There are a lot of great resources and books out there on Evangelism. But recently, I was incredibly encouraged reading the book Tactics by Greg Koukl. This is a resource every Christian should read, and I pray they are encouraged by the simplicity of sharing the gospel with others.

What I particularly enjoyed about this book was the way Koukl talked about sharing the gospel. Very quickly, he removed the pressure of sharing the gospel yet made a compelling argument to simply “put a rock in someone’s shoe.” The premise of his tactic in sharing the gospel is simply to ask good questions and get people thinking more deeply about spiritual things than they have previously.

“When I talk with people about spiritual matters, I’m not looking to close the deal with them. I’m just looking to do a little gardening in their lives. That’s all. I want to get them thinking. If I can do that, then I’m satisfied, since I know they are ultimately in God’s hands.”

Koukl, Loc 211

It can be easy to quickly get overwhelmed with the idea of sharing the gospel, especially if you have never done this before. Maybe you have been following Jesus for a while and yet you have not shared the gospel before. Maybe there is some fear you are holding on to that is preventing you from sharing with your family or co-workers or friends. That is normal but it is also a scheme of the enemy. What I love about this book is the encouragement that Koukl gives to believers to simply have a conversation. He reminds Christians that “if anyone in the discussion gets mad, you lose” (Loc 461). His goal is never to “win someone to Christ” but rather to engage in conversation.

Koukl also gives a few really simple and basic questions for Christians to ask when they are talking to others about the claims of Christ or the beliefs of Christians. Questions are a really valuable tool to use because they provide extra time and clarity in your conversation. One great question to ask is, “What do you mean by that?” This allows the other person to provide clarity in their argument and helps you understand where they are coming from. The second is, “How did you come to that conclusion?” This will help you understand why they believe what they believe and allows them to evaluate this as well.

It is clear that Koukl has a lot of wisdom and knowledge in how to have helpful discussions with non-believers and he offers a myriad of questions and tactics to practice as you share the gospel. I have tried to highlight a few of my key takeaways from this book here, but again, I highly recommend this book to all believers. I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the simplicity of his tactics, the ease of sharing, and the overall tone of his book. And I pray that this book encourages you to step out and share the gospel, not from a place of shame or disappointment for not doing this in the past, but rather from a heart of excitement and eagerness for others to truly hear about the grace and love of Jesus! “At the end of the day, a person’s deep-seated rebellion against God is a problem only a supernatural solution can fix” (Loc 3114).