No two people in the Lord’s kingdom are exactly the same, yet all have the potential of great usefulness in his service. God does some of his
best work when we are uncomfortable, clumsy, and deficient. Paul, recognizing
his own weaknesses and fears, attributed any successes of his evangelistic work
entirely to the power and providence of God (1 Cor. 2:1-5; 2 Cor. 12:9-11).1
Timothy, despite his comparative youth and timid
disposition (1 Cor. 16:10-11; 1 Tim. 4:12; 2 Tim. 1:7-8), consistently stepped out in faith, confronted
his fears and inadequacies, and did what he was commissioned to do.2 The “Blurt it Out”
Approach
As a shy kid, I grew
up to be an introverted adult. But early on in my Christian walk, I realized
that I can’t be faithful to the Lord by hiding in my reclusive shell and
isolating myself from the rest of the world. I have had to claw my way out of
my comfort zone, especially in fulfilling my God-given ministry of
reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:17-21).3
Over the years I have
read a lot of books on evangelistic methods and strategies, taken multiple
personal evangelism courses, and experimented with several different
evangelistic tools. I’ve tried to learn basic principles of having religious
conversations, developing interest, asking open-ended questions, setting up and
conducting Bible studies, et al. Most of my learning has come through trial and
error.
Somewhere along the
line I have come to realize that many of the techniques and “sales pitches” I
have learned from others just don’t fit my personality. I’m a socially awkward
person. Having meaningful conversations does not come naturally for me. Through
the years, in my feeble attempts to evangelize, I have almost always felt
nervous, uneasy, and
inadequate. I routinely find myself thinking
more about what I’m “supposed” to say than listening and interactively conversing.
Whenever I don’t say the right thing in the right way, or mistakenly ask a
closed-ended question, or can’t think of what to say next, the pressure builds
and intensifies
an already unpleasant experience. I wonder how
many opportunities I have missed by over-thinking, waiting for the perfect
moment in the conversation to offer a Bible study and yet the perfect moment
never comes.
One day I had the
novel idea to just be myself. Instead of mimicking someone else’s evangelistic methodology,
or running the risk of botching or missing an opportunity, I decided to just
offer a Bible study whenever there was a brief pause in the conversation,
whether it was the “perfect” moment or not.
Inaugurating the “Blurt it Out” Approach
After placing an
advertisement in the local newspaper, I later arranged to meet with Gordon (who
worked for the paper) for coffee. He no doubt wanted to sell another newspaper ad,
while I was more interested in sharing the gospel. As we got to know each other
and I learned about his religious history, out of blue I just blurted out, “Gordon,
I’d really like to study the Bible with you.” I could tell he was caught off
guard, understandably so. A moment of awkward silence was followed by him
stammering to come up with an excuse. But then he stopped and said, “Okay, I
think I’d like that. Can my wife join us?” For the next few months we had
weekly Bible studies and developed an even closer friendship. I’m sad to say that Gordon and his wife did not choose to
obey the gospel, but at least they had the opportunity, which they probably would
not have had if I had remained stuck in my old way of doing things.
From that time onward
I have been using this “blurt it out” approach, so much so that it is embedded in my psyche. Whenever I meet someone
and discover he or she is not a member of the Lord’s church, without even thinking
the words instinctively shoot out of my mouth: “I’d really like to study the
Bible with you.”
Advantages of the “Blurt
It Out” Approach
1. It doesn’t give me
time to over-think, procrastinate, make excuses, or miss an opportunity.
2. Once the offer is
thrown out into the open, it has to be dealt with. It can’t be taken back or ignored. We
can only move forward in a more direct and practical spiritual conversation.
3. It gives someone the
chance to learn the gospel that he or she may not have otherwise.
Disadvantages of the “Blurt
It Out” Approach
1. It catches people
off guard. This, in itself, is not necessarily a bad thing. But if I sense they
are uncomfortable or
apprehensive, I’ll say something like, “Well,
think about it and let me know.” This immediately relieves the tension. Then I change
the subject, continue the conversation, and make sure they have my contact information.
I have actually had people contact me later (sometimes days or even weeks later)
for Bible study. If not, every time I see them again, I remind them of the
offer and keep asking until they say either “yes” or “no.” Sometimes persistence
pays off. When I sense that I’m being downright annoying, I’ll eventually
stop asking, but not until sufficient opportunities have been afforded.
2. It’s not a smooth or
persuasive technique. Granted. But it’s not for everyone, especially for evangelizers who are unreserved, articulate, and socially adept. It is simply a way for those of us who are socially challenged
to reach people that we might not reach any other way.
3. It doesn’t work all
the time. In fact, most of the people I’ve asked to study the Bible have
declined. But enough souls have been reached through this method to justify its
continued use. When it doesn’t work, and if there are further interactions with
any of these people, I just try a different approach. If not, particularly the
ones I never see again, at least they have been given a chance that would have otherwise been missed.
Conclusion
Everyone is different, and nobody in the Lord’s
church should be expected to be someone he or she is not. While there is no one-size-fits-all approach for
sharing the gospel,4 no Christian has a legitimate excuse for doing
nothing. Seeing that God, through his word, ultimately saves souls, our
immediate goal in evangelism ought to be getting people into the word of God.5
But this won’t happen unless we ask.
--Kevin L. Moore
Endnotes:
1 See “Paul the
Myth Vs. the Real Paul,” Moore Perspective (26 July 2014), <Link>.
2 See “Instructive
Comparison of Timothy and Titus,” Moore Perspective (30 August 2017),
<Link>.
3 See “Evangelism:
What, Where, Whom, How?,” Moore Perspective (30 Dec. 2025), <Link>.
4 See “Evangelistic Approaches for Everyone,” Moore Perspective
(6 Jan. 2026), <Link>.
5 See “Evangelistic Models, Methods, and Tools,”
Moore Perspective (13 Jan. 2026), <Link>.
Related
Posts: Timothy: Of Value to God (Part 3), Strategic Flexibility, Evangelism Mistakes to Avoid
Related
Presentations:
Marty Johnson, Overcoming Fear of Rejection, Break Free From Fear
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credit:
https://openup.com/blog/5-steps-meaningful-conversation/
