A hearty greeting to everyone! :-)
I was getting geared up post another James study tonight (finally getting back to that - my sincere apologies for the delay...this semester has been killing me, but it's wrapping up now), but I felt "the nudge" to share something with all of you that my Bible study leader shared with me today (I'll post the new James study 24 hours from now).
It's what I call "The SNEAKY Way to Share the Gospel." The purpose is to equip you with questions that you can casually work into conversation over time when hanging out with your unsaved friends and family members. It makes it easier for the chickens among us (myself definitely included), and it seems less confrontational to those we are witnessing to. So, without further ado, here it is:
STEP ONE Use questions to determine where God is working
(These are guiding questions - you'll want to work them into conversation, maybe even broken up into a few different conversations, and actually listen to the person's responses rather than just trying to hit them over the head with the Gospel rapid-fire.)
1. Do you have any kind of spiritual belief?
2. To you, who is Jesus?
3. Do you believe there is a heaven and a hell?
4. If you died right now, where would you go? If heaven, why?
5. If what you believe were not true, would you want to know it?
If Yes, open Bible
If No, do nothing
(Here, you may be asking, "Do Nothing?" Absolutely! Because they will be expecting you to try and convert them at this point, so by not pushing them (therefore, by preserving the relationship), you'll confuse them - and it will bug them. Bug in a very good way - they'll keep thinking about it, and it will make them curious.)
STEP TWO Let the Bible Speak
(This is where you actually share the Gospel - but the unique thing about this is, they're already "prepped." I've included here the salvation verses included in the method's source text, but you could also use the Roman Road, the salvation outline included on this blog under the "Salvation" tab, or your own method of sharing the Gospel straight out of the Bible.)
1. Romans 3:23 - All have sinned
2. Romans 6:23 - The wages of sin is death
3. John 3:3 - You must be born again
Ask - Why did Jesus come to die?
4. John 14:6 - I am the way.
5. Romans 10:9-11 - If you confess ... you will be saved
6. 2 Corinthians 5:15 - No longer live for themselves
7. Revelation 3:20 - I stand at the door and knock
STEP THREE Close with key questions
(Here, I'm including the questions from the original text, but I'm substituting a sinner's prayer I wrote - because there is no "the" sinner's prayer, and the more personalized, I find, the better - and you should feel more than welcome to do the same - it will seem more natural)
1. Are you a sinner?
2. Do you want forgiveness for your sins?
3. Do you believe Jesus died on the cross for you and rose again?
4. Are you willing to surrender your life to Christ?
5. Are you ready to invite Jesus into your life and into your heart?
(If they say no, not yet, ask them why and when.)
6. Lead them in a sinner's prayer, such as:
God, I know that I am a sinner and that I need your forgiveness. I know that Your Son, Jesus, died on the cross to pay for my sins and rose from the dead to lead the way for me to have eternal life with You. I ask You now to forgive my sins, to come into my heart and help me change to become more like You, and to be my Lord and Savior. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.
Copyright 1998 LifeWay Press All rights reserved.
Now, one note of clarification - I am not remotely bagging on those who use the good-old-fashioned method of going up to strangers and asking them if they know Jesus - I deeply respect such people. In fact, I am embracing and sharing the above method specifically because it works better for those of us - like myself - who are, frankly, a little scared of out-and-out witnessing. If you can use the other method effectively, more power to you! :-)
So, now for a little discussion time:
1. Do you have any tips on how to witness effectively that you'd like to share with us?
2. Do you have personal experience with witnessing that you'd like to share?
P.S. If you'd like a print-out version of this to stuff in your "carry Bible," leave a comment saying that you'd like a copy and include your email address, and I'll send it to you straight away. :-)
I was getting geared up post another James study tonight (finally getting back to that - my sincere apologies for the delay...this semester has been killing me, but it's wrapping up now), but I felt "the nudge" to share something with all of you that my Bible study leader shared with me today (I'll post the new James study 24 hours from now).
It's what I call "The SNEAKY Way to Share the Gospel." The purpose is to equip you with questions that you can casually work into conversation over time when hanging out with your unsaved friends and family members. It makes it easier for the chickens among us (myself definitely included), and it seems less confrontational to those we are witnessing to. So, without further ado, here it is:
STEP ONE Use questions to determine where God is working
(These are guiding questions - you'll want to work them into conversation, maybe even broken up into a few different conversations, and actually listen to the person's responses rather than just trying to hit them over the head with the Gospel rapid-fire.)
1. Do you have any kind of spiritual belief?
2. To you, who is Jesus?
3. Do you believe there is a heaven and a hell?
4. If you died right now, where would you go? If heaven, why?
5. If what you believe were not true, would you want to know it?
If Yes, open Bible
If No, do nothing
(Here, you may be asking, "Do Nothing?" Absolutely! Because they will be expecting you to try and convert them at this point, so by not pushing them (therefore, by preserving the relationship), you'll confuse them - and it will bug them. Bug in a very good way - they'll keep thinking about it, and it will make them curious.)
STEP TWO Let the Bible Speak
(This is where you actually share the Gospel - but the unique thing about this is, they're already "prepped." I've included here the salvation verses included in the method's source text, but you could also use the Roman Road, the salvation outline included on this blog under the "Salvation" tab, or your own method of sharing the Gospel straight out of the Bible.)
1. Romans 3:23 - All have sinned
2. Romans 6:23 - The wages of sin is death
3. John 3:3 - You must be born again
Ask - Why did Jesus come to die?
4. John 14:6 - I am the way.
5. Romans 10:9-11 - If you confess ... you will be saved
6. 2 Corinthians 5:15 - No longer live for themselves
7. Revelation 3:20 - I stand at the door and knock
STEP THREE Close with key questions
(Here, I'm including the questions from the original text, but I'm substituting a sinner's prayer I wrote - because there is no "the" sinner's prayer, and the more personalized, I find, the better - and you should feel more than welcome to do the same - it will seem more natural)
1. Are you a sinner?
2. Do you want forgiveness for your sins?
3. Do you believe Jesus died on the cross for you and rose again?
4. Are you willing to surrender your life to Christ?
5. Are you ready to invite Jesus into your life and into your heart?
(If they say no, not yet, ask them why and when.)
6. Lead them in a sinner's prayer, such as:
God, I know that I am a sinner and that I need your forgiveness. I know that Your Son, Jesus, died on the cross to pay for my sins and rose from the dead to lead the way for me to have eternal life with You. I ask You now to forgive my sins, to come into my heart and help me change to become more like You, and to be my Lord and Savior. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.
Copyright 1998 LifeWay Press All rights reserved.
Now, one note of clarification - I am not remotely bagging on those who use the good-old-fashioned method of going up to strangers and asking them if they know Jesus - I deeply respect such people. In fact, I am embracing and sharing the above method specifically because it works better for those of us - like myself - who are, frankly, a little scared of out-and-out witnessing. If you can use the other method effectively, more power to you! :-)
So, now for a little discussion time:
1. Do you have any tips on how to witness effectively that you'd like to share with us?
2. Do you have personal experience with witnessing that you'd like to share?
P.S. If you'd like a print-out version of this to stuff in your "carry Bible," leave a comment saying that you'd like a copy and include your email address, and I'll send it to you straight away. :-)
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