Special Episode: Live Q&A from Our First Webinar on Building Relationships with Unbelievers
In this special episode of Gospel Talks, we’re sharing the live Q&A session from our first-ever webinar on How to Build Authentic Relationships with Unbelievers.
If you’ve ever wondered how to move beyond surface-level interactions and form genuine, Christ-centered relationships with those who don’t yet know Christ, this episode will be a huge encouragement.
You’ll hear Jeff Musgrave—author and founder of The Exchange Bible Study—answer real questions from attendees as he unpacks:
- How to recognize divine appointments in your everyday life
- How to engage in meaningful, Christ-focused conversations
- What authentic, lasting relationships with unbelievers look like
- How to navigate common challenges in outreach
- The mindset and heart posture that make relational evangelism effective
This Q&A is packed with practical wisdom, biblical clarity, and decades of ministry experience.
This session originally aired as part of a special webinar where attendees also received a valuable e-book bundle designed to help them put these principles into action.
Whether you were with us live or are hearing this for the first time, we pray it equips you to build genuine, gospel-centered relationships and make a lasting impact on the people God has placed in your life.
Listen in and be encouraged—and don’t forget to subscribe for future episodes and upcoming training opportunities.
Chapters:
00:00 Praying for Open Doors
00:57 Engaging with Questions and Answers
18:09 The 30-Day Challenge for Evangelism
Transcript
All right, I've been aiming at getting done at 730 and at 732.
2
:We did good, George.
3
:We did.
4
:Well, you did good.
5
:I wanted to leave plenty of time for us to be able to ask questions and answer them.
6
:And, you know, this is my favorite part of every seminar that we do in person.
7
:And here in the webinar, I am a little disappointed that you have to actually
8
:write those down to be able to get to us.
9
:But that's the way the technology we're using is working.
10
:So George will give us those questions and then he and I will jump back and forth and try
to answer them.
11
:Okay, so I am going through right now and I am allowing all of you to talk.
12
:So if you would just do this for me, um if you guys would raise your hand and that way you
can, there's a button where you can raise your hand.
13
:um And that way we can ask them one at a time.
14
:We don't accidentally go all at once though I don't imagine we'll go all at once but now
you guys get to see who else has been hanging out here and There's been a number of people
15
:but I'm gonna go ahead and start with Marcia's question.
16
:So Marcia, you can unmute yourself and go ahead and ask it um Yeah, we can hear you.
17
:Okay
18
:I maybe I missed it, but would you please define redemptive relationship?
19
:Good question.
20
:Good George.
21
:That's your slide.
22
:I'll let you, I'll let you run with that one.
23
:Sure.
24
:So I view all my relationships as redemptive relationships.
25
:What I'm saying there and what I think the giving the exchange teaches is that I am
defining the mission of that relationship.
26
:Why am I in this relationship?
27
:And all our relationships should be
28
:Redemptive or discipleship relationships because the thing that binds us closest to people
is Jesus Christ Yes, I have family what binds me to them is blood but but something
29
:there's something bigger and there's a connection even stronger than than that of
relatives and blood and it is our connection to Jesus Christ and so for those that don't
30
:know Jesus Christ yet, it's a redemptive relationship the mission is to introduce them and
and
31
:and them accept Jesus Christ.
32
:After that, it continues to be redemptive in the sense of ongoing the gospel coming to
life in their life.
33
:And so that's what that's what I mean by that.
34
:Jeff, anything you would add?
35
:Yeah, Marcia, where are you talking to us from?
36
:Connecticut.
37
:Great.
38
:Good.
39
:Good to have you with us.
40
:um
41
:that fine five list, every single person on that fine five list, you're going to start
building a redemptive relationship with them.
42
:And really all you're doing is getting close to them and asking God for open doors for
soul level conversations in which you can direct those conversations to the gospel, invite
43
:them to do an exchange Bible study with you.
44
:There's lots of ways to give the gospel.
45
:These are just the ones that we're proposing.
46
:But that would be what I would think.
47
:I would think in your life you want to put five names down there and then you want to
begin pursuing them relationally, getting close to them, asking God to allow you to uh go
48
:deeper both in your relationship and in conversations with them and eventually get the
chance to do an exchange Bible study with them.
49
:We've been doing that for several years now, yes.
50
:Praise the Lord.
51
:Excellent.
52
:that's wonderful.
