Listen Up! Three Keys to Gospel Conversations

 

    Historically, the most popular form of communication between people (at least for now) is speech. It’s not necessarily the easiest form of communication, for language is often a difficult barrier in itself. Trying to communicate with someone who doesn’t speak English is a challenge, but it can be just as much of a challenge if someone speaks a different dialect of English. It can be, “hello”, “hi”, “howdy”, “what’s up”, or “sup”, and they all mean the same thing!

    Our communication can be further hampered by either too little or too many more words that are used to describe and differentiate between meanings. For example, English has one word for “love”, which can be both a noun and a verb in the midst of a variety of situations. And that usually is a huge issue. Author and lecturer, Robert Johnson, explains it like this, “Sanskrit has 96 words for love; ancient Persian has 80, Greek three, and English only one. This is indicative of the poverty of awareness or emphasis that we give to that tremendously important realm of feeling. Eskimos have 30 words for snow, because it is a life-and-death matter to them to have exact information about the element they live with so intimately. If we had a vocabulary of 30 words for love … we would immediately be richer and more intelligent in this human element so close to our heart.” My point is, communication is important and how and what we communicate are equally important.

    Most of our days are filled with various forms of communication. Text messaging, social media posts, phone calls, meetings, emails, and chat messages dominate our time. We talk about our jobs, our families, our crazy neighbors, last night’s game, who’s going to win the upcoming fight, weather, politics, religion, finances, and many other issues that concern us (and don’t concern us). We talk and talk and talk, but do we actually ever get around to talking about what’s truly important?

    The best estimates are that less than 10-12% of Christians have ever shared their faith in Christ with a non-believer. Most believers are really good at praying, reading their bibles, and handing out Gospel tracts, but when it comes to actually telling the Good News to others, we’re just simply hoping others might catch faith in Christ like the latest disease or allergy that is going around. But, if others are ever going to find new life in Jesus Christ, we must have boldness and a strategy to bring the Gospel to them.

    Boxing legend, Mike Tyson, once said, “Everyone has a plan, ’til they get punched in the mouth.” I think too many of us are afraid of getting figuratively (and literally) “punched in the mouth.” We don’t want to fail and so we don’t try. But by not trying we are withholding the mercy of Christ that can bring them to salvation!

    As a pastor, one of the biggest parts of my ministry is getting to know people and communicating on a variety of platforms. I’m supposed to talk about the Gospel, that’s what I get paid to do, right? But ministry isn’t simply about preaching sermons and sharing Gospel tracts in the streets, it’s about developing relationships by speaking with and listening to others. Listening is a lost art for many people, because too many want to speak about themselves or the things they know. We’ve all done it before, we’ve caught ourselves sharing too much and not listening to the person in front of us. But there is great wisdom in listening to others so that we can know how to respond.

    The writer of Ecclesiastes wrote, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven…”, and then he begins to explain that there is, “…a time to keep silence, and a time to speak…” Detectives will tell you that if you can get a suspect to talk, they will most likely incriminate themselves. Meaning that, in their conversations, they will eventually reveal things that will link them to the crime. In a similar way, through listening to those around us, we can determine a plan for sharing the Gospel with them.

    So, where are you going to start? How are you going to intentionally share the Gospel message with those around you? Before you shrug it off, let me quickly share three ways in which you can easily enter into a Gospel conversation:

    First, look for opportunities to bring in the Gospel. In our conversations, we look for opportunities to interject our opinions, our thoughts, and our beliefs. We want to make sure that someone is listening to us and that our opinions are expressed. If we miss that opportunity in the flow of the conversation, we will usually try to bring it back to a place where we can let all our opinions out! We need to pay attention and find opportunities that the Lord is opening before us. Is there someone in your life who is facing the loss of a job or has lost a loved one? Share the hope you have in Christ! Is there someone in your life who is struggling with a decision? Ask to pray with them! Is there someone in your life who could use a friend? Invite them to a small group! Pay attention to conversations, body language, and motions and look for the opportunities that the Lord is bringing to you.

    Second, ask the right questions. As you look for opportunities, look for ways to ask the right questions when God opens the doors. We ask questions about other things, why not ask questions about spiritual things? Ask: “Do you go to church anywhere?” “Have you ever wondered what happens when you die?” “What do you think about Jesus?” I know that these questions aren’t always easy to bring up, but they are great transitions into spiritual issues. Here’s an important truth to remember: you will miss out on 100% of the Gospel conversations that you aren’t prepared and looking for.

    Finally, as God brings us those opportunities and we have had the ability to ask the right questions, be prepared to share your own story. One of the most powerful tools that a believer has is their testimony of what Christ has done for them. Revelation chapter 12 speaks of those who have stood firm against Satan: “And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” Our testimony is a reminder to us and to others of how Christ rescued us from eternal death and gave us His righteousness. It is our personal experience with the grace and mercy of God! And no matter how they may feel about God and His Word, they cannot deny our experience with Christ.

“And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.”

    The English language has roughly 170,000 words that are currently in use. Let’s be ready and prepared to use a few of them to express the amazing grace that we have received from Christ in the hopes that they too might turn and be saved! “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3.19 ESV).

Pastor Paul Beam