Is it ever too soon to share the gospel?

When I talk with some other evangelism trainers, we often encounter the question

How soon do we need to share the gospel with some one?

Since we believe in the radical importance of a person’s salvation, we want each person to know that truth now. We have urgency.

But with that urgency to share the gospel, we do not want to be the unfriendly jerk or obnoxiously repulsive evangelist.

We feel a need to have some kind of relational equity where we can freely talk about our faith and their journey.

This is the tension between:

• Patience – time to build relational trust.
• Urgency – what if they died tomorrow?

In this clip, John Piper tackles this question with an “It depends.”

I like the point Dr. Piper makes:

• Is Jesus precious to you?
• Do you really believe they are separated from Christ with eternal consequences?

Ultimately, the impact of sharing the gospel depends on the advance working of the Holy Spirit.

• Is the Holy Spirit already at work in drawing the other person to Christ?
• Where is the Holy Spirit’s work creating spiritual thirst?
• How can you help that person make another step towards the water of life?

There is no formula to calculate the right time. Your part is detecting how God is working and cooperate with Him in the moment.