You don’t have to hit a home run in every conversation. You don’t even have to get on base. Sometimes just getting up to bat is sufficient for God’s purpose. It is always a step in the right direction when we help others think more clearly. We have very limited control over how other people respond to us. That is largely in God’s hands. We can help to dispel some of the fog — and we ought to try. But at the end of the day, a person’s deep-seated rebellion against God is a problem only a supernatural solution can fix. When all else fails, let it go. Walk away. If the steamroller won’t let you answer, listen politely until he’s finished, then drop it. Let him have the satisfaction of having the last word, then shake the dust off your feet and bow out graciously: “Bob, it sounds like you know a lot more about this than I do, and you have some interesting ideas. Let me think about it. Maybe we can talk more later.”
Always keep in mind that those who-don’t-know-God are not enemies; recall how Jesus of Nazareth responded to hostility as he hung nailed to a cross: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And, sometimes, your real audience is not the person you’re talking to; it is those who are listening in.
We have covered a variety of situations and circumstances in
evangelizing. But for just starting out - and even for the experienced - the most effective tactic is genuine curiosity coupled with questions:
What do you mean by “atheist”?
Tell me about the God you don’t believe in...
Do you believe in any kind of god or universal spirit?
Here is the best guidance I have when evangelizing: A good listener never interrupts. The best listener pauses for 2 seconds, then offers a reply... or better still, asks a question.
No comments:
Post a Comment