Author Alan Shlemon
Published on 08/26/2019
Tactics and Tools

Focus on the Person Rather Than the Argument

Alan shares how best to use your time if you only have one hour to share the truth with someone.


Transcript

Today’s apologetic tip of the day is: Focus on them before you focus on what you want to tell them. You know Francis Schaeffer once said, “If I have only an hour with someone, I will spend the first fifty-five minutes asking questions and finding out what is troubling their heart and their mind and then the last five minutes I will share something of the truth.” A lot of us might think that if we gave our Muslim neighbor or our friend who identifies as gay fifty-five minutes out of the hour to share about their life, and their beliefs, and their fears, and their story, that we would have squandered our opportunity to make a difference. But by taking the time to ask them questions and finding out what’s going on deep inside their soul, when we do share something in those last five minutes, it will be precisely what they needed to hear. And that’s because we first took the time to focus on them before we focus on what we want to tell them. That’s your apologetics tip of the day.