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1 Make Your Life Count Tell Week beginning Nov. 25, 2013 Lee Strobel is the well-known author of several books, including The Case for Christ and The Case for Faith. But, Lee Strobel did not grow up going to church or believing in God. In fact, his faith journey started as a way to disprove his wife s faith. Shortly after they were married, Strobel was horrified to find out that his wife had become a Christian. Strobel spent the first part of his career as an investigative journalist for The Chicago Tribune, which led to his analytical approach to putting Christianity under the microscope. Recounting the process, Strobel remarks, Some people are more experimental they like to experience things but because I come from a law background, a legal background and a journalism background, I tend to respond to facts and evidence. My way of processing my spiritual journey was to ask the question Is there any evidence that supports Christianity being true? The nearly two-year process led him to the conclusion that the evidence overwhelmingly supports Christianity as truth. His investigation led to a new-found faith of his own and a personal relationship with God. Strobel continues to use his knowledge and experiences to help educate people about Christianity. In a recent article in Outreach Magazine Words and actions are like two wings of an airplane, and you won t catch flight in witness with just one or the other. -James Choung called What s Trending in Apologetics Today, Strobel explained that our culture of skepticism is the perfect backdrop to an honest and open conversation about Christianity. So many people who are not Christians are only one question away from faith. They ve got a question that s a hang-up. It s an issue that s bothered them, an objection. And once we can help them find an answer to that, they make huge progress in their spiritual journey. According to census and research data, it is estimated that over 450,000 people in the greater Toledo area do not know Jesus. Let that number sink in. It should upset you. It should motivate you. People you come in contact with on a daily basis, right now, do not have a relationship with God and are eternally destined to be separated from Him. God wants to be in a relationship with each and every person He created. And, His plan to reach the lost includes you! If you have been around the Creek for any length of time, you ve probably heard the teaching pastors speak about the Great Commission, found in Matthew 28:19. It was one of Jesus last commands to his disciples while on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. This command is for the Church! This week we will focus on telling people the good news about Jesus. There are at least four ways we can do this. Inviting, serving, explaining the Gospel and planting new churches are all effective ways to tell people about Jesus. We hope you ll be challenged and stretched this week. And, also, that God will use this study to help you bring others to faith in Christ! THIS WEEK S STUDY WILL FOCUS ON SOME EFFECTIVE WAYS TO TELL OTHERS ABOUT JESUS CHRIST.

2 Living It Out: Daily Bible Reading Plan November 25 Ezekiel 22:1-24:27/Revelation 2: Daily Bible Study MONDAY Tell People the Good News of Jesus Christ by Inviting Them to Church Big Point: God may be calling you to change another human s destiny. I don t know about you, but I have been burned by critics more times than I care to remember. Film critics. Food critics. Literary critics. Such individuals are Christians seem to really love professionals that dispense advice about evangelism as long as topics on which they are experts. But, I m someone else is doing it. just a regular Joe who wants to see a good movie, enjoy a tasty meal or read an entertaining book. I don t know the critics -Ed Stetzer and they don t know me. However, if a friend of mine tells me, You have to see this movie. I laughed till I cried, I had the best meal at this restaurant or This book changed my life, I am more apt to listen to him because he knows me and I trust him. The same is true of our faith. You don t have to be an expert theologian to tell someone what a difference following Christ has made in your life. Take the lady in the Bible that Christ talked to at a well, for instance. After a conversation with him, she was so impressed by what he said that she ran back to her village to tell her friends and family about him. She didn t need to go to seminary first. Neither do we. We are surrounded by family members, friends and co-workers whose interest in God could be piqued or deepened through our experiences. We might relay to them a passage of scripture that deeply affected us or a struggle that God carried us through. People may be interested in what we tell them about our church and would respond to an invitation to attend. Our job is not to badger a person into accepting an invitation to church or coming to faith in Christ. We simply tell them about Christ or invite them to church. God will handle it from there. We may never know, in this life, how such a simple gesture changed another person s destiny for eternity. READ and THINK What does the Bible say? 1. Jesus, a Jew, committed a social faux pas by speaking to a woman from Samaria, a sect of people with whom Jews avoided contact. He engaged her in a deep and meaningful conversation. Question: In the following passage, how would you describe the Samaritan woman s reaction to her encounter with Jesus and her desire to tell her friends about it? And, how did the other Samaritans react to her story? John 4:28-30 (New Living Translation) 28 The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, 29 Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah? 30 So the people came streaming from the village to see him.

