3STEPS IN PERSONAL EVANGELISM

Transcription

1 Werner Nachtigal Stephan Gängel 3STEPS IN PERSONAL EVANGELISM GLOBAL OUTREACH DAY TRAINING BOOK

2 3 STEPS Three Steps in Personal Evangelism Global Outreach Day Training Book Go out there, step out in faith. Do something you haven t done before! Nick Vujicic, Life Without Limbs The Global Outreach Day is a great way to encourage people to start sharing their faith. Steve Douglass, Campus Crusade for Christ One exciting thing about the Global Outreach Day is that it brings Christians together from everywhere to bring the Gospel into the world. Geoff Tunnicliffe, World Evangelical Alliance We want to be evangelizing on that day in every nation of the world and in all the different districts in the nations. Loren Cunningham, Youth With A Mission The Global Outreach Day is a day of salvation! Reinhard Bonnke, Christ for all Nations Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. Photos: no limit e.v., G.O.D., wikimedia 1

3 VISION The vision of Global Outreach Day is of every Christian sharing the gospel with others on that day. Every year, every Christian, everywhere. Millions of Christians of all ages and from all cultures and denominations use their gifts and opportunities to share the gospel in various ways. Here is a one key person that God wants to use on that day:... (Write your own name here.) The first G.O.D. (Global Outreach Day) took place in 2012 and kicked off with a prayer meeting involving one million Christians in Lagos, Nigeria. Immediately after the prayer meeting, they were sent out to evangelize. In the second year G.O.D. reached out to virtually every nation in the world. It was also the launch of a gospel outreach to the entire nation of Nepal, to a region in China with 100 million inhabitants, and to the second largest megacity in the world, Mexico City. In the first two years 25 million Christians were mobilized for evangelism and took the gospel to 50 million people. Many churches and missionary organizations are working together to reach the people in our world, but on this one special day the focus is not on any church or ministry it is on the gospel of Jesus Christ! G.O.D. challenges ordinary believers to share the gospel. Preparing for Global Outreach Day The gospel of Jesus Christ is the best message in the world and the only way to salvation. That is why we need to take Jesus to the people. This little booklet will teach you the three main steps in personal evangelism. We are therefore Christ s ambassadors Corinthians 5:20 As ambassadors of Christ, you need to know the message and how to communicate it. The communication structure you will find in Step 1: 1. Attention 2. Interest 3. Desire The message structure you will find in Step 2: 1. God s Plan 2. The Problem 3. God s Love 4. The Decision How to get a response you will find in Step

4 The approach and your conversation By the time she was more than 20 years old, a pastor s daughter had never shared the gospel with anyone because she was afraid. One day she went out, firmly resolved that fear was not going to hold her back any longer. A woman came up to her and she told her about God s plan and his love. The woman started to cry. The pastor s daughter hugged her to comfort her. The woman pulled a pistol out of her bag and said that she had been on her way to the forest where she had planned to kill herself. Before she set out, she had prayed, God, if you are there, send an angel to stop me. As a sign, he should hug me. Today that woman s whole family believes and tells others about Jesus who saved them. If you make yourself available to God, now take the right steps to ensure that through you his plan for the world can be put into action. You will never want to go back. Off you go! STEP ONE How To Communicate 1. Get the person s attention First of all, it is important to get the person s attention. Without that you will only be wasting your words and energy. Sometimes getting a person s attention requires courage and creativity. Don t preach to them. Don t pressurize them. Listen and share! To start with, simply say, Hello! Yes, it really is that easy sometimes. Smile at the person, and the conversation will usually develop naturally. Attract their attention so that they do not feel threatened. Think: This person is someone Jesus died for. This person can be extremely open and prepared to accept Christ. This person has only one chance to get saved: To hear and believe the gospel of Jesus! When you approach people and start talking to them, remember that God 4 5

