In a word, the evangelistic message is the gospel of Christ and Him crucified, the message of man’s sin and God’s grace, of human guilt and divine forgiveness, of new birth and new life through the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is a message made up of four essential ingredients.

1. The gospel is a message about God. It tells us who He is, what His character is, what His standards are, and what He requires of us, His creatures. It tells us that we owe our very existence to Him; that for good or ill, we are always in His hands and under His eye; and that He made us to worship and serve Him, to show forth His praise and to live for His glory. These truths are the foundation of theistic religion; and until they are grasped, the rest of the gospel message will seem neither cogent nor relevant. It is here with the assertion of man’s complete and constant dependence on his Creator that the Christian story starts.

Summertime always seems to be a greater opportunity to engage in gospel conversations. There’s more light. There are more people out and about. There are more relaxed environments. People seem happier and more relational.

Sometimes our biggest struggle with being a good and faithful gospel witness is being brutally honest with ourselves about why we don't consistently think, live, and breathe an evangelistic heart like we may think we do.Ouch, that can sting as it does for me when I take stock of my desire, burden, and intentionality with gospel conversations.

I’ve investigated a number of murders over the years motivated by nothing more than an act of disrespect. The pursuit of power is one of three motivations driving criminal behavior, and it often manifests itself as a response to a simple act of insolence. When a gang member feels disrespected, for example, he may retaliate violently. As humans, all of us are repelled when we feel dishonored, insulted or belittled in some way, even if most of us won’t react as aggressively as gangsters. If you’re trying to persuade someone, it’s important to understand the relationship between respect and reach. The more we respect and honor the dignity of others, the more likely we’ll be able to reach them with an idea, concept or worldview. Jesus reiterated the importance of respecting others in his teaching in the Sermon on the Mount:

We just celebrated the most important event in Christianity! Now, let's share it! Here are a couple of simple ways:

Read this quote slowly and thoughtfully: “However willing they may be, Christians’ ability to witness for Christ may be impeded by the simple fact that they don’t have meaningful relational connections with non-Christians, or the conversational skills necessary to talk meaningfully about faith.” (Conclusion to a Barna Research Report, February 19, 2019)As you pray and seek to be a faithful gospel witness for the Lord, note some of the findings by Barna Research: