Cultivate, Stimulate, & Recognize Opportunities
Part 1 of 2
By Allan E. McNabb

Last Sunday night, we started our third series on personal work and evangelism.  In this series of articles, I want to review and reinforce the lessons we studied as we begin a series on conversational evangelism.

What is Conversational Evangelism?
Simply put, conversational evangelism is sharing God’s word with people in everyday conversation.

Hopefully, these conversations will lead people to study God’s word with us in a home study, or while attending church with us.

Pray About It
We learn from the apostle Paul, that prayer is important in our efforts to bring people to Christ through the gospel.

Paul commanded the Colossians to devote themselves to prayer while also praying for him.  He asked them to pray that God would open a door for the word, and that he would speak forth the mystery of Christ, making it clear, in the way he ought to speak (Col. 4:2-4).

Paul also asked the Ephesians to pray for him and  his  efforts to spread the gospel.  He specifically asked them to pray that God would give him the ability to open his mouth and speak with boldness, the mystery of Christ, as he ought (Eph. 6:19-20).

Certainly, if Paul needed prayer to tell people about God and preach the gospel, we need to pray.  We need to pray for our individual efforts and our efforts as a church, both privately and publicly.

Be The World’s Bible
When interacting with people, we look for clues to determine whether they’re credible and believable.

Likewise, people are looking at us, trying to determine if we are credible concerning the religious things we talk about.  They look at our lives to see if our religion is working in our lives.  They want to see whether we’re happy, how we overcome adversity, how we interact with family and friends, how we interact as brethren in and outside of the assembly, etc.

Christians are the light of the world.  We are like a city on a hill that can’t be hidden from man’s view, and a lamp sitting high on a lampstand so the whole room is lit.  Jesus says, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16).

As the world’s light, shining forth the truths revealed in God’s word, we must sanctify Christ as Lord in our hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks us to give an account for the hope that is in us, with gentleness and reverence” (1 Pet. 2:15).
As Christians, shining our lights and answering the world’s questions, we want to share our faith with everyone we contact.  We accomplish this by being ourselves and opening up to people, sharing our failures and successes, as we show others the gospel of Christ and God’s power (Rom. 1:16).

Recognize Opportunities
Paul tells us to make the most of our time (Eph. 5:16).  To accomplish this command, we need to recognize the opportunities God sets before us, as he opens doors for us to share the gospel with people in everyday life.

Unfortunately, we often miss these opportunities because we don’t recognize the cues and signals whereby we can detect whether a person is interested in discussing spiritual things.

For example, I’ve missed opportunities to talk to people who’ve asked, “Where do you go to church?”  I answered the question and hurried away, not thinking about the conversation that could have developed.  I didn’t follow up by asking, “Where do you go to church?” or “How do you like your church?”

Tip #1:  When Someone Says “Church” . . . .
If someone says the word “church,” follow up.  This shows that they are interested in talking about church and spiritual topics.

You can follow up by asking them questions about their church.  You can ask the name of their church and where it’s located.  You can ask how long they’ve been attending.   You can ask why they chose that church.  You can ask about the preacher, minister, pastor, or priest.  You can ask about what they like and dislike about the church.  Their answers will help you get to know the person, and hopefully help with future discussions.

The conversation may allow you an opportunity to tell them about the church of Christ and our congregation.  You may even have an opportunity to point out some differences between the Lord’s church and other churches.  But be careful not to make assumptions about what they believe or what their church teaches, which would be insulting, especially if you’re wrong.

Tip #2: Conversations Regarding Moral and Religious Issues
If someone starts a conversation regarding a moral or religious issue, follow up by discussing the topic while referencing the Bible to substantiate your position.

You probably won’t be able to open a Bible and read from it, which may turn them off anyway.  But it’s good to bring the Bible into the conversation, showing that it is the authority for your life.  This will be of interest to individuals who are searching for a church that relies on the Bible for the things it does, not on the opinions and doctrines of men.  And it will give you credibility with people who are searching for the truth.