The Roman Road (with a couple detours)

These verses take a person through a basic Gospel presentation (i.e., we are sinners and not acceptable to God, but Jesus is acceptable to God, so we need Jesus)

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

John 3:3 In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”

John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Romans 10:9 That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Revelation 3:20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

PowerPoint slides for Evangelism / world religions lessons

Evangelism links

• The Pocket Testament League - Free copies of the Book of John - great for sharing!

• Share Jesus Without Fear
• Going Public With Your Faith

Worry-free Witnessing Notes

Who’s in charge?  The Holy Spirit is.

·        John 6:44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day

·        Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

·        2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

·        The organic way

o       Plant seed

o       Water it

o       Cultivate it

o       God makes it grow

o       Harvest

 o       God’s part: Creating opportunities by working in the lives of the lost.

o       Our part: Capturing the opportunities God has created.

o       If you are faithful, you cannot fail.

o       1 Peter 3:15  But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.  Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.  But do this with gentleness and respect . . .

 o       “Witness”

• One who can give a firsthand account of something seen, heard, or experienced.
• We are constantly being witnesses for Christ – the question is whether we’re doing a good job or not.
• The Bible uses “witness” as a noun, not a verb
• Just tell how Jesus has affected your life
• You don’t have to be a Bible expert
• Matthew 28:19-20  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
• Deeds without words are as ineffective as words without deeds.  (no one is good enough to witness with deeds alone)
• The Sin of Silence - God can use your witness, but He cannot use your silence.
• The Power of Scripture - let the Holy Spirit work through the Word of God
• How many times does the word “love” appear in the book of Acts?  Zero (0)
• Hebrews 4:12  For the word of God is living and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
• If he doesn’t think he is a sinner, go through a few of the commandments, asking, “Have you ever . . . ”
  • lied? 
  • stolen?
  • used the Lord’s name improperly?
  • committed adultery / lusted?
  • lashed out in anger?
  • coveted?
  • Etc.
• Barriers to accepting Jesus
  • Cultural
  • Intellectual
  • Misconceptions
  • Misinformation
  • Lack of information
  • Holding on to sins
  • Bad experiences with church or Christians
  • Misinformation

 Before you answer objections

• Determine their real needs & objections.  Keep asking, “Why?”  For example, if someone asks, “How can there be a good God if there is so much pain in the world?” 
  • Might be a legitimate theological question

Might be a because they have had sadness in their life and need compassion or support

• Might be a smokescreen
• Be ready to say, “I don’t know, but I’ll find out.”
  • Then go find out.
• Ask “If it weren’t for that, would you believe?”
• Encourage them to get into the Bible
• Invite them to church

Suicidal arguments (Self-refuting)

• “You Christians are judgmental / it is wrong to judge”
  • Then why are you judging me right now?
• “You can’t push your morality on other people”
  • Is that your moral point of view?  Why are you forcing it on me?
• “It is wrong to change people’s religious beliefs”
  • Then why are you trying to change my belief about evangelism and Jesus’ Great Commission? 
• “All religions are equally true and valid”
  • Then Christianity must be valid . . . But one of the claims of Christianity is that it is exclusively valid.
• “Jesus was just a good teacher”
  • Liar, lunatic or Lord example
• “God doesn’t take sides”
  • Then would He agree with that side?
• “We can only know what is proven by science”
  • But science can’t teach that science is the only source of truth
  • Ask, “Is that a feeling or a fact?  If fact, then how do you know it is a fact?  Then you need to provide scientific proof.”
  • This is a philosophy, not a fact.
• “There is no truth”
  • Is that statement true?
• “There are no accurate meta-narratives” (big picture truth claims)
  • But isn’t that a meta-narrative?
• “It is wrong to condemn anyone”
  • Then why are you condemning me for condemning someone?
• “The Bible was written by fallible men, so it has errors”
  • This implies that everything written by men will be in error, including the statement above.
  • Just because men are capable of errors doesn’t mean they always commit errors.  If anything was ever going to be done right, then the Bible would be that one thing.
  • Just because the original text was infallible doesn’t mean people don’t have the free will to misinterpret it.
•  “The world is an illusion” (Hindu)
  • Illusions can’t know things. 
• Theistic Evolution
  • “God used Darwinian evolution to create things”
  • Either God designed, or He didn’t.  Creation has a purpose. “Design by chance” is like a square circle
• “Existence of evil disproves God”
  • Why do you call evil things evil? 
  • Evil is a violation of some standard, which ultimately came from God (“How had I gotten this idea of just and unjust?”  C.S. Lewis)
  • If existence of God is required for existence of moral good, and moral good is necessary for existence of moral evil, then existence of God is required for existence of evil. 
  • Existence of evil doesn’t disprove God, it helps prove Him.
  • If no God, then who is to say Hitler did anything wrong?

Bring to Decision

• Are you a sinner?
• Do you want forgiveness of sins?
• Do you believe Jesus died on the cross for you and rose again?
• Are you willing to surrender your life to Jesus Christ?
• Are you ready to invite Jesus into your life and into your heart?  [Note: after you ask this, please be silent and pray]
• Sample prayer
  • Heavenly Father, I have sinned against you.  I want forgiveness for my sins.  I believe that Jesus died on the cross for me and rose again.  Father, I give you my life to do as you wish.  I want Jesus to come into my life and into my heart.  This I ask in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Now What?

• 2 Corinthians 5:15-17  And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.  So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
• Assurance - 1 John 5:12-13  He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
• As you share Jesus without fear, know that you are sharing in the power of the Lord Almighty.
• God’s part: Creating opportunities by working in the lives of the lost.
• Our part: Capturing the opportunities God has created.
• If you are faithful, you cannot fail.

 Following Jesus is a serious commitment - We shouldn’t minimize the cost of discipleship.

 Notes from “Going Public with Your Faith”

• Discover what God is doing in someone’s life and join that effort
• Starting a fire in the rain vs. adding fuel to a fire
• Don’t sell Jesus or force him on others; show Him to them.
• You are a link in the chain.  It is great to be the last link, but all links count.  Don’t be a missing link
• It is often many mini-decisions that result in following Christ, not one big decision
• We can love and serve God and others while at work. 
• Don’t compartmentalize and leave your faith at the door. 
• Use “faith flags” to see if people are interested in spiritual matters
• Earn the right to be heard
• Be good at your job
• Keep it simple (you don’t have to be a theologian)
• Take a sincere interest in others (common courtesies)
• Philippians 2:3-4 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

 What I’ve learned . . . and re-learned

• People are more open to spiritual discussions than I thought, though the way you approach them is important.
• The Holy Spirit determines who comes to know Jesus, and when. 
• Our job is to be obedient to Jesus’ commands and to share his love.
• Planting seeds and nurturing are hard work, but they are just as important as the more visible harvesting phase. 
• What I’ve learned . . . and re-learned
• When I am weak, He is strong.
• Always be joyful and awed that God lets you be a small part of His big plan.
• Stepping out in faith can unleash the Holy Spirit.
• We have a lot more chances to be witnesses than we think.
• Discipleship and sharing your faith are like anything else: Study, work and practice makes you better and more comfortable at it.

Are you prepared to give an answer, with gentleness and respect, to everyone who asks about the hope you have?

• Remember who is in charge (The Holy Spirit)
• Prepare
• Keep reading the Bible
• Keep praying
• Learn more about evangelism
• Be a witness.  Bring Jesus to people.
• See where God is already working, then join in. 
• Ask for and look for “divine appointments” to cultivate, plant seeds, nurture & harvest.