How well do you know your neighbors? A recent survey showed one-third of American adults say they not only don’t know their neighbors well; they’ve never interacted with them at all! And yet, the Bible tells us to love our neighbors and reach out to them with the love of Jesus Christ – something that’s hard to do when you have no contact with the people next door! So what’s the remedy?
On a recent Share Life Today, John Sorensen, president of Evangelism Explosion, shared a great idea to begin reaching your neighborhood for Jesus Christ. He said,
One of our staff enlisted members of his church to pray for each household in their neighborhood every day for two to three weeks. The church purchased small plants popularly called “Prayer Plants” and attached a card with a church invite. Then, on a Saturday, the participants went door-to-door delivering the plant and offering to pray for people. Here’s a sample script. “Hi, we’re your neighbors Jake and Sally from down the street, and we have a gift for you. It’s called a prayer plant, and it’s to remind you that ‘God still answers prayer.’” When the people accepted the plant, they were asked if they had any prayer requests that the church could pray for. The response was overwhelmingly positive, with one couple asking them to come back for coffee and two couples and a single showing up at church the next day.
It’s said the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and it’s amazing how God can use a simple, friendly gesture like this one to open the door for evangelism!
If you want to encourage your listeners with evangelism tips and witnessing tools and don’t yet air Share Life Today, we’d encourage you to do so. Please let me know by emailing me at charley@ambaa.com
