Evangelism Workshop #1
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To succeed in evangelism we must be bold in our faith. Yet most of us struggle to some degree with fear of rejection when we think about sharing our faith. This may be the biggest barrier that we face! Timothy was a fearful, yet effective minister for Christ. Paul wrote to Timothy to offer encouragement:
2 Timothy 1:7,8 “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me His prisoner; but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God . . .”
Key points from this passage that you should discuss in your group include:
God’s part: Paul directs Timothy to God’s part in evangelism (“power and love and discipline. . . according to the power of God. . .”). To cultivate boldness, we must know and focus on what God promises to do in this area. God’s power is manifest in evangelism in four ways:
· He DRAWS people to seek God
· He CONNECTS us with seekers
· He EMPOWERS us as we witness
· He CONVICTS people after we witness
Share the scriptures that teach these truths. Discuss how you have experienced God’s part in evangelism in your own life.
Our part: Paul also calls on Timothy to do his part (“do not be ashamed of the testimony. . . join with me in suffering for the gospel.”). We need to express our trust that God will do his part by actually stepping out in faith to be his witnesses!
Sometimes we feel that it will take a long time to regain our confidence in evangelism, but reaffirming God’s part and stepping out in faith will usually produce an immediate increase in confidence. The following sections are meant to be covered in a cell group or workers’ meeting format. You will probably need two weeks to cover this material.
Questions that may initiate Spiritual Conversations
Many people are willing to talk about spiritual matters, but only rarely will they initiate a spiritual conversation with you. One way we can provide them with this opportunity is to ask spiritual questions. Here are some interesting and thought-provoking questions that could help you start a spiritual conversation. We are not suggesting a formula; each of these should be put in your own words so that you speak from your heart. Remember that your goal is not necessarily to share the gospel in this conversation, but to make the person more comfortable discussing spiritual things—which will likely lead to further discussions. Discuss these ideas in your cell group and consider other ways to pose the questions to get at the same spiritual issue.
1. “Do you
have any type of spiritual belief?” OR “Do you have a spiritual
category for that?” Through this type of question we learn what they
believe. The most important thing to do is to listen carefully and
ask follow-up questions. Often you get "I'm a Catholic, Methodist,
etc" response. You could then ask them, “What was you’re your
experience like growing up Catholic?”
2. "What
kind of spiritual background/church did you have growing up?" This
may be an easier question to pursue with some people than #1. Most people
are willing to answer it because it simply asks for historical information
and does not call on them to take a position on a system of belief.
3. “If you
died this week, where would you go?” OR “What do you think happens
to people when they die?” Discussions about the afterlife are
often very helpful. Consider following up this question with, “Why
do you think you would go there?”
4. “If what you believe is not true, would you want to know?” Through this question we can find whether they are ready to take a new step. Those who have experience asking this question have found that most people answer “Yes” and are open. If the individual says, “No,” we need to carefully read their response and decide whether to ask them why, or simply move to a different subject.
5. “Would
you mind if I shared something that someone told me?” OR “Is
it ok if I tell you about my spiritual beliefs?” If they don’t want
to pursue this, let it go. But if they are open, you can proceed with the
gospel. Always use scripture and if possible open your Bible and allow
them to read the scripture you refer to. The paper The Logic of Salvation (http://www.xenos.org/classes/papers
/logic.htm) provides an excellent framework
for presenting the Gospel.
6. “Who
do you think (believe) Jesus is(was)?” If Jesus comes up in the discussion,
then this type of question can be very helpful. This is another way to get
to the Gospel as you describe the unique person and mission of Jesus.
7. "What
kind of evidence would it take for you to be willing to invite Jesus into
your heart?" People
often don't know how to answer this question--but that in itself may help
them. It also gives the asker the opportunity to share how much evidence
they had before they asked Christ--and what happened when they did.
8. “Do you
ever pray?” OR “Would you be willing to pray about what we’ve been
discussing?” If they say, “Yes,” encourage them to simply call out to
God and ask that he reveal himself. You might share John 7:17, “If any man
is willing to do His will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of
God, or whether I speak from Myself.”
9. “Would
it be ok with you if I pray for you right now?” This will open the door
for you to bring God into the situation and demonstrate a personal prayer. In
your prayer you can take their personal questions or concerns to God. You
will be amazed how often non-Christians are deeply moved by this type of
personal prayer in their presence. Consider asking them if they would like
to pray aloud (or silently) with you.
10. “What do you want to accomplish
in life?” OR “What is the purpose of life (or a specific part of your
life)?” These questions get at the issue of life purpose which is a
hot topic today. The fact the Rich Warren’s Purpose Driven Life is
a New York Times Best Seller demonstrates that people are considering this
issue. You might consider suggesting that your friend read this book.
