Witnessing at work

Being an effective witness for Christ at work is a challenge that many Christians face, because we are paid to do our best by working hard for our employers. Proselytizing in a business or workplace often doesn’t go down well with employees and employers for obvious reasons. So how can we let people see Christ in us, so that we may create genuine opportunities to do what we were commanded by Jesus? 

"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself." Romans 12: 32

This is one of my favourite scriptures, because Jesus said “I will draw all men to Myself”. By quoting this scripture you may well think to yourself,“It sounds as if he is saying that I should let every colleague at my place of work know about Jesus” – and you would be right! However, we have to be wise here. We must lift up Jesus and let people see the Christ that dwells in our hearts by our words, actions and deeds. This is an incredibly powerful way of witnessing.

“In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” Matthew 5: 16

The Bible truly is a manual showing how we ought to live our lives. All the answers that we need about life are there. We just need to read it and get it into our hearts. When we do that the Holy Spirit will reveal amazing truths to us.

We must be different from our colleagues that don’t know Christ as their Saviour. This doesn’t mean we must act in a religious way that people cannot relate to, but rather it is trying to be like Jesus, letting His light and love shine through us. It’s a challenge, certainly because we have to constantly check ourselves to ensure that we present a Christ-like persona.

Key point: We must be different by allowing Jesus to shine in our lives for others to see

A well known evangelist once shared the story of when he worked in a local factory. He came to Christ and was so changed by the experience that it shocked people. Previously he was a rock singer who had a reputation to match. The transformation in his life was evident for all to see. Added to that, he wanted everyone in the factory to know about the life-changing Jesus he had found.

The factory where he worked was a large employer and as a result had a very large and busy staff canteen. Every day he would proclaim Jesus Christ by shouting scriptures like:

“Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand.” Matthew 3: 2.

He even brought his guitar to work and would sing Gospel songs while people ate their food. He said “Within a couple of weeks I realised that the canteen was always nearly empty when I was on my dinner break”. It’s no wonder really, is it?

I know of another man who works in factory that acts in a similar way. He recently told his colleagues during their break time that they were all going to Hell. Consequently, people avoid him like the plague.

I am certain that you would agree that the method used by the converted rock singer and the factory worker do not have the desired effect. However, may I suggest a few simple ideas that you can use which will allow Jesus to shine through you and will inevitably lead someone to ask you questions about your faith. Here are five that achieve great results!

Don’t get involved in workplace Gossip:

It can be easy to allow yourself to be drawn into this type of situation. Always look for the good in the person being criticised and speak of that only. Make it clear to co workers that you don’t agree with “Work Gossip”. It may be difficult because the person being discussed may have done something bad. You can agree that it is wrong but leave it there.  You will soon discover that colleagues will say to you something like “I can tell you this about me, because I know you won’t tell anyone” The way you act in this regard will speak volumes.

Be a Godly example of an enthusiastic hard working and reliable worker:

Scripture states clearly how we should act at work:

“Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favour, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” Colossians 3- 22-23.

Not only will it set an example to your colleagues but your bosses, too!

Be an encourager of colleagues:

Speak only good of them and be encouraging towards them when you have genuine opportunities to do so. It is vital that when you do, that what you say is congruent. In other words, you look like you really mean what you say. Unfortunately, many people never receive encouragement at all, not even from their bosses. What you say and do will make a difference. People will warm to you and it will start to happen very quickly in many cases.   

Be available to help:

Always be there to help when someone is in need. It might be pushing a car that has a flat battery, offering to pick up something from a shop or just getting the knives and forks together in the canteen for your colleagues. Over time people will start to view you differently.

Bring in the occasional gift to share with colleagues:

It might be a bag of doughnuts, some sweets or biscuits. When you do this you will hear genuine thanks from people as you do this. I have worked in offices when people have brought in a box of chocolates and said “Help yourselves”. People do just that, and are often grateful.

