I think that everyone was told as a young child to never talk to strangers. The reason this mantra was repeated was safety. As we get older does the fear of strangers persist? If you don’t know someone, are you the kind of person who will start a conversation with a stranger?
I know that this will be a difficult topic for some. Witnessing can be a terrifying event if you are talking to anyone, but it doesn’t need to be. Think of it this way… have you ever had something so good inside that you just had to open your mouth? Maybe your favorite team won the big game? You could be in the same city watching the recap of the event and the person sitting next to you instantly becomes your friend not because you’ve ever seen him or her before, but because you share something in common. That instant rapport is easier to achieve than you might think. Very quickly with a little practice of poking around on a few common topics you can find that common ground to start a conversation. The weather, sports, children, parents, food, work, play, movies, etc. What are you passionate about? Maybe someone else is too?
Once you have that out of the way, you are set to share the gospel. I have great success with the simple phrase, “How are you and God doing?” From that little phrase, I learn if the person has a God, what that person thinks of God, and then I know where I need to go with my witness. Remember you don’t need to have all the answers. A witness simply says what he or she knows! Speak the truth in love. Before you know it, you’re talking with strangers about your Savior. AND that stranger might just be one of your friends in heaven one day.
This is the seventh lesson in the Bible class – Evangelism
Please click HERE to view the Bible class slides.