1) Pray to God to help you to say
the right thing, in the right way. Pray for open
doors, for wisdom & strength to take advantage of the
opportunities. Pray for open hearts and for the prospect to
have ease of understanding.
2) Until a study is set up it can’t
be conducted. To set up a study we must ASK. We
should not be afraid that we are going to make a mistake in asking a person to
study the Bible with us. The only person who never made a mistake is the
one who did nothing for fear of making a mistake, but he made the biggest
mistake of all by doing nothing. If we have sincerity and love for lost
souls then what we say will not be so important. We
must realize that everyone has a precious soul. Remember
to always strive to gain a study appointment with a definite time and
date rather than just answering questions on the spur of the
moment.
3) Different people should be
approached differently. Jude 22-23 says, "And on
some have compassion, making a difference; and others save with fear, pulling
them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the
flesh."
4) Be genuinely sincere when we
are talking to someone about his soul. His soul is the most
important thing in the world, and if he thinks we think so then he will
see how important it is. If we could only realize how precious a soul
is, then we would not despair any effort to teach them the truth. Love
of the lost will lead us to an untiring effort for the salvation of
others. If we really love the souls of people, we cannot bear the
thought that they will be lost forever. People don’t care how much we
know until they know how much we care. People will be more
willing to listen to us if they really believe we care.
5) Be genuinely interested in the
interests of others. In choosing His apostles, Christ was interested
in the fishing of Peter, Andrew, James, and John and He helped them catch some
fish. We should help people in time of need and they will be grateful to
us. If we are not interested in people, they will not be interested in
what we have to say about the gospel.
6) Don’t be
intimidated. The vast majority of people are a novice and
their knowledge of spiritual matters is quite limited.
7) Get the person
alone. Christ talked to Nicodemus, Zacchaeus, and the
Samaritan woman alone. It is difficult to talk to a person about his
soul before others.
8) Spend time in getting people
ready to hear. Jesus did. He often healed and fed people
and then they were in a proper frame of mind to listen.
9) Invite non-members to eat with
you. Christ ate with Zacchaeus. It is said of the Lord in
Matthew 9:11 that He ate "with publicans and sinners." We should be
making friends with those who are not Christians so they can be led to
Christ.
10) In talking to another we should
remember that his convictions are just as sacred to him as ours are to
us. What he believes may seem foolish to us, and it may be easy for
us to see his error, but it is hard for him. It is difficult for him to
give it up.
11) Never, never, never
argue and always maintain a calm composure and tone of voice when
talking to people about their salvation. If you argue, a soul will be
lost. Many people want the truth and will welcome it if it is presented
correctly.
12) Avoid a belligerent,
haughty, excited, argumentative, or angry
attitude. If we don’t then a wall of opposition springs
up. (A) If you say "I’ll prove it to you", in his mind he thinks "I’d
like to see you do it." (B) If you say "Let me show you", he thinks
"Maybe so but I won’t accept it from you if you do." It is better to say
"could we see what the Bible says." Don’t quote scriptures to him.
Ask him to read the scripture.
13) We should not make the other
person angry. Most people don’t get angry because of the truth
but because of the way or attitude in which it is presented. Some go
to the other extreme and spend so much time trying to be nice and are
so careful to try to keep from hurting someone’s feelings that they never get
around to setting up the study or presenting the truth. Too many times
we may care more for a person's feelings than we do for their soul.
14) Be alert for people who are
undergoing trauma such as death of loved ones, serious illness,
divorce, automobile accidents, financial difficulties, etc. In times
like these, people realize how vulnerable they are and many times are looking
to God for help. Many times this provides a great opportunity to talk to
people about their souls.
15) A person must see that he is lost
and needs the study. Do not allow the person to jump around
with you. Examples of poor soil: (A) "Let me check with my
husband." (B) Would you check back latter?" (C) "I will study if
it doesn’t take too long." (D) "I would like to ask my preacher."
(E) Being passive.
