What is the Golden Rule of Evangelism?

The "Golden Rule of Evangelism" is the "Golden Rule," Jesus said, "So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them" (Matthew 7:12). The Golden Rule always works. If you were lost in your sin, how would you want someone who loves and cares about you to share the Gospel of Jesus with you?

Several years ago, while speaking at a Christian college, I shared with the students a process that I called “reverse engineered evangelism.” I developed this system after realizing that most evangelism training begins with the assumption that the person sharing the gospel and the person hearing the gospel are complete strangers and have not had any previous interaction. For most believers, the prospect of sharing something as profound and deeply personal as the gospel with a complete stranger is terrifying. I developed this process after hearing Bill Faulkner ask the question, “How are we teaching people to evangelize the people that they love?” This caused me to think and ask myself, “Why don’t we love everyone that we are evangelizing? Wouldn’t that make evangelism much easier.” So, here is what I shared with the students:

• Evangelize those that you love.
• Love those that you serve.
• Serve those that you know. 
• Get to know those that you don’t (love, serve or know). 

The students responded with enthusiasm and relief. This process incorporates establishing and building relationships, meeting people’s needs, demonstrating the love of Christ and verbally sharing the message of the gospel. On that day, those students conveyed to me that following this pattern of evangelism seemed more natural, less contrived and less stressful. It seemed to be more authentic and less awkward than trying to talk to complete strangers about spiritual life change. In Disciples Making Disciples, we talk more about The Golden Rule of Evangelism and evangelizing the people that we love.  Sign up for this free online course at www.reach.mba/dmd.