my story · 2019-09-18 · makes you wonder1: my story page 1 1. m-m-motivations goal to discover...

Conversations about

Be who you are as a Christian

by Ian Robinson

Makes You Wonder 1

My Story

Dedicated to the memory of

Don Robertson

who was a great friend, volunteer, advisor,

kicker-up-the-lazy; and all for love of Jesus

whom he met only late in life.

MYW1: MY STORY

In this first series we will explore some of the ways we can share the difference God has made in our lives.

At some stage we will all ask ourselves questions like: How can I become more authentic? What is my own faith that I am ready to share? How can I be more hospitable? What do I have to offer when I share my own faith story? How can I do this with respect and gentleness?

The answer to all of these questions includes sharing our own stories.

Sharing my story means sharing feelings and experiences, not just my thoughts, doctrines or beliefs.

MAKES YOU WONDER EXERCISES HELP YOU TO

Find your own voice in sharing the faith that you have now,

with the people you live and work with

Develop confidence in the power of your Christian self

Realise afresh how great a gospel you have received

Find fresh and biblical ways to share this realisation in small steps with those

who have no church background.

The four books include about sixty exercises that can be used in a small group in the order given,

in a class as a curriculum, in church as a series of sermons or in a training seminar. You can also

do the exercises individually as ‘stand alone’ exercises.

TOPICS IN MAKES YOU WONDER 1:

1. M-M-Motivations p. 1

2. How God is in Me p. 4

3. Begin p. 8

4. Belong p. 11

5. Decide p. 14

6. Prayer Partners & Life groups p. 17

7. Find Parables, Pauses and Pictures p. 24

8. The Gifts We Bring p. 28

9. Keeping My Faith Alive p. 38

10. Invest p. 41

In each topic, leader’s notes are written out in full, followed by a shorter version (they begin Handout 1.) which you may give as a handout to participants. You could do this before, during, or after each session – your choice.

One hour per session is a helpful time to set aside, but depending on the time you have available you may want to emphasise different parts of the material. When you see text in italics, it offers instructions for you to follow.

All Bible verses are simply referenced, not written in full. Encourage participants to bring their own Bibles with them and to read together.

DOWNLOAD THE MYW APP.

AVAILABLE ON IPHONE AND ANDROID

Makes You Wonder1: MY Story Page 1

1. M-M-Motivations

GOAL To discover what motivates us to share our faith, and get past being uncomfortable or afraid.

PREPARATION Whiteboard and markers, newspaper articles,

INTRODUCTION There is something you will need to decide to do at the very outset of this course, and you will need to keep doing it. To remind you to keep doing it, I have found a symbol of faith-sharing that you will see quite often — the “Golden Arches” of McDonalds. Every time you see the big M with three legs, you should remind yourself to:

MAKE MORE MISTAKES

EXERCISE STEP ONE: THINK Recall a time when you felt you made a mistake in sharing or not sharing your beliefs.

How did it feel? Did you learn anything from it?

STEP TWO: ALL TOGETHER

If you and I are NOT making more mistakes, only one of two options can apply:

1. We are staying in our comfort zone doing only what we know how to do

taking no risks going nowhere

learning nothing about ourselves OR

2. We are uninterested in others maybe we are arrogant

maybe we are unaware of our own mistakes maybe we are insensitive to people

maybe we are learning nothing about other people

When you made the mistake you thought about, what did you say or do at the time? What could you have said or done differently? What will you do or say next time?

So, get used to the idea that to make any progress in anything, we need to be able to say, “Sorry I made a mistake. Can we try that again please?” Write it on the whiteboard.

Makes You Wonder 1: MY Story

Do you agree with that? Let’s say it together.

REPEAT TOGETHER: “SORRY. I MADE A MISTAKE. CAN WE TRY THAT AGAIN PLEASE?”

If we are all committed in God to making more mistakes, we can begin to learn.

KEY QUESTION What is our motivation for sharing the love of God?

STEP ONETHINK Why do you want to share God’s Love?

STEP TWO READ Here are some Bible verses. What do you think of them? Do you find them motivating? Given Christ’s example, what are you encouraged to do? Don’t give a sermon here, just look at how they relate to motivation.

John 3:16, 1 John 1:1-4 Christ has come: God’s love judgement and truth have all been demonstrated, therefore we shed our light.

Matthew 5:13-16, Matthew 28:20 Christ commands us to be salt and light, therefore we must exercise influence toward others.

John 13:34-35, John 17:20-21, 15:1, 2, 16 Christ calls us to be like Him, therefore we carry on His ministry in His way.

Mark 1:29-2:9 Christ’s compassion: We are to share His compassion for the world that cries out still today. Think of examples from the news recently

STEP THREE DISCUSSION What do you think is the link between mission, culture and context in the following quotes:

“It is not the church of God that has a mission in the world but the God of mission who has a church in the world.”

Tim Dearborn, Beyond Duty: A Passion for Christ, a Heart for Mission

“The gospel always comes to people in cultural robes. There is no such thing as a ‘pure’ gospel, isolated from culture.” David J Bosch, Transforming Mission

“Contextualisation represents the careful and refined use of a people’s cultural forms in order that the truth of the gospel can be correctly expressed in their language through a judicious use of their own thought forms.” Arthur F Glasser, Announcing the Kingdom

CONCLUSION The joy of sharing our faith is not simply about “spirituality” in general. It’s not about being good or being nice. It’s not even about “believing in God,” and it’s not about the depth of my spiritual experience. It’s about participating in the LOVE of God. This love happens in particular ways in our everyday life. This love is best modelled by Jesus and is now made present in you and me. Jesus is the Source. Are you connecting?


HANDOUT MYW1.1 M-M-Motivations

GOAL To discover what motivates us to share our faith, and get past being uncomfortable or afraid.

INTRODUCTION

There is something you will need to decide to do at the very outset of this course, and you will need to keep doing it. To remind you to keep doing it, I have found a symbol of faith-sharing that you will see quite often — the “Golden Arches” of McDonalds. Every time you see the big M with three legs, you should remind yourself to:

Make More Mistakes

KEY QUESTION What is our motivation for sharing the love of God?

READ John 3:16, 1 John 1:1-4

Matthew 5:13-16, Matthew 28:20

John 13:34-35, John 17:20-21, 15:1, 2, 16

Mark 1:29-2:9

DISCUSS “It is not the church of God that has a mission in the world but the God of mission who has a church in the world.”

Tim Dearborn, Beyond Duty: A Passion for Christ, a Heart for Mission

“The gospel always comes to people in cultural robes. There is no such thing as a ‘pure’ gospel, isolated from culture.”

David J Bosch, Transforming Mission

“Contextualisation represents the careful and refined use of a people’s cultural forms in order that the truth of the gospel can be correctly expressed in their language through a judicious use of their own thought forms.” Arthur F Glasser, Announcing the Kingdom

CONCLUSION The joy of sharing our faith is not simply about “spirituality” in general. It’s not about being good or being nice. It’s not even about “believing in God,” and it’s not about the depth of my spiritual experience. It’s about participating in the LOVE of God. This love happens in particular ways in our everyday life. This love is best modelled by Jesus and is now made present in you and me. Jesus is the Source. Are you connecting?


2. HOW GOD IS IN ME

GOAL To tell the story of my personal experience of Christ, and to uncover its power to engage the hearts of others.

INTRODUCTION Our personal experiences of the living Christ, and the difference he makes to our lives, need to be communicated. These days, to be a Christian is to be different from almost everyone else of our generation. We can’t assume they know what it is like to live a Christian life.

It is easy to pretend to be one of the crowd. It is sometimes easier to just get busy with good causes. But if God has made you wonder, you must have a story to tell.

KEY QUESTION Why are you still a Christian? We are NOT asking why you go to church, nor why you BECAME a Christian. We want to hear why you continue today to be a Christian.

NOTES People brought up in a Christian home may find this a nonsense question, saying in effect “I always have been. I couldn’t be anything else.” If this is the case, ask something like "Many children of Christian homes have turned away. What holds you in the faith?”

Occasionally, someone has not answered the question at all. They say “I am still a Christian because of so-and-so,” or they say, “I am because I am.” They may be having difficulty. Gently probe for more heartfelt reasons. Ask for instance, “What is it about so-and-so that makes you stay a Christian? What would you lose if you walked away from personal faith?”

Other questions to go deeper: • What difference has Jesus made in your life?

• What is it about your experience of Jesus Christ that your neighbours just can’t do without? (from Thomas Bandy)

• What would you lose if you lost Jesus?

• If you were put on trial for being a Christian, what evidence would they bring to convict you?

• (If some non-Christians are present) What is the most engaging aspect of Christianity for you right now?

