Blog | Evangelism Reimagined

Christian Revival or Spiritual Awakening? Understanding the Difference Between a Move of God in the Church and Society

Tue, 28 Jul 2026 16:03:56 GMT

8-10 minutes read.

Welcome to the Revival Reality Blog — an honest exploration of Christian revival, spiritual awakening, and the lasting impact of historic moves of God. Beyond the hype, we’ll look at what revival really means, how awakenings have shaped church and society, and what these extraordinary moments can teach us about prayer, Christian discipleship, gospel renewal, mission, evangelism and revival, and everyday faith today.

Exploring revivals and awakenings

Have you ever wondered about the difference between Christian revival and spiritual awakening, or whether we should be praying for revival in the Church or awakening across our communities? If so, this blog series is for you.

For over thirty years, we have read, reflected on, and been stirred by accounts of historic revivals and historic moves of God. We have also witnessed and experienced moves of God in Europe, Asia and Africa that have left a lasting mark on us — deepening our longing to see more of God at work in our own lives, church and community. And yet, for much of our lives, revival has not been our everyday reality. We have discovered that God often delights in working through the ordinary as well as the extraordinary.

Over the next few months, we’ll ask honest, searching questions about revival — what it is, what it does, and what impact it has:

Is there a Biblical pattern for pursuing revival?
How does revival shape the leaders who carry it?
Is revival the destination — or the catalyst for something greater?
Have past revivals renewed the gospel message, or reshaped it?
Are revivals more effective than steady, ongoing evangelism?
What lasting legacies do revivals have?
Why are we so fascinated by the signs of revival?
What can we learn from those who have questioned or critiqued revivals?

What Is a Move of God?

There are two key modern terms often used to describe a move of God throughout history: Christian revival and spiritual awakening.

Revival. A time when interest in religion starts again in a stronger way than before, or a meeting or series of meetings organised to encourage this to happen. In Christian terms, revival often means church renewal, deeper prayer, renewed holiness, fresh love for God, personal revival, and increased evangelism.
Awakening. A renewal of interest in religion, especially in a community. A spiritual awakening reaches beyond church life into wider society, stirring spiritual hunger, community awakening, community transformation, and a fresh awareness of the need for God.

The key difference is this: revival renews the spiritual life of churches, while awakening reaches far beyond church walls and stirs whole communities to recognise their need for God . In other words, revival vs awakening is not simply a matter of language; it is about the scope of impact. Revivals often lead to deeper faith, Christian discipleship, prayer, and increased conversions within churches; awakenings, by contrast, awaken people across wider society — many of whom had little or no previous connection with Christian faith.

A helpful example is what the UK press called the Toronto Blessing revival in the mid-1990s. This was a modern example of Christian revival: it deepened many believers’ awareness of God’s love, brought emotional healing, encouraged church renewal, and was marked by joy and laughter. Its direct impact on wider society was limited, but its indirect influence was significant, shaping evangelistic initiatives such as the Alpha Course, strengthening evangelism and revival, and echoing many features of earlier revival movements.

By contrast, the Chinese Christian awakening — estimated to have been unfolding for more than forty years — has reached far beyond church life and into society itself. During that time, the number of believers has reportedly grown from around 8 million to an estimated 100 million. Its wider impact has included grassroots advocacy for civil liberties, the empowerment of women in leadership, a growing commitment to public welfare, and signs of Christian social transformation.

Perhaps the most profound legacy of the Chinese awakening will be the vision to take the gospel to the Middle East. We first heard about this vision in the mid-1990s when we visited Hong Kong to smuggle Bibles into Asia. In our latest book , we describe meeting Chinese Christians who risked their lives to carry Bibles across their country. One of them had a face that shone with the glory of God [1]. In a future blog post, we will explore awakening and revival legacies.

Another example of a spiritual awakening is the 1970’s Jesus Movement , which was recounted in the 2023 movie Jesus Revolution. This movement was a major Christian awakening that emerged on the West Coast of the US in the late 1960’s. Disenchanted hippie counterculture youth embraced evangelical Christianity, adopting informal worship styles, rock music, communal living, and a renewed passion for the gospel.

By 1971, the movement had become impossible to ignore. Time magazine put it on the national stage with a major cover story titled “The Jesus Revolution,” complete with a bright, psychedelic image of Jesus. The moment was striking: only five years earlier, Time had provoked national debate with its stark “Is God Dead?” cover. Now the magazine was reporting that Jesus was very much alive in the songs, testimonies, and radical hope of America’s youth [2] .

Perhaps the most unforgettable scenes were the mass baptisms as tens of thousands of young people embraced the Christian faith in full public view. At Pirate’s Cove in Corona del Mar, California, hundreds and sometimes thousands of people were baptized in the ocean in exuberant, festival-like ceremonies. It transformed worship from traditional hymns to rock, folk, and acoustic guitar-driven songs.

Its legacy can still be felt in the ministries, churches, and communities that grew out of it. But perhaps its most powerful contribution was the way it challenged the cultural story of its time. In an era when secular media often dismissed faith as outdated or irrelevant, this movement offered a striking counter-narrative: faith could be vibrant, youthful, creative, and spiritually hungry.

It stood apart from both the formality of traditional establishment churches and the excesses of “free love” and drug culture. Just as importantly, it helped many young people find a way back into mainstream society, while offering practical support through rehabilitation work and care for the homeless and vulnerable [3] .

What Kind of Move of God Are We Praying For?

To state the obvious, what God begins amongst Christians should never be seen as something intended to remain contained within the walls of the Church. When God moves among his people, the fruit of that movement should naturally flow outward, touching homes, workplaces, schools, neighbourhoods, and eventually the wider society around us. A Christian revival is a beautiful and necessary work of God in the hearts of believers, renewing love, faith, holiness, prayer, and hunger for his presence.

