There is a story about a Christian barber who listened carefully to his pastor preach a sermon about the importance and urgency of sharing our faith in Jesus. On the way home from church, he resolved to witness to the first person who came to his shop the next morning. He gave the matter a lot of thought, playing out the scene in his mind and rehearsing the words he intended to say. Nervously he unlocked the door of his barber shop early Monday morning, and a little while later his first customer appeared. There was a little chit-chat while he carefully cut the man’s hair. Then he applied a generous amount of warm lather in preparation for a shave. As he stroked the razor on the belt hanging fromthe chair, he abruptly launched into the statement that he so carefully prepared: “Friend, are you ready to die and meet the Lord?” The man was shocked as he looked at his barber holding the sharpened blade, and instantly he jumped up from the chair and bolted out the door.

We may have the best intentions to share our faith, but often we struggle with getting a spiritual conversation started. To make our witnessing efforts more of a natural progression in our conversations with people, we need to hone the skills of listening and asking questions.

Hone your listening skills

Turning conversations from everyday life to matters of eternal life requires the skill of listening. A college student placed this ad in a local newspaper: “I’ll listen. You do ALL the talking and I’ll do ALL the listening. Your cost is $25 per half hour.” To his surprise, he had dozens of responses. People have a need to talk about their lives and to discuss their concerns. Listening is an excellent way to demonstrate that you care about people and are interested in them. Taking the time to listen to people strengthens the connections that you have with them. Those “bridges” will help you cross over from small talk to talking about God.

Telling about Jesus comes after listening to people talk about their feelings and fears, their problems and opinions. Draw people out as they speak about things that concern them. Say something like, “That’s interesting. What makes you say that?” With this question, you clarify issues and learn more about people. By patiently and intently listening, you foster respect and trust, so that people are more inclined to listen to you when you turn the conversation to spiritual matters.

Learn to ask questions