evangelism training About the studies These studies are a resource produced free of charge by Christians in Sport. They can be printed straight from the website or you can also order a copy from the office by email. Whether you are part of a Christians in Sport group or network you are more than welcome to use them. We hope you enjoy them, find them challenging, and encounter God through the pages of the Bible. The studies can be done either alone, in a group or just with one other person. Most can be easily adapted for someone who is not yet a Christian to use. Please feedback with any comments you may have on the studies. Abstract on Evangelism Training Do you feel ill-equipped to explain the good news of Jesus to your friends, or would like a refresher course? Maybe you think that your group could do with some further training? These notes look through giving your testimony, explaining the gospel, the Christian lifestyle, and are highly recommended as group activities. Contents introduction to evangelism training 2 introduction to Christians in Sport 3 God s view (Genesis 1-3, Romans 12 v1) 4 do the basics well (Colossians 4 v2-6) 5 evangelism training 1 telling your story 6 evangelism training 2 Gospel outline: bridge to life 7 evangelism training 3 Gospel outline: do and done 8 evangelism training 4 Gospel outline: God, us, God again 9 evangelism training 5 helping someone trust Jesus 10 Evangelism Training (Alex Harris 2004) Christians in Sport, Frampton House, Victoria Road, Bicester, Oxon, OX26 6PB page 1
We know how hard it is to explain to our friends why we are Christians, what the gospel is, and why we believe in Jesus. All of us will remember people who helped us to understand. Some of us will know the joy of a friend who has become a Christian. These notes will aim to do two things: first, to explain what Christians in Sport is, and who you are, as a Christian involved in the world of sport. Secondly, the majority of the outlines look at how we can be more effective in our evangelism. How and why to pray, what is the gospel, starting spiritual conversations, and how to tell someone the story of why we are a Christian. The outlines can be done together with others, or individually, or as group. Introduction to Christians in Sport God s view. (Genesis 1-3, Romans 12 v1) Do the basics well. (Colossians 4 v2-6) Evangelism Training 1 Telling your story. Evangelism Training 2 Gospel outline: bridge to life. Evangelism Training 4 Gospel outline: do and done. Evangelism Training 6 Gospel outline: God, us, God again. Evangelism Training 7 Helping someone trust Jesus. Enjoy going through these. Remember though, Christians in Sport is about prayer and evangelism. However you do use these notes please make sure that you take time to pray for your team mates, and seek opportunities in word and action to show them the good news of Jesus. Being a good and effective witness for Jesus is also much more than just being able to clearly explain your faith. It must be backed up by your actions. As you go through these sessions, be brave enough to also share your lives your struggles and successes - with your friends. Help each other to live lives that show the truth of who Jesus is. Further reading If you d like more ideas on evangelism try some of the following books. Those marked * are great to give to friends. Know and Tell the Gospel, John Chapman. Answering Tough Questions (Christians in Sport, available via the website) Basic Christianity, John Stott* Christianity Explored, Rico Tice* Searching Issues, Nicky Gumbel* Questions of Life, Nicky Gumbel* introduction to evangelism training Evangelism Training (Alex Harris 2004) Christians in Sport, Frampton House, Victoria Road, Bicester, Oxon, OX26 6PB page 2
evangelism training introduction to Christians in Sport The British Sports Trust gives some incredible stats: 40% of university students play competitive sport. 70% of under-21s describe themselves as sporty. There are 42,000 registered men s football teams in the UK. They could go on. Yet, there are so few teams with Christians in. At university level, less than 1% of teams have a Christian influence. If you play, and if you love Jesus, then you are almost unique. The dream of Christians in Sport is to make sure that every sportsperson in the UK (player, coach or official) has an opportunity to respond to the gospel. What does that mean in practice? It means training and equipping you to more effectively reach your world of sport - for Christ. What does Christians in Sport do? Christians in Sport exists to help and equip Christians who love to play, and are involved in the world of sport, to more effectively win their friends and team mates for Christ. Christians in Sport is there to make sport your mission. Our focus, therefore, is prayer and evangelism. We know, because we live there too, how hard it can be in our teams and clubs with the moral standards, the banter so we try to help you to understand what the Bible has to say. (See details of our tape ministry, books and resources, and conferences and training days.) We want to make disciples in the world of sport. However, our focus is prayer and evangelism - firstly, to pray together for our team mates: that God would warm their hearts and open their eyes to him, that we might be able to point them towards Jesus. And secondly, evangelism to train and encourage each other in the ups and downs of sharing our faith in words and in actions. Who is Christians in Sport for? Christians in Sport is for everyone who loves sport. Coach, official, player, manager. If you are involved in the world of sport, whatever sport that is, then we would love to be able to help and support you. Maybe you d just like to click on the web, maybe get involved in a local group, maybe come along to a conference. But we are there for you. How is Christians in Sport structured? Christians