How To Explain The Gospel To A Nonbeliever
How To Witness to A Non Believer: 3 Step Guide To Using Verbal & Not Verbal Communication
That lovable ogre Shrek was onto something when he said people were like onions. As nosotros go to know a person, we start to peel back their layers. It's a natural thing that we do most someday we converse at length with a person we encounter for the first time.
"Where exercise y'all alive?" "Where practice you work?" "Are you married?" "Practice yous and your spouse take kids?" "What do you practise for fun?" "Are y'all a football game fan?" "Exercise you have a hobby?" "Where did y'all become to schoolhouse?" Etc. etc.
These questions – and many other common ones – pare away layers, one at a time, often getting deeper into the person'south life with each additional question. And when done properly, our new acquaintances open their lives gradually without whatsoever sense of intrusion.
"Worldview onion peeling" works the very aforementioned way, except our goal is to understand our friends' core behavior, those beliefs that matter most for time and eternity. Information technology'south a cardinal to knowing how to effectively witness to a non believer.
In the previous commodity in this weblog series – I'k an Onion, Yous're an Onion – the 5 layers of worldview onions were defined and illustrated. And the three-pace process of onion peeling was introduced. Now, permit'due south explore each of those three steps in more detail.
Showtime – Entry Conversations
As you lot talk to someone on the man commonalities level, the key to worldview onion peeling is to look for "entry points" into deeper levels of worldview-focused conversations.
Entry points may be exact.
Words such as "church" or "religion" or "heaven" or "Bible," (etc.) or other overt statements of beliefs, values, and value-driven choices are wide open up entries that invite an investigative response.
But words or statements regarding "expiry" or "dying" or "hope" or "peace" or "fear" or "depression" or "despair" as well open doors into deeper levels of conversation.
Entry points may exist not-verbal.
Facial expressions and other non-verbal deportment sometimes signal a person'due south need or desire to open upward to more serious topics. But arroyo these entry points with sensitivity; they can easily exist misinterpreted.
Some overt, just non-verbal, religious expressions (such every bit the sign of the cross) identify people equally followers of a detail faith. In some cases, dietary practices may provide hints regarding core beliefs.
And attitudes or behavioral patterns related to religious holidays reflect underlying values and beliefs. For example, we tin learn a lot about a co-worker if he or she does non detect holidays traditionally associated with Christianity or does observe holidays that are uniquely associated with a certain non-Christian religious group.
Entry points may be symbolic.
Not every entry opportunity to share the gospel with an unbeliever will come up in the grade of verbal communication. In some cases, clothing and hair styles or trunk markings, etc. are religious expressions that communicate religious commitments. But occasionally lapel pins, jewelry, or expressions on T-shirts (bumper stickers too!) make clear and bold religious statements that unabashedly announce who we are at the core of our onions.
But, let'southward be sure we fully empathise...
- We DO NOT look for these expressions of religion in lodge to criticize, judge, condemn, debate, or marginalize other people.
- We DO wait for them in guild to empathise and to build caring relationships—caring relationships through which we tin share OUR religion as nosotros learn about THEIR faith.
Second – Investigative Questions
When an entry point presents itself, the next step is to probe politely to (hopefully) move the conservation to a deeper level of spiritual significance. Ask a question, the kind of question we call an "investigative question." Plain, the nature of the entry point determines the specific questions that are near appropriate to ask, as you move from mutual, everyday kinds of topics to more serious, eternally-consequential problems. For case:
Entry Point from the other person: "What a beautiful sunset!"
Investigative Question from you lot: "Do you ever look at a cute scene in nature and wonder how this all got hither?"
Here are some additional investigative questions to keep in mind:
- If your son or daughter asked you, what happens when somebody dies, what would you say?
- Have you ever read much of the Bible? What do you think about it?
- Did you e'er wonder, "How did this earth got into such a mess?
- Were your parents religious people?
- Have y'all always asked yourself, "What is the meaning of life?" "Why am I here?"
