A guide on the calling to confess Christ
Table of Contents
- Look at the world around you
- The Calling
- Loving your neighbor
- Developing sensitivity
- You don’t have to be perfect
- The joy of change
- Testimonies that give courage
- It is not you who changes a person’s heart
- Look at the harvest
- There is a reward
- You are part of the most wonderful Kingdom
- God is calling you. How will you answer?
Introduction
Evangelism often begins not with a sermon, but with a look.
Every day, ordinary people pass by each other: colleagues, neighbors, friends, relatives, people met on the street, on the bus, at the store, or at work. Many are seen, but not truly looked at. It is not always known what burdens they carry, what questions they have, what wounds they hide, or how much they need hope.
This guide is an invitation to a fresh look at people and to rediscovering every believer’s calling to carry forward the good news about Jesus Christ.
🔹 It is not a manual about complicated techniques.
🔹 It is not intended only for pastors, preachers, or missionaries.
🔹 It is a guide for anyone who has met Christ and desires to be used by God right where they are.
Evangelism is not just a responsibility. It is a privilege. It is the joy of participating in what God is doing in people’s lives.
1. Look at the world around you
They are not just numbers. They are people.
We live in a world where information travels in seconds. We can talk to someone thousands of kilometers away, we can see what is happening in any corner of the world, and we can reach millions of people with a message.
The world’s population is estimated at over 8 billion people. According to current Joshua Project data, approximately 3.62 billion people, or about 44% of the world’s population, live in people groups considered “unreached” by the Gospel.
Today, there are still billions of people who have very little chance of hearing clearly about Jesus Christ.
🔹 This means that almost one in two people lives in a context where the Christian witness is still very far from them.
Three billion is not just a number
3.6 billion means people:
- A mother raising her children.
- A father worrying about his family.
- A young person searching for their purpose in life.
- A person struggling with loneliness.
- Someone wondering if God exists.
- Someone who is suffering and doesn’t know where to find hope.
- Someone who may have never had a Christian friend to talk to them honestly about Jesus.
They are not just statistics. They are people to whom God gave life with a purpose.
It starts with a single person
A colleague. A neighbor. A friend. A family member. A person met by chance.
For a believer it may be just a person. But for that person, meeting you can become a unique moment in their life.
The world does not just need more Christians
The world needs Christians who are willing to be witnesses of Christ.
🔹 It is possible for someone to go to church, listen to sermons, read the Bible, pray, and enjoy faith, but never tell anyone about the hope of salvation in Christ.
The question is not just:
- “How many people must be reached?”
But also:
- “What person has God placed in my path today?”
Look again at the world around you
Maybe the world is not as far away as it seems.
🔹 The mission can start right in the apartment building where you live.
🔹 It can start at the workplace. At school. In the family. In the neighborhood. In a seemingly ordinary conversation.
Maybe God has already placed the right people next to you.
The question that does not leave the heart indifferent
If millions and millions of people still need to hear the Gospel, if Christ died for every person, and if God entrusted the good news to believers, then the question becomes personal:
“What am I doing, and what is my part?”
🔹 The whole world does not need to be changed. You must do the part that has been entrusted to you.
🔹 Maybe you will never reach a million people. But you can reach one. A person for whom Christ died!
Key Thought
“Look at the world through God’s eyes: every person is an opportunity to share His love.”
Questions for Reflection
- Who are three people around you who might need to hear about Christ?
- How can you start looking at them through God’s eyes?
- What small step can you take this week to show them the love of Christ?
2. The Call
Fulfilling the Gospel also means taking it further, to those who have not yet heard it
When Jesus called His disciples, He didn’t just call them to admire Him or follow Him from a distance. He called them to be with Him and to participate in His work.
🔹 The call to speak about Christ is not reserved for a special category of people.
🔹 It is not just for pastors, evangelists, missionaries, but it is even for you.
