Everywhere we look today we see evidence of sin and corruption.  As we look in people’s eyes we see hopelessness and despair.  People are searching everywhere for something to hold on to, to grasp, and to put their faith in.  Christians have the answer and key that unbelievers are searching for. 

This series will cover how to share your faith.  There is no perfect “formula” and following a set rules will not guarantee results.  However, the following steps and principles can serve as a guide as you approach evangelism.

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Today we are confronted with a problem in the United States.  An ever growing number of converts are backsliding.  The numbers vary from 80% to as high as 90% of converts are falling away from the faith.  The health and prosperity gospel is falling short at producing true converts.  The attitude of the sinner is, “I’ll try this thing.  If it works then great, if not, I’ll toss it out and get mad at the person who sold me the ‘bill of goods.’” We often see there is no real need for repentance and sincerity.  Why?  Because often times the evangelist is lacking a crucial key in his attempts to lead sinners to Christ.  That key is… …the law.

The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul (Psalm 19:7).  Before sinners will see the need for true repentance and salvation, they must be confronted with their sin and inability to measure up to God’s standard - the law.  What is the law?

The law of God is found in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20), which are the standards God gave the Israelites.  If anyone could perfectly obey all of the Ten Commandments all the time, then they would be deserving of heaven.  (If that were possible, Jesus would have died in vain.  There would not have been the necessity for his death if one person could have earned their way to heaven through their own perfection.)  Since no one has kept all of the Ten Commandments perfectly (except Jesus), we have all fallen short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

So, a critical key in evangelism is using the law to show the sinner how utterly hopeless their case is.  The next post in this series will answer the question, how do we use the law in evangelism?

In Christ,
Erik Brown

Resources for this series:  Hell’s Best Kept Secret- Ray Comfort, Way of the Master 
Past article: Missions - Evangelism - Sharing the Gospel - We need to Hurry!