Campus Outreach Incorporating Evangelism

By Ben West

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“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?�And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?”�—Romans 10:14

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Agenda

• My method of incorporating evangelism into campus outreach, as well as how and why I developed it
• Philosophical Survey method (a.k.a. Apologetics Survey)
• Dindo will present the direct evangelism method
• Break-out groups for practicing sharing the gospel
• Tips for responding to student objections

About Me: Ben West

• I grew up in in a Christian family
• Studied Mech E. at WashU in St. Louis
• I was shy and introverted, had trouble making friends, played a lot of games, outreach wasn’t on my radar
• God showed me that whatever imaginary benefits I could get from games, I could get really and eternally from seeking Jesus and serving his kingdom
• I accepted Jesus’ Great Commission, specifically to be a shepherd for college students, and was encouraged in outreach by my wife
• Yet, for a long time I was intimidated by sharing the gospel

“Hi, I’m inviting students to a weekly Bible study. Would you be interested?”

Pros:

• Reasonably fruitful
• Especially at large school
• Quick & easy
• Non-invasive/�non-confrontational
• Clear

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Cons:

• Works on narrow group
• Mostly believers not currently in a Bible study
• Including myself as a freshman
• Easy to reject
• Doesn’t lead to conversation
• Not technically evangelism

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I sensed a problem:

• Many students who would say No to Bible study had never heard the gospel or couldn’t articulate how the Bible teaches one must be saved.
• Very few unbelievers came to Bible study, ~1/year
• I tried to share the gospel with one Chinese student, but I found I couldn’t explain it clearly or concisely.
• Steve Shadrach: “The biggest mistake I’ve ever made in starting a campus ministry was trying to gather all the interested Christians together to launch the work, rather than starting from scratch and focusing on evangelism among non-Christians.”

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Why Should Christ-followers Share Christ and his Gospel?

1. We have been commanded to do so.
• Jesus said, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." (Mk 16:15) See also Mt 28:19-20. If we love Jesus Christ, we need no other reason.
2. Hell exists.
• Jesus said, "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." (Mt 10:28) We have God's word to tell us what awaits guilty sinners. How cold-hearted and unloving we are to not warn others of its reality!
3. We strive to love our neighbor as much as we love ourselves.
• Jesus said, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Mt 22:39)
4. Obedience is evidence of salvation.
• The Bible says that Jesus is the author of eternal salvation to those who obey Him (Heb 5:9). We are not saved by our obedience; we are obedient because we are saved. Jesus said, "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I say?" (Lk 6:46)

Why Should Christ-followers Share Christ and his Gospel?

5. To remain in silence is a sin.
• "If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them." (Jms 4:17).
6. Evangelism deepens our walk with God.
• Interacting with lost sinners results in greater confidence and faith in God.
7. It causes us to search the Scriptures.
• Wanting to know how to answer every person will send us to God's word. "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." (2Tim 2:15).
8. It deepens our gratitude for the cross of Christ.
• As we continually preach the cross, it will deepen our understanding of what God did for us in Christ. We will find ourselves practicing what we preach, so we'll be frequently thinking about the cross. "For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." (1Cor 2:2).

Why Should Christ-followers Share Christ and his Gospel?

9. It deepens our prayer life.
• We reveal our love for the lost by pondering their destiny, and as a result we cannot help but cry out to God for their sin-sick souls. "My heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved" (Rom 10:1).
• Our fears and sense of inadequacy will drive us to our knees. "That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2Cor 12:10).
10. We have been commanded to imitate Paul.
• Paul showed his love for God and for sinners by his obedience to the Great Commission (Mt 28:18-20). “…even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ." (1Cor 10:33-11:1).
11. It is the Lord's will.
• His Spirit is not willing that any should perish, but that everyone should come to repentance. (2Pet 3:9b)
12. There are 4 spokes in a wheel representing a balanced, fruitful, effective life of service to King Jesus:
• a) The Word b) Prayer c) Fellowship d) Witness
• Witnessing or Evangelism is the weakest link in the wheel.

Incorporating Evangelism

“Hi, I’m inviting students to a weekly Bible study. Have you ever studied the Bible?”

• If yes, “Have you found a Bible study on campus yet?”
• If no, “What’s your religious background?”
• All the benefits of my previous approach
• Opens way for further conversation
• Probes students’ spiritual background
• Opportunity to share the gospel with students who are unchurched
• Caveat: This is just one approach of many possibilities
• But the best evangelistic method is the one you actually do!

The Main Point of the Bible

Starting a Spiritual Conversation

• I try to get to the subject of studying the Bible, and if they haven’t, then ask about the main point, since the main point of the Bible is the gospel
• You can use various things to get the conversation to the Bible
• Weekend plans🡪church🡪we heard a message from the Bible
• I’m headed to a Bible study🡪have you ever studied the Bible?
• Read any good books lately? I’ve been reading the Bible (or the Gospel of John, or Proverbs…).
• This works while inviting students to Bible study as well.

