Today, we live in a culture where everyone desires to be heard, but not everyone wants to listen. Listening is a key component that is often overlooked when it comes to evangelism.
Here are seven reasons why listening during evangelism is so important:
1. Active listening leads to further questions. The more you engage in active listening, the more intentionally you can ask thoughtful questions that lead to the gospel.
2. Listening helps us to contextualize the gospel specifically for that person. For example, while visiting with a man on a three-hour flight, he began to share his story about the double life he was living. When he became noticeably grieved by his sin, I had the opportunity to share with him Romans 12:1—a beautiful reminder that when we turn from our sin and trust in Christ, there is no condemnation for those who are in Him.
3. Listening is a way of modeling God’s heart towards his people. Psalm 116:2 says that God inclines His ear to us. What a loving God, who listens even though He already knows the words we will say before we speak them.
4. Everyone has a unique story and is worth listening to. You may discover parts of someone else’s story that relate to your own testimony. These connections can be used as a bridge to share what God has done in your life and to the Gospel.
5. Spending more time listening gives you opportunities to pray quietly. As you listen, you can pray quietly in your heart for the person’s salvation and that God would give you the words to say.
6. You may be the first person to ask someone what they believe. More often than you’d think, people want to share their story and what they believe yet never get the opportunity. If you’re the one to open that door, it can lead to deeper gospel conversations.
7. Hearing someone’s beliefs gives you the opportunity to direct them to truth. In John 4, Jesus was willing to listen to the woman at the well as she shared her beliefs: “I know the Messiah is coming. When He comes, He will tell us all things” (v. 25). He responded by revealing the truth: “I who speak to you am He” (v. 26).
