4. Get the ball rolling.
When we talk to people about God we can either make a statement that makes them want to respond or we can ask them a leading question hoping they will respond. In my case it’s easy for me to talk about how excited I am doing my Christian blog and my Bible study. If they don’t respond to what I’m saying on their own I can innocently ask my first leading question. 1) By the way, are you interested in spiritual things? If they say yes you’re in business. Even if they say no you’ve learned a little bit about where they are spiritually. People like being asked their opinions and whatever they tell you will give you a lot of information about where they are spiritually. You learn more from listening than from talking. Never ask if they’re a Christian because that means different things to different folks and a yes or no answer leaves you at a dead end with no more information than you had to start with. If they are interested in spiritual things let them talk as long as they want and only ask questions for clarification.
Then ask them this question: 2) What do you think a real Christian is? Since they’re interested in spiritual things more than likely they’ll answer this question. They’ll feel obligated to respond since you asked their opinion. It’s just human nature. If you’ve listened to them they’ll be inclined to listen to you. After you’ve listened to them let them know real Christians relate to Jesus as a person by accepting him as their Lord and Savior. You’ve asked two leading questions that, if answered affirmatively, will have opened them up a little. Now ask the third question. 3) Would you like to become a real Christian now? Some people who go to church know Jesus personally and some do not and it’s the same in all denominations. Church membership by itself does not guarantee really knowing God. It takes a personal decision of the will to turn from sin and toward God.
If they say yes to your third question you can then walk them through the four or five Scriptures that build on each other and leads them to the decision to make a commitment to Jesus. Each person who witnesses has their favorite Scriptural progression. I like to share the Scriptures in this order, explaining each verse: John 3:16, Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Romans 5:8, and Romans 10:9, before asking for a commitment. There’s no limit to the ways you can win souls to the kingdom of God by sharing your faith in the presence of the Holy Spirit. Do what works for you.
5. Don’t go to far too fast.
Give people only as much of the message as they are ready for. Some people need to chew on the gospel awhile and let the truth of God settle in their spirit slowly. Some people see the truth clearly early on and quickly give their life to Jesus. You just have to learn to watch for que’s and adjust on the fly. People you talk to will generally fall into one of two groups. Either they lack information about Jesus and don’t know how to become a Christian or they have all the information they need to know but haven’t acted on it. The first group are more than likely to believe in Jesus fairly quickly while the second group are much more reticent and some may never become saved Christians because they have some personal issues they haven’t resolved.
Our job is to sow the seed of the gospel and reap the harvest if it’s there. If a person isn’t ready to commit to Christ they may later. You’ve done all God asks you to do. Move on to greener pastures. Always remember it’s the Holy Spirit who convicts a person’s heart of their sin and only the Holy Spirit can translate a person from spiritual death to the kingdom of God. Our job is to set the table for their salvation if we can. God is blessing us by letting us be a part of his salvation plan for fallen mankind.