how can i share my faith without an argument?

8/12/2019 How Can i Share My Faith Without an Argument?

1/34


2/34

HOW CANI SHARE MY

FAITH WITHOUTAN ARGUMENT?

OO

ne answer is to go low-key,relational, and long-term.

Friendship evangelism

is an important way to attractpeople to the difference thatChrist is making in us (1 Pet.3:15). But is that the wholeanswer? Have some of us beenusing that strategy as an excusenot to talk openly about our faith?

When I met Bill Fay, I senseda deep faith and conviction thatrang true. Hearing his story andlistening to him describe practical

ways of being more direct inwitnessing reawakened a senseof urgency in my own heart.

RBC offers Bills experienceand method of witnessing notbecause we think its the only

way, but because of the need tobe influenced by someone who isdoing all he can to reach people

for Christ. Martin R. De Haan IIManaging Editor: David Sper Cover Photo: FPG International /Dick LuriaScripture quotations are from the New International Version, 1973,1978,1984 by theInternational Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishers.1991,1997,2002 RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, Michigan Printed in USA

CONTENTS

Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Overcoming

Obstacles . . . . . . . . . . . . 6How Can I ShareMy Faith WithoutAn Argument? . . . . . . . . . 9

Step 1:The Approach . . . . . . . . . 9

Step 2:The Bible . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Step 3:The Close . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Dealing WithObjections . . . . . . . . . . 23

A PersonalChallenge . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Key Words . . . . . . . . . . 32

RBC Ministries. All rights reserved.


3/34

FOREWORD

Christ Jesus came into theworld to save sinnersofwhom I am the worst. Butfor that very reason I was

shown mercy so that in me,the worst of sinners, Christ

Jesus might display Hisunlimited patience as anexample for those who wouldbelieve on Him and receiveeternal life.

Paul (1 Tim. 1:15-16)

JJesus Christ transforms

lives. Just as Hedramatically redirected

the life of the apostlePaul, the Lord continues tochange the lives of men and

women today. Bill Fay, the

author of this booklet, isone of those people. He

was pursuing his own goalswhen the Lord brought himcrashing to his knees.

Early in life Bill had

determined that he wasgoing to be number one inwhatever he didno matter

what it took. In college hediscovered ways to cheat toreach his goals. But moreimportant, he learned howto gamble. In fact, hisexceptional talents as acard shark helped pay his

way through college.After college he landed a

sales job and rapidly movedup the corporate ladder.But his life took on a newdimension when he visitedLas Vegas, the gamblersmecca. Because of his cardskills he was noticed, and

he made connections withprominent people in theunderworld. While keepinghis corporate job intact, hebegan to be a channel formafia money around the

country.Bill moved from city to

city, job to job, wife to wife,pursuing his self-centered

goals. He thought he hadit made when he became

the president and chiefexecutive officer of a largeheart pacemaker company.

2



4/34

He had limousines,big expense accounts,recognition, Rolexes,diamond rings, and goldon his hands and aroundhis neck. But amid all themoney, power, and glamour,life was lonely and empty.

In addition to his regularcorporate job, Bill thendecided to get involvedin another enterprise that

would make use of hismarketing skills. He builtone of the larger houses ofprostitution in the United

States. This business,however, got him intotrouble. He was arrested

on charges relating tohis new venture, and hiscorporation fired him. But

Bill started an executivesearch business and beganmaking money again.

As a relaxing diversionduring his high-rolling,high-stress life, Bill wouldescape to a vacation spotin Colorado called Lost

Valley Ranch. He didntknow it at first, but theplace was staffed bybelievers in Christ. He didnotice, however, that there

was something differentabout the place.

Bill could out-argue any

believer who dared to takehim on, but one Eastermorning he heard somethingthat would eat away at himuntil he gave his life toChrist. During a service in

an open field, a young manabout 22 years old talkedabout the difference betweenhappiness and inner peace.Bill listened intently becausehe knew he didnt have

inner peace. But when theyoung man said that peacecomes only through a

3

Amid all themoney, power, andglamour, life was

lonely and empty.



5/34

personal relationship withJesus Christ, Bill got on hishorse and muttered, I dontneed that kind of junk in mylife. And he rode out of themeadow.

Some time later, Billwalked into a racketballfacility and met a man who

would play a key role in hiscoming to faith in Christ.Dr. Paul Grant had goneto play racketball that dayafter asking the Lord foran opportunity to sharehis faith. The two men met,

and Paul lovingly told Billabout Christ.

Paul invited Bill and hiswife, Peggy, to church. Afterthe service he invited themto his home. Paul and his

wife, Kathie, radiated apersonal relationship withJesus. Although moved bytheir testimonies, Bill wasnot ready to give his life toChrist.

Still on probation fromhis previous arrest, Bill wascaught in a police sting.

After a weekend in jail witha bond of $250,000, his lifecame to a crisis point. Billsat around his house for2 days in tears. The painin his life was surfacing.He considered escapingthrough drugs, alcohol,and even suicide. By Gods

grace he didnt take any ofthose options.

