Michael Edwards wrote an excellent article "Sharing Jesus Without Fear" 12/15/23, which listed 5 questions to ask someone you would love to share The Gospel of Jesus Christ with:
1. "Do you have any kind of spiritual belief?"
2. To you, who is Jesus?
3. Do you think there is a heaven and a hell?
4, If you died right now, where would you go?
5. If what you believe were not true, would you want to know it?
And then Listen to their answers in a calm and open way.

I think that Micheal has to be one of the most hated human beings on earth by Satan for telling God's truth, and probably by anti-Christians in a great many nationswhere Faithwriters reaches.

I tried to apply Micheal's 5 steps with an open-heart to a man who I greatly admired. Raju was a highly intelligent man with two Engineering two PhDs, a six digit salary and loved his work. I had known him to be a common man with a personality that just lite up the corner wherever he was. I really wanted to share the Gospel with him, and he agreed to listen patiently.

His answer to me made me said. He told me that the company he worked was Hindu owned and that he would be going back to India shortly to care for his mother and father, as was the custom for the oldest son to do, thus right back into Hindu customs of worship of false idols.
He then gestured and told me that: "Here is my job, my bosses and my family in this hand, and then there is God in this hand." And that was his answer and that was the end of the conversation, just like a light being turned off.

I can well imagine that Michael Edwards has had his heart grieved many times in trying to further the cause of the Gospel, and I thank him for his article.  My attempt to share the Gospel to Raju, the most remarkable man I have ever known, ended up grieving my heart and memory of him.

Raju returned to his village in India and to tribal Hinduism. I wish him well and pray that the Holy Spirit will send a Michael his way.

Note: All five of Michael Edwards steps worked with Raju to muster answers from him, but Raju's customs and traditions tragically won out.

Rik Charbonneaux is a retired NE Iowan who loves all of God's Word and all of His creatures.