Community Evangelism Seminar

Sharing the Gospel

Why Share the Gospel?

• I Am Constrained (2 Cor. 5:14)

• I Am Commanded (Matthew 28:19-20)

• I Am Convicted (1 Cor. 9:16)

• I Am Called (2 Cor. 5:20)

• I Am Chosen (1 Pet. 2:9-10)

• I Am Convinced (John 14:6)

• I Am Concerned (Rom. 10:1-2)

When Sharing the Gospel

• You have all the authority of Heaven behind you. (Matt 28:18)

• You have the Spirit of God working in and through you. (Acts 1:8)

• You are an instrument of reconciliation between God and man (2 Cor. 5:18)

• You are unlocking Heaven so that sinners might enter in (Matt 16:19)

Objections to Sharing

• Fear of Rejection• Might Lose a Friend• Lack of Knowledge• Not “Gifted”• Not “My Style”• Apathy• They Are Not Interested• They Have Already Heard• I Can’t Answer Their Questions

Preparing to Witness

• Prayer (2 Cor. 10:3-4)– Prior to Witnessing

• Personal• Team

– Prayer Walking While Witnessing

• Scripture Memorization• Bible Study/Worship• Daily Devotional Time• Physical Rest

Preparing to Witness

• Clothing– Christian Tee-Shirt, Christian Hat– Jeans or Pants – No Shorts– Comfortable Walking Shoes

• Other Essentials– Back Pack or Fanny Pack– Bible, Tracts, Evangecube, Christian Stickers,

Pens, Church Literature– Bottled Water, Sunscreen, Breath Mints

May I Ask You A Question?

• Talk to Everyone• One Person Takes the Lead• Introduce Team and Ask Name(s)• Give a Tract(s)• Tell Who You Are With, Why You Are Here• Ask Eternal Life Question…

– May I Ask You An Interesting Question?– We Are Conducting an Informal Survey…May I Ask

You A Question?

May I Ask You A Question?

• If You Were To Die Tonight, Would you be 50%, 75% or 100% for Sure You Would Go To Heaven?

• What Do You Think Happens When A Person Dies? What Will Happen to You After You Leave this Life?

• If You Died Today and Found Yourself Standing Before God and He asked You, “Why Should I let You Into My Heaven,” What Would You Say to Him?

May I Ask You A Question?

• In Your Personal Opinion, What Do You Think it Takes for a Person to Go to Heaven?

• Share Jesus Without Fear Questions– Do You Have any Kind of Spiritual Beliefs?– To You, Who is Jesus?– Do You Believe There is a Heaven and a Hell?– If You Were to Die Today, Which One Would You Go

To?– If You Were Wrong, Would You Want to Know?

Possible Responses

• I Don’t Know• Be a Good Person/Do Good Works• I Hope I’ll Go to Heaven • I’m Going to Heaven• Only God Knows• I Belong to ______ Church• Heaven and Hell Are on This Earth• There Are Many Paths to God• I’m Atheist/Agnostic/Pagan/Wiccan/Muslim/Etc.• That’s Personal

Dig Deeper…

• What Do You Mean By That?

• How Do You Know That To Be True?

• Where Do You Get Your Information From?

• What If You Are Wrong? Would You Want To Know?

Share

• Share with Everyone You Can• Keep the Focus of the Conversation on Jesus• Be Conversational• Keep the Gospel Simple• Give a Clear Invitation• Ask if They Understand• Lead Person in Prayer• Affirmation, Ask Where Jesus Is• Record Decision

Using Tracts

• Easy and Quick Way to Proclaim the Gospel

• It Plants Gospel Seeds for Later Harvest• It Lets People Know that God Loves Them• Easy to Carry With You in Pocket or Purse• Distribution Reveals Your Obedience to

God

Using Tracts

• Introduce yourself and offer the tract.

• Ask for assurance of going to heaven.

• Ask if you can share what God says.

• Fold in half and focus on one page at a time.

• You Need to Hold the Tract

• Explain sin and ask person if he is a sinner.

• Ask if what you said makes sense

• Ask if person wants forgiveness of sin.

Marked New Testament

• Romans Road most frequently used.

• Scriptures to use, Romans 1:16, 3:23; 6:23; 5:8; 10:9-10, 13

• Ask if makes sense.

• Ask if want God’s forgiveness.

• Ask if want to turn from sin and trust Jesus.

• Lead in sinner’s prayer/record decision.

Marked New Testament

• Communicate The Basics of the Gospel– Our Problem – Sin– Sin’s Penalty – Eternal Death– God’s Provision – Jesus Christ– Our Response – Repentance and Faith in

Jesus Christ Alone.

Evangecube

• Visual and Verbal presentation of the Gospel– Pictures Keyed to Scriptures– Images Help Witness

• Uniqueness Keeps Attention

• Understandable to All Ages

• Universal

‘Man in Sin’ is separated from ‘God’

The figure on the left represents every person – like you and me. The darkness represents our sin. Sin is anything that God tells us not to do.The Bible says, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)Our sins separate us from God.

‘Man in Sin’ is separated from ‘God’

The heavenly radiance on the right represents God. God is perfect and without sin. God loves us. God does not want us to perish, but to have everlasting life.But, our sins must be removed in order to have eternal life with God.