Bills wife suggested thathe call the pastor who hadmarried them. After someinitial reluctance, he pickedup the phone. What he had

heard 7 years before at theranch was on his mind. Hetold the pastor he wantedinner peace. The next dayhe drove 85 miles to a littlecountry church. Kneeling

on the dusty floor, he cameto know Jesus Christ in apersonal way. That was onMarch 4, 1981. He left thatchurch a different man.

He returned home and

stood trial, but the case wasdismissed. As he left thecourthouse he determined

4



6/34

never to go near a jail orprison again. But the Lordhad other plans. For thenext several years he visitedprisoners to tell them aboutJesus.

Since then, Bill has

shared his faith with peoplefrom all walks of life andhas taught many others todo the same. But in Billsown words, The greatestmiracle of all is not the

change in what I do but inwhat I have become. Thepursuit of power, money,

and women has beenreplaced by the pursuitof the virtues I had oncescorned: love, honesty,loyalty, self-sacrifice, self-discipline, humility, faith,patience, and endurance.

And because I know thatthe only life worth living isthrough Christ, I have madeit my lifes work to shareHim with others.

In the pages thatfollow, Bill will explainhow he shares his faith

with confidence, and how

you can too. The Editors

5

I pray that you

may be active insharing your faith,so that you will

have a fullunderstanding of

every good thingwe have in Christ.

Philemon 6ABOUT THE AUTHOR:Bill Fay is a graduate ofDenver Seminary, is the

chaplain of several policedepartments, works as achaplain in cooperation withthe Colorado Sectional PGAand the PGA of America, hasan internationally syndicatedradio program Lets Go, andis a national speaker andseminar leader.



7/34

OVERCOMINGOBSTACLES

HHave you everwanted to shareyour faith but

chickened out? WhenI ask that question inmeetings at churches, eventhe pastors hand goes up.Thats normal.

What makes it difficultfor us to share our faith?During a seminar I wasleading, people gave thesereplies:

Im unsure how toguide the discussionto the Scripture.

I fear rejection. I dont know how to

start a conversation

about spiritual issues. I lack confidence that

the Lord will speakthrough me.

I cant imagine thatsome people would

even care to hearwhat I have to say.

Were going to deal with

the how-to questions in thepages to follow, but we firstneed to clarify our role andthe proper attitude.

We need to getaway from a win themmentality. People do notput their faith in Christbecause we cleverly forcethem to believe. We mustrealize that if we winsomeone to Christ, hesprobably not saved. D. L.Moody, the evangelist, wasriding on a train when adrunk came up to him and

said, Mr. Moody, Im oneof your converts. Moodyreplied, Im afraid you are,because youre obviouslynot a convert of the Lords.

We also have to believe

that success in Gods eyesis sharing our faith andliving out our Christianlife. He does not measuresuccess by how manypeople we lead to Jesus

Christ. Our job is to befaithful to Him.

Still we fear failure and

6



8/34

rejection. There is nostronger feeling in the worldthan that. It hurts. But wemust remember that its the

gospel people are rejecting,its Jesus theyre rejecting,its not us. It feels like ussometimes, but we haveto get free from that desireto cause the conversion.Jesus said, No one cancome to Me unless theFather who sent Medraws him (Jn. 6:44).

The apostle Paul wroteto the believers at Corinth,I came to you in weakness

and fear, and with muchtrembling (1 Cor. 2:3).But that didnt stop him.In fact, most of the NewTestament was written bythat coward.

God understands thatwe might be afraid. Butwe have no excuse not totell others about Christ,because His strengthis made perfect in our

weakness (2 Cor. 12:9).I dread every hospital

visit I have to make. Itshard for me. But it doesnt

excuse me not to go to seethe people that God puts inmy path in hospitals. Weve

got to gowhether we likeit or not.

Remember Moses. He

stuttered. Moses wouldnot have been a good TVpersonality today. Godchooses the weak thingsof the world to shame the

wise and the strong. And if

anybody qualifies for that,its me.

And finally, if you are

7

Success isntleading someoneto Christ. Successis acting out your

Christian life,sharing the gospel,and trusting Godfor the results.



9/34

thinking that the personyou are considering talkingto is an impossible case,

youve got to trust thatGod is the God of theimpossible. You and I needto remember our part andGods part in the processof sharing our faith.

Our Part Then Jesus came to them

and said, All authorityin heaven and on earthhas been given to Me.Therefore go and make

disciples of all nations(Mt. 28:18-19).

We are therefore Christsambassadors, as thoughGod were making Hisappeal through us

(2 Cor. 5:20).

Gods Part Not by might nor by

power, but by My Spirit,says the Lord Almighty

(Zech. 4:6). My message and my

preaching were not with

wise and persuasivewords, but with ademonstration ofthe Spirits power(1 Cor. 2:4).

No one can come toMe unless the Father

who sent Me draws him(Jn. 6:44).

No one can come to Meunless the Father hasenabled him (Jn. 6:65).

8



10/34

HOW CAN ISHARE MY FAITHWITHOUT AN

ARGUMENT?

IIwould like to outlinea simple step-by-stepapproach that I have

used in sharing my faithwith others. By followingthis method I have avoidedunnecessary arguments that

would have hindered acomplete presentation ofthe gospel.

