Last time, I introduced 10 Conversations that Could Change the World! What if your primary evangelistic universe orbited around 10 named relationships! No vague niceties! 10 real people.
Instinctively no more vague, opaque intentions!
“OK, how do we actually do this?”
- How can this lead to deeper, longer conversation?
- Where do I start?
- What do I say?
Here’s a helpful tool created by Erin at Multipli that we use in Genesis Leader that has helped 100’s of people answer these questions and develop a quiet confidence in God. 5 Habits! Think P-E-A-C-E.
Here’s a quick summary of the 5 Habits!
Pray
YES! We should all pray! Right?
More specifically: “God guide me! Who are the people that should be among my 10 names? Give me boldness. Help me see you at work. I acknowledge Lord that this is a spiritual space where you are at work in the lives of people! Thank you.”
The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. –James 5:16
Expect
…that God will do something! It’s like putting an “Open for Business” sign in the front window of our lives. We become intentional! We begin to attempt things for God in the lives of others because we know that without God it would be impossible.
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us –Ephesians 3:20
(Imagine what happens with just these first two when you simply head out the door to walk the dog or get the mail, walk into your place of work or the meeting at your kids school or whatever? Everyday spaces are no longer ordinary spaces! … it’s all about developing the habits… allowing them to become intuitive! There’s no longer Monday through Saturday secular space and God’s sacred space on Sunday at the church’s address! Everyday, everywhere God is present at “this” address! A spiritual space!)
Ask
…good questions. The secret to getting beyond banter about the weather or the local sports team. Good questions unlock conversations. Many times things people can’t articulate on their own. Jesus asked many, many questions in the Gospels!
Curious questions… Their roots? Their lives? What’s important? … AND … you’re sharing your own story too .. not just collecting information about them.
You’ll be surprised at the connecting points!
When Jesus turned and noticed them following him , he asked them, “What are you looking for?” –John 1:38
OR
Access
…to your life. How can we spend time together? Share life together.
Some years ago, one of our neighbors that we had been practicing all of the above knocked on our back door at 10 PM on a Saturday night. “We’re doing a bonfire at Matt and Patty’s backyard; want to join us?”
My husband said “No. It’s late. Maybe next time.” As he closed the door; we looked at each other and said: “We should have said ‘yes’!” Access to our lives. We made a commitment to God and to each other that night that when we get invitations like this to come closer; we will always try to say “yes.”
Jesus in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
Community
Until you’ve done it; this one stretches your imagination. When you’ve been practicing the P – E – A/A – you’ll find a place to invite some of your believing and unbelieving friends together. These are some well-tested ones in our home:
- Covid front yard get togethers
- Happy hour in the house or the car port
- Special occasions to start a season or mark a milestone
You can use an A ..Ask good questions to get acquainted. I’ve used the Fruit of the Spirit as a way for people to introduce themselves and reset the “community” almost instantly. (Try this in any group and watch what happens!
- These are crazy times. Why don’t we go around the room and share your name and a time recently where you’ve seen goodness?
- Why don’t we take a few minutes to share your name and share a time when you have experienced joy.
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. –Galatians 5:22-23
Engage
…in the world around you … however vast or small it might be.
You might remember the simple Gospel presentation outline using the fingers on your hand. It’s incredibly helpful when the door opens to share the Gospel.
We are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us…For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5: 20-21
Talk to Erin about building on these 5 Habits and tailoring the right Multipli training to equip you with your 10 conversations.
OR
Think about your church! What if 10 of you or 50 or 500 of you in your church named your 10 non Christian relationships (no more vague intentions, right?) And together started practicing these 5 habits. Can you picture a different evangelistic temperature? And the sense of celebration when people report their stories?
10 of you… 10 people … 5 habits … 100 non-Christians coming closer to meeting Jesus
50 of you … 10 people …5 habits … 500 non-Christians coming closer to meeting Jesus
500 of you… 10 people …5 habits … 5,000 non-Christians coming closer to meeting Jesus
Why not talk to Nate about changing the 2026 landscape for your church? It’s really much simpler than you think!
Everyday I’m encouraged by the stories of people just like you living into the “sending” that the resurrected Jesus intends for each of our lives. Thanks.
Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you. John 20:21
P E A C E !