EXERCISE STEP ONE:THINK Shortly you will be sharing the answer to the question with two people you may or may not know well. You have one minute to think what you will say.

STEP TWO WITH TWO Form groups of three and introduce yourselves. Then each person gets one minute each to answer the question: “Why am I still a Christian?” Start: “This is a story of why I am still a Christian…


Before the next step, check with each person about what they are happy to share with a bigger group.

STEP THREE WITH TWO + THREE After five minutes, combine two groups to make groups of six. Each of you will take a turn to tell the group in one sentence why one of your group of three members is still a Christian. Start with their name, like this: “(Name) is still a Christian because...”

STEP FOUR WITH ALL After five minutes, everyone will become one large group. Now, introduce that same person, summarising what you said to the group of six. The leader will write up what is said (though not necessarily who said it!)

Under the title “Because…” write a list, clearly and legibly, of everyone’s reasons. Use their own words as exactly as possible. Amalgamate answers only if space on the board is limited.

Write them not as first person singular but as first person plural – in other words, change “I” and “me/my” to “we” and “us/our.” When all have contributed, change the word “Because” to something like “Lord, we know you are real because...”

PRAYER TIME Invite people to read it out aloud together as a prayer-litany. Point to where you are up to as you go. Lead in a clear voice.

People may want to write down the litany to show others. This is OK, but warn them that it may lose something when taken out of context, when the faces behind each statement are not present.

This is usually a strong experience. Take a break afterwards, and then come back together.

DISCUSSION Ask “What can we learn from the last section? There will be (at least) three responses:

1. It was POWERFUL. Recall what just happened here. What were your feelings as you read through that prayer? The leader should jot down on the board the feelings expressed. There are often a small number of quite strong and diverse feelings. I call them “spirited feelings.”

St Augustine (4th century) said “O Lord, you have made us for yourself,

and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you.”

Can you see that this is the sort of heart response in others that you would like to have from your faith sharing? Powerful and heart-reaching faith-sharing! You have done it already! What more could you want in another’s response to what you were sharing? You are powerful evangelists!

2. It was PERSONAL. Looking at the variety of reasons given, see that God does not work with people according to only one formula. Each of us is known by name, and receives personal attention and a personal relationship with God. There is no set formula in faith-sharing, except that it should be personal.


3. It was HUMAN. Sometimes people comment that their responses to saying the litany together are shaped because they are Christians, and that non-Christians would not feel like this.

If you go through the list, however, it is not hard to show that the central element in each person’s statement is not religious, but shows the yearning of every human heart. Christians may be more confident in identifying their feelings, but any human heart will almost certainly have these same spirited feelings.

FURTHER DISCUSSION (If time is short, you could jump straight to the last section).

Q. How difficult was it to put your story into words? Because of the church’s history of silencing the congregation, we need practice, but we do not have to be polished before we begin. It is more important to prepare the heart, than to prepare the words.

Q. Were you able to listen to another’s story and hear it accurately? God gave us two ears and one mouth so that we might act in those proportions. Listening skills are important and are taught in other courses. Throughout Makes You Wonder, it is just as important to ask good questions as to give good answers; to listen for what the person is meaning rather than just what they are saying.

Q. What “blockages” do you feel within yourself that would stop you from opening your heart in this way? Encourage people to talk about them in a personal rather than a general way. Call for suggestions about what to do about them. Bring the group back to the necessity of allowing their love for people and their love for Jesus to be a more important motivator than their personal fears.

Q. What about the danger of thinking My Story is all about me? Acknowledge that this is a concern, but that when people share the short version of their stories, briefly, clearly and effectively, they should not be tempted to add more, but to stop talking, We are sent to serve our neighbour, not ourselves.

CONCLUSION We have established that you can share the story of your faith with gentleness and power, genuinely, and under pressure. You have got what it takes.


HANDOUT MYW1.2 HOW GOD IS IN ME

GOAL To tell the story of my personal experience of Christ, and to uncover its power to engage the hearts of others.

INTRODUCTION Our personal experiences of the living Christ, and the difference he makes to our lives, need to be communicated. These days, to be a Christian is to be different from almost everyone else of our generation. We can’t assume they know what it is like to live a Christian life.

It is easy to pretend to be one of the crowd. It is sometimes easier to just get busy with good causes. But if God has made you wonder, you must have a story to tell.

KEY QUESTION Why are you still a Christian? NOT “Why do you go to church?” nor “Why did you BECOME a Christian?” We want to hear why you continue today to be a Christian.

Other questions to go deeper: • What difference has Jesus made in your life?

• What is it about your experience of Jesus Christ that your neighbours just can’t do without? (from Thomas Bandy)

• What would you lose if you lost Jesus?

• If you were put on trial for being a Christian, what evidence would they bring to convict you?

• What is the most engaging aspect of Christianity for you right now?

DISCUSSION 1. POWERFUL. St Augustine (4th century) said

“O Lord, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you.”

2. PERSONAL. There is no set formula in faith-sharing, except that it should be personal.

3. HUMAN. The central element in each person’s statement is not religious, but shows the yearning of every human heart.

CONCLUSION You can share the story of your faith with gentleness and power, genuinely, and under pressure. You have got what it takes.


3. BEGIN

GOAL To describe clearly and simply the practicality of starting out as a follower of Christ.

INTRODUCTION As your love progresses with another person, you will find it is time to ask, “Are you ready to start following Jesus Christ yourself?” Participants should be aware that faith-sharing will bring people to a point where someone wants to be a Christian. It is often a surprise, and other times you can see it coming for weeks!

Leader tells their own story of starting as a follower of Christ, and then collects others’ ideas. Do this briefly

It might be helpful for someone to hear about your own case, but it might not help somebody else. Remember, God deals with each of us personally, by name. Following some evangelism booklet’s process for becoming “born again” culminating in a prayer of commitment is not sufficient. It can be treated by some as nothing but a ticket to heaven. Though the phrase, being “born again” is biblical, this pattern is NOT Christian discipleship, nor does it deal with where the person has come from to get to this point.

The follow-up material that is often provided may emphasise Bible-reading, personal prayers, church attendance and witnessing to friends as the activities that then convert should be doing. However, these activities are the means to an end, and it is assumed that the person knows what the end is. If that was ever safe to assume, now in these days of so many unchurched people, it cannot be assumed.

It is most important that the Five Loves suggested in this exercise be explained. You could use the fingers on one hand to reinforce the concept. An unchurched person needs a clear and genuine way to start, free of complex concepts and too many expectations. This “handful of love” is a start-up routine which they will have already begun.

HELPING SOMEONE TO BEGIN TO FOLLOW

CHRIST

KEY QUESTION What does God want with people?

ACTIVITY: A HANDFUL OF LOVES

STEP ONE THINK This is an exercise in explaining discipleship. Imagine you are talking about being a Christian to someone who is not from a church background and now it feels like they might want to become a Christian. They ask you “What does God want with people?” Think about what your response would be.


STEP TWO WITH TWO Form groups of three and make a list of the groups responses.

STEP THREE EXPLAIN A HANDFUL OF LOVE List the Five Loves: Love with God, Love with neighbour, Love one another, Love of enemies, Love the world. Write them on the whiteboard, and ask the groups to decide where each of their responses belongs.

STEP FOUR WHOLE GROUP Write up people’s answers on the left half of the board. Then ask what practical suggestions they could make so that the person can make a start in the five areas. Write these on the right hand side of the board. Examples include:

LOVE GOD - Say a prayer of surrender now. Tell someone you trust what you have done.

LOVE ONE ANOTHER (Those in the Church) - Meet with some Christians regularly and help one another.

LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOURS - Do you know someone who needs help? Go do it or come with me and do it.

LOVE YOUR ENEMIES – Is there any reconciliation needed between you and someone else?

LOVE THE WORLD – Find out how you can make a difference in the bigger picture. Live more simply.

NOTES They can start at any one of the five to begin discipleship. Encourage them to start talking to God about it. In early teaching it is important to say that they are not to stay with only one of the five loves, but to explore them all. Otherwise they have merely opened the door but not gone through it. Participating in each one of these five loves requires a conversion of sorts.

Many people are shy to ask a person if they want to become a Christian. It is a special thing so they are entitled to feel timid, but not to hold back.

Some will know about the loving God aspects in great detail, but very little about the others, as they have the idea that faith is a private matter. Emphasise that balance is needed,

and that faith needs to be involved in our public as well as our private lives.

CONCLUSION It can be easy to let new Christians slip and slide around because we assume so much and therefore expect too much. These exercises help people to frame their understanding of helping new Christians grow as disciples simply and practically. With this framework they can more easily help with giving assurance and avoiding temptations that may arise.


