Begins with Prayer - Leader Guide -

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1 Going Public with Your Faith Begins with Prayer - Leader Guide - Week 1, Week of August Series Notes THIS IS IMPORTANT FINE PRINT! 1. The book is specifically written for cultivating relationships and sharing Christ in the work place. Because so many of the Westwood family are students, homemakers or even unemployed, we have tried to broaden the scope of these lessons because many of the principles apply to other environments as well. 2. Key Components - The Westwood Curriculum Team believes that the series will be most effective with the following elements fully utilized: a. Discussion - A group time that is heavily dependent on discussion and interaction. Our belief is that the lesson is as much (or more) about motivating people to obey God s word as it is about teaching God s Word. Believers already know more than we do. Some Biblical background is provided in the Teacher s Study Section, but please don t cover all of this at the expense of group member interaction. b. Daily homework (supplied each week) for continued involvement with the study. This will be delivered electronically to each person who signs up for the e-list, but also in written form as needed. c. Individual Reading Books are available in The Source for $10 to group members. d. Sermons Although each lesson doesn t exactly align with the sermon, overall they are very complimentary. Please encourage your group members to attend worship. e. The Big Challenge - We want group members to leave the lesson with a Big Challenge of the week. It isn t enough just to learn, we want members to do something with each lesson. 3. This teaching guide and the student handouts will be available online at WestwoodGroups.com at least one week in advance. ABS Teachers will receive a copy in your class box each week as well. Lesson 1 Purpose The purpose of week 1 is two-fold: a. Introduce the six-week study to the group. b. Focus on the fact that effective evangelism efforts begin with prayer. The climax and challenge of the lesson is for people to make a list of three people for whom they will pray for the next six weeks. We believe that determining these people in the beginning will bring an urgency and reality to all the remaining lessons. This does not necessarily have to happen by the end of the group session.

2 Scripture Focus of the Lesson Bible Passages 2 Corinthians 5:18, 20 (18) God reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation (20) We are therefore Christ s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. John 15:5 "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. John 4:35, (35) open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. (37) Thus the saying 'One sows and another reaps' is true. (38) I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor." Leaders To-Do List Encourage your group to go to ewestwood.org/groups for prayer ideas and to sign up for the weekly homework assignments. Each person will make a list of three people for whom they will pray daily for the next six weeks. Place emphasis on the Pray for Yourself and the Pray for Others lists that will be provided for the class in the Student Sheet. Emphasize the homework that will be provided on a weekly basis. Leader Preparation Section Key Points from the Text Book In this study, we will explore the ways to and ways not to share our faith. It is important to address that both Christians and Non Christians dislike evangelism. (Quote from the authors.) Some other key points to address from the introduction: People today are much more willing to hear about eternal life from a friend than they are a total stranger. The greatest privilege in the world being part of someone s journey to Jesus can begin with something as simple as having a cup of coffee with a colleague, listening compassionately when a customer shares why she s had a rough week, or doing something beyond the call of duty for a boss or employee who s under stress. (bottom of page 14) You will also discover that, although you play an important role, it is ultimately God who is at work behind the scenes to create opportunities for meaningful discussions about spiritual topics. Our job as God s representatives is not to try to start a fire in the rain but to discover where he is already at work and to pour fuel on that fire. (page 15) The authors suggest evangelism is a process that includes four phases from our perspective. They include Cultivating earning trust and the right to be heard; Planting sharing the truth of the Gospel; Harvesting leading one to faith in Christ; Multiplying helping them grow in Christ and reproduce.

