The Spring Festival is a great opportunity for family reunions and catching up with relatives and friends. For Christians, it is also a chance to share the message of the Lord. How can we seize these opportunities to better share the gospel?
Avoid impatience and naturally engage in conversation.
Though Christians have an earnest desire to spread the gospel, they can’t evangelize with an impatient or forceful attitude, but they can pay attention to casual conversations.
For instance, when Jesus spoke with the Samaritan woman, he did not immediately dive into the gospel. Instead, he humbly asked her for water as she drew it from the well. Recognizing her spiritual need for living water, she understood the unique identity of Jesus.
Start by caring about the needs of others.
With strangers, we might passionately talk about various topics, but with our own family members, we can’t evangelize like that. An effective approach is to start with their needs. Just like the Samaritan woman, tax collectors Zacchaeus, and Nathanael, they believed in Jesus because He touched the deep needs within them.
During family visits, after others discuss their past experiences, current situations, joys, and hardships, we can share similar stories from our own lives or those of our families. After the empathic statement, we can then mention the positive impact of faith on our lives.
Rely on God’s mercy and pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
In prayer, we not only ask the Lord to provide good opportunities but also to give us the courage and wisdom to share our salvation. We also pray that our relatives and friends have genuine interests in knowing the truth and being saved through faith.
(The author is a pastor in Zhejiang Province and the article was originally published by the Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Abigail Wu
春节是走亲访友、与亲戚朋友叙旧的好时机。对于基督徒来说，还可以传扬主的福音。我们该如何有效地把握住这些机会更好地分享主的福音呢？
一、切勿急躁，而当自然地切入
有的基督徒心存迫切地传福音的心，但不一定意味着要用急躁的心态、生硬的方式去传。基督徒不该以为叙家常是没有意义的。
比如耶稣与撒玛利亚妇人谈道中，我们看到主并没有一开始就直奔主题，向妇人传福音。而是先在打水的妇人面前俯就自己，向她要水喝。进而使她能借着身体对水的需求了解自己灵魂对活水的需求，并进一步认识到耶稣的独特身份。
二、可以从关心对方的需要入手
对陌生人，也许我们还能滔滔不绝地大讲特讲；但对于自己的亲人，我们不能用这样的方式传道。有效的办法是从他的需求进行切入。除了撒玛利亚妇人，税吏撒该、拿但业归信亦是因为耶稣触碰到了他们内心深处的需求。
我们在走亲访友的过程中，会聊聊以前的人生经历及目前的景况；分享成功的喜悦，或是吐露生活的辛酸。我们可以分享在自己或家人身上所发生的类似的故事，进行共情，然后提及信仰在我身上的美好功效。
三、仰赖主的怜悯，借祷告经历圣灵的引导
在祷告中，我们不仅要求主使我们遇见好机会，更要求主感动我们的心使我们有传福音的勇气与智慧。
注：本文为特约/自由撰稿人文章，作者系浙江一名传道人。
过年的时候应该怎样传扬福音？
The Spring Festival is a great opportunity for family reunions and catching up with relatives and friends. For Christians, it is also a chance to share the message of the Lord. How can we seize these opportunities to better share the gospel?
Avoid impatience and naturally engage in conversation.
Though Christians have an earnest desire to spread the gospel, they can’t evangelize with an impatient or forceful attitude, but they can pay attention to casual conversations.
For instance, when Jesus spoke with the Samaritan woman, he did not immediately dive into the gospel. Instead, he humbly asked her for water as she drew it from the well. Recognizing her spiritual need for living water, she understood the unique identity of Jesus.
Start by caring about the needs of others.
With strangers, we might passionately talk about various topics, but with our own family members, we can’t evangelize like that. An effective approach is to start with their needs. Just like the Samaritan woman, tax collectors Zacchaeus, and Nathanael, they believed in Jesus because He touched the deep needs within them.
During family visits, after others discuss their past experiences, current situations, joys, and hardships, we can share similar stories from our own lives or those of our families. After the empathic statement, we can then mention the positive impact of faith on our lives.
Rely on God’s mercy and pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
In prayer, we not only ask the Lord to provide good opportunities but also to give us the courage and wisdom to share our salvation. We also pray that our relatives and friends have genuine interests in knowing the truth and being saved through faith.
(The author is a pastor in Zhejiang Province and the article was originally published by the Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Abigail Wu
Meet Other's Deep Spiritual Needs During Chinese New Year Outreach