HANDOUT MYW1.3 BEGIN

GOAL To describe clearly and simply the practicality of starting out as a follower of Christ.

KEY QUESTION What does God want with people?

INTRODUCTION As your love progresses with another person, you will find it is time to ask, “Are you ready to start following Jesus Christ yourself?” You should be aware that faith-sharing will bring people to a point where someone wants to be a Christian. It is often a surprise, and other times you can see it coming for weeks!

However, it is not enough to merely follow a process that someone else has put together. A ‘prayer of commitment’ is not the ticket to heaven that some may suggest. Often, it is not followed by discipleship and it may not have expressed where this person has come from to get to this point, so it can be a meaningless ritual.

ACTIVITY Imagine you are talking about all this to someone who is not from a church background and now it feels like they might want to become a Christian. They ask you: “What does God want with people?”

A HANDFUL OF LOVE A simple tool to remember practical ideas for discipleship: 1. LOVE GOD - Say a prayer of surrender now. Tell someone you trust what you have done.

2. LOVE ONE ANOTHER (Those in the Church) - Meet with some Christians regularly and help one another.

3. LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOURS - Do you know someone who needs help? Go do it or come with me and do it.

4. LOVE YOUR ENEMIES – Is there any reconciliation needed between you and someone else?

5. LOVE THE WORLD – Find out how you can make a difference in the bigger picture. Live more simply.

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LOVE


4. BELONG

GOAL To raise our awareness of what to expect as a person makes their first entry into a church or small group, and to learn how to be sensitive and supportive.

INTRODUCTION As the people of God, we need to be intentional about incorporating newcomers into the Body of Christ even before their fruit has formed. People often explore church while exploring the possibilities of faith. That is, “belonging” comes before “believing”. We all need each other for encouragement to be strong, and we all need each other for teamwork to be effective.

READ Matthew 28:20 — baptism into discipleship.

I John 2:9 — conversion to Christ and openness to others who love him are two wings of a bird.

1 Cor 12 — the differing gifts as part of the one Spirit’s one work.

EXERCISE Discuss (a) and (b) all together, then form small groups of five or six to give an answer to question (c). (15 minutes) If time is short, go straight to (c).

Write on the board as you go.

STEP ONE DISCUSSION a) Remember an experience when you were new in a new place like a church or a club or a party at someone’s house. What happened? How did it feel? For how long did you feel uncomfortable? What happened to make you feel comfortable, if anything? (20 minutes)

(b) From that experience, how much time do you think it takes before newcomers to church begin to feel “strange”? How long before they decide never to come back? (5 minutes)

STEP TWO SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (c) So, what can we do to help newcomers to understand and feel at home in our church and in their faith? Make two lists: Helpful and Not Helpful.

(d) What informal activities that happen in the church community are helpful/not helpful for welcoming and integrating newcomers? What about organised things like small groups or Sunday meetings?

STEP THREE WHOLE GROUP DISCUSSION What do you think about the statement that the best integrating of newcomers takes place when it is spontaneous, or not an organised activity of the church? Why or why not?

This is not a time to complain about some aspect of the church or its leadership. Explain that helping people to belong is an” everybody” function, not just the job of leadership. Much can be done to make beginners feel welcome before any leaders are approached to make changes.


BIBLE STUDY OPTION

1. Matthew 18:1-6 Who gets the “millstone” treatment? So, the care of those who are little of faith, or new in faith, is high on God’s priorities. Do I give this level of care to new people?

2. Romans 15:1-2 Bias to the Weak. Who are the weak? New to the faith, new to the church, struggling in life in some way. For all these God is biased in favour of them. This passage urges the church to begin where people are and not to demand conformity, to impose rules which will break their spirits, to demand ownership of the denomination, or t o go along with everything we are already doing. What will nurture their faith in Christ? The aim is not to keep them dependent but to give them the support and space to be built up in strength. To do that, the strong ones need to surrender their own desires. They have the capacity to feed themselves to some degree. It may mean the strong giving up something they really like, something they may feel is important if it does not nurture the faith of those just beginning. Therefore… What will you in your church need to give up?

CONCLUSION

To nurture a new believer involves all five of the following: 1. Be a mentor: one-to-one weekly contact with an older person (over a period of 12-18 months) for sharing and prayer — and Bible Study too if there are no others studying Christian basics in the small group mentioned below.

2. Find them a task that helps them to give expression to their faith, have fellowship with others and find opportunities for thinking about what they are doing. Not too heavy a responsibility. This does not yet need to be based on gifting, just a task.

3. Establish them in a small group where the basics of the faith can be worked through by each person, and where ongoing support is given and received. Only later invite them to enter a small group of longer established and more knowledgeable Christians.

4. Introduce them to a church community to become and belong in, where they will be accepted and given room to grow. Most of the time, they already know your church, but sometimes it is necessary to nurture this link and gently nurture commitment.

5. Introduce them to three to five Christian friends with whom they relate easily by interest or family life-stage — either in your church or elsewhere.


HANDOUT MYW1. 4.BELONG

GOAL: To raise our awareness of what to expect as a person makes their first entry into a church or small group, and to learn how to be sensitive and supportive.

READ Matthew 28:20 — baptism into discipleship. I John 2:9 — conversion to Christ and openness to others who love him are two wings of a bird. 1 Cor 12 — the differing gifts as part of the one Spirit’s one work.

QUESTIONS 1. Remember an experience when you were new in a new place like a church or a club or a party at someone’s house. What happened? How did it feel? For how long did you feel uncomfortable? What happened to make you feel comfortable, if anything?

2. From that experience, how much time do you think it takes before newcomers to church begin to feel “strange”? How long before they decide never to come back?

3. So, what can we do to help newcomers to understand and feel at home in our church and in their faith? Which of these are helpful and which are not helpful?

4. What informal activities that happen in the church community are helpful/not helpful for welcoming and integrating newcomers? What about organised things like small groups or Sunday meetings?

5. What do you think about the statement that the best integrating of newcomers takes place when it is spontaneous, or not an organised activity of the church? Why or why not?

CONCLUSION To nurture a new believer involves all five of the following:

1. Be a Mentor

2. Find them a Task

3. Establish them in a Small Group

4. Introduce them to the Church Community

5. Introduce them to Three to Five Christian Friends


5. DECIDE

GOAL To clarify what it is fair to expect of someone as they go through a process to decide for Christ, and to learn to become supportive in that process.

INTRODUCTION Some people decide for Christ quickly; some slowly. Some change in a moment; some over time, gradually increasing acts of surrender. Any actual decision is neither the beginning nor the end of the conversion process. It is normal enough that people will have second thoughts, get cold feet, become disillusioned, succumb to old habits and face other negative influences.

This exercise will use our own experience to help us see how to be a good helper, friend and encourager, and how to avoid both starving and smothering them

EXERCISE Think of a reasonably big decision you have made in your life, something which massively

affected your life, such as moving house or country, choosing or changing a career. It could be a

new hairdo, buying a new car, where to hold Christmas Dinner, how to spend your holidays.

NOT becoming a Christian or deciding who or when to marry. These are too complex to be helpful

at this point

What were the factors involved in first raising the question?

On the board write BEFORE, DURING and AFTER.

Explain that they refer to BEFORE making the decision,

DURING the process of deciding, and AFTER, living with

the decision.

STEP ONE SMALL GROUP

Form groups of three or four of similar ages and spend

twenty minutes discussing your answers to the

question.

STEP TWO WHOLE GROUP

Call the group together and ask every person what factors they listed under each heading. Write them under the relevant headings. (10 minutes)


HELPING SOMEONE TO DECIDE TO FOLLOW CHRIST KEY QUESTION How can I help someone at each stage of the decision-making process?

DISCUSSION (a) How long did the process take for the previous decision to be made? Write up a few answers, which may range from an hour to 20 years!

So the decision-making process can vary a lot, but the principles listed here apply to a broad range of responses. Remember, this comes from your own experience.

(b) What are the similarities and differences between what is on the board and what is involved at each stage in making a decision to become a Christian? People will need some think-time before answering. Highlight similarities and differences with underlines, ticks and crosses.

(c) What sort of help can we provide in each stage of the decision-making process for those who want to become a Christian?

Write the answers on the bottom part of the Board. For example, - We could present an opportunity for consideration

- We could provide space to think it through

- We could provide information, or support after the decision is made.

Include in the DURING section some suggestions that form a memorable sentence they could use to ask a person to make a decision. For example, Are you ready to connect with this? or Do you want to take hold of Christ for yourself?

Get the whole group to recite one or two as a whole group, just to give them an experience of hearing themselves say it. Although, assure them that they can change it if they want to. Do this in an inviting way, not a demanding way.

CONCLUSION If you have been able to leave all the suggestions up on the whiteboard, you will be able to count the lines of Wisdom that they have been able to come up with.

