Today, millions of men in America woke up ready to hear a credible explanation of how Christian faith could change their futile lives. Most of these men will go to bed tonight without getting one.
Here are five steps you can take to discipline yourself to be a soul winner:
1. Pray for men. Ask God to put “prepared” men on your heart.
2. Make an appointment. Take the men God puts on your heart to breakfast, lunch, or out for a cup of coffee.
3. Listen. Ask a man, “Where are you on your spiritual pilgrimage?” I’ve only had one man out of thousands I’ve asked in over 30 years who wasn’t interested in talking about it.
4. Share your testimony.
5. Explain how to receive Christ.
Two steps need more ink. First, you should be able to give him the testimony of how you became a Christian. Second, you should be able to show him God’s plan of salvation in the Bible.
How To Give Your Testimony
The example of your changed life will (usually) do more to “draw” a man toward Jesus than anything else. My apologetics professor in seminary said, “Despite all the intellectual arguments for the existence of God, still the most powerful argument of all is a changed life.” However, it is not enough for men to see you are different—they need to know why. For that, you will have to speak.
Once you’ve listened and sense a man (or woman) knows you are on their side, give him your testimony. Your own story is 100 times more powerful than telling him the “theology” of Christianity alone. Be prepared to do this in not more than 10 minutes, but also in three minutes if the time is short. In equal time segments tell him three things:
- Before: What was your life like before you embraced Jesus? Empty, confused, lonely, disillusioned, futile, lacking significance, without purpose or meaning, successful but still not happy? As much as possible, relate your story to what you know about his story.
- How: How did you come to profess faith in Jesus? Where? Who showed you the way? Why did you respond? Be sure to mention conviction of your sins, hunger for truth, understanding who Christ is, repentance, and faith in Jesus.
- After: What has Christ done in your life since? Pick areas that have changed which relate to his struggles.
A challenge: If you want to get serious about sharing Christ with men (or already are), don’t shoot from the hip. Take a couple of hours and write out, time, practice, and memorize a three-minute testimony.
Pick words that sparkle and emote. Mark Twain said, “A powerful agent is the right word.”
The preceding is an excerpt from Patrick Morley’s book, A Man’s Guide to the Spiritual Disciplines. Morley is the chairman and co-CEO of Man in the Mirror Ministries. For the original article, visit patrickmorley.com.