5 can work through you even if you are fearful, unsure, or do not know what to say. Even saying something wrong is usually better than not saying anything at all. Listen to God and let him speak through you. Try starting with normal, everyday questions like in a normal conversation. Start with something in the immediate situation. For example, the special offer in the supermarket or their views on a current news event. In order to communicate effectively with somebody, you need to establish trust by asking open questions (How come...? Why? What happened...?). Find out where people stand and you will be able to connect with them more effectively. Then start to go a little deeper. Ask What do you think about God? or What does God mean for you personally? Do not worry about getting a negative response. Sometimes that will happen, because God has given us all free will. Just relax! Ask Did you get a present today? Give them a good gospel tract perhaps with a candy attached to it and say, This is for you if you just promise to read it. Use what you have or try different things and find out what works best. Make a list of ideas about how to attract strangers attention. Prepare your strategy by considering their locality and their specific situation. Different situations require different approaches. Be relaxed but determined! 2. Build interest Once you have someone s attention, the next step is to arouse interest. By asking the right questions and offering appropriate information you can increase people s curiosity. When you realize they are curious, you can build on this by continuing to ask questions. Don t answer their curiosity with short, pat answers. Instead, let their interest grow and their curiosity intensify. By asking questions, you are leading the conversation and can eventually lead the person to Jesus. You definitely will not stimulate interest by talking nonstop. God gave you one mouth and two ears. That means you should listen twice as much as you talk. Interest becomes evident when people begin to open their hearts and share their own stories. During that time, be quiet, listen, and pray silently for the right response. Take an interest in people and you will get their interest! 3. Create a desire to follow Jesus If you have spent time finding out about the person you are talking to, you will know what he or she needs and how to guide the conversation. You need to be fully convinced that a person without Jesus lacks the most important thing in life. Exercise your faith and assume that the person wants to receive Jesus. If you feel it is appropriate, share part of your own story. You could even offer to pray for some specific need. 6 7

6 Your testimony Your story is very important! You can tell it in a boring or a very interesting way. Maybe your past is not as interesting as your present or a certain part of your life. You could also share examples of how God healed you, answered your prayers or has helped you. The important thing is not what you say but what the other person understands! You have to communicate on the same level as the people you talk with if you want to capture their attention. Your story is unique. What you need to learn is to tell it in a unique way. Select that part of your life with which your listeners can most easily identify. Above all, be honest. Give God the glory with your life. Focus on what God has done and can do. Check that the people understand what you are saying and ask what they think about it. Be sensitive to the signals they are sending that indicate their interest. It is vitally important for you to pick up on those signals and, as a result, ask relevant questions. To get a message across effectively, remember the rule: Don t tell, ask! For instance: Jesus died on the cross for you. Do you know why he did that? Find out what the person already understands, give your own testimony and stimulate a desire in that person s heart to say, I want that! When people hear of Jesus and what he has done for them, of God s plan for their lives and his offer of forgiveness, peace, real joy, and eternal life, they will let go of their false beliefs. Confrontation only hardens hearts. To win people for Jesus, you must first befriend them. Even when your views are completely different than theirs, try to understand them and respond respectfully. STEP TWO How to share the message The message can only save someone if he or she understands what you are saying. That is why you have to learn how to share the gospel in a way that is easy to understand. The people you talk to need to understand the following main points: 1. God s Plan God created people with a wonderful plan in mind: to live in fellowship with him. At the time of creation, everything in the world was in order. There was no war, no injustice, no sickness, and no sin. Man lived in harmony with his creator in paradise. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. Genesis 1:31 God s Plan for the person you are going to talk to is the best that he or she can ever have. 8 9

7 2. The Problem Man separated himself from his creator and decided to go his own way. Today we see the consequences of that decision: Instead of living in peace and harmony with each other, we live in hatred, jealously, sickness, and war. But more frightening than all those tragedies is our eternal separation from God. Jesus made it clear that we human beings could never bridge the gap to God by our own efforts we can never live up to God s requirements, and that is why we are in such a dilemma. 4. The Most Important Decision Jesus rose from the dead! He is alive and is waiting for your response. You cannot get to God by performing good deeds, meditating or even going to church there is only one way to God: Turn to Jesus and accept what he did for you, ask him for forgiveness and follow him. 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. Romans 10:9 There is no one righteous, not even one. For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:10,23 Before the person you are talking to wants to get saved, they have to understand that they are lost. 3. God s Love God is just and holy, and yet he loves us eternally. That is why he took the punishment that judgment would rightly bring on every individual and laid it on his own Son. Jesus paid for our sin on the cross. For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:

