The Most Important Question
The Most Important Question
Interviews! They can inform. They can expose. And yes, they can reveal that which was previously hidden or unknown.
Television interviews and job interviews are familiar to us. There is the interviewer and the interviewee. I suppose most of us have at least been on the interviewee end, the person being interviewed.
One commonality shared by all interviews are questions. Perhaps the question is the key to any interview, because asking the right questions will provide the best opportunity for appropriate answers or information.
The evangelistic endeavor in our post-modern world requires that we ask questions of those we’re attempting to reach for Christ. You see, we shouldn’t assume what people may or may not know about Jesus, the Bible, the Gospel, and what it really means to be a Christian.
How do we know what someone thinks or believes about anything?
We ask questions.
One day, as Jesus was preparing His disciples for ministry, He posed a profound, singular, and instructive question:
“Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” (Matthew 16:13).
Two thousand years later, it’s a question we should personalize and utilize in our witness:
“Who do you think Jesus is?”
Questions are keys that open conversational doors and conversations that can lead to spiritual matters, which, in turn, can lead to the most important question of all: “Who do you think Jesus is?”
Notice Jesus moved from the general to the personal in posing this question to the disciples:
When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:13-15).
The Lord goes from asking who men say He is to asking the disciples directly: “Who do you say I am?”
We need the Lord to give us wisdom and discernment as we converse with others about spiritual matters. You may wonder, when is it appropriate to be so direct with someone? There is no pat answer. It may be in an initial meeting with somebody, or it could be with someone you’ve known for sometime without ever previously broaching the topic of spiritual things.
In any case, evangelism requires taking risks. One of the risks we take in conversation is bringing up topics that may be “off limits” to another, but we’ll never know if someone is open to spiritual conversations unless we put it on the table.
On many occasions I have asked people, “Who do you think Jesus is?” Sometimes people don’t want to talk about it. Other times, people are willing to engage, but you’ll never find out unless you ask.
If someone is hesitant or doesn’t want to talk about spiritual things, respect their wishes. Don’t burn bridges by disrespecting boundaries, because a closed door today doesn’t necessarily mean it will be closed tomorrow.
On the other hand, when someone opens up about their spiritual beliefs, we will learn a lot in a short time, informing our witness.
May we be effective interviewers for the Lord, probing and learning with gentleness and respect through questioning, and as we’re led by the Holy Spirit, also take advantage of opportunities to ask the most important question. Amen.
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