We know that’s true but sometimes, for many reasons, those answers are not easily forthcoming and may even be held back deliberately. Here are a few ‘Answer Practices’ you’ll definitely want to avoid.
- Jump Right In – Don’t ask a question for clarification to show their question is important to you, just give your memorized response.
- Go For the Victory – Quickly state your answer and then show by your reaction that they should just get over asking and believe.
- Don’t Admit Ignorance – You can’t have them thinking you don’t know something…make it seem like they’re stupid for asking.
Those ‘rules to follow’ are from Answering Tough Questions on InterVarsity Evangelism, where I actually turned around a list of things to do and made them into a list to avoid at all costs. But wait there’s more.
Lee Strobel, in his book, “Inside the Mind of Unchurched Harry & Mary”, gives us a great reminder about the importance of questions…
“Unchurched Harry has a whole range of questions about Christianity, and they deserve answers. Whatever the nature of his inquiry, even if it sounds frivolous of elementary, it should be considered valid if it’s hanging him up on his spiritual journey.”
So Questions DO Deserve Answers; thoughtful, caring, illuminating, loving answers that can be used by God to draw people toward His Son and not drive another wedge between them and the Savior.
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Boldly Barna – Where to Start
Many Christians who believe people without Christ will, when they die, be separated from God forever and spend an eternity in hell, don’t like that idea and want to be part of the process of moving that eternal state to one of closeness with the Father. It’s how we go about it that sometimes gets us in trouble.
George Barna, in his book, Evangelism that Works, gives us a couple of key thoughts to consider about how and when to share our faith. First, he says “outreach efforts that take advantage of the credibility, accessibility and trust of an existing friendship have a better chance of succeeding than does ‘cold call’ evangelism.”
A friend of family member, who is deeply aware of a Christian’s genuine care for them, is more likely to respond favorably to a spiritual discussion than a total stranger on the street that we walk up to and ask, “Do you know Jesus?” But there’s more to it than just having a good relationship; there’s the matter of sensitivity.
“Evangelism that starts at the nonbeliever’s point of felt need and ties the gospel into that area of need has the greatest capacity for capturing the mind and heart of the non-Christian.”
A friend displaying pride, fear, anger, or any other hurtful emotion or behavior, may be perfectly comfortable with their actions and resent our telling them that God has a way they can change. However, when they share remorse at how they’ve behaved, and especially when God has cleaned up our life in the same area, the door to sharing is much more open.
So, as we work at exhibiting the behaviors featured in today’s ‘Comments on Quotes’, here’s a ‘simple’ way to spot a possible sharing opportunity. I call it “Grace Reminders” and believe it can be used by God to help make you more aware of the ‘right’ time to speak up about your faith.
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