Our most recent guest on the Ask About My Faith podcast, Brian Schulenberg shares his stories of growing in evangelism, facing fear, and honoring those in front of you. As a pastor and a real estate agent, his people skills and outgoing nature are drawing many to the faith due to his genuine love that expresses itself through every interaction.
An Evangelist Since Age 4
Brian met the Lord at the age of 4, on Easter Sunday, in 1974. The moments play back for him in technicolor as he recounts giving his life to Godon a swing set, asking Jesus to be Savior and Lord in his life. The goodness didn’t stop there! Brian shared his salvation with his mom, his brother, and then quickly ran to the neighbors house to share about how he had accepted Jesus.
It was a day of salvation! One of the neighbor kids accepted Jesus that afternoon, just minutes after Brian received Jesus into his heart! Naturally, because the two of them had just received Jesus into their hearts, they were quick to run down the street and tell the other four year old in their neighborhood about Jesus being the best Lord and Savior!
Unfortunately, the other friend didn’t want the Lord and was sharp in his response to Brian sharing his faith. Because of this moment, Brian experienced doubt and timidity when it came to sharing his faith with others. Despite the moment of resistance, Brian was resilient and at 9 years old, alongside others in his family, they started the “Sonshine Club” in their neighborhood and 15 of his neighbor kids gave their lives to Jesus! Brain reminds us:
“If Jesus is who He says He is and He loves us like He says He loves us, then He is worth sharing with the world!”
Related Post: How to Step Out of Your Comfort Zone
Hospitality and Empathy Prove Powerful
Throughout his upbringing, Brian experienced how his parents modeled their faith. Car rides on the way to school were full of prayer. Hospitality became a core value. His parents preached and modeled that God is a God of hospitality. His parents would say:
“We’re going to invite people who need Jesus to hang out with the people who know Jesus!”
From an open home policy where the dinner table became the altar to Brian sharing his faith at school, Brian developed a strong thread of evangelism in his life. During his senior year, 14 of his friends became Christians and gave their lives to Jesus. On Spring Break, he invited many to a Youth For Christ event. Brian reminds readers that, “If we’ll be faithful, He’ll be faithful with the rest!”
One incredible story of the fruit of hospitality was when Brian, his wife, and kids welcomed one of their close friends, who was Somali, to spend Thanksgiving with them every year. 7 years into their friendship, Brian received two tickets to a Twins game and he called his Somali friend, Jamal to join him. At the game, Brian’s friends were there – a pastor and a missionary and Jamal was surrounded in Christian community. Brian shared the full Gospel with him at the Minnesota Twins Game and he continues in intercession on Jamal’s behalf.
Related Post: How Unconditional Love Creates Boldness to Share Your Faith
Sharing the Gospel in Real Estate
Brian’s currently holds two jobs that minister in two realms of society: he serves as the outreach pastor at Wooddale Church, as well as the family resource initiative and he’s also a real estate agent!
One time he was able to share the Gospel was while representing a family who were selling their home and buying a home at the same time. It was a stressful time for his clients. Brian received a call from the loan officer where he was informed that they would not be able to close. Instead of losing it, Brian felt a total peace and said, “Sounds like we’ve got a challenge. I believe that in the morning that you and your team can find a solution. Let’s just plan to close late.”
The loan officer introduced himself to Brian in person after the closing had finally happened and Brian encouraged him with the words, “I’m just so proud of you.”
The loan officer was surprised and asked, “You’re not going to swear at me?”
Brian shared the Bible saying, “Do unto others as you would have them do to you. Do you know where that statement comes from?”
The loan officer said, “No.”
Brian was able to share with him that Jesus was the originator of those words. This former Navy seal turned loan officer started crying due to the kindness of God that Brian extended towards him.
That following Monday, the two met for coffee and discussed God. The loan officer revealed that he had received the Lord a few weeks prior at a different Church, but didn’t believe that God was real until he met Brian.
Learn more about breaking free from fear when sharing your faith: How to Share Your Faith Without Fear
Truth Bombs from Brian
Brian was sharing truth bombs with us all throughout our interview. We’ve highlighted the three that stuck with us!