Yet a spiritual awakening reaches further still, because it does not stop with the renewal of Christians; it begins to affect people who may not yet know God, shaping the moral, spiritual, and even cultural atmosphere of a community. In that sense, awakening is greater than revival because of the breadth of its impact. It is not only about Christians being refreshed, but about society being stirred, challenged, healed, and drawn towards God through community awakening and Christian social transformation.

It is easy, and very understandable, for us to spend much of our prayer life focused on our own needs, our own struggles, our own churches, and our own desire for personal renewal. These things do matter, and God invites us to bring them before him. However, if our vision becomes too small, we may end up praying only for blessing within the Christian community while giving less attention to the deep needs of the society in which God has placed us.

Our neighbourhoods, towns and cities are full of people carrying loneliness, fear, confusion, injustice, broken relationships, addiction, anxiety, and spiritual emptiness. If the move of God we long for is truly from him, surely it should lead us to pray not only for ourselves, but also for our neighbours, our streets, our schools, our leaders, and those who would never yet think to enter a church building.

So the question is not simply whether we want more of God, but why we want more of God. Do we pray for his presence mainly so that we can feel personally revived, encouraged, and spiritually satisfied, or do we ask him to move in such a way that our neighbourhood, city and nation experience a genuine awakening?

Of course, personal revival is important, because God often begins his work by renewing his people first. But if that renewal is authentic, it should enlarge our hearts and stretch our prayers beyond ourselves. We should begin to long for a move of God that changes the atmosphere around us, awakens spiritual hunger in those who are distant from him, restores compassion in the Church, strengthens Christian mission, and brings visible hope to the place where we live.

Are we praying and positioning our lives for personal revival, church renewal, or a wider spiritual awakening?

Questions for reflection:

1. Where do you most need personal revival in your own walk with God?

2. How could church renewal in your local Christian community lead to deeper prayer, discipleship, and evangelism?

3. What would a genuine spiritual awakening or community awakening look like in your neighbourhood, town, or city — and how might it strengthen Christian mission?

Let us know what you think of this blog. Please leave a comment or question and we will get back to you.

[1] Exodus 34:29-35, Matthew 17:2 & Acts 6:15.

[2] https://time.com/collections/a-century-of-impact/6291376/jesus-revolution-time-magazine-cover/

[3] https://www.christianitytoday.com/2025/07/jesus-people-vibe-shift-zoomer-men-conservative-theology-church/

Evangelism methods. Are they a help or a hindrance?

Sat, 18 Oct 2025 12:55:30 GMT

When it to comes to sharing Jesus with others, have you ever asked these questions?

How to share about Jesus?
How to share the gospel simply?
How to share the gospel effectively?
How to do one on one evangelism?

There are many evangelism methods available to the church today. This has not always been the case. It was during the nineteenth-century revivals that such methods were introduced by Charles Finney through the influence of pragmatism , and have since then, grown in popularity. They are now often seen as the default way to share the gospel, yet seem rarely assessed as to their Biblical accuracy and actual effectiveness.

Such methods often codify a few Biblical truths into a simple method to follow. The goal is to make it as easy as possible for Christians to share their faith. The assumption is that a one-size-fits-all approach will be equally relevant and impactful for many people. They tend to focus on repentance, sin and hell and seek a fast-track decision for Christ.

What some methods seem to miss is that the gospel is primarily about a person rather than a response . When we share the gospel we are introducing the person of the gospel. The gospel is about Jesus and his kingdom, and repentance is about following him. When we repent, we move from being self-governed to king-governed.

How can they be helpful?

For new Christians, it can be helpful to use a method to start sharing their faith. It may help them get going quickly and start learning to talk about Jesus with family, friends, neighbours and work colleagues.
They can also be helpful to use at evangelistic meetings, where a single speaker addresses a crowd. It is not as easy at such events to contextualise the gospel message to each individual within the crowd.

How can they be a hindrance?

Methods usually don't help identify or encourage the unique evangelistic strengths in each Christian . These are God-given strengths that can dramatically increase the impact of sharing our faith, improving our evangelistic effectiveness and fruitfulness.
Methods rarely present the full kingdom gospel . They tend to over-emphasise sin and repentance, rather than making known Jesus' kingdom as the pearl of great price and the motivation for repentance ( Matthew 13:45-46 ).
They can assume that people's greatest need is repentance. We have been given a ministry of reconciliation, not a ministry of repentance ( 2 Corinthians 5:11-21 ). Evangelism is primarily about reconciling people to God, which repentance is only part of.
The mention of hell and judgement may create a fear-based response in the hearers rather than an opportunity to count the cost of following Jesus ( Luke 14:28 ), encounter a God of love and make a heart response to surrender to Jesus, and become his disciple.
They often pressure people for an "on the spot" decision. Evidence shows that the majority of people in Western society get saved through a process. This is clearly explained by James Dr Engle .

How effective are they?

Many evangelism methods tend to have poor results despite any initial figures quoted. Follow-up assessments of evangelism crusades found that on average 95% of those who responded to an appeal did not continue in their faith.
Many Christians can struggle with these methods and find them clunky to use. This can lead them to conclude that they are not good at evangelism . The impact of this should not be underestimated. In the West eighty per cent of all Christians do not consistently witness for Christ .
These methods are also less effective in twenty-first century as they were not designed for postmodernism and identity politics contexts .

Are they Biblical?

