12 Foundation Stones - Study Notes for Class 10A ----------------- The Seven Steps ----------------- Witnessing, Part 1 -> Target: Learn how to witness! ------------------------------- Key Verses ------------------------------- Mark 16:15 - And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature." 2 Timothy 4:2a - Preach the Word! Be ready in season and out of season. John 12:32 - [Jesus said:] And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself. ------------------------------- Suggested Bible Reading ------------------------------- <> Proverbs 1, 3, 8-11, 20 Other Recommended Reading <> One Heart at a Time (Get Activated! book) ------------------------------- Prayer and Praise: "Help Me to Witness!" ------------------------------- Thank You Jesus for all that You have given me: salvation, the Holy Spirit, Your Word - such a wonderful life full of love! Please help me to "love my neighbors" by witnessing, by sharing You and Your Words with others. Please give me a broken heart for those who do not know You and a desire to reach them. Help me to have Your love and concern for those to whom I witness, Jesus. I want to show You, not myself, and to speak Your Words, not my own. Help me to put aside my personal problems and care about others, so that I can help others find You. Help me not to be shy or self-conscious, but to let You shine in me and through me. Thank You Jesus for this high calling to be Your witness. Please help me to obey Your commandment to preach the Gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15). ------------------------------- Meditation: Seven Steps of Witnessing ------------------------------- 1. Find someone to witness to 2. Ask questions 3. Listen 4. Give them God's answers 5. Get a decision 6. Take care of those you lead to the Lord 7. Pray for people As a comparison, we could say knowing Jesus is like having a cure for cancer. If you had a cure for cancer and didn't tell anyone, if you kept it to yourself and never told the world about it, that would very selfish! Well, you have a cure for more serious and far-reaching diseases than cancer! You know the cure for unhappiness, for loneliness, for rejection, for fear - illnesses that afflict millions or billions of people, a far greater number than cancer has ever touched, or will ever touch. And if you don't share this cure with people, you would be failing God, failing others, and failing yourself. This cure is Jesus, plain and simple! And He does more than cure sickness; He gives forgiveness of sin and eternal life in Heaven to those who receive Him. Don't you want others to know about this? ------------------------------- Getting to Know the Bible: The Book of Proverbs ------------------------------- Proverbs are wise sayings on how to live, how to behave, how to think, how to speak, how not to speak, how not to behave, what to do, and what not to do. They are useful guides to living. The book of Proverbs was mostly written or compiled by King Solomon, the son of King David, but the book also contains proverbs of other kings and other men. In many of those proverbs, Solomon was repeating the wisdom of the ages, which had been given by God to men down through the ages. It has often been said that a wise man will learn from experience, but an even wiser man will learn from the experience of others. The book of Proverbs is an excellent place to study this subject of learning from others. "A wise man will hear and increase learning" (Proverbs 1:5). True wisdom is humble and receptive in heart. Proverbs 9:9 says, "Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a just man, and he will increase in learning." Proverbs are helpful guidelines to consider and apply. This book contains the classic example of the need to be led by the Lord's Spirit when reading and applying the Bible. One verse says, "Do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you also be like him," and the very next verse says, "Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes" (Proverbs 26:4-5). These two verses are not intended to be contradictory. It's simply that God's Word offers different guidelines to be applied to different situations, and He expects us, by the leading of His Holy Spirit and our overall knowledge of His Word, to "rightly divide the Word of truth" and apply it accordingly (2 Timothy 2:15). Many people enjoy reading one chapter from the book of Proverbs each day. It fits very nicely as there are 31 chapters, that can correspond to the day of the month. You could read a chapter of Proverbs each day through the month as a little morning or evening devotional study. ----------------------- Supplementary