Step 1

• Listen carefully to determine where they are coming from.
• Learn their story (where they are in their spiritual journey).
• Hear the sour notes people are “singing” to us.
• Seek for clarification…

Ask yourself:

• What do they believe?
• What worldview framework do they hold?
• What do their hearts long for that Jesus can provide?
• What are the inconsistencies in their belief system?

Ask them:

• I think I understand. What you are saying is… Is this right?

Types of Inconsistencies:

• belief vs. heart longing
  • they believe one thing but their hearts long for something else
• belief vs. behavior
  • they believe one thing but the way they live or behave is different from what they believe
• belief vs. belief
  • they hold to two or more beliefs that contradict each other in some way
• illogical belief
  • their particular belief is contradictory and unmeaningful merely in making the statement

Examples:

A Buddhist believes in achieving a state of nirvana that can only be achieved by letting go of their identity. Yet in reality people would not want to let go of their identity because to do so would mean losing all conscious awareness of who they are.

A Muslim believes that his good deeds must outweigh his bad deeds to get to heaven. Yet some may not pray even five times a day.

An atheist/freethinker believes that God does not exist. Yet they have difficulty living their life without believing in non-material things such as truth, love, and beauty.

An extreme postmodernist believes that there are absolutely no absolutes (there is no meta-story).

Step 2

• Help people surface the truth for themselves.

Ask them questions:

• that clarify beliefs (what do you mean by…?)
• that surface some of their uncertainties
• that expose false beliefs

Determine the impact of your question by asking whether it:

(the three D’s of asking questions)

• surfaces doubt (uncertainty)
• while it minimizes defensiveness
• yet creates a desire (curiosity) to hear more

Remember to focus on those stand-out inconsistencies rather than pointing out all inconsistencies.

Further amplification:

• What do you mean when you say…?
• How is it possible…?
• Ask yourself, what is one key question that could surface some doubt about their current beliefs?
• Ask yourself, am I asking the question in a way that will make it difficult for them to get defensive right away?
• Ask yourself, am I ending the spiritual dialogue in a way that they might be willing to continue the conversation later or even hear more what I’m saying about Jesus?
• Ask yourself, what is one key thing I can focus on that could unlock openness for further dialogue?

Examples:

What do you mean when you say you are an _______________(atheist, freethinker, agnostic)?

What influenced you to become an _______________(atheist)?

How is it possible for all religions to be the same when some of them contradict each other?

How can Jesus be merely a man when He lived a sinless life, fulfilled prophecy, and gave evidence for His resurrection from the dead?

I am curious, why do you need Jesus to save you if you can measure up?

How do you fit Jesus into your religious belief?

I am curious, how do you fit in your thinking both ____________ and _____________?

Do you know what Jesus taught about the issue of desire that Buddha was so concerned about?

Can you think of any natural way to explain the fact of the empty tomb and yet believe that Jesus was just a man, as many claimed?

Step 3

• Uncover their real barriers to the Gospel (i.e., dig up their history and find out how they came to be on their current path)

Ask yourself:

• What is the barrier/obstacle?
• Is the perceived issue a real concern or is it a smoke screen?
• Is the perceived barrier intellectual or emotional, or both?
• What is the specific emotional baggage they are carrying?
• Is there a question or issue behind the question raised?
• What is their biggest perceived barrier to embracing the Christian faith?
• What would motivate them to get answers?
• What is their volitional barrier?

To surface their history and baggage:

• ask questions that surface false beliefs or distortions about concepts/theological principles
• use illustrations

Two types of obstacles:

• Obstacles in their understanding of Christianity
  • thinking there is no difference in religious beliefs (pluralism)
  • not understanding the nature of sin
  • not understanding that salvation is by grace and not by works
  • reconciling the problem of evil with the existence of God
• Obstacles in their embracing of Christianity
  • their sinful and selfish nature (Jeremiah 17:9)
  • being overly concerned with making a living and acquiring material possessions
  • feeling negative toward Christians because they think that they have the only way to God
  • being indifferent toward anything of a religious nature
  • hypocrisy among Christians
  • believing that Christianity is a Western concept and should have no place in Eastern culture

Examples of uncovering questions:

• So what you are saying is…
• If you could know the truth about religious issues, would you want to know it?
• If I could answer your question in a way that would make sense to you, would that help you to more
  seriously consider a belief in God and Christianity?
• Out of all the questions you have about Christianity, what is that one question that is right now keeping you from embracing Christianity?
• What do you consider the biggest obstacle in your religious tradition (Buddhist, Hindu, Islam) that would keep you from embracing Christianity?

Step 4

• Build a positive case for Christ and look for opportunities to invite them to trust Him

Ask yourself:

• What is the right balance in your approach (objective evidence vs. subjective experience)?
• Where can you find common ground in your discussion (i.e., where your beliefs and theirs intersect)?
• What is your strategy for building a bridge that uses planks of common understanding that also takes into account when to build head or heart bridges?
• What do you need to keep in mind in building your bridge and yet not lose sight of the goal?
• What types of conversations would lead to open doors to transition to share the Gospel?

Further amplification:

Do they need to see evidence of Christ’s power manifested first in how I live my life, or do they need to understand how miraculous Jesus’ life is and how unique He is compared to other religious leaders?

We are to find that point of intersection between our beliefs and theirs.

These planks can be built on common understanding, even those things they are not aware of.

Has anyone ever explained to you the five planks concept?

Has anyone ever explained to you the difference between do versus done?

Examples of bridge-building questions:

• Example of a heart bridgeIf you had a choice between having a relationship with God who created you and wanted you to see Him as your loving Father, or a relationship with an impersonal God or one who you could never be sure of His love and concern for you, which one would appeal to you?
• Example of a heart bridgeIn a world that equates fundamental beliefs with hatred and terrorism, we need to remind others that Jesus taught us that we are to “love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.”
• Example of a head bridgeDid you know that Buddha claimed to point to the way, and Muhammad claimed to be a prophet of God, but Jesus Christ is the only major religious leader who claimed to be God, who lived a sinless life, fulfilled prophecy, and then died on the cross and rose from the dead?
• Example of a head bridgeIf you were coming to the end of your life, and you met Jesus and other great religious leaders and each one suggested a different path, whose advice would you take? Wouldn’t you take the advice of someone who’s been to the other side and came back to tell us about it?

GOSPEL PRESENTATION