Finney's theology influenced his method based approach. He did not see conversion as a spiritual rebirth but rather a moral choice. Finney did not believe in original sin, a substitutionary atonement, and the divine nature of the new birth.
Because he believed conversion was a moral choice, his methods put sin and repentance front and centre to encourage people to make a moral choice to change. He introduced the Altar Call and the Anxious Bench to increase the number of people who would respond to this moral choice.
His methods were not designed to invoke faith in Jesus and his atonement on the cross, because he did not believe in people being spiritually born again. Methods like this are contrary to how we understand the salvation process.
Jesus and the apostles did not use such evangelism methods. Jesus gave clear instructions to his disciples on how to share the gospel with both Jews ( Matthew 10:1-20 ) and Gentiles ( Luke 10:1-23 ).
Each of Jesus's interactions with people was unique, whether he was healing people, choosing disciples, publicly preaching or speaking with an individual. He did not rely on formulas but created culturally relevant bespoke evangelistic moments, which transformed many lives.

In summary evangelism methods may create more problems than they solve. It is time to reimagine evangelism and trust that Jesus' example is the best and most effective way to seek and save the lost.

How to Share the Gospel Effectively When You Do Not Know Where to Begin.

Sun, 04 May 2025 17:53:54 GMT

Many Christians want to know how to share the gospel effectively , but when the opportunity comes, it can be hard to know where to begin. Should we start with sin? With grace? With a testimony? With a question? There are many helpful evangelistic tools, but if we want to learn how to share the gospel for the first time , the most effective starting point is not always a script. It is the person standing in front of us.

How to Start a Gospel Conversation by Understanding Someone’s Journey

The Engel Scale reminds us that people are at different stages on their journey towards faith. Some are curious, some are resistant, some are searching, and some are closer to surrender than we realise. The challenge is that we do not always know where someone is, especially when we are speaking with someone we do not know well.

That is why many people ask us practical questions about how to start a gospel conversation , such as:

How to do evangelism for the first time?
How to share the gospel outline?
How to share the gospel easily?
How to share about Jesus?

Those are good questions. But there is an even better one: how did Jesus share the gospel?

How Did Jesus Share the Gospel? Learning from His Personal Approach

When we read the Gospels, we do not see Jesus using a one-size-fits-all presentation. He did not treat every conversation as though each person had the same questions, wounds, assumptions or openness to God. Instead, Jesus noticed people. He listened. He discerned what was happening in their hearts.

Sometimes Jesus told a story. Sometimes he asked a searching question. Sometimes he exposed a hidden motive. Sometimes he healed, challenged, welcomed, forgave or simply invited someone to follow him. His message never changed, but his approach was deeply personal.

Jesus was not trying to force a generic message into every conversation. He was looking for the doorway into a person’s heart. He knew what would awaken faith, expose resistance, answer longing or prompt deeper reflection. If we want to know how to talk to someone about Jesus and share the gospel effectively, we need to learn from that same attentiveness.

How to Talk to Someone About Jesus with Compassion and Discernment

One striking example is the Roman centurion who came to Jesus asking for his servant to be healed. The centurion believed Jesus did not need to visit his home or see the servant in person. He trusted that one word from Jesus would be enough.

Jesus’ response was remarkable: “When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, ‘Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven’” (Matthew 8:10–11).

Notice where Jesus begins. He does not begin by naming the centurion’s sin. He begins by honouring his faith. Jesus sees something in this man that amazes him, and he says so publicly. That is worth pausing over: God can be genuinely pleased by things he sees in the lives of people who do not yet follow him.

What if one of the most powerful ways to begin a gospel conversation is to ask, “Lord, what do you love about this person?” It may be their courage, compassion, perseverance, honesty, hunger for truth or the way they have cared for others through hardship. Saying what God sees can open a door that other approaches never could.

How to Share Jesus with Others in a Way That Feels Like Good News

So perhaps the best place to start when sharing the gospel is not with a formula, but with prayerful attention. Ask God to show you the person in front of you as he sees them. Listen for the question beneath their question. Look for the evidence of grace already at work.

Then speak about Jesus in a way that connects with their real life, not just your prepared outline.

If you are wondering how to share Jesus with others , begin where Jesus began: with love, discernment and a deep awareness of the person before you. The gospel is always good news, and when we share it the way Jesus did, people are far more likely to hear it as good news for them.

Listen to this story that illustrates the importance of this. In this evangelistic moment, God shares with Mark what he loves about a waitress.

Evangelism 101. What is Jesus' gospel?

Sun, 07 Jan 2024 13:23:52 GMT

What is the best way to share the gospel naturally? Should we start with a method, a simple outline, a few Bible verses, or our own personal story? These are important questions, especially for anyone asking how to introduce people to Jesus in a way that reflects who he truly is. But they all point to something even more important: there is no one more wonderful, compelling, or life-changing than Jesus.

Jesus did not ask people to “become Christians” in the way we often use that phrase today. That language was not used until around a decade after his ascension ( Acts 11:25-26 ). Instead, Jesus spoke about a treasure so valuable that it was worth giving everything for ( Matthew 13:44 ).

The Gospel Begins with the Treasure of Jesus

Jesus and his kingdom are the incomparable treasure worth seeking, receiving, and holding onto. His message was not simply a set of beliefs to accept, but the announcement that the kingdom of God was within reach. He preached the gospel of the kingdom ( Matthew 4:23 ) and declared that people could respond because the kingdom was near ( Matthew 3:2 ).

What Is the Gospel of the Kingdom?

If we want to answer the question, “What is the gospel?”, we need to listen carefully to the language of Jesus. In the New Testament, the words “gospel” and “good news” appear again and again, alongside the language of the “kingdom”, the “kingdom of God”, and the “kingdom of heaven”. Put together, they reveal the centre of Jesus’ message: the good news of the kingdom.

The word gospel means to announce, herald, bring, and show good news. It is also the origin of the word evangelise, which means to speak enthusiastically about something good. Evangelism, then, is not meant to feel like pressure, performance, or persuasion. At its heart, it is the joyful announcement that Jesus is King and his kingdom is good news.