We have just learned about 20 things we know we can do to be sensitive and supportive towards our friends and acquaintances in helping them decide for Christ. Some of them were new ideas. Some you may already know, and some you may even already do.

Take time now, before you leave, to note down just 2 points on how you personally will seek to become more supportive in the decision process.


HANDOUT MYW1.5. DECIDE

GOAL To clarify what it is fair to expect of someone as they go through a process to decide for Christ, and to learn to become supportive in that process.

INTRODUCTION Some people decide for Christ quickly; some slowly. Some change in a moment; some over time, gradually increasing acts of surrender. Any actual decision is neither the beginning nor the end of the conversion process. It is normal enough that people will have second thoughts, get cold feet, become disillusioned, succumb to old habits and face other negative influences.

This exercise will use your own experience to help you see how to be a good helper, friend and encourager, and how to avoid both starving and smothering them.

KEY QUESTIONS How can I help someone at each stage of the decision-making process?

BEFORE making a decision

DURING the process of deciding

AFTER the decision is made, living with the

consequences

What sort of help can we provide in each stage of the decision-making process for those who want to become a Christian?

CONCLUSION You will have identified things you can do to be sensitive and supportive towards friends and acquaintances in helping them decide for Christ. Some of them were new ideas. Some you may already know, and some you may even already do.

Note down 2 points on how you personally will seek to become more supportive in the decision process. 1. 2.


6. PRAYER PARTNERS, LIFE GROUPS

GOAL To give practical and immediate expression to our longings to grow in faith.

INTRODUCTION This exercise examines three different forms small groups can take:

“Five seconds that change the world”

“Life Groups’ and

“Prayer Triplets”

If you are meeting weekly to do MYW, at six weeks, form small groups who will gather for prayer

each time you meet. If you are meeting in one block, say a weekend camp, then commit to

meeting with your small groups regularly and to meet up as a whole group after six weeks.

Each time when you gather, ask these questions:

1.What has God done?

2.What have we learned?

3.What shall we do next? For example, “What further exercises from MYW would be helpful for

us to do?” or, “What further support do we need from our church?”

Lastly, in prayer, take responsibility for the gospel moving in your world!

6A. FIVE SECONDS THAT CHANGE THE WORLD

This is something to be done alone every day. It is a spiritual discipline in becoming hospitable. It only takes about five seconds to say it (OK go ahead and time it). If we all do this, many small things will happen, and some of the small ones will turn into big ones. Say the following prayer:

LORD, PLEASE LEAD ME TO SOMEONE TODAY WITH WHOM I CAN SHARE YOUR

INFLUENCE IN MY LIFE. AMEN.

You can vary this prayer by putting it in your own words. What’s the best phrase you can find to summarise God’s presence and its effects in your life? Make a card and put it on your bathroom mirror. OR a reminder on

your phone.

The beauty of this prayer includes: a. It is authentic. It comes from you, and it is about the faith that you have, and it

is about your everyday life.

b. The initiative is God’s. You are not controlling your agenda, and you are open to the Good Samaritan moment when your own plans may be interrupted.

c. It is quite exciting waiting and taking the step when God nudges you.


6B. LIFE GROUPS

The aim is to meet weekly for 30 to 40 minutes. Which two or three people can you to arrange to meet with? You could meet at lunch time or before work. Some people have met over the phone. If one is away (sick, slack, on business) two should still meet.

What is the process? To stop this becoming just a catch up time, stick to this outline:

a. Take 10 minutes each in turn to check in. You set your own 3 questions, and the others ask you every time you meet. Spend the first session sharing what questions you want the others to ask you each week. Before that session you should have worked out your own questions to bring. If you are unsure what you need to be growing in, ask those who live with you! Or read Colossians — it provides a broad agenda from which you can identify the needs for your own growth right now.

b. Ask each other in turn, “Have you been completely honest in what you have said today?”

c. Finally, take two minutes to each give your honest, best, and deepest response to each other.

d. It will help if you keep notes during the week. That way, you can pray for each other each day, and you can be more detailed about your responses next time.

This kind of accountability goes way back to the small groups that formed during the time of the Wesleyan Revival. (18th century England) It has been adapted for this century, but it is still basically the same. You will be amazed at how such a simple practical accountability benefits your spiritual growth.


6C. PRAYER TRIPLETS

INTRODUCTION We will be breaking the group into threes to pray for each other by name, concerning the people we are concerned about, and how they can experience God’s love. Take 5 minutes today to form groups of people from the same congregation or centre, to work out now when and how each group should meet. Pairs are OK. Four is not workable.

In those groups, you are asked to each write down three people whom you would like to become disciples of Jesus. They should be people you know and deal with, and for whom you have love and compassion. They shouldn’t all be church dropouts or close family members.

There is a second leg to this assignment. In the next six weeks, we want you deliberately to set out to enjoy yourself. More specifically we invite you to spend some time with these three people. Your assignment is to consolidate your relationship with them and to extend to them some hospitality, within six weeks from today. Invite them home for a meal or a coffee, take them out to coffee, to the park together, sit together in the lunch room, buy them flowers, send a gift. Do something that “fits” the relationship, but without overdoing it.

To help each other over this time, you should meet with the two others in your prayer triplet for half an hour weekly to pray for all nine of your friends, following the Prayer Triplets plan.

PRAYER TRIPLETS PLAN Pray for yourselves in terms of hospitality and invitation.

Pray for a generous sensitivity to where each person is at

Pray for the leading of the Spirit.

Pray for an opportunity to share something of the gospel.

Pray for what to do next.

Pray for love and joy to be shared.


PRAYER TRIPLETS RESOURCE SHEET

Prayer Triplets have a specific purpose: to reach people who do not appear to have a personal faith in Jesus Christ. Prayer is at the heart of the triplets’ life - collective prayer when the members gather - prayer continuing between meetings.

An outworking of this prayer is the emphasis upon taking time to discover the interests and needs of each person. Unhurried time is spent in developing genuine, caring relations for this purpose and in seeking to meet some of these needs and interests.

Each member is encouraged to be patient and sensitive in awaiting the leading of the Spirit in witnessing to their own faith in Christ.

People speak of a genuine deep love and concern developing for those who are the focus of this prayer. “Loving people into taking God seriously” is what these groups are about. In responding to needs and interests, prayer triplets in Australia have played a variety of sports with these friends, gone bushwalking, camping and fishing. Others have gone sightseeing or shopping, and have helped with home maintenance.

HOW TO GET STARTED Join with two other Christians you know and trust. Agree to meet regularly for prayer for 30 to

45 minutes weekly or less frequently, as it suits the participants. Make sure you set the time and

place for the next meeting each time. You may find it useful to keep a note of the people you

and the rest of your triplet are praying for, and to record any events or insights you gain.

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU MEET At the first meeting, each of you shares with the others the names of three people who could not yet say Jesus Christ is their Saviour and Lord. All make a record of all these names.

At subsequent meetings, begin by briefly sharing what God has said to you recently. Share any news of the people for whom you are praying (avoid gossip or breaches of confidence). Then all three of you pray for the nine. Pray for:

•the everyday needs and interests of each person and their families

•each other in your relationship with them

•ways to get to know, serve and witness to them

•each person, that they will discover and honestly admit their need for Christ as Saviour and Lord, and come to faith in him.

Discuss ways you can individually or together, develop deeper caring relationships with each person on your list, respond positively and practically to the specific needs of any person, help each person understand the gospel.

Finish by praying for each other.

WHAT TO DO BETWEEN MEETINGS Continue to pray for the nine people. Pray for your prayer partners. Follow- up on any of the insights from the last meeting.


WHAT TO DO WHEN PEOPLE COME TO FAITH IN CHRIST • All celebrate with them their new step of faith.

• Disciple them yourself, using some suitable follow-up material.

Where possible, link them with a small nurture group. Your prayer triplet could play this role.

• Help them find and join a caring local church

• Keep in touch with them regularly.

WHY IS THIS SO EFFECTIVE? In his book Three Times Three Equals Twelve, Brian Mills lists the following amongst the factors

which contributed to the effectiveness of Prayer Triplets:

• The praying is outgoing rather than inward looking. We are depending on God, not

ourselves.

• Prayer is specific. People are prayed for by name, day to day needs are upheld with a

special focus on them moving along the path of Christian discipleship.

• Those praying feel motivated and supported to share their faith with those for whom

they pray.

• Relationships deepen, confidence grows, faith is strengthened, spiritual growth takes

place and a close bond develops. The group provides an effective framework for sharing,

mutual support, encouragement and warm accountability.

• Expectancy levels begin to rise as faith deepens, understanding of the meaning of

prayer takes place, and the strong help the weak.