First, I ask five questions

to determine the otherpersons spiritual condition.During this time I amprobing for information,not presenting my case.

Next, I have the person

read several key Bibleverses and ask what theverses say to him or her.The goal here is not topreach but to allow theHoly Spirit to bring

conviction as the personreads and thinks about thetruths of Scripture.

The third step is anotherseries of five questions.These summarize the truthsof the verses the person has

just read, and they call fora decision to receive Christ.

STEP 1:THE APPROACH

When you ask questions,

it allows people to expresstheir viewpoint. People loveto give their opinions.

When you ask a question,dont respond with yourown answer. Then you

wont end up on somerabbit trail. The minute theother person says hes going

9

THE APPROACH1. Do you have any kind

of spiritual belief?2.To you, who is Jesus?3. Do you think there is a

heaven and a hell?

4. If you died right now,where would you go?5. If what you believe

were not true, wouldyou want to know it?



11/34

to reincarnate or fizzlewhen he dies, you aregoing to want to jump inand respond. But dont!

In addition to thefollowing questions,I sometimes use otherintroductory bridgequestions. Heres one ofmy favorites: Do you go tochurch anywhere? Its sononthreatening. Try thaton people at work and

watch what happens. Thatquestion can serve as aneffective transition into the

questions that follow.1. Do you have any

kind of spiritual belief?The first question does notask people if they believein God. Thatll give you the

response, None of yourbusiness. But if you askthem if they have anyspiritual beliefs, theyll talkto you, some for 5 or 10minutes. Let them talk,

because when theyre donetheyll have very little tofight with you about. If they

simply answer yes withoutexplaining, go on to thenext question.

2.To you, who isJesus?When you aska person what he thinksof Jesus, he will usuallyrespond, The Son of God,or The man who died onthe cross. But if I were toask one of you who Jesusis, I hope your response

would reflect your personalrelationship to Him. I hope

you would say, My Lordand my Savior. So listen

carefully to the personsanswer.

3. Do you thinkthere is a heaven anda hell? The third questionis safe. It is an intellectual

question. It simply askswhat they believe aboutthe life to come.

4. If you died rightnow, where would yougo? If heaven, why? I

asked a woman, Do youthink there is a heaven anda hell? Her exact words

10



12/34

were Absolutely not.But the fourth question ispersonal. So when I askedher where she would go

when she died, she said,Heaven, of course. Theissue went from her head toher heart. When you starttalking about the personalaspect of a persons life, heor she will get very serious.

If people answer,Heaven, you ask, Why?The answer they give willpinpoint their true beliefs.If they say, I dont know,

continue on to the nextquestion.

5. If what youbelieve were not true,would you want toknow it? The last

question is a tough one.Jesus drove the Phariseesand Sadducees nuts withhard questions, so I makeno apology for asking them.

What are the two

possible answers to questionnumber 5? Yes or no. If its

yes, you go on. If the answer

is no, stop. And Ill tell youwhat will happen almostevery time you stop. Theperson will say, Well, arent

you going to tell me? Veryrarely will you ever get a nothat sticks. If you do get ano, remember, its not yourproblem, its Gods.

VARYING THEAPPROACH

You can vary the approacha number of ways. Let me

give you some examples.Example 1: I was at

an airport and I happenedto be where they take thetickets before you get onthe airplane. I noticed a

woman who was all byherself. I walked up and

said, I have a question.And she said, What is it?I said, If you died rightnow, where would you

go? She said, Thats animportant question. So

I took her off to the sidewhile she gave her lifeto Jesus Christ.

11



13/34

These questions aremerely a probe to see ifthe heart is ready. You canadjust them any way you

want. If you want to go rightto the heart of the matter,

just ask. There isnt aconversation you cant turnto any of these questions.

Example 2:You couldsay to someone, In thenewspaper you read aboutsports superstars who aremaking lots of money but

whose personal lives are amess. What do you think

makes a person happy?Im curious, do you havespiritual belief in anything?

What is your understandingof who Jesus is?

Example 3:You could

say, You know, with thecurrent world tensions and

wars going on, do you thinkabout all those soldiers

who may die? Do you everwonder what may happen

to people when they die?Im curious, what about

you? If you died right now,

where would you go?You can turn any

conversation into a tender

confrontation. But dont getaway from the questions,or you may not get the

12

A DERRINGER

A derringer is a smallpocket pistol.Thegamblers in the oldwesterns used to shootpeople with them.

When you gosomewhere to sharewith somebody, dont takea shotgun (your churchBible). If you had tried toshare with me before Iwas a believer and dared

to put a big Bible on atable in a restaurant, youor the book would havebeen on the floor. Dontdo that.

Get yourself aderringer or sharing

Biblea New Testamentpocket/purse version.Every day that you put itin your pocket or purse,youre saying,Lord, Imready.



14/34

opportunity to talk withthem about the Lord.

