A five lesson Conversational Evangelism curriculum that you can teach in your church and can be downloaded along with PowerPoint slides and audio at: https://conversationalevangelism.com/resources/
Week 1
CHALLENGES IN WITNESSING IN A POST-CHRISTIAN WORLD
“I am convinced that our problems in Evangelism are not
one of methodology but one of maturity.” – Dr. David Geisler
Introduction: Obstacles to Evangelism Today
Because there is a radical change in our world today, it has become more difficult to do evangelism. Consequently what is needed is a new way for us to think about evangelism to reach out to this current generation. By engaging others in pre-evangelism using “lite” apologetics, this may create more opportunities for us to engage in direct evangelism. It may also create greater interest in being better equipped to answer our friend’s questions. Yet at the same time there are barriers to being more proactive in our evangelism. In understanding these two issues we could be like the men of Issachar.
“from Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do….” (I Chronicles 12:32)
I. Our world has changed and has made our evangelism task more daunting.
A. Examples in the West and East
B. Conditions that created the environment for this crisis:
- Understanding the Post-Modern period:
- Pluralism
- Postmodernism
- Implications of postmodernism that affect receptivity to the gospel:
- They feel free to create or construct “knowledge’s” and “realities.”
- They believe persuasion is to be prohibited.
- They believe that to be exclusivistic is to be arrogant.
- They believe that our belief that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life is just one of the naratives among other narratives in the world that are equally as valid.
II. Things to remember in our witness to others today. (1 Chronicles 12:32)
How can we talk to people in such a way that creates greater interest in hearing our gospel?
- We must be good news before we can effectively share good news, especially with
those we see on a regular basis. (Philippians 1:14)
- We may be the only bible that anyone ever reads.
B. We must give ourselves the permission to sow. (1 Corinthians 3:6)
- We will give ourselves permission to sow if we see evangelism more as a lifestyle and not just as an event.
C. We must also give ourselves the permission to till the soil. (Mark 4:8)
- Tilling the soil = Pre-Evangelism.
- If evangelism is planting seeds of the Gospel, pre-evangelism is tilling the soil of their mind and heart, preparing them to at least be willing to listen to the truth.
“Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or
even a hundred times.” (Mark 4:8)
Jesus’ Example:
- He was a master at asking questions.
A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me
good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.” (Luke 18:18-19)
“Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they said. “Who gave you this authority?” He
replied, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me: John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin?”
(Luke 20:2-4)
- He knew the value of allowing others to surface the truth for themselves.
“…but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in
him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:14)
- He knew that sometime it was best not to tell people things so directly.
- He knew that sometimes it was not always best to share all that we know.
“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.” (John 16:12)
III. Some Practical Suggestions for Taking the Next Step!
A. Determine who the Lord is placing on your heart to reach out to.
B. Pray for open doors. (Colossians 4:3).
“And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the
mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.” (Colossians 4:3)
C. Look for divine appointments daily! (Acts 8:29).
And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” (Acts 8:29)
- Look for ways God is already at work in the lives of those you want to reach!
- Ask God for wisdom to know what to say in your conversations with others. (James 1:5; Acts 14:1)
D. Make the most of every opportunity you have with pre-believers to help
them take one step closer. (1 Corinthians 3:6; Colossians 4:5; 1 Corinthians 9:22)
“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.” (Colossians 4:5)
“To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all
possible means I might save some.” (1 Corinthians 9:22)
- Listen carefully in order to make every encounter count.
- Discover what might create greater spiritual openness. (John 4:10; Acts 17:32)
- Look for ways to create more interest in our Jesus!
IV. Clarifying Biblical Terms and Concepts That Affect Our Witness
A. What is involved in biblical faith?
- Biblical faith must have an object to be valid.
“And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” (1 Corinthians 15:14)
B. What is the relationship between faith and reason?
- The bible makes an important distinction between “belief that” and “belief in.”
