The Living Room – Reaching our world for Jesus
Reviewing the basics to sharing your Faith.
1. What is the Gospel? 1 Corinthians 15:1-4
2. What power does the Gospel possess? Romans 1:16
3. What is our basic spiritual PROBLEM? Why do we need salvation? Romans 3:23; 6:23
4. According to Romans 5:8 and Ephesians 2:8-9, what was God's REMEDY for our problem? What did Jesus Christ do for sinners?
5. How must we RESPOND? How does a person become aChristian—a child of God? Acts 3:19; John 1:12
6. According to John 3:1-16 what does it mean to be “born again”?
7. In His witness to the woman of
Practical things about your witness to keep in mind:
First—Your own life is a great part of your witness. The apostle Paul wrote, "for it is God who works in you" (Philippians 2:13). If God is at work, then you have something good to share. You don't need to be perfect before God can use you, but your life should reflect the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember, the Holy Spirit works more effectively through a clean life (2 Corinthians 4:2).
Second—Earn the right to be heard by sincerely listening to others. People are hurting today and searching for answers as never before. Perhaps their greatest need is to find someone who cares. Everybody needs a friend. Jesus was called "a friend of sinners." People from every walls of life knew that Jesus sincerely cared for them. Very few people have the "gift" of evangelism—but every Christian can be a friend. We can all be involved in building bridges of friendship that may lead to natural opportunities to share the "good news" about Jesus Christ. Start by:
· Winning the confidence of people by sharing genuine interest.
· Letting them share concerns, opinions and hurts.
· Not feeling compelled to always do the talking! Listen!
It may mean that you must get more deeply involved in someone's life. But in the long run you will develop trust and have a more sympathetic individual with whom you can discuss the claims of Jesus Christ.
Third—You are presenting the Person of Jesus Christ. Jesus is alive! It is not a formula, outline or theological system that you have a relationship with—it is the Person of Jesus as Lord and Savior. The Scriptures you have learned and memorized should give you confidence. However, do not make the mistake of thinking that you must always begin with your Bible, turning from passage to passage. Be sensitive to the individual and to the Lord's prompting and use the Scriptures wisely.
Fourth—Stress the love of God. We must admit that we are sinners and we all need the Savior for cleansing and forgiveness. But this does not mean we start there! It is best to present the love of God before the judgment of God.
Fifth—Keep it simple. Don't make the mistake of thinking that you have to "prove" the Gospel—or create an intellectual argument to impress people. The apostle Paul stayed with the simplicity of the Gospel, and God blessed His Word tremendously. "When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:1-2).
Followup and Disciple making
Jesus frequently spoke of sharing the Gospel as being like a farmer sowing seed. For example, in the parable of the sower in Mark 4, we learn that not everyone who hears the Good News will grow and mature; there are some disappointing results. However, we can also learn from this parable that many do respond and will grow and mature spiritually. Indeed, years of evangelistic experience has proven this over and over again.
As we think about a commitment to Christ, the initial decision to receive Christ is just the beginning. Continued spiritual growth and effectiveness will largely be determined by the amount of spiritual care and prayer given on their behalf. In fact, most of the books of the New Testament were letters of concern for young believers written by the apostle Paul. In a real sense they were "follow-up" letters to encourage the spiritual growth of churches and individuals.
The apostle Paul was an energetic pacesetter in the area of spiritual pediatrics—that's the caring for new believers. Consider the following verses from Paul's letters and from Acts: 1 Thessalonians 2:6-8; 3:10; 3:2; 2 Corinthians 2:9; Acts 15:36.
The precedent is clearly set. New Christians do need care, and every effort must be made to provide it. That care should be provided by someone—and that someone is logically the person who prayed for, befriended, invited and brought the person to meet Jesus Christ. This is spiritual adoption—the "spiritual parent" needs to be available to offer help, counsel, encourage, guide in the Scripture, teach how to pray and help to provide for regular church attendance. The Holy Spirit and the Word of God do their work, and we must do ours.
Some needs of new Christians.
Feeding -1 Peter 2:2;
Protecting- 5:8;
Training-Colossians 2:6-7.
NEXT WEEK LIVING ROOM - INTERCESSION FOR THE HAVEST