53
:Okay, somebody else wanna unmute your mic and ask a question or hit the raise hand button?
54
:Jeff, what somebody did ask how they can find this material on the app.
55
:Would you be able to explain how to navigate that?
56
:Yeah, I'd love to do that.
57
:one of these days, uh, we should develop the
58
:ability to let you see my phone because that would be the best way to do it.
59
:uh Sit down across the table from each other.
60
:But the when you first open the app, you're going to find the welcome screens, those only
show up um the first time you open the app, or if you purpose to go back to them.
61
:You're going to the first thing you're going to come to after the welcome screens is going
to be the exchange experience.
62
:And basically, it is a
63
:um four truths about God uh written out with interactive illustrations.
64
:And then at the end of that, when you hit hit continue, it will take you to the homepage.
65
:If you want to go to the homepage without going all the way to the end of the experience,
just click on the three lines, we call those the hamburger lines, it looks like a little
66
:hamburger, click on those.
67
:and uh hit home screen.
68
:takes you to home screen.
69
:With the home screen, uh you have uh multiple places there.
70
:If you've already purchased books, digital books in the exchange website, then you will
find those by number one, signing or starting an account using the same email that you
71
:gave us when you purchased the books.
72
:And then number two, sign into that account on you or make an account with that name on
your app.
73
:You have to come up with your own password, obviously, and then go to gifts.
74
:Those books will automatically be in your gifts.
75
:The moment you bought them, they went to your account.
76
:and all you have to do is sign into your account to be able to get them.
77
:If you want the book for yourself, then click put in my library.
78
:If you bought the book for someone else, then you will just write in their email.
79
:And um we actually have written an email for you.
80
:If you want to add to it, you can hit send and that book automatically goes to them with
an explanation is how to get it.
81
:ah And then when you have a book, you just go to library, tap on that book, and then you
can begin to scroll through it at the top of each page in the experience and inside of
82
:books.
83
:If you touch the top of the page where the title or the icon is a table of contents will
come open and you can navigate through the book or through the experience easier.
84
:That was pretty fast explanation.
85
:I hope that that was sufficient.
86
:um So Ryan Banman is asking for us to share the quote from earlier about life, Clay
Trumbull's life resolve.
87
:uh Ryan, I'm hoping that this is what you're referring to.
88
:I've got it up on the screen now.
89
:And then there's a slide that follows that is Jeff's life resolve.
90
:And so um let me know which one of those you wanted to see, but here's that.
91
:for everybody again to reference.
92
:anybody else with a question, go ahead and unmute.
93
:Or if you have something you'd like to share, something short, uh an encouragement, a
praise, if you have an idea about how to engage and meet unbelievers, go ahead, Richard.
94
:I see your hands up.
95
:Make sure you unmute your mic, Rich.
96
:There you go.
97
:You there, Richard?
98
:You able to speak into that microphone?
99
:You have the right microphone selected?
100
:You have to push the audio button and make sure the right thing is selected so we can hear
you.
101
:ah Okay, while Richard is figuring out his microphone, anybody else have a question?
102
:I'm gonna stop sharing again and go ahead and put us up on the screen.
103
:Okay, Brett, why don't you go ahead and unmute your mic, and then we'll have you go next.
104
:So when we're sharing the gospel with people, should we be focusing on one person or
multiple people all at once?
105
:That's a good question.
106
:Where are you tuning in from, Minnesota.
107
:Cool.
108
:Cool.
109
:Jeff, you want to take this or?
110
:Yeah, I do.
111
:How do you build friendships, Brett?
112
:Do you do it uh all at one time or do you do them one at a time?
113
:Probably all at one time.
114
:Yeah.
115
:What I would suggest is that if you really want to get close to people that you think in
terms of spending some one-on-one time with them, it may be that some of your friends are
116
:um a little relationally challenged and they might feel more comfortable if you have a
couple of them at the same time.
117
:But I've just discovered that most of my friendships, when I get close to people, I do it
one on one.
118
:ah It's just the way my friendships go and um I uh find that that really will help me and
I think it will help you.
119
:Do you have any friend particular that you're interested in that you would like to be able
to connect with?
120
:um No, not necessarily any friend in particular.
121
:I got some stepbrothers that I was interested in trying to get into Bible studies with.
122
:Yeah.
123
:Well, my suggestion would be that you um start hanging out with those stepbrothers.