Questions like these will prime the pump, but we must be good listeners to establish good conversations. In James 1:19 we read, “This you know, my beloved brethren. But let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger. . .” Good listeners often find receptivity to their point of view since they show concern and respect for the other person. [See Watchman Nee. Character of God's Workman. Chapter on Listening].
Exercise:
After discussing these questions in the group, have each person take about
fifteen minutes to prayerfully consider the content in view of their non-Christian
friends. Then they should determine how they would put the content in their
own words and write out a few questions. They could share these with the
group or you could break up into groups of three or four to share their questions.
From Chit-chat to the Gospel
Common conversation provides many opportunities to explore spiritual issues. Some
of us have the misconception that a deep personal relationship is needed to
discuss spiritual things. As a result, we have spiritual conversations with
non-Christians only rarely—and little evangelistic fruit. Many of us need
to be more open about our spiritual interests in casual conversations so we
have opportunities to find receptive people. When it comes right down to it,
most adults are so busy that it’s very difficult to build a close friendship
outside the church. If we wait to get close to someone before we mention spiritual
issues, we won’t be discussing spiritual issues very often.
We need to be willing to talk as naturally and openly
about our relationship with Christ as we would any other important aspect of
our lives. This paper provides a few suggestions for how we can apply this
principle.
Review these in your cell group and with each discuss other ideas for the
particular situation. Encourage each member to think of how they could apply
these ideas to their situation.
Responses to common questions:
Creative responses test for spiritual interest. We need to be positive, open, and enthusiastic about our spiritual life. Most of us fear that people will think we’re some kind of nut if we are enthusiastic about the Lord, but we need to put that fear behind us and not be so inhibited. Here are a few examples of responses to common questions:
- What have been up to lately? What’s goin’ on?
- I’m learning some great things in this Bible study I’ve been attending.
- Discuss recent spiritual insights. EG:
· Our marriage is making some progress thanks to what I’m learning from the Bible.
· I’ve had a major breakthrough in my life since I’ve learned about God’s forgiveness.
· I’m getting some control over my anger thanks to God and a few good friends.
· My wife and I have some really good friends that we’ve made through our church. It’s made our family life a lot better.
- How’s the family? The patent answer is “Great. . .” “John is playing soccer. Beth got a scholarship to Harvard. Albert is going to OSU.” People put their best foot forward. Where’s the reality of family life?
- We’re doing ok, but it’s been a real struggle for me trying to learn how to parent. Why don’t they send an owner’s manual with these kids?
- We’re struggling in our marriage, but thanks to a few good friends and God’s help we’re making some progress.
- I’ve made some big mistakes financially and now we’re working hard to get out from under it. I’ve been studying the Bible and getting God’s perspective on my money, so I believe there’s hope.
Responses like these will disarm people and open many doors to spiritual conversation.
- What are you doing this weekend?
Don’t be afraid to discuss the spiritual things we pursue? - Sunday I’m going to our church. I don’t like to miss that because I learn something about every week that’s helpful.
- We’re going camping with a group of friends from our church. We’ve gotten to be really close over the years and it’s a great experience.
Initiating Natural Conversation about Spiritual Issues
Besides responding to these basic questions as we’ve discussed above, we should also open and forthright about their relationship with God. We need to be willing to discuss our relationship with God like we would other things in our life that we’re excited about. For example, if you attended a great concert, you would naturally and enthusiastically tell your friends and co-workers about it. In the same way we need to be open about the excitement that comes from faithfully following Christ.
Consider the way God is personally affecting you and think how you could introduce the topic into conversation. These may be areas that we find encouraging and exciting, but on the other hand challenging and perplexing issues can and sometimes should be discussed with our non-Christian friends. Examples:
- I’ve been experiencing God’s peace when I used to be overwhelmed with anxiety.
- I just can’t get over how wonderful it is to have Christian friends who show me God’s love.
- Parenting has been very difficult lately and the hardships have made me wrestle with God’s faithfulness in my life.
- I’ve been perplexed as I’ve tried to figure out God’s will for my career.
- My wife and I are realizing that we could relate a lot better if we prayed together more often.
Reading their response
Reading responses in conversation takes a lot of experience and there’s no real formula to follow, but these guidelines will be helpful to consider:
· If they express interest in spiritual things then feel free to share more, including the gospel and/or inviting them to an event or Bible study. Consider inviting them to study the Bible with you one-on-one too.
· If they respond negatively, this is a great opportunity to understand why they are negative about what you shared. Ask questions to identify the source of their negativity: previous bad experiences, misconceptions, etc. This will provide an opportunity for you to share the difference between biblical Christianity and their misconceptions.
· If they have no response, we should not push at this point, but remain confident that because God is at work our friend may be open to future spiritual conversations. You will probably feel more confident to discuss spiritual issues in the future.
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