There really is no place on Earth that I wouldn’t give the Gospel to someone. As a Christian, I have the greatest news in the world! Being a pastor puts me around people on a daily basis. There is not one day of the year that I am isolated from the outside world. I have the opportunity every day to share the love of Christ with those around me. Like anything, sharing the Gospel doesn’t come naturally. I had to actively work at telling the people around me. Today, there are many places and times that I will share the Gospel with others, here are a few of my favorite:

1. At a Restaurant

Several years ago when I was going out to eat with Dr. Wemp, I was challenged to share the Gospel at the beginning of the meal instead of the end of the meal. I used to take my gospel tracts, stick them in with the tip at the end of the meal, and leave without saying a word. Dr. Wemp challenged me to give the Gospel at the beginning of the meal. That way if someone read the tract and had questions then they could come back and talk to me at the end of the meal. Several weeks ago, I went into an Olive Garden on a Monday afternoon. The waiters name was Will. He came to our table and after he took our order, I said, “Hey, Will, can I give you something really good to read?” He said, “What is that?” I handed him a gospel tract and told him, “This is how you can know for sure you are going to Heaven.” He said, “Really?” I said, “Yes. Will, I went to church all my life and nobody ever told me how I could know for sure I was going to Heaven. When I found out what the Bible said I wrote it down so everybody could know.” He said, “I really want to know that.” I then began to share with him vocally how he could know for sure he was going to Heaven. I told him how Jesus suffered, died, and paid the penalty for of our sin in our place. How He was buried, rose from the dead, and was seen by hundreds. I told him that if he just called on Christ, then he could know for sure he was going to Heaven. I asked him if he would like to do that and he said he sure would. He knelt right next to me at the Olive Garden and trusted Christ as his Lord and Saviour. I am sure glad I gave the Gospel to Will at the beginning of our meal. He could have read the tract and gotten saved but I got to be part of what God was doing in his life. Let me encourage you to always give the Gospel to those who wait on you in restaurants. It is a great opportunity to witness.

2. Halloween

There is much controversy in Christian circles over Halloween. Some people believe you should celebrate it. Others do not. Some trace it back to a pagan holiday. Others just say it is a fun time for families to enjoy. I look at Halloween as a great opportunity to witness. I tell the people of our church, “It is the only day out of the 365 days a year that children and their parents will come to your door asking for gospel tracts.” We always make sure we take Gospel tracts and wrap them around candy that we are going to give out. Every piece of candy is given with a gospel tract. My thoughts are: why fight something that is part of our culture. I am going to use every opportunity I can to give the Gospel. Let me encourage you, next Halloween to use it as an opportunity to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

3. Grocery Stores

The grocery store or any checkout counter is a wonderful place to give the Gospel. You do not have time to sit and chat. There may be a long line or you may just be in a situation where you are in a hurry. It is rude to make people feel as though they have to stop and have a long conversation when they are in the middle of their work. While you are checking out and they hand you your receipt for your groceries, take a gospel tract out of your pocket and as you pay say, “Hey can I give you something really good to read?” It would be a very kind gesture on your part. I would guess that I have done this thousands of times. A few times people have been unresponsive but the vast majority of times people receive it with graciousness. I believe we have several people in our church because people have been kind in giving them gospel tracts as they check out of grocery stores or department stores. Let me encourage you today, to hand someone a gospel tract. You do not have to be pushy. Just say, “May I give you something really good to read?” or “May I give you an invitation to our church?” Do not let the Devil intimidate you. This is great way to be a Gospel witness.

When You Give the Gospel, Give the Gospel

In 1 Corinthians 15, it outlines the Gospel very clearly. In verse 3 it says, “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas,…” The Gospel includes the death of Jesus Christ for our sins, His burial, His resurrection, and the fact that hundreds of people saw Him after His resurrection. So many gospel tracts I have read do not include the Gospel. So many so called, gospel preachers do not preach the Gospel. We tell people to be saved. We tell people about Heaven and Hell, but we do not tell them the Gospel. The Gospel is the Good News. Somebody paid for their sin in their place and that they do not have to pay for their own sin. That is the Good News. The fact is that the Holy Spirit has already given them the bad news. They are sinners. There is a righteous God and that judgment is coming (see John 16). We are to give the Good News of the Gospel. We do not have to pay for our sin. Jesus Christ paid the price for us. All we have to do is receive the free gift. Make sure when you give the Gospel, you give the Gospel. Again, I encourage you; if you do not have a copy of the Gospel Fold contact us by email, phone, on facebook, on twitter, or by regular mail and we will send you this great tool for sharing the Gospel. Best part, It is free!

Let me know what you think! When do you find is the best time and place to share the Gospel?