Do I need special training before evangelizing?

Don Hart explains that there are two things that are incredibly important for the work of evangelism: knowing and understanding Scripture and growing in sound doctrine. It is not necessary to first be an eloquent speaker to evangelize because it is only the work of the Holy Spirit which leads to conviction unto salvation. We are simply called to preach the Gospel, not to get results. God gets all the glory for any fruit that results from our efforts. 

Our Lord's last command is our first priority. In the church, in the family, in the city, to the ends of the earth, join us in October for White Under Harvest. I think knowing and understanding the Scriptures are incredibly important for the work of evangelism. I think sound doctrine is incredibly important for the work of evangelism. There's quite a bit of well-intentioned evangelism that I believe is misguided because of a wrong understanding of the Scriptures.

There are those who believe that salvation is something dependent on the sovereignty of man as opposed to the sovereignty of God. There are those who believe that you or I might be responsible for everyone who goes to hell, who we either don't evangelize or don't evangelize effectively. Even Charles Finney had a bit of a disturbing application when he said, give me 15 minutes with any man. And I can effectively be certain that he's saved. That's a bit of a summary of his precise position of how effective he believed he could be in evangelism.

But the fact is that it's God. It's His irresistible grace. It is a gift of faith. It is being drawn to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is enmity ending and friendship beginning and a heart of stone turned to a heart of flesh that is the effective work of evangelism.

And that's not something for which any incredibly persuasive man can take credit. And that's not something for which any saved person can boast. That is the work of the Holy Spirit for which God gets all the glory, not any man.