John 4:7-15 English Standard Version (ESV)

7 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” 13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.[a] The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”

Starting Spiritual Discussions

Direct Approach

• Create opportunities rather than waiting for them

• John 4

• What does it look like?

• Greeting a co-worker and listening to the story

• Lunch with friends and ask spiritual questions….

Direct Approach Questions

• Who, in your opinion, is Jesus?

• Do you ever think about spiritual things?

• What is your religious background?

• Do you ever wonder what happens to us after we die?

• What do you think a real Christian is?

• What do you think our purpose is in this life?

Indirect Approach

• Backdoor approach

• When asked how you are – give options rather than saying “Good.”

• Take a plate of cookies to the new neighbors

• Talking with a friend about hobbies

• Walking in the zoo with friends you notice the giraffe

• Suggest a spiritual book for tough times

Invitational Approach

• Invite people to a special event

• Plan for “no” and use it as a time to extend the conversation – Were you raised in a religious setting?

• Offer with coffee or a meal afterwards

• Make it personal

Guidelines

• Pray

• Talk individually rather than in a group.

• Be genuine in your interest.

• Expect opportunities.

• “What are you doing this weekend?”

• “I’ll work in the yard on Saturday but on Sunday….”