Example 4:A JehovahsWitness came to my door.I was running late for anappointment, but I openedthe door anyway. She said,Hi, Im here from the

Watchtower. I said, Look,I really need to go but Ihave just one question. Shesaid, What is it? I said, If

what you believe were nottrue, would you want toknow it? She replied, Oh,but sir, what I believe is

true, and I came here toshare truth and revelation

with you. I said, Maam,thats not my question. Idid this 12 times. Finallyshe said, Well, yes. And

shes been back twice.The whole idea of these

questions is to get to theBible. The power is in Gods

Word. I want to get to HisBook.

Example 5: I have afriend who reads 1,200

words a minute and

remembers everything hehas ever read. For 20 yearshe was a practicing atheist

with a hobby of tearingapart other peoplesreligious beliefs.

Then one day in Guam,on a bus, he saw a guy who

was being teased by severalpeople. Someone grabbedthe mans Bible and tossedit out the window. Myfriend, who had a sensitiveheart, walked up and said,Why do you let them dothis to you? The man

said, Im a Christian.My friend responded,

Do you mean to tell methat you believe thatsomebody got vomited outof the mouth of a whale?

The guys answer was yes.My friends immediateresponse was, How do

you know? His answerwas, My Bible tells me so.

This went on with more

questions and the manreplying with a yes or a noand saying, My Bible tells

13



15/34

me so. This shook myfriend so badly that he

went home, borrowed aBible, and read it throughover the weekend. A versein Job that said Stop andconsider Gods wondersspoke to him (Job 37:14).

For 2 weeks heintellectually struggledbetween killing himself ortrusting Christ before he

gave himself to the Lord.Today he a strong Christiandefender of the faith.

The point is this: Dont

get intimidated. Let your yesbe yes and your no be no.

STEP 2:THE BIBLE

God uses Scripture tochange peoples lives. The

next step in sharing yourfaith without an argumentis based on two principles.The first is from Romans10:17, Faith comes fromhearing. Hearing is thekey. The second principleis in Luke 10:26, which Iparaphrase, What does itsay to you? The Holy Spirit

will do the convincing andthe convicting. Youre just

going to stand by andwatch God do something.

1. Romans 3:23For all have sinned

and fall short of theglory of God.

When Im sharing, Itake my Bible and I putit in front of the otherpersonon the table or on

his lap. I point to Romans3:23 and I ask him to readit out loud. Then I ask him,What does it say to you?

When you do it this way, hecant say, Thats just your

interpretation. He will readit and tell you what it says.Then he wont be able to

14

THEBIBLE1. Romans 3:232. Romans 6:233. John 3:34. John 14:65. Romans 10:9-116. Revelation 3:20



16/34

sayyou told him. Whenyou do that, the otherperson will be doing thespeaking, the Holy Spirit

will be doing the convicting,and nobody can start anargument with you aboutthe interpretation.

After the person readsthis verse and tells you

what it says, if you feelthat the person needs moreclarification simply say,Have you ever committedmurder? The person willlikely say, No, I havent.

You then say, Well, haveyou ever hated someoneor been angry? He willprobably feel a littledefensive and say, Yeah.Havent you? You say,Sure I have. And then

you could say, Did you

know that God says angeris the same as murder? Atthat point you usually getsilence, because suddenlyhe realizes that by Godsholy standards hes a mess.

2. Romans 6:23For the wages of sinis death, but the giftof God is eternal lifein Christ Jesus ourLord.

Ask the person to readthe verse, and then ask,What does it say? He or

15

WHERE TO GO NEXT?

In case youre wonderinghow to remember whatverse to turn to next,heres a suggestion.

Open your Bible toRomans 3:23.Turn it so a

person who is facing youcan read your Bible.

In the margin closest toyou, write,Romans 6:23.As you review Romans 3:23with a person, you will seethe reference for the nextverse in the margin.

Then, on the page forRomans 6:23, write in themargin,John 3:3.

Do this for all the versesyou will be using. Each time

you turn to a verse, youllknow where to go next.



17/34

she will tell you it says thatfor one sin we die.

This verse can devastatea persons religion and hisfeeling that hes okay. InRomans 6:23, underline orcircle the wordsin. Thendraw a line through the

word death. In big lettersnear it, write the word hell.Then circle the word in. (Dothis in your Bible before

you talk with someone.)There is a tendency in us

to be harsh. We might wantto tell a person, Listen,

stupid, for one sin youregoing to hell. And yourdumb religion isnt going tosave you! If you do that,its not only unloving, butthe person is not going to

listen. You can get themessage across in a more

gentle way. The whole keyis where you point.

After the person has readthe verse and told you what

the verse says to him, youcan simply say, Did younotice that in my Bible Ive

underlined the wordsin?(Point to the word.) He willsay, Yes. Then you say,

while pointing to the wordsin, This reminds me thattheres nos at the end ofthe word. God says for onesin He will send me to hell.

You point to yourself, butthe other person gets theidea.

Now suppose theperson youre talking tois a churchgoer. You say,

Did you notice that Ihave circled the word in? Itreminds me that I am to be

16

There is atendency in us

to be harsh, butwe must be lovingand gentle in howwe communicate

the gospel of

Christ.



18/34

in a relationship with JesusChrist, not in a religion.Right then his infantbaptism, his confirmation,his church membership, or

whatever other religiousactions he was trusting just

went out the window. Withthis verse you have politelyshown him that he has nohope. And youve done itnicely.