Every person who has received the Gospel can become a bearer of it.
God can use you in the place where He has placed you
Maybe you will never preach in front of a crowd. Maybe you will never go as a missionary to a distant country. Maybe you will never have a stage and thousands of people listening to you.
Maybe God’s work for you is much closer than you imagine.
Maybe it means encouraging a discouraged person, praying for someone, or giving a piece of bread to someone in need.
You don’t have to have a big platform to make a big impact. Start where you are, with what you have, for the people God has placed around you.
Because there are people you meet whom no one else will ever meet.
🔹 You can start with a conversation with a coworker.
🔹 You can encourage a friend.
🔹 You can listen to a neighbor’s pain.
🔹 You can invite a relative to church.
🔹 You can pray for someone going through a difficult time.
🔹 You can testify about the way God has worked in a life.
Key Thought
“Calling does not always begin with a grand gesture. Sometimes it begins with the willingness to notice a need and respond to it.”
Questions for Reflection
- How do you think God can use you to speak about Christ?
- Who is the person in your life you could be an encouragement to?
- What small step can you take today to respond to His calling?
3. Loving Your Neighbor
Evangelism is the continuation and the expression of love
One cannot truly speak about evangelism without speaking about love.
🔹 People are not projects. They are not goals. They are not statistics, nor simple opportunities to prove that someone is right.
🔹 Every person has a story, a dignity, and a value before God.
When you truly love God, you also love His creation and look at it through different eyes.
True love
Love makes you:
🔹 Listen without interrupting.
🔹 Ask questions without judging.
🔹 Stay close to those going through suffering.
Sometimes, the most spiritual thing that can be done is patient listening.
Key thought
“Evangelism is not just about talking about God. It means loving people, being close to them, and showing them, through the way you live, who God is.”
Questions for Reflection
- How can you show Christ’s love to someone around you?
- Who is the person around you who needs to be listened to and understood?
- How can you be a blessing to someone today and show them God’s love?
4. Raising Awareness
“Christ Died for Him”
People pass by each other daily without thinking about what is happening in the other’s soul.
🔹 We meet them at work, on the street, on the bus, at the store, or even in our own family.
🔹 We see them every day, but often we don’t stop to think about the person behind the smile, the silence, or appearances.
Evangelism begins when a person is seen as God sees them.
The person beside us
The person we meet today may not know Christ.
🔹 Perhaps he smiles, but in his soul there is a wound that no one sees.
🔹 Perhaps he seems to have everything, but inside he struggles with loneliness, fear, or hopelessness.
To God, this person is not just “another person.” God loves and values him. Christ loved this person so much that He gave His life for him. But you? How much do you love him?
Key thought
“Look carefully at the person next to you, he deserves to know the truth.”
Questions for reflection
- Think of three people you meet regularly who do not know Christ?
- How can you start to see them as people loved by God?
- Have you noticed any need, pain, or turmoil in their lives? How could you be close to them?
5. You don’t have to be perfect
God uses available people
One of the greatest obstacles in evangelism is not the lack of opportunities, but the thought that a believer is not good enough or prepared enough.
🔹 “I don’t know enough.”
🔹 “I am not spiritual enough.”
🔹 “I don’t know how to speak.”
🔹 “I’m afraid I will say something wrong.”
But God does not wait for human perfection. He looks for available people.
Weakness is not an obstacle
Scripture shows that God used people with:
🔹 Weaknesses.
🔹 Fears.
🔹 Hesitations.
🔹 Moses said he did not know how to speak well.
🔹 Jeremiah considered himself too young.
🔹 The disciples were ordinary people.
And yet, God called them, used them, and did great things through them.
Key thought
“God does not need perfection. God needs you to say YES.”
Questions for reflection
- What fears or doubts stop you from speaking about Christ?
- How can you overcome these barriers?
- What resources (knowledge, experiences, relationships) do you already have and how can you use them?
