Talking To Strangers - Switching To The Spiritual

Now that you have some tools to get the conversation started and moving, it is now time to switch the topic of conversation to a more spiritual one. The purpose of this series is to get people motivated enough to talk to strangers so that we can now begin to share the gospel with them. Because like I've always said, your largest sphere of influence will always be people you don't know. Whether the waitress at the diner, a tow truck driver, person close to you at the coffee shop or someone you met at a gathering; all are strangers to you.

This is the most difficult part of the conversation. It takes great courage and trust in the Lord to transition from the natural to the spiritual. It also takes some patience because once you open up the topic, you can pretty much tell where the other person stands when it comes to the things of God.

Climbing The Ladder

The way I usually get into a spiritual conversation is by a tactic I call, "climbing the ladder". As you are in the conversation it is typical to have questions asked and answered. For each question that is asked you are moving up the proverbial ladder one rung at a time. When you find that one rung in which you can transition to the spiritual, just highlight what was asked, and then use it to make the transition. That question is the top of the ladder. Here is a sample scenario:

You:         "This is some band. They're really good, huh?"
Stranger:  "Yeah, I've followed them for a while. They used to play where I'm from."
You:         "Where's that?"
Stranger:  "New Brunswick, NJ."
You:         "Wow, that's a long way? What brought you all the way out here?"
Stranger:  "School. I'm a Biology Major with a minor in Chemistry at ISU."
You:         "Wow, that's gotta be tough. It's so amazing how the human body works. How it repairs itself, how the heart is a pump that never needs to be primed, cleaned or lubricated.  Its so fascinating."
Stranger:  "Evolution is fascinating." [The rung you hold on to]

[Your possible transition questions] 

"I'm just curious...how did you come to that conclusion?"
"Evolution? How so..."
"What do you mean by 'evolution'?"
"How do you know that?"
"Can you tell me more about that; evolution?"
"Have you always felt this way? If not, what changed your mind?"

By climbing the ladder you are not asking loaded questions to the person you are talking to, but allowing them to naturally step into the conversation on their own. It's a lot like an animal stepping into a snare. They get their foot stuck and now hard to get out of; they are the ones that brought the topic up, not you.

Gospel Tracts

When time is of the essence, gospel tracts can be used to break the ice into a spiritual conversation relatively quick. In this fast-paced world we live in, people are coming and going, not settling down, and if they do, they are on their phone checking email or Facebook. Gospel tracts don't mess around. They get to the point and have the person thinking something spiritual in seconds.

My favorite ice-breaker is the Washington Million Dollar Bill and the Franklin Million Dollar Bill; both by Tract Planet. What I like about all the tracts from Tract Planet, more than Living Waters, is that each one has a QR code on the back that takes the person to a YouTube video that shares the entire gospel. So in the event that the person takes it home and forgets the details of the conversation, they can be quickly and gently reminded on their own time. This way at the end of the conversation you can point out the code and the website so they can reference it later.

Approaching people on the street with the million dollar bill is very easy. I just take it in my hand, look them in the eye and say, "Did you get one of these? It's a million-dollar bill with the million-dollar question on the back. 'If you were to die to day and stand before God, why should He allow you into heaven'?" It propels you right into a spiritual conversation in the speed of thought. You can also ask other intro questions:

"Are you good enough to go to heaven?"

"Are you ready to meet your creator?" [Funny story is that someone called the cops on me once thinking I meant NOW, and I was going to help them out. That was a 20 minute yuk-yuk with the police]. 

"If you were to die today and stand before God, would you be ready?"

There are many ways you can phrase this introduction question that would be not only intriguing, but alarming.

The cool thing about gospel tracts also is that they are a great closer, when the conversation is over. It leaves the person with a gift, and something tangible they can quickly reference. For an exhaustive list of reasons and ways to use gospel tracts CLICK HERE on another website I co-author with my friend Paul.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me by email. I would love to answer any of them, and help you to share your faith easier.