We are not just trying to convert people by deliberately acting in this way to somehow trick people into following Christ. Of course not. If Jesus is truly in our hearts, we should act like this anyway. People must see His love in us first of all.

In my experience, ( that) some colleagues will begin asking questions like, “What is different about you?” or “What would you do in this situation?”, because you are a person of integrity. You will then be able to bring Christ into your answer. When you do, it will back up the way you live your life.

"Help, I messed up while sharing the Gospel

Over the time that I have been a Christian, I have to be honest and say that there have been a few occasions where I missed the chance to share the Gospel, or I have made mistakes and not done as well as I thought I should have. There are reasons for this of course. On occasion, I was probably tired, not alert or perhaps even a little fearful of rejection. In the early days I probably thought that I didn’t know enough about scripture. These reasons are certainly not uncommon for any Christians that I know.

It is at times like this that people can get into the “Should have” guilt trip. They will start to say to themselves, “I should have done this”, or “I should have said that”. Yes it’s important that we learn from when we do make mistakes, but at the same time we should not give ourselves a hard time about it. Accept the fact that you could have done better and ask God to help you in the future. We are not all like the great evangelists who seem to be able to lead anyone to Christ. They will tell you that they missed opportunities themselves in the past. None of us are perfect.

There are couple of very relevant points that we shouldn’t forget. I believe they relate to what Paul said in Corinthians when it comes to a fear of being rejected or of not knowing enough scripture:

“When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words….” 1 Corinthians 1: 1-4

Firstly I will quote a well known saying from sport, “We will all drop the ball sometimes”. We can’t all be absolutely perfect all of the time, and what’s important to remember is that God doesn’t expect us to be that way either.

Some years ago, I used to have a young man that worked for me as a sales person. Previous to that he was a professional cricket player with one of the top teams in the country. He had to stop playing due to an injury at a young age. His team was full of top international cricketers, two of which were acknowledged as the best in the world at that time. I remember him telling me what would happen if he dropped a catch during a game. The two top players would give him such a hard time that he didn’t even want to go into the changing rooms as he knew that they would be on to him and not let him forget it.

I am so grateful that God isn’t like that with us. When we make a mistake and ask Him for forgiveness, He not only forgives us but He also forgets. “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us”. Psalm 103: 12 What a great loving, merciful and forgiving God we have.

Paul said that he didn’t come with “eloquence or human wisdom” when he shared the Gospel with people. That is certainly good news for me to hear as I wouldn’t describe myself using either of those words. Secondly, he said “I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words” Wow, he is probably even more like you me than I thought he was. That’s a great comfort to know.

God does something that is amazing with us imperfect beings. He knows that we will mess up from time to time, yet He never gives up on us. That’s right, never. Yet knowing all of that, He chooses to entrust us with the most important message ever. The amazing life changing story of His only begotten Son. It’s incredible when you think about it.

As an evangelist I have been used to preach the Gospel and see people come to Christ. It is always a humbling experience for me. I often ask myself “Why would the Lord want to use me”?  Because He knows the real me, he knows my every thought and action yet he still uses me. Normal thinking doesn’t work that way does it? His word says, “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong”. 1 Corinthians 1: 27

Reading that scripture and others like it, really is a great encouragement to me. It should be the same for you as well, because we will all get things wrong from time to time. We will feel disappointed or even guilty when we mess up, but we have a forgiving God who loves us and wants to help us to grow.

The second point is that prayer is the vital remedy here with regards to minimising the occasional dropped ball. Being prayed up will strengthen you and keep you spiritually alert. The saying that we have probably all heard before, “Seven days without prayer makes one weak”, may well be a cliché, but it is a true statement in reality.

We must be prayed up, asking God to direct our paths, to send people to us that are ready to hear the Gospel. I have said many times before “If we ask Him, He will send them”.

Keep prayed up and the opportunities will come along. Some will not go as you hoped. But the more you do something with the right intentions, the better you will become at it.

Can I pray for the sick when witnessing?