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The Main Point of the Bible

• When they say what they think the main point of the Bible is, I try to incorporate their answer into my gospel presentation.
• “Be a good person.” 🡪 Yes, the Bible teaches God’s moral standard we must be good, but we each failed to be good, and because of God’s goodness, which includes justice, we deserved hell… God sent Jesus who did live perfectly as a good person but died the terrible death we deserved…
• “Love each other” 🡪 Yes, the Bible teaches we must love each other, which Jesus said was the 2^nd greatest commandment, and the 1^st is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. The Bible also teaches we failed to love God and each other, and so we deserved hell. But God loved us so much that he sent his Son Jesus, who perfectly loved God and others…

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Gospel Presentation Elements

• Basic points I want to hit when presenting the gospel:
• The problem: Sin, Law, Judgment, Hell
• The solution: God’s love, Jesus’ substitutionary death, Jesus’ resurrection
• How to receive: Repent and believe in Jesus
• Invitation to receive forgiveness & eternal life
• Get contact info / give tract / schedule follow-up

Example Gospel Presentation

The main point of the Bible is

God loves us and created us to be in a relationship with him, but we broke that relationship by our sins. We usually think of sin as breaking the 10 commandments—don’t steal, don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, etc.—but more fundamentally, sin is an attitude directed away from God, either active opposition against God, or simply excluding him from our lives. Since sin is rebellion against our created purpose, it’s very serious. The Bible says, “the wages of sin is death… [that is, eternal punishment in hell]

but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” This is the good news in the Bible, that “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish… but have eternal life.” God sent his Son Jesus to this world to live a perfect life that we couldn’t live and give that perfect goodness to us. Then he paid for all our sins by suffering the punishment for them by dying on the cross. And after Jesus died, he rose again, proving that he is who he claims to be: the Son of God and only Savior.

The Bible tells us how to receive that gift: “If you declare with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” God promises to give forgiveness and eternal life to all who trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior.

After sharing the gospel…

• Would you like to receive the gift of forgiveness and eternal life right now?
• If no🡪 What’s the biggest obstacle to believing in Jesus?
• Can lead to some great conversations!
• If yes🡪 Then pray with me a short prayer:
• Lord Jesus…
• I admit that I am a sinner and cannot save myself.
• I believe that you died on the cross to take away my sins and that you rose again.
• Please come into my life as my Lord and Savior.
• Make me into the kind of person you want me to be.
• Amen.

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If they pray to accept Jesus as Lord & Savior

• Try to schedule a follow-up meeting as soon as possible
• Sharing a meal, coffee
• Give them a Bible if they don’t have one
• Or show them a Bible app to download, such as YouVersion
• Give them some gospel literature
• I made a pamphlet “Starting with Christ”
• Invite them to church
• Invite them to Bible study

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The Importance of Bible Study

• Excerpt from Starting with Christ
• What does it mean to trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior? Genuine trust (a.k.a. belief or faith) results in corresponding action. � “Lord” means master or ruler. Trusting Jesus as Lord leads to treating Jesus as Lord—obeying and honoring him. Trusting Jesus as Savior leads to treating him as Savior—with full dependence for salvation and also gratitude for saving your life.� To treat Jesus as Lord with obedience, we need to know his commands that he wants us to obey. Jesus’ commands are found in the Bible. �… � But don’t just read the Bible. Study the Bible to understand it in-depth and apply it. It is helpful to have a Bible teacher who can guide your study.

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Alternative: Philosophical Survey

• “Hi, I’m with a campus student group conducting a survey on student beliefs. Do you have a few minutes to share your opinion on some philosophical questions?”
• Use a survey to ask about the problem of evil
• Use questions to show contradictions in their worldview
• Get them curious, then share the Christian solution to the problem of evil—i.e. the gospel, how God can do away with evil permanently without doing away with people

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Alternative: Direct Evangelism

• “Hello! Would you have a few minutes to hear about the message of God’s love?”
• God is holy and just—he punishes sin
• Sin deserves death—hell
• God’s laws are found in the Bible (Ten Commandments)
• Have you kept God’s commandments? Ask them about several of the Ten Cmds. until they’ve confessed breaking some
• The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord
• Accept the gift by repenting and trusting in Jesus as Lord & Savior
• Lord means “master”—someone you obey
• Would you like to invite Jesus to be your Savior and Lord of your life? Right now?

Evangelistic Approach Comparison

Questions about these evangelistic methods?

Break out to practice sharing the gospel

Fielding Objections

• Try to get back to the gospel
• Leverage objections for further conversation
• That’s a great question! I don’t have a good answer for you right now, but I’d love to look into that more and get the thoughtful response your question deserves. Would you have time to meet up later this week to continue our conversation?