in Sport functions through a number of ways: Youth department: working with those under the age of 18, and with youth workers and PE teachers across the country. University department: working, primarily with university-specific small groups, with those who play at university level across the country. Adult department: for all who are involved in sport (including students who are not playing in university teams). This could be through a sport-specific network, a small group, or a number of other ways. Professional department: supporting those who play sport professionally. Three essentials run through this work: Train people to be disciple-makers. Church as the primary mechanism for growing disciples, being God s kingdom here on earth. Mission is the thrust of everything. We want to see thousands of individuals in the world of sport presented with the opportunity to respond to the gospel. So that s Christians in Sport if you play and you love Jesus then you can be part of it too. In fact we just want to help you to be more effective, to be encouraged, and to grasp the vision for the gospel in your world of sport. How could Christians in Sport better support you? Have you checked out the website? Why don t you commit to pray for one of your team mates for this season? Do you know any other Christians involved in the world of sport who you could pray with, or encourage each other as you play? Evangelism Training (Alex Harris 2004) Christians in Sport, Frampton House, Victoria Road, Bicester, Oxon, OX26 6PB page 3
evangelism training God s view I d been a Christian about three weeks when I started going to church. A guy there, who I respected loads and still am friends with, asked, Alex, you re obviously really keen to be a Christian hadn t you better think about giving up your rugby? I was gutted been a Christian only a month or so, and he thought I should quit playing. Are they mutually exclusive? Can you be a sportsperson and a Christian? I know now that you can, but what has the Bible got to say? The Bible says Genesis is a good place to start when it comes to understanding God s view of anything. Have a read through Genesis chapters 1-3. You ll find it says that God made everything God made it all - from the biggest star to the smallest grain of sand; from the most intricate flower to the grandest mountain range; our bodies, dreams, imaginations and minds. God made it all. And he made us able to play. Wired us up mentally, created the hand/eye co-ordination, or the muscle twitch that means to some level we can play - and we love to play. And everything was good Before the fall that entire range of what God made was good in his eyes. But it is cracked and flawed by sin However, when mankind chose to go their own way, everything became flawed. Sin - turning away from God - meant that all which was once good was now polluted. In the world of sport we feel this more acutely than most, in the behaviour and attitude of our team mates. However, it doesn t remove the recognition that God made it and he wants agents to steward and redeem it. Jump into the New Testament now, and read just one verse in Romans 12v1: Therefore God s mercy Paul starts this verse by reminding the readers of what he has been talking about for the last 11 chapters. That 'therefore' is a huge because. Because Jesus died for you. Because God loved you so much at the cross Offer your bodies 'Body' refers to much more than just flesh and bone. It is a word that means our entire make-up our thoughts, decisions, actions, physical bodies - everything. Because Jesus died for you, offer all that you are. Spiritual act of worship Spiritual means reasonable or appropriate. Worship is the traditional Jewish word for the temple experience. Because Jesus died for you, offer all that you are back to him in worship. Not just songs, not just a certain place at a certain time, but everything. That s the appropriate thing to do if you have realised how much Jesus loves you. And a last thought to leave you with: what s our role in the team? Read 1Corinthians 5v20: Paul describes us as Christ s ambassador. Because Jesus saved us we are to represent him wherever he has called us to be. For us that is the world of sport. Think what an ambassador does the Egyptian Ambassador to England understands the English culture and language, he lives in London. But his job is to represent the culture, language and message of Egypt to England. We are Christ s ambassadors; our job is to represent Christ s message and culture to the lost and broken world we find ourselves in. Quite a challenge there. God s view of sport is that it is a place where we can worship him; can say thank- you to him for what he has done for us, just as much as in church on a Sunday. All of our lives saying thanks to him, in the way we behave and act and think. How can we learn to worship God in our sport? When is it hardest for you to worship God? How do you think this relates to someone who is being encouraged to stop their sport because they are a Christian? Evangelism Training (Alex Harris 2004) Christians in Sport, Frampton House, Victoria Road, Bicester, Oxon, OX26 6PB page 4
