who also refused to charge her anything more than RM6!
She was so grateful to me that she became very open to my invitation to her to come for Christmas! She also started buying papayas for me (my favorite fruit).
Doing good works softened people's heart to receive the Gospel. It prepares them to be open and receptive to what we have to share to them.
Titus 3:14 "And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful"
Always be ready to do good works when the opportunity arise. Carpe diem! Seize the opportunity when it arises.
Finally prepare with evangelistic materials, tracts and invitations to church. God will make a way for us as long as we remain prayerful, friendly and ready to help others in need.
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