There have been so many instances when I have been sitting next to someone who I feel compelled to share the gospel with, but I didn't know what to say. It became especially hard if I knew the person I was trying to share with on a personal, more regular, level. Right now, however, let's touch up on sharing with people we don't know so well, though it could still apply to the people we are closer to depending on circumstances.
On Wednesday, my church was doing a Q and A, aka, a question-and-answer night. At least three of the questions asked were gospel sharing related and revolved around how to bring the gospel up in a similar situation as mentioned above. Curious, I wondered what our leader would say. I had formed my own opinion over the years, but I did want to know what others had to say about it. Our leader had come to a similar conclusion as I had. There were two different ways t0 go about it. One, you could go around the topic and try to have a conversation to attempt to find an opening to share the gospel. Two you could directly ask. I will be covering the directly ask question next week. For now, I will talk about option one.
I usually lean towards the first option, but it doesn't always work the way I planned in my head. How it usually works is, you are around the person for a certain amount of time, you get them talking and maybe ask a few questions. Unfortunately, the conversation doesn't always go as planned, and you can get totally off topic. I personally start with asking how their week was. Then, depending on the answer, I will ask them about their schedule. From there, I usually take the conversation down the road about what do they do on Sundays. If they don't mention church, I just ask, "Do you go to church?"
By this time, they are more comfortable talking to me, and as long as I don't sound like I am attacking them, it goes pretty well. If they say no, ask them if they know the gospel. If they switch topics, don't press them. But by all means, pray for them. Perhaps you could even ask them when you depart if there is some way you can pray for them this week. I will put a button below that will take you to the post that explains how and why praying is a good way to share the gospel.
Going the indirect route can have its pros and cons, like many ways to share the gospel, but for some people it works better than any other strategy. If you are a person that would feel more comfortable sharing this way, then go for it! You will get better the more you practice, same as anything else. You will find your own rhythm of what to say and how to read the conversation. Not to mention, the more times you do it, the more confident you will become.
A few things to remember...Try to gage how much time you have to talk, otherwise you may miss the opportunity to get to your point. Secondly, reading people is an important skill to have when sharing God's word. You have to know when to push and when to pull back. Finally, don't get discouraged if they aren't receptive. All God asks us to do is to plant the seed. It may be uncomfortable in the moment, but that won't matter if you reach just one along the way for Christ.
A Bible verse that goes with sharing the gospel, one of my favorites actually, is 2 Corinthians 5:20, "Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God."
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