How will you set about it?
After the laying on of hands every baptized Christian will have been equipped with the Spiritual Gifts by GOD; spiritual Tools Christians are to use in service for others. There are a number of the Gifts, but they differ from person to person or with the special task GOD needs you for! That is also why you can always pray for renewal of Gifts after you received the laying on of hands; of course with the laying on of hands again proceeded by your hearts desire about your service for other to honour both GOD and Jesus.

Try to find out wat Gift(s) GOD has provided you with. Do not wait untill you are absolutely sure about it, but get going and ask GOD or Jesus along the way. Do not be afraid to try and you may be astonished in what you will find out!

For example:

• Try to make music or try to learn to make music; let the Spirit of GOD help you doing so.
• Write something that your heart tells you to; a poem, a song, a leaflet, etc.
• Be creative: make pictures and add Bible-verses to it, paint, make sculptures, etc.
• Make a personal webpage and tell about your believes and convictions;
• Add your creative products and thoughts as well
• Etc.

Start small, but think big!
When you have started you will be on your own and alone. Start small and close to home, because that is where you live and where you will meet Christians-to-be. You are meant to find them and to educate them personally.

Tip about how to get started: choose 3 people -not Christians yet - from your direct neigbourhood [family, friends, collegues, neighbours, etc] you want to get together with in order to establish what Jesus asks of you. Also ask and listen to GOD during your choice.

Write down their names and start praying for them; bring them before GOD and Jesus long before you approach them and talk to them about the Gospel, Jesus, etc.

• Tell GOD in your prayers why you want them to know HIM and Jesus.
• Ask GOD that you will get the opportunity to talk about your Faith
• Ask GOD that you will be given the opportunity to give a personal testimony of your Faith; a personal story about what happened to you on your way to GOD usually is very interesting for them to hear!
• Ask GOD that you will be able to tell and educate about Jesus, the Gospel, about baptism, etc.
• Keep in mind that you are allowed to use modern aids as videos, DVDs, books, CD-roms, etc. Maybe you can even give them a DVD, book or CD-rom so they can also look, read or get info after you have left...?
• Pray that they really may come to Jesus by baptism. Do not push people but let it be their own choice! It has to be their own choice and when they are ready GOD will lead them to you so you can teach them further and that you may baptize them.

What you can do in addition...
Of course you can do more than pray for a certain number of people. Christians also have to start sowing in their direct neigbourhood. Christians need the spiritual Gifts to do that. Aks GOD in your prayer for be able to go out- and speak frankly. In that way you will be able to make contact and interest people. You really don't need to stand on a soap-box in the mainstreet of your village.

Examples & pointers how you can 'sow' in your neighbourhood:

• Play praise-/worship-music on your guitar or keyboard in your local park or green area with benches. Do not ask money and give money back when given to you. It is usually not allowed to sit and make money with music in streets. Also keep in mind that you have to blend in with your surroundings. Do not cause trouble or nuisance; if you are cautious but people want you to leave: just leave quitly and try somewhere else. Multiple places to play and sing is the best way to avoid nuisance and ... spread the Gospel.
• Bring easy to hand-out and read leaflets or businesscards with you. Whatever you handout: it has to be according to the biblical foundation. Always check your info-material against the Bible and whether the info is still correct [mailadres/URLsAdresses/etc).
• Write down a Bible-vers on a small card and put it into the bulletinboard of your local supermarket or on an internet-community. You can also place an add in local papers. People often use John 3:16-18 for it. which is alright, but try to be creative and modern, because you want to reach out to people and make contact!
• Try to make a personal webpage (just as we did) from a personal angle that may interest other people so you can make contact and talk with them.
• Make small 'businesscards' with a photo and mailadres refering to your webpage. Use the back to explain about your angle and reasons. You can leave those cards in waitingrooms, in bus or train, on a bench, between pages of books or give them to people as a pointer to what you are currently talking about! Be sure the inkt you use is waterproof.
• Buy or make a T-shirt, button, chain, bracelet, etc with a special message; refering to your believes and actions. Wear it so people can read you :-)
  
• Add a short signature/underwriting to all the mails you send. Maybe a comment, a phrase from the Bible, your webadress, etc.
• Use a special screensaver for you PC at home, in the library or at your school. Also use a special mousemat.
• Put a poster with a christian message or photo on the wall of you room, office or class.
• Hand out or lend people special books on christian topics; always read the book first yourself. Also add a smallcard between the pages
• Hang a pin-down-board with clippings and card on your toiletwall so everyone can read interesting thing while sitting on your toilet.
• Send flowers with card or wish-well-cards to family, friends, collegues and aquaintances who are ill or in need of a friendly remark.

  Tune your computer in on a local christian cable-radio (for instance www.Bight.fm of www.allworship.com) When people visit you, your office or your desk play some background praise- or worshipmusic from you CD or DVD. Also in your car you can play some praise-music

  Put a sticker with a Bible-text on your car, bike or coat. Use an umbrella with a Bible-text or biblical-photo on it. Think of a keyhanger with a creative text or photo. Use a christian ringtone on your phone; preferably a tune everyone can recognize ánd identify with. Buy ballpoints and pencils with Bible-photos or text on them. Hand them out or say people can keep them when they borrow it. Buy a plasticizing-machine and be creative with computer, scanner, printer and your digital camera. And plasticize your product. It almost immediately has a professional look. Make your own handouts and businesscards. Buy a special papersheet you can print a text or photo on; later on ironing it on a T-shirt! Do mind you print the sheet in mirrored-image! Invite people to a praiseconcert of a christian band; afterwards lend them the CD or DVD of that performance or other music or film-footage. Finally: Don't be shy in showing in your house you love Jesus / that you are a Christian!! Put up painting, posters, cards, pin-up-boards in the toilet; Display christian books, DVD's, CDs Put a Bible on your mantle-piece, the living-table, on the couch Use mugs with a Bible-text or photo on it Use coasters with a special print/photo Do pray that your special and creative way of spreading the Gospel will be received and received in a friendly way. BE CREATIVE! Putting your trust in GOD In short: when you want to reach people and you do not want to be alone: take care you do reach them! Do it in a way that suites you. Don't do things that are not feeling OK; those actions will probably backfire. When you want to harvest you will have to sow first! You will have to learn to sow in various ways. Maybe in the beginning there will be no harvest at all. That is a pity, but don't give up and stay sowing. And after a while you will see certain efforts will bear fruit! When you start to work with GOD and for GOD, GOD will start to work with you in search for others. Just get going! Now you must have some ideas of how you can get going. by: Josien Kuipers-van der Marel - 28 November 2007 Back to 'get-going'-menu HOME