As you go about your life seeking for opportunities to share the good news of Jesus Christ, there will be occasions when people that you come into contact with will have relatives, friends or family members who are either unwell or are going through a difficult situation. Of course it is also possible that the person you are speaking to could well be experiencing difficulties or illness themselves. These (genuinely) are ideal opportunities for the Gospel and of course a good time for you to offer to pray for them.

I understand well that this subject can be a contentious one for some. Some Christians believe that healing and other miracles only happened in  biblical times and don’t happen now. My answer is that I have seen people healed in the name of Jesus through prayer and the Lord has used me in this ministry on many occasions - people have been healed from all kinds of conditions. Many of them were immediately healed as they were prayed for. All the glory goes to the Lord for this as I can’t heal anyone. It is the prayer of faith that heals the sick.

Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Matthew 10: 8

My wife Desiree and I both take any opportunity we can to offer prayer for people. Many individuals when they are suffering will start to search for God in one way or another. Very often my wife is asked to say a prayer for so and so at work, or for a relative or friend.

I have prayed for people lots of times when the opportunity has arisen, some were Christians and many were not. I have done so on the street, in homes, over the telephone, in fact anywhere and everywhere .

Recently my eldest sister and her husband visited us. They have both been unwell over the last couple of years. As a young Christian, in my over enthusiasm, I ‘Bible-bashed’ them and unfortunately, this pushed them away from Jesus. Consequently, witnessing to them has been difficult over the last eighteen years or so. As they talked about their conditions I asked if they would like me to pray for them, as I had seen many people healed over the years in the name of Jesus. That afternoon my daughter Bethan and I prayed for them both. We don’t see each other that often, but I believe I will have more opportunities to pray with them. Hopefully one day leading them in a prayer to accept Jesus as Lord.

A while ago my wife and I had been witnessing to a married lady who was experiencing a lot of problems. We would share the Gospel, she would listen with interest even acknowledging that God exists. As I write this she has not as yet  given her life to Jesus, but He will intervene in her circumstances when she does.

This lady came along to a house group meeting one evening and explained that her daughter had just had her tonsils removed. Healing was taking a long time during which she has contracted a very painful throat leaving her unable to eat for a few days. The medication she was on seemed to be having no effect at all and the young girl was very poorly indeed. I asked if the lady would like us to pray for her daughter and explained how Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever, because He still heals the sick. She agreed and we prayed the prayer of faith that the Lord would touch the young girl as she slept.

The very next morning the young girl woke up and coughed all of the infection out of her throat. The pain stopped straight away and she was able to eat her first food since her operation. The lady excitedly rang to tell us the good news. We are still witnessing to her, believing that she will one day accept Jesus. She testifies that the Lord healed her daughter, which is excellent.

When I pray for healing, or for the Lord to move in the situation the person may be going through, I always ask the Lord to use His intervention as a form of proof that He is real. I will say something like: “Lord I ask that you would heal Bob’s condition and do it so that he will have no doubt that you are the living God. Please heal him in the name of Jesus”

I believe very strongly in quoting some healing scriptures or stories here. Explaining the faith of the centurion, who said to Jesus: “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.” Matthew 8:8.

Or I share the story about the leper who went to Jesus asking to be healed: “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” He said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him.” Luke 5: 12-13

In using these scriptures I will often quote them as I pray saying “Lord I know that you are still willing” or “Lord, just say the word”. There many scriptures that you can use, and remember, that faith comes by hearing the word of God. Many times people have said how they have felt the presence of the Lord on occasions like this.

God can use these situations to really open people’s hearts. C.S. Lewis said that suffering is God’s mouthpiece to man. We know from scripture that the children of Israel called out to the Lord to move in their distress.

Take the step of faith and ask if the person would like you pray. You will be amazed how many times they say “yes!”

 

How to invite a person to church

 

Do you know people who are charismatic types and as a result, they find it easier to share the Gospel with friends, family and people in general, whilst there are others who are much more cautious and they don’t find it a comfortable experience in any way at all?