The Bible says, “God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”(Romans 5:8)The Bible also says that, “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son (Jesus), that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.”(John 3:16)

‘Christ on the Cross’

God loved us so much that He sent His only Son Jesus Christ to earth as a man. God made Jesus die on a cross to pay for our sins with His blood. He took our sins into His body on the cross so that we could come to God. (I Peter 2:24, 3:18)

‘Christ on the Cross’

• Men buried Jesus in a tomb. (Mk 15:42-47)• They rolled a huge stone in front of it. (Mk 15:47)• The soldiers guarded the tomb. (Mt 27:62-66)

‘Christ is Risen’

• God sent an angel to roll away the huge stone (Mt 28:2)

• God raised Jesus from the dead! (Acts 2:32)

• Soon afterward, God took Jesus back to heaven (John 20:17)

• Jesus has paid the price for our sins, and Jesus has conquered death. (Rev 1:17-18)

The Cross is the Bridge to God

Jesus is the only way we can come to God. Jesus says in the Bible, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father (God) except through Me.” (John 14:6)Through Jesus, we can be forgiven of all our sins and be with God forever.

The Cross is the Bridge to God

But just knowing about these things is not enough! We must choose to put our faith in Jesus - to trust in Him to save us from sin. (Eph 2:8-9)

If you do not take the step of trusting in Jesus, then your sins are not removed! (Hebrews 4:2)

The Choices:Heaven or Hell

The Bible says that whoever believes in Jesus has eternal life and is not judged. But whoever does not believe in Jesus has been judged already and the wrath of God remains upon him! (John 3:16, 18, 36)The penalty for sin is death, but eternal life through Jesus is a free gift from God.

The Choices:Heaven or Hell

What choice will you make?Trust in Jesus Christ to be forgiven and have eternal life? (In Heaven – top panel)

Or reject Jesus Christ and suffer eternal punishment in fire? (In Hell – bottom panel)

Love God and All People

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. And a second is like it: you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:36-40)

Pray to God Constantly

In prayer you can thank and worship God, ask for His help, confess your sins, and pray for others. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”

Study the Bible Daily

Start with the Gospel of John; read chapter one each day. “Like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation...” (I Peter 2:2) “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word” Jesus in (John 14:23)

Meet With Other Christians

God commands that Christians meet regularly for worship, prayer, Bible Study, and helping each other. “...not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another...” (Hebrews 10:25)

Tell OthersAbout Jesus

God wants us to tell other people How to Have Eternal Life with God by trusting in Jesus to save them from sin. You can use the EvangeCube and the information from this website to talk to others about Jesus! “And He (Jesus) said to them. Go into the world, and preach the gospel to all creation.” (Mark 16:15)

Any Strategy

• Personal Testimony– My Life Before Meeting Jesus– How I Met Jesus– How My Life is Different with Jesus

• Other strategies.

• Become comfortable using one.

• Don’t limit yourself.

• JUST GET ONE AND SHARE IT!

Immediate Follow-Up

• Review

• Ask If They Meant What They Prayed

• Use Assurance Scriptures (John 1:12 & etc.)

• Fill Out Decision Card – Name, Address, Number

• Review Growth Steps: Pray, Read Bible, Tell Others, Worship

Hindrances to Evangelism

• “…but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ.” 1 Cor. 9:12 ESV

• Many Hindrances to Evangelism– The World– The Flesh– The Devil

• The Devil Does Not Want You To Witness

Hindrance of The Devil

• Number 1 Tactic – Fear– Rejection– Disappointment– Danger

• Number 2 Tactic – Discouragement– Not Sharing– Not Seeing Salvations– Personal Situations

Demonic Distractions

• Time Wasters– Argument with A Lost Person– Differences in Religion– Stump the Christian Questions– Saved People “Helping”– Drunk Theologians

• Feelings of Prejudice

• Loud Noises/Distractions

The World’s Distractions

• The World is Under the Influence of the Devil (Eph. 2:2)

• Mankind Has A Sinful Nature (Romans 3:23)

• The world will try to keep you from witnessing.

The World’s Distractions

• Scholars will tell you Christianity is foolishness and be silent.

• The Liberals will tell you to there are many roads to God.

• Tolerance of all religions and to embrace all life styles.

• To keep silent allows the Devil to insert his agenda without resistance.

The Fleshly Distractions

• Man cannot fault the devil for his sin.• Everyone sins according to his or her own lusts

or cravings. Romans 7:5 “controlled by the sinful nature”.

• The flesh is contrary to the Spirit of God and the Spirit is contrary to the flesh.

• We can have VICTORY by submitting to God. • (Romans 6:18) we are to serve righteousness.

Overcoming Sin

• (John 3:30) We must decrease and Jesus must increase

• (Romans 6:6) We must die to ourselves so that Jesus can have liberty to work in and through us

• (Colossians 2:7) We must allow the Word of God take root in our souls

• (1 John 1:9) We must confess daily all known sin

Community Witnessing Basics

• Easier Than You Think• Rely on The Holy Spirit• Ask God to Give You A Heart of Compassion for

the Lost– “Suffer With”• Pray for Boldness• Pray for the Lost• Stay Within Sight Of You Team Members• Encourage One Another as You Go• Avoid Churchy Words

Community Witnessing Basics

• Be Aware of Your Surroundings

• Focus on Jesus and the Gospel – Not What the Person is Doing.– Lost People Act Lost

• If You Find that the Person is NOT Open to the Gospel, Move On!

• Look for People Outside/On the Porch/Walking