Review:

This week’s teaching laid out how the Bible can be used to share the gospel, the good news about God’s love and what His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, did to redeem us. We are urged to “tell of His salvation from day to day” (Psalm 96). So do we do this? Do we pray about doing this? Are we prepared to do this?

GETTING STARTED

LEADER - Give each person a few minutes quietly on their own to look through this list and identify one primary hurdle. Go around the room and encourage people to share where the are now. The rest of the study will help them identify next steps forward.
When it comes to sharing the gospel with someone else, we all realize there are some hurdles we have a tough time getting over. Here are some common ones. Which of these keeps you from sharing Christ more frequently?
a. “I don’t know how to successfully navigate a conversation toward spiritual things.”
b. “I’m unsure how to explain the gospel clearly.”
c. “If I tried to show someone something in the Bible, I’d get lost.”
d. “I’m a bit fearful I’m going to be asked a question about Christian faith I can’t answer.”
e. “Frankly, I just don’t have any non-believing friends with whom I say more than ‘Hi…how are you?’.”
f. “I’ve got my own unanswered questions.”
g. “I don’t want to pressure anyone.”
h. Other

It can be helpful to identify what is keeping you from the joy of sharing the best news in the world. You and I have the “water of life” people need for their thirst, the map to knowing God personally and heading for heaven. Do you think any of your “hurdles” should ultimately stand in the way of being prepared to share the Gospel?

IN THE WORD

LEADER - Each step of this study is important to process, so keep an eye on your time and pace your discussion to ensure you have time for some discussion of each step.
In his excellent “how to” book JUST WALK ACROSS THE ROOM, Bill Hybels would challenge us to be willing to take the steps toward someone who is lost. “I believe the highest value in personal evangelism,” he writes, “is to be attuned to the movement and prompting of the Holy Spirit, and to play only the role you are intended to play in another person’s life” (p.88). He urges that we “take the risk,” to “live in 3-D.”

DEVELOP friendships – See people around you through the lens of “radical inclusiveness.” You see someone through a “What would — be like if God ruled and reigned in his life? He/she would be incredible!” lens. How did Jesus do this? What do you observe in Matthew 9:9-13, 11:19, Mark 2:13-18, Luke 15:1. Would someone say of you what they said of the Lord?

DISCOVER stories – as you develop a friendship over time with someone living far from God, the next step is to (Hybels) “intentionally discover their stories. Learn what life has been like for them. What the dream about. What is going well, and what in their estimation needs work” (p.84) In doing this, you earn the right to have conversation about significant things. Do you think this is what Paul meant when he wrote 1 Corinthians 9:19-23?

DISCERN next steps – in the context of a friendship, having listened well, we then are in a position to serve this new friend with a suggested resource. (Hybels) “Resource providers are servant-minded people who make it a habit of uncovering the needs around them and then meeting them as naturally and effectively as possible” (p.94). You serve as a pipeline for a resource they can interact with, perhaps discover some help from the Lord—a small booklet, a CD, perhaps a link to a “Right Now Media” video. You look for a chance to offer something, and then discuss it over your next lunch hour together. Paul calls us what in 2 Corinthians 5:20? When living in a foreign land, what does this kind of person do?

MY LIFE – OUR MISSION

LEADER - If you are short on time because of a great discussion, choose one of these questions to sum up the study.
To SUM – if we are going to be a church-team that connects people to life-defining relationships in Christ (notice! the word relationships), it will involve the habit of 3-D living.

What’s your response to this approach?

Does it make “sharing the gospel” more doable?

Do you think taking this approach could put some “wear on your welcome mat” (LIFE-QUESTION)?

Take some time to pray for someone in your circle of acquaintances you would be willing to begin by DEVELOPING a friendship. Pray for each other’s names…and review the “gospel” again in 1 Corinthians 15:1-5.