Hello Nairalanders, I’m writing this in reply to the post made here: https://www.nairaland.com/2917924/5-things-avoid-when-evangelizing. Most of the information there is misleading and will not help the cause of Christianity if we are to follow them. I’m not writing this to belittle the writer but to correct errors that may mislead a lot of people. Like the bible say: Iron sharpens iron so let’s share ideas.

1. He Said: Don’t call them “Unsaved”
I Say: Call a Spade a Spade and be polite: God expects us to preach His words undiluted, so you don’t have to worry if people find it offensive or not – as long as you speak the truth in love. The Israelites despised the messages of prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah, the good prophets maintained the truth about Israel’s sins. They did not shied away from calling them “unsaved”.
Mark 6:12: When Jesus sent out the 12, they went out and preached that people should turn away from their sins. They weren’t afraid to offend anyone.

Acts 2:36: The Isrealites sinned by crucifying Christ. Peter didn’t hid this fact from them. He said: “All the people of Israel are to know that this Jesus that you crucified, is the one that God has made the Lord and Savior”.

Also read Acts 4:8-12.

2. He Said: Don’t try to change them
I say: God is the one that changes sinners, but He does it through people. So try your best to change sinners, acknowledging that it is not by your power.
New converts are baby Christians that feed on milk. They can’t understand the bible on their own and most of them are easily mislead by wolves in sheep clothing. They need a good bible teacher to put them through and tell them the do’s and don’ts of Christianity. One of the reasons why a “christian” lady will dress naked and still fool herself that she’s a Christian is because of wolves that have make her believe that God focus only on the heart.

Do’s and Don’ts: There are do’s and don’ts in Christianity and you must make them known to new converts. If he/she is a fornicator, a liar, or immodest in dressing or behavior, you have to tell him/her that these are don’ts in Christianity. Let’s look at some bible verses.

1 Cor 10:14: Paul told the Corinthians to keep away from idol worshipping. 1 Cor 5:9: He told them not to associate with immoral believers. 1

Cor 6: He told them that dispute between 2 Christians should be settled in the church and not before heathens.

3. He Said: Don’t Scare Them:
I Say: Just preach the undiluted word of God. Tell them that in as much as God is loving and merciful, He is also a consuming fire that will devour sinners. Tell them how much God hate sin and what will happen if they fail to repent. The first coming of Christ brought us grace, but the second coming will be BLOODY AND VIOLENT.

4. He Said: Don’t neglect their Ideas
I Say: Yes, you have to listen to them and find out why they think the way they do. However, with your knowledge of God’s words, you should be ready to “take every thought captive and make them obey Christ” – 2 Cor 10:5.

5. He Said: Don’t Debate with Them:
I say: He did not differentiate between constructive and destructive debate/argument. Some people can spend hours debating football or politics, but when it comes to the bible, they run. Act 19:8: “Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly for 3 months, ARGUING persuasively about the kingdom of God”. But when some started insulting his faith (destructive debate), Paul left them and focus only on the believers among them.

When a debate/argument is constructive, use it as a tool to draw people to Christ. You’ll run away from constructive debates mostly when you don’t have a sound knowledge of the bible or when there are comas in your life.

I hope this helps. Your comments are welcome.

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