Oct
24
Perusing a gift shop last night, Tim and I spent a fair amount of time asking the saleswoman about the products and moved on into other topics of conversation (cultural differences and Jewish tradition for instance!). As we were paying and about to leave, I noticed some kind of religious booklet on her desk. Around here, they’re pretty identifiable; it was a Jehovah’s Witness tract.I asked her if she was a Jehovah’s Witness and she replied that she was just beginning to study the Bible with a Jehovah’s Witness woman. What a moment. I stood before a woman who was interested in knowing the truth and finding God but found herself instead looking to a cult member for guidance. Since Jehovah’s Witnesses deny the divinity of Jesus Christ, salvation by grace, and all versions of the Bible but their own ¨special¨ version, her path to understanding Christianity concerns me.
This woman wasn’t my friend, and I knew I wouldn’t have another chance to talk to her. How could I warn her of the deceptions of the Jehovah’s Witnesses without being insulting, rude, and turning her off completely to critics of the cult? It was in that moment that I desperately wished I had one of two things—either a Why Jesus? booklet (a great little resource from Alpha) to leave with her or the information from the Share Jesus Without Fear program committed to memory.
I had neither, and so after making a brief comment about the value of her pursuit of Biblical truth, I left with a heavy heart. When the moment came, I wasn’t ready. The Why Jesus? booklet would have been good, but what I really lacked was the know-how to communicate briefly and openly what I think the central message of the Bible to this woman who was obviously curious about that very topic.
That’s where Share Jesus Without Fear comes in, and I wonder if God didn’t put this encounter in my path yesterday to strengthen my resolve in studying it. Five non-threatening questions about a person’s spiritual interest or beliefs, seven verses that summarize the Bible’s view on how to know God, and five (?) questions that help a person decide what they want to do with that information. I’m not into tricks and gimics, but this is a way of talking about the Bible that seems respectful of others but also enables me to share the objective information that I think can change his or her life.
More soon on those questions and verses, but I just want to say today that I’m glad for this woman and the way God used her to convince me to study this information. Sometimes I need a nudge.
Great nudge. I want to see the questions, verses, etc. I've definitely been in a similar situation . . . but, I was just wondering, what if you went back there? What if you went back to talk to her and just share your thoughts and heart? You could definitely do it in a non-threatening and sincere way. Just a thought.