INTRO: CRU WHEEL OF FELLOWSHING, WITNESSING, PRAYER, BIBLE
GENERAL BIBLE LESSONS ON WITNESSING TO START
BIBLE VERSE: Matthew 28:19-20
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
BIBLE VERSE: Ephesians 6:19-20
19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
BIBLE VERSE: 2 Timothy 4:2-4
"Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths."
BIBLE VERSE: Proverbs 11:30
"The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise"
TRANSITION: So, because of these verses and hundreds of others, I believe we can honestly state that we are to witness.
WHAT ARE SOME REASONS PEOPLE DON’T WITNESS?
(leaders there plenty of answers to this, but following is some of the most common)
Fear
Shy
Believe they Lack Knowledge of the Word
Walk with the Lord is Poor
Feel like we cannot Speak Well
A failure to trust in the Lord
Live in a Christian bubble and don’t have non-Christian friends
BUT IN ALL REALITY, THE REAL ISSUE IS FEAR (SO LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT HOW WE CAN GET PAST THAT)
INTRO: Ill--A survey was given to those attending training sessions for a Billy Graham crusade in Detroit. One question asked, "What is your greatest hindrance to witnessing?"
9% SAID THEY WERE TOO BUSY
28% SAID THEY FELT THEY LACKED REAL INFORMATION TO SHARE
12% SAID THEY’RE OWN LIVES WERE NOT SPEAKING AS THEY SHOULD
51% SAID FEAR
TRANSITION: SO HOW DO WE GET OVER IT?
1. ASK GOD FOR THE FILLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Peter, at the crucifixion ran for his life and cowered down when questioned about the Lord. He denied Jesus three times and even cursed according to scripture.
Then in Acts 4:13 he spoke boldly! So what happened? He was filled with the Holy Spirit. Now, the filling of the Holy Spirit is a tricky process and one that we are not covering with this lesson—but it starts with repentance. So if you want the Spirit’s guidance and direction, ask for forgiveness of your sins and begin right there.
2. PRAY EARNESTLY ABOUT YOUR FEAR
BIBLE VERSE: Psalm 34:4
I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
Another verse that I believe is super powerful is Joshua 1:9, it’s one of the key verses we taught our kids growing up and even had them memorized it in a song (leaders, if you have a Papez in your group—and it’s likely cause there’s a gaggle of them—ask them to sing the Joshua 1:9 song—they better know it LOL).
3. DON’T BE AFRAID OF MAKING MISTAKES
The following is passage is from Pastor Jerry Shirley, Pastor of Grace Baptist Church (whose information from a sermon titled Overcoming Fear in Witnessing led directly to this Bible Lesson). He states,
“The biggest mistake is not to try/to say nothing.
God will still use your witness even if you make a mistake…He blesses your obedience of trying, else it would be about you…can YOU save them? No, He can, and when you open your mouth, He’ll fill it!
Example: John 1:45-49
Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. [46] And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. [47] Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! [48] Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. [49] Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. “
The point Pastor Shirley is making is that if God wants to use you…He is going to use you. And there is just nothing you can do about it…except say nothing!
Remember, God just sent YOU GUYS to a Mayan tribe in Mexico to share Christ with a bunch of Mayans who had never seen a gringo in their entire life. So..if God can use us..He can use anyone! Can I have an Amen?
4. MEMORIZE SOME KEY VERSES THAT WILL EXPLAIN IT WELL
In the same message, here is what Pastor Shirley suggests:
1. God loves all people. (John 3:16)
2. All people are sinners. (Romans 3:23)
3. Sin must be paid for. (Romans 6:23)
4. Jesus paid for your sins. (Romans 5:8)
5. Trust Jesus as your Savior. (Romans 10:13)
Start w/ an apology for not sharing this before.
Now, I am more of the WAY OF THE MASTER kind of guy, but this is much simpler and much clearer for a young person.
Sources:
Shirley, Jerry. Overcoming Fear in Witnessing, March 2010, Grace Baptist Church, sermoncentral.com.
GLOSSARY
FROM GOTQUESTIONS.ORG: HERE ARE SOME COMMON WITNESSING QUESTIONS….
Question: "What is lifestyle evangelism?"
Answer:“Lifestyle evangelism” is an evangelism strategy that focuses on living a holy, winsome life among unbelievers with the goal of attracting people to the message of Jesus Christ. Many variations of lifestyle evangelism exist, but the definitive resource is the bookLifestyle Evangelismby Joe Aldrich.
Lifestyle evangelism has been popular since the 1990s, and many Western Christians have sought to share their faith through their lifestyle in addition to their verbal testimony. In contrast with other methods such as tracts, crusades, and media-based outreach, popular in the mid-twentieth century, lifestyle evangelism focuses on building relationships with one person at a time. Through friendship, opportunities arise to share the gospel.
Critics claim that lifestyle evangelism is insufficient or that it ignores the Bible’s command to share the gospel verbally. Doing good works is not enough; we must speak the truth. However, lifestyle evangelism can and should do both. There are many examples in Scripture of those who both lived out their faith and verbally shared their faith.
For example, the apostle Peter boldly shared his faith in Christ on the Day of Pentecost in the streets of Jerusalem, and 3,000 people were converted to Christ and baptized as a result (Acts 2:41). Shortly afterwards, he and the other apostles were taking action to meet the needs of widows (Acts 6:1-7).
