| A Heart To Share Jesus
WITNESSING: Living the Christian life, sharing the Gospel, and trusting God for results.
God has called every Christian to witness by:
- the way we live
- our attitude towards others
- the choices we make
- the commitment we have to live for Jesus
- and to actually tell about Jesus
God has created the OPPORTUNITY, its a matter of being obedient.
4 major reasons why we don't witness:
- fear of rejection
- fear of not knowing enough
- fear of offending
- fear of persecution
When God provides an opportunity and we say "no" because of fear, it is a SIN.
1 Peter 3:15 -- "But sanctify in your hearts Christ as Lord: [being] ready always to give answers to every man that asks you a reason concerning the hope that is in you, yet with meekness and fear."
There is NO middle ground--
Either you:
- follow God, or Satan
- are in right relationship with God, or not
- are born again or not
- are God's child or enemy
5 Keys To Over Come Fear
- passion - there is a difference between loving to reach lost people and loving lost people.
- prayer - witnessing requires supernatural work.
- partnership - must be in relationship with God.
- power - the Holy Spirit does the work. (Acts 1:7-8)
- preparation - pray that when fear comes your going to be able to respond.
ANY Conversation can be changed into an opportunity to share Jesus.
In 3 minutes you should be able to tell:
- what your life was like before Jesus
- how you can become a Christian
- and tell the difference God made in your life
*asking questions help you avoid talking more than you listening.
5 Questions - after each one, listen to their response and continue--
- do you have any spiritual belief?
- to you, who is Jesus?
- do you believe in Heaven and Hell?
- If you died where would you go?
- If what you believed were not true, would you want to know?
At this point if they answer:
Yes: proceed. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you as you use the five verses to guide them.
No: Stop.
LET THE BIBLE SPEAK:
- you will need to make these key verses in a small New Testament
- you will ask them to read it out loud from your Bible
Two common negative remarks:
- there are many errors in the bible: ask them to show you where the errors are. they won't find any, so they'll most likely give up.
- there are many translations of scripture, how do you know which one's right?: all translations are right. some are made different to make it easier to understand.
Goals:
- the lost person is doing the reading out loud
- the lost person is doing the talking
- the Holy Ghost is doing the convincing
- God's word will bring conviction
7 KEY VERSES: (highlight them in your Bible)
- Romans 3:23
- Romans 6:23
- John 3:3
- John 14:6
- Romans 10:9-11
- 2 Corinthians 5:15
- Revelation 3:20
MAKE SURE YOU ASK: What do these verses mean to you??
THE BIG CLOSE:
- are you a sinner?
- do you want forgiveness from your sins?
- do you believe that Jesus died on the cross for you and rose again?
- are you willing to surrender your life to Christ?
- are you ready to invite Jesus into your life and into your heart?
**20 seconds of silence feels like 10 minutes, but its important not to rush, ramble, or quit. In the silent times, the Holy Spirit to speak to them as you pray silently.
If they answer yes--
pray something like this, "Father God, I have sinned against you. I want forgiveness for all my sins. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for me and rose again. I give you my life to do with as you wish. I want Jesus to come into my life and into my heart. I ask this in Jesus name. Amen."
** Make sure they know it is crucial to get in relationship with other Christians. Invite them to church.
If they answer no--
It is important to ask why they have decided to reject Christ.
- they may not be ready yet.
- they may be afraid.
- they may think there are too many hypocrites in the church.
- they may not want to give up their "fun" lifestyle.
- they may say I'm not good enough.
REMEMBER:
You didn't fail. They didn't reject you, but Jesus.
(to save entry's, I combined this with my school ideas)
SCHOOL IDEAS:
BIGGEST & MOST POPULAR:
FCA/FCS (Fellowship of Christian Athletes/Students)
FCA/FCS is a group of Christian students that meet one day of the week either before school or after school. Its up to you and your group on what you do, you could either invite a youth pastor/leader to talk to you guys about some things God's put on his/her or the students hearts or just talk amongst yourself to see what God's telling each other.
EXAMPLE: Thursday at 7:10a.m. we meet in a room, whether it be the an English room or the gym, and my youth pastors/youth leaders come and talk to us. They usually rotate so we don't see the same person every week. Depending on the leader, they talk about different things from your relationship with God to grades in school. We usually end with a prayer lead by the leader, and go to class. ITS AN AWESOME WAY TO START THE DAY OFF!!
PRAYER GROUP:
You, my friend, are a tool of God. You have been placed in your school for a reason, take advantage of it! How many of you usually get to school late? That's me! Well, what about waking up 45 minutes earlier, getting ready, and heading to school around 7:20? That gives you approx. 30 minutes (depending on your schedules) of free time. What can you be doing? Find 3+ people and start walking around your school praying. "God, I ask that you position me to hear your plans for me and this school. Use me as your tool to change my school, Lord."
WHAT IF YOU CAN'T WALK AROUND? I know at my school we have to stay in this one hallway and in the cafeteria. WELL, why not do it there? Walk around the room, praying, or up and down that hall. I'm sure people will question you, but maybe someone's curiosity will lead to salvation. You never know until you try. What if someone laughs/jokes/etc. Let them be. Denying your Father will only deny you a ticket to Heaven.
30 SECOND KNEEL DOWN:
Every time you go to your locker, pray for God to change your school. Kneeling down attracts attention? EXACTLY! You want people to ask what the heck you're doing! Again, curiosity may lead to salvation.
QUOTES:
"God has more planned for you on earth, than in Heaven."
Get ta-working.
"If someone asks you your talent, it takes you at least 10 seconds to come up with one; if someone asks you your faults, you can think of them faster than you can talk."
Is there something wrong with that?
"Fix your eyes on Jesus. NEVER take your eyes off of him. You're going to mess up.. but keep living for Him."
Preach it, brother.
"People find emotion in sin, and hold onto it; therefore sin becomes our mind passion and it overtakes Jesus becoming our heart passion. Let it go."
Emotion isn't everything.
"People do what the Bible says because its God's word, and we love Him and understand him as an authority over our lives."
Get in your word.
"People who think they have to punch a 'timecard' when they read their bibles or pray are doing it for the wrong reasons."
It doesn't matter how long you pray/read your bible. As long as you feel content with the way you're spending your time. Although it is necessary for a good relationship with good.
"Start something epic."
Epic - heroic, grand, majestic, historical events.
"God chose us to live RIGHT NOW for a reason."
Have you ever wondered why you weren't born 100 years ago?
"You can't reach for the stars if you don't have a foundation."
You can't jump if you don't have anything to jump off of. lol.
Things that HOLD you BACK from God:
1. HONESTY: is not telling the whole truth lying?
2. HUMILITY/PRIDE: God resists the prideful(Prov. 15:33)
3. WORRY: God takes care of EVERYTHING(Matt. 6:25)
4. MODEST DRESS: its all about fitting in your culture.
5. UN FORGIVENESS: Always give forgiveness.
6. ENVY: God made us different for reasons.
3 Popular groups targeted:
1. Family
2. Ministers
3. Teenagers
3 Levels of attack:
1. Seasonal
2. Common
3. Hour of testing
REVO-TIME!:
1. You're going to screw up. Get over it.
2. Relationships > Rules/Regulations.
I love you guys!
God bless,
Kim
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