124
:So in other words, um whatever, maybe you like to play a sport or you'd like to watch a
sport.
125
:Maybe eating is your sport.
126
:I know
127
:uh Minnesota gets pretty cold up there.
128
:You do a lot of stuff inside in the wintertime.
129
:um And just hang out with them and ask God to help you take those conversations down
deeper.
130
:And as those conversations become deeper, then begin to share with them how Jesus has
helped you with those particular needs and ask them, hey, I would love to do a Bible study
131
:with you guys.
132
:I think it would be something that really means something to you and to me.
133
:and use the relationship as the connection for the Bible study um and not just, think you
need this truth.
134
:So you don't want to be preaching at them.
135
:You want to be drawing them and pulling them toward you.
136
:Great.
137
:Great question.
138
:um One of the comments made here, I vote for a small video to walk through the app that
recaps Jeff's short review to reference in the future.
139
:We'll put something for you guys together and send it out to this group.
140
:and probably eventually send it out to everybody.
141
:I think everybody could benefit from how to navigate the app.
142
:So actually, if you go to our web page, oh wow, look, we already have it.
143
:And on the resources page at the very, very top, it'll say see the app in action.
144
:And there's actually two different things there.
145
:There's a there's a mock up of the app on the web page, but there's also a video and the
video is about a five minute video with me explaining how to use the app with with videos.
146
:touching the app and making it work.
147
:Thanks Don Parrott that asked that question.
148
:Good to see you Don.
149
:He's listening in Greenville, South Carolina.
150
:Okay, awesome.
151
:Sandy, see you have your hand up there.
152
:Why don't you unmute and ask us your question?
153
:Hi, I just want to first of all thank you for doing this.
154
:I really appreciate it, but I'm just wondering, I feel guilty sometimes, but like today.
155
:When I met somebody for the first time, I will probably never see her again.
156
:uh So I just end up handing her a tract and saying, hey, can I give you some good news?
157
:It's exchange tract, which is my favorite.
158
:But uh they always seem to smile and say, yeah, I could use some good news.
159
:And then I get back in the car and I think I could have gone farther with that person.
160
:I don't know, do you have any suggestions for that?
161
:And then also, why are family members so hard to break that ice and talk to them, you
know, after you've known them for 70 years?
162
:But in any advice on that?
163
:Yeah, let's go back to the guilt.
164
:I think some of us are more prone to guilt than others.
165
:I think all of us carry a low grade guilt when it comes to evangelism.
166
:And probably rightly so.
167
:I think all of us could be a little more proactive.
168
:But having said that, um if you aim at having uh brief encounters with a brief gospel, uh
that's really all you're going to get in those passing relationships.
169
:I actually applaud you, Sandy.
170
:I think giving her a gospel track and smiling, telling her it's good news is a great
171
:tool to be able to connect with her.
172
:You don't know the rest of her life.
173
:It's very possible that that there's someone else in her life.
174
:I actually heard a story about a woman who uh found a gospel tract in her uh bush as she
was cleaning out leaves.
175
:And uh she assumed that the gospel track had been put on her door by her sister's church.
176
:She was estranged from her sister and had uh
177
:not talked to her sister for 10 years and she said, I bet my sister's church left us here.
178
:And so she called her sister to ask her, did your church leave this here?
179
:And her sister said, no, I don't think we did, but I would love to talk to you about that.
180
:And they connected and she did the Bible study with her estranged sister and she ended up
getting saved all from a gospel tract that my friend who gave her the uh
181
:Bible study didn't even give her, you never know where a gospel track is going to go.
182
:Praise the Lord you use that.
183
:um I think that if we're going to have more in-depth conversations, we have to have more
in-depth relationships.
184
:It's just the way it is.
185
:It's why I suggest that you build a Find Five list and really focus on those.
186
:I tend to like this thought, more time with fewer people with more results.
187
:So I know your family are part of those more people and I really, um, I, I, I feel bad for
you because if you've been trying for 70 years and they haven't listened yet, it is
188
:extremely discouraging.
189
:And I feel like with family, we have to be careful because we can push them too much.
190
:And then they get a little resistant and they, they're actually resisting us, not the
gospel.
191
:And so we have to be careful about that.
192
:I suggest that you build close relationships with them, get as close as you can to them,
and then ask God for open doors with each one of them.
193
:And um then promise God when you open that door, I'm going to walk through.
