Me: “Question for you: Do you ever think about what happens when you die?”
Tre: “Yes, but I think more about how I will die.”
Me: “Is there a way you don’t want to die?”
Tre: “Burning.”
Then we talked about the ways people die.
Me: “What do you think happens when you die?”
Tre: “I believe there is like a holding place or a middle place before you move on.”
Me: “Move on to where?”
Tre: “Up or down.”
Me: “What would determine who goes up and who goes down?”
Tre: “What you do here.”
Me: “What if we messed up during our time down here?”
We talked a bit further, and I showed her the sin that she’s committed by using the Ten Commandments and a verse from James.
James 2:10
For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
Me: “Now that we know we are sinners, how can we go to Heaven?”
Tre: “We need forgiveness.”
Me: “And how does one get that?”
Tre: “God gives it to us.”
As you can tell, I am trying to get her to see that Jesus is what forgiveness is all about. I let her know that the Bible says the blood of Jesus is what cleanses us of our sin.
Me: “You can’t have blood, though, unless you have something first.”
Tre: “Crucifixion.”
Me: “There has to be a sacrifice in order for us to have the blood that can wash away our sin. And then the resurrection proves exactly who He was. Mohammad didn’t rise from the dead. Buddha didn’t rise from the dead. Shintoism doesn’t have anyone who rose from the dead. Only Jesus rose from the dead.”
____________
Can you see the importance of asking questions? When you question someone, it keeps narrowing things down until you arrive at a conclusion. They can help you walk someone to the answer you want them to come to. Remember, we want as many people as possible to arrive at the cross and the resurrection when we are planting seeds.
“Question Everything and Question Everybody” is really a survival tool for the world we live in.
Now watch this video. This teacher did the same thing with one of his students. This is a secular example, but I am sure you will get the point.
This is utterly brilliant. A student accuses @jk_rowling of being transphobic. This teacher skilfully dissects the claim and challenges it by asking questions.
He teaches not what to think, but how to think critically.
Watch until the end.
You see the epiphany in real-time. pic.twitter.com/x00gWdOugc— Lee Harris (@addicted2newz) February 3, 2024
What a fascinating give-and-take! That teacher did a really solid job. It truthfully is not the teacher’s job to just give answers all the time. We really want to teach people how to critically think for themselves. I enjoy telling people about what Jesus has done for them, but many times, I am using questions to walk them in the direction I want them to go. That causes them to think critically. The Bible is replete with this type of exchange. Jesus used it with John the Baptist.
Matthew 11:3-6
And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?
When you read Jesus’ reply to John’s earnest inquiry, you realize something very quickly: Jesus didn’t directly answer John’s question! He basically directed John to look at all of the evidence and come to his own conclusion. But He also knew that John would have the right answer. Sometimes, when you are in a tough situation like prison, you might begin to question what you know to be true for a moment. That is okay. Jesus always has an answer to any and all of those questions.
No clue if J.K. Rowling is saved. Pray for her.
No clue if that teacher is saved. Pray for him.
No clue if that student is saved. Pray for him.
Keep asking questions. It is a great way to find answers. You will take your last breath one day. You are going to see Jesus one day, and on that day, He will be the only answer that matters.
Until the nets are full,
P.S. In the book One Thing You Can’t Do in Heaven, we have a chapter titled “The Four Deadly Questions.”
- What do you mean by that?
- How do you know that to be true?
- Where do you get your information?
- What if you are wrong?
Use these questions often in your conversations. They will be a great help to you and to the person you are chatting with.
P.P.S.