3 Most evangelism studies begin in the planting phase but overlook the fact that most of the time, prayer, energy and struggle occur in the cultivation phase. Big Ideas of the book: 1. The workplace is the most strategic place of Kingdom influence for most Christians. 2. Evangelism is a process, not an event. 3. Our job in evangelism is to discover where God is already at work in people's lives and join him there. 4. Being a person of spiritual influence is every Christian's calling, not just the responsibility of a gifted few. 5. The battle of the will within a person s heart can delay his or her salvation for months or years. This is God s battle, not ours. We must pray consistently for those with whom we feel led to share our faith. The book, in Chapter 12, focuses on the critical element of prayer in the process of evangelism. Oftentimes, as we try to evangelize, we see our target audience more as a project than people who need to know about Christ. Other key points from this chapter: The battle of the will within a person s heart can delay their salvation for months, even years. This is God s battle, not ours. Fundamentally, the human will, apart from God s help, is unable to respond to Jesus, who declared in John 6:44 that, No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. Evangelism is a process-sometimes a long process--that depends more on prayer than anything else we do. The goals shift from the cultivating and planting phases to the harvesting phase. In the first two phases, the goal is to win the other s trust. The goal in the harvesting phase of the process is have the person decide to put their trust in Jesus Himself. Prayer was essential in the early church and is just as essential in the present church. In the student guides, there is a chart that focuses on praying for ourselves and praying for others. It is an important fixture of the teaching on prayer. Please take some time to go over this with your group. Key Points from the Scripture All of this content will not necessarily be shared in the teaching procedures, but certainly you will want to share any of this that you believe will make your session meaningful. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5 In John 15:5, Jesus is providing some of the final lessons prior to the Last Supper. In this particular verse, he impresses upon his disciples where the true power comes from, Christ. As with any plant, the branches of a vine must be connected to the main vine or else they will lose valuable nutrients, support and essentially life. Christ tells us in this verse that apart from him, we can do nothing. In order for us to effectively reach out to those in our workplace, we must remember this key point. It is important to note the comparison in the verse. Jesus begins the verse stating the relationship we are to have with him. He follows this by stating an if-then statement. IF we remain or abide in Christ and he abides in us, we will bear much fruit. Essentially, if we abide in Christ through a personal relationship, our relationship with Christ produces "the fruit of the Spirit," found in Gal 5:22. In contrast, Christ says apart from Him, we can do nothing. Some key points to remember when considering the effects of not abiding in or being apart from Christ: I can do nothing of any spiritual value without Him including evangelism. Why would I try to witness to others without Him?

4 Is it possible I might seek glory in my flesh, and cause someone else to glory in me? (18) God reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation (20) We are therefore Christ s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. 2 Corinthians 5:18, 20 Christ knew no sin. He was made Sin; not a sinner, but Sin, a Sin-offering, a Sacrifice for sin. The end and design of this was that we might be made the righteousness of God in him and might be justified freely by the grace of God through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus. Through this reconciliation, we are to be ambassadors. Some key attributes of ambassadors: Ambassador translated to mean friendly vs. hostile Would be commissioned by the king. o You have been chosen by the King to carry His message. o You have been reconciled! Lives in a foreign land. o Philippians 3:20 o 1 Peter 2:11 Speaks for his own country o We are not in our home country once we give our lives to Christ. We speak for the Kingdom of God as Christians. o Romans 10:13-15 o Romans 15:18 Represents own country in the eyes of the foreign people. o The honor of Christ and the Church are in our hands. o People are making judgments about Christianity based on our actions. (35) open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. (37) Thus the saying 'One sows and another reaps' is true. (38) I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor." John 4:35, Christ uses a metaphor of farming to help his followers understand the necessity for sharing their faith. Christ tells his disciples to take diligence in their work and that they were workers with him, and therefore should be workers like him. The work they had to do was to preach the gospel, and to set up the kingdom of the Messiah. The author draws a parallel to harvest work and Gospel work. The harvest is appointed and expected; so was the gospel. Harvest time is a busy time; all hands must be then at work: everyone must work for himself, that he may reap of the graces and comforts of the gospel: ministers must work for God, to gather in souls to him. Harvest time is opportunity, a short and limited time, which will not last always; and harvest work is work that must be done then or not at all; so the time of the enjoyment of the gospel is a particular season, which must be improved for its proper purposes; for, once past, it cannot be recalled. The disciples were to gather in a harvest of souls for Christ. Like the disciples, we are to take to the fields and work with Christ in the field.

5 Group Session Guide Starting Point OPTION 1 (Creative Method): Use one of the Possible Teaching Applications (The Vine or Salt) located at the end. Either would make a great object lesson for an intriguing introduction to the lesson and the study. OPTION 2 (Question Method) Use the following questions to create interest and introduce the study. 1. Contrary to popular belief, many surveys reveal that people are more interested in spiritual matters than in the past. They just aren t turning to the church for answers. - Why do you think this is true? - How does this affect the way a church can impact its community with the gospel? 2. Do you think God is serious about his plan to use us humans to share the gospel with a lost world? Why would He give such an important task to people with issues such as each of us? Scripture REVIEW OF PASSAGES Read through the verses printed on the student guide and share any insights from your study. (Be careful to allow time for group discussion and to not spend the entire group time here.) We printed them so that all group members would read from the same translation and so that some could be abbreviated. DISCUSS THE PASSAGES 1) How do you think these particular verses apply to our call to bring the Gospel to the world? 2) How often do you pray for those Christ has put in your life to share your faith with? Without praying for yourself and praying for those with which you are sharing your faith, how successful or fruitful do you think your efforts will be?