“You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder.” (James 2:19)
- Apologetics bears on the question of “belief that” not “belief in.”
“He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has
enabled him.” (John 6:65)
- Implications of this truth.
1. You can’t use apologetics to argue someone into the kingdom.
2. You shouldn’t give up using apologetics in your witness to others.
“At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so
effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed.” (Acts 14:1)
C. What does it means to be ready to give an answer?
“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.”
(1 Peter 3:15 N.I.V.)
- Our responsibility as Christians is also to eagerly anticipate the questions and objections that our non-Christian friends may raise against Christianity, whether they ask us a specific question or not!
“But in your hearts revere 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.”
(1 Peter 3:15)
“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and
we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5)
“To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all
possible means I might save some.” (1 Corinthians 9:22)
Week 2
HEARING – LEARNING THE ROLE OF THE MUSICIAN
Learning The Conversational Pre-Evangelism Methodology
The 8 Key Components of Pre-Evangelism
+1. Active Listening
+2. Positive deconstructionism* (tearing down)
+3. A questioning approach that allows others to surface the truth for themselves
+4. A method for removing the burden of proof from us to them (The Boomerang Principle)
+5. A method to determine the real barriers to the Gospel
+6. A strategy for finding common ground
+7. A strategy for building a bridge to the Gospel (both intellectual and heart bridges)
+8. A basic knowledge of the Christian faith and what makes Jesus unique
The Conversational Pre-Evangelism Method
The Holy Spirit…..Key to Evangelism
Key to evangelism
The vital role of the Holy Spirit in evangelism. (John 6:65, 1 Corinthians 2:4-14)
- To empower us to speak in a way that makes a difference.
(Acts 14:1)
- To empower us to live godly lives. (Philippians 1:14)
Hearing: Learning The Role Of The Musician
Listen Carefully (James 1:19-20)
“My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” (James 1:19-20)
– Helpful suggestions for increasing your listening skills
Reflect back what they are saying to you.
Learn their Story!(Rom.1:18-19; Rom. 2:14-15; ECL. 3:11)
– Tell me about your spiritual journey?
Steps to uncovering their story!
- Ask questions about what is important to them.
- Ask questions about purpose and meaning.
- Take note of other experiences that have shaped their beliefs and ask them about those experiences.
Hear the sour note (gaps in their beliefs) people are singing to us!
Our Purpose in Hearing the Sour Notes:
By listening to the sour notes (gaps), we may be able to “detect” some of the
Uncertainty in their beliefs which may give us an opportunity to help them to think more
clearly about what they believe and why. It also helps to create a greater interest in knowing about Jesus.
Jesus understood this principle of identifying “sour notes” in someone’s belief system.
(Matthew 19:16-22)
The Apostle Paul understood how to identify the “sour notes” in someone’s belief and use this to motivate them to take a step to the Cross! (See Acts 17:28-29)
Belief vs. Heart Longing
“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
The inconsistency can be between what they say they believe and their heart longing (SOUL CRY).
A. Many hold to views which are inconsistent with the longings of people’s hearts.
- Atheism: An atheist believes that God does not exist. Yet many long for a sense of meaning and purpose to their life.
- Postmodernist: In a postmodern culture there is a desperate need today for young people to feel a sense of belonging and to be a part of something bigger than themselves.
- Islam: The teachings of Islam betray the heart cry to have an intimacy with God.
- Hinduism: Some Hindus believes only in an impersonal god.Yet a Hindu desires to know God in a deeper and personal way.
- Buddhism: But not only is losing myself not fulfilling, but the way to get to Nirvana can only be accomplished through a heavy burden of living according to rules and regulations that can never be completely attainable.
- Chinese: I believe in scientific materialism. I want to be remembered after I died or at least die with a good reputation.
