God has given us the greatest gift that a person can ever receive through the gospel. If we truly appreciate what we have received and truly love people, we naturally feel compelled to share the gospel with them. But, on a human level, we can still feel awkward.
Is there someone in your life, maybe a friend, a family member, or possibly a colleague at work, that you want to talk with about the gospel?
Many of us hold back out of fear that the conversation could be awkward. What we have outlined below is a tasteful strategy you might consider. We call it the “two-minute invitation” because it will allow you to say what needs to be shared in a couple of minutes, in a non-imposing way. For this example, let’s say it’s a neighbor—we will call him Jim. He is a non-believer you have known for years. You care about him and know that he does not really know much about the Bible or what it means to have faith in Jesus and the gospel.
The Two-Minute Invitation
Be prayerful and look for an appropriate time to share a few private words with Jim and let your words sound something like the following:
Jim, thank you for being a good neighbor over the years. I value our friendship, and I’m grateful to have a neighbor like you. If it’s okay, can I mention something to you briefly? I don’t want this to be awkward or to put you in a difficult situation, so if I’m doing that, please forgive me in advance.
I am a follower of Jesus, and I take my faith very seriously, so I want to make an open offer to you. One day, given the opportunity, I would love to talk to you about how much God loves you and about his plan for your life. I can’t promise the conversation will be easy, but it might help you to see some things you might be missing about God. I would also be wide open to answer any questions you have about God, the Bible, and how it all relates to our lives. I just wanted to take a minute to let you know about this invitation. That’s it.
Whether it’s five, ten, or twenty years from now, if you are ever open to having this conversation, I want to have it. Jesus has changed my life, and I would love to share what that has meant to me. I promise to not hound you over this; just know that if the day ever comes when you are willing, I am too. I just wanted to share that with you and now I will leave it with you. Thanks.
“One day, given the opportunity, I would love to talk to you about how much God loves you and about his plan for your life.”
Here’s what you will have accomplished by having this conversation:
First, you love your neighbor enough that you approached him about the gospel! Congratulations. You have given Jim a chance to learn about the most important thing in life. Second, you have now handed the responsibility over to your neighbor, Jim. Third, behind the scenes, you can be praying like crazy for the Holy Spirit to work and bring conviction into Jim’s life so that one day, he will be open to this conversation.
You have relinquished Jim over to the care of God. You go on caring for him and connecting with him like a good neighbor. And you’ll wait for him to reach back out to you.
And then what do you do when Jim takes you up on your offer? What do you say when Jim asks to hear more?
“You have given Jim a chance to learn about the most important thing in life.”
When we are invited to share the gospel with our family, friends, neighbors, or co-workers, there are many ways we can go about sharing it. But ultimately, it’ll be good to keep in mind that there are four simple components to the gospel for you to share. Let’s look at this four-fold summary of the gospel, with each point fleshed out with some scriptures and ideas to share.
A Gospel Summary
The Bad News:
- We live in God’s beautiful world, longing for paradise, yet we are surrounded by brokenness (Genesis 3).
- We all struggle with our own brokenness and moral failure (Romans 3:10-20).
- We will all die and then face God’s judgment (Hebrews 9:27).
The Gospel as Good News:
- God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to be our saving King and initiate God’s kingdom (John 3:16; Mark 1:15).
- He died as a sacrifice for our sins, rose from the dead, and ascended to heaven (1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Acts 2:33).
- He will soon return as King of Kings, Lord of Lords (Revelation 19:16).
“God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to be our saving King and initiate God’s kingdom.”
The Gospel’s Promises:
- If you place your faith in Jesus, your sins will be completely forgiven (Acts 10:43).
- You will enter God’s kingdom now, receiving a new identity, purpose, and the empowering presence of God’s Spirit (Colossians 1:13; Galatians 3:26-29; Ephesians 1:13-14).
- Jesus will return to bring you into His fully restored paradise kingdom for eternity (Acts 3:21; Revelation 21:3-4).
The Gospel Response:
- Repent and declare your faith in Jesus—both verbally and in baptism (Romans 10:9-10; Acts 2:38).
- Learn to trust and follow King Jesus in community with His church (Acts 2:42).
- Anchor your life in His promises and eagerly await His return (1 Peter 1:3-6).
By briefly summarizing these four fundamental biblical truths, you can introduce Jim to the gospel and to the heart of God. These teachings might be new for his consideration, which also encourages the conversation to continue into hopefully multiple, compounding conversations about God and His love for him.
By having a simple conversation like this, many people who once were lost, have now been found.
By sharing the gospel, God is literally using you to change a person’s eternal destination!
