Sharing Jesus in Short Conversations by Marilyn Adamson
Christmas is the season of open hearts and minds. People wonder what Jesus really has to do with all the festivities. They have questions about God they haven’t considered before. How do you help them? My friend Marilyn Adamson tells how to have meaningful short conversations and offers an amazing website to engage just those questions.
I was training some believers, all of whom have a heart for the gospel.
At the end, a gentleman came up to me and said:
“Two weeks ago, I wrote in my journal, ‘Jesus, I’m sorry I hate evangelism so much. Will you please fix this?’” He said that what I shared (and am about to share with you) “totally fixed it.”
You can take advantage of short conversations with people. And you can do this in a way that is comfortable for both them and you. Most conversations end with the person saying, “Thank you very much!”
In any culture, we live in busy times. Many of the conversations we have with others are short. Picture yourself in the grocery store, in an Uber car, at a soccer game for your kids, in an office building, saying hi to a neighbor, etc. Conversations are usually friendly and quick.
We have an opportunity now that didn’t exist a few years ago.
Because of the Internet, because everyone is carrying it with them in their pocket, we can help lead people to Christ in a very simple way. We can serve nonbelievers very, very well.
We can help nonbelievers in a way that fits their lifestyle, their schedule, and that is under their control.
Often, I might say something briefly about God, as it relates to their life or mine. And then I’ll say, “I’m connected to a website that takes on all the hard questions about life and God…like why is life so hard, and evidences for God’s existence. May I give you a card to the site?”
A simple business card
Most people sense that I’m not trying to control them, but instead help them find answers to their questions about life and God. They appreciate it.
This 5-minute video explains this more fully. Real conversations I’ve had with nonbelievers are written on the page, so you can picture how this works.
The key is to have a website, built exclusively for nonbelievers–a site you trust, that you can wholeheartedly recommend. You don’t want to send them to a church or organizational website that’s primarily for believers.
For English, I recommend EveryStudent.com and EveryPerson.com. (Both these sites have the same content, under different names.) The site is also in 40+ languages.
The most-asked questions
EveryStudent.com addresses the questions most nonbelievers have, such as:
Is there a God? How do you know?
Why is life so hard?
Where is God in the midst of tragedy?
How to know God?
Why Jesus and not some other religion?
As we answer the question, we do not simply give them information. We are seeking to encourage people to begin a relationship with God. We are trying to bring down barriers and give solid reasons to believe in Jesus.
More than 900 people a day tell us they’ve asked Jesus into their lives while on the site. This is typical of what we regularly hear:
Patrick said each morning he was doing just enough drugs to get through the day without killing himself. He did a search on Google and landed on EveryStudent.com.
He said, “In a life trampled by confusion, it seemed to offer the most ridiculously obvious clarity I have ever imagined. You have offered me a gift which has changed my life. I feel indebted to you for making the information available in a way a complete novice like me could understand.”
Jennifer:“Thank you for steering me in the right direction in knowing Christ. You have made it so easy and I am now following the steps you advised and feel like a completely new person. Oh, how my life has changed in three weeks!”
After receiving Christ, we immediately help people begin to grow, using StartingwithGod.com. They are invited to sign up for a 7-part email series called The Spiritual Starter Kit. We welcome you to sign up for it, so you can see what it’s like.
We also offer a series on the Spirit-filled life; a series through the Gospel of John; one on How to Talk about God with others; and an on-going series called The Findables, for people who want to help make Jesus “findable” to millions of others.
You are welcome to sign up for any/all. They are free.
People grow deeply, over many months. Many quickly share Jesus with family and friends, simply by sharing EveryStudent.com with them--or giving them an EveryStudent.com business card.
For an amazing story of a new believer reaching hundreds throughout the Middle East, please see Section 6, video # 1 on this page.
And if you’d like to know more how you can use EveryStudent.com (or EveryPerson.com) in your context, please see the free, short ebook, The Ripple Effect on EveryStudent.info.
What about you? How might EveryStudent.com help you introduce people to Jesus?
As a former atheist, Marilyn Adamson, joined Cru with a desire to use media to reach as many people as possible. In 2000, Marilyn launched EveryStudent.com, which is now in 40+ languages and seeing more than 900 people a day begin a relationship with God.