3 3 Daily Bible Study 2. Once the Samaritans caught up with Jesus, they asked him to stay with them. So, Jesus stayed and taught the villagers for two days. Question: Why did the other Samaritans say they believed what Jesus had to say? Is there a parallel between their reason for believing and why we might want people to come to church? John 4:42 (New Living Translation) Then they said to the woman, Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard him ourselves. Now we know that he is indeed the Savior of the world. 3. Jesus healed a man who had been blind since birth. The religious leaders of his day were jealous of Christ s popularity and they were trying to find wrongdoing in his act of healing. They tried to corner the man who had been healed and get him to say that Jesus was a sinner. Question: What knowledge or experience did the healed, blind man use to answer the highly educated men who were questioning him? John 9:25 (New Living Translation) I don t know whether [Jesus] is a sinner, the man replied. But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see! LIVE What will you do now? Both the Samaritan woman and the blind man used personal experiences to tell other people about Christ. Can you think of any ways that your relationship with Christ, or a specific passage of scripture, has affected you deeply? Do you think you could write down and memorize this experience so you will be ready to tell another person about it? Write down the name of 2 or 3 people who aren t members of God s family whom you could invite to CedarCreek Church. Make it your goal to pick up one or more of our invite cards and hand deliver it to them this week. PRAY God, what do you want me to know and do? Thank God for all He has done for you and for providing His son to die for your sins. Thank Him for creating a way for you to spend eternity with Him as a part of His family. Ask Him to show you someone who doesn t know about Him and ask Him for the opportunity to tell them why you follow Christ.

4 Living It Out: Daily Bible Reading Plan November 26 Ezekiel 25:1-27:36/Revelation 3:1-6 TUESDAY Tell People the Good News of Jesus Christ by Serving Them Big Point: You are an ambassador of Christ, spreading the good news and doing good deeds so that others may know him. Sometimes actions do really speak louder than words. If you claim to be a follower of Christ, what do your actions say about your faith? How is your integrity? Generally, our words can only hold so much weight before our actions must prove that we can walk the walk. Showing people love and support, especially during difficult times in their lives, goes a long way toward building influence. Serving others, whether practically, spiritually, emotionally or otherwise, encourages and strengthens them. As an ambassador of Christ, you represent him, as well as the love and mission of God. You are a living example of Christ s love for God s children. If your life is selfish and plagued with sin, that is what others will associate with Jesus. If you live a life of service in love and kindness, that is what others will associate with Jesus. It s been said that the number one thing that draws people to Christ are Christians, boldly living out Jesus mission. Also, the number one thing that keeps people away from Christianity is Christians, living out something else. Ghandi (not a Christian but a Hindu) was once asked by a missionary in India, Mr. Gandi, though you quote the words of Christ often, why is it that you appear to so adamantly reject becoming his follower? Gandhi replied, Oh, I don t reject Christ. I love Christ. It s just that so many of you Christians are so unlike Christ (The Knights Templar and the Protestant Reformation, Stanley Jones). Your good deeds allow others to see Christ in you. For example, it s inspiring that 1,416 wonderful Creekers filled out Impact NW Ohio cards this past weekend to serve outside the walls of CedarCreek! The hours people committed to serving our Community totaled up to 6,790 hours per month, which totals to 81,460 hours for Your deeds should open the door for further conversation and help to build influence with those around you. They should show others the character of Christ. READ and THINK What does the Bible say? 1. The ministry of God s reconciliation to us through Christ is our responsibility as ambassadors of Christ. Christ calls us to speak and act on his behalf, serving others in love. Question: As an ambassador of Christ, what message are we called to convey to others? 2 Corinthians 5:20 (New Living Translation) So we are Christ s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, Come back to God! 4 Daily Bible Study Is not the commission of our Lord still binding upon us? Can we not do more than now we are doing? -William Carey

5 5 Daily Bible Study 2. Mankind struggled in ignorance and wickedness, so Christ sent his disciples out, in order that their lives and his doctrine would bless them with knowledge and grace. Question: Letting your good deeds shine may seem like pride, but it is the intent of your heart that matters. Why is it that we should let our good deeds shine to the world? Matthew 5:16 (New Living Translation) In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. 3. In the following passage, the people listening to John the Baptist were convicted of their sin and judgment of others. They asked John what to do. John taught the crowd about their responsibility to one another. He taught them not to expect any mercy from the hand of God while they acted wrongly toward others. Question: What do the actions John suggested below tell us about our duty to one another? Luke 3:11 (New Living Translation) John replied, If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry. LIVE What will you do now? In what ways are you acting out the Word of God? How do your actions toward others illustrate the love of Christ? Integrity is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles, both behind closed doors and when you re in front of others. Is there anything you need to confess to God, bring it into the light, so that He may more clearly shine through your good deeds? PRAY God, what do you want me to know and do? Praise God for the gift of Christ Jesus, which reconciled your relationship to Him. Ask Him for help in serving others for His glory, always acting as Christ s ambassador, full of love and kindness for God s people.