1) Pray Often: Brian prays the same prayer, each morning and even at times throughout the day! It’s based off of a prayer from Pastor Rick Warren out of Saddleback Church. The prayer reads like this:
“Dear God, I know you’re going to do some great things in the world today and I want to be a part of that! Would you help me to see with your eyes and be your hands and feet? Reveal anything in me that will stop me from being my hands and feet so I can confess it!”
Brian encourages all of our readers to remember to pray, whether this prayer or another! You can leave time during your car ride or while you’re getting ready in the morning to prioritize prayer.
2) Take a Risk: 1,000 Day Steiger Story : During our interview, Brian shared about a time when he heard of a man who committed to sharing the Gospel everyday, for 1,000 days in a row! While this may seem intense, we invite you to join alongside a shorter challenge.
Commit to sharing the Gospel with someone, everyday, for a week and see what happens.
You could start with a simple question of: “If you could know God personally, would you want to?”
3) Remember the promise and the Scripture of Romans 8:28: The book of Romans is essential to every follower of Jesus. Brian reminds our readers to pay attention to Romans 8:28 and believe it for your life, no matter what comes your way.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose! - Romans 8:28
How to Develop a Lifestyle of Evangelism
The evangelism lifestyle is for everyone who follows Jesus. To develop evangelism, you don’t have to be a missionary or a pastor's kid. The evangelism lifestyle is written about in the Bible and is available to everyone. As we read in the book of Matthew:
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. - Matthew 28:19-20
Jesus created and commissioned the evangelism lifestyle. As Christians, we are to spread the good news of Jesus to those around us. We are even commanded to baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It’s easy to develop evangelism, it’s as easy as learning how to share your faith story and learning how to share the gospel.
The main thing that stops Christians from living an evangelism lifestyle is fear. As you develop evangelism as a routine, you will also develop a lifestyle of confronting fear. Talking to new people can be difficult, but it’s always rewarding to bring the hope of Jesus into someone else’s day. As you’re growing in an evangelism lifestyle, here are some simple questions to ask others:
“Is there anything you need prayer for?”
“Do you need healing anywhere in your body? I would love to pray that God would heal you!”
“Do you believe in Heaven or Hell?”
“Who is Jesus to you?”
Blending Evangelism in Daily Life
Building an evangelism lifestyle is simple. Every day, you’ll take more steps to be more like Jesus and develop evangelism into your life. Here are three easy ways to help start building evangelism into your lifestyle:
1. Love Your Neighbors: In the Gospel of Mark, we read about loving our neighbors. Jesus says:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” - Mark 12:30-31
So, first we love God, then we love our neighbors. But what does it even mean to love your neighbor? Loving your neighbor can look like…
- Remembering your neighbor's names
- Bringing Christmas, Easter, Mother’s Day, or Father’s Day gifts to their door
- Asking your neighbors if they need prayer for anything
- Prayer walking your neighborhood
- Inviting your neighbors over for Thanksgiving
- Asking your neighbors if you can help them in any way
By following Jesus’ command to love your neighbor as yourself, you will develop evangelism into your lifestyle.
2. Pray that God Would Send Opportunities to Share Your Faith: An easy way to develop an evangelism lifestyle is to ask God for opportunities to share your faith. It may sound like an odd thing to ask for, but Jesus talks about being the Lord of the Harvest, and to pray that He would send laborers out into the fields. In the Gospel of Matthew, we read:
Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” - Matthew 9:37-38
By praying for God to send out workers into His harvest field, you are building evangelism into your prayer life. And who knows, you may be the answer to your own prayer as God sends opportunities for you to share your faith with others!
3. Always Offer to Pray With Others: Another easy way to develop evangelism in your life is to make it a habit to offer to pray with others. So many people are facing tough circumstances, money troubles, fear, and insecurity. When you pause your day to ask someone, “Is there anything you need prayer for?”, you’re opening the door for God to help them. Sometimes when you pray with others, conversation flows to a natural place where you can share your faith and tell your story of how God has been good to you. The evangelism lifestyle is simple, it just takes practice and patience. Now, you’ve got all the tools to start building evangelism into your routine!
Conclusion
Regardless of whether you feel you have the spiritual gift of evangelism, every believer, everywhere, is called to share their faith with others. Join in our challenge of becoming better at sharing your faith!
Want to hear even more from Brian Schulenberg? Listen to our full talk with Brian Schulenberg on the Ask About My Faith Podcast
