We can learn from that. In certain situations we need to ask people point-blank if they have ever asked Jesus Christ to save them. It may be just what they’ve been waiting for.

Gospel singer Cheri Keaggy is a case in point. She had always gone to church with her family. She had been to Vacation Bible School and attended youth group meetings and Bible studies. But it was not until Eddie Keaggy (the man who would become her husband) asked her if she was a Christian that she began to get serious about her soul and God. Eddie had a Christian band and he was looking for a pianist. Cheri had studied piano classically since she was 7 years old, and she was a skilled performer. Eddie wanted her to join his band—but only if she was a believer. So he asked her.

“No one in my life had ever asked me boldly like that if I was a Christian,” Cheri said. “That was the beginning of my having to take a closer look at where I stood with the Lord.” Their friendship grew, and it wasn’t long before she was reading her Bible and praying. Then, she reports happily, the day came that she asked Jesus to come into her life.

Now they are married and have two children. Cheri is the singer now, and Ed is her manager and sound mixer.

Don’t ever apologize for asking people whether or not they have been born again. And don’t hesitate. If you wonder about their faith, or you know that they have never trusted in Christ, ask them the most important question. It may be just what God will use to bring them to Himself. —Dave Egner

REFLECTION

• Have you been born again? Have you asked Jesus to come into your life? 
• Among my friends, are there some who are probably not believers? Should I ask them the question? When? 
• Do I know how to help a person who wants to trust in Christ? What verses should I use?