Beginning the Spiritual Conversation

9/3/2020

Many years ago, a friend of mine made some poor decisions and lived with the consequences. But, this fall will be the first time he will be able to vote. Earlier this week, he applied for his first passport. His life is more than just turning lemons into lemonade – it is a living story of grace and transformation.

I never really considered my friend a religious person. So, you can imagine how surprised I was when he asked me, “would ‘you Christians’ accept someone like me?”

The Rest of the Story

After a pregnant pause to process what I had just heard, I said, "I can't speak on behalf of all Christians, but this Christian - me, accepts you for you."

Silence. I could tell that he was getting emotional from the sniffles over the phone.

What he said next amazed me. "I know you accept me because you're my friend. I guess I just don't know if God accepts me."

If he could see my smile from ear to ear, I'd look like a kid by a sno-cone machine on a 100 degree day. "A friend told me that I did not choose him; He chose me. Do you know who that friend was?"

"No. Who?"

"Our friend, Jesus. Jesus, God's Son, was rejected and died in every way so that you and I can be accepted by God. He's done it for me. He's done it for you. I accept you because Jesus has accepted me."

I'll spare you the details, but that evening, he said - perhaps for the first time ever (I didn't ask), "I believe this."

When was the last time you had a spiritually-oriented conversation with someone? Whether you have them regularly or have never had one before, will you join me in learning how to have more and better spiritual conversations with others?

Three Ways to Begin a Spiritual Conversation

Be friends first. Friends are people to be loved; not products to be won. Jesus said it best, "I have called you friends" (John 15:15). We had lots of fun together. We also wrestled through some really hard times together. The trust we built, I believe, led to him being able to ask me about accepting him - which led to our conversation about Jesus. It takes time to earn the currency of trust to talk about spiritual things which are often times personal and sensitive. Be friends first. Then, let the deeper conversations flow.
Trade your periods for question marks. Listen more. Talk less. Ask questions. Jesus-oriented questions often times lead to spiritual conversations. My question was, "Do you know who that friend was?" Other questions might be like, "what do you think God thinks about this?" or "Do you think Jesus is part of this situation?" Then (as I tell our boys), "put your listening ears on." Trade your periods for question marks.
Trust that God is working. I didn't have a script. I didn't know my friend was going to ask me that question. But, when the opportunity presented itself, I took a deep breath and held onto God's promise, "I will give you the words I want you to say" (Isaiah 51:16). In every moment, I must trust God's work, not my own. I just get to be in the moment with God and echo his words.

As we move into September, be encouraged that Jesus has spiritual conversations with you...

My grace is sufficient for you (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Surely it is God who saves us. We can trust in Him and not be afraid. (Isaiah 12:2).

We are surrounded by others so that we can run this next stretch of life together in our homes, neighborhoods, and communities… with Jesus (Hebrews 12:1).

Happy conversing!

Love you more than you know. -pt

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