Conversations with people are wonderful!  God made every person you’ll meet; they have a soul and are created to be God’s imagers, and so they have dignity and beauty and are precious, whether they believe in Jesus Christ or not.   

I often say ‘Hi!’ to people I come across.  If there’s an opportunity, I’ll ask a question, or two (ok, maybe 5 or 6), depending on the situation we find ourselves in.  There are 100’s of questions that can be asked, but when we come into contact with someone for the first time, it narrows the questions down, depending on the circumstances.

You can ask initial questions, like:

How long have you lived here? 

Where did you go to high school (or college)? 

Where are you headed on your trip?   

Have you been there before? 

How many children do you have?  

Where do you work?  Or, Where did you work before you retired? 

Conversations can begin with a simple compliment:

Hey, love your truck!  (That recently happened , and I talked for 5 minutes with the man and the others with him.) 

Your children are very well-behaved! 

You’re really good at _____ ! 

There are opportunities to ask questions in the middle of helping people or when they’re helping us:

May I take your cart for you, since you have the children?  

I’ll carry your paint cans out for you.  (That occurred this week, as well, and the conversation lasted 10 – 15 minutes.) 

Do you have a torx bit for this size screw?  

Can I get that off the shelf for you?  

…and 100’s of more questions! 

When our children were growing up and we’d stop for gas, I’d come back to the car and one of the children would inevitably say: “So, where was the guy from?  Does he have children?  What does he do for a living?  Does he believe in Jesus?”  

You can learn a lot about life from people God puts in your path!  But for our purposes here, it’s a way to find out where they are, spiritually.  And, depending on the time you have, you can choose from the questions below to fit your circumstances.   

The questions you ask will vary, depending on your relationship with the person, how long you’ve known them, and where they are in their spiritual walk: atheist, agnostic, culturally religious (Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist, Shinto, etc), weak Christian, mature Christian.  Whatever question/s you ask, choose wisely — your opportunity may be limited.  Just know, you will mess a hundred times, but in time, you will get better at asking questions.  Whatever you do, ask your questions in a spirit of love and humility – those qualities are often as effective and winsome as the question you ask. 

There are times when a brief comment can open up a conversation about God: 

• I just know that everything that’s turned for good in my life is because of knowing Jesus Christ.   

• I can’t imagine going through this without Christ.  

• (6 AM, to a stranger on a dune on Okaloosa Island) “What a beautiful sunrise!  I can’t imagine something this beautiful without there being a God.”  (To which the stranger commented, “Yep!”, beginning a friendship with an unbeliever that’s gone on for 6 years, and who subsequently introduced us to several of his family and friends.)  

• When is the last time you went to church?

• Why don’t you come to church with us this coming Sunday? We’d love to have you over for lunch afterwards, if you’d like! (When unbelievers in a poll were asked about church, 82% of the people said they’d be open to going to church if they were invited by a friend. 

  70% of unchurched individuals say that they’ve never been invited to a church. 

  So we have a bad situation where the world around us would come to church, but the church just doesn’t invite them in.)

LESS CHALLENGING QUESTIONS 

If you could ask God 1 question, what would you ask Him?  

If you could have a MIRACLE from God, what would you ask for?

Has anyone ever told you that there is a God in Heaven who loves you?

Do you feel near to God or far from Him?  WHY? 

In a general discussion, at a funeral, accident, or on hearing of a tragic death: What do you think happens when we die?  Why do you think that’s true?   

MORE CHALLENGING QUESTIONS

Do you think there’s a God? Why do you think that? What do you imagine Him being like?

If God wanted you to know Him, how do you think He would reveal Himself to you? 

What are we, as human beings? 

What do you think is wrong with the world? 

What’s the solution?  What would fix or heal it?  

What’s your life centered around? Might there be more to life – like a deeper meaning or purpose, than you realize? 

Have you heard about Jesus? 

What do you know about Him? 

Have you ever read the Bible? 

Do you remember what parts of it you’ve read?  

Would you be interested in reading the Bible together and discussing it?   

BACKDOOR QUESTIONS

Start with something your friend cares about and go from there.  

Bring up a recent horrific event:  Do you think this was wrong?  Why  or why not?  

What am I:  Have you ever asked yourself: If I’m just a random collection of atoms and particles, how is it that we can look at this or that event and instinctively know it’s wrong?   

Human Rights:  Wouldn’t it be easier to believe in human rights if you believe that God created us with value and dignity, than if you don’t know God, and you think we are just a cosmic accident, an accident of chance and time, just matter and molecules?   

Justice:  How can there be such a thing as JUSTICE if we are just matter and molecules?   

Beauty & Art:  Why do beauty and art move us if our only purpose in life is survival and reproduction?  

Environment:  Why care about the environment if we’re just another animal?  

Greed:  Why get so upset about greed?   

Have you ever asked yourself: 

• Where do you think you came from? 

• Why am I here, anyway? 

• What is my meaning and purpose in life?   

• Does life feel meaningless to me?  

• What if there was someone who loved me so much that they would tell me the truth about everything? Would I want to listen to them? 

• Where am I going when I die? 

(These 6 questions answer 2 big questions: Who am I?, and, Who is God?)

If we are seeking to share the gospel in a conversation but don’t make the connection to Jesus, people see Christianity as a religion, or a system of thought, or that you’re just a nice or religious or moral person. They will not make the connection to Jesus.

INTRODUCING JESUS IN A CONVERSATION  

Some have started a genuine conversation about Jesus by using the these phrases:

“That reminds me of something Jesus SAID…”

“That reminds me of something Jesus DID…”

“That reminds me of the story Jesus TOLD, about a… “

REMEMBER — THE GOSPEL IS A RESPONSE TO THE QUESTION:  Who is Jesus?  

The gospel is not a list of moral commands we try to keep, or a set of ideas we like to think about, or a religious experience we try to feel, but a response to a question.  

In Mark 8.26-29, Jesus asks His disciples a question:  

“Who do the crowds say that I am?“

Then Jesus asks His own disciples the same question: “Ok, but who do YOU say that I am?”  

The whole of Mark’s gospel turns on that question.  

Be open to provide a way for people to contact you: “If you ever want to talk ab Jesus and who He really is, what He means for you, who he is to you, here I am, here’s my number.“  

Challenge people to go out and evangelize others through the Word, love, logic, faith, and serving.  

1 Pet 3.15:  The reason people I the early church asked Christians about the hope that was in them was because they saw in their lives hope, joy and peace amidst the hardships of life in the Roman world.