Every growing Christian desires to share their faith effectively. 

This desire is natural because if you know the Lord, you want others to know Him too.

Jesus Himself commanded us to share the gospel: “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). This Great Commission is not just for pastors or missionaries; it is for every Christian. 

The Great Commission is not just for pastors and missionaries; it is for every Christian. SHARE ON X

Even so, many believers feel uncertain about how to begin. A Lifeway Research poll revealed that while nine in ten (92 percent) Christians want to share their faith, fewer than one in five (18 percent) feel prepared to do so.

As a Christian, my own desire is to share the gospel personally throughout the week. And as a pastor, my prayer is to help God’s people grow confident and effective in sharing their faith.

Here are seven ways to strengthen your testimony and share Christ with others.

1. Be Caring 

Every person you meet has an eternal soul that will spend eternity either in Heaven or in Hell. Acts 4:12 reminds us there is only one way to Heaven: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

This is a message we must give to people.

One of the great obstacles to our witness, however, is busyness. Sometimes we just get so preoccupied in our needs and schedules that we forget the great need of people around us. When Jesus saw people, He didn’t feel annoyed with or inconvenienced by them. He was “moved with compassion” toward them (Matthew 9:36). 

The best way I know to sustain a heartfelt burden for souls is to daily pray for God to help me see lost people with His compassion. I find as I pray for this, God opens doors of opportunity and opens my heart to the needs of others. 

2. Be Intentional

A lack of witnessing is not always the result of a calloused attitude toward souls. Sometimes it’s just fifth or sixth on a list we never get around to finishing. A good way to combat this tendency is to schedule times of purposeful outreach. 

Purposeful witness requires purposeful planning. Gospel-focused churches provide an organized program for evangelism with a goal of saturating their communities with the gospel. And gospel-focused Christians can engage in this great endeavor by putting it on their calendars. 

3. Be Relational 

There are no doubt people God has already placed in your life—family, friends, neighbors, coworkers—who do not know Christ. Steward those relationships. Be careful to maintain a godly testimony and to show the love of Christ. And then pray and look for opportunities to share the gospel, perhaps at times by inviting them to special outreach events at church. 

Another way to be relational is to maintain a prospect list. This is simply a list of people who you have made contact with in relation to the gospel. It may be someone you met in organized church outreach or a guest you met at church. It may be a friend who has responded positively to your invitation to come to church. Keep those names and contact information together in one place so you have it to pray through and to keep reaching out. 

4. Be Clear

Sometimes people think of “sharing the gospel” in vague terms. First Corinthians 15:1–4 tells us that the gospel is the good news that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again. This is the message we must share. 

Sharing the gospel requires more than a casual mention of church or a quick invitation to a service. We must lovingly but clearly explain the problem of sin, the payment Christ made on the cross, and the response of faith that God requires. Take time to guide people through Scripture and point them to Christ’s finished work for salvation. Many Christians have found “the Romans Road” (Romans 3:10, 3:23, 5:12, 6:23, 5:8, 10:13) a helpful way to share a concise gospel message.

5. Be Prepared 

Carry gospel tracts or outreach cards, and purpose to pass at least one out daily. I find that when I have tracts in my pocket or car, I am more prepared to seize moments to bring up a gospel conversation with someone I may meet only in passing. Even brief conversations can lead to an opportunity to share the gospel. Either way, I have left the person with the printed message of salvation through Christ.

6. Be Prayerful

In John 15:7, Christ promised, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” Ask the Lord to give you both opportunity and boldness to share the gospel. And ask Him to use your witness as you share His Word to convict listeners of their need for a Savior. 

Pray, too, for the people you know who don’t yet know Christ that they would be open to the message of the gospel. George Müller, the nineteenth-century evangelist who cared for ten thousand orphans in England, famously prayed for two of his unsaved friends from his youth for over fifty years. Both eventually trusted Christ—one shortly before Müller’s death, the other shortly after.

7. Be Faithful

Sometimes we share the gospel but never see that person trust Christ. Sometimes we share the gospel and get to see an immediate response because someone else has been praying and sharing before us. Paul told the church at Corinth, “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:6). Whether we are planting or watering, we can trust God to bring the increase. So be faithful, and keep sharing the gospel. 

(For a practical “how-to guide” on sharing the gospel, see Take it Personally: A Practical Guide to Owning and Obeying the Great Commission.)