Dialog Evangelism - Part III

Evangelism begins with one key understanding. God's Holy Spirit is already active in the lives of those we seek to bring to the Lord Jesus. There is no place we arrive at where the Holy Spirit is not already there working before us. The Holy Spirit is at work in all men convicting them of sin, righteousness and judgment. Every false faith or religion is a token, no matter how much in error, of this good work of the Holy Spirit. Man's religious efforts and ideas are the product of his sinful response to the good work of the Holy Spirit with in him.
The Christian, filled with the Holy Spirit, is to be used of God to complete the Holy Spirit's contending ministry by bringing the witness of Jesus Christ and His gospel before those the Spirit is bringing under conviction.
With this in mind it is not always necessary to confront directly the false religions and belief systems men and women have. Instead; recognize the Spirit's impulse in people and ask them questions accordingly. Ask questions that allow them to tell how God is at work in their lives and how they are sensing and responding to his convicting work. The most important words a person can hear in coming to Christ are not necessarily our words but their own words. As they speak truth reflecting the work of the Spirit in their lives and as we listen to them, they are softened by our respect and by a reflection upon what God has shown them. Then, having listened to them, we earn the right to speak truth back into their lives. We take what they have shared with us and place Jesus and his gospel alongside their own witness and at that point there is a connection made to their hearts that is powerful.