Getting Started -- Associating with non-Christians

Evangelism in multi-cultural communities begins with building good relationships with the people you want to share the Gospel with. You want them to know that you care about them and want the best for them.

For some people it may take several months before they trust you enough to be willing to hear about Jesus. For others you can begin to share the Gospel in just a few minutes. Let God lead you as you seek to follow the flow of this outline:

Associate with non-Christians

In a multi-cultural community most Christians will be operating much like the Good Samaritan. He didn't wake up thinking "Today I will start a ministry to Jews". He was simply being sensitive to the people God brought across his path.

Where do you normally meet non-Christians?

  • At the corner shop?
  • At the bank?
  • At the café?
  • In your neighbourhood?
  • At the petrol station?
  • When you order pizza?

Who have we met in our suburb? An Iraqi military officer. The Romanian ambassador. Vietnamese refugees. Indian government officials and many more.

Open your eyes and see who God leads across your path today.

Building Friendships

People in multi-cultural communities are hungry for friendships. People who have recently moved to your country need someone to help them understand the new ways. You don't need to be an expert on their culture or their ways of doing things. If people know you love them you can make all sorts of cultural "blunders". Just smile and keep a sense of humour. Be sure to speak slow and use good grammar. Avoid the temptation to speak louder with people who don't know English well. They are not deaf.
Befriending People

Here are some suggestions to get you started in befriending non-Christians:

  • Invite someone over for afternoon tea or for dinner.
  • Give each other cooking lessons
  • Watch a video, game, movie together
  • Find out what hobby they enjoy and do it together
  • Do a loving action for them-- what communicates love to you?
  • Invite them to your parties

As you befriend people you will have many opportunities to learn about their specific culture.

 

Creating an interest in the Gospel

Tell a person that you have something in their language.JESUS video (7408 bytes)
"Here is a video in your language that I thought you might enjoy watching". 

After they have watched it ask:

"Have had much to do with Christian things? What did you think about that?"

"What is your purpose in life?"

"What do you think God is like?"

"What role does religion have in your life?"

"Have your thoughts about religion changed any since coming to this country?"

"Why did you come to this country?  Has it met your expectations?"The JESUS video is available in over 90 languages in Australia (and over 500 languages worldwide). You can get copies for $6 to $8 in Australia.

Share the story of how you became a Christian. Taking time to write out your personal testimony will help you be more effective in communicating.

Ask questions about spiritual things. People in many cultures are far more eager to talk about God than we are.  Here are some questions you might try:

"Have had much to do with Christian things? What did you think about that?"

"What is your purpose in life?"

"What do you think God is like?"

"What role does religion have in your life?"

"Have your thoughts about religion changed any since coming to this country?"

"Why did you come to this country?  Has it met your expectations?"

Invite them to a church event 

Tell them a story that has a spirtual application 

Pray for them -- ask someone to join you in prayer.

 

Declaring the GospelSharing the Gospel at a Party (8336 bytes)

I believe that every Christian needs to master at least five ways of sharing the Gospel. We are fishermen, and may need to try different "baits" for each person. Here are some ways to consider:


Encouraging a Response

There is a very natural place to ask for a response in the middle of the bi-lingual Gospel tracts. The JESUS video gives the viewer an opportunity to respond after watching all of Luke's Gospel. At evangelistic parties you may ask people to fill in comment cards. 

When talking with people whom you sense are ready to respond ask: 

"Have you ever asked Jesus to come into your life and forgive your sins?

"Would you like to do so now?

"Could you say the following prayer to God and mean it? 

 

Follow-upFollow-up Bible Study (64126 bytes)

The initial follow-up is best done in a home.  We often meet individually with the new Christian, or ask them to join a small group of new Christians for a weekly home Bible study.

In time you can introduce the new Christian to the other members of your church and your regular worship service.

If they prefer to worship in their own tongue, introduce them to a church where they will feel more comfortable.  If you live in Sydney, here are some people who can help.

It may be some time before a new Christian is ready to attend a church.  If they come from a Buddhist background, they may be used to going to the temple only on special holy days,  coming whenever it is convenient for their family and staying only as long as they wish.  Now that they are Christians we want them to come every Sunday at a specific time and stay as long as everyone else does.  This is quite a big ask.

After they become active in a church keep being a friend and help them grow.  They will have a lot of questions about what they see in church and hear from other Christians.

Help them learn to reach out with the Gospel to more people from their ethnic group by going through the things you have learned about building relationships and evangelism.

 

www.hereslife.com/prep/abcdef.html