C.S. Lewis and the Art of Spiritual Conversation

Mere Christianity

A book by C. S. Lewis, adapted from a series of BBC radio talks broadcast between 1941 and 1944, while Lewis was at Oxford during the Second World War…" Link to Wikipedia article…

https://bit.ly/2IPhsCs

1. Have…

1. Have a conversation, not an argument.

Mere Christianity pdf

Mere Christianity, by C. S. Lewis. Samizdat, February 2014. (Public Domain under Canadian copyright law). PDF format.

https://bit.ly/2tGTMbp

Important things take time.

1 Corinthians 13:4-5 NIV

If anyone gets mad, you lose.

For Reflection/Discussion: Why are some Christians reluctant to share the Good News of God's love with others? What is the difference between a conversation and an argument? Which is the more effective form of communication? What stands in the way of our having meaningful conversation with others about Jesus? How might Lewis's approach in Mere Christianity offer us a model on how to talk with others about Christianity?

2. Ask…

2. Ask thoughtful questions.

Famous/Important Bible Questions

Bible scholars estimate that there are roughly 3,300 questions in the Bible. Got Questions website.

https://bit.ly/2xaTpNe

Peter Falk in his iconic role as Columbo.

Columbo

"An American television series starring Peter Falk as Columbo, a homicide detective with the LAPD. The show popularized the inverted detective story format, which begins by showing the commission of the crime and its perpetrator…" Wikipedia article…

https://bit.ly/2LvyW90

The Columbo Tactic

Greg Koukl, "The Columbo Tactic" Stand to Reason, 2/28/2013.

https://bit.ly/2LvyW90

Self-Refuting Statements

John M. Frame, “Self-Refuting Statements” IVP Dictionary of Apologetics.

https://bit.ly/2GQMLLs

For Reflection/Discussion: Why are questions necessary and important in creating a climate that is conducive to meaningful spiritual conversation? What benefits come from the wise use of questions? What are some helpful questions to ask in the course of a spiritual conversation? What is a self-refuting statement? What are some examples? How can questions help reveal the self-refuting nature of a statement or claim? Why are the statements "There is no such thing as Absolute Truth" and "We cannot believe anything that can't be proved by science" self-refuting? Can you think of others?

3. Know…

3. Know what we believe and why we believe it.

1 Peter 3:15 NIV

http://www.questpa.org/148/

The ALPHA Course

Learn more about the ALPHA Course at this link to our website.

https://bit.ly/2J6M464

Top Five Apologetics Websites

Apologetics315, Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry (CARM), RZIM (Ravi Zacharias International Ministries), The Poached Egg, and Probe Ministries. See Quest website for descriptions and links.

For Reflection/Discussion: What are some of the ways that followers of Jesus can better inform themselves about basic Christian beliefs and why we believe them? Are you prepared to give an answer to anyone who might ask you to give a reason for the hope you have in Christ? If not, why not? What are some resources that are available at Stonebridge? On the internet?

4. Trust…

4. Trust God to do the heavy lifting.

1 Corinthians 3:6 NIV

The Importance of Prayer in Evangelism

Matt Slick, "The Importance of Prayer in Evangelism" Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry website.

https://bit.ly/2sf5cnK

For Reflection/Discussion: What unrealistic expectations do many Christians have about sharing the Good News with others? What is our part and what is God's part in a person's becoming a believer? Why is prayer essential to effective evangelism? Are you praying for specific people you know to become followers of Jesus? Are you praying for StoneBridge to be more effective in reaching people with the Good News of God's love? Why or why not? What is your biggest "takeaway" from this week's message?