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How To Have Gospel Centered Conversations
Hey, Church Family!
I Talk A LOT from the pulpit about the importance of you all forcing yourself into uncomfortable situations and having Gospel centered conversations with the people in your life. But, fairly enough, I’ve been told that I haven’t adequately helped you to understand how to have these conversations. So today I want to share with you from a great resource I personally use. It’s the book “Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions” by Greg Koukl
So if you ever find yourself wanting to share your faith with someone, but then getting tongue-tied, nervous, or just not knowing where to start please know that you are not alone! Lots of Christians feel this way. In fact, sometimes I think we make “having a spiritual conversation” way harder than it has to be.
Here’s what I want to encourage you with today: Gospel conversations aren’t about winning an argument or pushing someone into a corner. Jesus didn’t do that. Instead, He asked a lot of questions (“Who do you say I am?” “Do you want to be healed?”) and really listened to the heart of the person in front of Him (Mark 10:51; John 4:7-26).
Greg Koukl’s book, Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions, is incredibly helpful here. Koukl teaches us to approach conversations like patient ambassadors, not warriors going to battle. His big advice? Start with questions and slow down. The “Columbo Tactic” is all about asking thoughtful, honest questions. Questions like, “What do you mean by that?” or “How did you come to that conclusion?” Instead of lecturing, you listen and you get people thinking about why they believe what they believe
In practice, this means instead of launching into a full gospel presentation the minute someone shares a different view, we pause. We ask: “That’s interesting, can you tell me more about what you mean?” or “How did you come to believe that?” This isn’t a trick; it’s following the example of Jesus, who met people where they were. Acts 17 is a great biblical picture: Paul in Athens spent much of his time learning what Athenians believed before sharing why Jesus is so important.
One of the most freeing things from Tactics is the reminder that you don’t have to “seal the deal” in every conversation. Your goal is not always to convince, but to plant a seed of truth. If you help someone pause and reconsider for a moment, that’s a huge win!
And remember, God is responsible for changing hearts. Not us. We are simply called to be faithful witnesses (1 Corinthians 3:6).
So here are some practical steps for gospel conversations:
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Pray before, during, and after your conversation. Ask God to give you love, wisdom, and patience.
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Use good questions to get the other person talking, and really listen. Most people are honored when someone cares about what they think.
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Don’t get flustered if you don’t have every answer. It’s okay to say, “That’s a great question! Let me think and get back to you.”
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Never forget that being kind, humble, and Christlike is more important than being “right.”
Why does this matter? Because sharing our faith isn’t about winning debates, it’s about loving people and pointing them to Jesus. We are called to “always be prepared to make a defense…yet do it with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15).
Let’s be the kind of church who has real, gospel-centered conversations, where people actually feel listened to and respected. Let’s ask better questions, share our hope in Christ, and trust God with the results!
Pastor Justin |