In addition, members of the early church were known for their good works, being “highly regarded by the people.” (Acts 5:13). At the same time, they were obeying God’s command to “tell the people the full message of this new life” (verse 20). A combination of vibrant faith and a vibrant sharing of faith is the proper balance.
Paul exhorted Timothy to “keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching” (1 Timothy 4:16). Paul emphasized that Timothy’s lifestyle and preaching were both important in the effort to evangelize others.
Paul affirmed the same principle inEphesians 4:1-3: “I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” Though called to boldly proclaim Jesus (Romans 1:16), we also have a clear call to live a life reflective of the message of Christ.
So long as lifestyle evangelism does not replace the verbal sharing of the gospel, it is a legitimate ministry tool. Lifestyle evangelism can be a wonderful way to show faith in action in a world that needs to see what true Christianity looks like.
Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/lifestyle-evangelism.html#ixzz2f7LNq8Z4
Question: "What is friendship evangelism?"
Answer:Friendship evangelism as a method of bringing people to Christ or sharing the gospel of Christ has several meanings and connotations. Some people believe that friendship evangelism requires Christians to become friends with unbelievers, establishing a relationship before attempting to address their need for a Savior. Some see friendship evangelism as living a solid righteous life—a living testimony—before others so that they desire that kind of life and ask how to achieve it. At that point, the gospel is shared. Still others believe that living a righteous life in the world is evangelism enough and that no further efforts are necessary. The theory is that unbelievers will be so convicted of his need for that kind of life that they will seek God on their own. What does the Bible say about friendship evangelism?
Each of the three above-named methods of friendship evangelism fall short of the biblical method of evangelism. The first method, becoming friends with unbelievers in order to gain enough credibility so they will listen to the gospel, fails to recognize several important biblical truths. For one thing, believers are not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14-17). The essence of friendship is mutual respect and affection based on agreement on basic life principles. But can a believer really have such a relationship with an unbeliever? In light ofJames 4:4andEphesians 5:11, such a relationship is not biblical. The unsaved person is part of the world which hates God and the people of God. How can such a person have affection and respect for believers who are part of the kingdom of God? Are we to be friendly towards unbelievers? Absolutely! Are we to have intimate relationships with unbelievers? Biblically speaking, no.
Furthermore, neither Jesus nor the disciples practiced this type of friendship evangelism. Jesus didn’t limit His gospel presentations to His friends and relations. He preached to complete strangers the message of repentance from sin and salvation through Him. He sent His disciples out two by two and they “preached that people should repent” (Mark 6:12). If they refused to listen to them, Jesus instructed them to “shake the dust” off their feet and move on to the next town. He never encouraged them to settle down for a few months and develop friendships with those who rejected His message. Nor did He tell them to avoid quoting Scriptures so that their hearers wouldn’t be offended or turned off to the Gospel. He knew that the “message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing” (1 Corinthians 1:18), and that most people will reject that message, no matter how friendly the manner in which it is presented. Christ was rejected by the world and He told us to expect the same reaction (John 15:18-20).
What about the method of “evangelizing” through our living testimony? There is no doubt that we are to live righteous lives before the watching world, and there certainly is power in the testimony of a life transformed by Christ. A classic example of this is Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:1-42). Jesus was able to tell her everything about her life, including the life of sin she was living now. Jesus, in His infallible way, gave her the gospel, and, of course, she believed.John 4:39picks up the story: “Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, ‘He told me everything I ever did.’ So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers” (John 4:39-41).
Everyone in that town knew this woman and the sordid life she lived. What caused them to believe in Christ was not only her words about Jesus, but her transformed life. She was a living testimony to the power of the gospel of Christ. So impactful was the change in her life that they knew something miraculous had happened and they asked Jesus to remain with them, which He did for two days, preaching the same gospel of repentance and the offer of the living water of eternal life through Him. “And many more believed because of his word” (John 4:41). In this instance, both the preaching of the Word of God and the testimony of a life changed by that Word bore the fruit of repentance.
But was the woman’s changed life sufficient to bring others to the Savior? No, but it was the impetus for them to seek more information. Can we today expect that our lives will be sufficient testimony to convince unbelievers of their need for Christ? The problem that arises in this third type of friendship evangelism is that too often the lives of Christians are not a good witness of the Lord and Savior we profess to know and serve. Too often the world sees in us more of a reflection of them than a reflection of Christ. To rely exclusively on the “living testimony” by redeemed sinners who, while saved by grace, still battle the flesh on a daily basis—without the testimony of the truth of Scripture—is to handcuff ourselves in a way the Bible never bids us to do. Not even the most perfect life can compare with the power of the Word of God. "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12). "Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?" (Jeremiah 23:29).
Clearly the biblical method of evangelism is the faithful proclamation of the truth of Scripture in conjunction with the living testimony of those who have been changed by that truth. When Jesus went about teaching the gospel message of salvation, He taught love and forgiveness, being kind and compassionate. But He went to sinners in order to convict them of their sins. A case in point is the very Samaritan woman we’ve been talking about here. Remember . . . the very first word Jesus said when He began His ministry was “Repent!” “From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near" (Matthew 4:17). We are commissioned to bring that same message to the world, speaking the truth in love from a heart changed by the Savior.
Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/friendship-evangelism.html#ixzz2f7LiHMbz