CONVERSATIONAL EVANGELISM

by NORMAN GEISLER & DAVID GEISLER

Today it is more difficult to reach people by sharing just a simple 4 point gospel presentation. Very

often we need to build bridges with people before gradually sharing the gospel with them at the

right time and perhaps over many conversations.

We may not be able to plant the seeds of the gospel until we work the soil of people’s minds and

hearts. If we equate evangelism with reaping then we may get discouraged in witnessing when those

we speak to are not interested at first. Instead we may be called to prepare the groundwork for

others to plant the seeds and water it and finally to lead the person to Christ. We all have a role to

play.

Evangelism is everyday and in every way helping your non believer friends to take one step closer

to accepting Jesus as their personal Lord and Saviour.

Our goal in our evangelistic encounters need not be to get the whole gospel message out in one

time. We need discernment to know how much a person can hear from us at one time before they

become defensive and even feel offended. We should conduct our conversations in such a way that

they desire to continue the spiritual dialogue the next time we see them instead of avoiding us.

There is no one way for us to present the gospel and as such rehearsed presentations of the gospel

may not answer the issues our friends are facing. We need to ask questions, listen to our friends and

then to point them to Christ based on their individual obstacles to believing.

We must learn the skill of talking to non Christians in a way that makes them question their current

beliefs and what they are basing their lives on, without making them feel that we have a superiority

complex or that we wish to impose our beliefs on them.

We should not feel pressure to produce results because ultimately it is the Holy Spirit who does the

work of conviction of sin and conversion. We are just His instruments.

We need to cultivate the habit of listening carefully before speaking. Obstacles to believing can be

intellectual, emotional, or volitional.

Some people have intellectual obstacles and either have not heard the gospel accurately or have

doubts as to the accuracy of the bible and authenticity of Jesus’ claims. For these people we can

show them archeological and historical accounts to show that the bible has been accurately

preserved. We can also engage in discussions to address doubts that they may have and share the

struggles we went through ourselves before we became believers and the reasons why we believe in

Jesus. (1 Peter 3:15).

We want them to see what we see without directly telling them what they should believe. When a

person, led by the Holy Spirit, discovers and sees the truth of the gospel, our job is just to encourage

them on that journey of self discovery. When we insist on arguing with our friends without listening

to their beliefs we run the risk of pushing them further away from the gospel. If people perceive that

our goal is to have them help us better understand their beliefs rather than to just prove that they

are wrong, they are more likely to have a positive response to our probing questions. We should not

pretend to know all the answers because honestly we don’t. Answer honestly from your own

experiences and quoting scripture if you have a relevant passage. If you don’t know something just

admit it and defer it to a later time when you can find out from someone else. That is better than

sweeping issues under the carpet.

Some people have emotional obstacles. Perhaps they have a past encounter with a Christian who

has hurt them. All the apologetics in the world will not touch these people because the issue is not

an intellectual one. Invite them to share their story with us. Show empathy and affirm God’s love for

them. Apologize for how other Christians may have treated them if you agree that they have been

wronged. Tell them you will keep them in your prayers.

Some people especially if they come from non Christian homes in Asia have family obligations or

family expectations which are holding them back from committing to Christ. Gently help them to see

the importance of making their own personal decision for Christ and support them with prayer while

they struggle with this issue.

Some people have volitional obstacles which means they refuse to believe despite evidence and

sharing that we give.(John 12:37, Luke 16:31) Even during Jesus’ time there were those who saw the

miracles Jesus performed but still refused to believe. In such cases we resort to love and prayer. We

continue to show Christ’s love and kindness and pray that the Holy Spirit will work in them to bring

them to conversion when the time is right.

Some questions are commonly encountered during conversational evangelism and we should be

prepared to answer them.

1.Don’t all religions teach basically the same thing which is to do good ?

Buddhists believe that salvation comes by cessation of desire through an 8 fold path.

Hindus believe that salvation is accomplished by overcoming karma and incarnations with good

works.

Muslims believe that salvation is through belief in Allah, his prophet Muhammad and in doing more

good than bad.

Christians believe that we are all sinners and that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus’ death

on the cross for our sins.(Ephesians 2:8-9).

So therefore all religions teach very different things and they cannot all be right because they are the

complete opposite of each other-salvation by works versus salvation by grace.

2.Can you prove that God exists?

Can anyone prove that God does NOT exist?

By logical reasoning a complex world like ours is more likely to have a creator rather than everything

happening by chance or coincidence. Scientists say that for our world to exist all parameters need to

be precise including the distance from the sun, the atmosphere etc.

If someone were to show you a state of the art computer and tell you that the components

assembled themselves you would think they were mad. But our earth ecosystem and the human

body is far more complex than any computer so I would conclude that it is more likely that a creator

designed the world around us rather than everything happening by chance alone.

Many of us have not seen atoms, electrons or protons personally but yet we believe that it exists

based on explanations which are beyond the comprehension of many of us. God is infinitely

incomprehensible to me as a finite human but yet my reasoning brings me to the conclusion that this

world is created by Him, and since coming to faith I have experienced His presence in my life in ways I

cannot explain by logic and science alone. I suppose the element of faith will have to come in to fill

the gap between what I can understand and what the bible tells me and what my experience in

trusting God has proven in my life.

When I start my car, I may not understand all the processes that happen when I press the ignition but

through experience I know that the engine will start and I can move off. Likewise through experience

I can feel God’s presence in my life as I pray and trust in Him.

3.How can there be a loving God when there is so much evil and suffering in the world?

In God’s original creation He declared that everything was good. However, sin came into the world

when humans became disobedient to God. Sin results in a fallen world and evil and suffering are a

result of this fallen world. God will ultimately restore a new heaven and new earth (Revelation 21:1)

where evil and suffering will no longer exist.

4.What happens to people who have not heard about Christ?

Revelation 7:9 says that in heaven there will be people from every nation, tribe, people and language

so God does not discriminate and He offers salvation to everyone. How God will judge those who

have not heard the gospel is not for us to say, but those who have heard the gospel have a choice to

accept the free gift of salvation or to reject it and they will face God based on their decision.

5.Why can’t God just forgive sins without Jesus having to die on the cross?

God would not be a fair judge if He did not atone for the sins which result in death. We must realize

that our sin is a serious matter because it separates us from a perfectly holy God and God cannot just

turn a blind eye to it. If Jesus did not die on the cross to purchase our redemption, we would all be

condemned by our own sin and never be able to enter God’s perfect Holy Presence.

Salvation is free for us but costly to God because He had to send His son to die on the cross on our

behalf.

6. Why are Christians always talking about their religion as the only way to God? Why not respect

each others’ beliefs and not try to convert each other?

Christians are not proud of ourselves and any works we have done. We do not claim that we are

holier or more deserving than others to go to heaven. In fact Christians realize that we are sinners

and that we cannot get to heaven on our own merits. We are sharing our faith in obedience to Christ

and because we do not want to keep this good news to ourselves. We respect our friends’ beliefs but

we also want to give them a chance to hear the good news about Jesus offering forgiveness of sin.

The choice is up to the individual whether they want to accept the gift or not.

If a person knows where water is in a desert, he would tell all his friends where to find it and that is

what Christians are simply doing. To keep the location of the water a secret from our friends would be

selfish of us and disobedient to Christ our Lord. We are merely sharing what blessing we have

received with our friends and not trying to impose on them or to judge them for it is not our place to

do so.