• It is biblical. Matthew 18:19-20 is acted upon. Jesus says to the disciples, “Again, truly

I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by

my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there

among them.”

MY THREE PERSONS TO PRAY FOR ARE:

Lord, show me how to do something appropriate to express my love for them.

May I be so in tune with you that I will be aware when you give me the

opportunity to tell them something of what you can mean to them.

MY TRIPLET PARTNERS ARE:


HANDOUT MYW1.6. PRACTICAL PRAYER

GOAL

This exercise examines three different forms small groups can take:

6A. FIVE SECONDS THAT CHANGE THE WORLD

This is something to be done alone every day. It is a spiritual discipline in becoming hospitable. It only takes about five seconds to say it (OK go ahead and time it). If we all do this, many small things will happen, and some of the small ones will turn into big ones.

Say the following prayer:

Lord, please lead me to someone today with whom I can share your influence in my life. Amen.

You can vary this prayer by putting it in your own words. What’s the best phrase you can find to summarise God’s presence and its effects in your life? Make a card and put it on your bathroom mirror. OR a reminder on your phone.

The beauty of this prayer includes: a. It is authentic. It comes from you, and it is about the faith that you have, and it

is about your everyday life.

b. The initiative is God’s. You are not controlling your agenda, and you are open to the Good Samaritan moment when your own plans may be interrupted.

c. It is quite exciting waiting and taking the step when God nudges you.

6B. LIFE GROUPS

The aim is to meet weekly for 30 to 40 minutes. Which two or three people can you to arrange to meet with? You could meet at lunch time or before work. Some people have met over the phone. If one is away (sick, slack, on business) two should still meet.

What is the process? To stop this becoming just a catch up time, stick to this outline:

a. Take 10 minutes each in turn to check in. You set your own 3 questions, and the others ask them every time you meet. Spend the first session sharing what questions you want the others to ask you each week. Before that session you should have worked out your own questions to bring. If you are unsure what you need to be growing in, ask those who live with you! Or read Colossians — it provides a broad agenda from which you can identify the needs for your own growth right now.

b. Ask each other in turn, “Have you been completely honest in what you have said today?”


c. Finally, take two minutes to each give your honest, best, and deepest response to each other.

d. It will help if you keep notes during the week. That way, you can pray for each other each day, and you can be more detailed about your responses next time.

This kind of accountability goes way back to the small groups that formed during the time of the Wesleyan Revival. (18th century England) It has been adapted for this century, but it is still basically the same. You will be amazed at how such a simple practical accountability benefits your spiritual growth.

6C. PRAYER TRIPLETS

INTRODUCTION We will be breaking the group into threes to pray for each other by name, and for three people we are concerned about, and how they can experience God’s love. Take 5 minutes today to form groups of people from the same congregation or centre, to work out now when and how each group should meet. Pairs are OK. Four is not workable.

In those groups, you are asked to each write down three people whom you would like to become disciples of Jesus. They should be people you know and deal with, and for whom you have love and compassion. They shouldn’t all be church dropouts or close family members.

There is a second leg to this assignment. In the next six weeks, we want you deliberately to set out to enjoy yourself. More specifically we invite you to spend some time with these three people. Your assignment is to consolidate your relationship with them and to extend to them some hospitality, within six weeks from today. Invite them home for a meal or a coffee, take them out to coffee, to the park together, sit together in the lunch room, buy them flowers, send a gift. Do something that “fits” the relationship, but without overdoing it.

To help each other over this time, you should meet with the two others in your prayer triplet for half an hour weekly to pray for all nine of your friends, following the Prayer Triplets plan.

PRAYER TRIPLETS PLAN Pray for yourselves in terms of hospitality and invitation. Pray for a generous sensitivity to where each person is at Pray for the leading of the Spirit. Pray for an opportunity to share something of the gospel. Pray for what to do next. Pray for love and joy to be shared.


7. PARABLES, PAUSES & PICTURES

GOAL

To help people use their imagination in story-sharing.

A. FINDING PARABLES EXERCISE After a good conversation that seems to have made progress, but is enough for now, how can we recommend that our friend explore further? How can we say this without appearing pushy and yet in a way which touches their motivation? Jesus told parables for this very reason.

Think up a parable using the things which they already are enthusiastic about. Since you genuinely care, you have already taken an interest in them, and you know what they like doing and why. If you don’t know, go back to that.

1. Ask the group for something they like doing. Not a religious thing, but a leisure activity or craft activity. Write a list of them on the left of the board.

2. Why do you like doing that? What’s so special about this particular thing? Write this across the right side of the board.

3. Now rub out the left side of the board and write in its place, ‘The reign of God is like...’ or ‘Following Jesus is like...’ You have just created parables.

4. Read the best through again, and discuss together how well these images work. Make suggestions for improving them.

SAMPLE PARABLES On the following handout sheet there are a few parables to run by people and ask for their response. What is it about these stories that makes communication easier and more effective? Is there anything about them that could be off-putting?


B. FINDING PAUSES EXERCISE Do you know that feeling — you thought of something really good to say to someone, only the moment to say it is now gone? Something in the situation gave you a “nudge” but you could not think quickly enough to bring it to the front of your mind, and the opportunity passed. Here is an exercise in creating pauses at those moments.

What do you say naturally when:Ask everyone to contribute. (a) The best things happen: eg, “You beauty!”

(b) The worst things happen: eg “Oh pigs!”

(c) You want to stop and think a moment before going on: eg, “Now just a mo’ there!”

Any of these can be introduced into conversations even when you do not have a good clear coherent opinion on the matter concerned. They provide a space for you to enter the person’s flow of thought and to introduce another (gospel) element or to ask for more about what they just said.

If all this fails, all is not lost! You can go back later and say, for example, “I was thinking last night about something you said...” If someone was to come back to me like this, I would feel pleased that they were listening. Wouldn’t you?

C. FINDING PICTURES EXERCISE Paint a picture with words like… “The wind blows where it wills and you hear the sound of it. Thus it is with the Spirit” John 3:8.

There is usually something in the room or park that you are in, wherever you are, that you can use as a concrete illustration. The more concrete the better. Some objects on the table or desk in front of you. There is always a cross within sight.

Look around now. Find a picture of faith within sight right now. Leader begins.


HANDOUT MYW 1.7. SAMPLE PARABLES

THE CRACKED MIRROR The world is like a cracked mirror. We were made like perfect mirrors to reflect God’s glory (‘made in his image’) but a wild and destructive force, (namely ‘sin’) entered the world and has cracked the mirror.

It is not predictable or fair. Some places are more broken than others.

When we now look at the world, look into the mirror, we see here and there in small places, still the reflection of God’s beauty and glory. We see this in things of beauty; places where relationships work; places where justice happens; places where God is still loved. Vast beauties, big and small, speak of God.

On the other hand, when we look at the whole picture, we see many horrors. For when we look in this cracked mirror we see a distorted creature with six eyes, five noses, and no mouth. What is more, not only is it a picture of horror, it is quite vicious, for the splintering glass is dangerous. Life is like that.

THE COST OF FORGIVENESS One day a young person, brought into the magistrate’s court, was found guilty of a crime. The magistrate recognised him as someone who needed great compassion. Although he had been guilty of the crime, he really needed a new start in life.

So the magistrate, to demonstrate the severity of the crime that he had committed, found him guilty, and fined him the maximum fine. The young man’s heart sank! Then, in order to demonstrate his compassion, the magistrate took off his magistrate’s gown, stepped around the bench, and walking to the clerk of the court, paid the fine himself.

He then turned to the man and said, “Now, you may go free.”

THE BILLIONAIRE WHO WANTED A WIFE Once upon a time there was a billionaire, who had inherited an enormous corporate empire. However, when he decided to marry, he knew that if he sought a wife his wealth would confuse things greatly. No one would get a proper estimation of him as a person, so his chances of finding a stable marriage partner were very slim. He made a crazy plan.

He decided to secretly delegate his authority as managing director, and to take a job as a stores assistant in one of his own factories. People taught him the job and he learnt it with humility. After a while one of the women from the office would come down to the store and they would talk. Next month she would stop and talk a bit longer each time she came for some stores, and pretty soon she was coming down almost every day for some new item.

He asked her out, and they spent time together. The romance blossomed, and he knew she was the one for him. He had the awesome problem of having to tell her of his wealth at the same time as asking her to marry him.

What difficulties would this raise? Here is the problem. They are the same difficulties that God had in showing us that he wanted a real relationship with humanity.


THE WATCH IN THE JUNGLE Once, two men were lost in the jungle. For days they tried to find their way out. Their water was going to run out. One was a Christian, who always insisted that the world was made by God in all its order and beauty. The other was a non-Christian who insisted that it was all just an accident. “All of this world has just taken place by evolution, and we are just a fluke on the solar winds,” he said.

