Reaching those we know: Ask questions

Perhaps you’ve never spoken with a friend, colleague or family member about Christian things before.

You’d like to, and you’ve been waiting for the opportunity, but these topics just never get raised. If only they would ask you: “So, Francis, what is a Christian, and how can I become one?”! If you’re waiting for the topic to be raised, you could be waiting a long time. If you want to be on the front foot, without being particularly pushy, kick-start a conversation with a question.

One question I ask people is this: What do you think happens when we die? It’s provoked a lot of discussion, and never fails to receive an interesting response.

This particular question is quite intense, and you might not feel comfortable jumping in the deep end. There are lots of other questions you could throw out there, for example:

- If you could ask God one question, what would it be?
- Have you ever read the Bible?
- What do you think the Bible is about?
- Why aren’t you a Christian?
- What values would you like to teach your children? Why?
- What do you think a ‘wasted life’ looks like?
- If God exists, do you think God he would happy with our world?
- What words would you use to describe God? Loving? Angry? Forgiving? Distant?

I’m sure you can think of more (feel free to share them below!). Asking questions is a great way to prompt discussion, because it’s not about you pushing your opinion - you’re asking them for their opinion. However, in my experience, when you lead with a question, the other person is often quite interested to hear your response too.

Let me encourage you to think about the questions you might be able to ask, pray for boldness to ask them, and for great, God-honouring discussions to follow.

We’d love to hear from you!

What other questions could be asked to kick-start conversations? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.