Sharing our faith isn't easy. I know—as a young man, I was convinced I didn't have the gift of evangelism. It was obvious. No matter how hard I tried, no one was coming to faith in Jesus Christ. Nothing I did seemed to make a difference. I was inspired by the things I read and heard about Billy Graham's ministry, but I knew I didn't have his gifts.

I remember giving God a deadline: "If I don't see any converts by the end of the year, I'm quitting." Oh, I would still be an active Christian, but I planned to resign myself to simply teaching other believers.

The end of the year came and went. No converts. My mind was made up: Now I was sure I didn't have the gift of evangelism.

On Saturday about four days into the New Year, the small church I attended in Argentina held a home Bible study. I didn't feel like going, but went anyway out of loyalty to the elders.

The fellow who was supposed to give the Bible study never showed up. So the man of the house said, "Luis, you are going to have to say something." I was completely unprepared. I had been reading a book by Billy Graham, however, based on the beatitudes. So I read Matthew 5:1-12 and simply repeated whatever I remembered from Dr. Graham's book.

As I was commenting on the beatitude, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God," a lady suddenly stood up. She began to cry: "My heart is not pure. How can I see God? Somebody tell me how I can get a pure heart."

I don't remember the woman's name, but I will never forget her words: "Somebody tell me how I can get a pure heart." Together we read in the Bible, "The blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from every sin" (1 John 1:7). Before the evening was over, that woman found peace with God and went home with a pure heart overflowing with joy. How delightful it was to lead her to Jesus Christ!

When you win someone to Christ, it's the greatest joy. Your graduation is exciting, your wedding day is exciting, your first baby is exciting. But the most thrilling thing you can ever do is win someone to Christ.

Yet today, in an effort to be sophisticated and contemporary, many Christians have stopped trying to persuade others to follow Christ. There's an underlying feeling in our society that nice people just don't go around persuading other people to do things. We don't want to offend people, appear strange, or lose our newfound status. So we do nothing.

I, too, have been guilty of this. When I lived in Mexico City, my next-door neighbor was a young television personality. We would chat from time to time, and he even mentioned that he listened to our radio program occasionally. But I didn't share the gospel with him. After all, I thought, he seems completely immune to the problems of life.

Eventually, though, my neighbor changed. The joy seemed to have left his face. He and his wife started driving separate cars to work. I could tell their marriage was souring, and I felt the need to talk with him, but I didn't want to meddle in his life. I went about my business and headed off for an evangelistic crusade in Peru. After all, that was the polite thing to do.

When I returned home, I learned my neighbor had killed himself. I was heartbroken. I knew I should have gone to him and persuaded him to repent and follow Christ. But because of false courtesy—because I followed a social norm—I didn't do it.

It's very convenient to make excuses for not persuading others to follow Christ. We may say we don't want to be overbearing or offensive. We may think we can't possibly witness to someone because he or she will become angry.

But over the years I have learned that some of the people I thought would be most closed to the gospel often are the most receptive. Although they may outwardly fear it, in their hearts they welcome the message of the gospel.

Why be ashamed of the gospel? "It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16). It changes lives here and now, and for eternity!

The Dutch evangelist Corrie ten Boom had a God-given desire to win others to Christ. One of her poems says, "When I enter that beautiful city / And the saints all around me appear, / I hope that someone will tell me: / 'It was you who invited me here.'"

Whatever our place in the Body of Christ, let's actively and prayerfully invite others into God's kingdom. After all, God doesn't have a plan A, a plan B and a plan C for evangelizing the world. He has only one plan—and that's you and me.

This article originally appeared at www.palau.org. Used with permission.

Read more from 'Effective Evangelism'

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