Lesson 2:
Starting Spiritual Conversations
For many, initiating spiritual conversations feels like a leap off a cliff—daunting and uncertain. Taking that first step is often the hardest part.
While starting these discussions may prove more challenging than communicating the gospel itself, with some guidance and the Holy Spirit's assistance, God equips us to effectively share the gospel and draw others to Him.
How Can I Start a Spiritual Conversation That Leads Into Sharing the Gospel?
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Lesson Overview
In this lesson we will cover:
Principles of Effective Gospel Witnessing
Preparing your heart for sharing
How to Create Impactful "Faith Stories"
Telling how God makes a difference in your life
How to Gain Permission to Explain the Gospel
Transitioning into sharing the Gospel
Principles of Effective Gospel Witnessing
Prayer
This is so important!
So prepare your heart for action. God wants to help and use you.
LET HIM KNOW EACH MORNING THAT YOU ARE WILLING AND AVAILABLE. He is working at drawing people to Himself. Then Watch for "divine appointments" He brings your way to point people to faith in Jesus.
Colossians 4:2-6 provides Biblical guidelines in preparing your heart for sharing.
Devote yourselves to PRAYER, being WATCHFUL and THANKFUL. And pray for us too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ for which I am in chains. Pray that I may PROCLAIM it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always FULL OF GRACE seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Colossians 4:2-6
* At the end of this lesson, download and use the Evangelism Prayer Bookmark then use it each day to guide your prayers.
Care
Seek to genuinely care about others. Care about their physical, emotional and especially their spiritual needs. Ask God to help you.
Be empathetic about circumstances they are facing. Be quick to listen.
Caring about their spiritual well-being will help you be sensitive and watchful for opportunities to share your faith.
Ask Questions
Get to know others better by asking questions. Questions that show you are interested to know more about them. What interests they have. How they feel about things. What is important to them. Find out what they like to talk about.
Ask questions that "draw them out". Ask about how they "think" or "feel" about things. Ask questions using "what", "how", "when", etc. as they encourage more than simple "yes" or "no" responses.
Genuine caring and being interested go a long way in building trust. Trust that will help them be open to your offer to talk about spiritual matters.
Be Sensitive
Sensitive to the Holy Spirit's promptings. He will guide you in caring, asking questions and showing you openings to share on a spiritual level with someone. Learn to trust Him.
Then, use a Faith Story to bring God into your conversation...
You are the salt of the earth. Matthew 5:13
Jesus picked salt as a trait of His followers. Salt draws out the flavor of food. As salty disciples of Christ, we need to sprinkle a little salt into our conversations simply to call attention to God and bring the extraordinary God into an ordinary world.
Salt of the Earth
Coaching Tip:
A "Faith Story" is not a salvation testimony.
"Faith stories" are different than a "salvation testimony" where you tell what your life was like before you came to faith in Christ, how you came to faith in Christ and what your life is like now since you came to faith in Christ.
"Faith stories" are more about a specific circumstance where your faith in God made a difference in that situation. These stories are generally shorter to tell.
As much as possible, "Faith stories" should relate to a circumstance familiar to the person you are talking, e.g. fear or anxiety.
However, there are times when your salvation testimony is very appropriate to share.
* At the end of this lesson, you may want to download and use the following tool for help in Preparing to Share Your "Salvation Testimony"
How to Create Impactful "Faith Stories"
God Helps Us in Our Life Struggles
Faith Stories are short "personal stories" telling how God has helped during a personal difficulty. A "faith story" will tell how your faith has made a positive difference during a struggle in your life. They tell specific ways God helped you during that challenging time in your life.
As a Christian, God has affected many areas and situations in your life.
We all have experienced difficult situations in life.
With practice, you should be able to tell many "faith stories" of how God has made a positive difference in your life during difficult times.
Tell stories that relate to a conversation you are having with someone.
Seek to Relate to the Other Person
As you ask questions and get to know other people, often they mention a problem, a difficult situation or challenging circumstance they are dealing with. Listen for them.
Perhaps you have had or may be dealing with a similar situation. Think about how your faith in God has been very helpful to you during that situation.
Here's are some simple examples:
1. They may share about a difficult person at work (a relational issue).
Likely you have had similar difficulties with someone at your workplace. However, the Lord has helped you with patience and forgiveness towards that person.
Go ahead and share a "Faith Story" telling how your faith in God has helped you deal with a difficult person to have peace, be patient and be forgiving so anger doesn't control you.
2. Or they may share about a health issue.
If God has helped you when you had a health issue, share with them how God made a difference in your life at that time.
Did He give you peace and comfort? Did He provide wisdom and guidance? Did He heal you? You can see how faith stories like this would relate to the person you are talking with.
Here is a list of...
COMMON ISSUES PEOPLE ENCOUNTER
Be Specific
"Faith Stories" Bring God Into the Conversation
CIRCUMSTANTIAL ISSUES where your faith may have helped you:
Difficult Relationships
Family issues (marriage and kids)
Work and financial challenges
School issues
Health problems
Safety and security issues
EMOTIONAL ISSUES where faith in God may have made a difference:
Anxiety and fear.....God's peace
Anger.....calm
Abandonment and rejection.....God's love, care and acceptance
Bitterness.....forgiveness
Insecurity and inferiority.....God's love and acceptance
Insignificance and emptiness.....purpose and meaning
Aimlessness and restlessness.....direction and guidance
Failure.....grace and a second chance
Unforgiveness.....freedom of forgiving another
Hopelessness.....hope
Avoid general statements. Include details in your personal story. Talking about specific events and circumstances will make your story more genuine and credible. Share as much detail as you are comfortable and seems appropriate.
People love stories. And you will see how a faith story creates interest and curiosity.
Sharing how you have found help in difficult times often creates interest and they will want to hear more. If they want help and if God is at work, they will likely listen to how you discovered God's help and be open to hear about the Gospel.
Telling about your faith will naturally bring God into your conversation. He has become a natural part of your life. Therefore, be natural and mention how He is making a positive difference. It's surprising how many people are drawn closer to God by hearing about the difference He makes in other people's lives!
Lastly, consider how to...
Resources:
Download the Evangelism Prayer Bookmark to guide your prayers each day .
Download the worksheet for help in Preparing to Share Your "Salvation Testimony"
Download a Faith Story Worksheet to help you write "faith stories".
Download copy of Lesson 2: Starting Spiritual Conversations
Explore the Gospel Presentation Using John 3:16
Complete the questions below and submit your answers.(Required for earning the Certificate of Achievement.)
When you’re ready, continue to lesson 3.