What group do you believe that you fall into?

According to research it is said that only 10% of Christians actually have an evangelistic type of heart or calling on their lives, while only 5% actually ever lead a person to Christ during their lifetime. Whether these figures are true or not is up for debate no doubt. However, I believe though that the figures do bear a good deal of truth, but they are probably just a guestimation.

The point to remember here is that we are not all called to be evangelists, but we are all commanded to be witnesses for Christ in some way. I have said before that witnessing can take many forms. It can be confrontational, relational, testimonial or invitational.

Let’s pause and consider this subject. One of the easiest forms of evangelising and witnessing is inviting someone to church or perhaps a Christian event.

Now here’s some really great news! If we ask God for wisdom, He will grant it to us! It is clearly laid out in His Word, so therefore it must be true. Without a doubt God will always keep His word to us.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” James 1: 5

Another amazing promise is what will happen if we win souls for His kingdom. It has always been one of my favourite scriptures:

“He who wins souls is wise.” Proverbs 11: 30

I believe that God will give us wisdom not only on how to witness, but incredibly He will also show us exactly who we should be witnessing to. Sometimes it may just involve the sharing of some scripture or perhaps your testimony, while on other occasions it could mean inviting someone to come to church with you to attend a service or some kind of a special outreach event.

Key Point: Be honest about what you are inviting a person to attend

I have a few suggestions that will help you from my past experience, because I have got it wrong on some occasions. The first suggestion is:

Be honest about what you are inviting a person to attend: 

I was the guest speaker at a Christian Business event a few years ago. At the time it was one of the largest that I had ever spoken at. Those in attendance were a fifty / fifty split between believers and non believers. My wife joined me at the evening, and we were sat at a large table with other couples who ran businesses in the locality. We really got on well with one particular couple who sat opposite to us. It became evident through talking that they had come along expecting to hear about business topics from the key note speaker. They didn’t know it was a Christian event, they had no idea that I was the after dinner speaker and they certainly didn’t know that I was going to share my story of how I came to know Jesus Christ.

The chairman of the event introduced the speaker (me) for the night to the meeting, as I got up to speak the couple we had been talking to looked somewhat surprised. When I shared my story of how Jesus Christ totally changed my life they both had shocked expressions on their faces. Their irritation was very obvious - they left quickly after the meeting finished and I have never seen them since. Praise God a number of people committed their lives to Christ that evening. All glory to Him.

When inviting people to church or events it is wisest to give them an idea of what to expect. I will often say something like:

“At the end of the meeting the speaker may well ask if anyone wants to follow Christ. Some people take up the invitation and some people don’t”. 

If it’s a church meeting I explain that:

“The worship will probably be different to what you expect. People may clap, even dance, but they do so out of experience and not just because the music is good".

People will genuinely appreciate honesty like this, and if they don’t come to Christ at the meeting, the bridge hasn’t been burned to pieces because the person concerned felt as if they had been duped into coming along. Very often an opportunity to invite them to something else may mean that they will come along in the future.

Be enthusiastic about the meeting or event: 

Enthusiasm is definitely contagious. When you explain about the meeting or event you are inviting them to, do so in a very positive way. Sometimes people invite non believers to church in really negative ways, explaining the meeting in this way: 

“The worship is likely to be wild, the speaker usually speaks for about 45 to minutes to an hour. Last week he spoke about crucifying sin in our lives. Come along you will really enjoy it”  

Speaking like that is very off putting! Don’t look disappointed or let down when a person says ‘No thank you’: This is very important as an “OK, perhaps another time then” leaves the door open. Some people will agree to come and even arrange to meet you at the door, but not turn up. They will give you a wide range of excuses for not coming:

“Something came up at the last minute”, “I couldn’t find the church”,  “Or I wasn’t feeling well”.

 The strangest excuse that I ever got from someone who said they would come to a meeting was:

“I couldn’t make it because my grand mother’s neck started to bleed”. 

