LEVEL 2

LESSON 4: FOR THE EVERYDAY CHRISTIAN

This lesson is focused on you being able to better share your faith with friends and family.  Please complete Lesson 1, 2 and 3 first.

WHY Share?
  • But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, I Peter 3:15   

 

WHAT Attitude to Share With?

  • The work is ours to do by God’s power. The result is God’s.  I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. Rom 1:16a    

  • Our attitude must be one of love for the lost, humility, a coming alongside.

  • Our goal is to have conversation not confrontation. Asking the right questions does that.

HOW?

 

There is no one "way" to either bridge to the gospel message or to share it.  Effective examples are provided as tools for you to choose from and use as useful depending on the situation.

 

To bridge to the gospel message (One or both of these.)

  • Using questions. 

  • Sharing "My Story."

To share the gospel message

  • Within a short story. (Completed by lesson 2)

  • Using a prepared presentation. (Completed by lesson 2)

  • Using a booklet. (Option to a prepared presentation)

   

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STEP BY STEP

  1. Consider again the WHAT section above. Spend 2-3 minutes thinking about what your attitude should be when sharing.
  2. OPTION 1 (Questions): Recite the questions you memorized in Lesson 1, 2 and 3. Recite the numbered questions from memory 5 times in a row.   
    Mark it recited

     

    OPTION 2: (My Story) If you decided not to memorize further questions, skip to #3. 

  3. If possible, find a Christian who will role play with you. It's best to do in person, however, if not practical, talk on the phone. Ask them to take on the following roles.  Try to do so without reading and try to add in using different phrases beforehand, "Why do you believe that?"

    1. Someone who believes in a perfect heaven, that they aren't perfect and that they don't know how they'll be perfected.

    2. Someone who believes in a perfect heaven, that they aren't perfect and that God will forgive whatever they've done wrong.

  4. OPTION 1: (Questions): Read over the "My story" option of bridging to the gospel.

    Mark it read

    OPTION 2: (My Story) Spend at least 25 minutes working on "My story."  

    Spent 25 or more minutes
  5. Read over the text in the You Are Loved tract. Read each section carefully with enough understanding so when one of these subjects arise in conversation, you have an idea of how to respond.  A couple of examples are below. 

    All of us have a need to be loved. God has the answer to Real Love
    God desires to communicate with His people. He sent His only Son into the World to live a perfect life and to be sacrificed for us.  He has communicated to us through a timeless and most published book in the World.
  6. Memorize the truths that stand in conflict with commonly believed lies. Focus on memorizing the concepts rather than word for word.

    God can't be seen or touched.  Neither can love, our thoughts, the wind or electricity.
    I believe ______ strongly so I know it's true. Some think that everyone goes to HEAVEN, others that there is no HEAVEN or God at all, and others that it takes a certain amount of good to get to HEAVEN. They can't all be right. A strong belief doesn't make something happen here on earth or when we die.
Mark it Memorized  

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Questions leading to sharing the gospel message.

(NOTE:  Throughout this website, in sections when questions to ask are part of the lesson, notes to you will be in green.)

The QUESTIONS (Why the questions?)

1)    May I ask you a question? This is important because it doesn't presume we have the right to ask somebody a personal question. 

2)   What do you believe happens to a person when they die?  Or  What do you think will happen to you when you die?

            a)   Heaven, Hell, Nothing

            b)   I don’t know.  Would you like to know? Skip to 4.

3)   What makes you believe that?  This is very important because without the person agreeing that it is something they just really believe, when the Bible is brought up they will challenge the Bible. If they do challenge the Bible after agreeing that they just believe strongly, one is able to say that the Bible has more credibility than just their thinking. It's friendlier to ask this question in many different ways. You'll ask it more below. You could start out with, I'm curious, or That's interesting. or ask How did you come to believe that?  Use words you're comfortable with. 

4)   Would you agree that people aren't perfect? Or Do think in doing good things, that you are perfect?  Most everyone admits they aren’t perfect. (Nicely challenge someone who says they are.)

5)   Do you believe that heaven is a perfect place? 

            a)   YES

            b)   NO

i)      What makes you believe that?

(1)  I picture an imperfect heaven as a place where people would never die or get cancer or heart trouble but would for example have an eternal cold.  Is that really a heaven where you’d want to spend eternity?

(2)  May I suggest to you a possibility that Heaven is a perfect place?

(3)  If it is…?

6)    I'm curious, how does the imperfect transform into the perfect when you die? Most anyone who doesn’t belong to another religion hasn’t given thought to this. This is crucial as this is what Jesus did that no other pathway can.

            a)    ”I am forgiven” or “God forgives me.”  Use #8 rather than #7 after asking questions in this section.

i)      God does forgive people.  If I dent someone’s car, and am forgiven, who pays for the repair?

ii)   How are the effect of our wrongs paid for so we’re perfected?

    If they have another answer

            b)   What makes you believe that?

7)  May I share with you how I believe that transformation happens? Share the gospel at this point. Sample presentation.

8)  May I share with you how I believe that payment is made and how that transformation happens? Share the gospel at this point. Sample presentation.