Discuss Assignments from Last Meeting

• Take turns sharing your testimony with one of your teammates. Listen to their testimony and give constructive feedback on how to use simple and non-churchy language.

• What method of sharing the gospel do you prefer? You will need to ask your host if they have a method they would suggest you use in their context.

• Who is one person from your “10 most wanted” that you want to have a spiritual conversation with this week?

Sharing the Gospel

“Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.” Ephesians 6:19

Sharing the gospel can feel intimidating. You may think: “I’m not confident enough; I’m not a good speaker; I don’t have the gift of evangelism; I’m terrified!”

Even if you want to share, you may wonder: “How should I share? When? What exactly do I need to share? Is it okay if I only share part of the truth? What if they are offended? What if they ask difficult questions that I can’t answer?”

You are being sent out this summer to share a message that transforms lives. The gospel is the power of God to bring people out of spiritual death and into eternal life (Rom. 1:16). Often, the weight of this responsibility combined with our own insecurities can hinder us from confidently sharing this hope. OneLink is committed to help prepare to better share this message on your campus and overseas.

What is the Gospel?

We throw around the term “gospel” in Christian circles but many find it difficult to explain. Simply put, the gospel is good news. Yet it is essential we have a clear understanding of the gospel if we are to share it with others. One approach is to think of the gospel as four main components about Jesus at the center, with two bookends. Jesus was born, lived a perfect life, died, and was resurrected. On the front end is the reason Jesus was sent, and on the back end is the personal response required. 

Why did Jesus come?

The only and eternal God created humans to live in a perfect love relationship with him. However, we rebel against God and deserve death and eternal punishment for sin.  

In his grace, God loved us and gave his only son Jesus to save us….

Four key points about Jesus:

1. Jesus is God and came to earth and was born as a man.
2. Jesus lived a perfect life without sin.
3. Jesus died to pay the penalty of sin for us.
4. Jesus rose on the third day, victorious over sin and death.

What should be the personal response?

• Admit you are a sinner and helpless to save yourself.
• Believe that Jesus is the eternal son of God and he died to pay for your sin. 
• Confess your sins to God (repent / turn away from sin) and Call on Him to save you.
• Receive forgiveness of your sins, the gift of eternal life, and the Holy Spirit to help you live for him.

Of course, there may be some groundwork that needs to be laid before sharing the whole gospel, and you may not have the opportunity to share the whole gospel every time. You may have some very natural opportunities to share and on the other hand sometimes you will need to intentionally guide the conversation to spiritual things. You will need boldness and initiative to take any opportunity that God gives you! Even sharing your testimony, a Bible story, or even just a piece of God’s truth can discern whether the hearer is open to hear more in the future. However, Romans 10: 13-15 is clear that the gospel message must be verbally shared for people to hear and believe in Jesus for salvation.

How Should I Share the Gospel?

Watch as she attempts to share the gospel with her national friend.

FOCUStani What NOT to Do

Discuss some reasons why this gospel presentation did not go “smoothly”?

You may have heard the phrase “the kind of evangelism that works is the kind that you do.” Some methods of sharing the gospel are not inherently superior to others. However, some methods may be more appropriate for certain contexts, especially in countries and cultures outside our own. Our aim should be to communicate the gospel in a way that our audience can most easily understand the message. (This is often called “contextualization.”)

A few methods for suggestion:

• Testimony: Sharing our personal stories can be a natural and powerful way to share.
• Bible stories: Some of the places you will be going are more oral than the West and enjoy stories. Most are ignorant of even the basic stories of the Bible. Some may have heard about Jesus but the stories are distorted or different from the New Testament.
• Use Scripture: Memorizing verses such as John 3:16 or Romans 6:23 demonstrate you are devout and value your Holy Book. Getting them to read/study the Bible with you is a big win!
• The Three Stories approach can be a helpful framework. (Not all elements occur in 1st meeting.)
  • Their Story: First, ask questions about them, their life, family, and faith. Listen for open doors to spiritual conversation. 
  • Your Story: Next, ask them if you can share “your story” (a brief personal testimony). 
  • God’s Story: Last, ask if you can share “God’s story” of love and salvation in the gospel.  

Sharing Cross-Culturally

The fundamental principles of sharing the gospel are the same everywhere, but there are a couple of things to keep in mind as you share cross-culturally.

SLOW DOWN and USE SIMPLE TERMS: In a different culture you will primarily share with people for whom English is not their native language. Even if there is a lot of smiling and nodding in their response, this does not necessarily mean that they are understanding you.

AVOID WESTERN CHRISTIAN JARGON and COMPLEX DOCTRINE: Sometimes in our efforts to communicate well we use words that are Christian jargon. Theological terms such as propitiation, atonement and redemption will not be understood. Even simpler terms like sin, repentance, salvation, sacrifice, savior can be confusing and may need to be explained further. Western idioms like, asking Jesus into my heart, praying to receive Jesus, walking the aisle, giving my life to Jesus, getting saved, etc. should be avoided in cross-cultural contexts. 

A second try, considering the challenges of communication in a cross-cultural context.

FOCUStani What to Do

Roles and Responsibilities in Sharing the Gospel

Evangelism is not a professional job for a few trained men, but is instead the unrelenting responsibility of every person who belongs to the company of Jesus.

D. Elton Trueblood

Salvation belongs to our God and he will do the saving. However, the LORD God has chosen to use believers to spread the message about salvation, he has no plan B. The Bible speaks of human responsibility in sharing the gospel and God’s sovereignty in salvation as two sides of the same coin. They do not contradict but are compatible in God’s plan. As you seek to share the gospel, remember that God is the only one who can save, and as a “witness” your responsibility is to faithfully share what you know. Believing in Christ is more than simply knowing the truth, but faith must start with sharing the truth. Every time a person believes, it is truly a miracle and God deserves all the glory. The results of your faithfulness will only be known in heaven. You are “One Link” in an individual’s journey to faith, an essential part of what God is doing to draw them to himself.  

For Bible verses supporting both concepts:

OneLink Value: Initiative

Key Verses:

• Colossians 4:5
• Ecclesiastes 9:10
• Romans 12:7-8

This summer you will need to take initiative in a variety of ways. Some examples include, figuring out how to get around in your host culture, meeting the needs of your team and hosts, striking up conversations with complete strangers, and boldly sharing the gospel when there is an open door. Taking initiative to read a situation accurately and act appropriately is a skill that needs to be practiced and developed. You will hear about the Read / Act Model throughout your training (R/A Model for short).

The Read Act Model:

This is a tool that is helpful for leaders as well as team members. Some are naturally good at “reading” a situation and others are naturally good at “acting” to get things done.

1. Ideally we strive to do both well in a timely manner: We say this is big R and big A.
2. If you read well but are slow to act appropriately, we say this is big R, little a.
3. If you act without taking time to accurately read the situation, we say this is little r, big A.
4. The worst is when you neither read accurately nor act appropriately. We say this is little r, little a.

What block do you fall into naturally, and where do you need to improve?

A video produced in South Asia on Initiative and Servant Leadership

The Tree- Let’s Go India

What lessons for your trip can be taken from this video regarding:

1. Taking initiative?
2. Reading the situation accurately?
3. Acting appropriately?
4. The need for teamwork?

Final Step