3. John 3:3No one can seethe kingdom of Godunless he is born

again.As a reminder to

yourself, in the marginof your Bible by John 3:3,draw a cross like the crossof Christ, and alongside of

it write the question, Whydid Jesus come to die?

Here is the oneexception when you do notask the person what the

verse means to him. Why?

Because he wont know.The way to get into this

verse is to turn to the person

and say, I know somebodylike you who walked up toJesus Christ and asked himhow to get into heaven. This

was a religious guy, but heknew that going to churchdidnt cut it. I want you toread aloud what Jesus saidto him. And he will read,No one can see thekingdom of God unlesshe is born again. Do notask him what it means tohim. He wont know. Weknow from Scripture thatNicodemus was confused.

You can then say,Youre probably wondering

what Jesus was talkingabout. Nicodemus thoughtJesus meant he had to goback inside his mom. But

no, Jesus was talking abouta spiritual birth.

Nows the time to aska question. Take out a penand make the sign of across with your finger

across your pen. Then ask,Why did Jesus come todie? Fifty percent of the

17



19/34

people wont know. Listenfor an answer. The personmay say that Jesus had toor that He wanted to. Ask,Why? Eventually he maysay, Jesus came to die forsin. Say, Thats right. The

wages of sin is death. Youjust finished reading that inRomans 6:23. Then say,Jesus Christ hung on thecross and He took uponHimself all of your sins, andmy sins, and the sins of the

whole world. When He diedon that cross, He died for

me, for my forgiveness.That forgiveness is a giftfrom God.

Then take your pen inyour hand, hold it out, andsay, If you want this pen,

what do you have to do toget it? In response he maysay, Id have to thank

you. You would say no.Then he might say, I haveto pay you. Say, No, its a

free gift. Dont give him theanswer. Eventually he willsay, I just need to take it,

accept it, or receive it.I dont know what it is,

but people just hate to takeanything thats free. But

when they take it, thatswhen you can say, Look,thats the same thing youhave to do with the cross.It doesnt become your giftuntil you accept it for

yourself.4. John 14:6

I am the way andthe truth and the life.No one comes tothe Father except

through Me.When you turn to this

verse, ask the other personto read it aloud and thenask him what it says. Theperson will tell you it says

that there is no other wayto go to heaven to be withGod except through Jesus.

Once in a while Ill say,Do you see any other wayto heaven except through

Jesus Christ? And Ive hadpeople angrily say, No!

Why do you think theyre

18



20/34

aggravated? Its becausethey think its a stupidquestion, which it is,because the verse is veryclear. If they see it, theymay give you an agitatedNo! What you arehearing is God at work.

5. Romans 10:9-11If you confess withyour mouth,Jesus isLord, and believe inyour heart that Godraised Him fromthe dead, you will besaved. For it is with

your heart thatyou believe and arejustified, and it is withyour mouth that youconfess and are saved.As the Scripture says,

Anyone who trusts inHim will never be putto shame.

One of the most difficultthings for people to believeis that they can be forgiven.

After you have asked theperson to read Romans10:9-11 and he has read it,

ask him if the phrase If you. . . believe . . . you will besaved includes murderers,alcoholics, drug addicts,etc. You ask that, becauseif he believes God willforgive a murderer he willbelieve God will forgive himfor adultery, alcoholism,drugs, unlovingness, or

whatever. Its a key issue.But lets suppose that

when you ask him if itincludes murderers he saysno. Ask him to read the

verse again. Let the Spirit

teach him. Remember, thisis the Holy Spirits problem.It is not your problem toenter into an argumentabout whether or not God

will forgive murderers.

6. Revelation 3:20I stand at the doorand knock. If anyonehears My voice andopens the door, I willcome in and eat with

him, and he with Me.As you did with the

other verses, ask the person

19



21/34

to read this verse out loud.Then ask, What does itsay to you? He will saythat when we open the doorof our lives to Jesus, He willcome in.

With this verse youwant the person to realizethat Jesus is eager to enterinto our lives. The Lordlongs for us to be in a rightrelationship with Him.

Now you are readyto move to the final step.

STEP 3:

THE CLOSE

This is the part that manyof us fear mostthe callfor a decision. Heres howto do it.

These final fivequestions are a recap ofall the key verses you just

guided the other personthrough.

1.Are you a sinner?This question points backto Romans 3:23, For allhave sinned. Earlier hesaw that the all includeshim.

2. Do you want

forgiveness of sins?Romans 6:23 says thatforgiveness is a giftprovided by Jesus Christ.To have that free gift

we must accept it for

ourselves.3. Do you believe

Jesus died on thecross for you and roseagain? In John 3, Christexplained that He would

die for our sins and that wemust put our trust in Himto be born again.

20

THECLOSE

1.Are you a sinner?2. Do you want

forgiveness of sins?

3. Do you believe Jesusdied on the cross foryou and rose again?

4.Are you willing tosurrender yourselfto Christ?

5.Are you ready to invite

Jesus into your heartand into your life?



22/34

4.Are you willing tosurrender yourself toChrist? John 14:6 saysthat the only way to beright with God is throughJesus Christ.

