During my lunch break I went for a walk after chowing down my lunch. I was able to hand out a few gospel tracts before getting into a great conversation with a teen-aged young man. As I handed him the tract he seemed really open to hearing what I had to share. I was able to share the whole gospel with him and he seemed to understand the seriousness and importance of getting right with God before it’s too late. It brought to mind the fact of how many young people, especially in their early teens, are really impressionable when it comes to spiritual things. I've heard it said that most Christians become Christians in their earlier years of life. Younger people have a more tender, sensitive conscience. The older you get, the harder your heart gets toward God if you keep putting off your salvation.
Later on in the day after work I had to go get my car fixed at a shop in the city of La Habra, CA. I was to wait for about 3 hours to get my alternator changed. So I decided to take a walk and do some street evangelism with gospel tracts while my car was getting fixed. I handed out many tracts and got into a few great conversations with people, both young and old.
When approaching someone I usually show them the gospel tract and in a friendly tone I say something like, "Hey how's it going? I'm handing out these pamphlets which have a good Christian message on them from the Bible. Can I encourage you with one of them to read when you get a chance?" Then, if they take the tract I try to discern whether or not they may be interested in further conversation. If I think they seem open, I say something like, "Yeah, it asks a very important question." Note: the pamphlet I mostly hand out has on the front cover "Are You Good Enough To Go To Heaven?" So I go on to say something like, "I usually ask people the question, 'Are you good enough to go to heaven if you died today?' So how would you answer that question if you don't mind me asking?" People usually give answers such as, "I'm not sure; I hope so; Maybe." From then on I start sharing the gospel message if they seem open to hearing what I have to share.
I think some of us might be surprised at how many lost people on the streets are willing to take gospel tracts from us through a simple approach, despite the fact that some do reject them.
The first good conversation I had during my time in La Habra was with three teen-aged young men who were walking on the sidewalk. I handed them a tract and started sharing the gospel with them and they seemed pretty open to hearing me out, though not as interested or serious as the young man I had conversed with earlier during my work break. I ended the conversation by exhorting them to take the gospel message seriously, and we parted ways.
The next good conversation I had was with two teen-aged young ladies who were sitting at their porch. I handed them a tract and began sharing the gospel and they seemed very open and interested in what I had to say. One of them even asked a sincere question about hell which I tried my best to answer. The Lord seemed to really speak to them concerning their need for the Savior and it was a blessing and encouragement for me to see that. After sharing the gospel with them I exhorted them not to continue to put off their eternal salvation, knowing that we never know when our time will come to leave this planet.
The last great conversation I had was with an elderly man who was sitting at his porch when I approached him. When I first offered him the gospel tract he initially declined and said something like, "No thanks, I'm not really religious." I then asked him if he believes in an afterlife and he said he did, and from then on he seemed open to hearing more of what I had to share concerning the gospel message. It seemed as though he had never really heard a clear presentation of the gospel message before, which was sad for me to consider. In the end he accepted the gospel pamphlet, I thanked him for his time, and he thanked me for stopping by to share the message.
It was a blessed day of personal evangelism, seeking to redeem the time for the days are evil (Ephesians 5:16).
On a side note, in case anyone has not heard Ray Comfort's message titled "Hell's Best Kept Secret", which deals with biblical approaches to evangelism, I would highly recommend it. It's one of the top recommended messages on Sermon Index. And this is the link to another webpage where you can freely listen to it along with other messages on evangelism: