The MethodsOf Evangelism - Lesson 9
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09:19:00
…As we talk about methods of evangelism, methodology really begins with the glory of God. As all things should. We want to say, we want our methods to glorify the Lord. And so we're going to evaluate every method that we might use in evangelism based upon the principle does this glorify the Lord? Metzger says, "Therefore, we resist all methods of evangelism that appeal to human glory, which draws glory away from God. We are not indifferent to the benefits that result for us, yet they are not the substance of our message.
09:21:00
So we don't alter our message to make it palatable or manipulate people to produce a response. Our evangelistic method is an extension of our theological view of God, humanity, grace, and so on. The life and ministry of Paul serve as a demonstration of these principles. His flexibility is shown in his accommodation to hearers. Yet he doesn't sacrifice the basic message. The time and place of an evangelistic effort may influence the specific content and emphasis of his message. Paul freely evangelized in a variety of settings, such as house to house, small group dialogue, group proclamation in individual testimony. Love will always be enterprising, resourceful, and creative. And so, of course, yeah, we've made this point that Paul is the same message of the gospel, but he also is aware and sensitive to the group that he's speaking to. So for instance, in Acts 13, he's in a synagogue in Pisidian Antioch,
09:22:00
and they ask him if he wants to deliver the message. "Do you want to give us a word of encouragement?" which Paul's like chomping at the bit to do this all the time. And so he gets up, and he preaches. And he— the way he speaks is— he gives the gospel, but he does it in a very Jewish context, and he caters his message to really speak to them where they are. Well, then chapter 14, chapter 17, he's speaking in Ephesus, and then in Athens, and his message, especially in Athens, is still the gospel, but he has different starting points because he recognizes these Gentiles are not coming from the same starting place that the Jews are. And so he really gets— he starts with more basic first principles we might say, about the nature of God, who God is in contrast to their polytheistic worldview. And so he's— his method matches his message,
09:23:00
but he's also sensitive to his group. And that's what we want. Our— if you take anything away from this morning, it's that our method should match our message. Or our message, our theology, should inform the methods that we use. Okay? Follow? Yes? Okay. Second Corinthians— go to Second Corinthians for just a moment. Second Corinthians, chapter 4. Paul's talking all about new covenant ministry. In Second Corinthians, displaying it, defending it, describing it , and Second Corinthians 4 speaks about his ministry here, verse 1. It says, "Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart, and look at verse 2, but we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning,
09:24:00
or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth, we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God." So Paul is very concerned that his methodology would not run afoul. That they would not try to manipulate people. They wouldn't— that he wouldn't try to use underhanded ways that others might use, to get the ends that he wants. No, no, no. His understanding of the message is going to inform how he goes about his methods. And actually, we see in verses 3 to 6 his understanding of the message. Verse 3, "And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing." So part of what informs Paul's thinking is that people are blind in their sin. So we ought not to use underhanded ways, try to manipulate people,
09:25:00
because we understand their spiritual condition. And he's going to say that we really understand that they're blinded, and they're in need of regeneration. They're in need of God opening their eyes. So that should inform our methods. In verse 4, he says, "In their case, the God of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." So, okay, if they're blinded to the person and work of Christ, they don't see it correctly, because they're dead. Then what is Paul's methodology? Does he go with something else? Well, they can't see Christ rightly, so let's do this first. No, he says verse 5, "For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake." So we still put forward Christ. He's the one who will bring change. And then we trust that God will bring about regeneration as they hear about Christ. Verse 6, "For God who said, Let light light shall shine out of darkness, has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge
09:26:00
of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." And then he understands himself as really just a vessel for God to use. In verse 7, "But we have this treasure in jars of clay." To show the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. So just think, you know, jars of clay. Like, think of like a fast food container. Like, God has put a bucket of diamonds in a KFC bucket, right? It's like, it's just KFC bucket full of diamonds. You know, that's what Paul is saying. Diamonds in the rough here. And so this is informing Paul's methods, his understanding of the message, informs his methods. So verse 2, "Renouncing disgraceful, underhanded ways, we refuse to practice cunning, or to tamper with God's truth, but by the open statement of the truth, we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God." So just a plain, open statement of God's truth.
09:27:00
We're talking about the methods of evangelism, the methods of evangelism. So Paul understands regeneration is necessary. People won't believe unless God opens their hearts. But he does it through the word of God, accurately proclaimed. So our focus is really on clarity and faithfulness to the message. And so we seek to then avoid manipulation because if we seek to manipulate people, then we're not believing that it's regeneration that's needed. We're just starting to believe that if we can just kind of get the music just right and the lighting just right and we can get them at the right moment, that we can convince them. And yet that would be an underhanded way, Paul would say. So it's not our methods. Really, that it's the miracle of God that brings salvation. And so 1 Corinthians chapter 3, verse 7, Paul says, "So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything,
09:28:00
but only God who gives the growth." And yet he says, just before that, that we are that he and Apollos and others are servants through whom you believed. So they did the work of giving out the message, watering the message, so to speak. Making it as clear as possible. Being as faithful as possible. And then when someone was saved, they gave all credit to God because he was the one who had to bring regeneration. So God is sovereign. He is ordained means to accomplish, as appointed ends. The means of us opening our mouths, proclaiming the truth. We need to do that with clarity. And then God draws sinners in regeneration through the proclamation of the scriptures. 1 Corinth ians chapter 1, verse 21. He says, "For since in the wisdom of God the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God
09:29:00
through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe." So we don't need to change the message. We don't need new methods. We just proclaim the folly that that's how people view it. The folly of what we preach to those who believe in God brings about the new birth. 2 Timothy chapter 3. It's the scriptures that are the means to life. 2 Timothy 3, verse 15. And how from childhood, Timothy, you have been acquainted with the sacred writings which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. So it's the scriptures that make us wise unto salvation. God uses his word. James chapter 1, verse 18. "Of his own will he brought us forth." That's a language for regeneration. The new birth. "Of his own will he brought us forth
09:30:00
by the word of truth." So it's through by the word of truth. So we are clear with the truth. That's our part. And then, of course, the early church understood this. Acts chapter 8, verse 4. Acts chapter 8, verse 4. "Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word." So this is after the martyrdom of Stephen. And the result was a scattering of believers because of persecution and what did they do? They were, as they were scattered about, they proclaimed the word. It's like they scattered seed of the gospel in all sorts of places. So our method focuses upon clarity and faithfulness in giving the message. We use the illustration before of a handing out lightning rods, right? We don't know where God is going to strike, but we know what God will strike. In regeneration. So it's the gospel. So we give out the gospel. We give it with clarity.
09:31:00
And God can use that then to bring about the new birth. J.I. Packer, I wonder if you've read Evangelism in the Sovereignty of God. It's a relatively short book, but it's a great classic that is very helpful. Wrestling through those dynamics. We've talked about them a little bit, about God's absolute sovereignty and man's responsibility and how these come together in thinking about evangelism. He says this about our methods. Quote, "The principle is that the best method of evangelism is the one which serves the gospel most completely. It is the one which bears the clearest witness to the divine origin of the message. And the life and death character of the issues which it raises. It is the one which makes possible the most full and thorough explanation of the good news of Christ and his cross. And the most exacting and searching application of it. It is the one which most effectively engages the minds of those to whom witness is born. And makes them most vividly aware
09:32:00
that the gospel is God's word addressed personally to them in their own situation." End quote. Metzger really summarizing a quote of Martin Lloyd Jones. He says, "We cannot assume that those who believe the right way will necessarily present that belief in the right way." And that's the same thing. Methods and message. So just because we believe the right message, sometimes there's a like disconnect in how that should be methodologically communicated or brought forth. Packer, again, says, "There is only one method of evangelism, namely the faithful explanation and application of the gospel message." There it is. One faithful method.
09:33:00
The faithful explanation, excuse me, one method. The faithful explanation and application of the gospel message. And he goes on and says, "From which it follows, and this is the key principle which we are seeking, that the test for any proposed strategy or technique or style of evangelistic action must be this. Will it in fact serve the word? Is it calculated to be a means of explaining the gospel truly and fully and applying it deeply and exactly? To the extent to which it is so calculated, it is lawful and right. To the extent to which it tends to overlay and obscure the realities of the message, and to blunt the edge of their application, it is ungodly and wrong." So what he's trying to do is give us somewhat of a rubric for thinking about a method that we might use in evangelism and saying, is it faithful? Is it going to serve these purposes? And if it does, then okay. If it doesn't, then we should not use that method. A couple other verses. And then we're going to get into
09:34:00
some just other practical matters here related to methods. So Matthew chapter 10. This is kind of speaking about method, but really even our manner, our manner as we evangelize. Matthew 10, verse 16. Jesus sending out some of his disciples says, "Behold," 10:16, "Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. So be wise as serpents and innocent as doves." So here's the manner that we are to have. As we go out sharing the gospel, to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. There's part of our method. Colossians chapter 4. It's also speaks to our manner as well. As we speak the truth, Colossians 4, verse 5, it says, "Walk in wisdom towards outsiders. Making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious
09:35:00
seasoned with salt. So that you may know how you ought to answer each person." And then 2 Timothy chapter 2. Verses 24 to 26 also speaking to the manner in which we interact with others. 2 Timothy 2:24, "And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome, but kind to everyone, able to teach patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance, leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil after being captured by him to do his will." Even there, we see Paul merging together the method he would use
09:36:00
or the manner he would encourage ministers to have with what they believe, what their theology is. In other words, God is the one who grants repentance and brings people out of the snare of the devil to believe the truth. That's like back to 2 Corinthians 4, which we read. Same idea. And so if we believe that, that people are held captive until God grants them repentance, then that should inform your method and your manner as you interact with people who vehemently disagree with you. In other words, he's saying, you don't need to get angry at this person and lash out at them and raise your voice at them, because they're disagreeing with you. Why? Because it's not your tone of voice being elevated that's going to convince them. It is God who grants repentance. So you focus on clarity, faithfulness, and don't be fighting, don't be quarrelsome. Be kind, patiently endure evil.
09:37:00
Be gentle as you correct opponents. Yes, you need to correct them, but do it with gentleness. And so the theology that God must grant repentance informs our method on how, even our demeanor, as we would interact with others. So Paul is trying to help Timothy and other ministers there to think about their manner in light of what they truly believe, what their theology is. Okay. So method and message. Want to match those up. Well, let's look at some I think we can get through two of these. The first is conversation catalyst for evangelism. I want to think about our methods and one of the methods is how do we get the conversation going? How do we have a gospel conversation? We talked about the message that we want to communicate, but how do we even get in there? How do we start this thing? And so what are some conversation starters? How do we get things moving in a spiritual direction to talk about these issues?
09:38:00
And one key method that is very effective in evangelism is asking questions, is asking questions. Questions get a conversation started. And so learn to ask good questions. Jesus asked lots of questions throughout his ministry. He says, "Who do people say that I am? What good is it if someone gains the whole world and forfeits their soul? He's thought-provoking questions. Philip asked a good question to the Ethiopian eunuch as they're traveling along the way. He says, "Hey, do you understand what you're reading? And it opens up conversation." And they talk about Isaiah 53 and they get to the gospel. Acts chapter 8. Also, it is instructive to consider the kinds of questions that we would ask is much better to ask an open-ended question than a closed question. And what do we mean by that? Well, a closed question closed-ended question
09:39:00
would be like yes or no questions. Because they don't tend to further more conversation they tend to just require yes or no short answers. But an open-ended question is one in which it requires more thought and a greater response. It's going to reveal more that about what the person believes. And so we want to ask those open-ended questions if possible to learn what someone is thinking. So here are some questions. That pulled together here from others and just obviously, I think the most common question that people have used, which is a great question, is something to the extent of, if you were to die to day.
