Listening Before Witnessing

In the book, "The Art of Personal Evangelism," Will McCraney suggests that effective evangelism involves a process of listening to people's concerns and questions rather than simply presenting a pre-packaged message or script.

He emphasizes the importance of empathy and understanding and suggests that we should seek to understand where people are coming from before we try to share the gospel with them.

This idea is supported by the apostle Paul's approach to evangelism, as described in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. In this passage, Paul explains that he has become "all things to all people" in order to share the gospel with them. He says that he is willing to adapt his approach depending on the context in order to better connect with people and share the message of Christ with them: "To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law, I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak, I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some." (1 Corinthians 9:20-22, NIV)

Paul's approach emphasizes the importance of understanding and relating to people from different backgrounds and adapting one's approach to connect with them in an authentic and effective way. Likewise, also McCraney suggests that we should adopt a similar approach, seeking to listen to people's concerns and questions, and adapting our message in a way that is relevant and relatable to their lives.

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