Sometimes starting spiritual conversations can be a
daunting task. Because the first words used in transitioning a conversation to
a spiritual topic can be complicated, here are some ideas for questions that help
you with that transition:
- “Are you a praying man (or woman)?”
- “Has the Lord given you a church to attend?”
- “How would you say your life is going spiritually?”
If the person shows little or no interest at this point,
another question can be used to probe their receptivity to further conversation.
It is usually best not to push too hard if you get clear resistance. The Bible
says that although there were other women gathered at the place of prayer, Lydia
was apparently the only one listening. Ears that are willing to listen are a necessity
if we want to share the gospel with someone.
In some contexts a comment about a person’s name (on a
badge), a piece of jewelry, or a tattoo can provide an interesting start to a
conversation. For example:
- “Joshua. That’s a great name. Did you know that it’s from the Bible? Do you know what Joshua means?” [The Lord saves]
- “That’s a massive cross you have around your neck. Do you know what happened on the cross?”
- “Hey, that’s a really cool Tattoo. What does it mean to you?”
Once a conversation is started, you may then get the
opportunity to transition into the gospel message. Here are some more in depth
questions:
- “What do you think of Jesus?”
- “Does your pastor/priest ever speak about being born again?”
- “At what point are you in your spiritual pilgrimage?”
Any of these questions can allow you to seamlessly transition
into a gospel presentation.
Starting spiritual conversations can be threatening. But
having some questions in your mind before you start the conversation can be very
helpful. I trust that you will be able to use some of these ideas!
[for notes and further discussion on starting conversations, see http://www.evangelismunlimited.com/documents/evangelizology/evangelizology-2014-chapter-14.pdf ]
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ReplyDeleteDr. Tom,
ReplyDeleteGreat conversation starter questions! I believe an intentional soul winner takes time to practice witnessing conversations and starter questions.
This past weekend I had to borrow a power booster jumper cable equipment from a used car lotto jump start my son's car . Upon return, one of the sales representatives said "we work for tips around here." Without thinking I responded, "Best tip I can offer you I go to church on Sunday." of course everyone laughed.
I would extend an invitation to anyone interested in leaning more how to start witnessing conversations to get a copy of Breaking the Evangelism Code. It has an entire chapter dealing with this topic.
Amen. Thanks, Victor!
ReplyDeleteYou are a blessing.
I think questions can be life changing. A well timed question can in deed open the doors to all sorts of conversations about Christ.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.evangelismcoach.org/2013/the-power-of-questions-in-conversational-evangelism/
I've put links to more than 100 other questions that I've gathered over the years. Picking a few you like to use is the best tip, rather than trying to memorize them all.
Chris