09:40:00
Do you believe that you would be in heaven or hell? And then based on that, why? Right? That's a great question to ask. But here's some other ones that that question is great, but it kind of goes from like 0 to 60 like you're in a Tesla or like you're in a Cybertruck. It's like, and you're there, right? But there's other questions that can kind of just work your way into that conversation. So and there's lots like that. But here's some other ones that are a little bit more I don't know. They're getting there. They're on the path there. So one question might be, what's your religious background? It's pretty vanilla question, but it'll open up a conversation. Describe what it was like. What was good about it? What was bad about it? That's not a uncommon question to ask. Oh, yeah. Did you grow up going to church?
09:41:00
I mean, that's just a general informative question. And when they say, oh, yeah, I kind of grew up Jehovah's Witness, you're like, oh, tell me more about that. What was that like? Is that still your whatever it is? Oh, yeah. We went to church. Do you still go to church? Not really. Okay. What changed? Right? You're just keeping the conversation going and hearing from them and what their belief is. How about this question? Have your beliefs changed over the years? And you might even tighten the point on that or sharpen the point of have any of your foundational beliefs changed over the years? And then this question goes on to say, such as since you were married, since you had kids, and then other big life changes, right? What beliefs in your life have changed if any as your life has progressed from college to marriage? And that's just like getting to know someone,
09:42:00
but you're learning a lot about what they think, what they believe. I mean, you could just ask someone like, do you believe in God now? What do you think God is like? Or here's one. What one or two questions would you ask God? If you could rephrase it, if you could ask God two questions, and he would answer you, what would you ask him? I mean, this is kind of a thought experiment but it probably would open up quite a bit of discussion for you and that person and learning kind of what's on their heart, what's on their maybe they'd say like maybe brings up or maybe that person asks, well, yeah, why is there so much suffering in the world? Right? Okay. We've talked about that issue. What are some ways that your beliefs affect
09:43:00
the way you live? That's a good question. Here's some others that Metzger includes. He says, do you think God holds us personally responsible for the wrong things that we do? Excuse me. Let me say that again. Do you think God holds us personally responsible for the wrong things we do? And then even just, who do you think Jesus Christ is? Why did he have to die to take care of our sin? So yeah, there's so many opportunities for this. I mean, Jesus comes up all the time in public discourse. Even like every year, there's like a magazine around Easter or Christmas. Like debunking biblical truth in some major magazines or newspapers. So hey, who do you think what do you think about Jesus? What do you think the main theme of the Bible is? Have you ever read the Bible?
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And just hear what people say. I've read some of it. I haven't read it all. Yeah, I read it once. Oh, yeah. What did you learn? Was it hard to understand? What stood out to you? So a lot of ways that you can ask questions to that hopefully it's not too hard to see how those could be furthered along towards the gospel. Any other questions that you have that you found to be helpful to just get a conversation going, moving in the direction of the gospel? Yeah. I guess just to tell I guess on myself a little bit, but I have a hard time. As someone who's not like I wish I was more on the better asking questions to get to know people, that's just not my gift. So I think getting to the gospel is not a hard part for me.
09:45:00
It's the not making it awkward to transition from the weather to the gospel. You know that like the beginning, getting to know someone and not making it like so obvious what I to where they're like a we know what you're doing. Yeah. And that makes it awkward and it doesn't need to be. what's like a how do we get to the what are good ways So I guess my question is, that conversation starters for the like what are good questions that we can ask to get to the gospel? Yeah. Before. Yeah. No, that's good. Yeah. I think all of us are most comfortable most likely to just stay on the surface. The weather, general things in the news, sports, things like that.
09:46:00
And if you think about like think about some like concentric circles within each other, and if the gospel is in the middle, right, and or just not the gospel, yes, but like most fundament al significant important serious sober matters. So informing life. And then you can kind of move out in the circle to more mundane things. There is in some ways, and I think fellowship works like this as well. If you think about like the things of the Lord and scripture, that's really what true fellowship entails. It's like one believer talking to another believer about what they're learning and how they're being encouraged. But even that, it can be we often start once we meet back up with someone we're kind of checking on them, oh, how's your week been? Oh, did you see the game? And you're kind of in that like you're entering into the circle of conversation on the outer rings, and you're kind of circling around.
