Evangelism to Decided
When someone is ready to decide, how do you present the gospel? This session covers two types of gospel presentations and the role of media in helping someone follow Jesus.
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About
The vision of Ozark Christian College is to glorify God by evangelizing the lost and edifying Christians worldwide. The mission of Ozark Christian College is to train men and women for Christian service as a degree-granting institution of biblical higher education.
Classroom Instructions
Lesson
Discussion: 1.) What are the two types of gospel presentations given in the video? What would be some of the strengths and weaknesses of each type? Have you had any experience with each type? What was that like? 2.) The video also discussed the role of media in helping someone decide to follow Jesus. Spend some time talking about what kind of media (movies, shows, podcasts, books, music, etc.) you would recommend to someone interested in learning more about Jesus? What are some resources that you wouldn’t recommend? 3.) What were the three core pieces of the gospel? Do you agree or disagree with that idea? What might be lost if one or more of those pieces were missing? 4.) Activity - Case Studies
Read over the three case studies below, then answer these questions: 1.) Where would you put each person on the spiritual spectrum? 2.) What practical things would you do to help each person come closer to Christ? JIM You and Jim have become close friends and frequently spend weekends working on various house projects or spending time watching movies together. Jim and his wife attended church for the first time last Sunday. It’s been a long road. In the months since you started having Jim and his wife over for dinner, you’ve seen their relationship begin to change for the better, even though they still have their occasional outbursts. You asked them if they’d be interested in joining a couples' Bible study your friend hosted, which opened the door to a number of conversations about faith, relationships, and marriage. They now feel like they are part of the group, and are always there for birthday and holiday parties. Recently, after a long night of talking on the back porch, Jim said that he’s been praying on his own and has felt a deep peace that he’s never known before. He asks how you became a Christian and what it means to be a follower of him.
RICK In the three years that you’ve worked with Rick, you’ve gotten to know him on a much deeper level. After you found out he is a huge fan of the St. Louis Cardinals, you began talking about baseball as often as you could, since it is one of his favorite topics. Over time, you started attending games together and chatting about the team, the season, and the latest developments. During one of the many long trips to St. Louis, Rick slowly began to open up about his past. His parents divorced when he was eight years old after it was discovered that his dad was having multiple affairs. To make matters worse, his dad was an elder at the local church, and so for Rick, the duplicity of his dad’s morality and the teachings of Christianity have always been tied together. Though he still cannot bring himself to admit it, he blames God for what happened to his family, and his anger is what has caused him to be so hostile to Christianity in the past. Rick has had a few serious relationships over the years, but has never married because of his deep trust issues. You’ve taken the time to listen and process these feelings with Rick, and it has led to multiple spiritual conversations. You’ve even given Rick a couple of podcasts about Christianity to listen to, and he’s received them well. You sense that Rick is beginning to find healing from his deep and lasting pain. SUSAN Susan has seen significant spiritual growth in the last six months. After inviting her to be a part of a young mom’s brunch group that meets every other week, Susan began to feel like part of the community. She soon realized that almost everyone in the group goes to the same church, and so felt comfortable coming along with you to a few of the outreach events centered around the holidays. She said she enjoys the community there, and started attending on Sundays, even going to the parents’ Bible study that meets before the main worship service. She mentioned that she’s been reading the Bible on her own and always has questions about what she’s reading. But things changed a few weeks ago. Susan went to her mom’s house for Christmas, and while she was there, her mom found out that she’s been going back to church. This led to a huge argument. Her mom accused her of betraying her and caring more about “religious nonsense” than about her own family. Since then, Susan has been distant and has always made excuses for not attending church or other group gatherings. 6.) Pray: Spend some time praying for people all around the world who don’t know Christ. Ask that God would introduce people in your life who need to know him.
Evangelism to Decided Instructions
Lesson
Discussion: 1.) What are the two types of gospel presentations given in the video? What would be some of the strengths and weaknesses of each type? Have you had any experience with each type? What was that like? 2.) The video also discussed the role of media in helping someone decide to follow Jesus. Spend some time talking about what kind of media (movies, shows, podcasts, books, music, etc.) you would recommend to someone interested in learning more about Jesus? What are some resources that you wouldn’t recommend? 3.) What were the three core pieces of the gospel? Do you agree or disagree with that idea? What might be lost if one or more of those pieces were missing? 4.) Activity - Case Studies
Read over the three case studies below, then answer these questions: 1.) Where would you put each person on the spiritual spectrum? 2.) What practical things would you do to help each person come closer to Christ? JIM You and Jim have become close friends and frequently spend weekends working on various house projects or spending time watching movies together. Jim and his wife attended church for the first time last Sunday. It’s been a long road. In the months since you started having Jim and his wife over for dinner, you’ve seen their relationship begin to change for the better, even though they still have their occasional outbursts. You asked them if they’d be interested in joining a couples' Bible study your friend hosted, which opened the door to a number of conversations about faith, relationships, and marriage. They now feel like they are part of the group, and are always there for birthday and holiday parties. Recently, after a long night of talking on the back porch, Jim said that he’s been praying on his own and has felt a deep peace that he’s never known before. He asks how you became a Christian and what it means to be a follower of him.
RICK In the three years that you’ve worked with Rick, you’ve gotten to know him on a much deeper level. After you found out he is a huge fan of the St. Louis Cardinals, you began talking about baseball as often as you could, since it is one of his favorite topics. Over time, you started attending games together and chatting about the team, the season, and the latest developments. During one of the many long trips to St. Louis, Rick slowly began to open up about his past. His parents divorced when he was eight years old after it was discovered that his dad was having multiple affairs. To make matters worse, his dad was an elder at the local church, and so for Rick, the duplicity of his dad’s morality and the teachings of Christianity have always been tied together. Though he still cannot bring himself to admit it, he blames God for what happened to his family, and his anger is what has caused him to be so hostile to Christianity in the past. Rick has had a few serious relationships over the years, but has never married because of his deep trust issues. You’ve taken the time to listen and process these feelings with Rick, and it has led to multiple spiritual conversations. You’ve even given Rick a couple of podcasts about Christianity to listen to, and he’s received them well. You sense that Rick is beginning to find healing from his deep and lasting pain. SUSAN Susan has seen significant spiritual growth in the last six months. After inviting her to be a part of a young mom’s brunch group that meets every other week, Susan began to feel like part of the community. She soon realized that almost everyone in the group goes to the same church, and so felt comfortable coming along with you to a few of the outreach events centered around the holidays. She said she enjoys the community there, and started attending on Sundays, even going to the parents’ Bible study that meets before the main worship service. She mentioned that she’s been reading the Bible on her own and always has questions about what she’s reading. But things changed a few weeks ago. Susan went to her mom’s house for Christmas, and while she was there, her mom found out that she’s been going back to church. This led to a huge argument. Her mom accused her of betraying her and caring more about “religious nonsense” than about her own family. Since then, Susan has been distant and has always made excuses for not attending church or other group gatherings. 6.) Pray: Spend some time praying for people all around the world who don’t know Christ. Ask that God would introduce people in your life who need to know him.