Whatever the excuses you get and no matter how strange they might appear to be, you will have to take them on the chin. Other opportunities will come along in the future.

Continue to pray and ask God to guide you: 

We have a promise from God that is a guarantee: 

“He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6

God is so good - He will always keep His promises to us. We just have to trust Him. Pray and listen, because God will direct your path.  He will show you when and who to invite. When you are prompted by the Holy Spirit amazing things will happen.

Your willingness to be used by the Lord will present you with plenty of occasions where you can invite people to functions. Some people will say yes and some will say no. It’s better to at least ask.

If they come along they will hear the Gospel and may come to Christ. It will be all because you asked them to come along.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Witnessing to a professing Christian

This is a short excerpt from my soon to be released book, "A fall from the top" A true story of when I shared Jesus with a work colleague. Perhaps you know people like this. 

Another recruit called Iain joined the office from a banking background. He was a pleasant chap and was very popular. He was very intelligent and had won a very difficult quiz game on television. I let him know that I was a Christian on his first day in the job. He told me “I am a Christian and I go to our local church every Sunday”. “Great” I thought. As he got more familiar with colleagues I noticed that he swore a lot and even took the name of the Lord in vain. This disturbed me because if a person has truly given their life to Jesus the last thing they would do is use the name of Jesus Christ as a swear word. I decided when the time was right that I would challenge Him.

It wasn’t very long before I had an opportunity, when we were alone. I said “Iain can I ask you a personal question?” “Yes of course” he replied. I said “To be totally honest with you, I am a little confused. You say you are a Christian, yet you use profane language and have even taken the name of the Lord in vain”. He looked embarrassed and said that he didn’t realise he had done so. I said “Imagine a drunk on the street was being spoken to by a person who was trying to help him from a local church. During the conversation the so-called Christian used profane language. I think you’d agree that even a drunk person would realise that something was wrong”. Iain agreed and the language he used quickly changed.

I couldn’t leave it there though, so I spoke to him on a number of occasions and asked him when he had made a decision to follow Jesus. He admitted that he had never done that, but that he did believe the Bible. I asked him as I had done with Paul whether he thought that Jesus was in fact who He said He was and what he thought of the same verse of scripture. “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again” (John 3: 5 NIV). His answer was just the same as Paul’s, "Oh, I don't think I believe that"

We had many conversations and as with Paul we had much common ground. But once again, we got stuck on that same fundamental truth. One Friday evening we were alone in the office and soon got onto the subject of the Lord. We talked about Heaven and discussed that no matter how good someone is, whether they go to church or give to charity they will not be able to enter Heaven unless their name is in the Book of Life. The only way of getting there is to be a true follower of Jesus. We discussed how no one would be able to enter the kingdom of God through his or her own righteousness or by doing good works: -

“All our righteous acts are like filthy rags”. (Isaiah 64: 6 NIV)

 I used another verse to explain that a commitment is required from the heart: -

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' (Matthew 7: 21-23 NIV)

As we spoke I saw from his expression that he had had a sudden realisation - there was nothing he could do to earn his way into Heaven. He was a lost sheep just like I had been. Jesus had saved me by His Grace. I asked him “Do you want to leave here tonight with complete assurance that if you died today you would be in Heaven with Jesus?” He looked at me and said “Moray I’m not ready yet”. I replied “We will never be ready because there is nothing we can do of ourselves. Today is the day of Salvation. Don’t put it off, we can deal with this now if you truly believe”. “Yes I do believe” he replied. That was all I needed to hear. At that moment it felt as if God’s presence was very powerful in the office. I could clearly see that Iain was affected by it because he took a sharp intake of breath and stopped breathing for a moment. His eyes filled with tears. I asked, “Would you like to receive Jesus as your Saviour now?” He answered “Yes, I would”. We went through the prayer in the same way as I had with Paul. God is truly amazing! I couldn’t wait to tell Desiree the wonderful news.

