There are only 21 days left until Easter Sunday!

One of the things I love most about Easter, next to celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, is that Easter draws more unchurched people into the building than any other day on the calendar.

It’s my belief that most of the unchurched people who are going to show up on April 20th this year are going to be coming with someone. It is well documented that the most “effective” form of evangelism is not a crusade or street witnessing. It is a personal invitation from someone the unbeliever trusts.

Acts 14:1 says, “Now at Iconium they… spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed.” Now I know that the power is in the gospel and that God sovereignly elects those who will be saved this Easter, and I realize that God is sovereign over the end result, yes, but He is also sovereign over the means by which people get saved.

Meaning, God has ordained a manner of speech that is more effective at leading people to salvation. This is why the text here says that Paul and Barnabas “spoke in such a way that a great number… believed.”

I want to help you make the most of the next 21 days to give you the best shot at getting that friend, family member, or coworker to come to faith in Jesus this Easter. So here are three tips from the Bible that will help you “speak in such a way that [your friend, family, or coworker might] believe.”

1. Lead with Kindness

Romans 2:4 says, “...God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance.”

It is easy to forget that most of us came to know Jesus through His kindness. That word “kindness” in Greek has the idea of being considerate. So how can you be extra considerate to the person in your life that you are hoping will come to Easter and get saved?

Maybe it's buying them their favorite drink on your way into work, or leaving them a hand-written note of encouragement. Maybe it's putting your to-do list on the back burner to give them your full attention and letting them vent—even if it puts you behind schedule. You have three weeks until Easter so there is plenty of time to be kind!

2. Be Prepared with Gentleness and Respect

1 Peter 3:15 tells us to be “prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect…”

This means you don't have to be the jerk-faced evangelist. In all of your being kind, God will open the door for you to have a conversation and extend an invitation, but you don't have to be weird or harsh. You don't need to open with, “Did you know you are a sinner and sinners go to hell when they die?”

While that is true, remember that Paul and Barnabas “spoke in such a way that a great number… believed.” I'm not saying they don't need to understand the truth about sin and judgment, but leading with that does not match sharing the, “hope that is in you, yet… with gentleness and respect.”

One of the easiest ways I can think of to get into a conversation that naturally leads to an invitation is to be genuinely interested in the person.

“How was your weekend? Did you do anything fun?”

Most likely they are going to be polite and ask you the same questions, and then with gentleness and respect you can tell them…

“I had the best weekend! I went to church yesterday and it was amazing! Do you remember how frustrated I was last week? The message helped me let go of all of that! I feel so much freer. Have you ever been to church before?

…Oh you haven’t in a long time! Easter is coming up in a few weeks. Would you want to come with me? I was thinking about going to the 9:00 AM service and then getting brunch afterwards. We even have free easter egg hunts for your kids!”

As God opens the door to share more in depth, keep walking through it, but that should help you get started.

3. Pray for God to Open Doors

Colossians 4:3 says, “...pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ,

The last tip is the most important one of all—pray. Pray for the Lord to open the door to share and invite as you are practicing kindness. Pray as you are chatting with the person. Pray after they leave. Ultimately, pray for their salvation. Paul says in Romans 10:1, “Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.”

That should be all of our prayers for the next 21 days, and I hope that it’s yours.