Jesus gave His disciples a mission: to spread the gospel to the entire world (Mark 16:15). However, many believers find it difficult to carry out this task on a daily basis.
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Seeing everyday opportunities to communicate the gospel or point others to Jesus Christ is essential to living missionally. Simply having a conversation with them is one of the most effective methods to accomplish this. Here are some pointers on how to start a conversation about spiritual matters.
Start
To begin a discourse regarding spiritual subjects, the first step is to begin the conversation. Without that, there is no way to segue from one talk to the next.
It may seem obvious, but we frequently overlook or even avoid opportunities to have spiritual dialogues. We are prevented from taking the initial step of obedience by fear or doubt. Before speaking with someone, pray to God and then just start talking.
Ask questions
Asking people questions is a terrific approach to start a conversation or bridge into spiritual issues. In fact, enquiring further about them demonstrates genuine interest and allows people to unwind. It's also a fantastic method to listen for details that might assist lead into a gospel discussion.
Inquire about their personal lives, family, or even their viewpoints on a topic. Getting their thoughts on a non-spiritual topic is a terrific way to bring the conversation back to Jesus.
Listen more than you talk
If you do all the talking, you'll never get to know someone. After you've asked your questions, make sure to listen carefully and actively to learn more about the person.
People's reactions will frequently lead you to their hearts and help you establish common ground or keywords that will help you locate the right moment and place to bring the subject back to God. Don't think about what you're going to say next all the time. Take the time to listen to the individual you're speaking with.
Look out for keywords and common ground
You'll be able to pick up on what a person cares about or what experiences you both have if you ask questions and listen.
Do they have a family of their own? Is it true that they are going through a difficult time? What are their favorite pastimes? These are all excellent places to begin when looking for common ground or natural ways to lead the conversation to more in-depth issues.
Shift the conversation gently
You can begin to turn the conversation toward spiritual issues once you've gotten to know the person a little and found common ground or similar experiences.
This might be accomplished by asking more questions or offering to pray for them. These will elicit answers that will often lead to important and non-overwhelming discussions about Jesus.
Asking what the person believes about God or if they have faith are good ways to start a spiritual conversation. You can then ask if you can share what you believe and then offer the gospel once they respond.
Connect again
Perhaps you preached the gospel or simply got to encourage a fellow believer. In any case, you should make an effort to reconnect with them.
Leave your contact information for them to contact you if they want to talk more, or acquire their contact information so you may be the one to reach out if you think they need more connection.
Disciples aren't produced overnight, but you can assist someone on their spiritual path by striking up a conversation and connecting spiritually with them.
How do you talk spiritually?
One of the most significant impediments to spiritual progress is pride, particularly spiritual pride. “The seeker seeking Truth should be humbler than dust,” Mahatma Gandhi stated. The world crushes the dust beneath its feet, but the Truth seeker should be so humble that even the dust would crush him or her.”
When discussing your spiritual experience, be modest and mindful not to come out as superior in any manner. By criticizing someone else's beliefs, you can avoid being aggressive. Although your practices may seem significant to you, be open to and accepting of other people's practices and viewpoints. Others are more likely to listen to what you have to say if you respect them. Unfortunately, many of today's disputes are the consequence of one group attempting to force its spirituality on another. Remember that you can only judge yourself based on your own degree of ignorance.
What is a spiritual conversation?
A spiritual dialogue is an open conversation between equals in which participants meet to acknowledge and examine the forces that speak into their life as they attempt to answer the question, “Who am I?”
There is a depth of personhood beyond many of our talks that we rarely delve into. We keep track of who we let into our life and how far they go, which means that a person can go days without having a meaningful discussion other than “How's work?” or “What's for supper?” However, there is a part of each of us that yearns for more; it seeks significance.
You might look in different locations depending on who you are. Scientists can use a microscope to look for clues. It's possible that artists will look for it at the end of a brushstroke. Lawyers may investigate how we cohabit and what happens when we get it wrong (and right). Psychologists can dig through the nooks and crannies of the human brain. But one thing remains constant no matter where we look: the hunt. And when we join forces in our search for meaning, we're having a spiritual discourse.
Something spiritual, according to the Oxford English Dictionary “as opposed to material or physical objects, relate to or impact the human spirit or soul.” It's taking the next step beyond what we've experienced to consider what these events mean to us and how they've shaped us. Spiritual questionsquestions like “How do I want to be remembered?” and “What is right and wrong?”are at their most fundamental level. in addition “Where does my joy come from?” you might wonder. in addition “What am I here for?” whittle themselves down to a manageable size “Who am I?” you might wonder.
