Note: Tagged Gospel Witness with the other posts in this series.

If you haven’t read the Gospel Witness posts, start here. You need to learn how to share the Gospel clearly and with purpose. The harder times get, the more people will be looking for answers. If you’re God’s, you’ve got the answers they need.

“Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” – Acts 16:29-30

If the lost sinner asks questions during your talk, that’s usually a good indicator of their involvement. However, it’s not necessarily a bad thing if they don’t. Some come under very hard conviction and receive what the word of God says in short order without much fuss. But some get more involved in the conversation as you explain the shared verses.

What we’re doing is having a directed conversation. We don’t want to get off of our current topic or off point, which has the potential to disrupt the conversation. Remember, the dialogue is between the lost sinner and the Holy Spirit of God. Don’t get distracted. This prevents the lost sinner from also drifting. Stay on topic (1 Corinthians 2:2).

“Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?” – John 4:10-11

The Samaritan woman at the well asks Jesus a great question. It’s both constructive to the conversation and within the context of the immediate discussion. She asks; where is this living water?

If a lost sinner asks questions within the context of that truth being discussed, simply answer the question. It’s a good indication that they understand and want to know Jesus. Good questions will help the lost sinner confess their understanding and need for salvation.

As with questions in context, if a question is somewhat out of context but nonetheless constructive to driving the point of their need for salvation through Jesus Christ on the cross, these questions should also be answered. Questions not out of scope should be answered. This helps the witness build the case for salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord and is an excellent opportunity to drive home the lost sinner’s need for salvation.

If the question doesn’t help the topic at hand, the best thing to do is tell the lost sinner that you’ll come back to that question. You can answer the question after your talk. Regardless of how the conversation goes, bring the topic back up at the end of the discussion.

You can also defer if you don’t know the answer to a question. You will be asked questions that you can’t answer. Stay calm when this happens. It’s important that the lost sinner not lose confidence in the witness. We tell them, again in this case, that you’ll come back to that. After your talk, simply admit that you don’t fully know the answer. You can offer to meet them again or invite them to church with you, where you can provide a researched solution.

Those are the simplest ways to handle the most common situations with questions. It doesn’t matter if they ask you to explain a more profound or different doctrinal truth than is in the verse you’re discussing. And it doesn’t matter if we know the answer or not. And it doesn’t even matter if a question is out of context or not constructive to the case for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In these several ways, handling a lost sinner’s question can apply to any type of enquiry.

Every question has the potential to be asked again by somebody else. Some questions are common, so we should incorporate that knowledge into how we share the Gospel of Jesus Christ while learning and growing as a Soul Winner.

That’s a clue: when you are asked the same question more than once. We should treat each of the people we contact as also being a messenger to us. When asked about any topic in your talk with a contact, be they lost or saved, there may be at least one of three things happening.

1. God is demanding that you be able to answer this question. This is the most likely reason. If you are faithful, His purposes in this will be evident to you soon.
2. Your presentation of this concept is incomplete and needs a supporting verse or a more thorough explanation as you share it.
3. Holy God is preparing you to be able to share this point later with somebody else that He will save. God will plant a seed in you that is a pivotal truth your next contact needs to hear so that they realize salvation by faith and get saved. You have to see these workings of Holy God to believe them.

The faithful witness is often given things to say and verses to share ahead of time because God has prepared the heart of the next soul that you contact to hear this message and be converted. You can see the Kingdom of God in action firsthand, being part of God’s plan to see souls converted!

Finding correlating verses that support the concept of that truth solves all three potential reasons. Your ability to relate the idea within the question may be used shortly with another lost soul to help that lost sinner make the hurdle of faith in Jesus Christ. Don’t regret forsaking the research that’s needed. Any questions or areas of trouble should be examined that same day. This will have you working with the Holy Spirit as you go to share the Gospel the next time.