8 2. Explain the requirements and then extend a clear invitation to follow Jesus: 1. Do you believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins? Yes. (Even if people say No in the beginning, faith can grow as they listen to you.) STEP THREE How to get a response 1. Invite them to make a decision Now we come to the stage where your action requires a response. Don t be afraid of this step! Simply ask, Do you want to get right with God now? We are therefore Christ s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 2. Corinthians 5:20 At the end of a conversation there should always be a response. Challenge the person you are talking with to make a decision. Many Christians are often much too hesitant at this point. If people mean what they say, they will make a decision if you invite them to. 2. Do you believe that Jesus rose again from the dead? Yes. (Faith is not a feeling; it starts with a decision.) 3. Do you wish to receive Jesus into your heart now? (Don t talk now. Wait for the answer.) Yes. Don t hesitate to pray with the person. Nothing more needs to be said. We do not want to force or manipulate people, but we are not talking about joining some sort of club this is a matter of life or death! 3. Ask them to pray after you Now ask the other person to pray a prayer out loud after you. Ask the person to close his or her eyes and start praying loud and clearly like this: Lord Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God. I believe that you died for my sins. Please forgive me and come into my heart. I believe that you rose from the dead and are alive today. I accept you as my Lord and Savior. I will follow you for the rest of my life. Amen

9 4. Ask if they know what they have just done This is the time for you to firm up the decision. It is vital to set this decision on solid ground. We are talking about the first few minutes after someone has accepted Christ. Make sure they realize what this decision means by asking: Do you understand what you have just done? Did you really mean it? What will you do if your friends or your family make fun of you or tell you you are crazy? STEP OUT Explain the four most important points of Christian life to the new believer: 1. Prayer Talking to God and building a relationship with Jesus 2. Bible Reading God s Word, learning about God and His ways 3. Church Meeting and building friendships with other Christians 4. Mission Sharing the gospel and your experiences with others Finally, you need to exchange contact details and arrange to meet again within the next 72 hours. Disciple the person or find somebody else to do it. Invite the person to attend a church service or a follow-up group. If possible pick him up at his home and accompany to the meetings. Make sure that the four important points become the foundation of the new believer. Everyone can reach someone! There are unlimited ways of reaching people on this day. One on One Call or visit someone or invite him or her over for a coffee and talk about Jesus. Two by Two Meet at your church and split up into teams. Then go two by two to reach the people where they are: on the streets, in the market places, in hospitals, etc. Care and Share Do something good for someone and then share the Good News with him or her. Reach your local area Plan how to reach a certain area by going from door to door and think of ways to reach the people with the gospel. Ideas from A to Z You can organize an open air meeting, or go to places where people regularly meet. Remember, 14 15

10 you can always ask God where you could go. There are so many ways to reach people and so many different places where they can be reached. We can mobilize millions of people all over the world but not everyone can afford this booklet. We would also like to equip those who take part in G.O.D. with good material to give to people who do not know Jesus. Please help to make this booklet available to others. To train one person: USD 0.50 To reach one person: USD 0.05 With 100 US dollars we can train 100 Christians and reach 1,000 people that do not know Jesus. With 500 US dollars we can train 500 Christians and reach 5,000 people that do not know Jesus. For Bank details, please go to our web site: Find or post more ideas at and send your reports. This day can change the whole world and God will use you to be a blessing to your neighbors and your nation. Everyone can reach someone, together we can reach the world! 16

11 3STEPS IN PERSONAL EVANGELISM Training Book The gospel is the greatest message of all time. God wants to use you to take it to other people. In this 3 Steps Training Book, you will learn how to win people for Christ! The next ten days could unleash unimagined potential in you, allowing you to be a blessing to people who do not know Jesus despite of all your weaknesses and fears. Werner Nachtigal and Stephan Gängel are the initiators of the Global Outreach Day and travel the world to inspire, mobilize and train Christians for evangelism. The principles explained in this book have been proved extremely effective. Everyone can reach someone. Together we can reach the world!