evangelism training do the basics well! So if we are to be Christ s ambassadors and to represent him, what does that entail? Paul spent a large part of his life sharing the good news of Jesus with people. He gives us some pointers in Colossians 4v2-6. The Bible says Read Colossians 4v2-6: PRAY (v2) Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful C.S.Lewis said, Prayer is the only weapon in our arsenal that we can be confident in. We can put the gospel on the radio and they ll switch off, we can knock on the door and have it shut, we can even bring them into church for them to stare at the rafters, but every time we pray it is an arrow that strikes home. We must be praying for our friends, that God would open up their hearts to his message. Be watchful praying for specific events, individuals and conversations. Pray for people by name. And thankful saying thanks to God for what he is doing regularly. PLAY (v5-6) Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace Paul says 'get amongst it'. Don t hold back. Be part of it. Play and be involved. We are called to be part of the world geographically, though of course separate from it spiritually and morally. Paul says be part of it, but in such a way that your life and conversation are full of grace, so that when people interact with you they say, Wow! She is a class act! SAY (v3-4) pray that God might open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ pray that I might proclaim it clearly, as I should Paul says that we must verbally tell people the good news of Jesus Christ. That Christianity cannot be caught but it can be taught. Our friends need to hear, relevantly and lovingly, who Jesus is from our lips. The following sessions focus on the SAY, but that doesn t mean we can neglect the others. In each session make sure you also pray for your team mates, and encourage each other to live wise lives. Evangelism, telling and showing our friends about Jesus, is not always easy. Some of us will find it easier than others. These three crucial ingredients - Pray, Play, Say - need to be nurtured and developed in our lives. Is there someone in our team we could commit to pray for on a regular basis? The balance between being part of the world geographically, and separate spiritually and morally, can be hard to maintain. Either we separate ourselves so much that we are not involved at all, or we become so engrossed we risk losing sight of Jesus. Which tendency do you fall toward? How can we help each other maintain a correct balance, and therefore be the most effective witness? Verbally telling our friends is so important. Why not practise telling each other your testimony now? (Don t worry - you ll have a look at testimonies later on in these studies!) Evangelism Training (Alex Harris 2004) Christians in Sport, Frampton House, Victoria Road, Bicester, Oxon, OX26 6PB page 5
evangelism training 1 telling your story Telling someone how and why you are a Christian and what Jesus means to you can be intimidating. Some of us love it and grab every opportunity, others are nervous. Both those types of people have to teach themselves how to tell the story of their relationship with Jesus lovingly, relevantly and honestly. This session, which will require lots of participation, will look at how you set about doing that. Read through these questions and then, as individuals, try and write your answer to each one. What is my background? Do I come from a Christian family? What were the highlights of my life? (There are two types of people here. Those who have a clear before and after and those who have always known Jesus.) How did I come to consider trusting Jesus? Who was involved (friend, family); why did I start thinking about it? What made me decide? When was it? can you put a specific time on it or was it gradual? What changed? Since then what has changed; lifestyle, worldview, character, peace of mind? Since then? Has there been further change? How do you know God is there; What is it like being a Christian? For each of us, different things will be important, and different questions above will stir us. Enjoy remembering what God did for you, and what he is doing for you now. Be honest: if it s hard for you being a Christian, say so, along with your highs and lows, doubts and assurances. In pairs tell each other your story in three minutes. Then use the check it through below to chat about it. Check it through Does it point clearly to Christ? Does it use vague generalities, clichés or jargon? Does it show the positive benefits of being a Christian, as well as the cost? Does it use specific examples? Does it preach at people, or does it love friends? Well done! Now we have practised with each other, can we think of someone in our team who might be interested in hearing it? Pray, with your partner, for an individual in your team to whom you would like to tell your story. Evangelism Training (Alex Harris 2004) Christians in Sport, Frampton House, Victoria Road, Bicester, Oxon, OX26 6PB page 6
evangelism training 2 Gospel outline; bridge to life Here s a simple, visual outline of the gospel. Use this session to learn it off by heart, and be able to draw it. 1. God created us to be in a relationship with him. US GOD 2. But we turned our backs and hearts on him, going our own way and ignoring God. This caused a great divide between God and us. The Bible calls this sin. US GOD SIN 3. Man tries to bridge that divide with moral behaviour or good works. These take many forms but none can bridge the gap. US GOD SIN 4. There is only one way that the divide can be bridged; by Jesus dying on the cross. Jesus' death is the only way to bridge the gap between people and God, caused by sin. US GOD We need to trust that Jesus death bridges the divide. How? A: Admit that the divide of sin exists in our lives B: Believe and trust that when Jesus died he bridged that gap C: Confess, tell God that you want him as your leader Now you have learnt it, practise showing each other the bridge to life on a piece of scrap paper. Evangelism Training (Alex Harris 2004) Christians in Sport, Frampton House, Victoria Road, Bicester, Oxon, OX26 6PB page 7
