Why are so many Christians terrified of doing evangelism? Why are some Christians so bad at sharing their faith? How can I be more bold in sharing the gospel?
The Got Questions Podcast of today was an interview with Ray Comfort of Living Waters Ministries. He answered questions about how he shares the gospel.
His major strategy, which I’d never discerned from watching his videos, is that he directs his questions at the conscience of the person with whom he is interacting; and avoids questions that engage the carnal mind:
Romans 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
Highlights [bracketed statements; underscoring and emboldening are mine];[5 minute read]:
- Minute marks 0:00 – 3:00 Ray Comfort talks about his first trip to America in 1989 to explain: Hells Best Kept Secret
- He explained how Jesus evangelized in the gospels, “You know the commandments…”
- Why did Jesus do that since we are under grace?
- Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin
- As Ray continued to explain, he talked about joining ministries with Kirk Cameron and creating The Way of the Master
- Joining with local churches to help teach congregants how to witness the gospel
- Minute marks, 3:00 – 4:25 Host comments and a question about Ray’s strategies
- Old strategies before YouTube
- Why do people have so much fear about witnessing?
- M 5:30 – Pastors create congregants after themselves, that is, if they are not much about evangelizing, then they are not teaching that to their people
- M 7:00 Ray on the topic of fear
- Principles that help him overcome his own fears about witnessing:
- Hebrews 2:15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage
- Ray asks people (atheists, everyone) “Do you think there is an afterlife?”
- Since everyone thinks about death and are somewhat troubled about it, many are open to the topic of the afterlife
- Asking that question does not require one to mention God, Jesus, sin, hell… topics which many will resist, oppose, argue about…
- It opens a door to a conversation which could lead to such topics though
- In witnessing to college students:
- “Did you know that in the Old Testament, God said that He’d destroy death?”
- “Are you afraid of dying?”
- M 12:30 another tool from the Bible:
- People have the work of the law written upon the heart; they have an impartial judge in the courtroom of the mind who will agree with all the commandments
- When Ray meets an atheist, he likes to say: “Why is it that evolution gave every human being a conscience that agrees with the 10 commandments?”
- You shall not kill; steal; commit adultery… we all inherently know this, why is that? They’ve got no explanation
- It’s because you and I were created in the image of God and He tells us that He demands morality by putting this impartial judge, this conscience, on the courtroom of the mind
- We can address that impartial judge, that conscience, as Jesus did [ask questions that engage the conscience instead of the carnal mind]
- Romans 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be
- In other words, the carnal mind of an unregenerate person is hostile against God because He demands morality
- Evidence of that can be seen in using God’s holy name as a cuss word, etc.
- Ray, after speaking to an atheist about, for example, suffering in the world; hypocrites in the church, evidence for God’s existence… he will ask, I’ve been addressing your intellect, do you mind if I address your conscience?
- Questions such as the following address the conscience:
- “Do you think you’re a good person?” “Have you ever lied?” “Have you ever stolen?” “Have you ever used God’s holy name as a cuss word?”
- That takes the interactions from the intellect, the place of hostility; to the conscience, the place of harmony [I assume it is the place of harmony because all people fear death…]
- He uses such questions as the following to bring God’s commands into their life on a practical, everyday level: “Do you love your mom?”
- Most say, yeah. “Would you ever use her name as a cuss word?” No
- “Why not?” It’s disrespectful…
- “So you respect your mother, but not the God who gave you a mother?”
- By such a strategy, Ray is stirring up the conscience, the law of God written upon the heart so that the conscience does its duty and accuses of sin
- The prophet Nathan did that with King David in 2 Samuel 12: 1-20 with a story about a rich man who took a poor man’s lamb… and when David became angry, Nathan said, “You’re the man; why have you despised the commandments of the Lord?”
- That’s when David said, “I’ve sinned against heaven”
- David thereafter wrote the penitent prayer of Psalm 51
- Paul wrote about the conscience in Romans 2; and he was basically saying to the reader, “You’re the man”
- Romans 2:3 And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God?
- In such interactions, people don’t get angry with you for accusing them because their own consciences are also accusing them and shows them that they are in great danger and that they desperately need a Savior
- M 17:30 – GQ host commented on Ray’s spirit of sharing the gospel, bold but not argumentative; aggressive to explore faulty thinking but without belittling
- M 19:10 – Host question: in this current culture that has changed so much over the past 20 years, did you change your approach?
- Ray noted that he is most troubled by the prosperity gospel and the diluted, seeker-sensitive gospels
- The diluted gospel is like, if you had a sick child and the doctor prescribed medicine for child, but you diluted the medicine because you did not want to subject your child to its bitterness
- You would simultaneously be compromising the curative potential of the medicine by diluting it
- Diluting the biblical gospel is harming those who need it: a gospel without sin; God’s wrath against sin; God’s judgment… (all necessary curative agents) is harmful; many false converts have been made by diluted gospels
- The internet has brought much darkness into society because it gives young people direct access to hard-core porn, for example
- That has caused many to hate the light
- The idea that when one comes to Christ he will be happier is not biblical; he mentioned the apostles and prophets and some of their experiences after conversion
- M 23: Ray spoke briefly on how he came to Christ, the role that fear of death had in that
- That he was happy: he had a surf shop, enough money, could surf any time… except that he or his wife could die at any moment – talked briefly about king Solomon and Ecclesiastes
- However, in this culture, the pandemic was a silver lining because it caused young people to see that death is not just something that happens to 80 year olds, it has been happening to all ages around the world [therefore, it is something to be alarmed about]
- So, considering the person’s will to live is important when engaging with questions
- “Are you afraid of dying?” “Do you think about your own mortality?”
- “Did you know that the Bible answers such questions?”
- Jesus Christ has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel…
- “May I share that with you?”
- GQ host asked about witnessing to neighbors
- M 27: Ray said he does things like give free eggs; books
- Questions about the afterlife; about whether they have read the Bible; have they heard the gospel, what is it?
- Interacting via questions like the above is called the Socratic method, as that is how he taught his students
- M 29:30 – Question about Ray’s ministry and upcoming events
Got Questions Ministries video-page link: https://www.youtube.com/@gotquestions/videos
Links: Ray Comfort – https://livingwaters.com/team/ray-com…
Living Waters – https://livingwaters.com
How can I evangelize my friends and family without pushing them away? – https://www.gotquestions.org/evangeli…
How can a Christian overcome the fear of witnessing? – https://www.gotquestions.org/Christia… — https://podcast.gotquestions.org
GotQuestions.org Podcast subscription options:
Apple – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast…
Google – https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0…
Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/3lVjgxU…
Amazon – https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/ab8…
IHeartRadio – https://iheart.com/podcast/81148901/
Disclaimer: The views expressed by guests on our podcast do not necessarily reflect the views of Got Questions Ministries. Us having a guest on our podcast should not be interpreted as an endorsement of everything the individual says on the show or has ever said elsewhere. Please use biblically-informed discernment in evaluating what is said on our podcast.