What I Would Do Differently
Ephesians 2:8 CSB) — 8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—
B. Engage People
Rico Tice writes, In God’s sovereignty, what is going on in human history is that God is reaching out to people, so that they will reach out to him. The reason your neighbor lives where she does is so that she will get reached for the gospel. Why did God want a Christian—you—to be in your workplace? Yes, so you can bless your boss and workers by working hard and honestly. But first and foremost, it’s so that others can hear the gospel.6
Starting Gospel Conversations Training
Engage- Engage God in Prayer and People in Conversation
Listen and Ask Questions- Ask questions intended to further discussion and to develop listening skills for common point and transition.
Transition- Questions and statements to transition to Jesus, invitation to church, or Further conversation.
Jesus- A short gospel presentation to be used in context of conversation.
II. Conversations
A study showed that people have “on average 27 conversations a day.”7 Christians must be equipped to be more bold and comfortable in bringing up Christ in their
conversations. These conversations can stay superficial, so a believer must learn how to move them to spiritual conversations. Christians can follow the way of Jesus to use everyday conversation to share the gospel.
Conversations Turned to the Gospel Scripture Jesus went to a well in Samaria and turned a conversation about
water to a conversation about eternal life John 4:1-26 The blind wanted physical sight and Jesus offered spiritual sight Mark 10:51-52;
John 9:1-12 The men with leprosy wanted physical healing and Jesus offered
spiritual healing Matt 4:1-4; Luke
17:12-19 Peter spoke to people confused at Pentecost to urge them to repent
and believe Acts 2:14-40
Early believers shared the gospel and added to their number daily Acts 2:47 A beggar asked for money and John and Peter turned the
conversation to the gospel Acts 3
When persecution came, Christians went out and shared the word
of the Lord Acts 8:4
The angel of the Lord told Phillip to go south where he met an
Ethiopian man who came to believe the gospel and was baptized Acts 8:26-40
John 4:1-26
• Jesus Engaged the Woman (vs. 7-9)
Jesus used an everyday opportunity to Engage someone he doesn’t know to share the gospel. ASK: Which method did Jesus use that we have discussed to Engage someone?
Answer: Let them serve you.
• Jesus Asked Questions to Reveal Her Needs (vs. 10-18)
Jesus patiently engages her questions and ultimately asks a cut to the heart question: Go get your husband. This revealed the whole in her heart and the loneliness and pain she was suffering from.
7 Jimmy Scroggins and Steve Wright, Turning Everyday Conversations into Gospel Conversations (Nashville: B & H, 2016), 51.
• Jesus Listened and Answered Her Questions (vs. 19-22)
She tried to distract with a question about Worship. He answered her not dismissing her but biblically.
• Jesus Transitioned the Conversation (vs. 23-24)
Jesus uses a transition to bring up the point of worship: How can you worship God in Spirit and Truth. In other words, You must be born again and you must know the truth of worship. There is only one way to God.
• Jesus Revealed the Truth about Himself. (vs. 25-26)
Jesus took her question and revealed he was the Messiah. This is the question we want everyone to get to. Who is your Savior? Jesus listened to people and cared for them physically and spiritually. When talking, he always found a way point them to the gospel.
The ultimate goal of our conversations is Jesus.
The best thing about conversations is that a believer can have them with anyone. Conversations build the bridge to people so that the gospel can be presented.
Malone and Cahill write, “The best way to show people our Christianity is to develop a
conversational relationship with them. . . . If we want them to be interested in what we have to say, we must be interested in our neighbor.”8
As Christians seek to have conversations, they rely on the Holy Spirit to give them opportunity and connection with that person so that they can turn the conversation to the gospel. This method is something everyone can do when they pray, prepare, and follow the principles of listening and asking questions. Keith Davy explains, “The key to conversational evangelism is the art of asking questions and listening.”9
III. Listen
Listening is often the forgotten element of evangelism. Proverbs 20:5 (CSB) — 5 Counsel in a person’s heart is deep water; but a person of understanding draws it out.
Steve Sjogren and Dave Ping state, “In a world where talk is cheap, good listening is still pure gold.
When it comes to showing the love of Jesus to those closest to you, using your ears effectively is always
8 Josh Malone and Mark Cahill, “Neighbors: Taking the Gospel Next Door,” in The Complete Evangelism Guidebook: Expert Advice on Reaching Others for Christ, ed.
Scott Dawson (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2006),131.
9 Keith A Davy, “The Gospel for a New Generation,” in Telling the Truth:
Evangelizing Postmoderns , ed. D. A. Carson (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000,) 362.
more powerful than running your mouth.”10 Listening helps believers hear the heart of the person they are speaking to and helps them see when the person is receptive to the gospel.
• Listening is Hard Work
• Listening Is Active Not Passive
• Listening is Not something to try to Fake
• Listening is the way to Love others
Active listening involves asking clarifying questions, repeating back to them to gain understanding, praying for understanding, caring for the individual, and not thinking about what the evangelist is going to say next.
Qualities of a Good Listener
1. Finds something interesting in what is said and asks questions.
2. Listens rationally and is unshockable; suspending judgement.
3. Listens for feelings
4. Shows disciplined attention through brief comments and reactions.
5. Thinks about what is being said, the advice being sought, and responds biblically.11
III. Questions to Guide Conversation
As a believer develop both questions and listening skills, they listen for responses that help to gauge the next question, comment, and when it is time to share the gospel.
Christians should not speedily jump to the gospel unless time is an issue; instead the Christian should walk slowly down the pathway for a good gospel conversation. Will Metzger explains,
A better conversation model is to begin with common interests and seek to move deeper into values, attitudes, and beliefs. We move gradually yet directly, and with a
10 Steve Sjogren and Dave Ping, Outflow: Outward-Focused Living in a Self- Focused World (Loveland, CO: Group Publishing, 2006), 112
11 Will Metzger, Tell the Truth: The Whole Gospel to the Whole Person by Whole People, rev. and expanded ed. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2002), 212-13.
purpose in mind. Our goal is to touch the conscience. One of the best ways to do this is by developing the art of questioning. - Will Metzger12
The conversation must move from the superficial to the spiritual. Consider taking the conversation from Common Interests > Values and Attitudes > Personal Beliefs.13