Objection: I’m Too Busy

• Taking 20 credits + a job
• We all make time for what is important to us. Do you have time for social media? YouTube? Netflix?
• If you’re too busy to study God’s word, then you’re busier than God intended you to be
• Jesus gave a command with a promise, “Seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness, and all [your necessities] will be given to you as well” (Mt 6:33).

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Objection: I study the Bible on my own

• When’s the last time you studied the Bible on your own? What passage did you study? What did you learn from it?
• Emphasize the body of Christ—Christians aren’t meant to be lone rangers!
• If you’re mature enough not to benefit from a teacher, you should be teaching!
• Hebrews 5:12a In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, …

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Objection: I don’t believe in God (Atheist)

• What evidence brought you to that conclusion? (Often no evidence)
• What evidence for God have you considered, and what did you find lacking?
• Have you considered…
• Anthropic principle
• Origin of life
• Resurrection of Jesus

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Objection: I’m agnostic

• What do you mean by “agnostic”?
• Are you actively searching for spiritual truth?
• A Bible study is a great place for truth-seekers!
• If not, point out, “You’re choosing to live according to your belief that no God exists who will hold you accountable for whether or not you believed in him. You're betting eternity on being right, and you’re not even looking into it?”
• “Have you considered lines of evidence for God in the past? If so, what did you find lacking?”

Objection: I’m Muslim

• Have you studied what the Quran teaches about the Bible?
• 3:3 “…He [Allah] sent down the Torah and the Gospel…”
• 2:89 “…a Scripture [the Quran] came to them from God confirming what they already had [the Bible]…”
• 18:27 “…there is no changing His [Allah’s] words…”
• If Allah sent down the Bible (the Torah and the Gospel), don’t you think it’s important to study what the Bible says? Would you like to meet up sometime to learn more about the message of the Bible?
• If they say the Bible has been corrupted
• 5:47 “So let the people of the Gospel judge according to what Allah has sent down in it. …”
• Why would Allah instruct Christians to judge by a book that was corrupted? “Ought” implies “can”
• 24:26 “… Say, ‘We believe in what was revealed to us and in what was revealed to you…’”
• How could anyone claim to believe in something that is corrupt beyond retrieval?

Objection: I’m Jewish

• Do you believe the Tanakh (a.k.a. Tanaach, Hebrew Scriptures, OT)?
• Have you ever read Isaiah 53? It’s in the Tanakh. It teaches about God’s righteous servant (53:11) who was punished for the transgression of his people with death (53:8) but then lived again (53:10–12). His punishment brought peace and healing to his people (53:5). Does that sound like any historical figure you know of?

Objection: I’m Hindu

• “What do you believe about Jesus? Do you know why Christians worship Jesus as God even though he was shamefully executed on a cross?”
• Christianity is based on historical facts, not myths and tradition

Objection: I’m Buddhist/ Wiccan/ �Unitarian/ etc.

• If you don’t know about their religion, just share the gospel normally
• “I’d like to learn more about your religion. Would you be open to meeting sometime to discuss what you believe and why?”

Objection: I’m Gay

• “Wait, so are you saying that even if Christianity is true, you �won't believe it because it doesn't allow you to live how you want?”
• If yes: “Would you disbelieve a cancer diagnosis because it would mean diet and lifestyle changes and uncomfortable treatments?”
• If no: “Then what does your sexual orientation have to do with Bible study?”
• The Bible teaches that each person is by nature deserving of God’s wrath, that our natural identity is an enemy of God. But Jesus gave his life to give us the chance of a new, glorious identity as royal sons and daughters of the King of the universe through turning from our sins and trusting in him.

Objection: Religious Upbringing

• Because they attended Catholic school / went through confirmation / grew up with nominal faith, they think they understand the Bible
• “Based on your years of schooling, if someone asked you, ‘How does the Bible teach that people can be saved from their sins?’ what would you tell them?”
• Truly believing in Jesus as Lord means treating him as Lord, including listening and obeying to his commands in the Bible.

Questions about student objections?

Facing Rejection

• Most students are uninterested and don’t stop to engage
• Rarely, students reject rudely, but I should rejoice (Lk 6:22)
• Sometimes students give fake email addresses
• At first it was discouraging, but I got used to it
• I must remember that they are not rejecting me but Jesus
• Our labor for the Lord is not in vain (1Co 15:58)

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Results

• Some people express interest in putting their trust in Jesus.
• I’ve prayed on the spot with a few people but couldn’t follow up.
• Many more opportunities to share the gospel and have spiritual discussions
• Including several unbelievers meeting to discuss in more depth
• Some believing students come to Bible study, as before
• I’ve been able to have weekly meetings with unbelievers (Muslim, atheist, Jewish), and also email dialogue

Conclusion

• Evangelism is important for growing ministry & raising disciples
• The method is not that important, but sharing the gospel is crucial
• The power is not in the right method but in prayer and the gospel
• There are many sheep waiting for a shepherd!

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes…”�—Romans 1:17a

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