06.08
We didn’t have time to get to all the questions that you texted on Sunday, so I’m going to answer some of them here. I hope everyone reads the answer to the first question. It’s a key one for us! I’ll answer more questions tomorrow and I’ll get Dima and Alona to answer a few, too.
Q: How are we suppose to answer God’s prompting to speak to someone?
Whatever way is natural for you. We all do it differently. It will take some boldness, but I wouldn’t start with, “God told me to come over here and talk to you.” 
I do think it’s important for us to know how to move a conversation toward spiritual things. I have a few suggestions:
1. Be interested in the person. Jesus was interested in ALL aspects of the person. He talked about more than just spiritual things.
2. ASK QUESTIONS. People love to talk about themselves – and few people have someone in their life who is genuinely interested in them. Be one of those people who genuinely cares about others.
Oh… and good questions begin with ‘WHAT’ or ‘HOW’, not ‘Why’. So, ‘What do you believe about the Bible?’ is MUCH better than, ‘Why don’t you believe the Bible.’
3. Let the person guide the conversation, not you. We usually have a preset agenda for the conversation. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide the conversation through the other person (not you) and see where it goes.
4. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom in the conversation. You’ll be amazed what He’ll show you if you let HIM guide the conversation. Don’t feel obligated to bring God in the conversation. God may just want you to encourage someone. At the same time, don’t be afraid to mention Jesus. He’s a central part of your life.
5. Practice turning the conversation toward a person’s journey with God. We often talk about everything EXCEPT the spiritual. Don’t be afraid to ask about someone’s journey with God, just like you ask about their kids, job, trials, and joys. AND… first try this with your friends. If you can’t turn the conversation toward God with friends, you’ll never do it with strangers.
Remember, QUESTIONS are the key! You don’t need a speech, or wise words, or a preset agenda. Just ask questions and trust the Holy Spirit to do the rest…
Q: I have friends from India who are polytheistic and friends from China who are largely atheistic. How do I approach these two groups of people about Christianity?
Be interested in them and spend time with them. Eat with them, play with them, talk with them. You must earn some credibility first. It’s important to know why people become atheists. Every true atheist I’ve met has experienced disappointment with God or a Follower of Jesus. You won’t bridge that gap overnight. (I use the term “true atheist” because many ‘atheists’ from communist countries aren’t true atheists. They’re just agnostics who use the term atheist.)
As you spend time with people, talk about your faith – AND be genuinely interested in their beliefs. ASK them about their beliefs. You don’t have to give an answer to their objections, either. And if you ask them questions like “What do you believe about the Bible?” As you get their answers, you may discover that they haven’t researched it themselves. They just believe what someone else told them to be true.
Last, PRAY! Pray. And don’t forget to pray. You can’t change someone, but God can – and He’ll use you in that process if you’re open to it.
Q: What does it mean to be salt and light?
This question references Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5. Jesus is teaching his followers that we are to leverage our relationships and influence for God’s Kingdom. (BTW… that’s a great definition of evangelism. I didn’t come up with it, but I really like it.) It’s interesting to notice Jesus’ words: we ARE the salt and light. If believers choose not to be salt and light, then there is no plan B.
I’ll post some more questions tomorrow. In the meantime, I’d love to see some discussion going about these topics, as well as Dima’s responses on Sunday. What did you think about his answer for miracles in the United States?
Very helpful. I’ve been praying for a chance to talk with my neighbor who has a Hindu background and this past week, that opportunity came. It went great and was very natural. We went for a run together and it was the perfect time to just talk about what was going on in our lives. Please pray for my neighbor and her family that they will be drawn to Jesus and his saving grace.
I will pray for this family! Very cool…
I actually did start a conversation with, “You may not believe this, but God said for mr to come talk to you.” It was a couple at a mailbox at an apartment complex we lived in some 13 years ago. When they turned around, they were both earing christian Tshirts. They said they were a new Navy family in the area and were looking for a good church home!
Now, when I feel the urging, i ask the Holy Spirit to put the words in my mouth that God wants said. i try to find commonground, or something someone is interested in, and let them expound on there area of expertise. When I get the “nod from God” to turn the talk to Him, I ask, “You seem like a really smart guy. I was wondering, in your opinion, how do you get into heaven?”
I recently connected with a HS friend on FB. I could tell she was going through a difficult time, but was hesitant to get involved. I finally asked “Do you want to talk about it?” I called her that evening, and listened as she shared all the things going on in her life. I was able to inject God’s truths into the conversation. This week, she comment about wanting the joy I have, and again the door was open to say “You Can!” and share where joy comes from. Today, I am sending her scriptures to look up. God is teaching me to be a better listener. What a privilege to share Him! All I had to do was ask a question, and spend time listening.
The guidance provided in the blog has been enlightening. Each question has provided beneficial information, and most important not “why” but “what” and “how”. In each question, I see how the 2 were applied.
Two of the most important things in the world in Jesus’s time was salt and light. They ment life or death. Wars were fought over salt. It meant life to the world. It is still an important part of life. If we had no salt today we would all die! So when we become the true salt we become life to a lost and dying world. When we share our lives with others and love them the salt can become spiritual in nature as we show the love of God to the ones who are saltless. As I shared the story of Jesus with my friend of 60 years 800 miles away, he said he wished he could believe like I did, but he was not able too. Well this went on for the last 8 or 9 years. 6 weeks ago he accepted Christ! He prayed with a friend who was also being salt and light to him. 5 1/2 weeks ago he went home to the Lord Jesus! When we share Jesus we become salt and light, we become life to a lost and dying world. Praise God!!
We had some great discussion Sunday in our ABS group on Matthew 5:13 and what it means to be the “salt of the earth”. We talked about the physical properties of salt and tried to draw spiritual parallels that apply to our relationships in the world. Some of the properties we discussed were:
1. Prevents decay
2. Adds flavor
3. Causes pain when applied to an open wound
4. Promotes thirst
5. A little goes along way
The one that has been on my mind all week is “promotes thirst”. What an awesome thought that our influence as believers would cause the people we come in contact with to thirst for God. I pray that we are salt that has not lost its savor.
Wow. I’ve never thought about that concept… ‘promotes thirst.’ I’ll use that the next time I teach.