I remember Dave Nicholl, a coach from Windsor, Colorado. Dave, like so many of us, had become complacent in sharing his faith. Days after his church began to pray that believers would develop a passion and brokenness for the lost, two teen boys from his high school were killed in a tragic incident at a party. The next day, God overhauled Dave's heart. He became convicted that the sin of silence would no longer be a part of his life.
Shortly thereafter, he had the opportunity to deliver gift books to the graduating seniors. As he visited the teens in their homes, he had many opportunities to present the gospel. Because of God's grace and Dave's commitment and follow-through, more than seventy people accepted Christ as their Savior in Windsor.
Dave said, “Although I've shared my faith in different ways through the years, the ‘Share Jesus without Fear’ approach has been the easiest to use. I simply present the questions and Scriptures to others. It's a process of give and take. The questions allow people to share their hearts, then the Scriptures allow the Holy Spirit to change their hearts. The results are incredible.”
If Dave can do it, you can too. You just need to know the right questions to ask.
Conversation Joggers
We talked about how it takes an average of 7.6 times for someone to hear the gospel before he receives it. How do we know whose heart has arrived at that 7.6 average? We don't know unless we ask probing questions to find out where God is at work so we can join him.
Asking probing questions is a lot like using a meat thermometer. Think about cooking at home. Whenever you cook a roast, you will usually use a meat thermometer to see what is going on inside the meat. Otherwise, with variables like the thickness of the roast or changes in the oven temperature, how will you know when it's done?
Now I can't walk around with a thermometer in my hand, asking people, “Are you cooking?” But I can insert a question into conversation to try to determine if God is at work and to see if their hearts are open. For example, if I am speaking with a woman, I may ask her, “What do you think is the biggest problem women face today?” Sometimes I tease her and add, “And your answer cannot be ‘men!’”
She may chuckle to herself before pointing to the problem of time pressure.
I say, “One minute you are told to be supermom, the next minute, super-career-woman. I don't have a clue how a woman does it in today's society. By the way, do you have any spiritual beliefs?”
Did you see the switch? In the middle of any conversation, I can insert any one of the five “Share Jesus Questions,” which we are about to review, to see if God is at work. Do you see how simple it is to insert a spiritual thermometer?
By using the final question, “Do you have any spiritual beliefs?” we are suddenly on the track I want to take. We are running toward the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Sometimes I might ask a man, “What's your favorite sport?”
Often his response is, “Football.”
I'll say, “It's amazing how much money some athletes make. Then you realize their lives are trashed on drugs and domestic abuse. Have you ever wondered how much money it takes for a man's life to be perfect?”
He often says, “It takes a lot.”
I reply, “Yes, it does. Do you have any spiritual beliefs?”
Suddenly, we have moved from talking about sports to spirituality in only one question.
Another favorite conversation jogger I use is, “By the way, do you go to church anywhere?”
I often get answers like, “My cousin is a pastor in Nebraska,” or “I go to the big white one, but I can't think of the name of it.” Answers like this always send up a red flag.
Once I asked this question in a restaurant in Alaska. As the waitress refilled my glass of tea, I asked, “Do you go to church anywhere?”
She turned deep red. I thought she was going to faint, but she took a couple of steps back and said, “I've been thinking about that for the last couple of weeks.”
Bingo! We were off on a spiritual conversation.
Once I was sitting next to a woman on an airplane. At the end of the flight, I asked, “Is this the end of your trip?”
“Yes.”
“Who do you work for?”
“I'm an engineer for Hughes Aircraft.”
“That's wonderful. Do you go to church anywhere?”
She responded, “I'm Coptic Catholic.”
We had about two and a half minutes before the plane pulled to the gate.
Then I asked a question I've never asked before, “How does a Coptic Catholic get saved?”
She looked at me and said, “I've been wondering about that.”
Oh boy, here was a 7.6, and we were out of time. Suddenly the captain came on with an announcement. I froze because I wanted to tell her how to get saved; she froze because she wanted to hear what I had to say. When I heard the captain's announcement, I chuckled because I forgot my own teaching. God is sovereign and in control. The captain said, “I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen, we cannot go to the gate right now. There is a plane at the gate, so we have to go to the penalty box.”
She laughed, and I had to smile. Lord, you are sovereign.
We had more than enough time. I was able to share and watch her invite Christ into her heart.
These conversation joggers will help ease you into a God-pointing conversation of your own. And if you need another idea, try this simple experiment. Go to a neighbor, a friend, or relative and say, “I wonder if you could help me with a five-question survey?”
The next thing you know, you are on your way to sharing your faith.
The Five Questions
I remember sitting with John in a restaurant. I had been introduced by a friend who had brought him. We chatted a little before I turned to John and asked, “Do you have any kind of spiritual belief?”
“Yes,” John answered, “I've been involved with several religions. I've attended a Catholic church, tried Christian Science, and have studied world religions.”
My response was, “Hmmmmm.”
