Last week in our Everyday Mission series, we looked at Paul’s command,
“Walk with wisdom toward outsiders making the best use of the time.” Colossians 4:5
Part of walking with wisdom toward those who are not followers of Jesus has got to be listening to them to understand what they are thinking, how they are processing our terms and how the gospel will uniquely speak to their lives.
One of the books I have found particularly helpful in this is Finding Common Ground by Tim Downs. In the book, he quotes Phillip Yancey
When Christians attempt to communicate to non-Christians, we must first think through their assumptions and imagine how they will likely receive the message we are conveying. That process will affect the words we choose, the form and, most importantly, the content we can get across.
As we walk with wisdom toward outsiders, we learn to listen and discern. Then, we will know how to season our conversations with grace.