Why Are the Cross and the Kingdom Both Important?

The word kingdom speaks of the realm and rule of a victorious king. The messianic promises of Scripture point to both a suffering servant ( Isaiah 53:4-5 ) and a triumphant king ( Isaiah 11:1-5 ).

The gospel is therefore about both Jesus’ kingship and his suffering.

When we share the gospel of the kingdom, we need to speak about Jesus suffering on the cross for our forgiveness, but we must also proclaim that he is the victorious King. So why are the cross and the kingdom both important? Because the cross reveals the depth of God’s love and mercy, while the kingdom reveals the beauty, authority, and life of the King we are invited to follow.

How to Introduce People to Jesus Through King Jesus

Our evangelism should first introduce people to the King ( Revelation 19:16 ) so they can encounter the goodness of his kingdom. If you are wondering how to introduce people to Jesus, begin by helping them see what he is like. That might happen as someone experiences healing, receives God’s love, senses Jesus speaking to them, or sees the character of Christ through the life of a believer.

From there, we can explain why Jesus’ suffering on the cross matters and why each of us needs forgiveness. Repentance is not meant to be forced through fear or manipulation. Scripture tells us that it is God’s kindness that leads us to repentance ( Romans 2:4 ).

Jesus modelled this beautifully. He helped people experience the reality of his kingdom and then invited those who wanted to follow him to respond. He did not coerce people. He revealed the Father, demonstrated the kingdom, and called people into a new way of life.

What About Hell?

We cannot ignore hell, but we should notice how Jesus spoke about it. In his public ministry, Jesus mentioned hell after demonstrating the kingdom through miracles and teaching. His one recorded individual conversation that touches on hell is with Nicodemus ( John 3:1-21 ), a man who had already encountered Jesus and was searching for understanding.

The focus of that conversation was being born again and the reason Jesus was sent: not to condemn the world, but to save it. The kingdom of Jesus is the primary invitation and motivation for repentance, not fear alone. God’s dream is to reconcile the world to himself, because he desires everyone to be saved ( 1 Timothy 2:4 ).

A Simple Way to Share the Gospel Without Pressure

When people experience Jesus and begin to see what he is like, reconciliation with God becomes a natural and beautiful next step. Evangelism reveals King Jesus and his kingdom so that people can discover his goodness, recognise his worth, and choose to follow him.

This is evangelism 101 : sharing Jesus and the gospel in a way that is clear, relational, kingdom-centred, and free from pressure. It also gives us a simple way to share the gospel without pressure: reveal King Jesus, demonstrate the goodness of his kingdom, explain the cross, and invite people to follow him.

Explore More

We explore this further in our book God's Dream Our Greatest Privilege , and in our Podcast .

How to share the gospel simply. Why do we struggle with evangelism?

Mon, 02 Jan 2023 11:09:48 GMT

Have you ever wondered why you struggle with sharing your faith? What if your struggle with evangelism had little to do with you and more to do with the way it has been taught and modelled? Maybe you can share your faith but your past experiences with evangelism have left you thinking otherwise.

Have you asked:

How to share Jesus without fear?
How to share the gospel easily?
How to share Jesus' love?
How to share Jesus with a non believer?

In the gospels, the disciples ask Jesus many questions, but not one of them is related to a struggle with evangelism. There are no recorded incidents where Peter or John, or any of the other disciples, say to Jesus “I am struggling to share my faith”, or “it doesn’t seem to work for me”, or “I don’t think I can do it”, or “should I leave it with others to do?”.

Have you ever been in a public place, like the High Street, and seen some evangelistic outreach where they focus on sin, shout at people, and use language many will not understand? Did you feel that you did not want to be associated with it? Did you want to give it a wide berth? Did you wonder whether it was effective?

If so, you are not alone. Many Christians have the same reaction to such styles of evangelistic outreach. This is because it seems to go against what they read in the Bible, what they know God is like and is different to how Jesus and the early disciples did evangelism. So where do these styles of evangelism come from?

A lot of our common evangelism methods come from the revivals in the nineteenth century. For example, D. L. Moody was an early proponent of ‘ The Sinner’s Prayer ’, which has been popularised by many evangelists since. Yet this was not practised before the 1700s and cannot be found in the Bible. Most of church history has seen conversions and growth without the use of this evangelistic tool.

Another example is how Charles Finney's evangelistic methods were influenced by Pragmatism, which began in the United States in the late 19 ^th Century. Pragmatism is a “philosophical tradition that considers words and thought as tools and instruments for prediction, problem solving, and action.” This led to an over-emphasis on methods, rather than on dependence on the Holy Spirit.

Finney wrote within his Systematic Theology “A revival is not a miracle, nor dependent on a miracle, in any sense. It is a purely philosophical result of the right use of the constituted means—as much so as any other effect produced by the application of means.”. This shows the influence of Pragmatism within his thinking and an overreliance and overconfidence in his methods.

The legacy of this thinking has meant that evangelistic training today relies on so-called ‘tried and tested’ methods which focus on a person ‘making a decision’ (aka conversion), rather than on, as Jesus taught, helping unbelievers find the treasure of the Kingdom of God so that they will give all they have to obtain it (Matthew 13:44-46).

Another popular way of sharing the gospel is to use the Roman Road . This includes four points based on eight verses in Romans. Our primary concerns with this are (1) it is a ‘cookie cutter’ approach that does not draw upon people’s God-given evangelistic strengths , and (2), relies on logic alone rather than a supernatural experience of God’s Kingdom.

These evangelistic methods have been taught and used widely for over a hundred and fifty years. Yet many do not seem to ask whether they are Biblical, the most effective, or what Jesus would do in an evangelistic moment. Some say “there is fruit, therefore the method works”. In other words, the “ end justifies the means ”, begging the question … is any method acceptable regardless of its consequences?

