S.A.L.T

THE S.A.L.T. METHOD

Evangelism has been seen as the Gospel message being given by someone to a listening audience whether large or small, and the audience at the end being asked to believe and then accept Christ as Savior and Lord. Obviously there are many different ways the Gospel can be communicated. The God Test offers an another option in sharing the Good News. It is not a track to merely hand out or an outline for a mini-lecture to give someone. It is a dialogical tool.

To help you remember the strategy behind this tool we offer the word SALT as memory aid.

1. START A CONVERSATION

Everything begins with this. Great Evangelists have been able to start with normal conversations with others and find natural segue’s to the Gospel.

Jesus with the Samaritan woman. Paul in Athens.

The God Test provides a strategy to start a conversation about God in a more direct manner. This is very effective in a campus context where opinion surveys are a normal part of the student’s experience. It is also is effective when a conversation is already started with someone that leads to the subject of God and faith. The God Test is effective in helping guide the dialogue along a logical path that leads to a person making a decision about the truth of the message.

2. ASK QUESTIONS

The God Test asks questions that follow from the central question of “Do you believe in God?” Rather than immediately offering a person the Gospel in the form of your propositions and beliefs, they are asked questions and allowed to fully respond in order for you to understand their beliefs or lack thereof.

Asking questions is a critical part the evangelistic dynamic. You will discover that a good question effectively plants the seeds of truth in the hearts and minds of individuals by making them think about what they really believe. On the other hand, when you make declarative statements to them, they primarily consider what you believe.

3. LISTEN

Listening to answers they give sets up the God Test moment to be a relatively respectful, thoughtful conversation as opposed to a shouting match or argument. As you listen carefully you are gaining wisdom that will be invaluable when you present the story of the Gospel as well as your own testimony and how it (the gospel) affected you.

4. TELL THE STORY

After asking 8 questions and listening to their answers you now ask question 9, which asks them if they would be willing to listen to a Biblical response to these questions. For side B, this is usually met without push-back because they said the believe in God and therefore listening to the Bible is very normal for them.

For the atheist or agnostic, question 9 asks , “Have you ever explored what the Bible has to say about these questions?” This could be asked another way, “Would you be willing to hear the Theistic answers to these questions?”

This study guide will hopefully remind you of the critical parts of your God Test training that took place in a live seminar setting or through audio or video formats.

Telling the Story means using the questions that the God Test asks to present the Gospel as well as how it personally affected you.