Three Words to Help Start Spiritual Conversations

Most people will consider themselves to be spiritual. They may have a desire for inner peace, achieve harmony with body and soul, or connect with a higher power. While many spiritual paths are offered, few provide satisfying or lasting solutions. And sadly, there is a growing reluctance to seek out a Christian church to find answers. This means that its becoming imperative for God’s people to bring the message of Good News to the people – both personally and digitally.

If you feel like a novice in personal evangelism, may I offer three words to help you get started.

Be willing.

Be adventurous.

Be okay.

Notice these words are not what to say to people, because the most difficult part of evangelism is showing up to say something when God provides opportunities to be his witness.

Be willing.

What is the favorite word of a two-year-old child? “No!” A lack of trust in God’s promises and assurances can cause us to respond the same way. It takes faith and spiritual maturity to say “yes” to God.

Rooted in Christ, believers in Christ can pray, “Lord, you have always kept your promises before and I trust that you will do the same when I carry out what you desire me to do – share my faith with others.”

Secure in his grace and fully redeemed by the blood of Christ, believers are willing to be set apart to be God’s witnesses for the sake of the gospel. They don’t just pray for missionaries and pastors to proclaim the good news, but ask, “Why not me?”

Be adventurous.

I recently attempted to install a timer switch for the outdoor lights at my house. After investing several days of flailed attempts and trips to the hardware store, my emotional energy was exhausted. Frustrated and defeated, I called an electrician for help. When he arrived, I offered to turn off the power to the light switch. He slowly turned to me with a sly smile on his face and said, “Where’s the fun in that?” Ten minutes later our timer was installed.

Was he foolish working with the power on? Was he over-confident in his abilities? Perhaps. But he knew what he was doing, accepted the risks, and seamlessly carried out the task.

I started thinking that evangelism could be the same way. Proclaiming the gospel is not easy, nor is it entirely safe. There are risks involved.

Jesus gave us an example of a man with an adventurous spirit in the parable of the Good Samaritan. Several notable men passed by an injured man on the side of the road and did not stop to help. The Samaritan man arrived and made himself available. He went beyond what was expected by extending grace, time, and resources. He didn’t expect anything in return, nor did he stick around to receive complements or rewards. He just did it.

The desire to share our faith is a natural outpouring of faith. Rooted in Christ, believers make themselves available when opportunities emerge to extend grace to people who desperately need spiritual help. This requires an adventurous spirit because evangelism is inconvenient, risky, and not easy. Starting a conversation about Jesus may seem like installing a light with the electricity on. It may appear and feel foolish!

With a sly smile, an adventurous spirit — fully redeemed in Christ — will say, “But where’s the fun in that!”

Be okay.

My electrician understood fragile male egos. He allowed me to be an observer and ask questions while he installed our timer. When he showed me the correct way to connect the neutral wires, he graciously told me, “That’s okay. It’s a very common thing to miss. You almost got it!”

Experience matters. Messing up when you are a novice is part of the learning process. Comparing our self against professionals who know what they are doing is not helpful.

Experience matters with personal evangelism. It means being okay with the feeling that you might screw up. It means being okay with feeling like a failure.

Be encouraged with these truths:

• In Christ, you are an expert in witnessing because you already know John 3:16.
• In Christ, you are a light — even when you don’t feel like it.
• In Christ, you are salt — even when you feel that witnessing is tasteless.

God asks his disciples to be a messenger so that the power of his Word can be unleashed.

And it’s going to be okay.

Be willing.

Be adventurous.

Be okay.

And that’s how we can begin to have spiritual conversations in this world.

We show up to help people along the road who desperately need spiritual help.