By Andrea Lennon, Evangelism and Church Health Team

Believers in Jesus Christ have the best news in the world! We have the chance to share about Jesus. We get to tell others how Jesus came to this earth, lived a perfect life, died in our place, and offers the only way to salvation. This news is so good that it changes the direction of our lives and gives us an eternal home in heaven with God. Without a doubt, we need to be ready and willing to tell others about Jesus!

Sharing, also known as evangelism, can be intimidating. Often women feel like they have to know a lot of bible verses or have all the answers to questions that might be asked. Sometimes women think they will “mess up” by sharing the wrong information. For these reasons and others, many women shy away from initiating spiritual conversations.

I do not know about you, but I am tired of Satan stealing the joy that comes from telling others about Jesus. It is my prayer that women’s ministry leaders across Arkansas will take a stand against Satan and his schemes. We can stand together by equipping women with the necessary tools to share Jesus with the people they meet.

One of the best strategies for equipping women in the area of sharing is through relational evangelism. Relational evangelism occurs when we are intentional with the relationships in our lives. We take part in relational evangelism when we discover the people in our lives who do not know Jesus. Then we find ways to tell them about Him.

Think about the people in your life. These people are from your neighborhood, work, school, or community. Do they know Jesus? If not, God may have placed them in your life so that you can tell them about Jesus. If we are not careful, we easily miss these opportunities to share Jesus.

Women need to share Jesus at home and around the world. We are called to “go” and “take” the good news. This call may lead us to the other side of town or it may lead us to the other side of the world. The important point is this... we need to be ready and willing! We need to be prepared “to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” (1 Peter 3:15, New International Version) Being prepared is not hard; however, it does require investment in the process.

Practical “Share” strategies at home:

•    Encourage women to know their story, own their story, and share their story:

o Women should be able to tell about their life before they met Christ. This explanation can 
involve how they searched for meaning in the things of this world or how they knew they needed Jesus because of the sin in their lives.

o Women should be able to tell how they met Christ. This explanation should involve key concepts of sin, separation from God, Jesus’ death on the cross, Jesus paying our sin debt, Jesus rising from the grave, and Jesus’ offering to save us from our sins.

o Women should be able to tell about their life since they met Christ. This explanation should focus on how their relationship with Jesus has changed them. For example, “Jesus set me free from anxiety or addiction and He has filled my life with peace and a new sense of purpose.”

• Challenge women to identify one or two key relationships that are in their lives for the purpose 
of sharing.

• As a women’s ministry, pray for the women who are sharing their faith as well as the women who 
are hearing the good news of Jesus.

Practical “Share” strategies for around the world:

• Promote mission opportunities by spotlighting an upcoming trip or a specific people group.

•  Pray for the people group that God has called your women to reach with the good news of Jesus.

• Invite women to go on a mission trip and see first-hand the incredible opportunity to share their faith.

• Encourage the women to give sacrificially to mission work through the Cooperative Program.
The bottom line is this… believers in Jesus need to share their faith. We have hope because we have Jesus. Other women need hope, too. Often, God will use us to be the connector between a woman’s need for hope and the only true source of hope, Jesus!

For help in equipping and engaging women in your church and community, contact Andrea Lennon at alennon@absc.org.