B. Show others that Jesus meets the longings of our hearts!
“What oxygen is to the brain, Jesus is to our hearts. He satisfies our deepest longings unlike anything else….If we were to list all of our hungers, we might be surprised at how many legitimate hungers we have. We hunger for truth, love, knowledge, belonging, self-expression, justice, imagination, learning, and significance to name a few.” – Ravi Zacharias, Jesus Among Other Gods, p. 71-72
Belief vs. Behavior
“When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs? We who are Jews by birth and not ‘Gentile sinners’ know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no
one will be justified.” (Galatians 2:14-16)
The inconsistency can be between what they say they believe and how they live or
behave.
Examples:
- Talking to an Atheist
1. I don’t think God exists. (I am a scientific materialist)
2. I am looking for a loving and committed relationship.
- Islam:
1. I believe that my good deeds must outweigh my bad deeds in order to get to
2. I don’t pray at least five times a day.
How then can you have any assurance that you are going to heaven when you die?
Belief vs. Belief
The inconsistency can be between two contradictory beliefs. (Acts 17:22-30)
Examples:
Both of these statements cannot be true.
A. The woman is pregnant
B. The woman is not pregnant
What is wrong in these statements?
- Jesus is my Savior
- I can measure up
What is wrong in these statements?
- The Bible is reliable
- I must do good works to be saved
What is wrong in these statements?
- There is no absolute right or wrong
B. The terrorist were wrong to kill so many people on 9/11
Illogical Belief
“But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.” (2 Corinthians 1:18)
The inconsistency or contradiction can be in the statement itself.
Examples:
Just because a statement is sayable does not mean that it is meaningful.
“I cannot utter a word in English!”
Examples: Apply the claim to itself.
1. There is no such thing as truth!
2. You can’t know truth!
3. All truth is relative!
4. It’s true for you but not for me!
5. No one has the truth!
6. All truth depends on your perspective!
Points to Note:
A. Don’t forget to really listen to them.
- The fact is that some people hold to beliefs that are somewhat different than what their particular religion teaches!
- By listening to them carefully you also communicate that you really care about them and want to understand what they believe.
B. Point out the most stand-out inconsistencies rather than pointing out all
Week 3
Illuminating: Learning The Role Of The Artist
- Like an artist, asking questions helps paint a picture to help them see themselves in a more clear light (in terms of their beliefs).
- This is where we ask questions to help people to “see” for themselves (without us directly telling them they are wrong) some of the discrepancies in their beliefs.(To surface the truth themselves) Our goal is to help them question whether their beliefs are a strong enough foundation to build their lives on.
Ask questions:
- That clarify beliefs
* Ask them what do you mean by…?
Examples:
1) All religions are basically the same
2) Jesus died for us
3) The Bible is corrupt
4) I am an agnostic
5) I am an Atheist
- That surface uncertainty
- Begin with asking probing questions to get them to explore their beliefs.
I am curious to know ………………?
Do you really think it really matters what we believe?
Do you think all religions basically teach the same thing?
Do you think it is possible that you and I were put here on this earth for some kind of purpose? If so what do you think that was?
Do you think that by doing enough good we can get to the next life?
Have you come to any conclusions about Jesus Christ?
How do you fit Jesus into your religious beliefs?
Are you absolutely certain there is no life after this life?
Note: A crack in our non-believing friend’s worldview foundation today may result in changes later.
2. Ask follow-up questions that can expose false beliefs or concepts.
How is it possible……………………?
for all religions to be the same when some of them contradict each other’s key beliefs?
for there to be meaning and purpose in our lives and at the same time believe that there is no God?
for the bible to be so corrupt that we have no clear picture of what Jesus said and did nor understand the implications that this has for our lives?
Note: If people perceive that our goal is to have them help us better understand their beliefs rather than just prove they are wrong, they are more likely to have a more positive response to our probing questions.
Remember The Three D’s (of Conversational Evangelism)
Ask questions in a way that:
- Surfaces their doubt (uncertainty).
