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Telling others about Jesus, many Christians think, is one of the scarier aspects of their faith. It does seem like an intimidating challenge . . . but really it’s quite easy. Like fighting Goliath: scary, but easy because the target is so big. Those without a relationship with God through Christ are all around us. It’s not at all like trying to locate the elusive Loch Ness monster. But we do have to deal with our feelings of nervousness or inadequacy.

So let’s begin with three Biblical facts:

1. People are separated from God, now and eternally, because of their sin.. . . your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God. (Isaiah 59:2)

2. God has provided a way for people to be forgiven and enter into a relationship with God—Jesus Christ. But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

3. We Christians need to tell people about Christ so they can be saved. . . . And how shall they believe in Him (of) whom they have not heard? (Romans 10:14)

But there’s a problem that hinders some Christians from sharing their faith: embarrassment! We may feel embarrassed to speak about Jesus Christ to our non-believing friends, family or co-workers because it’s not “cool” or politically correct to be a person who believes in Jesus.

It may have been the same in the first century. Paul says in Romans 1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes . . .

Why does Paul say, “I am not ashamed”? He might have mentioned “I am not fearful;” or “I am not unprepared.”

Or the apostles, having been flogged for talking about Jesus . . . went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His Name. (Acts 5:41)

Or the exhortation in Hebrews 13:12,13 . . . Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate (i.e. holy place). Hence, let us go out to Him outside the camp (i.e. our comfort zone), bearing His reproach (shame).

Finally, there are the words of the Lord Jesus, concerning people’s embarrassment: For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when He comes in His glory . . . (Luke 9:26)

Having determined, therefore, to not be ashamed of Jesus and His gospel, and willing to be viewed as “one of those religious people” in the eyes of the world, we can now consider the best way to tell others about salvation through Christ.

Let’s use an illustration called The Circle of Five.

The circle represents our own sphere of relationships with those who are not Christians, perhaps friends or family members. They’re represented by the names on the left of the circle. Possibly you have a lot more non-Christian friends, but we’ll just consider the five we feel are most open to “religion,”—as they might think of this. What we can pray for is the opportunity to share about Christ, then graciously help them to move toward a decision to receive God’s offer of salvation through Christ.

So let’s assume we’re praying for, and trying to share with, the friends we see to the left of the circle above.

The three sections of this circle represent three stages (for lack of a better word) of you sharing the gospel and helping him or her come to a decision about Christ, either to accept Jesus as Savior or decide not to.

The section on the left, “Getting to share,” and the 1 Corinthians 9 reference, simply represents our prayers and efforts to share the gospel. The little “staircase” (and “HeroJohn”) you see depicts five natural steps to get to present the gospel. More about that a little later on.

The middle section, “Growing interest” describes a person’s desire to know more about God and Jesus. This is not always the case, of course. As Acts 17:32 states, . . . when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some began to sneer, but others said, ‘We shall hear you again concerning this.’ It’s the ever-present truth: some sneer; others want to know more. So after you’ve shared the gospel with your friend, you can water and cultivate the seed that’s been sown by maintaining the relationship, and keeping the conversation going. Just simple, polite questions such as “Have you had any more thoughts on that little illustration?,” or “I thought your idea about God being loving was good. Have you always seen Him that way?” We don’t want to be pushy. We just want to keep the matter on the front burner. It is the Holy Spirit who will convict and draw the person to God.

The section on the right, “Close to a decision,” means that a time will come when we sense the person knows enough, i.e. has a clear idea of God’s offer, and is at the point of making a decision about Christ. Mark 4:26–29 is an agricultural illustration that says a farmer’s job is to sow seed and then harvest it. He doesn’t know how the seed grows; he just recognizes when it’s time to harvest. We too can recognize when the seed of the gospel has come to maturity, and we can gently bring the question up: “Would you like to believe in Christ?” This may sound a bit scary, but you and your friend have been talking about Jesus for a while, and he or she will not be either surprised or offended. One person said to me, “I wondered when you were going to ask that.” He seemed hurt to think I might not care enough to ask.