6 Living It Out: Daily Bible Reading Plan November 27 Ezekiel 28:1-30:26/Revelation 3:7-13 Wednesday Tell People the Good News of Jesus Christ by Explaining the Gospel to Them Big Point: Your words are just as important as your actions. Jesus made it abundantly clear that those who follow him are to spread the Good News, and, make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19 NLT). But, how are Christians to go about doing this? In this day and age, sharing the Christian faith can seem intimidating, but thanks to ministry leader and author Robert Crosby, one only needs to remember a simple acronym: F-A-I-T-H. Find someone. God has placed the people in your life for a reason. Choose someone (or several people for that matter) who needs to hear the message of Christ to focus your prayers on before you reach out to them. Assume they like you. Charles Stanley says, In order to win people to Christ, you need to know how to win them to yourself. In other words, be authentic with people. You are a witness for Christ, let others engage with you about it! Initiate conversation freely, frequently, and naturally. Forget the gossip and the small talk. Ask real, meaningful questions of others. People are interested in talking with someone who genuinely listens to what they have to say. Transition the talk to Jesus. Be a witness to what Jesus has done in your life by sharing your testimony. This is a really simple, yet highly effective, way to share the gospel. And finally, Honor the soul you are trying to reach. Jesus paid the price for not only you, but for the person you are sharing your faith with. Keep that in mind as you lovingly engage in conversation with others. READ and THINK What does the Bible say? 1. Paul spent his life preaching the Good News. God wants us to do MORE than live a good life and let people see our good deeds. Sharing your faith takes work. Question: Why do you think Paul says to work at telling others instead of just saying tell others? 2 Timothy 4:5 (New Living Translation) But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you. 6 Daily Bible Study Yes, we will have to live out our faith. Without that, we won t have any credibility or integrity. But, our actions aren t enough. Actions don t interpret themselves. James Choung 2. In order to come to faith, someone must first learn and know about having a relationship with Jesus Christ. The only way for them to learn is for a fellow Christfollower to share the message.

7 7 Daily Bible Study Question: Why do you think Paul placed so much emphasis on individuals sharing their faith with non-believers who had never heard of Jesus? Romans 10:14 (New Living Translation) But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? 3. Too often Christians hesitate in sharing their faith because they feel inadequate in their knowledge of the gospel. This particular passage provides reassurance to let go of those worries. Question: What do you think would happen if more Christians were confident that the Holy Spirit would guide them as they openly shared their faith? Luke 12:11-12 (New Living Translation) 11 And when you are brought to trial in the synagogues and before rulers and authorities, don t worry about how to defend yourself or what to say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what needs to be said. LIVE What will you do now? How would your life be different today if someone had not shared the gospel with you? How might you change the life of someone you know if you shared your faith with him or her? What is stopping you from openly sharing your faith? Fear of embarrassment? Not knowing the answer to a question? If you knew that the Holy Spirit would not fail you as you share your faith, would you be more willing to open up to someone? PRAY God, what do you want me to know and do? Ask God if there is anyone in your life on whom He wants you to focus your prayers. Pray for the courage and the ability to openly share the gospel message with them in a loving and compassionate way.