So, what are some of the unintended consequences of these methods? We would highlight the following five as the most significant:

Large numbers of Christians have disengaged from evangelism, having struggled with, or had bad experiences with using evangelistic methods. Eighty percent of all Christians do not consistently witness for Christ .
An equally large number of Christians don’t want to associate with some evangelistic methods that they find cringey or even offensive. Almost half of practising Christian Millennials say evangelism is wrong .
Evangelism Training can focus on methods rather than helping Christians find their evangelistic strengths . How often have you heard an evangelist say, “you need more courage”? Courage is helpful but on its own will not transform someone’s experience of evangelism.
The emphasis of evangelism has become conversion rather than entering the kingdom. Jesus came to reveal his Kingship and his kingdom. Jesus said “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” (Matthew 4:17).
We don’t do evangelism like Jesus and the disciples did. Their evangelism was inherently supernatural. It involved miracles, secrets of people's hearts being revealed, and bespoke conversations. People were challenged but also left feeling loved and valued.

The good news is that you don’t have to live with these unintended consequences, we can discover how God originally designed evangelism to be. If you want to overcome your hindrances to evangelism, we would recommend this FREE Podcast to begin your journey. You can also read testimonies from others that are getting free to enjoy evangelism.

Evangelistic lifestyle. Evangelism course.

Tue, 09 Nov 2021 07:53:00 GMT

God wants to invite us into evangelistic moments where we get to join in with what he is already doing in the life of an unbeliever. In doing so, we get a part to play in showing them how good he is. In such moments it is a privilege to do one-on-one evangelism.

In the Bible, we see God invite Peter to share the gospel with the gentiles (Acts 10:9-19), invite Philip to speak to an Ethiopian (Acts 8:26), invite Ananias to visit and pray for Saul (Acts 9:10-16) and invite Paul to preach the gospel in Macedonia (Acts 16:9-10). This is how God originally designed evangelism to be .

Evangelistic Mind set
God doesn’t want these evangelistic moments to be few and far between but invites us into an evangelistic lifestyle where such moments can happen regularly. We can develop a lifestyle where it becomes normal to be invited into evangelistic moments as part of our everyday lives.

To sustain an evangelistic lifestyle requires a mindset that establishes a readiness, confidence, and expectation for God to regularly invite us into evangelistic moments any time, any place, anywhere. Knowing that God is committed to his dream and has done everything needed to bring about its success.

An evangelistic mindset incorporates six key beliefs:

Firstly , it is a privilege to partner with God. Being evangelistic is not a duty or obligation, it is our privilege.
Secondly , it is God’s kindness that leads people to repentance (Romans 2:4), therefore we put God’s extraordinary kindness on display.
Thirdly , Jesus is the good news and the King of the kingdom realm, therefore evangelism is about introducing people to Jesus.
Fourthly , all Christians share in Jesus’ kingly mission (Luke 4:18-19), we are all anointed to proclaim the good news of the kingdom.
Fifthly , the harvest is plentiful (Luke 10:2). We expect people to become Christians during some of our evangelistic moments.
Sixthly , the gospel is for everyone (2 Peter 3:9). We do not limit whom God may invite us to speak to in an evangelistic moment

Developing an evangelistic mindset and lifestyle will usually take time. It’s a process that rarely happens overnight. Psychological research suggests that developing a new habit takes many months. There will be times where you get it right and times where it won’t work out as expected. It is important to create momentum and to keep going until an evangelistic lifestyle becomes your new norm.

The journey is easier if you commit yourself to incremental improvements, without putting any undue pressure on yourself to get there quickly. Doing the same journey with others brings encouragement and helps us to spur each other on. It can also help to journal your evangelistic stories and celebrate what God does within evangelistic moments he invites you into.

Knowing God’s pleasure as you embrace this journey is the best motivation. Enjoying the father-child bonding moments as he shares his heart for unbelievers with you is a privilege. Seeing unbelievers miraculously healed, encountering God’s goodness, and choosing Jesus is the greatest joy. Remember that people getting saved initiates heaven throwing a party! (Luke 15:10).

Do you want to develop an evangelistic lifestyle?
If you want to develop an evangelistic lifestyle, we have developed several free resources to help you on your journey. We also run a course called Developing a Spirit-led Evangelistic Lifestyle (DASEL) , which equips people to get free to enjoy evangelism, discover their evangelistic identity and recognise God’s invitations into evangelistic moments.

Ask Holy Spirit what your next step is to develop an evangelistic lifestyle?

How to share about Jesus. Revealing the secrets of the heart.

Sun, 30 May 2021 14:24:00 GMT

When God shares with us information about a person we could not naturally know, it creates a powerful moment when the person we are speaking with gets the opportunity to discover that God knows them. This is one way to share the gospel effectively.

During evangelistic moments, it is unhelpful to think we can argue someone into becoming a Christian. It is better if we demonstrate the power of the gospel so that people’s faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power (1 Corinthians 2:5). For this to occur unbelievers need to see or experience the power of God.

When Peter preached at Pentecost, people “were cut to the heart” (Acts 2:37) and ready to repent. Paul describes that when he brought the gospel to Thessalonica, it was not “simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction.” (1 Thessalonians 1:5).

Paul describes how prophecy in a church meeting can impact an unbeliever. It can result in them being convicted of sin and “the secrets of their hearts are laid bare” (1 Corinthians 14:25). What if ‘the heart’ does not only relate to the conviction of sin but also to people’s identity, pain, needs, hopes, and dreams?

Strongs Concordance defines ‘the heart’ (kardia, G2588) as the soul or mind, as it is the fountain and seat of the thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections, purposes, endeavours, character, stirred in a good or bad way.

