Monthly Practice:
Evangelism
Sep 4
-
October 1, 2022
Overview
"In your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect..."
1 Peter 3:15
Evangelism is about looking for ways that God’s work in your life can intersect with, and contribute to, his work in the people around you.
We share our faith with others because if we’ve truly experienced God’s grace and love others, we will want them to experience the same. Sharing our faith sharpens our understanding of the Word, reminds us of everything that God has done for us, and helps others experience His love. We share the Gospel (that Jesus came and died so we could have a relationship with Him) wherever there is an opportunity to introduce others to the same love that changed our lives.
Overview Video
Weekly Guides
Week 1
PRE-MEETING PREPARATION
- Make sure you have access to the overview video and are able to play that for the group.
- Review the weekly Big Idea for your reference. These are intended to give you context for the week. You can choose to start with these and use them for discussion, or just bring them up as applicable during your Group practice time.
- Read through the Group and Individual Practices ahead of time.
BIG IDEA: Evangelism is a Partnership
- Evangelism isn’t something we do for God; it’s something we do with God.
- Evangelism should flow from our own relationship with Jesus.
- God is always working; our responsibility is to join in what he is already doing.
Connection Time - 20 Minutes
Sermon Review - 20 Minutes
(Guides are updated weekly on the Community webpage.)
Group Application - 40 Minutes
Group practice - do this together in Group
- WATCH the overview video together, then engage in discussion.
- REVIEW the Discussion Highlights for this week.
- ASK: Have you ever initiated a conversation with someone about following Jesus? If so, when was it, and how did you feel about it?
- ASK: What would make it easier for you to remember that God is always working, and to engage in evangelistic opportunities?
- REVIEW the memory verse and other resources for the month.
Individual practice - to do on your own throughout the week
- Write out a testimony of your relationship with Jesus. This could be about when you first trusted in him as Lord, or about something you have recently experienced or learned. Try to keep it under three minutes; you’ll share this testimony with the group in your next meeting.
Pray - 10 Minutes
Week 2
PRE-MEETING PREPARATION
- Make sure you have access to the Week 2 and are able to play that for the group.
- Review the weekly Big Idea for your reference.
- Read through the Group and Individual Practices ahead of time.
BIG IDEA: Evangelism is a Process
- Every person is on a spiritual journey.
- We will play different parts in different people’s journey toward Jesus.
- God uses us, even in the midst of our own process of learning and growing with him.
Connection Time - 20 Minutes
Sermon Review - 20 Minutes
(Guides are updated weekly on the Community webpage.)
Group Application - 40 Minutes
Group practice - do this together in Group
- REVIEW the Discussion Highlights for this week.
- Allow each member time to share their testimony (around three minutes each). Afterward, discuss the challenges and benefits of practicing this together.
- ASK: What are the main things that keep you from sharing your faith more often
- ASK: How can we learn to trust God with the outcome of evangelistic conversations, rather than taking responsibility for its outcome personally?
- REVIEW the memory verse and other resources for the month.
Individual practice - to do on your own throughout the week
- Spend some time thinking about the people you know who don’t actively follow Jesus. Take note of where they seem to be in their spiritual journey, and what might be a reasonable but faithful next step in allowing them to see and understand your faith.
Pray - 10 Minutes
Week 3
PRE-MEETING PREPARATION
- Make sure you have access to the Week 3 video and are able to play that for the group.
- Review the weekly Big Idea for your reference.
- Read through the Group and Individual Practices ahead of time.
BIG IDEA: Evangelism is a Practice
- Evangelism is not only about other people finding Jesus, but also about discovering more of Jesus for ourselves.
- Practicing evangelism develops a deeper sense of ownership in our faith.
- Our capacity for evangelism grows as our relationship with Jesus deepens.
Connection Time - 20 Minutes
Sermon Review - 20 Minutes
(Guides are updated weekly on the Community webpage.)
Group Application - 40 Minutes
Group practice - do this together in Group
- REVIEW the previous week’s individual practice.
- REVIEW the Discussion Highlights for this week.
- Spend some time praying for one another, asking God to provide boldness and opportunities for evangelism to each group member individually.
- ASK: How has your confidence and motivation to share your faith changed as you have grown closer with Jesus?
- ASK: How does being evangelistically active strengthen a Christian’s faith?
- REVIEW the memory verse and other resources for the month.
Individual practice - to do on your own throughout the week
- Come up with a way to remind yourself throughout the week to be mindful of God’s work in the people around you. This could be phone alarms, sticky notes or note cards somewhere, or some other method, but however you choose to do it, set up some ways to remind yourself to pay attention and ask God what he is up to!
Pray - 10 Minutes
Week 4
PRE-MEETING PREPARATION
- Decide in advance what you will do this week for the Group Practice. This can be anything that builds community and relationship. If your group missed a week, you can also use this week to make up for previous content.
Connection Time - 20 Minutes
Sermon Review - 20 Minutes
(Guides are updated weekly on the Community webpage.)
Group Time - 40 Minutes
- REVIEW the previous week’s individual practice.
- In addition to the usual connection time and sermon review, use this week’s meeting to foster community and deepen relationships.
- REVIEW the memory verse and other resources for the month.
Pray - 10 Minutes
MONTHLY PRACTICE SUMMARY
When we partner with God, understand his process and practice sharing our faith with others, we become closer to Jesus and are able to be more effective in our evangelism.
CORPORATE CHALLENGE
Initiate an intentional conversation with someone about what it is like to trust and follow Jesus.
RESOURCES
Memory Verse
So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”
2 Corinthians 5:20
Books
- Sent. Holleman, Ashley and Heather.
- About My Father’s Business. Campbell, Reggie.
- The Master Plan of Evangelism. Coleman, Robert E.
Definition Sermons
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