DO YOU KNOW THE THREE MAIN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CHRISTIANITY AND EVERY OTHER RELIGION?

This is a great question to ask someone.  It immediately bridges from spiritual talk to the gospel message.

1. NO GRAVE: The leader, Jesus, has NO GRAVE. He rose from the dead.
2. NO PRIDE: All other beliefs teach that FLAWED MAN man attempts to be worthy of a PERFECT GOD. Christianity teaches that a perfect God reaches down to flawed man and provides a pathway through Jesus.
3. MADE RIGHT: Christianity is the only religion where there is JUSTIFICATION, being made right (see a) with God through faith in Jesus. God accepts the sacrifice of Jesus and perfects those who receive that gift so we may be RECONCILED and live with God for eternity.

a. Technically, we're "declared" right with God. If you're comfortable using "declared" and explaining it to the hearer, it's a superior description.  Justification is the legal side of Reconciliation which has to do with relationships.

WHEN AND HOW TO ASK

This is a very effective question. It allows a very smooth bridge to sharing the full gospel message. The hearer is normally caught off guard, many times not being aware of any one of the three answers. It's a question you can bring up out of the blue with an introduction. Most questions are best asked with some sort of introduction.

 Here are a few examples. Use what works best for you.

• I've wondered about all the different religions and what they believe. Do you know...
• Someone told me that religions are pretty much the same so I looked into it. Do you know...
• I asked some of my friends at church a question and some hadn't thought about it. Do you know...
• Someone asked me a question I wasn't able to fully answer at the time.  Do you know...

STEP BY STEP

1. Memorize the question. Change the words to work for your style if you wish.
2. Come up with an introduction that you could hear yourself using. It's best to make up your own if the examples just aren't you.
3. Memorize these key phrases.  NO GRAVE, NO PRIDE, MADE RIGHT
4. Picture something to help you remember.  For example, picture an empty tomb, man reaching up to God, and getting 100% on a test.
5. Speak out loud the first answer 5 times, picture your picture, say the key phrase and then either as written or in your own words, describe it.
6. Do the same for the next two answers.
7. Try to come up with a picture that includes all three pictures. It could be an empty tomb with a man outside it, looking up to God who has a bubble that says "100%."  If you can memorize that picture, you'll always remember the three answers.