09:47:00
And any given conversation or person may spend more time in that outer ring, but you're thinking like, okay, how can we move into the next ring that's just maybe it's not the ultimate ring, but it's like a little bit more depth of what's going on. And then those will ultimately lead to can lead to getting into that middle circle. And so I think that helps with I said, I think it's totally fine. It depends on the person and the context and all that. I've certainly just gone zero to 60 in one second with some people but with others who especially like those who you're interacting with like on a way more consistent basis, then it tends to be those more organic conversations that like you learn this piece of information about them and then you ask more questions about that and that kind of furthers the conversation. I think some of these questions are some more than others. Questions that get you closer to the gospel. Like for instance, what was your religious background?
09:48:00
Or like that's not the gospel by any stretch. And it's I think that's not very offensive in the slightest. I mean, I think it's just like someone views that as like you're just trying to get to know me. Like, hey, where did you grow up? What's what was your first job? You're like just asking them questions about their life. Did you what was kind of like your religious background? Did your family go to church or something like that? And you might already know that based on like the context in which they are. But you also may not know that or what were some of the most significant lessons that you've learned growing up from family or maybe church or other books that have really been like key principles that have guided your life. I mean, that's just like very innocuous, I think. And but it's revealing their worldview slowly to you. And then you have the opportunity to just ask follow-up questions
09:49:00
to those questions. Oh, that's interesting. Tell me more. And you can always just say that. And as you're thinking about a better question, right? And really, it's just a matter of learning more and more about them and I mean, obviously you can say, hey, well, what will likely happen if you ask a lot of questions to someone I think most people eventually will recognize like, wow, I've been talking a lot. Yeah, what do you they'll just kind of throw the question back to you. Yeah, what was your experience growing up? Oh, yeah. I grew up in church. And it was a good experience, but I heard the pastor talking about sin and hell and heaven and hell and what it meant to be right with God. And I kind of had a superficial view of that. I kind of wanted just my punch my ticket and get into heaven. But I really still wanted to live however I wanted. But it wasn't until like over time that God really helped me see
09:50:00
a lot clearer what the good news is and then good news, good news, good news. And God really convicted my heart and he really exposed my sin, but he also forgave my sin, brought me to himself. And I'm so thankful. And then there's so many ways you could go from that to put it back on them. And so yeah, I think these questions are the means to getting closer. Is that help a little bit? Yeah. So think about those circles as concentric circles and working your way in a little bit closer and closer. Any others? Good questions that you found, maybe an answer to that question as well that just kind of get things moving. I've noticed that most people around here go to church or have gone to church. And so it's not just you're meeting someone new. If you're totally not weird questions, you're like, hey, did you go to church somewhere in town? Work with someone you have known that has gone to church in the past.
09:51:00
You're like, do you still go to this church? Yeah. They say no. What changed? You can go deeper from there. Absolutely. Yeah. And so you can kind of work on past knowledge there and then just kind of follow up with things. Yeah. Here's oh, go ahead. How do you do? I mean, there's always depending on your definition of awkwardness, there's always going to be a little bit unless the conversation is checking the box on every perfect thing that you go on in the conversation, right? There's going to be a question. That you feel awkward asking. But it's probably not as awkward as you think. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, even here Jesse said, and I get what you're saying, but it's like there's just got to be a point where you're like, you know what, I'm just going to say this even though it feels awkward. Yeah. There was a quote I had. I don't see it though in my notes, but just saying, you know, it's in some ways
09:52:00
this is my paraphrase. The conversation is awkward if we are awkward. Like kind of thing. Like it's kind of what you're saying. Like so if we're super like clunky and awkward about it, then but if we're more natural about it, then it kind of puts people at ease, right? I was. Yeah, just awkwardness. So I'm good. Yeah. Yeah. So just embrace the awkwardness, right? But at the end of the day too, it's okay for awkward, right? I mean, honestly, this is like going against what the sinner wants to hear anyway. So it's going to be like, whoa, you know, what are you doing? Asking me these questions. But I mean, and everyone's different. Some people don't mind talking about those things. I mean, of course you all know this. You talk to some people and they're like immediately ready to talk even though they're not a Christian. They'll talk to you forever about it. They don't want to make a commitment, but they're happy to talk. Other people are like real standoffish. I don't want to talk about these things, right? And that's just different people. You know, like I don't know if I embarrass my kids with this,
09:53:00