When people find out, through Christians bringing prophetic revelation, that God knows about their deepest desires, it can bring about the significant conviction that God is real. This story is about an evangelistic moment where God shares with Fiona, a specific phrase that results in an unbeliever encountering God’s love and compassion.

Are you regularly hearing God speak to you about unbelievers around you?

How to share the gospel without fear. The elephant in the church.

Wed, 07 Apr 2021 12:22:00 GMT

Did you know that God has a dream, and he invites us to help him fulfil it? God’s dream is to reconcile the world to himself and he has given us the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-20). The invitation to help God fulfil his dream is the greatest invitation and privilege each of us will ever receive.

Dreams are important, they show us what the future can look like. Dreams are deep passions and desires that long to be fulfilled. Fulfilled dreams fuel our sense of worth, significance, and reason for living. King Solomon put it like this: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life” (Proverbs 13:12).

When we consider how to share our faith, we can ask questions like:

How to do evangelism as a Christian?
How to share the gospel outline?
How to share the gospel simply?
how to share about Jesus?

These are good questions, but another good question is: how does God's dream influence and affect our thoughts and emotions around evangelism?

In the Bible, we see God invite Peter to share the gospel with the gentiles (Acts 10:9-19), invite Philip to speak to an Ethiopian (Acts 8:26), invite Ananias to visit and pray for Saul (Acts 9:10-16) and invite Paul to preach the gospel in Macedonia (Acts 16:9-10). God’s dream unfolds as we take part, giving us a deeper understanding of our faith (Philemon 6).

Enjoying evangelism
Yet there is an elephant in the church when we consider the Great Commission, which is another way of describing our part in fulfilling God’s dream. The issue that everyone knows about but rarely mentions or discusses, is that many Christians do not like doing evangelism. Moreover, they often struggle with motivation, are fearful of it, think they aren't good at it, or simply shy away from it.

If taking part in God’s dream is our greatest privilege, why is it that so many Christians struggle with evangelism? Jesus sent out his disciples to do evangelism. He first sends out the twelve disciples (Luke 9:1-6) and later sends out seventy-two disciples (Luke 10:1-20). When the seventy-two returned, they and Jesus were full of joy. They enjoyed evangelism.

So why is that not often the case today? Why do so many Christians not associate enjoyment with evangelism? If we want to complete the Great Commission and see God’s dream fulfilled, we will need to deal with this elephant in the church. We will need to find God-given answers to the struggles Christians have with evangelism.

God-given answers
In our book, God’s Dream, Our Greatest Privilege we introduce a new paradigm for evangelism, one where Christians can freely enjoy an evangelistic lifestyle. Seeing Jesus as the evangelist and how he introduced his kingdom to unbelievers led us to rethink evangelism. Seeing Jesus as our supreme example of how to do evangelism, meant we can learn to do it as he did.

Jesus invited people to experience his kingdom. When they did, people often gave up all they had to obtain it (Matthew 13:44). In the New Testament (NIV), the term ‘gospel’ and ‘good news’ are used 122 times and the terms ‘Kingdom’, ‘Kingdom of God’ and ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ are used 124 times. Putting these terms together, they refer to Jesus’ gospel – the good news of the kingdom.

Jesus taught his disciples how to share his kingdom, as they travelled and healed people everywhere (Luke 9:6). Evangelism was an everyday activity for early Christians, it was not just reserved for special or seasonal events. He modelled how to bring his kingdom (signs, wonders, miracles, salvation) in everyday interactions with people he encountered.

Do you struggle with evangelism?
There are God-given answers to any struggles you may have with evangelism. Why not ask God now how you can overcome any hindrances you have and listen to what he says?

If you want to develop a supernatural evangelistic lifestyle, there are free resources to help you on your journey.

Thank you to Charles Long for permission to use his image.

How to share the gospel easily. God has uniquely designed you to be evangelistic.

Sat, 06 Feb 2021 09:45:00 GMT

When we consider sharing our faith we often think about:

How to do one-on-one evangelism?
How to share about Jesus?
How to share the gospel simply and effectively?
What is evangelism 101?

These are good questions to ask, but do we consider how God's work in us might shape and influence how we share the gospel?

Have you ever thought about how God has uniquely designed you to be evangelistic? Being evangelistic is in your spiritual DNA and God wants to take you on a journey to discover it.

When God put ‘Christ in us’ (Colossians 1:27) he did this so that he could reveal his son Jesus to people around us (Galatians 1:15-16). Imagine that! God wants to reveal Jesus through you to the people around you.

You are unique!
How We have all been “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14 NIV). God has not made anyone like you. In the entire history of the human race, there will never be another person like you. Your uniqueness deserves to be celebrated. Your combination of the way you look, personality, gifts and abilities make you unique.

You uniquely demonstrate something of God’s love and character in a way that no one else can. Being evangelistic is part of your identity; you will express this differently to how other people do. Your evangelistic strength will be linked to your other strengths; it is not separate to the rest of you.

When God designed you, it included how he would reveal his son through you .

Maria’s story
Maria attended our Developing a Spirit-led Evangelistic Lifestyle (DASEL) course. This is her story.

When I asked God how he had uniquely designed me to be evangelistic, he spoke to me about how he had designed me to flow evangelistically out of intimacy and dance to a rhythm of his heartbeat. This impacted me because I love dancing.

God also set me free from a lie I believed about my ability to do evangelism many years earlier when I was a student at university. During a university mission, I was the only student in my friendship group not to see someone become a Christian. Following this experience, I believed I was no good at evangelism, which I now know not to be true.

I am now free to be myself in evangelistic situations and I am starting to recognise the moments where God is inviting me to partner with him in his dream to reconcile the world to himself.

