Archive for the ‘Opinion’ Category

It’s been a while since my last post and I want to tell you something I’ve learned lately.

The Importance of Listening
Studies have shown that non-Christians feel Christians don’t listen enough to them or care about who they are. In an article by Outreach Magazine a non-Christian was quoted as saying, “I’d say 75% of these people don’t really care who I am. They just want to build up their church or something. They don’t even ask me what my name is … .”

Good listening skills are always important, and evangelism is not an exception. Being an introvert, it is easy for me to fall into the trap of thinking that I am a good listener. However, that mentality is far from the truth. Being an introvert is not equivalent to being a good listener. Listening skills are something we all could hone.
Sometimes the best way to win someone over is by first listening.

A Few Questions
In evangelism, the importance of listening cannot be underestimated. Let’s ask ourselves a few questions:

1.)    Do I frequently judge a person based on his or her first sentence, without listening to the rest of what is being said?
2.)    Do I ignore what people say if I don’t agree with them or don’t like the way they say something?
3.)    Do I spend more time thinking about what I am going to say next than I do in listening to what is being said?
4.)    Do I interrupt people to share the gospel, or for that matter, any reason at all?
5.)    Do I struggle to listen actively and engage in conversations using my senses?

If the answer is “Yes” to any of the above questions, it might be time to work on improving one’s listening skills. Good listening takes hard work, but it is worth the effort.

“If we were able to rewrite the script for the reputation of Christianity, I think we would put the emphasis on developing relationships with nonbelievers, serving them, loving them, and making them feel accepted. Only then would we earn the right to share the gospel.” – Andy Stanley
While I agree with Pastor Stanley’s emphasis on developing relationships with non-believers, I don’t believe it is necessarily a prerequisite to sharing the gospel. As believers, we are called to be “salt and light” in our dark world. This involves both loving people and sharing the gospel. The two go hand in hand and balance is key. As we love and build relationships with people, God may give us the opportunity to share Christ at any time. It could be in the first five minutes or it might take months to get to that point.

In addition, the gospel itself is the “power of God unto salvation.” Anytime we share the gospel, it alone is enough to lead someone to Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. I have seen people come to Christ by hearing an evangelistic message, reading a tract, or watching an evangelistic film. In all of these situations, the question was not whether or not someone earned the right to share. The message alone was enough. “Faith comes by hearing” (Romans 10:17), and anytime we communicate the gospel, it has the potential of changing someone’s life and eternal destiny forever.