but like we were buying fireworks the other day and at Red Apple, the big one on the interstate. And for an event that was applicable too recently. And so we were there and we got to, I didn't even think about this until like the moment. So we checked out, get our seat. And it's kind of like Costco and Sam's Club there. You got to show your receipt before you leave. So you know, before you blow yourself up. And so then they're going to check and make sure you got the stuff. So I was handing it to the lady. And it just popped into my mind like, oh, this is kind of like Sam's Club right now. And so I just, I said to her, something like, hey, you know, oh, I said, oh, you guys got to check all the receipts. This feels like Sam's Club. And she's like, oh, uh-huh. Because she's like been doing this like all day. But I mean, they hear the same thing all the time. So I thought I'd change it up. So I said, you know, I always tell my kids that the receipt is like the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because it validates his person and his work, who he claimed to be and what he did,
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that God accepted that. And she was just like, oh, yeah, yeah. And I was like, all right, see you later. So I mean, boom, just a little boom, gospel bomb, you know, right there. I mean, I've had no one else said that to her that day. So and maybe she thought about all the 1,500 receipts that she checked off the rest of that day. But you know, you can have those little like drive-by shootings. So to speak of gospel truth. But then of course there's the more day-to-day conversations that you have with people where you're just, you're just trying to get to know them better and learn about their worldview. I think another helpful way is current events. Just use current events to your benefit. You know, I think I mentioned this some months back. This is just what comes to mind. But like when the Charlie Kirk, this is back in the news,
09:55:00
the preliminary hearings are happening. But for that court case. But when which actually is probably another gospel opportunity right there. But when that all happened, and you remember Erica Kirk speaking very shortly thereafter. And speaking about forgiveness and these things. And so I mean, wow, like most people heard that. And so you can just ask like, wow, did you see that? What did you think about that? What did you think about what she said? And then boom, you're talking about things like, justice, forgiveness, sin, in very black and white terms. Right? So and then you're just, you're just asking them a bunch of questions. You know, and then eventually they're likely going to ask you, or you might just say, you know what, that's made me think about. And they're going to say, well, what? And boom, you know, just share a few thoughts from scripture. Even now, like as it's been going through, you know, back same exact same subjects. Right? So you just ask about, hey, you watching the news? You watching this preliminary hearing? What are you thinking about that?
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You know, so then it's just conversations just happening about what everyone else is seeing around you. And you're able to then kind of see what maybe you think beforehand. Like what are some of the big worldview issues that are going on in this situation that I could apply. Here's a Jesus does this in Luke 13. I said this a while ago, but in Luke 13, Jesus models this. It says in Luke 13:1, there were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered in this way? Now stop right there. Jesus, everyone just witnessed this or recently in their collective memory. And he just asked a question to the people. What do you think about this? Do you think those people were worse because they died and the rest of us didn't? And then he uses another example. No, or he said, he applies it. No, I tell you, but unless you repent,
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you will all likewise perish. He always wondered, you know, were people shouting out in answer to Jesus' question? Like, you know, in these crowds. Eventually he gives an answer. Verse 4, or those 18 on whom the tower in Siloam fell, and killed them. Do you think that they were worse offenders than all others who lived in Jerusalem? So there's a construction accident. And this tower falls. So one is an example of moral evil, like one human doing evil against another human, or humans. And the other is natural evil, where it's something that's not necessarily human agency. Of course, these humans built this. Maybe they were shoddy construction. We don't know. Did you see that story about the building in Manhattan that's like got beams that are buckling and they're having to reinforce it? Yeah. So anyway, so yeah, I mean, this is the same world that we live in. That Jesus lived in. So there's this tower, and it falls.
09:58:00
And so people die as a result of it. And Jesus is asking, you know, so you could fill that into a hurricane or some other what we call natural disaster. And he's just asking them questions about that. So those can be really helpful to us opportunities to think through. And bring up, see what people think about those conversations or those subjects. Metzger offers kind of a stilted sample conversation about something ordinary leading to a deeper conversation. But maybe it'll help you a little bit as well. He's got the non-Christian and then the Christian. So the non-Christian says, well, I finally decided I'm going to major in art. The Christian says, great. What made you finally decide on that? Well, I feel it's the best way to fulfill myself and bring more beauty into the world. That's interesting. Why do you suppose you have this desire to make beautiful things?