Witnessing to family. Does it make you come out in a cold sweat?

Today I am going to talk about a subject that fills many people with fear. For some the very thought of doing this can bring them into a cold sweat, they become nervous, doubtful and as a result never share their faith with the people that they are obviously closest to. Their parents, siblings, aunts and uncles and other relations need to hear the message just as much as anyone else. But very often the fear of damaging a relationship puts people off doing what they desperately want to do - to see their loved ones come to Christ.

They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved -you and your household." Acts 16: 31

“This is good, and pleases God our Saviour, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people.”

 1 Timothy 3-6

Key Point: Don’t feel guilty if this is an area you have struggled with in the past

The first thing to say with regards to this is don’t feel guilty about it if this is an area that you find difficult. It is common for many believers, so don’t give yourself a hard time about it. One of the first people I led to Christ was my mother. I had been saved for around eight months and had shared Jesus at almost every opportunity I got from the day I received Jesus as Lord. I had opposition from her initially but the Holy Spirit opened her heart to the truth. It was a great day indeed.

However, my two elder sisters are a completely different story. I put them off completely with my somewhat confrontational style, telling them that they were sinners and that they needed to repent. That was eighteen years ago when I first came to Christ. Since then I have had just a few opportunities to share Jesus. Each time has been quite awkward and difficult. Although I have noticed each time that they are a little more receptive. I want them to know the truth because I love them. I am sure that you find the same with your family members that don’t know Christ.

Remember that our close relatives know our short comings all too well. They know when we are grumpy, miserable and irritating. They may have seen us start weight loss programmes, exercising or similar things only to see us fail. When I was young I used to wind up my sisters by playing practical jokes on them, arguing and generally being a pain. Now suddenly I was telling them to: 

“Repent, for the Kingdom of God is near” Matthew 4: 17

The obvious change in me was difficult for them to take in.

As a motivational speaker and sales trainer one of the things that I would say to my audience was “You can’t buy years of experience”. It’s true; we only get that by learning through our successes and failures. 

So here are some suggestions that will make a difference when it comes to sharing Jesus with those who are closest to you.

1)    Prayer: It is vital that you continually lift your family up in prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to open their hearts, to open their blind eyes, to break down barriers. I’m am sure that you do that anyway, but I would go further and suggest that you be very specific in your prayers. I have said before, that God can open the hardest of hearts. Pray for opportunities.

2)    Lifestyle witnessing: Your family will be watching you closely. Demonstrate the love of Jesus through a serving heart, by doing things that you wouldn’t have normally done in the past. They will need to see you living out what you truly believe. If you get asked why you are doing it, gently share what Jesus has done in your life. For example, if you gossiped before you came to Christ, it must stop immediately, or you will be seen as a hypocrite.

3)    Witness to them while you are on your own without distractions: It is difficult to share the Gospel when someone is watching their favourite TV Soap or sports programme. Equally it can be difficult if there are other family members there at the same time. Pride can come in here and the person may object because they feel embarrassed. Pray and wait for the opportune time because God will provide it.

4)    Share the Gospel on a testimonial basis: Rather than make the mistake that I did by being confrontational and pointing out what I saw as errors in my sisters’ lives, the best thing to do is explain what happened to you, how you found Jesus. Tell them how God convicted you of your sins, your life, lying, stealing, adultery. (Whatever your sin was). Share how Jesus died for you and by accepting His forgiveness how your life has changed. If your listener has been receptive you can ask a question like “I realised that I was a liar and a cheat. Have you ever done anything that you know was wrong”? Their answer can open the door for you.

  

5)        Ask a Christian friend to witness in the same way: Sharing our testimony is an incredibly powerful way of witnessing. The barriers that may have been built up between you and your sibling or parents can be broken down through your friend sharing their story. It is amazing how it can happen.

