Tips For Evangelism - Image Bearer Ministries

Romans 10:9 says “if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Evangelists and churches throughout America utilize the above confession in a sinner’s prayer that ostensibly marks the conversion of sinners into saints. Those who are “saved” with the sinner’s prayer confess Christ as Lord, outwardly confirming God’s saving work. The confession presumes exposure to the gospel, conviction of sin through the work of the Holy Spirit, godly sorrow that leads to repentance, and personal faith in Christ and His justifying work on the cross. The confession itself is made possible through the Holy Spirit, for “no one can call Jesus Lord except by the Holy Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:3) So confession that Jesus is Lord rests mostly on the work of the Holy Spirit. Should all this divine work inform the efforts of the co-laboring evangelist? ABSOLUTELY! The central “tip” of the series is this: the evangelist is a co-laborer with the Holy Spirit who needs to follow His lead in having spiritual conversations. We plant gospel seeds as the Holy Spirit instructs us, and He does the heavy lifting of convicting sinners and bringing them to repentance and faith in Christ, confessing that He is Lord. Conviction and the demand to repent understandably bring discomfort and anxiety among sinners. Get comfortable with your role as mid-wife, allowing them to experience the pain that will prayerfully culminate in a new creation in Christ. The series takes issue with churches and evangelists who eliminate or dumb down repentance, resulting in still-births at altar calls. Mere assent to the gospel doesn’t save; calling Christ Lord presumes repentance, so a sinner’s prayer without repentance amounts to seed sown among rocky ground that has no root in itself. The series finally addresses the character of the evangelist. Effective evangelism that culminates in saving faith of the lost rests completely on the work of the Holy Spirit. The ongoing sanctification of the evangelist, in like manner, depends on the Holy Spirit’s work of instilling Christ-like character. In both cases, sinners and saints encounter hopelessness and despondency apart from Christ. The answer is the same: “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” Sanctification then is the Spirit-led means by which evangelists live the gospel they preach, the power of God unto salvation resulting in sanctification.

The Full Series

Converting People is NOT in your Job Description

January 5, 2026 No Comments

This initial episode unpacks the classic “formula” for salvation articulated in Romans 10:9, “if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” This relatively straightforward “easy” confession is predicated on the work of the Holy Spirit, so persuading and even manipulating someone to recite the sinner’s prayer, APART from the leading of the Holy Spirit, is a vain useless exercise. The evangelist should see himself/herself as the mouthpiece of the Holy Spirit, following Him as the LEAD player in any evangelistic encounter. The Romans 10:9 “formula” requires renouncing the kingdom of darkness (repentance) and receiving the kingdom of God’s beloved Son (faith). No one can convince someone to “believe in their heart,” so mere parroting of the formula doesn’t make one a son or daughter of the Kingdom. The episode emphasizes that “no man can call Jesus Lord, except by the Holy Spirit,” (1 Corinthians 12:3) and ALL successful evangelism proceeds accordingly.

Conviction, Indispensable to Confessing and Calling

January 5, 2026 No Comments

This episode summarizes the specific content of the gospel that informs evangelism, emphasizing leaning on the Holy Spirit’s leading. Calling Jesus Lord presupposes knowledge of the gospel and personal appropriation of Christ as king, as Lord. The evangelist as co-laborer with the Holy Spirit consequently conveys the “negative” side of the gospel story, that all are judged as sinners for not trusting in Christ. The episode introduces the essential role of the Holy Spirit in convicting the world of “sin, righteousness, and judgment.” (John 16:7) These convictions, or Spirit-impressed truths, are the natural consequences of any Spirit-led evangelistic encounter, in which “the good news” is founded on “TERRIBLE NEWS.” Ultimately calling Christ Lord then rests on knowledge of one’s hopeless desperate state before a holy God, and the wise evangelist simply cooperates with the Holy Spirit in conveying these truths.

