Evangelism: Helping You Answer the Tough QuestionsНамуна

“How can God help me?”

Evangelism would be much easier if everyone we encountered knew that they were spiritually lost and separated from God. Unfortunately, most of the people we will share Jesus with aren’t asking, “How can Jesus save me?” They are asking, “How can Jesus help me?”

Their felt need is more prevalent than their spiritual crisis, and it pushes eternal issues to the back burner.

In Mark 10 Jesus had an encounter with a man who needed some spiritual redirection, but he was more concerned with his physical need, so that is where Jesus began.

Bartimaeus was blind and seeking healing, and he fought for Jesus’ attention. “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” While others tried to quiet him, Jesus invited him close and asked, “What do you want me to do for you?”

His answer was short-sighted (sorry for the pun). He wasn’t thinking about eternity, he was thinking about his immediate crisis. “I want to see.”

At Jesus’ command, he was healed and began to see! The healing of his pain caused him to choose to follow Jesus down the road.

How many people do we see every day who are fixated on their current emergency? It might be financial, relational, or physical. To an outsider, it might look like a mild inconvenience, but to someone trapped in their maze of challenge, it seems overwhelming. When people are overwhelmed they are going to have problems thinking about eternity. Spiritual things are not a priority to someone who is drowning in their circumstances.

So we step in, and instead of starting with, “Follow Him,” we start with, “What are you going through?” Then we suggest Jesus as the answer.

One of the beautiful things about Jesus is that He is not a one-trick pony. There is much more to Him after salvation. He is not only the door to Heaven; He is the one who understands and can help us through every challenge we face while we are on the earth.

When you introduce your friend to Jesus, you are introducing them to the answer to their current crisis (no matter what it is). When they experience Him in that area of their life, they will be more likely to choose to, “Follow Jesus along the road” (Mark 10:52).