How Do We Reach People for Christ? - The Apostle Paul was one of the major writers of the New Testament and one of the greatest evangelists who ever lived. In the close to his letter to the church in Colossi, Paul wrote:

2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone (Colossians 4:2-6).

From this passage, we can note five things to do to bring people to faith in Jesus.

1. Devoted Prayer - Nothing happens without God. Who are we praying for? A study of successful church planters indicated that they prayed for the lost three hours per day! Thom Rainer's book, Effective Evangelistic Churches, also show the linkage of these churches to prayers for the lost--prayers in worship, Bible classes, small groups, and individually. Who are you personally praying for every day to come to faith in Christ?
   
   
2. Clear Proclamation - Proclamation is about telling others about Christ and the kingdom of God. Who are we sharing our faith with? Our culture tells us not to talk about God in subtle and not so subtle ways. While pushy presentations are not effective today, the one thing that we do have the right to do is talk about our own experiences. And so we can "proclaim" the gospel by sharing what God, Christ, our church has done for us. 
   
   
3. Wise Action - When around those who have not yet committed themselves to Christ, we ought to be very wise in what we say and do--do not be judgmental, for instance, or focus on morality at first, but Christ, who transforms. 
   
   
4. Looking for Opportunity - If we pray, God will provide opportunities for us to reach people for Christ. Are we making the most of these opportunities? Or are we complacent?
   
   
5. Graceful Conversation - Paul says that our conversation should “be always full of grace.” Is that how people perceive us? Do we gripe and complain, curse and belittle, or are kind words of encouragement and blessing upon our lips to those who do not yet know Christ?

Which of these five things do you thing are most missing from our lives/outreach ministry? What would happen if we did all five of these things consistently?