Bridge Building Workshop – Putting It To Work

Bridge Building

An 8 Week Series On Tactical Evangelism

Every Christian is called to participate in the mission of God to redeem the world. To do this well, we must live as ambassadors of the God who sends the church into the world through the authority of Christ and the power of the Spirit. But don’t go out aimlessly, have a plan! In this series, we’ll seek to train ourselves to communicate the Gospel wisely, clearly, and graciously using a tactical approach. With the support of a strong biblical foundation, the empowerment of the Spirit, and a personal conviction, our plan might actually build a bridge for someone to come back to God.

Across eight weeks, we will examine things like what evangelism truly is (and is not), how our character shapes our witness, how to begin spiritual conversations using tactical questions, and how to respond when obstacles arise. By the end, we should all have a plan of (1) how to build our bridge, and (2) where we plan to build our bridge.

(4) Bridge Building Workshop – Putting It To Work

[text] John 4:4–26 (cf. Acts 8:26–35) [tbi] A hands-on class to put our ideas into action. We’ll talk through prompts in small groups and practice asking questions. It might be awkward at first, but identifying these opportunities is the first step towards sharing someone the gospel.

Introduction

ICEQ | QUICK QUESTION INSERT

Series Summary

This series is about becoming bridge‑builders, people who prepare the way for the Lord by creating pathways for God’s glory to be revealed in everyday life (Isa. 40:1–5).

Evangelism is a conversational and relational work that ambassadors need to work on in order to help others encounter Jesus.

Where We’ve Been

We’ve just come through a series on apologetics and science, exploring why the Christian worldview is intellectually credible and how creation itself points toward a personal Creator (general revelation).

We learned to answer big questions: Does God exist? Did God create the world? What’s the evidence for faith?

Now, we take the next step: How do we share these truths into real conversations with real people?

Where We’re Going

Fill in the gap. Catch the class up.

Introductory Questions

Intro questions

Getting Into The Texts: Isaiah 40:1-5 & Matthew 28:18-20

Isaiah 40:1–5 ESV

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

 Read 2 Chronicles 35:21.

2 Chronicles 35:21 ESV

But he sent envoys to him, saying, “What have we to do with each other, king of Judah? I am not coming against you this day, but against the house with which I am at war. And God has commanded me to hurry. Cease opposing God, who is with me, lest he destroy you.”

Discussion

Let’s jump ahead in the Bible and read Jesus’s Great Commission. See which picture it sounds more like. Read Matthew 28:18-20.

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

The role of the evangelist is not to win battles, it is to build bridges.

Evangelism is simply participating in what He is already doing. God’s glory is already going out.

Now, let’s think about that picture again, from Isaiah 40:1-5

Isaiah 40:1–5 ESV

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Conclusion

Evangelism begins not with pressure, fear, or battle, but with construction. God is sending out His glory, and He invites us to help clear the road so His glory can be revealed in people’s lives.

Two to three sentence re-statement of the conclusion statement.

insert conclusion

Every day, ask: “Whose road can I help clear today? Where is God asking me to prepare the way?”

Notice conversations, tensions, opportunities, and begin seeing them not as pressure points but as places to build.