People List

One of the primary excuses people give for not sharing the gospel is, "I don't know who to share with!" This makes little sense, considering the fact that we are surrounded by many people who are not believers! But we all need a starting point, and that's the purpose of the People List (sometimes called a Name List).

In many cases throughout Scripture, we see that people who heard God's message passed it on to their family first: Noah, Lydia, the Philippian Jailer, and the Gerasene man, to name a few. It makes sense that we would want our loved ones to be saved and find a new life in Christ! This is the most reproducible approach to reaching people, as everyone has family, friends, and acquaintances.

Your people list will help you in your strategy to reach people. It will also become your prayer list as you ask God to work in their lives. Here is how to develop your People List and use it to reach them:

• Make a list of all the people you know, starting with your family, friends, loved ones, acquaintances, schoolmates, and so forth. Most of us can list over 100 people quickly!
• On your list, identify those who are far from God, or that you are uncertain about their relationship with Jesus. Circle the top 5 names, and make a plan to go to each of these people this week to share your Personal Story and the Gospel Story. Next week, circle the next 5 names, and so forth.
• Next, identify those who do know Jesus. These are people you can approach about training. Many Christians have never been trained as disciples, and even fewer know how to train others. Go to these people one by one, offering to train them using a Field 3 method like TFT or Reboot.

Remember, God wants you to reach many people with the good news, starting with those closest to you. Be sure your family and friends have an opportunity to respond to the call of Jesus!