Every person is already living for something. Long before they hear the name of Jesus, their heart has been trained by what they treasure, fear, and pursue. Evangelism, therefore, is never just the transfer of information. It is the work of addressing the heart’s deepest attachments with the grace and glory of Christ.

Hearts are formed by what they love
What the heart loves, the will chooses, the mind justifies, and the body follows. Scripture and Christian theology have long recognised this pattern. Human beings are not primarily driven by detached reasoning, but by what they perceive to be beautiful, worthy, or life-giving. These loves express themselves as desire, joy, fear, and grief.

This means that meaningful change is always heart change. Yet not all change is growth in godliness. One disordered love can simply be replaced by another. A person may turn away from a visible sin only to become captive to approval, success, or control. Behaviour may improve while the heart merely shifts allegiance rather than being renewed.

True transformation, then, is not behaviour management but a reordering of loves. Godliness grows as lesser goods are restored to their proper place and love for God becomes central.

Why precision matters
Care is needed in how the gospel is applied. Consider generosity. How does a person actually become generous with money, time, or energy?

Two moves are required. First, the underlying disordered love must be identified. What fear or desire makes obedience difficult in this situation? Is it anxiety about security, fear of loss, or a need for control? Second, the gospel must be brought to bear precisely at that point. General exhortation lacks power. The heart is healed when grace speaks directly to the love that governs it.

Paul models this approach in his appeal to the Corinthians. Rather than issuing a command, he points to Christ:
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

Here the gospel is played in the key of wealth and loss. Christ’s self-giving addresses fear of poverty and frees the heart to give without anxiety.

Persuasion and the Spirit’s work
Reaching the lost raises an unavoidable question: how do blind eyes see and dead hearts live? Scripture is clear that new life is the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit. No argument or strategy can produce regeneration.

Yet the Spirit uses means. Paul writes, “Knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others” (2 Corinthians 5:11). Persuasion is not manipulation, but faithful witness. Throughout the book of Acts, Paul adapts his approach to different audiences while proclaiming the same gospel, trusting the Spirit to do what only he can do.

Knowing the gospel clearly
Persuasion begins with knowing the gospel well. Scripture presents a coherent story of creation, fall, redemption, and consummation. These truths shape how Christians understand identity, suffering, hope, and the future.

Faithful witness also requires understanding the stories a culture tells. Every culture carries narratives about who we are, how we should live, and what gives life meaning. These stories are often absorbed without reflection, yet they shape how the gospel is heard.

Engaging wisely involves several movements. Listening carefully and entering the cultural story. Affirming what can rightly be affirmed. Critiquing cultural narratives on their own terms, exposing the tensions they cannot resolve. Finally, showing how Christ fulfils what those stories long for but cannot deliver. As Paul declares, “All the promises of God find their Yes in him” (2 Corinthians 1:20).

Living as a credible witness
Persuasion depends not only on words, but on lives. Scripture speaks of adorning the doctrine of God and of living wisely before outsiders with gracious speech. A life shaped by the gospel gives credibility to the message it proclaims.

This witness includes holiness, but it also includes quick and honest repentance. In a culture marked by defensiveness and excuse-making, straightforward confession is rare. Christians who acknowledge sin plainly and seek forgiveness without justification display a humility that is both disarming and compelling. Such lives are strong and gentle at the same time, confident yet humble.

Speaking to personal longings and conflicts
Reaching the lost also requires attentiveness to individual lives. Each person carries hopes, regrets, fears, and longings that do not always sit comfortably alongside what they claim to believe.

Many deny ultimate meaning, yet still cling to hope. Others reject moral absolutes, yet continue to carry guilt. Scripture explains this tension: humanity is made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), yet lives in flight from him (Romans 1:21–25). Where these tensions surface, the gospel can be heard not as an abstract claim, but as good news that speaks to lived experience.

Here again, precision matters. The gospel is not applied abstractly, but personally, addressing the specific loves shaping a person’s heart.

One calling, one task
Reaching the hearts of the lost belongs to the same work as shaping the hearts of believers. As Paul says, “Knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others” (2 Corinthians 5:11). Persuasion is part of Christian witness because the gospel addresses the heart.

This persuasion takes a particular shape. It involves knowing the gospel clearly, living in a way that displays its power, and engaging people personally with care and precision. Logos, ethos, and heart-directed appeal work together as the Spirit uses ordinary means to draw people to Christ.

As Jesus and the gospel are presented as truly glorious, hearts respond. Loves are reordered, fears are healed, and people are drawn to trust the one who gives life. In this way, the church participates humbly and faithfully in God’s work of reaching the lost.