 |
Taking Every Thought Captive |
 Got Life? Our Ministry Our Beliefs Our Staff Articles What's New? Contact Us Resources Bookstore Search Links
|
THE PASSION OUTREACH PROJECT Orientation/Training Grace Church of Napa Valley Feburary
15, 2004 Massimo Lorenzini To listen to the audio file as you go through these notes, click here.
An Overview of The Passion
Outreach Project
Christians are not
evangelizing America.
We have become
used to passivity. ·
We
believe being emotionally engaged or taking a position or attitude of pro or
con is the same as doing something either for or against an issue or
cause. ·
We
end up thinking that sympathy for the poor is the same as feeding them; having
a heart for evangelism is the same as doing the work of evangelism. ·
We
have to be careful that we are allowing our convictions to shape our lifestyle.
This is not easy, but it may be easier than we think. Evangelize
the Unchurched
·
Four out of 10 unchurched people are
"highly receptive to what you say about Christ." ·
Four out of 10 people who do not know Christ want to hear "What
must I do to be saved?" ·
The majority of the unchurched people have
never had anyone tell them how to become a Christian. ·
Unchurched people indicate they want to have a relationship
with a Christian in whom they can see Christ, ask questions, and get better
acquainted. He lists 10 reasons for
Christians not reaching the unchurched,
including: ·
Spiritual lethargy. "The more we get lethargic in our walk with Him, in our prayer
time, in our time in the Word, the less likely we are to share our faith." ·
Believing in another way to God. Some Christians don't believe in John 14:6, so they
don't share Christ. "Strategically it takes
85 church members a year to reach one person for Christ. That breaks my heart.
That's telling me most Christians do not evangelize in the course of a year,
and many Christians do not share their faith at all, even in the course of a
lifetime. My plea is that people will understand the reality of a grace-given
heaven, and the reality of a literal hell." How Can I Make the Most of The Passion of The Christ Outreach
Opportunity? Invite a friend, relative,
co-worker, neighbor, etc. to see the movie with you. Consider buying their
ticket. Then give them an Invite Card with the sermon series and church info in
it. Also, offer them a Gospel of John booklet to read on their own.
·
Carpool with them to the movie and consider planning a time to discuss
it afterwards over dessert or the following day. ·
Ask them to share their thoughts and feelings about the movie. Work
hard to be a good listener before responding to them. Don’t get into arguments
over their thoughts. Show them that you care about them. Help them to explore
the claims of Christ at their own level of readiness and interest.
“In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he
who restrains his lips is wise” (Prov 10:19). “A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds
them back” (Prov 29:11). “Do you see a man hasty in his words? There is more
hope for a fool than for him” (Prov 29:20). “He who has knowledge spares his words, and a man of
understanding is of a calm spirit. Even a fool is counted wise when he holds
his peace; when he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive” (Prov 17:27-28). Sample Questions: ·
What did you think about the movie? ·
What was something that moved you? ·
Was there anything that you learned about Jesus’ last 12 hours that you
did not know before? o How has this changed your
view of who Jesus is and what He did? ·
Why do you think He was hated so much? ·
What makes Jesus’ life important? ·
Do have any questions about Jesus that the movie didn’t answer? Invite The Person to Learn More About Jesus “This was a great movie and
I’m glad you came with me. But the movie did not complete the story. I’d like
to invite you to come to Grace Church of Napa Valley to hear a teaching series
on the life of Jesus from the Bible. Would you like to attend the series with
me? I can pick you up or meet you there.” Other Ways to Follow-Up the Movie with a Witness for Christ Personal Testimony An
excellent model of a personal testimony and its use is found in Acts 22:3-16. Acts 22:3-5 Describes Paul’s life before Christ Acts 22:6-13 Describes how Paul came to know Christ Acts 22:14-16 Describes how Paul’s life was changed See the handout on Personal
Testimony to write out your own. Ask the person you are trying to reach to
share your story of faith with them. Say, “I didn’t always believe in Jesus or
understand who He is. May I share with you how I know Him and how He changed my
life?” Evangelize with the Word It's important for us to
get out of the spotlight and believe that “the Word of God is living and active”
(Heb. 4:12). Once we get into Scripture, our job is to provide the
questions...not the answers. The Bible has the answers. Interacting with non-Christians over the Word of God
provides a comfortable context for looking learning about Jesus: asking
questions, discussing life, and seeing God's power affect people. While a
personal testimony can have an impact on non-Christians, Scripture's power
supercedes personal statements, passion, and opinions. Here is a way to
introduce others to Jesus through Bible reading: ·
At the outset,
be strategic. Watch for a chance to
share your beliefs and their basis—the Bible—with a coworker or neighbor. When
you do offer to read the Bible with a non-Christian, state it as reading the
Bible, not studying. And you may ask the more intellectual person to
"investigate" the Bible. Or, for a nominal Christian, you may ask,
"Would like to look at the Bible more closely for yourself?" ·
When you meet,
read a passage together aloud, then just talk about it. Focusing on Christ's life in one of the Gospels is an
excellent start. Your job is to ask the person what he or she believes the
Bible is saying about Jesus, not to give your own answers. Ask the person,
"If these things are true about Him, what do you think a proper response
would be?" You also don't need to have all the answers about a text; it's
good to direct attention back to the Bible and ask, "What do you
think?" ·
Avoid
distractions and be practical. Don't
argue with anyone; keep the discussion focused on what a particular Bible
passage is saying to the individual. The Holy Spirit will do the convincing. To
start, let the person know that you can meet with them for an hour in your own
home or at a different location. ·
Let the other
person initiate any future meetings. People
may break their appointments with you, but you will also find that others will
be hungry for more. Reading God's Word is a powerful way to witness and
evangelize. Use the Gospel of John Booklet Give the Booklet to Those Who See the Movie with You After the movie, offer them a
Gospel of John booklet to read on their own. If you have time together, you may
go over the gospel presentation at the front of the booklet with them. Be sure
to ask them at a later time if they read it and what they thought about it. Offer a Booklet to Anyone Because the film puts the name
of Jesus on many people's hearts and minds, use the opportunity to ask people
if they've seen the film. Get them to talk about their experience – how the
movie impacted their view of Jesus. Then offer the booklet. You might say
something like, "Here's free gift for you: a booklet by an eyewitness to
the event that will help you get a better idea of all the things the movie
couldn't cover. It's great reading!" You can say to people, "You've
seen the film, now read the message." They'll be intrigued and thankful
for the gift. Additional Evangelism Training For further training in
evangelism, visit the Witnessing Without Fear page. |
