“Some were persuaded by the things he said, but others did not believe.”
At work, I often have to present my prospects to other people. The people listening are doing so because they have some interest in hearing about the prospect. This is often because of some connection to the geologic play or because they are knowledgeable about the area where we developed a prospect. The presentation does not last very long, maybe 20 minutes or so. The question-and-answer part starts after that. It is often here that the person you’re presenting to gets to really grill you on what you know and how convincingly you have accounted for the risks.
Piggybacking on the sermon I heard the other day from Mike Farbarez, I thought you might want to get another perspective when it comes to sharing the gospel. Now, most people view sharing the gospel like the preachers on Sunday morning, a 30-minute presentation that has been very well practiced and put in order. Those of us who have had the privilege to teach a Sunday school class have an appreciation for this and also a fear. That is hard work, and it takes practice on many levels. Many of us, me included, don’t share the gospel message enough because we think our presentation is not up to par. Our Sunday morning prospect showing for Jesus is not planned out, and we often don’t bring it up because we feel like we have to defend ourselves and our views, just like when the guys grill me over my prospect. Scary!
I have been slammed before, both showing prospects and sharing the gospel, leaving the conversation feeling defeated and not worthy. So, in that light, let’s look at this another way. Let’s approach this like a dialog, a conversation, not a presentation, but a chat. A question-and-answer series rather than a stand-up-on-the-podium-and-preach session. This is what Paul did when he entered a place where he was to present the gospel.
In Acts 28, it tells us that some were persuaded, but others did not believe, persuaded by a dialogue rather than a sermon. I can see Paul asking a question like, “Do you know Jesus Christ and what He did for you?” That can start a really good conversation, one in which someone can ask questions and get answers, and be persuaded.
You see, spreading the gospel is done in many ways, and I think many of us have the blessing of seeing and hearing some very gifted preachers and teachers, and we tell ourselves we cannot even come close to measuring up, so we leave this preaching and sharing the gospel to the experts.
The Bible says that we are to study to show ourselves approved. Approved for what? Approved to engage in a conversation about the gospel and not have to constantly say, “I’ll get back with you on that.” Today, ask some questions that engage people and invite them to ask questions back. You are not on a podium, and I can say from experience that most of us are not gifted preachers, but we can all have real conversations about Christ, the Bible, prayer, and more.
The other day, I dove into the Civil War, and that crazy binge showed up in nearly every conversation the following day. Ours should be the message of the gospel, and it should show up in most of our conversations. When was the last time you asked someone if they know who Jesus Christ is, or if they have prayed to God lately, or if they go to church? Start somewhere and let the Holy Spirit guide your conversation. You don’t have to convince anyone of anything; leave that up to the Lord. All you have to do is share the good news.
Prayer: Father, I pray for the boldness to start conversations about Jesus with the people You point out to me. I pray that I study the Word of God so I can be ready when that happens. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Let It Go 
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