In our Spiritual Soldier Series we have been going through battlefield trainings in spiritual warfare. These trainings will prepare you to handle the enemy and see victory in spiritual battle.

We just finished a battlefield training on prayer and fasting and their power to combat the enemy. Now we will turn to speaking of the strategies of evangelism that wins spiritual battles. Often times your spiritual warfare will be for someone else, an unsaved loved one or friend.

Evangelism is a powerful way to advance God’s Kingdom in the hearts of individuals one person at a time. Let’s discuss the strategies evangelism affords you on the battlefield. It is a powerful weapon of which the shoes of the gospel of peace spoke of. Let’s dive in!

1. Spread the light into the darkness.

The gospel brings the light of revelation into the hearts of those who hear it. Since their hearts are darkened (Romans 1:21) and their minds suppress the truth of God (Romans 1:18) the gospel speaks directly to their spiritual hardness.

The enemy of their souls has kept them from seeing the light of the revelation of God. As you begin to spread the gospel in your corner of the world you combat the darkness with God’s light. Jesus calls you to become a light of the world (Matthew 5:14).

As you spread the gospel you bring that light into the world one person at a time. You can preach the gospel in many different ways. You don’t have to be a preacher or pastor to share the gospel with those around you.

Francis of Assisi is often credited with the quote, “Preach the gospel at all times. Use words when necessary.” But it’s most likely he never said this. In fact, no one could be credited with such words. Even when you use acts of compassion you must tell the person why you are doing them.

Proclaiming the gospel must accompany our acts. Paul tells us that God uses preachers to proclaim the gospel of faith (Romans 10:14). So as you go and proclaim the gospel in word and deed you shine the light of God’s truth into the hearts of people.

The light cannot be overcome by the darkness (John 1:5). So it is one of the most powerful weapons of spiritual warfare. Evangelizing others is the powerful weapon of every believer. Every one of us should learn how to spread the gospel.

1. Share your testimony to open minds.

There are multiple ways to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. One of the best ways is to share your testimony or story of what Jesus has done for you personally. There are very few things more powerful than your own story.

Lifestyle evangelism is another way to spread the light of Jesus’ gospel. Living the Christian life before unbelievers shows them the difference between their lives and the life of faith. We show them Jesus changes us instead of just talking about it.

Other forms of evangelism tend to be more rigid and may not be as effective. Learning a system of approaching unbelievers with the truth of the gospel may seem cookie-cutter to them and be less effective. You can use these forms to give you a firm understanding of how to share the gospel and then customize them to your hearers.

Most Christians will find sharing their testimony and lifestyle evangelism to be the most relaxed and most helpful forms of evangelism. For each personality different forms of evangelism will be preferred.

Sharing your testimony is the most personable evangelism. But if you are an introvert you may find it hard to open up and share the story of how Jesus has changed your life with most people. Lifestyle evangelism is usually difficult for introverts because they like to spend more time alone than among people.

But anyone can tell the story of how Jesus has changed them. I suggest you take a little bit of time to think about how you would tell someone your story. While you want to tell your story in a personal way you don’t want to ramble on and not have the story make any sense to your hearer. So sit down and think about how you want to tell the story, what you want it to say about Jesus.

For some people writing out their testimony helps them to remember what to share when they are telling others about how Jesus has changed their lives. If you don’t think your testimony matters or that it’s not good enough for Jesus to use to open the minds of those listening consider that every new year people commit to resolutions to change their lives.

Most people want something different for their lives. But they need to see how meeting Jesus is a much more effective way to change their lives then using their own willpower. When you open their minds to Jesus through your testimony you will see people commit to Christ and be lost to the enemy.

3. March against the gates of Hell.

Evangelism takes back souls and territory from the enemy. You March against the gates of Hell when you share your faith with unbelievers. The enemy will try to keep people’s minds clattered. It does him no good for them to respond to the gospel.

No matter how you share the gospel, when you share it the Holy Spirit will use your presentation to open their hearts a little bit more. He can use the gospel message to great avail.

Until a person responds to the gospel message and becomes a follower of Jesus their spirit is spiritually dead in their sins. They serve themselves, their own desires, and the enemy of their souls. But they don’t realize much of this.

The doctrine of regeneration states that when the gospel is spoken people begin to come out of that dead state. The Holy Spirit quickens their spirits to receive more and more the light of the gospel. When they become followers of Christ their spirit is made alive.

They become spiritually alive in Christ and serve the Lord. The enemy has lost them through the gospel to Jesus. One by one people are removed from the destination of Hell and headed to heaven.

When you share the gospel in any form you become part of the process of bringing people to God through the gospel message. Only God can save people that He ministers to through you and your presentation of the gospel.

4. Minister reconciliation to the unsaved.

Another way the Bible presents the importance of the gospel message is through the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-21). Unsaved people make themselves enemies of God. Because they love the world and the things in the world they do not love God.

But the ministry of reconciliation shows that people can have peace with God through the gospel. The good news that Jesus came and died in their place, fulfilling the righteous judgment of God against them, can bring reconciliation between the unsaved and God through salvation.

Jesus has made peace with those who accept His perfect sacrifice in their place. Their salvation comes through His sacrifice and they have peace with God. They become a friend of God and an enemy of Satan.

Through sharing the good news of Jesus’ sacrifice for them you introduce them to the Friend of their souls. There are other benefits to salvation, like an inheritance in heaven and beginning to live a holy life before God. But the reconciliation of their souls with God is one of the main parts to the gospel.

5. Open the hearts of unsaved loved ones.

Most powerfully, sharing your faith with others, especially unsaved loved ones in your family and friends, opens their hearts to receive Jesus. The good news of peace with God through Jesus is wonderful for anyone. But we especially enjoyed knowing that our family and friends will be with Jesus and us in heaven.

As a minister of the gospel I can’t tell you how many parents I have prayed alongside for their children and other family members to come to faith in Christ. Because we love these people who are so close and dear to us in our lives we want them to experience Jesus as we have.

We first don’t want them to be without Jesus when it is too late. But we also want to continue relationship with them into eternity. When we share our faith with those closest to us we can experience a visceral reaction. But if anyone sees our lives lived out and the difference Jesus makes in us, it will be those who live with us.

They will see the good, bad, and ugly in us even after we walk with Jesus. The Holy Spirit will use the best parts of our life to show them the truth of Jesus and the difference He makes. Every day Jesus is showing them what life with Him can be like.

So keep praying for your unsaved loved ones, living the life of Jesus before them, and sharing your faith at every opportunity they give you. God is the Hound of Heaven, continuing to knock on the door of their hearts until they are ready to open to Him.

Wrapping Up

God can use your story of how Jesus has changed you in powerful ways. He takes back souls from the enemy when you open your mouth and speak the good news to the unsaved. Even if they don’t accept Christ right then and there their lives are changed forever.

The unsaved move from being dead in Christ to being made alive with Christ through the gospel message. So don’t hesitate to speak the gospel and demonstrate it. What are some other ways God uses the gospel message in spiritual warfare?

Up Next

We have seen the power of the gospel to change the hearts of the unsaved and take back people from the enemy. Next we will look at a battlefield training on weapons to fight spiritual darkness and depression.