One of the most exciting parts of leading Baptist Collegiate Ministry on a university campus is training students in how to share their faith.
Here are five tips:
Pray
I have been encouraged by mentors to pray a “Monday morning prayer” every week asking God to lead me to someone to share the gospel with. It is amazing how often God answers that prayer with an open door of opportunity.
Identify open doors
As you pray for chances to share your faith, God is faithful to provide them. In my life those opportunities often come through stories of brokenness. How often this week have you heard someone mention an example of brokenness in our world?
Whether it’s a relational issue, the economy, politics, death or a medical issue, instances of brokenness come up regularly. I encourage people to see those as an open door to ask a question.
Ask a question
When someone brings up a story of brokenness I often ask, “Do you think things are supposed to be this way?” Almost everyone has an opinion on that. After they answer they often ask for my response. This gives me the opportunity to share the gospel — beginning with God’s solution for the brokenness of sin.
In other instances, upon learning of someone’s broken situation I simply ask if I can pray for them. The opportunity to pray for someone is a great way to share my faith.
Share the Gospel
Sharing the good news of Jesus can be simple. I encourage people to use a single, easy-to-memorize verse such as John 3:16 or Romans 6:23 in addition to portions of their personal story of coming to faith. You can share the good news of Jesus with confidence knowing God desires for people to have a relationship with Him.
Ask for response
After you share the gospel, ask for a response.
Most often I ask, “Based on what you’ve heard, would you like to make the decision to trust Jesus as your Lord?”
If the person answers “Yes,” I lead them in a short prayer of commitment to Him.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Ryan Scantling, Baptist Collegiate Ministry campus minister at the University of Arkansas, and originally published by Arkansas Baptist News.