The arrow leading out of the circle to the right to 2 Corinthians 5:17 is what we pray for: your friend has asked Jesus Christ to be his or her Savior. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation . . .

People can “vote out” of moving toward Christ at any time. That’s what the downward pointing arrows indicate. . . . but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard. (Hebrews 4:2)

Okay, back to section one of the circle, how to get to share the gospel.

The Scripture mentioned, 1 Corinthians 9:19–22, is the passage in which Paul states his plan for reaching out to non-believers: to bring people to Christ, go where they are. I also title this passage, “How To Be a Godly Phony like Paul.” No, Paul isn’t really a phony, or dishonest, but he does relate closely to whatever group of people he’s with. This isn’t pretense; it’s Paul personally identifying with different kinds of people in order to gain credibility, share the gospel meaningfully, and hopefully lead some to Christ. The idea is that if anyone is going to have to get out of his comfort zone, it’ll be Paul, not those he’s trying to reach.

For though I am free from all men, (that is, Paul doesn’t have to defer or pander to anyone) I have made myself a slave to all (he takes on the obligation of relating to others on their terms, not his) that I might win the more. And to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law, that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some.

What a wonderful, freeing passage this is. It’s freeing because we can rid ourselves of hyper-spiritualizing the idea of what our role is in evangelism . . . that “people don’t win anyone to Christ; only God does that!” While it’s true that it’s not our power of persuasion that draws people to Christ, but the conviction of the Word and the Holy Spirit, Paul says “that I might win some . . . that I might save some . . .” Don’t diminish the importance of the messenger, or the careful planning Paul put into trying to connect with, and win, people in these different groups.

What might be the modern-day equivalents of these groups: under the Law, without the law, the weak? And how would we “become as” them in order to relate and identify?

Those under the Law – well, unless the group you are trying to reach is comprised of orthodox Jews, those under the law might more likely be defined as those persons who are legalistic in some fashion. These are folks who find a sense of security in adhering to a set of rules, of some kind, either religious rules or the rules of a particular sub-culture they relate to.

Those without law – this is a far easier set of people to find. At least in the US culture, with an prevailing attitude of self-determination regarding morals and ethics, they are widespread and numerous. In those days, there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes. (Judges 17:6)

The weak – the hurting, insecure, fearful, etc.

The key thought here is that we don’t have to participate in sin to get close to the sinner. We as Christians can make an effort to understand the life situation of those we desire to share with, and relate to them accordingly. As one pastor put it, “In evangelism, if anyone’s going to be uncomfortable, it’s going to be me. Jesus went where the sinners were, and so am I!”

Let’s consider now some practical steps to go from spiritual ground zero, to sharing the gospel. The following illustration is just a guide—and prayer stimulus—for moving toward a gracious presentation of Jesus Christ.

Step 1 – Friendly talk . . . I have become all things to all men . . . (1 Corinthians 9:22) This first step comes pretty naturally. It’s just us talking with a friend, or even new acquaintance, about superficial daily issues. Remember, we want to relate to him or her, and draw them out, on topics they find interesting.

Step 2 – ID with Christ. . . I’m not ashamed of the Gospel… (Romans 1:16) Step two is you identifying with Christ. All this really means is that your friend knows that you’re a “religious” person. Then they won’t be surprised when you bring the conservation around to spiritual matters. And please be cool about this. Don’t say, “Just so you know, I’m a born-again, washed-in-the-blood-of-the-Lamb Christian!” You might mention in passing, “Oh, all the cars at the house on Tuesdays, that’s a Bible study my wife and I have for some of the neighbors.” That’s really all it takes to let them know there’s a spiritual element in your life.