6)        Don’t pressure them: That is exactly what I did. I pushed the Gospel down my sisters throats and as a result the job is now much harder. I have heard Christian say to their parents “Don’t you want to see your grandchildren in heaven”? That is not the Gospel in any way at all. People must recognise that they need a Saviour and that they must accept Jesus and ask Him for forgiveness.

Asking questions that get to the truth (Three Level Questioning)

As you witness to people about Christ you will sometimes get into heated discussions. Some people will make there position clear because they have made a firm decision not to believe in God. While many will make an argument that under questioning often will not stand up. This will often open the door for you to present the truth of the Gospel.

Today I am going to talk about a technique used in counselling, business and communication called “Three Level Questioning”. This is a huge subject, and I am only covering it very briefly. At all times you must rely on and listen to the Holy Spirit. He will direct and guide you as well as bringing all important scriptures to your memory. After all Jesus said that would happen. “But the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” John 14:26

Before I came to know Jesus, I was pretty much anti God, and didn’t want anything to do with Christians. Looking back, I found them weak, and imagined them to be a little nerdy, or the train spotter type. I would often argue that there was no God, and that I didn’t believe in Jesus. I made that decision myself and didn’t really base it on much evidence that I had discovered at all. It was just a belief system that I had developed over the years, based on a couple of TV programmes that I watched and mainly because my friends, family and work colleagues had a similar opinion.

If anyone was to have asked me why I believed that and had taken the time to actually drill down to see how strong my beliefs actually were, they would have very quickly discovered that I wasn’t really sure about what I believed at all.

Jesus replied, "I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. John's baptism-where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or from men?" Matthew 21: 24-25

If you read the Gospels you will soon discover that Jesus asked a huge mount of questions when he encountered people. By doing this He was able to quickly see people hearts. So with that in mind I thought it would be helpful to go through a technique that I often use that works. I will sometimes do this to find out what an unbeliever truly believes.

It is essential that you are not confrontational as you do this. We might win the battle but lose the person who was defeated. The first thing an unbeliever must see in us is the love of Christ. At the end of the day God is love.

People form their own perspective and views on life, which are built through, experiences, learning, films, TV and much more. Asking a few simple questions will usually get you to a point where both you and the person you are in conversation with will discover just how firm the foundations of their beliefs are.

I am using open questions in this example. Closed questions invite responses that are often quite short such as “No”, “I don’t think so” etc. The idea here is to get a person talking to you.

Example:

You are in conversation and start to share Christ. After a few moments your listener says “I don’t believe in God at all. I think that we just die and that’s it. There is no heaven”.

Question Level One: “That’s interesting, tell me why that got your attention”? Depending on the statement the person originally gave you, your question could include words like “Who, When, How, Where, How often”. (This is often known as data collection)

My answer before accepting Christ would have been “Er…well I saw a programme saying that aliens visited the earth thousands of years ago”. Plus I saw the film “Chariots of the Gods.

Question Level Two: “Great, so you are saying that watching a film and a TV programme gave you enough information to decide that there is no God or heaven. Let me ask what did you see that gave you feelings that there was no God” Other questions could include “What you feel about of think about, What does that mean to you, What are the implications of that, What interests you about that”? (The meaning, interest, feeling, attraction and interest level)

The truth is that I would have started to struggle here to define what I truly believed.

Question Level Three: “Why did you decide to believe that”? Other questions you could use are “Why is that important, Why does that concern you”? (The attitudes and values level) The “Why question is important. My children will often ask for something, like sweets, or because they want to do something. Sometimes the answer will be no. In almost all cases they ask me “Why”?

This is where most people will either be certain of their beliefs or unsure of them. You will in most cases know where you stand. The person who is firm in the beliefs will be a greater challenge, whereas the latter will be easier for you to share the good news with. In most cases asking questions build rapport and makes it easier to share your own experiences as well.

In either case the Holy Spirit can move a person’s heart. Jesus saves the most opinionated and hard nosed people. I have seen it so many times over the years. Give it a try sometime.