8 Living It Out: Daily Bible Reading Plan November 28 Ezekiel 31:1-33:33/Revelation 3:14-22 THURSDAY How to Share the Gospel Big Point: Sharing the gospel is simply unpacking the Good News about Jesus as it is laid out in Scripture. Today, we re going to unwrap a time-tested gospel presentation strategy which can be the initial framework for developing your personal style of evangelism. Learn it ~ practice it ~ tweak it to fit your personality and make it your own. After a bit of use, it ll become a natural out-flowing of your soul and you ll recognize an opportunity when it presents itself! As always, begin with prayer. Ask God to prepare those hearing His good news. BEGINNINGS: As in any dialogue, the beginning is a very good place to start! Introduce yourself. Give your name, where you re from, engage in casual conversation. After getting acquainted, you can ask: Have you read the Bible? Who do you think Jesus is? If you were to die today, are you 100% certain that you d go to Heaven? 8 Daily Bible Study Personal evangelism is not having all the answers or guilting people into accepting Jesus ~ it s a simple explanation of God s loving intention for humankind. If YES: How do you know for sure? (If satisfied with their answer, encourage them in the Lord.) If NO (or you re not satisfied with their answer): Would you like to know what the Bible says about knowing for sure that you are going to heaven? At this point, you will be asking them to read some verses from the Bible and asking them a few follow up questions about what the verse is saying. BIBLICAL TRUTH: -Romans 3:23: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. ( Glory of God refers to His holy and perfect standard) 1. How many have sinned? (All) What is sin? (Disobeying God and falling short of His Standard) (Matthew 5:21, 22, 27, 28; James 2:10) -Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus. (A wage is something earned) 1. What is our payment? What do we deserve for our sin? (Spiritual death is eternal separation from God in Hell) 2. What does God offer us? (Eternal life) 3. How? (Through Jesus) -Romans 5:8: God demonstrated His love for us in while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 1. How did God show His love? (By sending Christ to die for us) 2. What was our condition when Christ died for us? (We were sinners we don t have to clean up our lives first) 3. What are some things people do to try to get to Heaven? (Let them think this through before answering the question. Example: how you or others have tried to earn Heaven before Christ.)

9 9 Daily Bible Study -Ephesians 2:8-9: God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 1. How are we saved from Hell? (Grace and faith) 2. So, can it be earned? (No. It s a free gift and we can t do anything to earn it. Other related verses [if needed]: John 6:28-29; Titus 3:4-5; Galatians 2:16, 21). -John 14:6: Jesus told him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. 1. According to the verse, how is the only way we can get to Heaven? (Through Jesus) 2. Many people believe what we just discussed but we have to respond to receive the gift of eternal life. Would you like to know what God requires you to do to be sure? -John 1:12: Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God. 1. According to this verse, what are the two things you must do to become one of God s children? (Believe what we just discussed: That Jesus died for us and rose from the dead. Receive [ask] Him into your life to forgive you. Example: Using a simple prop [gum, candy, etc.], demonstrate how you have to take/receive it before it s yours.) 2. Do you believe Jesus died for you and that He is the only way to Heaven? 3. Do you want to receive Christ into your life right now? (If the answer is NO, find out why. Don t be afraid to review verses as much as needed to assure they understand them.) (If the answer is YES, here s how to receive Christ: -Romans 10:9-10: If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. 1. Say a simple prayer asking Jesus to come into your heart. If you d like, you can repeat this prayer out loud: Dear God, I believe in You and that You love me. I confess and agree that I have sinned and deserve to be separated from You for eternity. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sin and rose from the dead three days later. I now place all my trust and faith in what Jesus did on the cross and ask you to come into my life and forgive me. Amen. 2. Now that you ve accepted Christ into your life, nothing can take away your salvation. God has sent His Holy Spirit to dwell inside you to guarantee eternal life and help you live for Him. (Ephesians 1:13-14) -1 John 5:13: I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. 1. How can you know with 100% certainty that you re going to Heaven? (Because the Bible says so and I have received Jesus Christ)

10 Living It Out: Daily Bible Reading Plan November 29 Ezekiel 34:1-36:38/Revelation 4: Daily Bible Study FRIDAY Tell People the Good News of Jesus Christ by Planting a Church Near Them Big Point: Virtually all the great evangelistic challenges of the New Testament are calls to plant churches, not simply to share the faith. Dozens of studies have confirmed that the average new church gains most of its new members (60-80%) from people who are not attending any worshipping body. Compare this to churches over years old. Older churches gain 80-90% of their new members by transfers from other congregations. It s time to do the math. Imagine you have two full rooms of 1,000 souls each. In the first room are new attendees of a recent church plant. Based on the above statistics, it is likely you have between new Christians who only recently found faith. In the second room there are 1,000 new members who have recently started attending older, more established churches. If we apply the statistics above, this would mean there are new Christians in this group. Which group is doing the greatest kingdom growth? According to an article on church planting, written by Tim Keller, church plants are a great evangelistic tool today. It actually follows the lead of the Apostle Paul and his evangelistic style with the early churches. Paul would go to the large cities and, once there, would begin to plant churches. It is no accident that in Titus 1:5, we read,...appoint elders in each town. That sounds a lot like church planting. Here is the full article! Check it out: uploads/2012/08/why_plant_churches-keller.pdf READ, THINK and LIVE. Read and apply the Bible. 1.When we analyze Paul and the cities he visited, it s easy to see he was a church planter. Each of us is called to share our faith. One of the most effective ways to do so is to do it Paul s way. Question: What are some creative ways that you can help with church planting, without necessarily having to move? Titus 1:5 (New Living Translation) l left you on the Island of Crete so you could complete our work there and appoint elders in each town as I instructed you. 2. Tell the world about Christ is the last part of our mission statement. The word world is significant. This is a world wide project and while we shouldn t ignore those closest to us, we should not ignore anywhere in the world that we may be called to serve. Question: How can I, (your name here), tell the world about Christ? Matthew 28:19 (New International Version) Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