Stumbling into a natural jungle clearing one day, they came across a watch. The Christian picked up the watch and said, “Look, someone has been here.” Tthe atheist said, “Yes, somebody’s been here and dropped this watch. We must be close to civilisation.” To which the Christian replied, “Oh, no, you can’t believe that. If you are consistent, you will believe this just happened here by accident, and that somehow or other within the forces of the universe, the watch just happened to be created here accidentally.”

“What do you mean?” said the atheist.

“Well, you say that the world, which runs more intricately than clockwork, was not designed, was not created. You say all this was just an accident. And here we find, paltry by comparison, a watch, in a clearing, and all of a sudden you say ‘Ah, someone has been here.’ The evidence for the maker of the universe is the same. Either God is creator or we are still lost.”

FOOTSTEPS ON THE BEACH One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the Lord. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. In each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand: one belonging to him, and the other to the Lord.

When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life.

This really bothered him and he asked the Lord about it. “Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you, you’d walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why when I needed you most you would leave me.”

The Lord replied, “My son, my precious child, I love you and would never leave you. During you times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.”


8. THE GIFTS WE BRING

GOAL To overcome the ‘cringe’ factor around the idea of evangelism, so that it is felt as a beautiful gift.

INTRODUCTION In a faith sharing relationship, we offer 7 beautiful gifts to another person.

Let us not be afraid that witness is sort of poisonous, that it will kill a relationship dead. We can

have the courage to give the 7 gifts, or any one of them. I find that my acquaintances often leave

our conversation saying that they have had a real good day. They received the gifts.

Jesus was loved by the people for the way he evangelised them. For example, see Matthew 4:23-25. Yes, they loved it. Therefore so can we.

EXERCISE STEP ONEANATOMY OF THE EVANGELIST? When you heard we were going to talk about evangelism, how did you feel? Share answers

positive and negative.

Show “The Anatomy of the Evangelist” picture from the handout.

What do you think of this? This is a statement of the image of evangelism we are NOT pursuing

in this workshop.

This is not the time for an extended discussion on this image; just use it as an example to make

the point about love. Make a light-hearted joke of it. It is important to make clear that we are

not ridiculing God’s gift of “the evangelist.”

STEP TWO ADJUST YOUR EXPECTATIONS People are all different. They are coming from somewhere different than you. They may be

opposed to Christianity, may be an adherent of another philosophy or religion, may be searching

in spiritual things, and maybe they are content to leave the mystery alone. Agnostic, atheist,

adherent, or apathetic – it is up to you to listen well for this person’s individual collection of

thoughts, avoid stereotyping, and respond personally.

Do you think that the need to belong comes before or after the need to believe?

Remember in the ‘Parable of the Sower’ (Mark Chapter 4), the seeds that are taken by the birds

almost as soon as they hit the ground. Too little was done to plant the seed, and the seed was

snatched away before it could take root. We should not be afraid of doing too much. The

‘Decide’ exercise in this MYW1 is a useful exercise for this section.

So, what is effective help? How do we make sure we don’t offer too much or too little?

That is a question for which we need practical wisdom — there is no silver bullet. And MYW has

many exercises to help you find that wisdom. This we know — most of the work is done outside

of church, one on one, in conversations, sharing your Christian friends at dinners and coffee

breaks, standing in a bank queue or at the school gate. Only a small part can be done in church


activities. The credibility of the church outside its own doors is built through the actions of love

of those who make up the church. Let us look at this love in each and every one of the 7 great

gifts in evangelism.

THE 7 GREAT GIFTS IN EVANGELISM – GALATIANS 5.22-25

1. THE GIFT OF TIME The single most precious gift we can give is the time to be with another.

So, are you available?

I know you think that people would call you if they needed you, but

have you noticed that it rarely, if ever, happens that way?

Do you make yourself accessible to the people who need you, not

too busy, not too difficult to reach, not too overpowering?

Have you gone out of your way to meet people and spend time

building understanding and trust?

Do you know how to put healthy boundaries around what you can

and can’t do for others?

If you are doing ANY of these, you doing a great thing. The gift of time can never be made up or

paid back. It is an ultimate act of generosity.

2. THE GIFT OF LISTENING

Do you seek to understand?

Do you change what you have to ask so that you talk in their language, so that what you say fits

their situation? Do you try to walk in their shoes? Do you listen with both ears? Do you make

sure you understand before you do something for them, before you give advice, even before you

say something that you think is going to help?

Many of the group exercises and conversations in MYW are exercises in listening.

3. THE GIFT OF BLESSING

Do you bless others?

Are you useful in the lives of those you want to reach? Christianity must be about living in the

real world. Find what you can bless in their lives, and bless it; affirm them, and pray for them.

“Would it be OK if I pray for you about that?” Almost everyone appreciates being prayed for;

even atheists accept it as our best and deepest goodwill. Ask what it is that they want you to

pray for. Ask participants of any examples they can share.

Evangelism is God’s work and he uses our lives and our mouths. Consider that: the distance we

hope that they will come, must be matched by the distance that I will go in entering into prayer

for them.


We get nowhere without prayer. This doesn’t come easy. Each person must grow and regrow

their own patterns of regular prayer. See the Life Groups Exercise on page 30 of this book for

building practical prayer options.

EXERCISE ON BLESSING

(Adapted from Encouragement: The Key To Caring, Larry Crabb and Dan Allender, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, 1974)

1. Think of one or two people who have influenced you for God the most. Give people time to

think of their names.

2. Hands up if they were a person of prayer – that is, a person who knew how to pray alone and

did so?

Talk about three kinds of prayers:

1. Daily Prayer – “Today, Master, please give me an opportunity to share my faith”.

2. Spontaneous Prayer - When you think of someone, pray for them. When you are woken

in the night, or ‘nudged’ in the midst of something else, pray for them. When anxiety

arises, pray for them.

3. Disciplined Prayer – Try the PUSH method: “Pray Until Something Happens “. There are

many other disciplines.

Take time to discuss how to grow in prayer, the difficulties of loneliness and habits, the need to

do the work of prayer. There is “No Mission without Intercession”.

What does this exercise show you about how you influence people?

4. THE GIFT OF AUTHENTICITY

Are you authentic or role-bound?

Credibility is the witness of those who say what needs to be said even though they may not be

paid to say it, and are not compelled to say it. Many people wait for ordained clergy or the one

employed by the church to do it all. (If necessary, explain the term “laity” in the introduction to

the following exercise.) However, the person who is paid to tend the church; who spends most of

their working day with church-goers, is not the one most appropriately placed to do the work of

reaching the non-churched!

Historically, there are four ways by which people have been influenced to come to faith in Christ:

1. a media or city campaign, crusade, TV, radio, newspaper.

2. a full-time ordained Christian worker, clergy, priest, pastor, or minister.

3. a lay person.

4. when the Spirit drops a “compelling” experience into someone’s life.

Can you add to these? You may be a mixture of all four but which one had the most influence on

you? Ask people to put up their hand to one of them. The results are always a few in (1), (2) or

(4), but the clear majority in (3). See Masks exercise, MYW 2.10B


KEY QUESTIONS What do these results say about evangelism?

What is the connection between evangelism and authenticity?

What is it that makes a person authentic?

DISCUSSION

(a) It looks as though ordinary, everyday, garden-variety, scared-to-try- it, don’t ¬know-

all-the-answers Christians, who are “not paid to say that sort of thing” are on the front

line of the Kingdom’s work in our society.

(b) This has implications for the credibility of church programmes. Unless churches

properly equip and support lay people AND unless lay people take responsibility to be

witnesses, they are cutting off the future of the church by a large majority.

(c) If a church seeks to engage with its community, it can tune in to the kind of support

and the kind of events that their lay people WILL be able to bring their people to. The

effectiveness of their engagement can be measured by seeing whether the church

people ARE actually bringing anyone along.

The key question is, NOT “Can you invite your friends to this?” BUT “What can you invite your

friends along to?” Resist the temptation to “beef it up a bit” with religious content. You would

be underestimating how powerful the love amongst a group of authentic Christians is. Sounds

like John 14.

5. THE GIFT OF COMMUNITY

Are you connected with a community?

DISCUSSION

There is a saying “it takes a whole village to raise one child”. Your church is that village. How is it

so for you?

Relationships across the age groups can be inspiring. Having access

to someone who cares when times are tough — that is the

time when people find out what they (and you) have

really got.

Describe your most memorable experience of belonging in a community?

Where does the balance lie – are the benefits of belonging coming more from the organism of community or from the organisation of community?

How does the social value of individualism influence your community?