09:59:00
That's hard to answer. But I know how much I enjoy the feeling I have when I make something new and beautiful. Christian, yeah, I feel that way sometimes. I'm sure that's why I write poetry. Do you ever wonder if there's if this striving to make beautiful things means anything? I mean, I mean that it might be an inclination of some higher reality beyond the physical world. Non-Christian, you mean like God? I think about that sometimes, but I just don't know. I think somebody must have designed the beauty in nature. Christian, that sure makes more sense than thinking everything is here by chance. You know, God didn't make much of a difference in my life until I understood he is a creator who, and then he says, dot, dot, dot. You know, it's like, and then you're so, so you could see like some of that stilted. I mean, he's trying to like put words into someone's mouth that it's going to go a thousand different directions. You know, every conversation is different. It's never like, then they say this, then they say this.
10:00:00
You know, we're all unique human beings. But you can at least see like how something very ordinary asking about someone's major can lead to more depth of conversation. Metzger just simply says, evangelism is asking the right questions. So the conversation can keep going as long as you keep asking questions, right? In some ways, if you're backed up against the wall, you're like, how do I get, you know, You know, tell me more about that. just what made you think that? What made you come to that conclusion? You know, and then you're just kind of learning more and learning more. Even if in that particular conversation, you don't get to make the transition, you've had a conversation with them. You got history there with them. You got capital. And you can come back and say, hey, remember when we were talking about such and such? It got me thinking about something. And you can follow back up again, right?
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So, and that can be kind of more natural. All right. We'll stop there for now. Any other questions or comments that are helpful to getting started in the conversation? Oh, yeah. The lady in the back. I think sometimes that will serve that nobody else is speaking about how awkward I am more than I am. Yeah. So just helpful to remember that. Yep. It's an honest thought. It's more than you're probably thinking about. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, that is so true. I mean, we're often thinking like, oh my goodness, they're going to recognize that I wore this last week. And it's like, no, they're not. Everyone's just thinking about themselves. One time as a trick, or just as an experiment, I wore the same suit tie shirt, shoes, for like four months in a row. Every single Sunday.
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To see if anyone would notice. Nobody noticed except Joni. Eventually. But my wife. I'm like, listen, I'm up here public. You know, no one even cares. I only need one suit. Now I actually do have more than one suit. But anyway, it was just an, I'm a weird person, okay? So I just, I was experimenting on you guys. So you know, if that's the case with clothing, then how much more, you know, if people, people are thinking way more about themselves than they are about you. Yeah, that's a great point. Yeah. Many of us just didn't want to. Yeah. So I texted some friends of mine. We'll end with this. I texted some friends of mine who are pastors and I told them my experiment and one of them said, you just live in the South. Everyone's just nice and doesn't say anything about it. Everyone's thinking about it, but they just won't say it to you. And I was like, oh, I think you might be right. So, anyway. All right. Well, let's stop there and let me pray. Father, we're grateful for the joy of the Lord, for you making us alive in Christ through the gospel and the joy that gives us. Lord, may we be joyful evangelists.
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May we live our lives before others in a way that we'd want to truly know about their lives and to learn more about them. Not, not just to learn the minimum about them so that we could get to the gospel. Of course, we want to get to the gospel, And then to be able to helpfully bring to bear gospel truth in their lives. but to truly learn about where this person's coming from. And what their worldview is Give us courage to speak out to start these conversations, and how they've come to those conclusions. give us clarity and, Lord, help us to not be stumble over just thinking about ourselves so much that we that we fail to speak and get conversations going. Help us to think of good questions to ask beforehand, in the moment. And, Lord, even when we are awkward and stilted, even use that, Lord, to further gospel conversations.
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Lord, help our methods to match our message and for you to be glorified in the way we go about sharing Christ. In Jesus' name, amen.