Bob Young Resources

May 2021

MISSION AND MINISTRY SCHEDULING

You Can Share the Good News about Jesus! -- How to S.H.A.R.E. Your Faith

Spiritual questions lead to spiritual conversations. The one asking the questions leads the conversation. Asking questions makes it more likely that we will develop listening skills. This may seem counterintuitive, but sharing faith begins with listening. The importance of asking questions implies the importance of listening. Where is the hurt, need, curiosity, interest, point of entry for the gospel? How can the seed of God’s Word be sown?

About forty years ago, as a young minister seeking to hone my ministry skills, searching for ways to facilitate and enable the growth of the church, I was introduced to the idea of “spiritual conversations.” Sharing the gospel with other people begins with spiritual conversations that can awaken and develop interest.
I began to practice -- trying to turn conversations with other people into spiritual conversations. I thought about the characteristics of spiritual conversations. I developed samples of spiritual conversation starters. Having superficial conversations is easy; having personal, spiritual conversations requires more thought.

What if our goal was not to make conversation but was to make a difference? What is there were an easy process to guide us? Spiritual conversations can be a regular part of your daily life. Here are five steps to S.H.A.R.E. your faith.

SEEK AND SEE. Jesus came seeking the lost. We go forth on the lookout, constantly surveying the territory. We are seeking people for Jesus. Seeking the lost means checking the interest of other people, asking questions, listening. As we seek, we must develop eyes that see. As we seek, we must listen to the stories of others so we can know how to develop their interest in spiritual things.

HEAR. Being a good listener does not come naturally for most. We have been taught that evangelism involves talking, not listening. We must earn the right to talk. We must hear other people. When we listen, we show that we value other people. We are able to identity with others. We want to share with others the benefits of being a Christian, so we are learning which benefits of following Jesus are most attractive to them.

ANALYZE. We go into the world with our spiritual antenna up! We want to hear others, we listen attentively. When we listen, we are able to analyze what we hear, evaluate needs, and connect with those needs. An important part of analyzing conversations and knowing what is going on is developing spiritual perception. I call it evangelistic perception -- the ability to perceive the spiritual condition of the heart of another person.

RECOGNIZE. Recognize different kinds of hearts. Recognize and acknowledge objections. Practice reflective listening. Reinforce the connection between the gospel and the needs you hear about. You can advance the conversation, giving yourself more opportunities to hear and understand, by asking more questions.

ENCOURAGE. Sometimes, the most appropriate next step will be to encourage more contact and conversations in the future. Encouraging may involve asking for details, seeking a clarification, or expanding something that has been said. The goal is to establish connections and a relationship.
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EVANGELIZE. In some cases, the appropriate next step will be to establish a Bible study. Sharing the gospel inevitably involves studying the Bible. The authority or power behind the gospel is Jesus Christ, not our explanation of the gospel.

Seek, hear, analyze, recognize, and you will be equipped to make good decisions.
In this day of social media and mobile devices, simply having an in-person conversation is refreshing. Many hunger and thirst for the personal touch. Let us recommit to approaching others and having meaningful conversations. I pray that these five ideas can help you engage those you meet in the name of Jesus.

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This article is also available at this link: You Can Share the Good News! -- How to S.H.A.R.E. Your Faith