Getting Through To Strangers

 If you are committed to reaching people in your community for Jesus you are quite likely attending some community events where you end up sitting with people you do not yet know. Are you just going to put up with them, or are you going to "pursue the for Jesus".
I am reading a great book by Rick Lawrence, called Shrewd. He suggests that when Jesus says, "Be shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves", that he means it. So he gives some ideas on how to be shrewd in getting to know people at pursuing them for Jesus, He suggests 3 Habits.
#1: Asking One More Question
Just maybe one more question opens the door to this person. i tried this at work in the coffee room. One other bus driver ( I am driving school bus right now) made a comment about "where they tried to put the IV in". I could have just ignored it, and often would have, but this time I decided to ask one question. I asked if she had been in the hospital. Soon she was giving me the rundown on her terrible long weekend that meant going back to the hospital every day for some treatments for an infection she got. Ask one more question.
​#2: Thinking Like Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock always sees more than there is. Watson just sees the dirty old hat. Sherlock sees that the wearer must have been wealthy once but not anymore. He is no longer with his wife. And on and on.
We need to pay more attention when we see people. Things about them give us many clues about who they are. What's on their hat? What kind of footwear do they wear? And be aware so you can get to know the person and pursue them for Jesus.
#3: Pursuing With Persistence
How often do we give up on a person after one or two tries? They said no to coming to church once. We don't invite them again. We try to bring up the gospel and get shut down once so we back right off. He suggests we need to keep pursuing and look for new ways to break down the person's resistance so we can tell them the most important think in the world. They can live forever!!

See the stranger as someone to pursue. Try these three habits. See what God does!

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