Things to Remember from 'Just Walk Across the Room'

Just Walk Across the Room, a book by Bill Hybels about Pointing People to Faith.

Introduction:
pg 13: Hybels gives the story of his conversion. Very well written and inspiring to hear how someone can "get it" even if they have heard it many times before.
pg 16: "God's mysterious promptings - nudges that always lean toward finding what's been lost and freeing what's been enslaved."

Part I: The Single Greatest Gift
Chapter 1: The ultimate Walk Across a Room
Pgs 18-22: The story of a converted Muslim, whose entire salvation experience begain because someone chose to 'walk across the room' (both literally and spiritually) and reach out to him.
We should walk to others because Christ walked to us.
pg 27: Is the God I know and seek to tell others about "worth knowing?" Am I living and talking in a way that conveys his worthiness? (Worthship apart from MUSIC!)
pg 29: I must point people to Christ with every opportunity I have. I should pray that every interaction, immediately before and during it, will take someone one step closer to Christ.
pg 33: Consistent contact with nonbelievers is KEY to changing their lives!
Answers to Study Questions: SQ1: I am a 'Circle of Comfort' person, as I will often notice others but not interact. SQ5: Second Statement- I need to live so others know that I am purposefully living by the Bible. In general this means (for me) seasoning my conversation with a little more 'Christ' spice.
Chapter 2: The Way to Sustain Evangelism
pg 34: Stay tuned to the Holy Spirit
pg 37: Don't seek to 'get someone saved,' doing so puts the work on me instead of God, and turns my sanctification into a works-based religion. I should seek to follow the Holy Spirit in my interactions with people, praying and asking the question: What does this person need?"
pg 38: Realize that sometimes there won't be Holy Spirit promptings or openings. Forcing a witnessing opportunity can do more harm than good.
Answers to Study Questions: SQ1: Evangelistic Fads come and go. WWJD? & Larry Moyer's are two that I have seen. They both have merit, but can sometimes leave out the important aspect of really RELATING to a lost person.
Additional Thoughts: View my spiritual life and monitor it by looking at a scale of 1-10... an unsaved person's progress could be monitored from a -10 to a -1 (and then crossing the line to zero). I wrote this after reading this chapter: "I need to strategize specific people to building relationships with (and pray for them). As well as continually respond to the Lord's promptings each day."

Part II: Living in 3D
Chapter 3: First, Develop Friendships
pg 61/65: a good chart of most Christians interaction with unsaved/similar chart of how Christ calls us to live
pg 63: Do I 'horse-trade' my call to evangelize the lost for working on my own 'super-spiritual' development? I wrote later: "Yes! I am so guilty of that!"
pg 64: My Christian life should not feel safe or secure. Live on the edge!
pg 65: "God treasures PEOPLE first, and there is no close second."
pg 66: Take 4 seconds to smile, carve 2 minutes to ask someone's story, invest moments in order to discover more about a person
pg 72: Start with the people right in front of me! Go for broke! Envision the person as a believer. I also wrote: "I need to be on my guard, ready to turn off the road, as I drive down (and up) Broadway."
Answer to SQ7: I need to personally move and work on my Tenderness and Patience.

Chapter 4: Next, Discover Stories
pg 82: Bill Hybels does not use business cards. I would love to ask him why.
pg 83: Purposefully choose to be in places with unbelievers (stretch your comfort zone). Envelope unbelievers in friendship.
pg 84: I need to develop a deep enough friendship with unbelievers so that I have legitimate grounds to ask about their life stories (who they are, where they've come from, what they believe, etc.)
pg 85: Various personal styles God uses for his purposes: Confrontational (Apostle Peter), Intellectual (Paul), Interpersonal (Christ.. he probably encapsulates all), Invitational (Woman at the well), Serving (Mother Teresa), Testimonial- a dramatic personal conversion story (Lee Strobel). It might be tough to call out the strongest styles in my life, but here is a semblance of a ranking, from most my style to least, Interpersonal/Intellectual/Serving (not sure order), Invitational, Testimonial, Confrontational. I should remember my style.
pg 86: Start building commonalities in your relationships (look for ways to build bridges not walls).
pg 88: Be sensitive. My overarching goal is NOT to present the gospel, but rather to build a relationship.

Chapter 5: Finally, Discern Next Steps
How can I see myself as a resource provider? What can I do to help anyone I come in contact with? As I talk with everyone, think: 'what can I do to help them?' This is a distinct difference than the question: 'how can I most quickly share the gospel?'
Pg 101 "Do Life" with various social groups: Neighbors (4 blocks), Campers & Families, Staff, Chamber, Church. Be consistent with gas purchase, barber, no self check out, business after hours.
SQ1: "You don't have to be any more talented, any richer, any slimmer, any smarter, any more or less of anything to partner with God. All you have to be is willing to be used by him in everyday ways" This is difficult for Americans to swallow because we've bought into the 'hollywood hero' mentality. Someone needs to be super (or a pastor) to be used by God.
SQ2: Where are you on the scale of helping people? Very Willing, Somewhat willing, not so willing.

