Breaking the Ice.

[penguy83]

As Christians, it is our duty to go out into the world and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. On a personal note, I find it difficult at times to witness to say - co-workers, or family members. People who know me; that I have an abundance of time around through the week. Sure, I make attempts, but it never comes out the way I have it planned. I always wish I said more, or done a better job.

The Lord has done plenty for me and my family. He's brought me through a many of low times and difficult situations since I have come to know Him; so I know I have plenty to talk about. It's just breaking the ice that I find so difficult. On the other hand, if the ice is already broken; i.e. another Christian co-worker is already engaged in witnessing; I have no problem joining in.

How about everyone else? Do you have the same issues as I?

If so, how do you overcome them?

 

[HeRoseFromTheDead]

IMO, the duty of Christians is to keep themselves unspotted from the world and grow in grace and love. If the opportunity presents itself to 'witness', fine; if not, no guilt trips. Not everyone is called to be an evangelist or go into the world preaching the gospel. Live the life, that is what we are called to do.

 

[This Vale Of Tears]

As Christians, it is our duty to go out into the world and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. On a personal note, I find it difficult at times to witness to say - co-workers, or family members. People who know me; that I have an abundance of time around through the week. Sure, I make attempts, but it never comes out the way I have it planned. I always wish I said more, or done a better job.

The Lord has done plenty for me and my family. He's brought me through a many of low times and difficult situations since I have come to know Him; so I know I have plenty to talk about. It's just breaking the ice that I find so difficult. On the other hand, if the ice is already broken; i.e. another Christian co-worker is already engaged in witnessing; I have no problem joining in.

How about everyone else? Do you have the same issues as I?

If so, how do you overcome them?

Hi Penguy and welcome!

The answer to your question isn't complicated at all, it's very simple. You have to learn to listen to people. Bring them out of their shell and learn who they are by asking questions. Every human being on the planet yearns to be heard and understood and valued. No one likes to be talked at or preached at, so don't do it until they're open to it. Knowing that you cared about them and listened to them also tells them that you love them. It opens up an opportunity to speak into their lives a gospel message that is tailored just for them. You say you have plenty to talk about, so it's even more important that you don't. Make your conversations about the other person, not about you. This isn't a fast process and it requires discipline to learn to keep your mouth closed and really hear people and come to understand them on an intimate level. Do this and you'll find abundant opportunities to reach people for Christ. I hope you take this advice to heart.

 

[HeRoseFromTheDead]

The answer to your question isn't complicated at all, it's very simple. You have to learn to listen to people. Bring them out of their shell and learn who they are by asking questions. Every human being on the planet yearns to be heard and understood and valued. No one likes to be talked at or preached at, so don't do it until they're open to it. Knowing that you cared about them and listened to them also tells them that you love them. It opens up an opportunity to speak into their lives a gospel message that is tailored just for them. You say you have plenty to talk about, so it's even more important that you don't. Make your conversations about the other person, not about you. This isn't a fast process and it requires discipline to learn to keep your mouth closed and really hear people and come to understand them on an intimate level. Do this and you'll find abundant opportunities to reach people for Christ. I hope you take this advice to heart.

That sounds like really good advice...

 

[aspen]

dont preach just ask questions and listen. people will also be interested in your understanding of God. build a relationship first.

 

[JB_Reformed Baptist]

dont preach just ask questions and listen. people will also be interested in your understanding of God. build a relationship first.

:wacko: :blink:

 

[Arnie Manitoba]

As Christians, it is our duty to go out into the world and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Remember ..... those were originally instructions to the 12 Apostles (to go out in the world to spread the gospel)

Remember .... our function is to become believers through the message brought by the Apostles .... which of course we folks here already have done ..... and of course we try to raise our families according to the Apostles teaching ..... and of course we keep trying to spread the message as evangelists.

But not all are evangelists ..... so we should not feel like failures if we do not always succeed.

And with wisdom we must realize that not everybody will accept the gospel ..... so again we should not feel guilty if our message falls on deaf ears sometimes.

Best wishes with your evangelism penguy83

Arnie

dont preach just ask questions and listen. people will also be interested in your understanding of God. build a relationship first.

I just read your post and I agree .... I think God Himself will often set up the circumstances when He has someone He plans on saving

At least it has worked that way for me many times.

And I found it interesting it was always when I quit (trying so hard to evangelize) ..... then God would plunk someone in my life who was destined to hear and believe the gospel.

cool how that works out sometimes

thanks
arnie


.

 

[HeRoseFromTheDead]

Remember ..... those were originally instructions to the 12 Apostles (to go out in the world to spread the gospel)

This is an excellent point overlooked by so many.

 

[Arnie Manitoba]

This is an excellent point overlooked by so many.

Good point ..... it is almost a tragedy how inadvertently many Christians expect to be able to do everything the Apostles were given mandate to do by Jesus .... and when we fail , some folks almost destroy ourselves with feelings of guilt and failure .... whereas we should be rejoicing because we believed (the apostles message) .

 

[This Vale Of Tears]

This is an excellent point overlooked by so many.

I've observed that there's a divergence between how the gospel is received among people who have never heard it and people who live in a culture where there's many churches in every city. When the apostles went out, their message was received well and the churches swelled in numbers, adding thousands in a single day! Such sweeping revivals have also happened in Africa and other places on the planet where Christian culture is not dominant. I'm not saying that it can't happen here because I can easily cite the Billy Graham Crusades and the Promise Keeper events where thousands gave their hearts to Christ at the altar call. It is always a marvelous thing to see!

