Closer To Heaven
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Image © Janet Hyun from GoodSalt.com Our personal relationship with Jesus will have a direct bearing upon our success in witnessing for Him. It is so easy to learn some witnessing and evangelism formulas and then rally forth in our own assumed wisdom and strength.
Read for This Week’s Study: Acts 4:13-14 ; John 1:37–50 ; Psalm 139 ; 1 Pet. 3:1–15 ; John 4:37-38 .
Finding a Target Audience By now you will have discovered that the evangelism strategy we are following week to week will take longer than one quarter to achieve. For instance, we would not expect that the local evangelistic training opportunities mentioned in lesson three will be discovered, planned, and attended in just one week.
Image © Krieg Barrie from GoodSalt.com “Sometimes, I wonder if my mother has seen me but didn’t recognize me,” 16-year-old Ginny says. Born in the Haitian countryside, Ginny was given up at birth.
Image © John Baker from GoodSalt.com Leading a person along in their spiritual journey is like preparing for a harvest. Anyone who has worked a vegetable garden knows that there is a definite time frame and sequence of steps to follow if the desired harvest is to be realized.
Another Fairly Reliable (FR) Fable Once upon a time, towards the end of the post-Millerate era of zeal, a seed was planted. Perhaps it was in a small church made of rough boards hewn to fit a frame on a concrete block.
Image © Jeff Preston from GoodSalt.com Just because we deliver biblical information through a public lecture, seminar, or Bible study, there is no guarantee that we have influenced those present in a spiritual way. Many people have attended an evangelistic series, a Revelation seminar, a Bible study, or maybe all of the above.
Our key thought for this week’s SS lesson is, “In all evangelism and witnessing, it is important that we first present the simple truth of the gospel.” Is this true in the last days with so many pressing issues confronting the church and world, as Bible prophecies reach their climax? Yes it is! “More people than we think are longing to find the way to Christ. Those who preach the last message of mercy should bear in mind that Christ is to be exalted as the sinner’s refuge
Image © Rolf Jansson from GoodSalt.com We’re having a Julie Andrews moment here. I’m sure you remember that song: “Let’s start at the very beginning; a very good place to start. When we read we begin with a, b, c; when we sing we begin with doe, ray, me…” But when we’re sharing the gospel of Jesus with someone, where do we start?
Key Thought : We lead souls to a loving relationship with Christ and then challenge them to commitment and obedience. [Teaching plan for " Sequential Evangelism and Witnessing " April 30, 2012] 1