6. The joy of change
What a great privilege it is to see a person changed by God!
Evangelism is not just about delivering a message. It is also the joy of seeing how God works in people’s lives.
🔹 What could be more beautiful than when a person begins to draw closer to God?
🔹 A person who finds hope, discovers forgiveness, and begins to look at life with different eyes?
A joy that you can be a part of too — having the privilege to be alongside a person on their journey to God and to see how the Gospel transforms their life.
Results do not always appear immediately
🔹 Not every conversation produces an immediate change, but every conversation can leave a seed that, at the right time, will bear fruit.
🔹 Sometimes you speak with someone and it seems like nothing happened, but God can use that conversation to put a question in their heart, to awaken their desire to seek Him, or to prepare them for a step they will take later.
Everything you do with faith and love will bear fruit.
🔹 Sometimes, the fruit begins with a word, a prayer, or a simple gesture of love, which will not leave indifferent the person to whom they are addressed.
🔹 Other times, a question remains in her mind and leads her to seek, to reflect, and to draw closer to God.
Key thought
“The joy of evangelism comes from God and fills both the heart of the one who evangelizes and of the one who listens and receives.”
Questions for reflection
- Have you ever seen how the Gospel changed a person’s life?
- What did you feel when you saw that person’s transformation?
- What is stopping you from continuing this experience?
7. Testimonies that give courage
“We all felt nervous”
Sometimes, people who speak boldly about Christ seem to have always been courageous.
🔹 They are seen preaching, speaking in front of people, and testifying about God.
🔹 But, often, they too had nerves, fear, and moments when they did not feel prepared.
Examples of testimonies
- Phil Tuttle – was a very introverted person and found it difficult to speak in front of people. However, he did not let shyness stop him. God helped him overcome his fear and used him to speak to people about Christ and the Word of God.
- Greg Laurie – from a young age, he began speaking about faith in Christ, even though he did not feel prepared and had no experience. He took his first steps with what he had, and over time God used him to become a well-known evangelist and to speak about the Gospel to many people.
- Nicky Gumbel – admitted that he is a shy and introverted person. However, God used him to develop a simple and natural way for people to ask questions and discover the Christian faith.
God can take what seems weak in our eyes and turn it into an instrument for His glory. You don’t have to be perfect, just available.
Key Thought
“Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage means acting despite fear.”
Questions for Reflection
- Is there someone whose courage to speak about Christ inspires you? What is holding you back from doing the same?
- What small step can you take today, even if you feel nervous?
- How could you encourage someone to overcome their fear?
8. You are not the one who changes a person’s heart
God is the One who works
When we talk about Christ, we might get the impression that we need to find the perfect argument or the words that will convince the other person. But changing a heart is not our responsibility.
🔹 “We can present the Gospel, speak, listen, explain, and answer questions.”
🔹 “But only God can transform a person’s heart.”
Believers can speak, listen, explain, testify, and invite. But only God can transform a heart.
Do your part, leave the result in God’s hands
🔹 People do not save people, but God is the One who gives life to the one who humbles himself before Him.
🔹 You do not have to win every conversation, but to faithfully confess Christ, leaving the outcome in God’s hand.
Your calling is to speak the truth in love, to sincerely share your testimony, and to clearly present the Gospel..
Key Thought
“Success in evangelism is not measured by what you see, but by what God works in the heart of the person who humbles himself.”
Questions for Reflection
- What is your part and what is God’s part in evangelism?
- What does it mean for you to be faithful, without trying to control the outcome?
- Are you ready to continue sowing, even when you do not yet see the fruit?
9. Look at the harvest
“The fields are white now”
Jesus tells the disciples:
“Lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are white and ready for harvest.” (John 4:35)
🔹 It is an invitation to look at the world not just with human eyes, but with the eyes of God.
It is not just a need, but also an opportunity
🔹 When we look at the world only through problems, we see unbelief, indifference, and people growing further and further away from God.
