1.) Acknowledge the sincerity of their beliefs

As Christians how should we respond when a friend, neighbor, or coworker tells us that they follow a non-Christian religion? Should we be happy? shocked? sad? Tempting as it may be, ignoring this information is simply not an option for us. Christ died for all and wants all people to be saved! His love compels us to share the faith-creating soul-saving gospel with them!

On such occasions we can do no better than imitate the Apostle Paul: While Paul was waiting for [Silas and Timothy] in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. …Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you” (Acts 17:16, 22-23).

Notice that Paul did not begin by blasting the Athenians for their idolatry. Instead he compliments them on being religious, on sincerely wanting to connect with the divine. This means that their religiosity wasn’t the problem per se but rather that it was misdirected. So we don’t need to be overly intimidated or dismayed when we discover that someone is an ardent follower of a non-Christian religion. On the contrary, how much easier it is to discuss spiritual matters with a heart that is passionate and open rather than one that is cold and closed. Who knows? The Holy Spirit may well use this sincerity to make them receptive to the message of God’s love and grace in Jesus Christ.

2.) Respect their traditions and customs

Whether it’s a true stereotype or not, we Americans are typically seen as being a little culturally insensitive by the rest of the world. Without even being aware of it, the very food we eat, the things we drink, the clothes we wear, and the way we communicate may well trample on others’ deeply held cultural norms. Our initial (sinful) reaction may be, “Oh well, get used to it!” But as Christ’s witnesses the exercise of our freedom should never be an excuse for putting up extra barriers for the gospel; rather we should use our freedom in service to the gospel. Paul wrote to the Corinthians: Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. ...I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings (1 Corinthians 9:19, 22).

Paul had one goal in mind: to save as many souls as possible, and if that meant voluntarily curtailing the use of his freedoms, so be it. He did not want anything about his habits or way of life to take attention away from the gospel of God’s love and forgiveness. In our modern context that may mean doing a little online research or asking a few polite questions of your Hindu coworker or Muslim neighbor before inviting their children over for a playdate or taking them out for dinner. Chances are they’ll appreciate your interest and see that as a sign of friendship and genuine concern, both of which go hand in hand with sharing God’s Word.

3.) Be honest about your ignorance

In the book of Acts the evangelist Luke describes how the Apostle Paul spread the gospel on his missionary journeys. Frequently Luke tells us that Paul “reasoned (or argued) from the Scriptures.” The word Luke uses means “to talk through,” that is, to thoroughly discuss a matter. Of course as Christians we don’t want our half of the discussion to be based on our personal opinions but rather on the objective truths found in God’s holy Word, which alone can create faith in the heart.

When witnessing to non-Christians, I’ve found that a good non-confrontational way of beginning the conversation is simply admitting your ignorance. Say, “I don’t really know much about... Islam or Buddhism or Mormonism, etc. I’m curious to know what you believe about God and how that compares to what the Bible tells me as a Christian.” This approach accomplishes two important objectives: 1.) it shows that you are willing to listen and respect the other person as an individual, which fosters a polite and open dialogue, and 2.) it establishes the expectation that you are not going to be sharing your opinions, but what the Bible says. A double win for proclaiming the gospel!

4.) Ask about the goal of their religion and how it is achieved

Having established a positive and open conversation based on principles 1-3, we can finally start talking about religion in earnest. You can safely assume that the ultimate goal of every religion is for the believer to leave the evil, pain, and death of our present existence for a better place. The key question of course is: how do we get there?

Most people are happy to answer this question because it again shows that you respect them and want to hear what THEY have to say. As they explain their beliefs, ask clarifying questions to check your understanding (“So that means…?” “In other words…?”) For anyone who is not a Christian, you can expect one theme will inevitably rise to the surface: I am saved by what I do (whether that is by being a good person, praying, giving to charity, etc.). Using their own words and terms invite your friend to join you in that realization.

This is the conscience at work. This is the religion of natural man. It seems right to our reason that God should reward us based on what we do. But the Lord says in Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” Next time we’ll explore how salvation by works never really works.

5.) Explore the uncertainty and selfishness of salvation by works

It is only natural for us human beings to assume that God operates the same way that we do: if someone wrongs us, the fast track to getting back into our favor is by kindness and exceptional behavior. Since our consciences daily convict us of doing wrong, we imagine we can redeem ourselves by doing good works and obeying his commands. This presupposition forms the core of every man-made religion.

As Christ’s witnesses we aim to use God’s Word to help others see the uncomfortable truth that this performance plan is comfortless and doomed to failure on three counts:

· How can we ever know if we’ve done enough to outweigh our wrongs? Sadly this terrifying uncertainty is the hook of every world religion, except true grace-centered Christianity.

· Can any number of works ever change the past or force forgiveness? Obviously not. Until eternity each one of us will bear the scars of past wrongs that have been inflicted on us. By definition forgiveness cannot be bought; it must be an entirely free gift of the one offended (in this case God).

· If you’re doing good so that one day YOU will get to “heaven,” aren’t you just doing good for yourself? Inevitably, yes. That would make selfishness one’s primary motive, which turns all “good deeds” into acts of hypocrisy. Yikes!

When posing questions like these we need to resist the urge to go to the gospel until the person we’re talking to admits that they are hopelessly trapped in their sinfulness. This may mean breaking the discussion off to give them time to ponder their predicament. Our goal is to prepare their heart for the good news that in Jesus Christ, God has done it all. As Jesus once said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick” (Mark 2:17). Only the Holy Spirit can bring anyone to the conclusion that good works cannot slow or stop the terminal sickness of our sin, and thereby he creates in us a longing for the cure God provides in Christ.

6.) Point them to free grace and forgiveness in Christ

As Christians the purpose of our existence is to proclaim the good news of Jesus to all creation (Mark 16:16) by using whatever avenues or abilities God has given us. If you’ve been following along with us these last several weeks, everything that we’ve said and done so far has been designed to create an open dialogue of respect and concern and truth in order to prepare the way for the gospel.

Once the Holy Spirit has done the work of convincing a person that they are a sinner who is utterly incapable of earning God’s forgiveness (#5), we then have the privilege of pointing them to God’s free grace and forgiveness in Jesus Christ. When talking to a non-Christian remember to start out simple. Tell them that God loves sinners like us so much that he sent his Son to be one of us, to be a perfect substitute for us, to live a holy life and suffer and die to pay the punishment our wrongs deserve. So now God says every sin has been paid for by Jesus! We no longer have to worry about being “good enough” for God; he declares us perfect and forgiven because of Christ!

As you have opportunity, you can use future conversations to consider all the doors that believing in Jesus opens up for us: we can go to God in prayer knowing he hears and loves us; we can finally love others for no other reason than that God loves us; we can forgive those who have wronged us; we don’t need to be afraid of death because we will live with God forever. Nowhere else do we find such purpose and peace and freedom than in Jesus!