Simon Cox Blog: Seven Surprising Ways to Prepare Yourself to Share the Gospel

Friday 22 March 2019

Seven Surprising Ways to Prepare Yourself to Share the Gospel

What does it mean to be prepared to share the gospel?

Anyone who has been around the church for any length of time has heard the exhortation written in 1 Peter 3:15: “But in your hearts, revere Christ as Lord. 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.”

What does it mean to be prepared to share the gospel? What does this preparation look like?

What often comes to mind is evangelism training, being equipped, learning specific ways to articulate the story of Jesus, practicing telling our story of faith, and a host of other very valuable and important things. These are essential, but not very surprising.

What is surprising for many followers of Jesus is that there are many aspects of preparation that are often simply missed.

As I train leaders, pastors, and church members all over the globe, I am learning that there are some things we need to do as part of our preparation that goes beyond learning evangelism skills. Here are seven ways to prepare yourself to be a person that God can use to share his good news—and to whom others will actually listen.

1 – Walk closely and intimately with Jesus. It is hard to lead people where we don’t go. If you want to shine the light of Jesus, spend time in the presence of the One who is the light of the world! Sit at his feet. Make time to commune with your Lord. Be so close to Jesus that people who are far from him can see that you have been with the One you love above all others.

2 – Learn to be highly responsive to the Holy Spirit. God is speaking, more than we often recognize. The Spirit of the Living God dwells in you if you are a follower of Jesus, the Messiah. Listen. Ask for guidance. Then respond when ...