STARTING A CONVERSATION

Every day, John prays for his friend Joe asking God for an opportunity to share his faith with him. Today, they are riding together in a car. John knows he has an opportunity to witness to Joe, but he doesn’t know where to start.

Has that ever happened to you? Is starting a conversation a challenge for you? Does fear ever set in? Does a God-given opportunity slip through your fingers? You aren’t alone. Many people struggle with starting a conversation, but you can overcome this with a few simple tips.

Before you can even talk with your friends about Jesus, make sure you are modeling Christ to them. Hypocrisy is the number one enemy to sharing your faith. If you are not living like a Christian should, nobody will listen to you.

Always pray and ask God to give you the opportunity to share Jesus, to give you the right words to say and prepare the listeners heart to receive what you tell them. You must believe if God gives you the opportunity, he will guide the conversation. It’s important to remember, more people are open to hearing about Jesus than you think. The devil will get you to believe people aren’t interested. The truth is, so many people areinterested.

Here are some questions you can ask to begin a conversation:

You can ask people about their families, job, life activities or concerns without being nosy. If they respond by communicating a problem, it’s a great opportunity to tell them how God can help. You can tell them how Jesus helped you in your times of struggle. Find some common interests like music, sports, homework. Avoid distractions. Don’t get side-tracked on other topics. Keep the conversation on God and Jesus. Some friends may seem uncomfortable with talking about their beliefs. Take your time. Go slow. Be gentle and listen closely to their heart. You don’t need to use ‘churchy talk’ or give a ‘gospel speech.’

I hope this helps you get started. It’s okay to feel fear. Remember, you are a c0-laborer with God. God is your partner. The two of you are working together to witness. The more you step out in faith and witness, the easier it will get. You do your part and trust God to do His.

SHARING YOUR TESTIMONY

Your testimony is your personal, unique story about experiences and relationship with Jesus Christ. Everyone has one.  It’s your relationship with Jesus. Your personal Jesus story is perhaps your most powerful witnessing tool. Write your story out. Edit it down to 3-5 minutes. Rehearse telling it.  Memorize it. Unless you know someone and time allows, few people will listen to a long drawn out story when sharing with them one on one. The following guidelines will help you develop and tell your personal story:

1.  Your ‘before’ Christ story: This is your story about what your life was like before you had a relationship with 

      Jesus.  What was your biggest need, struggle or problem? How did it affect you? Where did you turn to find peace, 

      happiness, security or even to escape your problems? Try to identify with the other person. Maybe you grew up in church. 

      How did Jesus help you as a Christian through your struggles? How did Jesus help you overcome temptations, get a 

      victory over some sin?

2.  The 'turning point' in your life:  What happened in your life and heart to show you Jesus was the answer for   

       what you needed and only hope of heaven. You recognized you broke God’s laws, a sinner separated from God.  You’re 

       experiencing the fruit of the Christian life after you first recognized you were a sinner, boss of your own life, in need of   

       God’s forgiveness and needed to trust Him with your life. How did you first hear about Jesus? What were your thoughts 

       and feelings?

3.   Your ‘after’ Christ story: This is your personal praise report of your life today.  Tell how your relationship with 

       Christ has changed  your life, thinking, attitude, behavior, etc. etc.  You could say things like, “If it weren’t for 

       Jesus” or “because of my relationship with Jesus”.  Tell the difference He’s made in your life and what Jesus means to 

       you now.. Maybe because of Jesus and being a Christian your whole life,  you’ve lived a good, trouble free life because 

       God’s grace has kept you from doing bad, wicked things. That’s an awesome testimony in today’s world.

4.   After you tell your story you could say:  “If Jesus can do this for me, I know He can do the same for you.  But, it 

     didn’t happen until I first put my total faith and trust in Jesus, until I gave Him control of my heart and life.”

5.   Ask them if they want what you have.  Ask:  “Have you ever experienced a personal relationship with Jesus Christ like 

      the one I’ve described?  Would you be interested in knowing how to do that?”   If they say ‘no’, don’t force them or get 

      discouraged. Keep loving them, caring about them and praying for them. Trust that God used you to sow Gospel seed into 

      someone’s heart through your story.