When Visitors Come By - Practice #3 of 3

Best Practices
Bible Study with a group of people, follow these simple rules to benefit a discourse on religious or faith issues. Twenty-five years in ministry from the Pulpit and Lectern have taught me some simple rules to follow when visitors come by. These practices are best because Scripture bears them out.
As Christians who want to share our faith, we must realize that we are in the communication business. Communication is necessary to share the Gospel. Three practices, when applied, provide a blessed opportunity for visitors coming by. These practices are general and not exhaustive.

​Rule #3 – Be Patient Some folks don't understand that just because a person understands intellectually (in their minds) the teachings of the Bible, it doesn't mean that they believe and accept (in their hearts) the teachings of Christ.
For example, the Apostles were with Jesus for three years, and yet, it took almost ten years after His resurrection for them to understand that the Gospel was meant for the entire world and not just for the Jews in the whole world.

​Many obstacles stand in the way of faith other than ignorance of the doctrines. For example,

• Loyalty to family and church group
• Culture
• The fear of change
• Love of sin and this world (John 3:19-20)
• Comfort with the way things are

​When discussing religious issues with someone, we need to remember that all of these issues and more may affect the other person's response and attitude. We need to be willing to keep the discussion and the interchange going as long as the other person is willing to share and exchange ideas. People have turned away from Christ because of the hurry to convert them without taking time to understand their issues.
Most have many obstacles to faith that require time to think through and accept the points made concerning the Bible, so be patient.

​Let's Summarize our Three Best PracticesWhen we engage someone in a discussion about religion and questions concerning the Bible, we need to remember three rules of engagement to avoid bad feelings and wasting our time.

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1. Give people credit for being as sincere as you are. Demonstrate true Christian love and respect (not for religious practices that may be false) but rather for people's genuine effort to serve God. Respect will set the exchange tone and enable the person to listen honestly to what you are saying. If you offend them with your disrespectful attitude, they won't hear what you're saying.
2. Study God's word, not your opinions. People's biggest mistake in religious discussion is that they don't even open their Bibles. Find the passage and keep the debate centered on understanding what the Bible says about the issue, not the various positions of different groups.
3. Be patient. You are sharing to teach someone more perfectly the way and the Word of the Lord – this requires patience. If all you want to do is win an argument, you will need skill and intelligence. If you're going to win a soul, you will need love and patience in addition to skill and intellect.

​Go back and review the two previous blogs, and check out the links below.

https://youtu.be/E90uU5tYLJIƒ
https://vimeo.com/598284190
https://bibletalk.tv/the-basics

What do you think about these best practices? What would you change and why? Thanks for your comments and feedback.