Evangelism Coach

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The “Do vs Done” Gospel Evangelism Script is one of those scripts that is very well known and has a long history.  It is very simple to think through, and gets at one focus of the gospel message. 

However, it’s so common that actually finding the evangelism script on the Internet was difficult.  I guess “everyone” knows it. 

I tried several keywords to locate it, but it never rose to the surface.  Many entries make reference to this gospel script, yet there is no real explanation of how to use it. 

Do vs. Done

I actually had to turn to print.  I found this in Becoming a Contagious Christian, Hybels and Mittleberg.  

Religion is spelled D-O, and is all about trying to DO enough to please God.

The trouble is we don’t know if we ever do enough, and the Bible tells us we never can do enough (Romans 3.23).

But Christianity is spelt D-O-N-E.

Jesus has done what we could never do. He lived the perfect life and died on the cross to pay for all the wrong stuff
we have done.

But it’s not enough just to know this; we have to receive what he has done; we have to ask Jesus to forgive us and to be the leader of our lives.

Then you could ask them what they think, whether they understand the difference, and if they see the need for Jesus.

Of course, the six sentences above are basic. It focuses on one aspect of the atonement.

The point is not to memorize it, but to become so comfortable with it that you can fill in the gaps, linger on conversational points, use scripture to fill out parts that are meaningful in the conversation that you are having. 

The above is an outline to help you remember where you are in the conversational flow.

By the way, this script works in Spanish as well, Hace vs. Hecho.

Let me ask you this?

Have you used this script?  What kinds of questions do people bring up in response to it?  Tell us your stories in the comments.

James Choung has written a few books on explaining the Christian Faith. On of the issues that he tackles is updating or improving the Bridge Illustration.  The whole article is here at The Big Story | Tell It Slant .

“Choung’s ‘napkin theology’ and its ‘four-worlds’ diagram promise to be for evangelism in the twenty-first century what the ‘Four Spiritual Laws’ were for the twentieth century.”
— Leonard Sweet, author of The Church of the Perfect Storm, podcaster of the weekly “Napkin Scribbles” podcast

Check out these videos to see the telling of the story.  There are two here.

It comes with it’s own training document and a complete write-up of this diagram.

Here is what I like about the illustration:

• It’s much less individual in it’s focus. 
• It adds in that we follow Christ to join in God’s redemptive story.
• It talks about worldviews
• It’s simple and can be reproduced on a napkin.
• It incorporates some of the social aspects of the gospel.

After sharing this video on his blog, Choung received lots of feedback and suggestions and created version 2, which continues from the prior video

Let me ask you this?

What do you think of Choung’s improvement?  What do you make of how he explains sin, righteousness, eternity, kingdom?  Join the conversation below and comment.

Mission Network News reports that e3 Partners (formerly EvangeCube and Global Missions Fellowship) has modified their EvangeCube tool to work with children. 

They have a tool useful for Sunday school programs, Children’s Church, After School Bible Clubs, Vacation Bible Schools.  It’s called the Kids EE Cube, which seems to be based on the Evangelism Explosion Script. 

There are a variety of scripts that one can use to help you explain the gospel in simple and clear terms.

Each script has its critics and endorsers and it’s not our point here to argue or debate it.

Last month, I wrote an article about gospel scripts.   The main point is that you should know at least one script so that you can explain the gospel simply and clearly. That is your “Default setting.”

Let me ask you this?

When was the last time you shared the gospel with your default setting?  Consider posting your story to our Evangelism Encounter discussion group.

Pick any blog on evangelism, and one will encounter an attempt to summarize the gospel. What points must one share? What happens if I forget a point? Can I mess it up?

On one hand, its great to be concerned about messing up. We always want to be prepared to explain our faith, and get better at it as we mature in Christ.

On the other hand, God is more sovereign than our mistakes and will not deny His grace to another because our explanation was as clear as mud.

God’s sovereignty is not an excuse to avoid evangelism, nor to be sloppy in our presentation.

What must a clear explanation have?

A good explanation of the gospel must convey information about

1. The nature of sin and our separation from God.
2. The love of God and his desire to be reconciled to the lost.
3. Christ as God’s plan of redemption:
4. That God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself,
5. Christ died for our sins and rose again.
6. The promise of forgiveness of sins
7. Belief in Jesus is the response to God’s irresistible grace.

Scripts

One of most popular forms (see our series on evangelism scripts) to explain the gospel is the Law and Gospel script by the Way of the Master folks.

I like the theology of the Law and Gospel, but don’t agree with how some practicioners say its the only valid form of the gospel message.

The implication is that if you didn’t get the right explanation of the gospel, you are a false convert. Or if you miss an element in the explanation, the conversion has misfired.

In my own testimony, my conversion misfired 20 years ago because I didn’t come to faith in the right way.