5.Are you ready toinvite Jesus into yourheart and into yourlife? Romans 10:9-10 statesthat we are saved when wepersonally accept the truthabout Jesus and put ourtrust in Him.

When you ask this finalquestion, be silentandpray silently for the person.

The Holy Spirit will beworking on him. Thirtyseconds of silence will feel

like 20 minutes to him.This is the moment whensomebody is making adecision about whether he

wants to follow Christ orSatan. So whenever I askthat final question, I prayin my mind as hard as Ican while I silently waitfor his answer.

I once watched someonebreak out in beads of sweat.I didnt say a thing. I justmaintained eye contact

with him and prayed.Finally he said, Yes. And

I said, Yes what? He said,Im ready. I said, Readyfor what? I wanted him tomake a clear, personaldecision. It had to be hischoice, an expression of

his hearts desire.

21

Be silentand pray,

and let theHoly Spirit do

His work.



23/34

A SUGGESTED PRAYERWhen the person you aretalking with says that he isready to invite Jesus intohis life, you may wish to

guide him through a prayerlike this one:

Father, thank You for thefree gift of eternal life. Iknow I am a sinner andneed Your forgiveness. Iam sorry for my past sins,and I ask You to forgiveme.

Jesus, I believe Youdied on the cross for my

sins and arose from thedead. I now open thedoor of my heart andinvite You to come intomy life. I realize there isnothing I can do to earn

my salvation, and I placemy complete trust in Youalone for eternal life. Ichoose to follow You asmy Lord. Please make methe person You want me

to be.

22

HOWCANI SHARE

MYFAITHWITHOUT

AN ARGUMENT?

THE APPROACH

1. Do you have any kindof spiritual belief?

2.To you, who is Jesus?3. Do you think there is

a heaven and a hell?4. If you died right now,

where would you go?5. If what you believe

were not true, wouldyou want to know it?

THEBIBLE

1. Romans 3:232. Romans 6:23

3. John 3:34. John 14:65. Romans 10:9-116. Revelation 3:20

THECLOSE

1. Are you a sinner?2. Do you want forgiveness

of sins?3. Do you believe Jesusdied on the cross foryou and rose again?

4.Are you willing tosurrender yourself toChrist?

5.Are you ready to inviteJesus into your heartand into your life?



24/34

DEALING WITHOBJECTIONS

WWhen you talk

with peopleabout trusting

Christ, you will hearobjections, reasons theydont want to believe. Indealing with their objections,the key word you need toremember is why.

Let me give you anexample. I know a man

who owns severalMcDonalds. I heard

that he wanted to talkwith someone to learnmore about God, so Iarranged to meet him atone of his restaurants. Wesat down in one of those

little chairs. We got all donegoing through the questionsand the Scripture and hesaid, Thats it, Bill? AndI said, Thats it. He firstobjection was, What is

God going to do with mybusiness? Because I didntknow whether God was

going to bless him or busthim I asked, Why? Whatabout your business?

Either God dealt withthat objection or it wasntimportant because heswitched to a completelydifferent objection. He said,What about my mother? I

wondered why a successfulbusinessman was worrying

about his mother so I said,

Why, what about yourmom? He said, She willdisown me! I turned toMatthew 10:37, which says,Anyone who loves hisfather or mother more than

Me is not worthy of Me.I had him read it out loud,then I asked, What does it

23

In dealing withobjections, the

key wordto rememberis why.



25/34

say to you? He said, Ibetter worry about Momlater and give my life toJesus now.

Here are some othertypes of objections:

1. Im not ready.What are you going to say?You dont have the foggiestidea why the person is notready, so you can simplyask, Why?

2. I have to thinkabout it.Again, ask

why. Its disarming, isnt it?Because oftentimes the first

objection is just a reflexdefense.

3. Ive alwaysbelieved in God. I

would say something like,If youve answered yes to

all five questions, then youwont have any problemaccepting Christ. Lets prayfor you to receive Him.People tell me all thetime that they have always

believed in God. But I tellthem, That isnt going tohelp you any. The demons

believe in God andshudder (Jas. 2:19).

Remember the penillustration? (p.18). Youcould refer back to it againand say, Believing that Ihave a pen in my hand isfine, but until you take thatpen its not your gift.

4. My friends willthink Im crazy.Youcould say, Thats probablytrue, but the issue now is:

Are you ready to inviteJesus into your life?

5. Other religions tell

me that I need to workmy way into heaven.There are only two types ofreligions in the world. Onesays that Jesus might bea prophet, a teacher, or a

good guy, but that He is notGod. It also believes that

you can work your way toheavenby a terrorist act,eating the right food,performing religious rites,

or living a good life.Christianity, however,

makes two opposite claims:

24



26/34

(1) Jesus is God, and (2)God had to come to man;man couldnt go to God.

So we have opposingviews that cant both beright. The importantquestions are: Which oneis true? and How do weknow? Start by examiningthe claims of Christ. He is

either a liar, a lunatic, orthe Lord. Christ either liedabout being God, or He wasdemented, or He is all Heclaimed to be. There is noevidence that Jesus lied. He

certainly didnt have any ofthe symptoms of a lunatic.So it leaves only one

conclusion: He is who Heclaimed to be.

