Last week, I wrote about Jesus’ command for us to evangelize (“fish for”) others, and yes, we know this simple act can cause heart palpitations and a feeling of failure…not exactly the way we choose to spend our days.  We picture going door-to-door in our dress clothes, hoping we will say something that prompts the homeowner to invite us in and join our church.  But that’s not the example Jesus laid out for us in Scripture.

So, how do we go about obeying this fishing challenge?  Keep Believing Ministries posted an article written by Ray Pritchard in which he offers some very do-able advice.  He calls it the BLT of evangelism, B standing for “Build Relationships with Non-Christians.” Evangelism begins simply by making friends with non-Christians.

Specifically, this means starting with the people you already know—family members, friends, neighbors you meet while on your evening walk, other parents you meet at your child’s T-ball game or your co-workers at the office.

Unless we are hermits, chances are we rub shoulders with someone every day.  Those are the people God has placed in our lives.  He puts them there so that we can lead them to Heaven…no insignificant matter, unless we opt to treat it as one.

Pritchard gave a few suggestions for ways to build bridges with non-Christians. (Notice that none of them involve dressing in our Sunday best and going door-to-door.)

1. Ask them for advice or help.  Perhaps you need to borrow a ladder or get advice on your lawn.

2. Invite your neighbor or co-worker over for dinner. Hospitality breaks down barriers and builds new friendships.

3. Sit out on your front porch once a week and greet people who walk by. Or simply make it a point to go over and talk to your neighbors.

4. Be sensitive to their needs. If you know an elderly person, offer to mow their lawn or shovel their driveway.

5. Take an interest in their interests. If they like to fish, talk about fishing. If they like to cook, talk about cooking.  Better yet, talk about cooking fish.  (I made that one up.)

6. Help sponsor a “Neighborhood Garage Sale” this summer.

7. Be available when people hurt by looking for opportunities to tangibly express love during times of sickness, death, marital problems or financial troubles.

8. Offer to take care of your neighbor’s kids for an evening.

The article continued by suggesting we say nothing religious the first time we are together.  I would add, “unless the Holy Spirit nudges us to do so.” Look at the list above.  Is there one thing you can do this week to start building a relationship?

This past week at the Shead Family Festival, I ran into a young gal who has a reputation for spreading the gospel.  Someone once said that within at least two minutes of a conversation with her, she will mention Jesus.  They were right, only she did it in the sweetest way: she spoke of meeting my granddaughter and how it was obvious I had prayed for her because she radiated the love of the Lord.  So simple.  Evangelism should not be hard, so why do we make it so?