ITCZ 101 - Curious Unto Salvation

We know that presenting the Gospel is a primary objective. So how do we do that? As discussed in the article, Deliver The Gospel, we need to know what the Gospel is. In the article, The Holy Spirit Leads we find that we plant and water but it is the Holy Spirit that brings conviction.
                             
So what's our strategy then for planting and watering? Curiosity!

Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding.

Part of being In The Cool Zone is having a healthy curiosity about the things of the Lord. We discussed in, Curiosity… The Hijacked Virtue, that we have had our curiosity taken from us. When we take it back and take it seriously we open up a whole new world that the Lord has been leading us to affect.

He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. ... whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. - 2 Corinthians 3:6, 16 NLT 

Stirring Up Curiosity In Others

Curiosity has also been stolen from those not in the Lord. Have you ever had an encounter with someone who argued a point but had no curiosity about input you contributed that clearly proved them wrong? Yet, stubbornly they held on to their presupposition in effort to "win" the argument rather than learn?

Stirring the curiosity of others is a fantastic way to help them move away from defensive, combative thinking to thoughtful thinking.

Therefore, since God in his mercy has given us this new way, we never give up. We reject all shameful deeds and underhanded methods. We don't try to trick anyone or distort the word of God. We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know this.
If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe.
They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don't understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. - 2 Corinthians 4:1-4 NLT 


The Lord uses this mechanism of stirring up curiosity all through the scriptures, to spark the thinking of those He is attempting to reach. The Dake Bible is a fantastic resource for lists of questions that are asked throughout the scriptures. There are far more questions in the scriptures than you may think.

The idea is to have a strategy to raise curiosity. There are innumerable ways to do this that are contingent on the situation and discussion that you may be in. So ask questions. Keep asking questions and listen for opportunities to share the Gospel to curious ears.

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Take Action!

What are a few good ways to stir up curiosity?
When the opportunity comes build trust by showing interest in peoples lives. You may just have an impromptu encounter. In that case, you can build trust by being an expert listener.
  • Listeners keep others engaged.
  • Listeners build trust. 
  • Ask thoughtful questions. It is likely, the longer you stay engaged it will raise their curiosity and allow them to become engaged and thoughtful.
  • Talk about what they admit to not knowing. It sounds a little weird but when someone can confess when they don't know something, they are open to new ideas. Paul gave us a fantastic example of getting the attention of those that confess they don't know something Take a quick read in Acts 17.
Practice your elevator pitch for the Gospel. The opportunities to share the Gospel can sneak up on you pretty quickly once you raise someones curiosity. 

Please, add your thoughts in the comment section.

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Concept >>> “Stir Up Curiosity”
Next >>> "A Convo With Non-Christians"


In The Cool Zone concept. Think like Jesus thinks. Deliver the Gospel. Teach what you have learned.

Comments

  1. Shaun HaleyApril 13, 2016 at 3:05 PM

    Great insight, on yet another well thought out article.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rob HaleyApril 13, 2016 at 3:08 PM

      Hey, Thanks for the shout Shaun. Good stuff. Trying to look at our opportunities to deliver and teach the Gospel from every angle. :-)

      - Rob

      Delete

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