6. Will God want meto quit drinking and start

going to church?When Iwas converted on March 4,1981, I turned to a godlypastor and asked, I donthave to be a Bible thumper,do I? No, he answered. Isaid, Good. I dont have toread the Bible to be saved,do I? No, he replied. Iasked, Can I go homeand have a drink? Hesaid, Yeah, but dont get

drunk. He knew that ifmy conversion was real, Ididnt need to get into theminutiae. (By the way,today I read my Bible dailyand I havent had a drink

since 1981.)When people ask you a

direct question, dont waffle.If they ask you, Will Ihave to give up my live-inrelationship? you better

say yes. Why? Because theconviction is already onthemor else they wouldnt

25

Christ eitherlied about beingGod, or He wasdemented, orHe is all He

claimed to be.



27/34

ask the question. If theydont bring it up, dont startbringing up all the sins youknow are in their life. Lookat all the sins in your lifenow, let alone before youknew Christ.

7. How could Godsend anyone to hell? Doyou realize that God doesntsimply look around and say,Ill send that one and thatone to hell? God sent HisSon into the world to savethe whole world, not someof it. Everyone who calls on

the name of the Lord will besaved (Rom. 10:13).

8. Im not ready. Ihave just one question for aperson who says that: If

you were to die right now,

having not accepted Christ,where would you go? If herealizes that he would go tohell, he wont resist muchlonger.

9. Theres error in the

Bible.When I hear that, Isimply hand the person myBible and say, Ive been

reading this for a while.Could you show me one?Usually the person will say,Well, I havent read it. So,depending where you are inthe process of sharing, yousimply point back to whatthe Bible says. That will bethe last time you will hearthat objection.

10. Arent there manytranslations of the Bible?The answer is absolutely

yes. There are manytranslations, but theyall say the same thing.

When somebody asksthat question, its usually adefense mechanism. Simplysay yes, and then turn themback to the Bible verses youhad been looking at.

11. How do you knowthe Bible is true? For onething, archaeological dataproves it. There are over14,000 New Testamentmanuscript copies in

existence today. And whenscholars compare them,they cant find more than

26



28/34

a paragraphs worth ofdifferenceand most ofthose are misspellings oralternate spellings. None ofthem affect basic doctrinalissues. All the evidencepoints to the conclusionthat we have an accuratetext. The first manuscriptfragment of the gospel ofJohn is dated only about40 years from the time it

was written.Even though we know

the Bible is 100-percent true,we need to realize that we

cant force people to acceptit as true. If they dont wantto accept it, they wont, nomatter how much evidence

we give them. Every time weoffer evidence, they will ask

for morebecause theydont want to believe.

When I run intointellectual skeptics, Iremember that theyretough, angry, and confused,

and that theyve been givena lot of misinformation. Iremind myself what I used

to be like before I wassaved.

When a leading lawyerat Harvard Universitydecided to hold a mocktrial to see if there wasenough evidence to provethe resurrection of JesusChrist, do you know whathe concluded? He saidthat beyond a shadow of adoubt, the preponderanceof evidence exists to showthat Jesus Christ was raisedfrom the dead. But he said,I choose not to believe it.

You cant make anybodybelieve anything. You couldtry to convince me that

Abraham Lincoln lived,but if I didnt want tobelieve it I wouldnt.

The question I askpeople who say they wontbelieve the Bible is this:What would it take toprove to you that it is Gods

Word? Most of the time

they dont even know. It isa practiced defense theyare giving you.

27



29/34

A PERSONALCHALLENGE

PPeople who arespiritually dead are

all around us. Peoplewithout a born-again,personal relationship

with Jesus Christ arein our workplace, ourneighborhood, our home.

As an evangelist, I travelaround quite a bit. I seechurches with all of theiractivities and programs thatseemingly have little or

nothing to do with bringinganyone to know JesusChrist. I think there aresome hard questions thathave to be asked of thechurch today.

HARD QUESTIONSHow many of us havebeen the means by whichsomeone came to knowJesus Christ? Do we really

believe that unless someoneis born again he is damned?

Wheres our sense of

urgency? Im fearful for allof us, that when we standbefore the living, holy God

we are going to be humbledinto the dust because wehave so pitifully failed tocarry out the GreatCommission.

We seem to haveforgotten our mission,

and that God has providedeverything we need to fulfillit. The resurrection powerof Christ, the power thatraised Him from the dead,lives in us. With that kind

of power, what excuse arewe going to offer to God fornot sharing our faith?

28

How many ofus have beenthe means by

which someone

came to knowJesus Christ?



30/34

YOU ARE NEEDEDOut of 100 conversions,only 15 come to knowChrist from an event like anevangelistic service. Eighty-five come to know Christthrough a personal witness.Thats how important it isfor us to speak to othersabout Christ.

If you have neveropened your mouth, youare guilty of the sin ofsilence. Maybe you think

you cant make much ofa difference, but you can.