Step 3 – Serious talk . . . Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious . . . (Acts 17:22ff) Step three is shifting the conversation to more serious life topics. These often concern people’s fears or anxieties. It may be about raising children, about relationships, about disappointments, or any other life issue that get beneath the surface of everyday life. In Acts 17, Paul makes the transition from complimenting those in Athens on their religious interest, to an explanation of God’s nature and plan. We too can be aware of people’s deeper life issues and make a transition to the Biblical perspective on these very issues. This step is probably the one most Christians find a bit intimidating. We may feel it’s risky to shift to Bible perspectives, but remember, we’ve already identified with Christ, so people are not usually shocked at this.

Step 4 – Your story . . . Paul tells his story of how he became a Christian. A good way to relate to a non-Christian about serious life issues is to share some of your own spiritual journey. (Acts 26: 4-23) It may relate to a struggle you had, or even a joyful event that you didn’t expect, but it should refer to how the Bible had good advice or answers to the situation you were in.

Step 5 – Share the gospel illustration: “HeroJohn” (See below how to do this illustration) There is salvation in no one else . . . (Acts 4:12) The last step is to ask, “Could I show you a little illustration that really helped me understand about God? I’d love to see what you think of it.” Draw out the illustration fairly quickly, then ask them about any thoughts or questions they may have. The Bible promises us that when His word is shared, it is effective and does God’s purposes, no matter how people respond.. . . When My word goes out, it never comes back empty . . .it will accomplish My purpose . . . (Isaiah 55:11) So don’t worry about how your friend reacts to seeing the illustration. The seed has been planted.

One last thought about the five steps is “pray each step”. That is, pray “God, please let me understand where my friend is in her life . . . “ for step one. Then, for step two, pray “Lord, please help me come up with a good way to let my friend know I’m a Christian.” Pray as you go along, specifically for each step of the journey. This keeps your prayers on target, not vague or generalized. It’s also helpful to remind us to how many people we know that we can bring into our “circle of five.” For instance, you may think, “There’s five people I know at work that don’t even know I’m a Christian . . . “ and begin to pray step # 2 for them.

Let me give an example of these five steps. I go frequently to the local UPS store, and I’d been able to get to know Brian, the young man who worked there. Here’s what I’d learned about Brian:

• He’s 23 years old.

• He works long hours at the UPS store, but he likes his job.

• He lives in a one-bedroom apartment with three dogs he adopted from the pound.

• He doesn’t have a girlfriend, which makes him sad.

• He doesn’t curse; he feels using bad language is wrong.

• He collects old movies on DVD’s, and he’d like to go to college and be a film major.

• He thinks I walk to the UPS store from “the church,” because I don’t park in the fire lane in front of the store.

I’d been praying for an opportunity to share the Gospel with Brian, following the little “5 step stair-case” plan. The friendly talk step is easy. Since I saw Brian frequently, I made a point of greeting him (unless he was busy serving customers!) and chatting. In this case, it was also quite easy for me to identify as being a Christian, since I come in to receive mail and packages for the ministry (Life To Life Ministry). Brian thought I worked for a nearby church; I don’t (I work in college ministry), but that’s okay; the key thing is that he knew I was “religious.”

It was quite easy, as well, to talk with him on more serious topics, drawing Brian out on what he thought about life issues. And again, I was sensitive not to interfere with his work schedule in any way, but to talk with Brian during moments when nothing was happening in the store.

Here’s a bit of how we got into the more serious topics.

Me: “Man, you must work a lot of hours; I see you here pretty much every time I come in.”

Brian: “That’s for sure. But I like lots of hours.”

Me: “Well, that’s different. Most people hate long hours.”

Brian: (Laughs) “Not me. I like being in the store, plus I’m saving up for Valencia (local community college), and hopefully UCF.”

Me: “Hey, that’s great. What do you want to major in?”

Brian: “Definitely film. I love that stuff.”

Me: “Bet your girlfriend doesn’t like the long hours . . . “ (This comment was a bit risky, but Brian didn’t mind.)

Brian: “Don’t have a girlfriend right now.”

Me: “Ah . . . You’re kidding! Good-looking guy like you?“

Brian: (very seriously) “Girls stress me . . . not sure why.”

Me: “Ha! Well, you’re not the only one.”