Get Comfortable Making Sinners Uncomfortable

January 5, 2026 No Comments

This episode addresses the role of the evangelist in cooperating with the Spirit when He convicts the world concerning sin. No one calls Jesus Lord apart from the Spirit’s convicting work, and the Spirit makes unbelievers uncomfortable with themselves in light of any faithful presentation of the gospel message. Many evangelists desperately want to provide the solution to the problem of sin without adequately spelling out the problem. They interrupt sinners in the PROCESS of grappling with the just judgment due their sin, leading to a very shallow conviction that they NEED Christ. Never genuinely convicted of their sin and desperate state, they abandon Christ when difficulty arises, for they never had “firm root” in themselves. (Matthew 13:21) They were never sufficiently convicted of their sinfulness. Sadly, many such “converts” erroneously conclude they’re saved based on a past recitation of the sinners prayer, which now inoculates them against real conviction. And, many will likely be horrified when they are cast into hell, despite their shallow profession. (Matthew 7:22) The above terrifying outcome should motivate the evangelist not to get ahead of the Holy Spirit and allow sinners to “suffer” under His convictions. Deep conviction leading to repentance and faith in Christ produces lasting disciples who KNOW their wretched condition apart from Christ. The episode concludes with this imperative: BE COMFORTABLE WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT MAKES SINNERS UNCOMFORTABLE, for there is no curtailing the process. And curtailing, albeit well-intentioned, is a stumbling block, and we know what Jesus says about that..(Matthew 18:7)

Not FEELING it? Let Your FEELINGS Follow Obedience!

January 5, 2026 No Comments

This episode mostly deals with psychological hindrances to evangelism, principally a ministry mindset that is driven more by “feelings” than obedience. Many believers gravitate to serving in areas in which they are gifted, and feelings of fulfillment naturally abound. Sharing the gospel on some level, is however not the sole prerogative of the “gifted” evangelist and apologist, for ALL believers are exhorted to provide a reasoned account for “the hope that lies within them, with gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter 3:15) Evangelism then is not a “gifted-restricted” ministry but a universal mandate placed on all believers. Not being a gifted evangelist, I struggled to respond to this universal command because of fear and low self-esteem, resulting in disobedience in this area. The program contains my testimony how I overcame my “feeling” driven mindset and became obedient to the universal command to witness. Positive feelings and a heightened sense of purpose FOLLOWED obedience, highlighting a common Christian growth experience. God commands us to obey, making us initially uncomfortable and dissatisfied, but obedience ultimately brings satisfaction and positive feelings that more than compensate for initial hesitancy and awkwardness.

Omission of the Great Commission Makes a Dull Christian

January 5, 2026 No Comments

This episode initially drives home the central point of the previous lesson, that response to the Great Commission mandate is a matter of obedience, not feelings. And it is comparable to growth in many Christian disciplines, in which “feeling” dividends are not immediately realized but nevertheless accumulate with a lifestyle of obedience. This episode paints the stark contrast of an obedient disciple of Christ, making the most of every evangelistic opportunity, with the mediocre Christian life that never responds to the evangelistic call. In the case of the latter, a sub-standard Christian life sets in after prolonged disobedience to the Great Commission. The love of God poured out in the heart of the believer is imprisoned within oneself or family, and the unconditional love of God pleading with the world “be ye reconciled to Christ” withers away in solitary confinement. It is always technically present, but the indwelling Spirit is grieved that the UNCONDITIONAL love that defines Him is at best extended to cellmates. The disciple obedient to the Great Commission, by contrast, experiences greater degrees of the divine zoe life. Disciplined to follow the Spirit’s promptings in leading others to Christ, he is constantly being strengthened with power in the inner man, rooting and grounding him in the agape love that he readily extends to unbelievers. (Ephesians 3:16-19) The supernatural mission of Christ IS his mission, and Christ’s joy (and the angels) becomes his when he assists in bringing sinners to repentance. The zoe life characterized by obedience in making disciples becomes LIFE itself.

A Helpful Analogy that Shuts up ALL under Sin

January 5, 2026 No Comments

This episode reviews the salient points of the previous week, emphasizing that we are co-laborers with the Holy Spirit. He is responsible for “saving” sinners, not the evangelist. Most of the episode applies a common helpful analogy to explain the desperate plight of ALL people apart from Christ. A ship 1,000 miles from land sinks with 3 people aboard, an Olympian, an average guy, and a quadriplegic. The three represent the range from professional religious persons to Hitler. All miss the righteousness of God completely and desperately need a Savior. Ironically known sinners are often first to receive Christ before religious people. The evangelist should note which of the three the potential convert identifies with, incorporating his own testimony as the Holy Spirit leads.