evangelism training 3 Gospel outline: DO and DONE The outline below, which is another simple way to explain the gospel, is taken from work done by Rachel Atkins. Work through it, and then practise on each other! Squeak or Speak! OK, so you re in the bar after the game, tucking into a pack of prawn cocktail crisps and your mate turns to you and says something like, Have you always been religious? There it is, the opportunity you and others have been praying for weeks! Your heart thinks you re back on the pitch and starts to pump that little bit harder; you ve got about ten seconds to think about what to say, while you swallow the prawn cocktail crumbs, and about 30 seconds to answer the question. What are you going to say? Below is something that we ve found useful from the Contagious Christianity Course. It isn t a case of memorising pat answers word for word, but we believe that it is important to think through these scenarios and to be prepared to answer questions that may come up at any time. I certainly know from experience that when I haven t had illustrations like this to draw on, my answers have been a random collection of words that are often no good to man or beast! The 'Do vs Done' Picture Religion is spelt D-O, and is all about trying to DO enough to please God. The trouble is we don t know if we ever do enough, and the Bible tells us we never can do enough. But Christianity is spelt D-O-N-E. Jesus has done what we could never do. He lived the perfect life and died on the cross to pay for all the wrong stuff we have done. But it s not enough just to know this; we have to receive what he has done; we have to ask Jesus to forgive us and to be the leader of our lives. Then you could ask them what they think, whether they understand the difference, and if they see the need for Jesus. Have you practised telling each other this gospel outline? Do it again! Can you remember the 'bridge to life' picture as well? Which one do you find easiest to remember and explain? - Why? Now pray for a friend to whom you would like to explain the difference between religion and Christianity. Evangelism Training (Alex Harris 2004) Christians in Sport, Frampton House, Victoria Road, Bicester, Oxon, OX26 6PB page 8
evangelism training 4 Gospel outline: God, Us, and God Here s another simple way to explain the gospel to a friend. It's five simple headings God Us God Again What if I do? What if I don t? God There is a God. He created us to live in a loving relationship with him. Us We don t want to live in that relationship and we turn our backs on him. God again God still loves us. He came to earth in the person of Jesus to get us back into that proper relationship. He died on the cross, taking the penalty we deserved so that we can be forgiven, thereby restoring that relationship. What if I do? Say sorry and turn around in the way I live? Then God will restore that relationship with him. It will be patchy on earth - but perfect in heaven. What if I don t? If I refuse, then there is nothing else God will do. God will honour that choice with total separation from him when we die. Why not try and find places in the Bible that show us this truth? Use this method to practise explaining the gospel to each other. Is there anything you don t understand or agree on? Pray for a friend to whom you would like to explain the gospel, using this method. Evangelism Training (Alex Harris 2004) Christians in Sport, Frampton House, Victoria Road, Bicester, Oxon, OX26 6PB page 9
evangelism training 5 helping someone trust Jesus Some of us will have experienced the joy of being there when someone accepts Jesus. However, it can be a scary thought, and many of us might not be sure how or what we would do. Here are some simple guidelines. What they need to understand If someone wants to become a Christian, it is important that they understand what they are doing, and what becoming a Christian actually means. A simple way of doing that is with the A, B, C: A Admit your sin We need to admit that we have a problem. That our actions, and decisions to ignore God, are wrong and wreck our chance of a relationship with God. B Believe Jesus offers forgiveness We need to believe and trust that the only way the problem can be fixed is through Jesus' death on the cross. That bridged the gap made by our sin. Jesus dying gives us all the opportunity for a fresh start. C Confess Jesus as leader in your life Jesus is not just our rescuer; he is also the King of the World. We need to confess to ourselves that we are willing to let Jesus rule our lives and, with the help of his Spirit, to live for him. If your friend agrees that this is what they want to do, then great! No-one needs a deep or detailed knowledge of Christianity to become a Christian, just a basic understanding of who Jesus is and what he did, and a desire to ask him into their lives. What they need to do It is always good to suggest talking to God for the first time. Suggest they pray. Before they do, ask them what they want to say. Prompt them that they might want to thank Jesus for what he did on the cross, and ask Jesus help in the future, to live for him. You pray a short, simple prayer first, and suggest they follow. It is also good to encourage someone who has just become a Christian to tell another person what they have done. It may be a friend or member of their family, or someone they know who is not a Christian. This can be scary, but help them as much as possible. What comes next Now it gets hard! Make sure they have a Bible, and get some easy-to-follow Bible study notes (eg explore) for them. Help them suggest meeting up each week to pray together, going with them to church and introducing them to Christian friends. And remember It is a great thing to be with someone when they first become a Christian, so Enjoy it! It s a celebration! Don t act like it s a frightening thing, but see it as the miracle it is. The angels sing in heaven because this person has become a Christian! Don t make out that they have done the hard bit now. They ve a lifetime ahead of them and they have only just started the journey. Make sure you pray for them, especially for the first few weeks as they find their feet, and remember - you might be their only Christian friend. Evangelism Training (Alex Harris 2004) Christians in Sport, Frampton House, Victoria Road, Bicester, Oxon, OX26 6PB page 10