Wednesday, May 13, 2009

May 13, 2009

John 4 has one of the first and best examples of personal evangelism. Witness how to witness!

In Acts 1:8, the last words of Jesus before He left Planet Earth were “…..you shall be my witnesses….”

You see, the issue for every Christian is not, “Will you be a witness?” The issue is, “What sort of witness are you?”

Since your actions, words and attitudes are witnessing every day to the people you work around, live around, do business with, or play around, God thinks it is important to get it right. Your witness is either drawing people closer to believing in Christ or driving them further away from faith.

Wouldn’t you like to learn how to turn your witness into evangelism opportunities? Since you will be witnessing anyway, why not learn to make it count for the Kingdom of God?

In the Scripture lesson today, you will pick up some tips from the Master Evangelist, Himself. Learn these and live these and you, too, can become a soul-winner!

Pray For Lost People

Prayerfully take the time to sit down and write the names of five lost people you long to see come to faith in Christ. Pray for their salvation every day.

My Target List

______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________

Claim Their Salvation:

Pray according to I John 5:13-15 –

Pray according to II Peter 3:9 –

Pray For Divine Appointments

Ask God to arrange opportunities to have meaningful encounters with lost people that day. Expect Him to do it!

Then, learn from Jesus in John 4:

Be Intentional, John 4:1-5

Jesus went way out of his way to end up in a little town in Samaria.

Why was this unusual?

What did He have in mind?

Be Strategic, John 4:6

Jesus knew that respectable people, church-going folks, came to draw water in the morning and in the evening. Only outcasts came to the well in the heat of the day.

Why do you suppose Jesus wanted to be there at the hottest part of the day?

If you want to reach lost people, should you wait and pray that they come to you or should you develop a strategy to be where they are?

Be Inconvenienced, John 4:6

Jesus walked out of his way to sit in the hot sun and wait around for a thirsty person to show up.

Ask, “When was the last time I made time to connect with an unsaved person?”

Be Engaging, John 4:7-15

Discuss ways that Jesus engaged this woman in a conversation. What was the result? What are some keys to engaging others in a spiritual conversation?

Be Transparent, John 4:9-15

Be willing to share your testimony. Talk about how your faith has helped you in your real life battles.

Write out your testimony into a two or three minute presentation and memorize it show you are ready to share.

Be Graciously Bold, John 4:16-26

Jesus lovingly confronted her with her need for salvation and didn’t allow her objections to throw Him off track. He showed her how she could find peace and joy in her life.

Know a step-by-step soul-winning plan so you are prepared to lead someone to faith in Christ. Ask Pastor Brad or any of the pastors to help you with this.

Don’t force the opportunity to present the Gospel, but be politely persistent with them, as Jesus was with this woman. If they continue to resist, graciously thank them and tell them how much you enjoyed spending this time with them. Let them know you always welcome the chance to talk about spiritual issues.

Continue to pray for their salvation.

This story had a happy ending. This dear woman put her faith in Christ and was so transformed by Him that she became a witness to her entire village! Because of her witness many others believed.

Not all of Jesus’ encounters had happy endings. Neither will yours. But He was always a good witness and He always worked these eight steps into His daily routine.

Will you be willing to become a better witness?

You can incorporate these steps into your daily routine without seriously changing your schedule. Why wouldn’t you do this?

When will you begin?