What do you feel about this statement? “When an individual who is supported by the church is caring for another in the wider community, that other person is being cared for by the church.”


love …………….joy ........... peace

patience ........................ kindness

goodness ...................... faithfulness

gentleness .................... self-control

BIBLE STUDY ON BIBLICAL COMMUNITY FROM LUKE 4 The Bible study is included with the handouts that follow. At the conclusion of the study time,

form groups of five or six to discuss these questions. There will be no subsequent discussion on it

as a whole group this time.

6. THE GIFT OF RESPECT Do you respect yourself and others?

Read 1 Peter 3:15-16.

It is unwise to read Matt 28:20 as the only instruction on faith sharing — it could make you domineering. 1 Peter 3 presents a clear and simple ‘how to’: ‘singleness of heart, readiness, gentleness and respect.’

Everyone deserves respect. Everyone is a sacred site. Not just your friends. Not just the prestige people. Not just the beautiful people.

You may not like their smell, their views, their religion, their clothing, their music, their sexuality, their living arrangements, their politics, but you MUST communicate your respect for them.

Don’t be side tracked by the things you don’t agree with, first give someone your affirmation and respect. I don’t mean your false smile. I don’t mean become their doormat. I mean healthy compromise, healthy differences, forming common ground.

Ask, and take an interest in what interests them, as far as you are able. Everyone is a gift from God to the planet. They have come in to your orbit. It is up to you to discover that gift of God.

What sort of listening fits with this measure of respect? Read Galatians 5.22–26, then ask yourself whether your faith-sharing (alone or with others) shows:

7. THE GIFT OF HOSPITALITY Do you give generously of yourself?

In Jesus’ life, as recorded in the gospels, so much takes place around sharing food. The idea of a ‘welcome’ is one description of salvation in John 1:12. Hospitality is also shown through respect, listening and other things above.


INTRODUCTION Share your experiences now - what has been your best or worst experience of hospitality – given or received? What qualities or actions made it best/worse?

There is a sense of equality in the best hospitality, as illustrated in the phrase “make yourself at home.” So don’t work at being too impressive. Don’t provide everything others could possibly want, because it creates distance. Your hospitality was supposed to shrink distance! If your house is a bit messy, invite people in anyway — their house is just like yours and you won’t be pretending anymore.

There is a solidarity in struggle. It is amazing how many of the churches’ internal struggles and our own individual struggles are mirrored by those around us. We must not pretend that we are doing better than we are, or we quickly lose integrity. Sometimes we have a lot to learn, but we would be amazed how much our slender learnings, especially when we are still not out of the woods ourselves, are appreciated by others in their struggles. Perhaps it is because we still face the question — as though Truth and Hope are actually available to us through the Holy Spirit.

Hospitality is single-minded about loving God and people – that is integrity. If we win an argument by being manipulative, for instance, we have lost the person because we have lost integrity. We can live with integrity, even though we fall short, we are not perfect. Integrity is acknowledging that we might be wrong, and where necessary, that we were wrong. “Integrity” is not perfection — it is never giving up.

Hospitality is real. Be on about something real. Ask people: “How are you really?” They will be shocked that someone actually wants to know the answer to that very simple and powerful question.

Just asking is a gift, but do insist that you want the answer, even though like our best mate the Good Samaritan it may cost you. If you pay attention to each person fairly and kindly, and if you are doing something with your life that makes a difference, you demonstrate a real faith in a real God in the real world

DISCUSSION When does “integrity” become “self-righteousness”?

Tell of a time when a person you know lost integrity in your eyes.

What importance do you currently give to hospitality in your own corner of life, OR in the life you share with others at home or at work or in your neighbourhood?

How do you feel about sharing with another your current state of struggle? Are you a perfectionist?

Do you try too hard to impress?

On the other hand, can you be bothered to do something extra that makes a visitor feel like an honoured guest?


7 GIFTS OF EVANGELISM PRAYER EXERCISE Here are two questions to stop and pray and make notes about in the light of the 7 gifts. We will spend 15 mins in prayer about this.

What One or TWO changes are YOU motivated to build into your love and lifestyle? For example, are you too busy to ever be available? Do you speak first and listen later? Do you talk church-speak? Is your faith not touching where they live, not scratching where they itch?

Pray together about this now. The leader should lead prayer according to local customs, and finish with a spoken prayer all together.


MYW1.8 ANATOMY OF AN EVANGELIST

GOAL Head: Large because

he knows everything

Ears: for holding up

his smile, not for

listening

Soapbox: even

if you can’t see

one, he is on

one

Male: because so is

God.

Bible: for bashing

with, so people can’t

question what he says

Finger: for accusing

and chastising

Hair: shiny like a halo

to show he has never

had to struggle since

knowing Jesus

Mouth: big and wide

for constant talking


HANDOUT MYW1.8 THE 7 GREAT GIFTS IN EVANGELISM

READ GALATIANS 5.22-25

1. The Gift of Time Are you available?

2. The Gift of Listening Do you seek to understand?

3. The Gift of BlessingDo you bless others?

4. The Gift of Authenticity Are you authentic, or role-bound?

5. The Gift Of CommunityAre you connected with a community?

6. The Gift of RespectDo you respect yourself and others?

7. The Gift of HospitalityDo you give generously of yourself?

BIBLE STUDY ON BIBLICAL COMMUNITY - LUKE 4

WHAT ARE THE WORKS OF JESUS? HOW DO YOU RECOGNISE THEM?

The Credible Church has a diversity of approaches to their community. It is very important to

welcome that diversity and not be too precious. Every approach I have ever seen has reached

someone and offended someone else — there is NO perfect approach. If you want to avoid

doing anything, try to find the perfect approach!

In my experience, the “street corner preacher” who offends many has been the only one who

could have reached a drug addict on the streets. The nice intellectual who has offended no one

has bored some others silly. Get used to that diversity. It was God’s idea.

More positively, if we can know where our own bit fits in with other aspects of Christ’s work,

and where our real allies are, we would be more full of the Holy Spirit for the witness of the

gospel (Acts 1:8).

Let’s have a brief look at what it could mean. In this passage in Luke, Jesus says that he was filled

with the Holy Spirit and then names many kind of work that show it. We might be able to find

ourselves in there somewhere and that would be fantastic: Read together Luke 4:1b-30.


CONTEXT:

1. Jesus comes from disciplined contemplation—fasting in the wilderness (v1-13)

2. In the context of worship and preaching in the local church/synagogue (v14-17,20-22)

CONTENT:

He makes some clear statements (v 18-19) about the work of the Kingdom:

3. Spirit is upon me — a Charismatic statement

4. Evangelise the poor — an evangelical statement

5. Liberty to captives — liberation theology

6. Sight to blind — healing ministry

7. Free the oppressed — social justice statement

8. Announce the time — prophetic ministry

9. The Lord will save his people — revival and justice statement, touching even the economic structure of the land.

All of these are aspects of Jesus’ ministry in the kingdom of God. His Spirit gives us gifts of

service so He can be doing his work through us. No one part can do without or look down upon

another part (1Corinthians 12:14-27). We must not stand apart. Mission is a rough road, so we

must be firmly welded together if we are going to have what it takes—to last the distance and to

make a difference in our time. It doesn’t mean that we can’t argue and criticise, after all the

welding process throws off a few sparks, but it does mean that we do not live by our prejudices.

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION i. Which of the list of nine above is closest to what you do the most? That is, which one gets a very positive reaction in you?

ii. Which of this list is strangest to what you do? It gets a suspicious reaction in you.

iii. Does this show you any part of the Body of Christ towards which you have not been very welcoming?

iv. Are you putting limits on what God can do with your life?

Close with prayer in your own way at the end of the time in the group. Leader should keep time.

Some suggestions:

1. Wait silently for two minutes searching your heart. Then ask God to do anything with you in

prayer now, so that the Gospel might be seen as credible across the broad mass of society.

2. Ask that we all do our part in solidarity. Pray for any Christians with whom you feel in conflict?

3. Take up your personal responsibility to evangelise your world. e.g. “Lord, I will try to reach my

world”.

4. Pray for one another by name


9. KEEPING YOUR FAITH ALIVE

GOAL To highlight the ways that our faith can keep its vitality

INTRODUCTION Faith goes through times of stale and refreshment, like any relationship. It is during times of

refreshment that we are most infectious.

Faith that is ALIVE is...

A = AUTHENTIC

L = LIBERATING

I = INFECTIOUS

V = VITAL

E = ENTHUSIASTIC.

Be warned, some people hate enthusiasm! Others prefer steady rock-like stability, which hardly

sounds like something that is alive at all. So let us do two exercises that affirm the changes and

the growth and vitality of faith

KEY QUESTIONS 1. How has your faith changed over the years?

