How to Share Your Faith through Conversations Whitney Hopler Editors Note: The following is a report on the practical applications of Norman Geisler & David Geislers new book, Conversational Evangelism: How to Listen and Speak So You Can Be Heard, (Harvest House Publishers, 2009). Many people today reject moral absolutes, are deeply skeptical of religion, and know very little about the Bible. All of that makes evangelism in this new millennium more difficult than before. Often, people wont be willing to listen to the Gospel message until youve first engaged them in spiritual conversations that prepare their hearts and minds to hear it. Heres how you can use conversations to help people get ready to respond to the Gospel: View evangelism as a process rather than an event. Sharing your faith is a process thats best done gradually through a series of conversations with people, building trusting relationships with them over time. Evangelism is helping your non-believing friends take one step closer to Christ every day and in every way. Try to make the most of every encounter with your non-believing friends to help them take steps toward Christ. Pray for more passion. Ask God to give you more passion for lost people so youll be motivated every day to use your conversations strategically to help them find Christ. Focus on availability rather than ability. Remember that its the Holy Spirit who ultimately draws people to Christ. You shouldnt feel the pressure of being responsible for how people respond to the Gospel. Your job is simply to lead them to it and give them opportunities to respond. As you make yourself available to God every day, His Spirit will empower you to speak the truth to others in your conversations. Be a musician. Listen carefully to what your non-believing friends have to say, and hear the sour notes -- things that dont sound right -- that theyre singing to you. When you hear what people actually believe and detect discrepancies in their viewpoints, youll know better how to reach them for Christ. So listen well, giving people your full attention when they speak. Eliminate distractions and focus on what theyre saying rather than thinking of your response while theyre still talking. Make eye contact with them. Reflect back what you think youve heard them say, paraphrasing it to clarify whether or not you truly understand them. Notice the different types of sour notes that people may be singing to you: discrepancies between their worldview and their heart longings, inconsistencies between what they say they believe and how they live, two or more beliefs that are mutually contradictory, and illogical beliefs. When you understand peoples perspectives more clearly, youre more likely to engage them in meaningful dialogue. Be an artist. Paint a picture using questions to help your non-believing friends see themselves in a true light. Rather than telling them what they should believe, tactfully ask probing questions in ways that allow them to surface the truth for themselves and evaluate the strength of their beliefs. When they see for themselves the inadequacies and inconsistencies of what they believe, theyll be curious to hear more about Christ. Phrase your questions in non-threatening ways to minimize peoples defensiveness. Ask questions that clarify the meaning of unclear terms theyre using (for example, if someone says, Im a pretty good person so Im going to get into heaven, you could ask, What do you mean by good?.). Ask questions that surface uncertainty and expose false beliefs to help people see the cracks in the foundation of their worldview (for example, you could ask, Do you think that all religious beliefs basically teach the same thing? and then follow up by asking, How is it possible for all religions to be the same when some of them contradict each others key beliefs?). To avoid overwhelming people with too many questions, pray for the wisdom to know which issues you should focus on. Be an archaeologist. Dig up peoples history to find the real barriers that are standing between them and Christ. People often have unspoken issues that are getting in the way of them coming to faith in Christ. They may have stated questions, but also the questions behind the questions they ask you. For each question they ask, consider: What are the possible questions (or issues) behind each question (or issue) that needs to be addressed?, What terms that they use need to be clarified?, What truth do I want them to grasp about the question or issue raised?, and What questions and illustrations can I use to help them grasp this truth?. Then do your best to provide solid answers to their questions in ways that build bridges for them to cross to the Gospel. For example, if someone asks you, Is it true that were all going to be judged after this life is over? he or she may really be asking, Is God really fair for sending some people to hell? or Should God be punishing me even when I do my very best?. After answering the persons stated question (God is just because no person lives up to His standard of right and wrong, you can add a statement that builds a bridge to the Gospel, such as: But the good news is that God has provided an answer to our dilemma by sending Jesus .... Always be ready. Be prepared to answer peoples spiritual questions at any time. But beyond that, constantly anticipate peoples questions or objections as well, and be ready to respond to them through your conversations. Use every encounter you have with your non-believing friends to help them take steps closer to Christ.
Posted on: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 18:57:48 +0000
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