EARN You must EARN the right to be heard!

E NTRY POINT A CQUIRING AN AUDIANCE R EDIRECTING THE CONVERSATION N UTURING THE NEED

ENTRY POINT The purpose of the Entry Point is to begin the process of earning the right to be heard. The process is accomplished through a questioning procedure. Any number of questions could be used and following are a few suggestions.

ENTRY POINT QUESTIONS What brings you here today? Why have you come? What is going on in your life? How can we (I) help you? How are things going? Transition Statement: The purpose of the transition is to make the individual comfortable with you and to move to the next set of questions.

ACQUIRING AN AUDIENCE The process of moving forward is also a series of questions aimed at finding a commonality from which you can move to the point of helping..

Almost any question will do but some may have a better entry.  You might ask about objects that you see in the home, if visiting, that reflect a hobby or interest.  The old standby is one about the weather, but may be more fitting if you see a garden in the back yard.

TRANSITION STATEMENT: One of the most precious gifts we have, as an American, is our freedom. God offers us freedom to experience eternity with Him. The point of the transition is to move into the next set of questions.

REDIRECTING THE CONVERSATION This is probably the most important section in the process. The purpose is to analyze the spiritual level of the person you are meeting. This is also the directional point in the conversation where you will begin to address the most important questions of life. To help me understand where you are in your spiritual journey, let me ask you this question, “When you attend church, where do you attend?”

NOTE: This point in the conversation is important and care must be used to create an environment of ACCEPTANCE and SAFETY. Acceptance does not mean that you accept their church or commitment but that you accept their decision to attend. If you present an environment of hostility you may loose the right to be heard.

THINGS TO AVOID! o Critical facial and body movements o Criticizing the church they attend o Creating a sense of condemnation o Avoid the desire to enter into a dialogue on the positive or negative issues of their church.

THINGS TO PROTECT  Make the person feel at east.  Allow the person to speak without interference.  Make eye contact.

NURTURING THE NEED The purpose of this section is to continue the analysis of where the person is in their spiritual pilgrimage. It is easy to think you know the condition of the person when you may or may not. It is also easy to overlay your own unique spiritual jargon or “language of Zion” and not really hear what the person says.

Have you come to the place where you are certain you will spend eternity in heaven? The purpose of asking the first question is to earn the right to ask the second. What ever you do ….. Don’t comment on their answer!

If you were standing before God and He were to ask you, “Why should I allow you into my heaven?”, what would you say? When the person responds to this question they will reveal what they are depending on for eternal life. The most important issue is to understand what God says about why He should allow anyone into His heaven. Let me share some Scripture that allows us to see what God has provided.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3:20 SIN 1. Inclination away from 2. Breach of a law 3. Missing the mark

When the arrow fell short of the target the observer would shout SIN.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 Two sets of contrasting words. DEATH – ETERNAL LIFE WAGES - GIFT Ask the person to explain the difference between a WAGE and a GIFT.

A gift must be received before it can be used!

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with me.” Revelations 3:20

What is missing in this picture? If there is no door know, how do you open the door? If you open the door to your heart, the promise is that Jesus will com in and stay. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if God told us how we can invite Jesus into our hearts? HE DOES!

“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” Romans 10:9-10

The gift of eternal life is given to those who ask Jesus to become the Lord of their lives. It can be a private time of requesting or a more public one, but the real issue is the petition.