I asked, “What's your understanding of who Jesus Christ is?”
“He was a man who was probably a good man and a teacher and prophet who tried to make a difference on this earth.”
“Hmmmmm,” I said. “Do you think there is a heaven or hell?”
“I don't know,” John replied. “Sometimes earth feels like hell.”
I smiled and asked, “If you were to die, where would you go?”
John said, “If there is an up, I hope I'd go there.”
“Why would God let you into heaven?”
“I've led a basically moral life,” John replied.
Then with my best smile, I said, “If what you were believing is not true, would you want to know?”
“Absolutely,” John said.
Notice what happened. At the end of my questioning, John gave me permission to share my faith with him. I did, and I'm happy to report that John accepted Christ as his Savior and has walked with Jesus for more than eight years.
Why do you think John and I did not fight? Why did we not get into disagreements of intellect and world religions? How did we avoid an argument?
It is because I asked him a question.
Why are questions effective? For one thing, most folks have opinions on almost every subject, and they love to share them. Second, questions work because they put you, the questioner, in control without putting your friend on the defensive.
You keep the questioning friendly because you never try to force someone to agree with you. Instead, all you need to do is to sit back and listen to his answers.
The Hmmmmm Principle
When I'm asking these questions, no matter what the responder says, I never answer. All you get from me is “Hmmmmm.” As many husbands and wives know, it is difficult to have an argument with someone who is just “hmmmmming.”
Even so, there is a principle at work here. This principle reminds us that if you really care—really love someone—you will listen, attentively. As you listen to what your friend is saying, through the power of the Holy Spirit, you may be able to hear if your friend is dealing with problems like loneliness, emptiness, pain, or anger. You will be able to discern how close his heart is to God.
The five “Share Jesus Questions” you can ask, are:
These questions act as a funnel. You can start these questions anywhere on the list, as you feel led. The first question I generally ask acts as an ice-breaker. It is:
1. Do you have any kind of spiritual beliefs?
I never ask, “Do you believe in God?” because that question is often considered offensive. The person to whom I'm speaking may feel his or her belief in God is none of my business. Even so, most people are happy to reply to a question about spiritual beliefs because they love to give their opinions.
When I ask the spiritual-belief question, some people will give me a two-second answer, and some people will give a ten-minute answer. The length of their response does not matter. What matters is you are listening as they open their spiritual hearts to you.
I can remember standing in line at a local restaurant. The woman in front of me was decked out in New Age, occultic jewelry. I couldn't resist asking her, “Why do you wear all that?”
She told me she was a shaman, a white witch. “Do you have time for some coffee?” I asked.
“Sure.”
I sat down at the community coffee table and asked her, “Do you have any kind of spiritual belief?”
My watch ticked off twenty-two minutes as she explained her faith in witchcraft, and all I said was, “Hmmmmm.”
As a type A personality, I could barely sit still because I wanted to jump in and try to fix her. Instead, I listened in love.
Whether it's the witch who talks for twenty-two minutes or someone who quickly responds, “Yes, I have a spiritual belief,” I don't give a response. I just ask the next question.
2. To you, who is Jesus Christ?
This question separates religious people from relational people. Religious people will often answer by saying something like, “Jesus is the son of God or a man who died on the cross. He's God's only begotten Son.”
This is a correct theological statement, but it is very impersonal.
If I were to ask you this very same question, I hope you would answer, “He is my Lord and my Savior.”
Did you hear the “my” in your voice? Your answer demonstrates you have a personal relationship with Christ.
3. Do you believe in heaven or hell?
A lady dropped by my house to try to sell me something. When she came in, the first question I asked her was, “Do you believe in heaven or hell?”
“Absolutely not,” she responded.
Then I asked the next question.
4. If you died, where would you go?
The woman answered, “Heaven, of course.”
Isn't it interesting that this woman believed she would go to a place she just said she didn't believe in? That's because she went from “head” belief to “heart” belief.
You may follow up with another question: “Why would God let you in?”
That brings us to the last question to help you get where you want to go. This is the question that will give you permission to open your Bible and share Scripture.
5. If what you are believing is not true, would you want to know?
This is a crucial question. People fear missing opportunities because of not knowing the right information.
There are only two possible answers to this question: yes or no. If the answer is yes, you have permission to go on to the next phase.
I'll give you a very surprising statement. Not once in the past sixteen years of asking this question have I ever had a no that stuck.
Let me clarify. If I said to someone, “If what you are believing is not true, would you want to know?” I might receive an emphatic, “No!”
I am silent.
The next thing I hear is, “Bill, aren't you going to tell me?”
I answer, “I thought you didn't want to know.”
Most often the person says, “Yes, I do.”
And here we go again. I then open my Bible and allow that person to read selected Scriptures, which we will discuss in the next chapter.
Use as Needed
You should note, that you can bypass conversational joggers and head straight for any one of the five “Share Jesus Questions” to use in any order. For instance, not long ago, by tossing out a “Share Question,” I discovered a person who was already at that 7.6.