“Then Jesus said to them, “How is it that they say the Christ is the Son of David? David himself declares in the Book of Psalms:“ ‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet. ”’David calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?” (Luke 20:41-44)
- Minimizes their defensiveness.
“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, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.” (1 Peter 3:15-16)
- Creates a desire to want to hear more!
Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” (John 4:10)
Note: A crack in our non-believing friend’s worldview foundation today may result in changes later. As your questions surface more and more doubts, the person may be more open to further dialogue.
Week 4
Uncovering:
Learning The Role Of The Archeologist
Uncovering Conversations
Like an archeologist, uncover their real barriers to the Gospel.
(This is where we try to uncover the real barriers they have to the gospel)
“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)
- Determine whether their perceived issue is a real concern or a smokescreen.
Formula: If I could answer your question, would that help?
- Determine the nature of their perceived barrier (whether the barrier is mostly an intellectual or emotional question or concern, or a combination of both).
A method for handling the tough questions: Reverse the burden of proof (the boomerang principle).
“Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they said. “Who gave you this authority?” He replied, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me, John’s baptism – was it from heaven, or from men?” (Luke 20:2-4)
- Uncover the specific emotional baggage that they are carrying.
Ask God for wisdom in discerning what the real barriers are that you need to address with your pre-believing friends. (James 1:5)
Handling emotional baggage:
- Invite them to share their story.
- Listen discernibly for the most obvious barriers to the gospel as you empathize with them.
- If appropriate, affirm God’s love and hope for them.
- If appropriate, apologize for how another brother or sister in Christ treated them.
- Tell them you will keep them in your prayers that God would do something supernatural in their life to prove He is real.
- Determine whether there is a question or concern behind the question or issue raised. Jesus was a master in getting below the surface. (Marriage at the resurrection – Mark 12:18-27)
- Find out what their biggest barrier is to Christianity.
A. Family obligation or expectations.
B. Moral life-style choices.
- Find out what would motive them to get answers in these areas.
- Uncover the volitional factors. In this step we are attempting to surface an unwillingness to believe that goes beyond just dealing with the intellectual and emotional barriers.
“Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him.” (John 12:37)
- Remember that prayer is an important arsenal in our spiritual war for the souls of men.
“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16)
- Pray for spiritual enlightenment.
“The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
(1 Corinthians 2:14)
- Demonstrate Christ’s love to them.
“By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35)
Week 5
Building: Learning The Role Of The Builder
Building Conversations
Like a builder, build a bridge to the Gospel. (John 8:32)
“Because there has been an erosion of truth today, we need to find common ground with others using planks of common understanding. Our goal is to find common ground with them and then attempt to build a positive case for Christ and look for opportunities to invite them to trust in Him.” (1 Corinthians 9:22)
- Find the right balance in your approach. Determine whether their barrier requires a more objective or subjective approach.
“At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed.” (Acts 14:1)
Be mindful of the fact that your life will speak louder than your words.
“Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.” (Philippians 1:14)
- Find common ground with those we are attempting to reach.
“To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.” (1 Corinthians 9:22)
- Build conversations with others based on common interest or hobbies.
- Look for opportunities to talk about topics (politics, news events, etc.) that have a moral or ethical theme.
- Search for spiritual common ground with low key spiritual questions.
- Build a bridge from a point of shared beliefs (even those they are not aware of).
Bridges could be heart bridges or head bridges:
A. Heart Bridges
- Non-believers value humility.
- Non-believers desire to be loved and accepted.
- We can show how Jesus fulfills the inner longing of our hearts, calms our fears and realizes our hopes.
- We can show that Jesus is truly “one of a kind.”
B. Head Bridges
- Comparing Jesus and Muhammad
- Build your bridge based on planks of common understanding:
- What you believe will affect how you live!
- Not all religious viewpoints can be right!
- Faith must have an object to have merit!
- Not all religious leaders made equal claims. Jesus’ claims are unique compared to any other major religious leader.