Part III: The Power of Story
Chapter 6: Your Own Before & After
Is my faith story (testimony) thought out and clear?
Avoid the 'spiritually freakish' things. Do not tell 'weird God stories' to win someone to Christ, (as cool as those stories may be to a believer.
Criticisms about people's testimony: #1) Droning on... (longwindedness) #2) No clarity...(fuzziness) #3) Christianese...(religionese) #4) Putting yourself on a pedestal.
Look at Pages 123-128 of faith stories that are clear and concise. (100 words or less)
Your testimony (that you would share with unbelievers) should be meet the following criteria:
Brevity (45-60 seconds) Clarity (Stick to one key plot line) Simplicity (Avoid religionese) Humility (Told without a pious or haughty attitude)

Chapter 7: God's Good News
pg 133-136: The Bridge Illustration
pg 137: Do/Done illustration
pg 137-138: Morality Ladder Illustration
All three are great gospel sharing tools that would be worth committing to memory
pg 140: Don't be an avoider. If you sense the Spirit moving you, have confidence that God will work.
pg 142-143: Don't be an erupter. Pgs 142-143 are a great explanation of that...

Chapter 8: Lessons from the Master
This chapter looks at Christ's evangelism in John 4.
Lesson #1: Don't be intimidated by differences. (Force myself into awkward situations). Work in Public.
Lesson #2: Ask a Question. ("complete book of questions" by Gary Poole).
Lesson #3: Patience
Lesson #4: Pray for discernment about rabbit trails
Lesson #5: Offer what they need. Living water. (Physical help AND spiritual truth).
Do I have confidence about my faith? Pg 163
How fast does the Samaritan woman convert? 4 verses! WOW!
If I am radically accepting of all people it will 'set me apart' from others.

Part IV: Grander Vision Living
Chapter 9: Big Fish Invitations
Pg 174: What size fish are you going after?
Pg 177: Grander vision~antenna up
pg 179: Can this be my attitude: "I love my job because I'm in the people business. Yeah, my pay stub is from XYZ Corporation, but my Mission is from Christ. Because of that, I try to show Christ's care for people by throwing open my arms to the lost and the found. To the black and the white. To the rich and the poor. To the young and the old, all the while asking the Holy Spirit what he wants me to say and what he wants me to do.
God loves people!! pg 180 All heaven rejoices at ONE conversion.
Pg 181: Take what you're good at, but shift the focus to the eternal. Use your abilities and qualities to land the 'big fish'
Pg 183: letter from a waitress
pg 184: My tip will serve as a direct reflection of how she thinks Christians behave.
Pg 185 "What's next God? What do you have for me to do? Whom can I radically accept today as I wait in joyful anticipation for all that's to come?"
Pg 186: Live with an eternal reality.
Pg 187: My life should be focused on people.. they are eternal. (eternal vs temporary stickers)

Chapter 10: Matthew's Deepest Desire
aka Matthew's Party - Luke 5:27-29
Bring new life and old life people together.
pg 197: a huge risk in doing so
pg 197: I need to be: "normal, mature, relationally intelligent, open-hearted, radically include" I need to understand "how high the stakes" are.
I'm curious if Hybels told the New Life party goers about the party's purpose.
Pg 200: One bad party isn't reason to stop.
SQ5: My Matthew Party: Football? Mix camp dads and church guys?

Chapter 11: Open Doors
Colossians 4: Devote yourself to prayer
pg 205 Prayer is inexplicably tied to evangelism...
Pg 206 - continual prayer described: "it's as if you have one ear tuned in to the conversation you're in, while the other ear is tuned into God. You may be in dialogue with someone... but you are constantly asking, God, is this an open door? Do you want me to probe that? Do you want me to encourage him? What do you need or want me to do? Guide me please.
Do I need more constant prayers or more closet prayers?
pg 208: God must open the Doors, so pray for it. (And pray that you can clearly give the message)
pg 208: a funny description of hitting the floor knees first
Three basic ingredients: God Loves You, Christ Chose to Pay for your sin and only his payment will suffice, the choice is now yours.
(I would add a fourth... You are a sinner)
Pg 215-216. Add some salt... make a non believer interested in more after your conversation
pg 217... When you get to heaven 'you'll meet a guy named Peter who will probably be wearing a "fish big or go home" t-shirt'
SQ1: pray for open doors