Consider, for example,the following story. Oneevening a deacon, for areason known only to him,set aside a visitation cardthat somebody had turned

in to the church with arequest for a home visit.That week President John F.Kennedy was assassinated.To that deacons shock, thenext Tuesday when he

came back to look at thecards for visitation, thename on that particular

card was Lee HarveyOswald, the man whohad shot the President.

EXCUSESThere is a tendency forChristians today to expectsomeone else to evangelize.

We have the classicexcuses: Im too busy.Its the pastors job. Idont have the gift ofevangelism. We findexcuse after excuse afterexcuse.

When Peter denied

Christ three times, he said,in so many words, that hehad never seen or heard ofJesus. None of us wouldhave the audacity to saythat. But we do the same

thing in another way: Wedeny Jesus Christ by ourexcuses and our silence.

HOW MANY SHARETHEIR FAITH?

I want to ask a very hardquestion. Have you, in thelast year, taken your Bible

29



31/34

and turned the pages ofScripture with someone

who is unsaved, to showhim how to become a born-again Christian? I havenever been in a church

where more than 10percent of the congregationindicated that they hadshared their faith in the last

year. May God forgive us!This is serious business.

A person without a born-again, personal relationship

with Christ is on the way tohell. The endless torment,

the darkness, the gnashingof teeth. There is anurgency about sharingour faith. Yet some of usremain in silence. Idont understand it.

A DREAMI had a dream. In mydream was an ocean full ofdrowning people. There wasa rock that came up out of

this ocean. Some peoplecrawled up on that rockand got to safety.

As I watched, 10 percentof the people on the rockbecame active in makingropes and ladders, gettingnear the edge, trying to pullothers up on the rock. But90 percent became veryactive in their rock gardens,their rock music, their rock

jobs, their rock lives. Theyhad a lot of rock meetings

where they spent lots oftime developing theirprograms to go back tothe oceanbut they never

went.

The thought that keptcoming through all the timein this dream was, Couldthey have forgotten thatthey themselves were oncein the sea?

A small group of peoplewho seemed to be theleaders bothered me evenmore. They spent timetrying to get up higher onthe rock. It seemed they

didnt want to get near theedge because it was riskydown there. The dead, the

30



32/34

diseased, the losttheywere down there. But thegroup on the rock spentmore time cloistered in falsesecurity on the higher partsof the rock. Yet every oneof them heard a voice say,Will you come? Will youhelp Me?

WILLWE TAKEA RISK?In my dream, the rock wasthe cross of Calvary. The

voice they heard was JesusChrist, calling you and me

to come. Theres only onething that remains, and thatis whether or not we will.

The question is, will youand I be different? Will webe willing to hear the voiceand take a risk and speakout in order to rescueothers?

If your answer is yes,pray these words right now:

God, make me Yourwilling servant. I havebeen wrong to be silent.Every day, every moment,I will endeavor to shareYou with others.Remember: Success is

not leading someone to

Christ. Success is acting outyour Christian life, sharingthe gospel, and trustingGod for the results.

31

There is anurgency aboutsharing our

faith.Yet someof us remain insilence. I dontunderstand it.



33/34

KEY WORDS

Born Again: to be givennew spiritual life throughChrist; to become a childof God (see John 3).Christian: someone whohas personally acceptedthe free gift of salvationprovided by Jesus Christ.

Eternal Life: the state ofbeing in a right relationship

with God, and existingforever in heaven.Evangelism: the processof telling others about Jesus

and what He has done forthem.Faith: the act of trusting,relying on, depending onsomeone to do somethingfor you. To be rescued from

sins penalty we need totrust Jesus Christ.Forgiveness: the removalof the penalty for the

wrongs we have committed.Gospel: the truths about

Jesus life, death, andresurrection, and how

we can have eternal life.

Heaven: the place ofGods special presence andthe eternal home of all whohave been forgiven.Hell: the place of eternal

judgment for all who haverejected Christ.Inner Peace: apersonal sense of joy andcontentment that comes tothose who are in a rightrelationship with God.Jesus Christ: the secondperson of the triune God

who became the God-manin order to pay the penalty

for our sin and restore usto God.Salvation: the work ofGod by which He rescuessinners bound for hell and

grants forgiveness because

of what Christ has done onthe cross.Sin: any violation of Godslaws.

For more help in sharing yourfaith in Christ, ask for the RBCMinistries booklet How Can IBreak The Silence? (Q0706).

32



34/34

DISCOVERYSERIES

Our mission is to make the life-changing

wisdom of the Bible understandable and

accessible to all.

Discovery Series presents the truth of Jesus Christ to the

world in balanced, engaging, and accessible resources

that show the relevance of Scripture for all areas of life.

All Discovery Series booklets are available at no cost and

can be used in personal study, small groups, or ministry

outreach.

To partner with us in sharing Gods Word, click this link

to donate. Thank you for your support of Discovery Series

resources and RBC Ministries.

Many people, making even the smallest of donations,enable RBC Ministries to reach others with the life-

changing wisdom of the Bible. We are not funded or

endowed by any group or denomination.

CLICK TO DONATE
https://secure.rbc.org/donate/?ministry=dspdfhttps://secure.rbc.org/donate/?ministry=dspdf

how can i share my faith without an argument?

Documents