- The proof of Christ’s claims has no parallel among major religious leaders.
- Without God, some people find it difficult to find meaning in their life.
“I and the Father are one (John. 10:30), Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”(John. 14:6). Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
“For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man named Christ Jesus.” (I Timothy 2:5)
- Remember the goal.
To remove the obstacle so that we can help people take one step closer to Jesus Christ each day. (2 Timothy 4:2-5; 2 Corinthians 10:5; 1 Corinthians 3:6)
“Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage with great patience and careful instruction.” (2 Timothy 4:2)
- Actively seek for opportunities to transition to the Gospel.
Example: Has anyone ever explained to you the difference between Christianity and all other religions?
Explain “do” versus “done.”
- Muslims believe that salvation depends upon man measuring up and not on God’s grace. (Do)
- Buddhism teaches that salvation comes about when one desires to stop desiring. (Do)
- Hinduism teaches that if one does enough good he can pay off his karmic debt and escape the cycle of reincarnation. (Do)
- Jesus says accept the gift I offer. It has already been “Done” for you (you can do nothing to earn God’s gift). Invite me to come into your life and change you from the inside out. (John 1:12; Philippians 2:13)
Invite them to take a step of faith!
Conversational Evangelism in a Nutshell
We want to remember to LISTEN to them, LEARN their stories, and HEAR the gaps (sour notes) in their beliefs. We can then help them illuminate these gaps by ASKING QUESTIONS that will “CLARIFY” their BELIEFS and “SURFACE” UNCERTAINTY. Then we want to UNCOVER the REAL BARRIERS that keep them from Christ and BUILD A BRIDGE to help them take one step closer to Jesus Christ each day (1 Corinthians 3:6)
How to build a bridge to the Gospel using “The Five Planks”
Transition questions:
- Do you ever get the feeling that our Creator meant for us to experience life in a better way than we are experiencing now?
- Can I explain to you more clearly what Christians believe and how those beliefs provide the kind of hope that some are looking for?
- Can I share with you something that helps to explain my beliefs more clearly?
- Can you tell me how many of these five ideas you agree with?
PLANK ONE: I am accountable to someone for my actions.
GOAL: Help non-believers surface the truth that we are accountable to our Creator in some way (Romans 14:12).
Would you agree that we are accountable to someone for our actions?
- We are accountable to our teachers in school.
- We are accountable to our boss.
- We are accountable to our government.
- We are accountable to take care of our elderly parents.
- We hope there is some kind of accountability in the afterlife for the crimes of people like Adolf Hitler, Osama bin Laden and ISIS!
- Now if you and I were created and understand the value of accountability, shouldn’t we expect to be accountable in some way to our Creator as well?
(Let me illustrate this point in this way)
Do you agree that the greater our offense the greater the consequences for our actions?
- For example, if a man is digging in his yard and in the course of swinging his shovel he injures a: worm, bird, dog, passing pedestrian…”
- Do you think it is possible that we are more accountable to our Creator than we even realize?
PLANK TWO: I don’t measure up.
GOAL: Help non-believers surface the truth that our problem is not just that we cannot measure up to God’s standards according to the Bible (Isaiah 64:6; Matt. 5:48; Jas. 2:10). Our own experience teaches us also that sometimes we can’t even measure up to our own standards.
- For example, it bothers me that I am not a better ______________ to my (children/brother/sister) or a better __________ to my spouse (parents).
- Now many of us feel this sense of alienation because of this separation from our Creator, but some of us may try to bring about greater reconciliation by doing good things to make up for our short comings.
- The problem is that no matter how much good we do…it is still not going to make a difference. Let me explain what I mean by this by giving an illustration.
Illustration: Suppose you have done something to hurt your spouse, significant other, or good friend deeply. How can I reconcile with them? Can I do something very nice and sacrificial for their parents that will bring about a restored relationship? If not why would we think that by doing good things for others that somehow that will help us in our relationship with our Creator?
