3-Step EvangelismSample

Step 2: Love

When you hear an unexpected knock on your door and peek out the window, is your attitude affected by whose face you see? For sure. You’ll open the door with a smile if it’s your best friend, but you’ll crack open the door with a scowl if it’s a stranger with a clipboard.

That’s an important lesson about evangelism. The apostle Paul described conversations about Jesus as “open doors” (Colossians 4:3), a visual he reinforced a few verses later when he said, “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity” (verse 5). When you are wise in the way you act toward non-Christian friends and leverage your opportunities to love and serve them, doors open that would otherwise be closed.

What would that look like for you? Maybe you’d ask how your neighbor was doing and really listen to his answer. Maybe you’d follow up with a text, “Thanks for being real about your struggles the other day. I was praying for your strength this morning.” Maybe you’d notice someone going through a huge transition—the new kid at school, the new woman at work, the new widow, the new parents—and you’d let him sit with you at lunch or introduce her to your work friends or take her out for coffee or invite him to watch the game. When you’re trying to love someone well, you’ll see the opportunities. Make the most of them.

Who knows? God might open a door to share the best news of all.