Hi Ladies,
Below are 9 encouragements to evangelize by John Piper, he recently shared these with his church. I know this is an area that I always need growth in. I love the Lord so much, but what is my love if there is no action behind it. Of course that is where evangelism comes in 
Here is the link to the sermon if you are interested in listening to it. http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/2008/2723_Im_Sending_You_to_Open_Their_Eyes/
Live Mightily,
Megan Gale
1) God uses clay pots (2 Cor 4:7).
“Now the encouragement is this: “We have this treasure in jars of clay.” Jars of clay is a reference to us. We are the jars of clay. That is, compared to the treasure that is in us, we are clay. We are not gold. The gospel is gold. We are not silver. The news about Christ is silver. We are not bronze. The power of Christ is bronze. This means that if you feel average or below average in your fitness to share the gospel treasure, you are closer to the truth that someone who feels powerful and wise and self-sufficient. Paul wants us to realize that we are clay pots. Not gold or silver or crystal. He wants us to realize that from the most sophisticated to the most average, we are all clay pots when it comes to containing and sharing the gospel. It is so valuable and so powerful that any thought of its container being something special is foolish. … Be encouraged, ordinary Christian. You are appointed, precisely in your ordinariness, for the greatest work in the world: showing the Treasure of Christ.”
2) Get resources to share (tracts, books, CDs, etc.).
“The point is: Think this way. Think: Wherever I can I want to commend Christ. I want to tell the story that God uses to give people life. Put them in your pocket, your purse, your briefcase, your car (John Sather said he carries a box of resources in his car). And pray every day, Lord, make me a saving blessing today to someone.”
3) Know that God may use many influences.
“Keep in mind that what you say to someone about Jesus may be supplemented by a half dozen others that God is providentially lining up to speak to this person as God pursues him for salvation. You may feel your word was wasted. It is never wasted (1 Corinthians 15:58). Your word may be the beginning of the influences. Or the final decisive word that God uses to bring a person to faith. Speak your word. The smallest word about Christ is not wasted.”
4) Be a lavish giver.
“Be known as a generous person, not a stingy person. Jesus said, “Lend, expecting nothing in return” (Luke 6:35). Combine this reputation with giving books, if you know someone is a reader. Give a Christian book that cost you seven or ten or fifteen dollars. Tell them what it meant to you and that you would love to talk about it some time. If you don’t know the person, ask for their permission to give them a book that meant a lot to you. … Be lavish in giving away Bibles and portions of the Bible.”
5) Find people interesting.
“Be encouraged that simply finding people interesting and caring about them is a beautiful pathway into their heart. Evangelism gets a bad reputation when we are not really interested in people and don’t seem to care about them. People really are interesting. The person you are talking to is an amazing creation of God with a thousand interesting experiences. Very few people are interested in them. If you really find their story interesting, and care about them, they may open up to you and want to hear your story—Christ’s story.”
6) Invite people to church. [While this isn't a stand alone thing always, it can be sometimes. I was saved
because someone pressed me to come to church with them.]
“In your relationships, invite people to church even before they are Christians. Some of the sheer strangeness of what it means to be a Christian can be overcome by a growing familiarity with how we sing and talk and relate in church. And the preaching of the word of God has a unique power.”
7) Fill the city with Gospel teaching.
“When the apostles were put on trial in Jerusalem the high priest said, “You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching” (Acts 5:28). That is what I dream for the churches of the Twin Cities. If all the Christians were talking about Christ, and giving out literature about Christ, and sending emails about Christ, and inviting people to church for Christ, and being lavishly generous to others for Christ, then someone might say, “Those Christians have filled the Twin Cities with their teaching. May it be so.”
Use your giftings.
“We are all in this together, but some are gifted one way and some another. Find where you fit and stoke the flames of your effectiveness there. Grow in every area, but don’t paralyze yourself because you are not like someone else. God made you and means to use you in evangelism.”
9) Read books on evangelism. Piper lists three great books: Will Metzger, Tell the Truth; Mark Dever, The Gospel and Personal Evangelism; J. I. Packer, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God. If you can afford to, get these books. They’re excellent for instruction, encouragement, and ideas. I have read Tell the Truth and it points out some excellent things on evangelism… let me know if you would like to borrow it!
