Tim Maas Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

To me, the most "natural" lead-in to a gospel conversation would be any of the frequent situations that can arise in this life (and not even necessarily directly affecting the individual with whom you are speaking) that highlights the brevity of this earthly existence (especially in comparison to eternity), and/or the sudden or unexpected nature of the manner in which life can end.

Many put off dealing with this issue in the belief that they will have time to do that when they are older, or when they on their deathbeds, but that opportunity may never occur. As Paul said in 2 Corinthians 6:2, NOW is the day of salvation.

Also, faith then brings comfort and hope to the sorrow and loss that are inevitably felt in connection with such events, especially when they affect the individual personally -- particularly with respect to the ability to once again see and be with loved ones forever in eternity.

December 18 2020 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jack Gutknecht ABC/DTS graduate, guitar music ministry Baptist church

Across the globe, this is the most effective thing you can say in order to start a conversation:

"Hello."

In whatever language you speak, your “hello” could initiate the first conversation among many that God uses to draw someone to himself.

“God has given us a beautiful day.” Most of the time, if the person is interested in talking about God, they’ll hear my faith and continue to converse about God or ask questions.

“What do you think would be the best/worst way to die?”

“What do you think happens after you die?”

Or questions about MORALITY:

“How do we know what’s right or wrong?”
“Do you think there is anything that is inherently wrong in all cultures?”
“Don’t you think it’s weird that all children seem to have an innate sense of fairness?”

Questions about RELIGION:
“Do you think, overall, that religion contributes to or detracts from becoming a good person?”
“Overall, do you think religion makes society better off or worse off?”
“Are you more or less likely to trust someone if they’re religious?”

This transitions well into a discussion about how your faith is in the person of Jesus Christ, and not in a religious movement. Sometimes it’s helpful to make that distinction for people

Question regarding HUMAN NATURE:

“Do you think people are inherently good or inherently bad?”

This question is powerful. If they think that people are inherently good, they have to answer for all the bad. And we’re not just talking about the overwhelmingly evil things done by people (e.g., the Holocaust), but also the everyday wrong or harmful things we all do.

If they believe people are inherently bad, ask them what can be done about it. This is the perfect segue into a discussion of your faith

Question about GOODNESS:

“Why do we all assume we deserve good experiences?”

We’re not just talking about the worst-case scenarios here. “Why does this always happen to me?” is the kind of question that people ask when they misplace their keys or stub their toe.

https://www.jesusfilm.org/blog/conversation-about-gospel/

June 12 2022 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report