194
:I also heard a story two weeks ago about a guy who led his 77 year old brother to the Lord
with the exchange Bible study, been trying to witness to him for years and God brought it.
195
:difficult situation into his brother's life.
196
:He said, hey, let's do this Bible study together and he got saved.
197
:So that's what I would do is just stay as close to them, make them want to be with you,
make them because you're friendly, because you're kind, because you're thoughtful, because
198
:you're helpful.
199
:And then when those needs come up, be available.
200
:was a great question, Sandy.
201
:Very good question.
202
:Thank you for your question.
203
:Anybody else want to unmute their mic uh or raise the hand if you want me to try to unmute
it for you whatever?
204
:uh There is uh a question here again about if I missed the first hour of the webinar, was
it recorded?
205
:Absolutely.
206
:And it's going to go out to everybody who's a ticket holder.
207
:And you could view that as many times as you want.
208
:Shout out to Jennifer Rudd out there.
209
:Good to see you out there.
210
:There's probably a bunch of names that you recognize here.
211
:Yeah, I'm just running through them right now.
212
:Cool.
213
:We can get into our 30 day challenge if nobody else has a question.
214
:If you do have a question, Jeff's going to finish out this portion right here.
215
:I might ask some of these people to have some questions.
216
:Valina, it's good to see you out there.
217
:Valina has become a very good friend of ours through
218
:uh digital connections.
219
:It's just kind of interesting how the Lord opens doors.
220
:uh I just want to say thank you to all of you who have joined in and how much we have
enjoyed spending this time with you.
221
:And I know that it's a little awkward to uh ask a question through a microphone.
222
:And I just want you to know how much I appreciate you coming and listening.
223
:And I, and I will uh transition into that 30 day challenge.
224
:If you don't mind getting that, Valina has actually unmuted her mic.
225
:Valina, would you like to say hi?
226
:Oh, I just wanted to say hi and, and thank you guys so much for everything that you do.
227
:Valina, you have been a great blessing to Anna and I and I'm
228
:getting a little teary just thinking about it because I think God is using you in a
powerful way and you have really touched our hearts in a major way and I just want to
229
:thank you for being our friend.
230
:It's a pleasure.
231
:Amen.
232
:Well, go ahead, Jeff.
233
:Why don't you get right into the 30-day challenge and we can round this out with any final
questions.
234
:uh
235
:If you wouldn't mind get that ready, ready, set, go slide up.
236
:It's the next one we had on our slideshow.
237
:um
238
:And I like the slide uh because it just uh helps me recognize we have to actually take
action.
239
:um I know many of you out there are listening.
240
:You've heard me talk before.
241
:This is not the first time you've heard me talk.
242
:Some of you, this is the first time you've heard us uh talk about this.
243
:we certainly understand there's a uh
244
:an hour and a half talking about the gospel is not going to make us ready.
245
:I will just tell you this, a lifetime of service is never going to make you ready.
246
:I tease about writing new sermons.
247
:I never get finished with new sermons.
248
:I just run out of time to study and start preaching.
249
:The fact is that
250
:The Bible does say be ready always to give an answer for ourselves, but if we're going to
wait until we feel ready, it's not going to happen.
251
:What we have to do is we have to say, okay, I know God has called me to do this, and I'm
going to start taking steps of faith.
252
:I love the phrase, when we take a step of faith, God meets us there with His grace.
253
:Every single person that I talked to that led people to Christ, they tell me they ask a
question and I was just shocked that I could answer it.
254
:And what we don't recognize is that the Holy Spirit longs to meet the needs of that person
and he choose to do his work through us.
255
:And so as you take that step of faith, God is going to meet you right there with that.
256
:at that step of faith with His grace, and He's going to enable you to do things you could
not do.
257
:But we actually have to say, okay, I'm going to do it.
258
:So with that in mind, if you go to that next slide, George, um there is, uh we love to end
every one of our seminars with what we call a 30-day challenge.
259
:And that is that in the next 30 days, and we're going to
260
:make this 30-day challenge a little easier and a little more specific because of what
we've talked about.
261
:By God's grace, the next 30 days, I will invite someone to do the Exchange Bible Study
with me.
262
:um We're actually sold out of ESV Bible Studies right now.
263
:We've had so many people want them.
264
:By the way, they're coming in soon, so don't panic and go ahead and order them.
265
:We'll get them to you quickly.