Other scripts include Four Spiritual Laws, Romans Road, Good Person Test, Evangecube (video), the The Bridge Illustration, Do versus Done and so forth. There are plenty of scripts out there one could use.

Pick One

Each script has its critics, and its endorsers. It’s not my point here to pick one over the other.

My point however, is to pick a script and get very familiar with it so that you can explain the gospel clearly when given the opportunity.

I use the  Bridge Illustration as I think it covers a lot of ground. The imagery is clear.

Practice it over and over on a napkin until you can explain it clearly at any given moment. Learn how to share it lovingly and in the form of a dialogue (the script is not a tool to cream people).

Let me ask you this?

What script do you like you to use? Can you share the gospel message clearly when needed?  See our entire series on scripts.

In some of our weekend Evangelism Training Seminars, we often can build in a practical exercise in personal evangelism, a “lab time,” where people can leave the retreat setting and venture out to do evangelism in the style that we teach.  It is modeled after Phillip and the Ethiopian Eunuch. 

The basic premise is that we ask God to show us in whom he is working to draw unto Himself and then ask God how to participate in that work.  Phillip was sensitive to the Lord’s leading to “Go stand next to that Chariot.”  Likewise, we listen for those promptings.

The conversation that follows develops out of the context and the direction that the Lord gives.

“On the way to Gaza”

So we spend time in prayer and then give about 5 hours for people to find their “desert road on the way to Gaza” to see who they will encounter.

“Go stand next to that chariot”

When the people go out with a simple task of asking God to point out where he is working, I’m always personally amazed at the ease of conversation.  Sometimes we plant, we water, or we harvest. 

We always find people who are easily talkative about spiritual things, about their life, and in some cases, have pretty open questions.  Conversations that follow are not forced, but natural.

Lab time

Its a great exercise and over the years, the stories that have come back have been encouraging to see God at work.

So how can one provide effective practice sessions in a local evangelism training session?

1. Provide time for practical evangelism experience.
2. Build in time for feedback after each evangelism activity.
3. Include positive and constructive feedback for each encounter.
4. Help groups monitor their time (some feedback discussions chase theological rabbit trails)
5. Do it again.

When the people return from their outing, we have a debriefing time.  We allow people to share their stories and we ask questions to help evaluate each encounter. 

Some questions I like to ask are:

1. “How did God point out that person to you?”
2. “Where did you notice God was already at work?”
3. “What was their spiritual thirst?”
4. “What would you do differently?”
5. “What did you share about Christ?”

Let me ask you this?

Think about your last encounter where you engaged a person in a spiritual conversation.  Answer the questions above.  If you would like help discussing your encounters, we provide 1-1Evangelism Coaching

If you’d like to have Evangelism Training workshops or seminars locally, see our various options at our Live Evangelism Training page.  

I attended a conference nearly 10 years ago by Mark Miller that gave away these secrets to Evangelism Training.

1. Challenge the conventional wisdom — Evangelism is a process not an event (see: Evangelism: Process or Event?), so one size doesn’t fit every context.
2. Make Evangelism Personal — Who do you know that does not know Jesus Christ?  They are people with names, stories, and hopes, and fears.  Pray, Engage.
3. Focus on Fundamentals — How to Build Relationships, How to Present the Gospel, and How to Invite People to Faith.
4. Practice, Practice, and Practice — To build both skills and confidence. (How to Practice a Gospel Presentation)
5. Create Multiple Training Opportunities — People will never learn from training they do not attend.  A church could offer day long workshops, 4-6 week courses, self study, weekend retreats.  One time is not sufficient.  Offer multiple training events during the year.
6. Pray — Don’t Forget that any evangelism work is preceded by prayer.  Encourage workshop participants to pray for people they know.  take the time to do it.
7. Model it — Make evangelism your own priority and follow your own steps.

I found in my own story that all of these are vitally important.  Seeing evangelism as a process rather than an event shifted my thinking towards seeing the sovereignty of God in bringing people to faith. 

Practice, Practice, and Practice — After every encounter, I examine the conversation to see what I can learn from, what would I do differently, and how can I pray for that person.  Practice doesn’t make perfect, but it does increase confidence in sharing my faith.

Modeling — I found that when I was preaching weekly, nearly every week I would have a fresh encounter story to share with the congregation about a conversation that I had with a person.  I modeled evangelism conversations in my sermons, and one could tell it was such a part of my life.  The congregation grew in its own confidence and ability to do personal evangelism.

Tomorrows post will be on prayer and evangelism.

Do you want a facilitator to conduct your evangelism training?  See our Seminars / Workshops or sign up to receive notification of our next Online Webinar.  If you need someone to coach you through your conversations, we also provide 1-1 Evangelism Coaching.