6 Truths to Remember Invite students to fill-in-the-blanks on their Student Sheet as you explain each statement. What we say about God to people is only as EFFECTIVE as what we say about people to God. Prayer is the critical element in the process of evangelism. We can only do Kingdom Things if we are living under and with the King. Separated from Christ, we tend to make evangelism about our own efforts and they become a project of ours rather than a rescue mission of God s. People don t often share the gospel by accident. We need an INTENTIONAL process, and the best place to begin is a commitment to pray. Mark 6:46 is only one of many verses referencing the prayer life of Christ. If you read the passages before the miracles and preaching of Christ, it usually mentions Christ taking time to be with His Father. Christ went to the mountain to pray for the people God was leading to Him to minister to. We should follow this example and pray intentionally and consistently for those we are looking to share our faith with. We need to not only pray for those that we are called to witness to, but also for ourselves. Reference the Pray for Others, Pray for Ourselves section of the study. Our prayers for others should also include prayer for ourselves--that our lives would be lived in such a way that a relationship with Christ is ATTRACTIVE. In praying for ourselves, we need to ask for God s help in making not only our words our witness, but more importantly our lives. DC Talk had a quote they used before the Song What if I Stumble that stated: The leading cause of atheism today are Christians who acknowledge Christ with their lips, yet deny Him with their actions. The lives of the apostles after Pentecost drew people to the church, not just their words. 1 Corinthians 8:13 says, Therefore, if [my eating a] food is a cause of my brother s falling or of hindering [his spiritual advancement], I will not eat [such] flesh forever, lest I cause my brother to be tripped up and fall and to be offended. We must be conscientious of how our actions influence others views of Christianity.

7 TOUCH ON THE WAYS TO INCORPORATE PRAYER At this point, just reference this chart. You probably won t have time to read it. Tell the group members that this week they will be using this chart and will become more familiar with it then. Ways to Incorporate Prayer In praying for Ourselves In praying for Others. We would do excellent work to attract the The Father would draw them to Himself (John 6:44) attention of others. (Proverbs 22:29) Our work would glorify God (Matt 5:16) They would seek to know God (Deut. 4:29; Acts 17:27) We would treat people fairly (Col 4:1) They would believe the Bible (Romans 10:17; 1 Thess. 2:13) We would have a good reputation with Satan would be restrained from blinding them to the unbelievers (1 Thessalonians 4:12) truth (Matt 13:19; 2 Cor. 4:4) Others would see Jesus in us (Phil 2: 12-16) The Holy spirit would convict them of sin, righteousness, & judgment (John 16:8-13) Our lives would make our faith attractive (Titus God would send other Christians into their lives to 2:10) influence them toward Jesus (Matt 9:7-28) Our conversations would be wise, sensitive, They would believe in Jesus as their Savior (John 1:12; grace-filled & enticing (Col 4:5-6) 5:24) We would be bold and fearless (Eph 6:19) They would turn from sin (Acts 3:19; 17:30-31) We would be alert to open doors (Col 4:3) They would confess Jesus as Lord (Romans 10: 9-10) We would be able to clearly describe the Gospel They would yield their lives to follow Jesus (Mark 8:24- (Col 4:4) 27) God would expand our influence (1 Chronicles They would take root and grow in Jesus (Colossians 2:6-7) 4:10) They would become a positive influence for Jesus in their realm (2 Tim 2:2) Open Discussion Questions We suggest that you plan your lesson in order to spend at least 15 minutes in discussion. This may be difficult if you normally lecture. But guiding the discussion and leading people toward meaningful change in their lives may be easier through thoughtful discussion. Questions in Student Sheet 1. People today seem more willing to hear about eternal life from a friend than from a total stranger. Do you agree? Why or why not? 2. What things keep us from being willing or able to invest in people spiritually? (IMPORTANT QUESTION: Questions 6 & 7 pick up on this question.) 3. Why is prayer such an important part of evangelism? (It s God s job to win them, we are only responsible for sharing.) In your opinion, is it more important that we pray for the lost person or for ourselves? (no wrong answer)

8 4. Tell about someone (other than your parents) who had a real impact on your decision to follow Christ? How would it feel for that person to hear you talk about that? Additional Questions Not Printed on Student Sheet 5. The author talked about the four phases of evangelism: cultivating, planting, harvesting and multiplying. Can you think of someone who is likely not ready to hear the gospel? Outside of a personal tragedy, how long do you think it would take for their heart to be receptive? What would it take for their heart to be ready to hear the gospel? 6. The greatest challenge to getting involved in others lives is the challenge of living it successfully ourselves. What changes would God have you make to be more fully engaged in being a growing disciple of Jesus Christ? (Make sure to discuss prayer for the lost and developing personal spiritual habits of Bible Study & Prayer.) 7. One of the toughest things about change is that often something else has to go in order to make it happen. It may even be good stuff that must go to make room for better. What things need to change with our use of time to enable us to make those changes God would have us make? (Are we more concerned about a weekly TV series than the eternal destiny of our friends and colleagues?) OPTIONAL CONTENT: If time allows, you may consider using a second teaching application here (see end of lesson). The Big Challenge Ask group members to turn with you on the Student Sheet to The Big Challenge. Invite them to take a minute and list names or initials of people for whom they ll begin to pray. It may be helpful to use initials if there is any chance the person would see their name written here. To a non-believer, that may be offensive during the cultivation stage. Activity from Student Sheet: Impact List Make a list of three people for whom you will pray daily for the next six weeks. These can be friends, neighbors or colleagues with which you can interact on an ongoing basis. List their names or initials here: Encourage group members to use the Ways to Incorporate Prayer. for these people this week.