Here in America though, most often people have been exposed to the gospel and often several times by the time we get to talk to them. Either the first introductions were disappointing, or the disappointment came later when there was a letdown. People become jaded and decades later in life begin to develop their own philosophy about God that gives them a detached view of Christianity and all the major world religions wholesale. But getting through to them is not impossible because they're still looking and there is still a God-shaped whole in their heart; a hunger that only Jesus can fill. Like a person who's dated often or been married and divorced, they are cautious and guarded and there's no quick way to get past it. They gave trust quickly and were burned for it, now their trust has to be earned by diligent relationship building, not paper tract left in the men's room.

By the way, I have high hopes for the actor Alec Baldwin. He got in trouble again with a tweet that's very much like the recorded message he left for his daughter some years back. Anti-gay slurs aside, the language was obscene and vicious. But he has a Christian brother who is also an actor and Steven has been several times on radio and national television asking people to not attack his brother and to give him a chance. There is a love there that I put my finger on and I anxiously await the news that Alec becomes a born again believer in Christ! Sometimes these things take years, but diligence pays off with a beautiful reward in the end.

 

[penguy83]

Thanks to everyone for the input so far. I see where some of you have said that not everyone is a evangelical - I can understand that; the Bible tells us that not everyone has the same calling in the kingdom. I feel though that I have to say SOMETHING! :wacko:

As far as the comment made that our duty is to "keep themselves unspotted in the world"; I have a hard time swallowing that one. We were not meant to blend into the world. We are supposed to be salt and light.

 

[HeRoseFromTheDead]

As far as the comment made that our duty is to "keep themselves unspotted in the world"; I have a hard time swallowing that one. We were not meant to blend into the world. We are supposed to be salt and light.

Maybe stated this way it will make more sense;

Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. James 1:27

 

[John S]

We ARE meant to blend into the world. Jesus told us to let our light shine and not to hide it under a basket. By being a part of the world, we show the people around us how full of confidence we are even when things aren't great at the moment.
If you want to hide from the world around you, then you are NOT being a very good Christian - or if you are always fearful, paranoid, afraid of everyone and every thing. That doesn't mean that we are supposed to tell other people how to live or telling them that a bad fate (Hell) awaits them. It means that we must show, in our behavior, how really TRUE Christians treat other people - especially those that we consider as sinners like homosexuals, women who have had abortions, etc.
If we treat everyone with respect, equality, and dignity, then we are truly behaving like Jesus Christ wants us to. If we hide ourselves from the world or treat other people with disrespect and inequality, then we aren't.

 

[Arnie Manitoba]

We ARE meant to blend into the world. Jesus told us to let our light shine and not to hide it under a basket. By being a part of the world, we show the people around us how full of confidence we are even when things aren't great at the moment.
If you want to hide from the world around you, then you are NOT being a very good Christian - or if you are always fearful, paranoid, afraid of everyone and every thing. That doesn't mean that we are supposed to tell other people how to live or telling them that a bad fate (Hell) awaits them. It means that we must show, in our behavior, how really TRUE Christians treat other people - especially those that we consider as sinners like homosexuals, women who have had abortions, etc.
If we treat everyone with respect, equality, and dignity, then we are truly behaving like Jesus Christ wants us to. If we hide ourselves from the world or treat other people with disrespect and inequality, then we aren't.

You nailed it John S .... that is an excellent way to describe our proper function .... "in the world"

I was unsaved for my first 34 years of life .... I was ambitious in business and made many friends from all walks of life .... then there were those friends who I always saw as "different" ... they never acted religious around me ... but tried to mentor me and give good advice .... most of which I did not apply of course ... I preferred my sinful nature at the time.

As the Lord began working privately in my life (I was contemplating Christianity) ..... all of a sudden I realized those "different friends" were the ones who went to church on Sunday and I had an "AHA" moment and put 2 and 2 together.

It took me over 6 months before I became a christian but one of the reasons I found it so attractive was by the example set by those "good types" of Christians I had encountered my whole life.

There were also some legalistic-critical-religious-preaching-condemning- folks as well ...... but the Lord did not use any of them to attract me to His Son.

I have been saved for 27 years now .... and I try my best to be the type of christian you described in your post John S. .... I thank you again.

Arnie M.

 

[John S]

Arnie - Good for you.

 

[marksman]

One thing I teach in response to this question is to keep your spiritual antenna up. This means in the course of conversation people often give you a signal that can open the door for you to say something.

For example, someone might be talking about a particular health problem they have. If that happens to me, I say something appropriate to show my concern or interest and then I tell them that I have solved the problem in my own life.

They usually ask how and I tell them that I know where I am going when I die so dying is not a problem to me.

That can lead to all sorts of questions or none. Let your antenna tell you how far to go and what to say.

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[aspen]

Or the person could burst out crying or punch you in the face for your arrogant insensitivity.........

All that is a small price to pay for sharing the peace and love you've found in Jesus, right?

 

[Dodo_David]

It is helpful to gain a person's permission to talk to that person about spiritual things.

 

[The_highwayman]

There is a difference between "sharing" the Gospel and being a "witness" You "share" the Gosepl when you are led to, and you should be a "witness" everyday. You can be a "witness" without ever sharing the Gospel.

Simply put, we never know when God will led us to a divine encounter, but we should be divine to everyone we encounter.