Communicating the Gospel by Being SALT

Kyle Austin • October 15, 2025

Start a conversation

Be intentional. It all begins with intentionally engaging the person in conversation. It will not happen by accident. Think of each person God has placed around you and ask, “Do they know Jesus Christ as their Savior?” Make it your goal to find out. You can never assume!

Be conversational. Find common ground and ask questions about the person. Show interest in them. Do things to show you care. Share a meal or a cup of coffee together. Build a relationship. Get to know them as much as possible. Depending on how well you know the person will depend on how long this may take. If it is a stranger, ask questions about them until you find some common ground. If it’s someone you already know well, you are ready for the next step.

Ask Questions

Always use open-ended questions. These questions give you so much more information compared to a simple “yes” or “no” answer. These questions are designed to help you discover where the person is and to keep the conversation going. These types of questions learn more and dig deeper. “Yes” or “no” questions shut down the conversation quickly and make it harder to witness.

Ask permission before a sensitive question. For example, “Do you mind if I ask you a question?” This gives you the permission to ask the next question.

Ask spiritual discovery questions. "If you died today, where would you go?" "What is your belief system?" "What do you believe about God?" "What do you believe about Jesus?" "Can I pray for something for you?" "Have you ever felt that God was pursuing you?" "Tell me about a person whose spiritual life you admire." "What are your thoughts about the spiritual side of life?" The spiritual discovery question is the most important part of witnessing. This is where you intentionally take the conversation towards sharing the Gospel.

Ask questions to stay in control of the conversation. Continue using open-ended questions to guide the conversation. Using questions takes you off the hot seat, always having to answer. "What do you mean by that?" "How did you come to that conclusion?" "What do you base that on?" "How do you know that is true?"

Listen

Listen to show you care. Listen intently and genuinely to the answers to your questions. It will allow you to understand their background and what they are thinking in order to know where to go next.

Listen with your eyes, genuinely acknowledging what they are saying. This may be one of the most important aspects in our culture today and the opposite of what we typically think of when witnessing because we have something to share. Listening and showing genuine interest earns you the right to speak into their lives. When you show people you care, they will let you care about their soul.

Listen to determine where your audience is. Discover where your audience is to help you know where to start.

Listen for the deeper message. There may be another issue that needs to be answered before the Gospel can be shared. There is a lot that lies beneath the surface of small talk.

Listen without judgment. Show no judgment, no matter what they believe or how they respond. Watch your facial expressions. Allow them to be transparent and real with where they are and what they believe. In order to truly get to know the person, you have to give them an open door to open up.

Talk about Jesus and other spiritual matters

The goal at this point is to either leave them with something to think about or bring them to a point of decision. If we are not careful, we can short-change them by not guiding them to and through a point of decision. People do not always know what to do in order to call or believe on Jesus.

Leave them with something to think about. With so much confusion planted in the minds and hearts of people, sometimes the first encounter may not bring them to a ready point of decision. Many times the goal in our witnessing will be to leave them thinking. When we challenge their thinking by asking questions, the Holy Spirit can use that to convict and draw them to Jesus at a later time.

Bring to a point of decision. If you are able to share the gospel completely with the person, bring him or her to a point of decision as the Holy Spirit guides you. Again, use questions such as: “Would you like to receive God’s gift of eternal life?” “Would you like to call on Jesus Christ to save you?” “Do you want to take the next step to believe on Jesus Christ?” If they respond with a “yes,” then guide them on how to call on Jesus Christ.

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Lust and sin are two words commonly used in Christian communities. But I am willing to bet that if you went up to anybody on the street, on a college campus, at your local grocery store, they would be able to talk about lust and sin. This being that there has never been a person to ever exist, who has not dealt with lust and sin. Whether that is stealing, cheating, inappropriately looking, rudely speaking, or doing anything against the character of God. So often do people dance with sin. Attraction to Sin In Genesis 19, when Lot and his family are running away from Sodom, Lot’s wife disobeys the Lord and looks behind back at the city. Though she is running away from Sodom, her eyes were set back at a city filled sin. We, so often, can be like Lot’s wife; with our feet directed towards God, running toward Him, away from sin, but with our eyes and our hearts still set on sin. We can be internally dancing with sin, being no different than Lot’s wife. Implications of Sin Sin is not a light term, the definition of it being an immoral act against God, ”means that it is going directly against the most perfect, good, just, righteous, Creator of all things. He sets morality up for a purpose, not as a vain set of rules. So, we should listen when God says to do something, otherwise expect there to be consequences. We cannot hide sin, even the smallest of dances with it bleeds into every aspect of our lives. It will affect our relationships, energy, thoughts, and walk with God. The Devil rejoices in the aftermath of sin, how far he can take you away from God. This being the ideas of unbelief, struggle, worry, anxiety. Though the consequences of sin linger, the redemption, new creation, freedom, liberty, and victory found in Christ is forever! Victory over Sin Even the simplest dances with sin are dangerous, but in God there is complete victory! Stay on the straight and narrow path, focus on the Way, the Truth, and the Life, that is Jesus Christ. Be in the Word of God, seek to abide in Him and He will abide in you. Think back to Lot’s wife, she might’ve been doing the right things, trying to work her way back to safety, but her heart wasn’t in it. She was dancing with sin. So leave this dance, it doesn’t last. Eternal life is far greater than a fading moment in this world. Have your feet and eyes directed on Him, do not look back. Greater is He that is in you, than He that is in the world.

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