11 11 Daily Bible Study Questions for Discussion Try these in a group, with friends or at the dinner table. 1. When was the last time you invited someone to church? What was the circumstance and the result? 2. One practice that we encourage at CedarCreek is regularly carrying around invite cards. Do you believe this strategy is effective? Do you happen to have an invite card on you right now and do you find them to be a helpful tool when inviting others to church? 3. How can acts of love and kindness be used to share the Gospel? What does it mean to be an ambassador of Christ? (See 2 Corinthians 5:20) 4. Read Romans 10: What do these verses mean? What might you say to a Christian friend that says, I don t think it is my place to tell anyone else what to believe. I just let my actions do the talking and hope others will find Christ through my righteous example? 5. How comfortable do you feel about sharing your faith? Look up the following verses and talk about how each one could be used to help lead someone to Jesus. Romans 3:23, 6:23, 10:9-10, John 6:29 6. Why is church planting an effective strategy in reaching others for Christ? Would you ever consider being part of a church plant? What would be exciting about this endeavor and what might be challenging for you? Weekend Updates! Saturday s Daily Bible Reading Plan: November 30 Ezekiel 37:1-39:29/Revelation 5:1-14 Dedicated! Next weekend Ben Snyder will be preaching on a message entitled Dedicated. It will be a weekend to remember! We will be holding Parent/Child Dedications during the weekend services and we will also be incorporating baptisms at all four of our physical campuses! You won t want to miss it! Make plans to attend at any of our four locations or check out our icampus at CedarCreek.tv Celebrate Recovery Find freedom from your hurts, habits and hang ups. Celebrate Recovery happens on Friday evenings at all campuses. For more information, set your web browser to:

12 12 Daily Bible Study Living It Out: November 2013 Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone. Colossians 4:5-6 (New Living Translation) Living It Out It is the dream of CedarCreek that everyone who calls this their church home will be reading and studying the same topics, both individually and in groups. Each week, join with thousands of others at CedarCreek Church in applying God s Word, the Bible, into your daily life. Our hope is that while we learn and grow together, as individuals and as a church, we will collectively live out the weekend message. Living It Out resources, such as the Daily Bible Study, Daily Bible Reading Plan, Discussion Questions and Scripture Memory Verses, are designed to help us embrace a missional mindset a mindset that compels us to love Jesus, serve others and tell the world about Christ. Living It Out: Daily Bible Study Daily Bible study activities to reflect on the weekend message. Living It Out: Daily Bible Reading Plan Read through the Bible in a year Living It Out: Discussion Questions Weekly questions to discuss with others Living It Out: Scripture Memory Memorize one Bible verse per month All of these resources are also available electronically at where you can subscribe to have any or all of them ed to you as they are updated and you can listen to the audio study by subscribing to the podcasts. We Want Your Feedback! Tell us about any questions or comments you have about this week s Living It Out: Daily Bible Study. Forward them to Lukes@cedarcreek.tv. CedarCreek Church Lime City Road Perrysburg, Oh Phone: Fax: RESOURCES: CedarCreek Jumpstart Material (Thursday) Lee Strobel.com Outreach Magazine Nov/Dec 2013 Living It Out: Daily Bible Reading Plan scriptures are listed for each day. By completing each of the daily readings, you will read the entire Bible in 1 year. These readings are separate from the Daily Bible Study. This week s Living It Out: Daily Bible Study written by: Kaye Althaus Becky Miller Kaila Mugford Penny Taylor David Vernier Gary Wagner