Spirit Led Friendship Evangelism

John chapter 4 provides a dialogue between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well that uses 4 stages of personal evangelism that can be used by us believers today. Those 4 stages are in this order: (1) Start (2) Elevate (3) Probe (4) Prescribe. In the case with Jesus, HE expressed to this woman that HE desired a drink of water from the well. I share these 4 stages because it helps me to ask specific questions about the next direction to engage in. Oftentimes, the Spirit will direct me to a specific individual or group of individuals letting me know that HE has words for them. Immediately, I start asking questions about how to start a conversation with the individual or group of individuals. Getting a direction from the Spirit on how to start the conversation greatly helps the success of the witnessing endeavor. What helps me also in starting conversations is to being very observant in regard to print on a shirt or cap plus tattoos on a person’s arm. I know enough about sports to ask fairly good questions about a college or professional team that a person is a loyal fan to. People love you to ask their opinion about things that they are very familiar with. This is true all the way up and down the social classes of people. What about tattoos? Most of us Christians do not agree with tattoos being placed on parts of the body. Certainly, very few Christians would consent to this with our bodies. However, the Spirit has trained me to ask: “I noticed this tattoo here. What is the story behind it?” On one occasion, I asked a young man about a tattoo on his forearm with a feminine name placed on the tattoo. “What’s the story about it?”. The young man told me that it is the name of a cousin who recently died suddenly well before the normal life expectance. I answered: “Are you and your family struggling with grief over her death?”. He answered: “Yes”. Then, I responded with the offer to pray for him and his family. The young man told me that he would definitely appreciate that, so I prayed for him right there without waiting. Then, I shared with him more about the Word and the privilege of praying in the name of Jesus because of HIS death on the cross. When it is handled properly, touching people’s hearts with the spirit of prayer is an excellent gateway to the opportunities of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Here is another important aspect to know when you are starting conversations with others. Be bold and free to entertain a conversation about an idea, concept, or entity of which you know little about. Please realize that you do not have to be an expert in a matter before you can intelligently converse with someone about it. In fact, being a self proclaimed expert in a matter is very often a turn off to the other person engaging with you in that same matter. All you have to do is to know a little bit about it in order to ask questions about it. This describes what it means to be a conversationalist in the matter that is perhaps largely unknown to you. A conversationalist can easily inspire a shy person to become quite animated in his expressions because he is being asked to reveal what he is very familiar with. Now to the next step - elevate. Jesus elevated the conversation with this woman by informing her of living water that HE could give her. Every concept or mention to an entity in the Holy Bible has a matching component in the natural world. If you are very familiar with the contents of the Holy Scriptures; then, it becomes much easier to elevate the conversation. Jesus did this quickly with this dialogue with the woman at the well. Naturally, she wondered at this saying: “Sir, you have nothing to draw with and this well is deep. From where then have you this living water to draw from”. Jesus answers her: “Whosoever drinks of this water (natural water from that physical location well) shall thirst again. However, whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; because, the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting live”. She expressed interest in this living water that HE said that HE could give her. To this, Jesus commanded her to “Go, call your husband and then come here again”. To this, she answered that “I have no husband”. Jesus answered her statement here with this saying: “You have well said, I have no husband; because, you have had five husbands. Furthermore, he whom you now have is not your husband. In this, you have truly spoken the truth”. This is where Jesus is probing with the spiritual gift named the word of knowledge. Probe is the 3rd stage of this personal evangelism encounter. The spiritual gifts are very helpful in the manners of personal evangelism. After HE said this to her, she said: “I perceive that you are a prophet”. Then, she deflects from the call to her heart to receive salvation as she speaks of our fathers worshipped in this mountain (nearby), but Jews say that the city of Jerusalem is the place where all men ought to worship. Jesus responds with the call to worship the Father in spirit and in truth (twice in verse 23 & 24). Jesus stated that is more important than the location of worship. In all of this, Jesus deftly avoids an ongoing argument with her. When HE says this, the woman says unto HIM: “I know that when the Messiah comes (which is called Christ), HE will tell us all things”. Now, the conversation is ready for the 4th state - Prescribe. Jesus says unto her: I that speak unto you am HE”. Jesus prescribed HIMSELF as the answer to all questions. We prescribe HIM as the only Lord and Savior for mankind. There is an appropriate time to close or prescribe. Some Christians are afraid to start witnessing to others; because, they are afraid that an objection to accepting Christ might come up that they could not answer at that time. Here is an easy answer to that: “That doesn’t sound right to me, but let me get back to you”. By using this phrase, you are kindly and gently expressing your disagreement with what the non believer is communicating. However, you are also expressing a desire to keep the lines of communication open. Here is another way to deal with possible conflict. “If you are right and I am wrong, then my situation is that I am enjoying the delusion of the joy of serving the Lord. Now, if I am right and you are wrong, then what is your eternal destiny going to be?” Here is another thought to use: “If my life is being threatened by drowning, I would like to think that you would employ some means to rescue - either by swimming to me or extending a pole that I can grab then pulling me to safety.” Most times, the non believer would say that he would definitely try to help rescue me. Then, softly and gently say that this is exactly what I am endeavoring to do for you because according to the Word of God; you are in spiritual danger of eternal torment. More expressions of help later.