There is nothing more delightful to me than sharing the good news of Jesus with someone. It is rewarding to watch as they discover the love the Father has toward them and to see how it changes their lives.

However, in my earlier years I practiced a popular ritualized version of personal evangelism based on a shallow understanding of our relationship with to Father.

The Personal Evangelism Method

This system consisted of a series of proof-texts from the Bible to demonstrate a narrow view of reconciliation with God. The presentation was to show that:

• We are all sinners and cannot save ourselves
• Sin leads us to eternal torment in hell
• Jesus came to save us from our sins and hell

The objective was for the hearer to then pray the sinner’s prayer and be saved.

In our church, faithful personal evangelists gathered at the church, separated into teams, and went…