What is your story?
How has God uniquely designed you to be evangelistic so he can reveal his son through you? Why not ask him now and listen to what he says? What did you hear? Did it amaze, surprise, or encourage you?

God wants to invite you into an adventurous evangelistic lifestyle and reveal his son to people around you, using your unique evangelistic strength. Being yourself is the best way to be evangelistic and the best way for God to flow through you.

How to do one-on-one evangelism. Hearing God during evangelistic moments.

Mon, 07 Dec 2020 20:46:00 GMT

Have you ever been stuck in an evangelistic moment, not knowing what to do or say next? What if Jesus revealed information to you about a person only God could know. When he was speaking with the woman at the well in Samaria (John 4:4-26) he revealed that she had been married five times.

Jesus often did this. The is Jesus' evangelism 101 . This is one way that Jesus shared the gospel with others effectively. Sometimes we just think about the right words to say, but what if God wants to share with us the right words to say when we are doing one-on-one evangelism?

When Jesus was speaking with Nathanael, he said: “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you” (John 1:48). In both cases, they then saw Jesus as he really was – the son of God, the Messiah whom they were longing for.

When God shares with us information about a person we could not naturally know, it creates a powerful moment when the person we are speaking to realises that God knows them. This story is about an evangelistic moment where God shares with Mark a specific piece of information that profoundly impacted a taxi driver.

How to share Jesus with others. The harvest is ready.

Sun, 04 Oct 2020 08:33:00 GMT

Between 1900 and today, the world population has grown nearly five times. During the same period, the number of Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians has grown over six hundred times. Christianity is growing faster than the world population at a 1.27% rate overall and Pentecostals/Charismatics at a 2.26% rate. We live in a time where more people are born again daily worldwide than at any other time in history.

There are also more evangelistic opportunities than there have ever been. In 1900, only 5.5% of non-Christians knew a Christian, today that has grown to 18.3%. A recent survey by Tearfund found a quarter of adults in the UK watched or listened to a religious service during the coronavirus lockdown, and one in twenty have started praying during the crisis. Holy Trinity Brompton Church has seen its attendance at Alpha triple since coronavirus lockdown began .

When Jesus sent out the seventy-two disciples, he said to them “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” (Luke 10:2). Jesus message remains unchanged because the harvest is still plentiful. Do we believe what Jesus says about the harvest? Do we believe people around us are open to hearing about and encountering God? Do we believe in the good news of the kingdom?

We empower what we believe . Do we believe:

We can share the gospel simply and effectively?
We can do on-on-one evangelism?
We can share Jesus with others?
Jesus has designed us to be evangelistic ?

If we believe the Holy Spirit is already working in the lives of unbelievers (John 16:8), we will expect people to be open to God. If we believe we live in a place where people are hardened to the gospel, we will not expect people to become Christians. If we believe God can powerfully work in and through us to reconcile people to him (2 Corinthians 5:17-21) then we will look for his invitation into evangelistic moments.

Yes, there were some people and places that did not respond well to Jesus (Mark 10:21-22, Luke 4:24 and Matthew 11:20-24), but these were the exception, not the norm. Wherever Jesus went people experienced the good news of his kingdom through miracles and salvation. Jesus sent out the disciples ahead of him to towns he was about to visit because he expected a harvest in them. As we are sent by Jesus (John 17:18), do we expect a harvest among the unbelievers around us?

Jesus still says to us “I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” John 4:35.

What does God want to do in and through you today to bring in the harvest?

Activation

Developing A Spirit-led Evangelistic Lifestyle. Evangelism Training.

Fri, 11 Sep 2020 10:58:00 GMT

Do you want to learn how to introduce people to Jesus and his Kingdom in your everyday life? Do you want to know how to share the gospel effectively? Do you want to share Jesus without fear?

The Developing a Spirit-led Evangelistic Lifestyle (DASEL) course is designed to help you achieve that.

The 7-week course will help you discover your evangelistic identity and get free from fear and any previous negative experiences of evangelism.

For those that already have evangelistic momentum, this course will help you go further and increase the supernatural activity of God in your life.

Based on our book God’s Dream , this course will help you develop an evangelistic lifestyle, positively impacting unbelievers around you. The course includes teaching, discussion and activations.

Mark and Fiona Gilpin provide the opportunity to run the course at churches in the UK and abroad either as a weekend conference or online over consecutive weeks.

To register your interest in a DASEL Course please contact us .

Testimonies from DASEL students:

" You have given me a new way to think of and do evangelism, a way I find easier."

“I am now free to be myself in evangelistic situations.”

“After overcoming my fear there was no going back. “

“I realised that I could be supernaturally natural every day, every week for the rest of my life.”

How to share Jesus without fear. Getting free to enjoy evangelism.

Fri, 11 Sep 2020 10:29:00 GMT

When it comes to evangelism, we often start with questions like:

What evangelism method should I use?
Does anyone know any good outreach ideas?
Does our church have an evangelism strategy?

Whilst these are good questions to ask, God also cares about how we feel about sharing our faith .

Jesus wants us to live a life of freedom “ it is for freedom that Christ has set us fre e” (Galatians 5:1 NIV). When we become Christians, God’s desire is to set us free from anything that stops us from being the people God designed us to be. This life of freedom is not just freedom from sin, but freedom from anything that would hinder us.

The freedom that Jesus bought us includes not being enslaved or imprisoned by bad experiences or untruths about evangelism. Also, it means not being inhibited, feeling self-conscious, or bound by fear of people, what they think of us or how they respond to us. If you are struggling with evangelism, then there are God-provided truths and answers.

God wants to set you free so you can enjoy evangelism.

Jess’s Story
“At the beginning of the Eastgate School of Spiritual Life (ESSL) evening school year, I put the dates for the all-day Saturday events in my diary except for the evangelism one, because I was determined to be busy that day so I didn’t need to attend!