9 Homework Review Homework Listed on Student Sheet 1. Read chapters 3 and 4 in Going Public with your Faith. 2. Sign up for daily s at ewestwood.org/groups. Daily homework also available in printed form. 3. Begin memorizing Romans 6:23, For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. CLOSING The teaching applications would make a great closing exercise as well if you haven t used them up already! If you used Salt for the opener, you might just remind them to remember to pray for their Impact List every time they see or use salt. Possible Teaching Applications for This Lesson Everyone learns differently. Below are a couple of ideas on how to bring in creative object lessons. Option 1 John 15 The Vine Supplies Needed: A branch from a bush or a vine picked a couple of days before the class or one picked that morning. Teaching Focus Point: Separated from Jesus, we can do nothing. Teaching Process: Hold up the vine picked that day, discuss these points: o If you merely look at it, it still looks rather alive, no obvious detections of the decay process o It s still strong, although not as strong as it could be if it were still connected to the main trunk or vine o Still green or the original color so it looks similar to the other branches connected to the trunk or vine. Hard to tell a difference Hold up the vine picked from a time earlier, discuss these points: o Usually becomes deadened, not as strong as it was when it was connected to the main vine o Not as pleasing to the eye, obvious decay o If you see a branch or vine like this, it is usually headed to the garbage because it has no purpose. End Truth: o Over time, if we are not in consistent, intentional prayer, we will wither much like the older branch or vine. o Although in the beginning, we do not appear to be any different from our other Christian brothers and sisters, without prayer and being disconnected from Christ will manifest decay in our actions, choices, and words. Others will definitely see it. o Christ wants us to be fully connected to Him and the main way we can accomplish this is through prayer.

10 Option 2 Making Your Witness Stand Out Supplies Needed: A canister of Salt or if you could get a bunch of salt packets for the class it would be good. Teaching Focus Point: In Mark 9:50, Jesus speaks of Salt and how we are to be like salt. Teaching Process: Hold up the salt and ask the class to tell you some uses of salt. Write these on a board or piece of paper for the group to see if needed. Salt is such a basic that we rarely consider the ramifications it has in the world. It touches so many things. Let s look at some interesting salt facts: o Salt is a commonly occurring mineral, the technical name of which is sodium chloride. It is the sodium part of salt that is important. The body needs a certain amount of sodium to function properly. o Sodium helps to maintain the concentration of body fluids at correct levels. o It also plays a central role in the transmission of electrical impulses in the nerves and helps cells to take up nutrients. Salt plays an important part in the body s main function in energy conversion-change. o In various ages throughout history, salt was actually more valuable than gold. In fact, it was trade, for gold. o Slaves were traded for salt, which is where we get the aphorism, not worth their weight in salt. o Salt was used to spice and preserve foods. o Exodus, Ezekiel, and Kings present salt as a purifying agent. o Leviticus, Numbers, and Chronicles present it as a sign of God s covenant. o The most important use of salt was as a preservative and hence the most common interpretation of the metaphor is as asserting the duty to preserve the purity of the world. o In the Rabbinic literature of the period, salt was a metaphor for wisdom. o Salt was a minor but essential ingredient in fertilizer, and so a few scholars such as Gundry believe that earth should be translated as soil (i.e. salt of the soil), and hence the metaphor asserts that the audience should help the world grow and prosper. o One interpretation of salt of the earth is that it orders the audience to take part in the world rather than withdraw from it. o Among the ancient Hebrews, salt was used as a preservative, in seasoning food, and in all animal sacrifices. Lev. 2:13; Ezek. 43:24; Mark 9: So essential was it to the sacrificial ordinance that it was the symbol of the covenant made between God and His people in connection with that sacred performance. Lev. 2:13; Num. 18:19; 2 Chron. 13:5. Key Lesson Point: We are to stand out in our workplace. o Christ says we are to be the Salt of the earth. o We are not to be bland and blend in with everything. o Our lives should be different and bring glory to Christ. Encourage the class to take home their salt packets if you provided it or to at least remember this particular part of the lesson when they reach for the salt next time.