Are you ready to give the Good News?

(This post is part of our “Give away the gospel” series.)

All believers are given the biblical mandate to live a lifelong lifestyle of being ready to share the Gospel at a moment’s notice. This sharing doesn’t happen by accident. It starts with us cultivating a deliberate lifestyle of being ready so that when God puts into our lives the opportunity to share, we won’t miss it!

Over the years, the GoodSeed staff members have found that giving a person a book, audiobook or DVD is the simplest way to give someone the Gospel. In under a minute, we can give someone a well-developed tool that will explain the Gospel, step-by-step, story-by-story, to a person with absolutely no understanding or knowledge of the Bible. Through giving away, we have seen so many people come to put their trust in Jesus Christ for their salvation. Being ready to give away a gospel tool requires some very simple planning: 1) Identifying your Personal Distribution Points and 2) Preparing a “Be Ready Box.”

1. IDENTIFYING YOUR PERSONAL DISTRIBUTION POINTS (PDPs)

Many of our staff members have what we like to call our “Personal Distribution Points.” These are places where we put our tools, ready to use at a moment’s notice. Examples of PDPs are:

• a box by the main door of the home
• a box in the car
• a shelf at the office
• a book in a daily work bag
• a box in the home of a family member in another town

Consider these scenarios where you could distribute the tools:

MAIN DOOR OF YOUR HOME

A salesman comes to your door. You strike up a conversation and realize — here is a God-given opportunity to share the Gospel. At the end of your chat, you offer to give the person a book that helps explain the core message of the Bible. You reach behind the door where your box of gospel tools are and hand the salesman a copy of By This Name.

IN THE CAR

You’re having a meal at dinner and get to chat with the waitress who is serving you. To thank her for the great service she provided, in addition to the tip, you offer her a copy of a book that will help explain what the Bible is all about. You go to the car and retrieve a copy of The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus and give it to her.

 

SHELF IN THE OFFICE

One day, out of the blue, a co-worker who knows you are a believer asks if you have a book or resource to help him explain to his daughter what the Bible is all about. You reach over to your shelf and pull out the children’s book The Lamb and pass it to your co-worker, encouraging him to read it together with her.

 

WORKBAG

On the bus, train, or plane, you get into a conversation with a fellow passenger. He mentions that he’s always wanted to read the Bible but never got around to it. It just so happens that in your workbag, you have a copy of What are Christmas and Easter All About? and you hand it to him, telling him it’s a detailed yet concise overview of the Bible’s core message.

 

FAMILY MEMBER IN ANOTHER TOWN

You have a friend come up to you one day lamenting that she wished she knew how to explain to her parents what the Bible is all about. You realize they live in the same town as your parents. So you call your mom and ask her to take a copy of “The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus: Large Print Edition” from the box of books you left with her, and pass it on to your friend’s parents.

These are all examples of Personal Distribution Points or PDPs for short. PDPs can work for you as well. Think about your daily life. Where and when do you get the chance to interact with people? For these occasions, where would it make sense to store some tools? Your bag? Your car? A box under your desk in the office? These are your PDPs. You’ll probably be able to think of a few PDPs.

2. PREPARING YOUR “BE READY BOXES” (BRBs)

At your Personal Distribution Points, you’ll want to have a box of gospel tools ready to be given away. We call this your Be Ready Box. The BRB is just any simple box for you to store the tools. It could be:

• A sturdy cardboard box
• A plastic box with a lid
• A padded zipper pouch for your workbag
• Your glove compartment
• Your shelf at home

You just need a container that can store a number of tools and resources.

GoodSeed has a range of resources and tools that will meet the needs of a diverse range of people, from people who like to learn by watching or listening, to people who speak other languages. For your Be Ready Box, you’ll need to think of the type of people you come across in your daily life, and then pick out a number of tools that will be helpful for them.

For example, if your community is dominated with people from an Asian background and with immigrants coming from places where Islam has had an influence, you could select By This Name and All That the Prophets Have Spoken to include in your BRB. If you have friends who prefer to learn by watching or listening, then you can stock up on our video books and audiobooks.

Pack your box and now you’re ready to reach in and give a resource to whoever is interested in learning about the Bible’s main message. Remember to pray for opportunities and remember to engage people in conversation. Get ready for a lifelong lifestyle of sharing the good news of the Bible.

Some of you may already have places where you store books and resources, ready to give away. We’d like to hear where you have your Personal Distributions Points! Leave us a comment today.