When Karl Marx was seventeen years old, he wrote a fantastic explanation of part of the book of John that many great theologians agree with.

But, later in his life Karl Marx rejected the Bible’s authority and as an adult called himself an atheist and a Communist.

In the same way, Nikita Khrushchev, the former Premier of the USSR, read the Bible when he was a boy. Yet, years later he made it his ambition to bury the church in the Soviet Union by 1965.

The ironic thing is that now he is buried and the Russian church continues to grow!

These examples show that just because someone may know the Bible, it doesn’t mean that its words have truly penetrated their heart.

So, the next time you’re in a conversation with someone who is talking about the Bible, don’t assume that they’ve met Jesus.

Reading the Bible and going to church don’t make you a Christian. It’s believing the Word of God, believing that Jesus died on the cross, rose from the dead, loves you, and wants to give you eternal life- that’s what makes you a Christian.

Even if your friends say they know the Bible, don’t be afraid to tell them that Jesus wants to have a personal relationship with them. Do it! It’s the best gift you can give.

A few years ago, while visiting a South American country, I spoke with a high government official - a military man.

“Sir,” I asked him,” do you know Jesus Christ?” The general smiled and said, “Palau, I’ve led such a hard life that I don’t think God wants to know me very much.”

I told him that no matter what he’d done, Christ died on the cross for him and loves him. “If you want to know Him,” I said, “you can meet Him right now.”

As we continued to talk, I explained what Christ had done on the cross, how He died to receive the punishment that should be ours for the wrong we have done.

I asked him, “Sir, would you like to receive Christ right now?” He paused and said quite seriously, “If Christ will receive me, I want to become a real Christian.”

Perhaps you, too, feel like that South American general - that you’ve done so many awful things that God wouldn’t want to know you.

But it’s not true! God loves you. He created you. And Jesus Christ died on the cross for you.

John chapter 3, verse 16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Follow the general’s lead, and become a real Christian today!

So, let’s say you’ve started a spiritual conversation, but now what? Where do you go from here?

One question I love to ask is this: “What is a real Christian?” Ask your friend, then listen to his or her response.

I can’t stress enough how important it is to listen, listen, listen. Don’t assume you know what their answer is going to be. Many times you will be surprised at what they say!

Lots of people think that being a Christian means going to church, living morally, receiving a sacrament, believing in God, talking about Jesus, praying, or reading the Bible.

But none of those things MAKE someone a Christian.

On the contrary, a real Christian is someone who isn’t perfect (just like all of us) and who believes Jesus Christ is the Son of God and puts his or her trust in Him.

It’s someone who is certain of eternal life. And it’s someone born into God’s family.

Jesus says in John chapter 14, verse 6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

So the next time you’re in a spiritual conversation, ask your friend what he or she thinks a real Christian is. Then listen to the answer. It might really open things up for sharing the Good News!

People are always asking me, “How do you get a spiritual conversation going?”

My answer is, once any conversation has started, either steer it in a somewhat spiritual direction or ask point blank questions.

Ask them if they go to church or ask, “Do you have the assurance of eternal life, or are you still on the way?” It seems like a simple and silly question, but it’s not and it’s sure to start a conversation.

If your friend says, “I’m still on the way,” then you can begin to share the Good News.

Remember to be a good listener when they do respond. What they say will reveal a lot about their spiritual condition and it will help to show you how to talk with them, and how to pray for them.

Colossians 4:6 says, “Let your conversation always be full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

Put some good conversation starters and key questions in your “witnessing tool belt.” Write down some of your own ideas and then look them over each day. It’s a great way to be prepared to share the Good News Gospel. Then, when God opens the door, you’ll be ready!