Simple Questions
Paul reminds the church at Corinth that “God
hath reconciled us to himself through Christ, and gave unto us the ministry of
reconciliation” (II Cor. 5:18), that “God was in Christ reconciling the world
to himself, not reckoning to them their trespasses, and having committed unto
us the word of reconciliation” (5:19).
Then, “we are therefore ambassadors on behalf of Christ…” (5:20). Every child of God has a responsibility for
sharing the gospel of reconciliation.
Every converted Christian is an ambassador of Christ.
But where to begin spreading the Good
News? Most of us don’t have the boldness
of Paul to march, probably unwelcomed, into a synagogue of Jews, a Kingdom Hall
of Jehovah’s Witnesses, a Catholic or Pentecostal church and just start proclaiming
the gospel before a potentially hostile audience. It takes special courage and conviction to
walk around one’s neighborhood knocking on doors, or to stand on a street
corner and ask perfect strangers if they “know” Jesus. Sometimes, we want to say something, but we
don’t feel comfortable or confident with our words or approach.
We are blessed at
Pleasant Run to have individuals who seek every opportunity to share the Gospel
and invite non-Christians and others to
study with us. Some of their methods of engaging those in
the world and sharing the Gospel are quite simple, yet effective in initiating
a dialogue. This is, after all, a basic
requirement of sharing the Gospel: dialogue. Every New Testament conversion followed some
sort of exchange of thoughts and ideas pertaining to faith, works, obedience,
salvation, spirituality, etc (e.g., Acts 28:23). Here are some simple questions we can use to
begin sharing the Gospel with our friends, family, coworkers, acquaintances
and, yes, strangers.
“What church do you go to?”
This simple, yet effective question
kick-started this article. Most people
in our area attend some kind of Sunday worship or assemblies and are excited to
talk about “their” church. Learn about
how others worship and some of the practices in which they engage. It is only natural that the question should
bounce back in your direction, and now you have an opportunity to share what
you have learned to be true regarding worship, or the work or nature of the
church.
“What are you reading?”
Philip had great success with asking a
question like this (Acts 8:30-39).
People are reading around us all the time. Sometimes they’re just reading something for
entertainment, but sometimes they may be reading something spiritual or
pertaining to the Bible. Authors such as
Joel Osteen and T.D. Jakes have published and sold books by the millions, so
chances are someone is carrying or reading some of these books around you. And, sometimes, people are actually reading
the Bible! Initiate a dialogue, and you
may find that, as with Philip and the Eunuch, people will have questions about
what they’re reading.
“What do you believe about…?”
In Ephesus, Paul asked the people if they
received the Holy Spirit when they believed (Acts 19:2). Their response was, “We have not even heard
about the Holy Spirit being given.” Paul then asked them, “Into what, then,
were you baptized?” (19:3) When they said they’d been baptized into John, Paul
was able then to begin teaching them more accurately the Gospel of Christ, and
they were baptized according to truth (btw, they did not receive miraculous
gifts of the Spirit until Paul laid his hands on them).
When you get the opportunity, sincerely ask
people what they believe about certain biblical or spiritual topics. If the topic of death comes up, ask, “what do
you believe about death?” If the topic
of the Holy Spirit comes up, ask, “what do you believe about the Holy
Spirit?” “What do you believe about
creation, miracles, heaven, hell, etc., etc…”
“How are you doing?”
Or, related questions such as “Is there anything I can help you with…?” Jesus says, “By this men shall know that you
are my disciples, when you have love one for another” (John 13:35). Consistently asking others these kinds of
questions is a good way to simply get to know them. When you get to know people, you get to know
their needs and desires. Sooner or
later, they will express a need, difficulty, challenge, or burden to which the
only answer is the Gospel of Christ.
Certainly, we want to help as we can in an outward, material way, but it
is our responsibility to let people know Christ is concerned with establishing
and fortifying the inner man in spirit and truth (Eph. 3:16, John 4:23,24).
Finally, don’t ask people questions just to
ensnare them. Develop a heart that is
sincerely interested in the spiritual well-being of others. People will search your questions for
sincerity, and immediately begin throwing up defenses if you are suspected of
laying a trap or having some scheme up your sleeve. The best way to show people you are
sincere…is to BE sincere (Phil.1:10)!
- Jeremy Koontz
