"Don't preach to people" is the first thing you need to remember when you step out to reach the lost for Christ.

I love to get up before crowds and preach the Gospel. I do that every week across this country, and usually have the privilege of preaching to thousands of people in one service and see hundreds come to the Lord Jesus Christ. It's really great!

But I've got to tell you something...my responsibility doesn't end there because everywhere I go I realize that I have a responsibility on a "one to one" basis to win people to Jesus Christ.

They Have Questions; You Have Answers
You see, everyone out there is trying to find something in life that will satisfy them, or get a hold of something that will change their lives, and WE HAVE THE ANSWER!

People ask me all the time, "How can I win others to Jesus Christ? How do I get the conversation going? I'm not a preacher. I don't have the ability to walk up and say, 'Hey, what you need is the Lord Jesus Christ.' How do you do that?"

I want to talk to you about that. It is really simple, really easy - no great outline for this at all - it's just from my heart and I know that it will help you.

Think about how to get a conversation going. You don't want to come up to someone and start preaching at him or her. Don't preach. Forget that. You're not a preacher. I don't act like I'm a preacher. In fact, I'll tell you how I do some things...kind of my "technique," okay?

I don't always feel like it. I mean, I get on planes, and I've just preached right? I'm really tired and I have to get up early in the morning. Sometimes I don't feel like jumping up in the morning, clicking my heels and saying "this is the day that the Lord hath made." I'm the first to admit that. You don't always feel that way. But, you can start conversations in a very subtle way.

"That's Bad News…"
For instance, I've been on many airplanes and just opened my Bible. Someone would be sitting next to me and they would be reading the newspaper, and I would just casually say, "Oh, that's bad news, and I have the good news."

Well right away they're going to say, "Well, what do you mean the good news?" I say, "Right here in the Word of God it says "I am come that you might have life and have it more abundantly," something that is appropriate for wherever they are.

If they are talking about the economy I can say, "Oh, I read here in the Bible where it says God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory. I don't have to worry about the economy."

Tell Them Something They Don't Know
Things like that will open up the conversation. You see, I don't sit down by them and just start preaching to them. Remember this technique: Don't preach to them.

Don't say to them, "You're going to hell." Tell them something they don't know.

Our Lord gave us a good example of this at the Well of Sychar. He just started the conversation with the woman by talking about the obvious - about drinking water. See, this was His technique and it works!

Source: Tools for Winning Others to Christ by Dwight Thompson.
Excerpt permission granted by Cornerstone Publications