Created for

JBU by:

Who in your life doesn’t know Jesus? Well, Jesus wants

them to know Him – in fact, He has been actively

working in their lives to draw them closer to Him. So,

how can you be a part of what God is doing? How could

God use you during Christmas break?

This booklet will help guide you in how to have spiritual

conversations with your friends and family. Here’s what

to do:

1. Read this booklet.

2. Practice – take study breaks during finals to have

spiritual conversations with your friends.

3. Be intentional about having spiritual conversations

with your family and friends during Christmas break.

What are spiritual conversations?

They’re not gospel presentations, sermons or tracts.

They’re conversations about life, God, spirituality and

everything else at the core of the human experience. It’s

just a normal conversation, only deeper. It’s where two

or more people talk about the deep stuff in their lives –

and it’s the perfect way for God to use you to share true

Life and Hope with the people you know.

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How to have spiritual conversations

Spiritual conversations are not about force-feeding

your own message. They’re about sharing each other’s

stories. Each of us is seeking goodness, love,

satisfaction, and meaning from life. When we look

deeper at these things, we find that what we’re really

seeking is Jesus.

Discover their story. Start by getting beneath the

surface to learn their spiritual needs. Most daily

conversations are about pretty surface-level things.

Behind every topic, though, is something about who we

are as people. To get there, ask questions. Here are

some questions you can ask about pretty much

anything:

Facts: Tell me more about that.

Purpose: Why do you think that is?

Consideration: What if you’re wrong?

Emotions: How did that make you feel?

Impact: What effect did that have on you?

Reveal: What does that show about you?

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Share your own story. Make sure the conversation isn’t

just them talking. Open up your life to them,

stimulating their search for God by showing through

your own life how Christ has met your needs. You

weren’t perfect before you were a Christian, and you

still aren’t. Model for them what a relationship with

God looks like. And be vulnerable. They won’t be if you

aren’t.

So if you’re talking about favorite bands and you ask

them how their choice reflects their views of life, share

your answer, too. Remember, it’s a conversation, not

an interrogation.

Sense where God is working, and focus there. This is

the most important part. God has been working in their

life already, cultivating a desire to know Him. He wants

to give them true Life; to fulfill them and transform

every part of who they are.

So, what are their greatest desires and needs? Gently

discover these, and then show them how God can fulfill

them. This can be even more impactful if you use

examples from your own life.

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Ideas: As examples, here are some common desires

and needs that many people have, each with a

suggestion for explaining how God fulfills it:

Purpose – God has a plan for us, and a plan for us

to be a part of

Safety – God will never leave or forsake us

Provision – God will provide for all of our needs

Intimacy – God knows us wholly and completely

Love – God unconditionally loves us with all of

who He is

Value/Acceptance – God loves us regardless of

who we are or what we’ve done

Hope – God makes all things work out for good

Truth – God is the author and essence of truth

Family – God adopts us as his children

Community – God gave us the church to

(imperfectly!) live life together

These are just ideas. God is meeting your family and

friends in many different ways. So don’t limit yourself

to this list – for every need or desire there is, God can

fulfill it perfectly.

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Tie it in with the gospel. The good news of Jesus can’t

truly be limited to a few cut-and-dry points without

leaving important things out. But a simple,

understandable version would be something like this:

Creation: God made life good

Fall: We messed it up big time

Choice: Jesus died to forgive our sins and give us

new Life, if we follow in believing in Him

Hope: We trust God for true Life (relationship

with Him!) now and forever

Remember that this is not just about saying a prayer – it’s

about receiving God’s great gift of Life through Jesus, and

ultimately surrendering our entire lives to Him. Only then

can we experience all that a relationship with Him has to

offer.

It’s okay to not know everything. Some people may have

questions you can’t answer - and that’s okay. Try not to

argue, though, as it rarely helps. If you have a friend or

family member who really wants to know more about

Christianity, humbly explore their questions together. Talk

to your pastor or others whom you think might know.

One great web resource is also www.carm.org.

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Last Reminders:

You are not the Christ – You’re His representative.

All we are called to do is be a loving witness – both

in word and deed. It is ultimately up to God to work

in their hearts.

It’s a journey, not an event – God has been working

in your friends’ lives since before they were born,

and will continue till the day they die. View your

conversations with them as part of an on-going

relationship, both with your friend and Christ, and

with you seeking your friend in an ongoing

relationship of discipleship and encouragement.

Prayer is critical – Remember, it is God who is

working in their hearts, not you. Be in prayer for

them before, during, and after all of your

conversations.

No professionals needed – You don’t need to be an

extrovert or to have the gift of evangelism. You just

need to know Jesus and know how to talk. That’s it.

You will mess up – And that’s okay! You might say

some wrong things, or even mildly offend

somebody. Just remember – God can use whatever

you do. Be faithful and leave the rest up to Him.

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You can do it

If you are a Christian, you are a child of the Living God,

and the Holy Spirit dwells in you. He has all power and

authority! Don’t be discouraged or afraid.

Sure, having spiritual conversations can be scary. It can

be awkward at times. But your friends and family are

worth it. The God who loves and died for them is worth

it. Jesus’ last words to His disciples apply to us today as

well:

So go and have spiritual conversations with your family,

friends and whoever else you meet in the course of your

life – the God of the universe is with you!

“All authority in heaven and on earth has

been given to me. Therefore go and make

disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the

name of the Father and of the Son and of the

Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey

everything I have commanded you. And

surely I am with you always, to the very end

of the age.” (Mt 28:18-20, NIV)

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Let us help

At Antioch, we are committed to encouraging and

supporting disciple-making locally and globally. We

exist to help you make disciples! Let us know if you

need advice or any other helps.

We would love to pray for you. Let us know that you’re

going to try having some spiritual conversations during

Christmas break (or anytime) and we’ll keep you in our

prayers.

Email: Antioch@jbu.edu

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AntiochJBU

Contributing Resources

Some of the content of this booklet came from the

below resources, which we highly recommend:

Out of the Saltshaker & into the World:

Evangelism as a Way of Life

Dr. Lanker’s Discipleship and Evangelism class

at JBU

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http://www.facebook.com/AntiochJBU