266
:um
267
:We know this.
268
:When those exchange Bible studies go out the door, if an unbeliever does that exchange
Bible study with a believer, they're going to hear the gospel clearly.
269
:And I actually think that when people say yes to an exchange Bible study, that they have
pre-qualified themselves as someone who is interested, and they are more predispositioned
270
:to
271
:ah hear and to receive the truth.
272
:The Bible says no one seeks after God, but if that person is saying, yeah, I'll do a Bible
study with you, that's seeking after God.
273
:And that's not just them being kind.
274
:I actually believe that's the Holy Spirit working and wooing in their lives.
275
:So this is my challenge to you.
276
:Would you be willing to say, in the next 30 days, I'm going to invite someone to do that
Bible study?
277
:uh My personal belief is,
278
:that if the 75 to 100 people listening right now will do that, there'll be 35 to 50 Bible
studies that get started.
279
:And if 30 to 50 Bible studies get started, I personally believe we can hear of 15 to 20 to
30 people trusting Christ as Savior, maybe even every one of them.
280
:You just never know what God will do, but he won't do anything until we put the seed in
the heart.
281
:of unbelieving friend.
282
:And so if you wouldn't mind, I'd love for us right now just to take a moment and I would
love to invite all of you to just talk to God about this challenge and either say, yes, I
283
:want to take that challenge, Lord.
284
:I will ask somebody, would you please help me?
285
:Or I don't think I'm quite ready to do that.
286
:Would you keep helping me to be ready?
287
:And I'll just be quiet for a moment, let you talk to the Lord about that.
288
:And then I'll uh close us in prayer.
289
:And uh from this 30 day challenge, we have a couple more things we want to say.
290
:Lord, it's pretty interesting to me that through the technology, we can have a
conversation with people all over the country.
291
:Lord, some of the people who are praying and committing to asking somebody has a friend
that lives a long ways away or a brother or sister.
292
:Lord, I thank you for technology that allows us to do Bible studies long distance.
293
:And I pray, Lord,
294
:that you would give them the courage to take that step of faith, to actually uh connect
with people that they know need Jesus, have compelling conversations with them, ask them
295
:to do the Bible study.
296
:And Lord, I pray that many would say yes, and I pray that some would trust Christ as
Savior.
297
:And we're looking forward, Lord, I believe that we will see people in heaven as a result
of doing this webinar tonight.
298
:And we thank you for that.
299
:In Jesus' name.
300
:Amen.
301
:You can see on the screen the 10-year challenge, and this is just saying, I don't want
this to be uh a flash in the pan.
302
:I want this to be a lifestyle change.
303
:And just really asking God, God, would you help me to spend, I use 10 years because you
got to put a time frame on it, the rest of my life touching as many people with the gospel
304
:as I possibly can.
305
:And I would love to see all of us doing that.
306
:Carolyn, I saw you had your mic unmuted earlier.
307
:Is there a question you had?
308
:If so, please feel free to unmute it and ask it real quick.
309
:We only have a little less than two minutes, but...
310
:thank you for asking, but it was by accident.
311
:Okay.
312
:No problem at all.
313
:This has been a great, great webinar.
314
:Information.
315
:Thank you.
316
:Thank you.
317
:m
318
:Awesome.
319
:Well, I want to say it's okay, Jeff, a big thank you to all of you.
320
:mean, this was a giant experiment in terms of from an operational standpoint for our
ministry.
321
:um God bless, thank you for your patience with us, your support, uh and thank you for
being our guinea pigs tonight.
322
:um And so we're going to make sure to take care of all of you in terms of getting that
recording.
323
:If any of you had trouble accessing your digital material in the chat, I've
324
:uploaded my email please email me reach out to me with your information i'll call you and
we'll figure it out wanna make sure that you guys have everything you need and uh...
325
:if there's any follow-up questions in the future you wanna ask jeff or myself i put our
emails there reach out to us we're all of were all the business of equipping laborers and
326
:helping and investing in laborers and so we do love you guys like it like we say at the
end of each podcast uh...
327
:We pray with you and we ask you to pray with us to the Lord of the harvest that he would
send forth laborers.
328
:Jeff, any last words?
329
:I um just am so thankful for all of you and I just want you to genuinely believe God wants
to use you to touch us all for Jesus.
330
:Amen.
331
:All right, guys, we'll see you guys next time.
332
:Lord bless you.