As Christians, we respond to this question with the catch-all term, “God's child.” But, as humans, the fact is that this still encompasses the entire self, a self that is made up of personal relationships, past experiences, physical demands, community dynamics, and, as the cherry on top, the desire for meaning.
As a result, our spiritual discussions must include this as well. When Jesus meets the Samaritan woman at the well, their conversation covers all aspects of her life that have led her to this point: her personal relationships with previous husbands, her ancestry, her physical needs for water and food, her identity within the Samaritan community, and her contemporaries' spiritual practices (John 4:4-26). Because spirituality is interactive, and is itself in communication with other elements of ourselves, the conversation confronts the reality of her entire personality. This also means that a spiritual dialogue is a safe space for us to haveand expressdoubts, as well as for those doubts to be addressed politely and honestly. This place is dedicated to the Samaritan woman, and it initiates a more in-depth discussion about what worship entails.
Spiritual talks, on the other hand, are looking for more than just answers; they're looking for realizations. They want us to come to a place together and be open to leaving a bit changed than we found ourselves. On the walk to Emmaus, Jesus has this type of discourse with the two disciples. He's there for them in their doubts, disappointments, and misunderstandings, and he joins in the dialogue as an equal, asking probing questions that elicit even more discussion. When Jesus is about to leave them, they instead invite him to have a deeper connection with them: “Please stay with us” (Luke 24:13-35).
The third element that these stories have in common is that spiritual dialogues meet people where they are. This is also true of Philip's talk with the Ethiopian eunuch. That included addressing the Samaritan woman's worries about where and how she should worship. For the disciples, this meant a discussion about current events that had altered their lives and thrown them into chaos. It appears to be a literary clarification for the eunuch. Philip begins with the eunuch “with that very verse from the Bible” (Acts 8:26-40). In this way, spiritual conversations do not require participants to jump right to the conversations we want to have, because doing so assumes two things: first, that they understand the same information as we do (in the same way, using the same language), and second, that the dynamic of equal participation is eliminated.
We may see what a spiritual discourse is by looking at these examples. It is an open debate among equals in which participants meet to acknowledge and discuss the causes that influence their life while attempting to answer the question “Who am I?” you might wonder.
A spiritual discourse will not lead you to believe that Jesus is the solution. It invites you to begin looking, and to keep looking, in the hope and trust that we will eventually discover Him together.
What to talk about with a spiritual mentor?
The term “spiritual disciplines” may sound scary, but it simply refers to the spiritual habits we develop in order to connect with God. Prayer, reading the Bible, fasting, and giving money are all spiritual disciplines through which God meets each person individually. Inquiring into your mentor's unique ways of encountering God on a daily basis can provide you with encouragement as well as a larger understanding of how God operates in the world.
How do you connect with your soul?
Do you realize you have remarkable abilities that come from your creative, intuitive, and spiritual nature? Your mind is as beautiful as a lush forest, rich with neuro-networks that connect beneath the surface, much like the roots of trees. When storm clouds form ahead of rain, scientists have seen increased chemical exchanges between these tree roots.
Our unconscious minds do the same thing, especially during times of stress, when the ego is imbued with dread, storylines and scripts from the past, which arise without warning, obscure our minds. Other woodland routes lead to charred and dead trees, while others go to tranquil meadows and stunning waterfalls. We can't see what's beneath the surface of our thinking, just as we can't see what's beneath the surface of trees and plants reaching for the sun.
This is a method for returning to one's roots and reconnecting with one's soul. To engage in this form of mindfulness, all you have to do is agree that you are not your thoughts.
Living Artfully in Five Steps
Begin by becoming a loving observer of oneself. Recognize that sensations and thoughts are neither “true” nor “false.” Allow the need to be right to fade away, and instead focus on the underlying emotions, such as fear or grief. Accept that you will be thinking and feeling a lot of different things at the same time.
Interference and commentary about your thoughts, pulling up old scars and scripts from the past, deceives you into merging with your ideas, leaving you befuddled. In other words, your thoughts had been “conned” into becoming “fused”! To avoid being “conned,” it's a good idea to “diss” (dis-identify) your thoughts.
When you've discovered your inner voice, how will you know? You'll figure it out. When you connect with your higher wisdom, it feels extremely different inside of you. And don't be surprised if you have spontaneous feelings of forgiveness or compassion when your soul offers you the direction you need.
Originally published on Holstee's Mindful Matter, the ideal place to learn about how to live life completely.
What spirituality means?
Spirituality is defined as the awareness of a feeling, sense, or belief that there is something more to being human than sensory experience, and that the greater total of which we are a part is cosmic or divine in nature. True spirituality necessitates the opening of one's heart.