- If someone asked y'all, "Do recollect there is a God?," what would you say?
- What do you lot think about "religion"?
Responses to questions such as these, will chop-chop allow yous know if the door is open to a deeper level or not. Back off if you sense serious resistance. Move forward if the response is positive, or possibly even if information technology is neutral. A negative response will be a bespeak indicating that yous probably need to build more trust with this person before standing to deepen the conversation.
Third – Conversion Discussions
It has been said that "We, who are believers, are non in hell because of the grace of God and nosotros are not (nonetheless) in heaven because of the Great Committee." Other than the worship of our Creator-Savior, our greatest raison d'etre (reason to exist) is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with people who do non yet know Him equally Savior. That is why information technology is so important, fifty-fifty eternally vital, that nosotros seek to engage unbelievers in conversion discussions.
Virtually every unbeliever has some, few or many, core beliefs that must be changed if he or she is to become a true believer in Jesus Christ and receive the forgiveness of sin provided through His death and resurrection. In cases where the person has grown up in a quasi-Christian culture and has been taught Bible stories and concepts from early on childhood, the modify may be more of a trust-from-the-heart change than a what-I-believe modify. But, in either example, it'southward a core alter—a change that the Bible calls "repentance" (Greek = metanoia).
Especially for people born and reared in totally non-Christian worldview cultures, there are many significant conventionalities-issues that must be changed, realigned to agree with the basic theological concepts of the Bible and Christianity, such as:
Who is God and what is He like?
What is my relationship of accountability to this God?
What is sin and how am I affected by information technology?
Am an eternal being or do I terminate to exist when I die?
Is in that location a provision for my sins to be forgiven and brought into a fellowship-human relationship with the holy God?
Who is this "Jesus Christ" person that appears in the Bible?
What must I do to exist saved?
But, suppose my unsaved friend is an agnostic, animist, New Ager, Muslim, Greek or Roman Orthodox, Jehovah'south Witness, postmodern, Buddhist, Hindu, liberal Protestant, materialist, Scientologist, Mormon, or a very strict and stiff Roman Catholic—how can I peel my friend's worldview onion and lead a conversion word with him or her?
For gospel-sharing opportunities with people whose faith is very different from yours, here's a Costless resource (see higher up) that you will desire to download, study, and keep handy: Worldview Onion Peeling Helps
Gaining Ground with Expert Soil | Visually Enhanced Edition - An evangelism and discipleship training narrative that is a scaled-downwardly version of the Good Soil East&D seminar in a narrative format. It follows hard-working, dedicated missionaries who are contemplating leaving the field because of a lack of solid fruit. A last-gasp Bible study reveals a theology of evangelism and discipleship that inspires and equips them to go along to pursue their calling. The principles gained from this theology are applicable to anyone wishing to serve God through biblical evangelism and discipleship. Gratuitous resources for private and grouping study are besides bachelor for download.
The Story of Hope is an evangelistic Bible study workbook designed to help people who are open to dialogue at the investigative questions and core behavior levels. And the FREE downloadable Leader's Guide for The Story of Hope volition guide you in the process of knowing how to evangelize unbelievers based upon a chronological Bible report of God'due south overall redemptive story.
Larn more about "onion peeling" through the Good Soil Bones Seminar.
Previous articles in this serial:
- Iii Greek Verbs Define Practiced Soil
- Assessing Unbeliever's Gospel Understanding
- Assessing Gospel Receptivity
- Initial Contact or Relational Evangelism—or Both?
- The Problem of Gospel Static
- I Gospel - Three Worldviews
- Worldview "Noisy" Neighborhoods
- How To Understand Worldviews: I'thou an Onion – You're an Onion
If you liked the above article, we highly recommend this web page: The Ministry of Personal Evangelism and Discipleship
Source: https://www.goodsoil.com/blog/how-to-witness-to-a-non-believer-3-step-guide-to-using-verbal-non-verbal-communication-styles/
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