For example: in the practices you keep, the things you think that are most important, the beliefs

you may think are of less importance than you once felt?

Leader tells one of their own examples.

Are all the changes named a change for the better?

In the responses to the question, are there trends that emerge with a person’s life stage, or

changes in social culture?

2. When have you felt your faith was being refreshed?

For example: through someone you met, something you read, an experience, participating in

sacraments, Bible reading.

Leader tells one of their own examples.

List the ways that people have received refreshment.

With all these avenues of refreshment available to us,

is there something here that you can do to refresh

your faith again? How can you begin? What baggage

might weigh you down?


EXERCISE HERE & NOW Many of us carry in our head the feelings and the picture of another time, another preacher,

another music, another place and other people. It sits in the head-space called “what a church

should be”.

This is both good and bad. Good because it could be a source of life and thanks to God. Bad

because you are here now! It may be constraining your ability to love the ones you are with, or

to be present in what God is doing in this place in the here and now.

For example, do you keep looking elsewhere for better leaders?

DISCUSSION

Give thanks for your church — go for it! How can we be sources of vitality for each other? How

can we grow our own people into leadership?

CONCLUSION

An exciting future awaits us as we grow and go in God.

As we welcome that new life, let us share our enthusiasm for life with others. As we cross the

hard places of that journey, let us welcome the discomfort, listen and learn from it as well, and

share our openness with others.

PRAYER

Lord God we are journeying with too much baggage. We want to take only you into the

delightful discomforts and challenges of the future. Help us to live in your vitality, and escape

the institutionalisation of religion.

Amen


HANDOUT MYW1.9. KEEPING YOUR FAITH ALIVE

GOAL To highlight the ways that we can ensure our faith remains vital and alive.

Faith that is ALIVE is...

A = AUTHENTIC

L = LIBERATING

I = INFECTIOUS

V = VITAL

E = ENTHUSIASTIC.

HANDOUT MYW1.10. INVEST

GOAL To explore some ways to begin and continue communication.

VITALITY Identify what kind of community people like to be around. Who conspicuously contributes these

qualities to your faith community?

EXERCISE 1. CROSS A BARRIER TODAY Identify a barrier of non-communication across a racial boundary, a hierarchical distance in

authority, a difference in religion, or an old argument.

EXERCISE 2.COMMUNICATE AGAIN What we communicate belongs to four categories:

Information, Imagination, Inspiration & Invitation

EXERCISE 3. TALK THEIR LANGUAGE

EXERCISE 4. HOW ARE YOU REALLY?


10. INVEST

GOAL To explore some ways to begin and continue communication.

INTRODUCTION VITALITY Name something you are enthusiastic about.

It doesn’t much matter what it is. Tell of a time when you shared it with someone else? What

helped? What hindered?

Leader will go first with their own example. List these

on the board.

What kind of community do people like to be

around? Who conspicuously contributes these

qualities to your faith community?

Try to encourage insight here, ‘black and white’ will

not be helpful.

EXERCISE 1. CROSS A BARRIER TODAY In your orbit, locate where there is an unspoken non-communication across a racial boundary, a

hierarchical distance in authority, a difference in religion, or an old argument.

Think of an act of hospitality or of beauty that will reach across that barrier, either an icebreaker

or an ongoing relational game or forum.

Leader will go first with their own example. List these on the board.

Any more ideas of what can be done?

EXERCISE 2. COMMUNICATE AGAIN Try restating some information with a changing emphasis each time in these four different ways:

Information — through facts and main points of principle.

Imagination —through word-pictures or a story.

Inspiration — through sharing feelings and meaning.

Invitation — to act, to decide, choose, change.

First: a sentence about the thing you are enthusiastic about or a barrier you are tackling, like

those above. Leader will go first with their own example.

Second: a sentence about your faith. Leader will go first with their own example.


EXERCISE 3. TALK THEIR LANGUAGE We can get stuck in our own religious bubble. We need fresh ways to express the faith, to

translate it, as it were, into other thought-forms.

Try these as an exercise to brainstorm together: Describe your faith in a one- minute sentence,

in terms of it being a ‘spiritually healthy way to live’, or of being ‘ the art of living’, or of being ‘an

honest look at truth’, or...

Leader will go first with their own example.

EXERCISE 4. HOW ARE YOU REALLY? This exercise will make you a person who cares and a better conversationalist. It has two parts:

A. Instead of asking ‘how are you?” or ‘how was your weekend?’ try ‘how are you really?’ or ‘how are you today?’ and make sure your body-language/stance looks like you are ready to hear the answer. Of course, first look into your own heart – do you really want to care? People are so touched that you actually want to know. It is amazing.

B. Work at remembering some things that affect their lives, and ask about them specifically when next you meet. Some of us are naturally good at it and the rest of us have to work at it. How are we going to do that? There are two halves:

First, notice the details of what the person says in the conversation. Pray for them in terms of these details as soon as possible after the conversation or even, with permission, pray with them during the conversation. If you do this, you will be better able to remember what matters to them.

Second (now here is the BIG tip) when you are setting off to see them — go to work or to dinner — take a moment to recall : ‘what was happening to so-and-so, last time we met?’ What can I do to inform myself better of their context?

DISCUSSION What did each of these aspects of communication add to your ability to hear? To speak?

What have you learned about making a beginning?

What have you learned about investing in ongoing conversations and discovery?

CONCLUSION In this exercise we have seen many conversation starters and re-starters.

We can actually go to someone and respectfully ask: have you thought any more about what we

talked about?

THANKS!

Makes You Wonder is very down to earth. It has proven successful in releasing people to share

their own faith in their own way in their everyday settings.

This set of exercises started life anonymously. The Scripture Union team used to sit on the beach

and do ‘training’ — no books or projectors available, just me and you and God and a beautiful

bay. It was tried in the furnace in a church planted in a high-transience high-density area of

Perth, which had to grow by 30% each year just to stay the same size. Then other leaders got

hold of it, it got a name, and it took off all over Australia, Asia and the Pacific. So far, we have

heard of 22 language groups who have used it, so we believe it is cross-cultural.

The exercises gained a name — ‘Gossiping the Gospel’ — but now, much expanded, re-

structured and revised, it takes a new name and a new life. The Leader's Notes have come from

more than two hundred trained leaders who have made this workshop their own. And we are

still learning. Being Jesus’ disciple is chronically exciting.

So, thanks again to all my sources. Blame me for all the shortcomings. All the good stuff is a gift

from the boundless Grace of God and his living saints. In Jesus flows all the glory, truth and

goodness in bodily form, in timeless sweep, over every grain of rock and every drop of water on

the blue planet. And this same God holds me up and calls me into that great purpose, playing a

part of eternal value. It makes you wonder.

Ian Robinson,

Rev Dr Ian Robinson is currently the Alan Walker

Lecturer in Mission, Evangelism and Leadership at the

United Theological College and has been a university

chaplain, a senior pastor, evangelist, church planter,

consultant, IT programmer, author, song writer and

youth worker. Ian loves ice cream and good coffee.

utc.edu.au/staff/faculty/ian-robinson

E: [email protected]

This version May 2017

mailto:[email protected]?subject=Makes%20You%20Wonder

SKILL IN COMMUNICATING THE GOSPEL

LIE IN SHARING FOUR STORIES.

MYW1. MY STORY How God is in my life — my own experience of Jesus and the

difference he makes in my life.

MYW2. YOUR STORY Everyone is spiritual and God is everywhere, but most

people have trouble identifying what that means. Here are some ways to help a friend

identify God’s presence in their life.

MYW3. OUR STORY The story of God’s People: the very fallible local and global

church. How did we get to be this way? How did we get our Bible? What do we take for

granted in Australia which has come from the influence of Christianity in past centuries

in other places?

MYW4. THE STORY of Jesus Christ, the only son of God. What are the events of

his Life that demonstrate that Jesus is Saviour and Lord? What did Jesus say that makes

people follow him today? How can we answer the tough questions that are directed

against the claims of Jesus’ story?

* WHY DO WE NEED ALL FOUR STORIES?

Different authors and evangelists describe evangelism in different ways, and they each have a

different starting point.

Some emphasise proclamation of the gospel (in Greek: kerygma). We call this ‘The

Story’.

Some emphasise starting with your own testimony or word of witness about the

blessings of knowing God. We call this ‘My Story’.

Others want to help people discover the presence or mystery of God in their own

experience. We call this ‘Your Story’.

Still others want to explain the church community to an educated and globally aware

society. We call this ‘Our Story’.

Each group has a valid starting point. That doesn’t mean that the others are wrong. All four

stories need to be shared, at some time, before we can consider we have communicated the

gospel. Start with what you know. But don’t stop there!

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