PLANK THREE: I am a sinner.
GOAL: Help non-believers surface the truth that we are sinners (Romans 3:23).
- We know that people like Mother Teresa and Gandhi did some good things in their life. But we know others who did some real evil things.
- But I’ll be honest with you…it’s not just the evil in other people that bothers me. The evil in my own life bothers me as well.
- In fact, you don’t’ have to look in the Bible to see what God says about me…just ask my _________(spouse, parent, best friend).
- I’ve noticed it’s easy in my own life to minimize the consequences for my poor choices.
- The fact is I don’t see sin the way God sees it.
- Sometimes our actions have greater consequences than we think!
Water and sewage illustration: If I place 3 glasses of clean water in front of you; in the 1st one put one drop of raw sewage, in the 2nd one I put 2 drops of raw sewage, and in the 3rd one I put 3, which one do you think you would drink?
- Do you see how something can seem so small but in reality still have a huge impact? That’s how we look at our sins, we see it as small but unfortunately to God it has a huge impact.
- Would you agree that our sins could cause a bigger barrier than we think?
- Have you ever done something that you hope no one will ever find out about?
- The Bible teaches that our rebellion against God has caused a separation between God and us. (Rom. 6:23)
- Now if our sins have to be judged, and we are not capable of changing our situation, what can we do?
Answer: We need to turn to an outside source (This then allows us to focus on Jesus)
PLANK FOUR: I need help from an outside source.
GOAL: Help non-believers surface the truth that we need an outside source for help to deal with the sin in our own life. (Romans 7:19, 24; Matt. 5:48; Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5
Confucius taught that “He who offends Heaven has none whom he can pray to.” (Analects of Confucius 3:13). This means that when we offend heaven, there is nothing we can do. That is why we need an ‘outside source for help’ if we sin against our Creator.
Illustration: Cleaning a dirty table?
(Here we help them to see the general principle of how cleaning anything dirty requires something clean.)
- Why do you use a clean cloth to clean a dirty table?
- Would you agree that a dirty thing cannot clean itself?
(When they say “by using a clean cloth‟, by asking above question you are helping them to see the need for a Holy One to make us clean.)
- Would you agree that the only person who can clean away our sins must be perfectly clean himself?
- Did you know that Jesus was the only person in history who claimed to be able to forgive sins and at the same time lived a sinless life Himself?
PLANK FIVE: I need what only Jesus can provide.
GOAL: Help non-believer surface the truth that there is no one like Jesus. (Jn. 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Tim. 2:5).
- Not only was Jesus unique in living a sinless life, he also gave evidence that He had power over death. Do you know how he did this?
Answer: By rising from the dead
- Do you know any other person in history like Jesus who died, and came back to life and gave sufficient evidence as to what is on the other side?
- Do you know why it is so important for Christians that Jesus actually rose from the dead? (Rom. 8:11)
Answer:
Because that same power that rose Jesus from the dead is available for me to live a transformed life!
Because of Jesus’ power in my life, I can be a better ______________ to my (children/brother/sister) and a better __________ to my spouse (parents).
- If I have a huge debt which I am unable to pay and my creditor says “don’t pay it. I’ll give up my claim…I forgive your debt.” I got it for free, but is it free for my creditor?
- Would you agree that the one who forgives pays the cost?
- So when God forgives who pays the cost?
- Did God pay the cost for us for the forgiveness of our sins?
- Did you know that Jesus paid that cost for our sins when he died on the cross!
* Invite them to take a step of faith and trust in Christ!
I commit on this day to seek and develop pre-evangelistic relationships with the following three people:
________________________ _______________________ ______________________
Condensed Conversational Evangelism Model
Learn – their story
Invest – time in them
Search – for gaps (in beliefs)
Throw light – (on conversation) by clarifying beliefs
Expose gaps – by surfacing uncertainty (in beliefs)
Navigate – by using the 3 D’s (doubt, defensiveness, desire)