On Wednesday night before the Saturday, I attended ESSL as usual, even though Fiona was giving a talk about evangelism to help prepare the students for the Saturday outreach. I decided to go anyway because all the other talks had been interesting, even though I thought that evangelism is really not me.

During Fiona Gilpin’s talk, I began to get stirred in my spirit about the Great Commission, God’s dream , his heart for those who don’t know him and how he wants us to partner with him so we can share his love with those who are lost.

I realised that I needed to repent of my attitude because it was based on fear. After the talk, I spoke to Fiona and said I haven’t booked into the Saturday Evangelism event, but I really feel like I want to. Fiona said it was not too late and I was more than welcome to attend and join in with the outreach.

Saturday started to loom, and I began to have second thoughts about attending. I thought I could just turn up and if I felt really uncomfortable, I would just leave. I turned up and enjoyed the worship and teaching but was still not convinced I was going to go out and do the afternoon outreach. I was thinking that I would just sneak off after lunch!

I did decide to stay and got put in a group with one of Mark and Fiona Gilpin’s evangelist friends, Angela. I thought I would go out and just shadow Angela and the others in the group, secretly determined not to speak to anybody.

Angela helped make my group’s evangelism accessible, possible, and fun. Throughout the afternoon outreach, I found that God had gone before me and even though I found myself in evangelistic situations I had previously not chosen to put myself in, I was able to freely speak to people and share the gospel with them.

I still remember the outreach I did on the ESSL Saturday evangelism event. In all my years on earth, it was one of my best days ever and I just loved it! I am now enjoying evangelistic moments as I share the gospel with people around me in my everyday life.”

Watch Jess tell her story on our YouTube Channel :

Getting Free from Fear
You can be evangelistic and do evangelism without fear. We don’t have to do evangelism through gritted teeth and suppressing unhelpful emotions. His presence and his love can abide in us, so there is no room for fear. If fear stops you engaging in evangelism, you can ask God for his perfect love to drive out all fear.

The Biblical truth is that God “ has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind .” (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV). If we see ourselves as beloved children of the God of love, fear does not need to dominate our lives.

The DASEL Course equips people to get free to enjoy evangelism, discover their evangelistic identity and recognise God’s invitations into evangelistic moments.

How to share about Jesus. Evangelistic Stories.

Fri, 11 Sep 2020 09:50:00 GMT

We have launched Evangelistic Stories on YouTube to help you make the most of evangelistic moments that God invites you into. This will give you new outreach ideas and help you:

Share Jesus with others
Share the gospel effectively
Share the gospel simply

Our first story explores the evangelistic moment when Fiona Gilpin met a man with a leather cross earring.

Watch to find out how God miraculously healed him!

How to share the gospel easily. Reimagine evangelism from God’s perspective.

Fri, 11 Sep 2020 09:35:00 GMT

Do you want to share the gospel with others easily? Do you want to know what to say when someone asks you a question about your faith? Do you want to feel confident doing one-to-one evangelism?

Have you ever thought about how God originally designed evangelism and how he intended us to experience it? Seeing evangelism from God’s perspective is key to developing an evangelistic lifestyle .

God wants us to reimagine evangelism without the common hindrances and struggles that we may have when sharing our faith. Only then can we experience evangelism as he intended us to.

So how can we reimagine evangelism?

Let your imagination run wild!

Imagine there is no difference between the life of God that flows in your church and the life that flows outside your church. Imagine unbelievers around you encountering Jesus and being saved regularly. Imagine Christians you know praying for miracles among their neighbours, family, friends, and work colleagues.

Imagine every one of your Christian friends freely engaging in evangelistic moments. Imagine unbelievers you know wanting to find out about Jesus. Imagine Jesus having a good reputation among unbelievers around you. Imagine your church doesn’t need to organise any evangelism because the life of God flows out of Christians in your church wherever they are, whatever they are doing.

If you can reimagine evangelism in this way, then you are starting to see evangelism from God’s perspective. You are starting to see evangelism as the early church experienced it. You are starting to see evangelism as churches have during historic revivals and awakenings. You are starting to see how evangelism could be for every Christian.

God's original design for evangelism

In the first century church, evangelism was a lifestyle. The early Christians “ preached the word wherever they went ” (Acts 8:4 NIV). Profound miracles happened regularly, that demonstrated the nearness and kindness of God (Acts 5:15 and Acts 19:11-12).

When the evangelist Philip travelled to the city of Samaria there was great joy in that city because of the many lame and paralysed people that were healed (Acts 8:4-8). God often spoke directly to Christians like Ananias to invite them into evangelistic moments: “ The Lord told him, ‘Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. ‘” (Acts 9:11 NIV).

So, why was their experience of evangelism so often different to ours?

Doing evangelism like Jesus did

The early Christians did evangelism as Jesus did. They copied what they saw him do. They imitated his evangelistic lifestyle. Their method was Jesus’ method. They didn’t do anything differently to how he did it.

Just as Jesus did, they proclaimed the good news of the kingdom (Acts 8:12). They did not preach a message that solely focused on conversion, but rather invited people to enter God’s kingdom that transforms people and communities. Their goal was to make disciples, not converts.

The early Christians understood that the Baptism of the Spirit (Acts 2:1-4) was given to enable them to achieve the Great Commission. They experienced a baptism that empowered them to see people saved. Their message was not just words; they demonstrated the reality of Jesus’ kingdom by miraculously healing the sick (Matthew 10).

Jesus modelled to them how to do evangelism effectively. He showed them how to share the gospel with others. They could share Jesus without fear. Sharing this kingdom was his evangelism method. This was Jesus' Evangelism 101.

Ask Jesus to empower you so you can experience evangelism as the early Christians did. This is how he designed it to be in your life.