Q.
Greetings John:
I have many Gospel of John copies, that I am hoping to distribute in my neighborhood, door-to-door, this summer. I still struggle with how to begin the conversation, going door-to-door. I would appreciate any counsel concerning this. Look forward to seeing you in Stanfordville, PA in the fall. Thanks, John.
Charles
A.
Hello Charles,
Thank you for your practical question! There is a basic issue that must be addressed beforehand and also some general guidelines that you can follow. Many people have wondered about how to approach similar situations, and though your question specifically focuses on passing out the Gospel of John in your own neighborhood, the principles of preparation and suggestions for starting a conversation are applicable to door-to-door witnessing in general.
Before anything else, pray over it. Ask the Lord for wisdom for each individual, for freedom enabling you to speak unashamedly of Jesus, and for the hearer to have an open heart. The Holy Spirit, the Lord of the harvest, delights to answer such prayers (Matt. 9:38-38; Luke 11:13).
As to beginning a conversation, most people want to know immediately who you are and why you are there. If you’re in your own neighborhood, they may already know you. If not, there is more than one way to introduce yourself and your purpose. You could say something like, “Hello, my name is Charles. I live in your neighborhood. I would like to give you a portion of the Bible, the Gospel of John. This is good news about eternal life. In fact, this book was written so you might believe in Jesus and receive His eternal life. Would you please accept this gift?” Express this using your own words and be clear about the reason for your visit. Expect the Spirit to work and be ready to engage with people, witnessing to those whose hearts are ready to receive His word.
I know some churches have used John and the book of Romans in similar efforts. Perhaps some who have done so might chime in with other suggestions.
John
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Charles, The churches we have been involved with have distributed over 40,000 John and Romans scripture portions. Based only on my Chicagoland experiences what Bro. John said was sound advice. A few observations we have noticed: 1. We got a fairly consistent 1% return on distribution. That is for every 100 J/Rs given out 1 came to services in the short term. 2. Still today people won’t throw away a Bible like they will a tract. So even months or years later we would get responses to the J/Rs. 3. God would bring in people that had not received J/Rs… Read more »
Thanks for this encouraging and helpful input!