Reading ----------------------- Seven Steps of Witnessing -- Summary ------------------------------- 1. Find someone to witness to <> There are differences in approach for people you know and those who are strangers. <> Pray and ask the Lord to lead you! - Ask the Lord to speak to you about those He wants you to witness to. He can show you the best approach and the best timing if you ask Him! <> Be flexible. - A witnessing method, or a certain subject of conversation, may be very successful on one occasion but inappropriate on another. <> Use wisdom. - Not every witnessing "method" is appropriate under all circumstances. <> Ask the Lord for His wisdom in knowing how, when, where to witness and to whom! <> Be available! - Your best ability is availability when it comes to preaching the Gospel! You can be a witness at school, at work, in your neighborhood or city, or on some foreign shore. If you're willing to be what Jesus wants you to be and to do what He asks you to do, He can make you a mighty witness, whatever your age and experience! <> See Proverbs 11:30; Matthew 10:16; James 1:5. ------------------------------- 2. Ask questions <> Show concern by asking people questions about themselves and their lives. - See Proverbs 18:13. <> Use current events and trends to arouse their interest. - See Luke 13:1-5. <> Witness in a quiet place when possible. ------------------------------- 3. Listen <> Encourage people to speak their heart; listen to them and hear them out. - See Proverbs 20:5. <> When you are witnessing, you are soul doctors. Listen and find out what their problems are. - See Matthew 12:34b; James 1:19a. ------------------------------- 4. Give them God's answers <> Tell people God's answers in your own words and also by showing Scriptures. <> Give your own personal testimony - tell what the Lord has done for you! See examples of using personal testimonies in Acts 22:3-21; 26:1-20; John 4:28-39. <> Illustrate your points with stories. - See Mark 4:2; Matthew 13:34 <> Use the Word in your witnessing. - See 2 Chronicles 17:9; Luke 8:5,11; John 4:41-42; 20:31; Acts 17:2-3; 18:28; Titus 1:9. <> Scripture memorization is important for witnessing, so you can find the verses you want to show. - See Psalm 119:42; Matthew 12:34b-35a; 2 Timothy 4:2; 1 Peter 3:15. <> Have them read from the Bible. - You remember about 80% of what you see, but only about 40% of what you hear - which means reading it is twice as effective! <> You need to know your Bible well enough to find the verses they need. <> Keep your witness simple. - See 1 Corinthians 1:17; 2:1-4; 2 Corinthians 1:12; 3:12 <> John 3:16 is all you really need to know to win souls! <> Lift up Jesus! - See Acts 5:42; 13:38; 20:21; 1 Corinthians 1:23; 2:2; 2 Corinthians 4:5; 1 Timothy 1:15; John 12:32. <> Find points of agreement. Lovingly win others. Don't argue. - See 1 Corinthians 9:19-22; 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8; 2 Timothy 2:23-24; Acts 17:23-28. <> Avoid confrontation. <> Keep your witness simple <> Don't forget to mention Jesus! <> Patiently explain. Speak with sincere love. <> Show the joy of the Lord! ------------------------------- 5. Get a decision <> People should realize their need for Jesus. - See Luke 5:31-32. <> Bring them to a decision. - See 1 Kings 18:21a; Matthew 22:42; 2 Timothy 4:2. <> It has to be their decision - you can't force them to decide. <> Pray with them to receive the Lord. (See sample salvation prayers below.) <> For those who are unsure, you can pray for them or with them, but in a different way. ------------------------------- 6. Take care of those you lead to the Lord <> Encourage new believers to read the Word so that they will grow in faith. - See 2 Timothy 2:2. <> Help them find the spiritual counsel and leadership they need. <> For more on this subject, see One Heart at a Time (Get Activated! book), chapter: "Taking Care of the Baby." ------------------------------- 7. Pray for people <> Pray for those who are not yet saved to receive the Lord. <> Pray for your loved ones to receive the Lord. - See Acts 16:31. <> Keep on praying for those you lead to the Lord to grow closer to Him. - See Colossians 1:9-12; 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12; 3 John 1:2. -------------------------------------------------- Sample Prayers - For Those Who Want to Receive Jesus <> Dear Jesus, I ask You to come into my heart. Please forgive me for all the wrongs I've done, and give me Your gift of everlasting life. Help me to love You, and help me to share Your love and truth with others. Amen. <> Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive me for the wrongs that I have done. I'm sorry, and I want to receive You into my heart through the love of Your Son, Jesus. Help me to love You and others so that I can be happy and make others happy. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. In the name of Jesus, Your Son, Amen. <> Dear Jesus, I believe You are the Son of God and that You died for me and arose from the grave. I need Your love to cleanse me from my mistakes and wrongdoing. I need Your light to drive away all darkness. I need Your peace to fill and satisfy my heart. I now open the door of my heart and I ask You, Jesus, to please come into my life and give me Your free gift of eternal life. Thank You for suffering for all of the wrong I have done, and for hearing my prayer and forgiving me. Thank You also for the promise of Your Holy Spirit. Please fill me with Your Spirit. Amen. For those who aren't convinced they need Jesus Dear Jesus, I need help and I've heard You can help me! There is so much happening in my life that is beyond my control. I've heard You're the good Spirit of Love and Light and Power. Please come into my heart and life and sort things out for me. -------------------------------------------------- Be a Witness - Anytime, Anywhere! A businessman landed at the Dallas airport and realized he had one hour and 20 minutes before his next plane connection. He thought, How can I be used of the Lord here? He had a supply of Gospel tracts with him. He inserted one of his business cards inside each tract. Then he gave these to single men sitting waiting for their planes. But he didn't just hand them out and pass on. Instead he said to each man, "Pardon me. I have a little booklet here. Inside is my business card. I would like you to read this over and if you have any questions, I will be sitting over there. I have some time before my plane takes off. Or if you would like to write, my address is there." At the end of the hour and 20 minutes, men were standing around to ask questions about how to learn more about Jesus. - And, for weeks afterwards, the businessman received correspondence because of the business cards in the tracts. <> A pastor was passing a large department store and had a sudden impulse to speak to the proprietor. He said, "I've talked carpets and beds, but never my business with you. Will you give me a few minutes?" Being led to the private office, the pastor took out his Bible and directed the department store owner's attention to passage after passage, and urged him to become a Christian. Finally the tears began to roll down the man's cheeks. "I'm 70 years old, I was born in this city and more than 100 ministers and 500 officers of various churches have known me in a business way. You are the only man who has ever talked to me about my soul." <> Many years ago in Shanghai, China, it was a common sight to see four or five coolies pulling a heavily laden cart. They got on well enough on the level, but when they came to go up over the bridges they often found it diffi cult to tug the cart up. As I crossed a bridge I saw a well-dressed Chinese gentleman that I knew go to the assistance of a cart that was stuck, and, laying hold of a rope, give just the extra help that was needed to get the cart to the top of the bridge. It must have caused a good deal of surprise to the passers-by, and not least to the coolies. My friend overtook me a few minutes later, and said, "I am very much interested in the laboring classes." "Yes," said I, "I saw you taking a very practical interest just now." He answered: "That is my work; whenever I see them unable to pull their loads, I help them to the top, and then I have a chance for a few moments to preach the Gospel to them. I tell them, 'It is because I am a Christian that I helped you, because I love Jesus.' And if I see a wheelbarrow upset in the street (a very common sight), I help the man replace his load, then preach the Gospel to him." -------------------------------------------------- The Great Commission <> Jesus sends us to witness: Acts 1:8; Matthew 28:19-20; John 15:16a; 20:21; Romans 10:14-15. <> We have a responsibility to the people we meet: Proverbs 14:25a; Acts 26:18; James 5:20. <> If we don't offer them a chance for salvation, they will suffer, and so will we: Mark 8:38; Luke 12:8-9; 1 Corinthians 9:16; Ezekiel 3:17-19. <> "The love of Christ compels us." Matthew 9:36; 2 Corinthians 5:14a. <> Heavenly rewards for witnessing: Daniel 12:3; Luke 12:8; 1 Corinthians 3:8b; 9:17a. <> Souls are forever: 1 John 2:17; 1 Thessalonians 2:9,13,19. <> Joy in Heaven as a result of each soul saved: Luke 15:10. -------------------------------------------------- (END)