"Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; in that very day his plans perish. Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God, who made heaven and earth, The sea, and all that is in them; who keeps truth forever, who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The LORD gives freedom to the prisoners."
- Psalm 146:3-7
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Yesterday at work I went to lunch with some friends from work. The conversation turned toward spiritual matters (one colleague is a Christian, the other a Hindu).
It was one of those conversations . . . one in which I could have steered things way, way more toward the necessity and exclusivity of Jesus and farther away from the ecumenical "all religions are at their core the same" direction the talk went. Long story on that. But I got tongue-tied, and I could not figure out a way to get the right word in.
I didn't add anything of value to the conversation. This is ridiculous. What on earth is wrong with me?
I would appreciate prayer in this area, plus would love to hear about more positive experiences if you have some to share. I admit that I struggle a lot with personal evangelism.
Thanks.
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Comments on "Confession and Prayer Request":
2. Jared
- 12/28/2011 9:06 pm CST
There's nothing wrong with you except you're human and therefore a stupid sinner. But we're all that, so you're nothing special there. ;-)
Seriously, though, I need to improve in this area too, but I have found it better to frame the claims of Christ in a question. It comes across less confrontational and opens a door a little wider for conversation.
For instance:
"Well, Jesus said he nobody can come to God except through him." is okay.
But:
"What do you think about Jesus' claim that nobody can come to God except through him?" is better.
From there you can go on to explain how Christians take him at his word, the evidence for Jesus' claims as historical and true, etc.
3. Karl
- 12/28/2011 9:20 pm CST
I second Jeff's comment. Sometimes affirming the similarities or areas of common ground - or simply NOT jumping straight to the differences between your beliefs and his and the ways in which you think Christianity is right and his religion wrong - builds bridges for future meaningful discussion that might not have existed if you took the first opportunity that presented itself to tell a person why you think they are wrong. I'd go even further and suggest more "active listening" with open ended questions seeking simply to understand. Not so that you can refute, but so you can better understand him, and what he believes and why. And be very wary of the pull to jump straight into refutation as soon as you think you understand. If he thinks you care about and respect what he believes, then he is much more likely to care about and respect what you believe, when the opportunity presents itself for you to share.
And even if this was an opportunity that you blew because you could and should have said more, grace covers that and even our failures can later be redeemed and used in spite of ourselves.
4. nhe
- 12/29/2011 9:42 am CST
Bill, I'll take Jeff and Karl's point a step further.
It bums me out a little when you say that you added nothing to the conversation. I think the reverse may actually be true. By not jumping to the exclusive claims of Christ in that situation (especially if the Hindu guy knows you're a Christian) you may have actually been very winsome in that setting....and quite possibly you have set yourself up for some exciting dialogue going forward - especially in the the hopeful context of an emerging friendship.
I really think that the biblical prescript for conversational evangelism is to address a felt need area and the person's life, and then specifically look for gospel resonance..... i.e. - woman at the well.......and then simply point out (best through Jared's Socratic question method) that the resonance has a name.....and that may or may not all happen in the same conversation - it may be several conversations before the gospel message comes out.
Which, I think is fine under one condition. That is, that we believe that our Hindu friend's blood is not on our hands. Meaning, if after your conversation yesterday, your Hindu friend dies suddenly, that you DON'T feel like "if only I had mentioned Jesus and the gospel, my friend wouldn't be eternally separated from God."
I just don't believe the Bible teaches that it depends on us. And if its true that it doesn't, then we have a lot more freedom to ask questions, look for gospel resonance and where the felt needs are, and believe that God will draw the person to Himself if he chooses us - not because of us, but (usually) in spite of us. Because, lets face it, most of us are just like Paul - we "do not come with superiority of speech, or ability to persuade"......evangelism is 100% a God dependent task.
5. Thor
- 12/30/2011 1:54 pm CST
Bill,
Sorry, but I'm a little late to the conversation. Whenever these things happen to me I can almost always trace them back to two things. First, I notice that when I'm out of the Scriptures for an extended period of time or attempt to study them in a consistent yet casual way, I find that I'm not nearly as prepared to engage folks as I might otherwise be. In these cases, I'm usually consumed with other things - hobbies, work, sports, etc. It's no surprise, therefore, that I find myself bumbling and fumbling around in my discussions with others of a different faith (other with brothers on points of theology). Second, when it comes to discussing Islam, Mormonism, Catholicism, or whatever, I usually find myself in a similar position simply because I'm truly ignorant of what those folks believe, and, like before, I'm unable to put together a coherent and informed response. In order to engage folks intelligently, I believe we must be able to accurately articulate their view(s).
I'm not saying your in this situation. I'm just throwing that out there because I often find myself there. Hope that helps, brother.
The stupid sinner thing is a bit awkward. Not sure if that's necessary.
6. Bobbi
- 01/03/2012 6:09 pm CST
I have been praying for many friends and relatives to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus for years. If there is no opening to talk about spiritual things after many conversations I'll ask them what they think of Jesus and see where that takes us. Most will tell me what they think and then I continue to pray for them. I'm praying that all Christians will be the salt and light that we are supposed to be. We have to keep seeking the Lord every day to lead us. I think this is God's way of keeping us humble!
7. Bill
- 01/03/2012 7:31 pm CST
All,
Thanks so much. Such wise words.
Thor - what you wrote hit close to home, and I'm beginning to work on some better habits. Thanks bro.
9. Bobbi
- 01/04/2012 2:31 pm CST
Paul's prayer request in Ephesians 6:19-20 was "Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should."
Leave a Comment:
Bill,
I don't want to quench the Spirit, but I do not consider it a standing rule that I need to steer every conversation on spiritual matters toward the claims of Christ. I know that before my own conversion, there were people that I would studiously avoid the topic with, because I knew the direction it was bound to take. It may be that your refraining from this will ultimately work for good with your ability to be an effective witness with these colleagues.
That said, I will say a prayer for you, and please take this as encouragement, not discouragement from listening to the Spirit when he is prompting you.
Jeff
P.S. Check out Exodus 4:11-12.