I speak a lot differently than I write. When I speak, I don’t seem like the polished Shakespearian feller your beholdering right now.

I tend to be blunt and to the point when I talk to someone. Efficiency, omitting needless words. I know what you're thinking, why are you omitting needless words right now?

Here’s my point: 

In my experience in street or park evangelizing, you typically don’t have a lot of time to talk to someone.

I think the Lord has helped me come up with a question that quickly helps me determine if they understand Biblically what it means to be saved.

My desire for efficiency and to do things quickly has actually helped me craft TWO QUESTIONS to quickly determine if someone Biblically understands salvation.

The fastest way to determine if a person understands how to be saved is to ask...

This question tells sooo much about the theology of the person and where they are in their understanding of the Gospel.

Answers I’ve heard while evangelizing:

“You pray”

“You do good”

“You go to church”

“Be good to others”

Random Citizen:  “You do good” 

You:  “So all it takes to go to heaven is to do good?  

Random Citizen: "Yes”

You: “Do you do good?  All the time?  Every time?”

Random Citizen: “Well, no.”

You: “If not then, does that mean you might not get to heaven?  Let me ask you a few questions about how well you have kept the 10 commandments.  How many lies would you say you’ve told? Etc”

Having Biblical answers to just these few responses will take you a long way in evangelizing.  

I’m not saying you just walk up to random people and start asking ‘How do you go to heaven?’  I typically try to get a conversation started with a money tract, or you can give them a gift, like a cross penny.

I try to give them a little something they can take with them.  This little gift I like to give because I care about them and hope they can see that through the gift.

Sometimes, after asking ‘How do you get to heaven’, I’ve had some people kind of talk in circles about their beliefs on how to get to heaven that aren’t very clear, and their answer didn’t go anywhere.

There’s a lesser asked question that can be just as effective in just this situation...  Ask the flipside of the first question:

This question is just as good at showing the person’s theology about heaven and hell. I have found if one question doesn’t make their theology clear, the other one tends to make it clear.

Some answers you may receive:

“I don’t believe in hell”

“How could a loving God create such a place”

“You do bad things, like murder.”

Step 1:  Memorize Scripture for each response: 

Revelation 21:8  "But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

Matthew 10:28 "Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but   rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 

Step 2:  Practice saying your responses and Scripture out loud by yourself.  Ensure your tone is one filled with love/warmness. 

Ephesians 4:15 "but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ"

Step 3:  Time to get moving

Try handing out a tract or penny TODAY and say ‘Did you get one of these’ and see about working in the Gospel to the conversation.  

Remember if time is short, you now have a question or two to help you quickly determine how to help someone come to saving faith.

About JM

JM is a freelance writer who loves the Lord and sharing Christ.