I was at the airport and I walked up to an airline employee. I said, “I love asking Continental people a question.”
She glared over the top of her bifocals, “What do you want to know?”
“I'm curious,” I said. “If you died right now, where would you go?”
Her face softened. “That's the most important question anyone has ever asked me.”
It was so simple to find out God was working in her life. It was a privilege to join him and to go on to share my faith with her. I sat down with her and presented the gospel. It was a thrill to see her open her heart to Christ.
You Can't Fail
As you begin to ask these five questions, I think you will be amazed at how open people are. But please remember your motive for evangelism must be your love for God and love for people. This is not a thing you are doing; it is an act of consecration and belief in Jesus Christ. Pray daily for God to put opportunities in your path. Just as Jesus worked wherever his Father worked, so must you.
“Jesus gave them this answer: ‘I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does’” (John 5:19).
As you look around this week, ask, “Father, where are you working? Where can I join you?”
Pull out your spiritual thermometer and slip a “Share Question” into a conversation with a friend. If you discern God is at work, join him by showing your friend the “Share Jesus Scriptures.” But regardless of your friend's response, never be discouraged if you don't have a conversation that leads to the sinner's prayer. For you cannot fail. Remember, success is sharing your faith and living your life out for Jesus Christ. It has nothing whatsoever to do with bringing anyone to the Lord.
Overcome Fear
You may be saying in your mind and heart, “I'm afraid to share my faith.”
That is perfectly OK. The apostle Paul went to share his faith with much fear, weakness, and trembling. But still he went. I can't make you a promise your fear will go away completely, but it will get easier. I promise you your faith in God will go to an entirely new level as you share your faith.
I can remember when I surprised Wendy, a wonderful Christian neighbor who was very shy. She was always pushing her baby around our neighborhood in a stroller. One day, she was pushing her baby by my house, and I said, “I understand you are a Christian.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Where do you go to church?” I asked.
When she told me, I turned and called up to Paul, who was fixing rain gutters on my roof.
“Paul, there is someone I want you to meet.” Paul came down the ladder and stood politely.
I said, “Paul, Wendy is going to share her faith and tell you how to meet Jesus Christ.”
And I walked off.
Wendy's eyes were as big as saucers. But even under the pressure, she trusted God and shared her faith, and Paul came to the Lord.
God is sovereign, and hell will not prevail against you. There is no possible way you can mess this up. What God wants to teach you is that he can work through your life despite your personality, lack of spiritual gifts, or talents. Because you see, Coach Dave Nicholl is not the only one God wants to use. There is no insignificant Christian, for we all have the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. I hope this week, as well as the rest of your life, you are going to walk around in anticipation of what God is about to do in your life. You will be in constant prayer, “God, are you at work over here, over there?”
And like the seemingly insignificant shoe salesman who led the future evangelist D. L. Moody to Christ, won't it be exciting as God uses you to give him glory?
Catch the Excitement
I got a call from an officer in law enforcement about an awards banquet at which I was to pray the benediction the next evening. I said to Will, “Let's have lunch today.”
He said, “I can't. I've got to go over and see Jeannie. Do you remember her? She's getting an award tomorrow.”
“Is she the woman who was paralyzed when she tried to protect a man at a bus stop and got shot herself?”
“You bet she is,” Will said.
I said, “But, Will, her award is only temporary. What are you going to do about giving her an award that will last forever?”
Will's response was immediate. “Meet me at the Conoco.”
I met Will, and he took me over to Jeannie's one-bedroom apartment.
God is in control. Her brother and physical therapist just happened to be leaving. We had her all to ourselves. I looked into Jeannie's smiling face and said, “My name is Chaplain Bill Fay, and I came by to ask you a few questions. Do you go to church anywhere?”
“Yes, I am Baptist, but I am not saved.”
“How come?”
“I smoke cigarettes.”
I took her through the questions and Scriptures, then I held her hand as she prayed to receive Christ.
I could hear Will walking around her apartment. His hands were straight up in the air, his finger pointing to God. He exclaimed, “God is good all the time! All the time God is good!”
The next day, at the awards banquet, Jeannie said, “I accept this award on behalf of Jesus Christ who first saved my life and then gave me eternal life.”
I looked over, and Will stood up in the back and started walking around again, saying, “God is good all the time! All the time God is good!”
If you want to start experiencing the joy and excitement that Will found, start sharing your faith.
Review
Optional Conversation Joggers
Review the complete list in appendix 1.
The Five Share Jesus Questions
These questions act as a funnel. You can start anywhere on the list, as you feel led, or you can skip to the “Share Jesus Scriptures.”
You might ask at this point, “May I share some Scriptures with you?” If the answer is yes, open your Bible to the next phase. If the answer is no, do nothing. But remember you have not failed. You have been obedient to share the gospel, and the results belong to God.
Note: This, as well as other phases of the “Share Presentation,” can be found in abbreviated form in appendixes 1 and 2 for quick reference.