🔹 But Jesus calls us to look beyond the problems and see the people we can lead to Him.
Behind every person there is a need, but this need can turn into hope when it is placed at the feet of Christ.
Key Thought
“The harvest is ready. Lift up your eyes and look with an open heart, and you will see what is seen only through faith.”
Questions for Reflection
- Who are the people around you who need hope?
- How can you begin to see the “harvest” beyond the problems of the world?
- What concrete step can you take to respond to this call?
10. There is a reward
God does not forget the work done for Him
🔹 Maybe people will not see everything you do.
🔹 Maybe no one will know how many people you approached, how many you prayed for, or how many conversations you had about Christ.
But God sees.
🔹 No prayer is forgotten.
🔹 No conversation held with love is without value.
Key thought
“Our reward does not depend on the results we see, but on God, who sees and rewards our faithfulness.”
Questions for reflection
- What specifically can you do to remain faithful to God’s calling, even when you do not see the fruit of your labor?
- If you knew that God uses every effort made with faithfulness, what would you do differently in your evangelism?
- Why is it important not to measure the value of a work solely by visible results?
11. You are part of the most wonderful Kingdom
You are not a spectator. You are called to be part of the work.
Sometimes we have the impression that God’s work is done mostly by people who have a visible role.
🔹 The missionary goes to another country.
🔹 The evangelist preaches in front of people.
🔹 The pastor serves and leads the church.
And the question may arise: “What can I do?” But God did not call us only to admire what others do. He wants to work through us as well, right where He has placed us.
There is a special place for you
You don’t have to go to another country or speak in front of a crowd to be involved in God’s work.
Something doesn’t have to be great in the eyes of people for the work to be important in the eyes of God.
Key Thought
“Every believer has a role in the Kingdom of God. And your role is right in front of you. Look and take the step.”
Questions for Reflection
- How can you contribute to God’s work in your current context?
- What gifts or resources do you have and how can you use them?
- How can you encourage others to find their role?
12. God is calling you. What will you answer?
“Do you want to be part of this work?”
🔹 You looked at the world around you.
🔹 You saw the need of the people.
🔹 You heard the call of Christ.
Now one simple question remains: “What will you do?”
Stop and ask yourself
- Who can I start praying for specifically?
- Who could I talk to about Christ right now?
- Who is a person you can talk to about Christ?
- What is stopping me from taking the first step?
You don’t need to have all the answers. You don’t need to have the greatest courage. There just needs to be willingness.
Key thought
“When God calls you, the answer can only be YES !
A practical step
1. Write down three people
Three people you know who need to hear about the hope of Christ:
2. Pray for each one individually
For:
🔹 An open heart toward God.
🔹 Right opportunities for sincere conversations.
🔹 Love, patience, and wisdom.
🔹 Courage to witness about Jesus Christ.
3. Act in faith
🔹 Pray daily for one of these people;
🔹 Send them a message of encouragement
🔹 Look for a moment for a sincere conversation
🔹 Invite them to church
4. Plan for the next seven days
| Day | Practical step |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Choosing three people for prayer |
| Day 2 | Specific prayer for each name |
| Day 3 | ,A sincere conversation with one of the people |
| Day 4 | ,A message or a gesture of encouragement |
| Day 5 | ,A short testimony about what God has done |
| Day 6 | ,An appropriate invitation |
| Day 7 | ,Continuing prayer and entrusting into God’s hands |
5. If you also want to be part of this wonderful work, address God with this prayer.
Lord, help me too to be part of this wonderful work of evangelism. I understand and see that the harvest is plentiful and workers are needed. I also understand that each of us has the duty to share the Good News. Use me where You need me. Thank You, Lord, for accepting me as well and using me to help others become part of Your Kingdom. Amen.
Editorial Note
Joshua Project statistics are presented as current estimates and should be verified as of the guide’s publication date.
