HOW TO SHARE THE GOSPEL EASILY AND WITHOUT FEAR

VIDEO

WHAT WAS I DOING?

I WAS EVANGELIZING

A NON SPIRITUAL WAY IN WHICH YOU EVANGELIZE ALL THE TIME IS WHEN YOU TELL PEOPLE ABOUT A GREAT EXPERIENCE YOU HAD BECAUSE YOU WANT THEM TO EXPERIENCE IT LIKE YOU DID AND SHARE IN THE JOY OF THAT EXPERIENCE.

WHEN IS THE LAST TIME YOU EVANGELIZED IN THIS WAY?

FRANgelism

Now, was it hard to do it? No! You did not need to know everything about it. YOU SIMPLY NEEDED TO BE ABLE TO SHARE WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT IT OR WHAT WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE OF IT?

BUT PLEASE UNDERSTAND THIS:

YOU DO NOT NEED TO know everything about Jesus or everything about the gospel. You just need to share or talk about what Jesus and the gospel have done for you!

BUT REMEMBER – WE ARE ON A JOURNEY SO…

I want you to grow in your knowledge of Jesus (He is our Savior)

I want you to grow in your knowledge of the gospel (It is our living hope)

BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT – All you need to share the gospel with someone is what Jesus has done for you

John 9:24 ESV

So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.”

John 9:24–25 ESV

So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.” He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”

John 9:25 ESV

He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”

JOHN 9:24

WHEN I SHARE ABOUT MY EXPERIENCE AT A RESTAURANT I AM TALKING ABOUT MY EXPERIENCE BUT IN A WAY THAT MAKES PEOPLE WANT TO GO TO THE RESTAURANT.

1. I may talk about the customer service – but I talk about how I experienced it

2. I may talk about the food but I use words such as – awesome, great , or the best I every had (these are my experiences with the food)

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT JESUS THAT WAY AND WE ARE GOING TO LEARN HOW TO TALK ABOUT JESUS THAT WAY

HERE IS MY QUESTION FOR YOU:

WHEN YOU EXPERIENCE SOMETHING GREAT DO YOU HAVE TO THINK HARD ABOUT HOW YOU WILL COMMUNICATE THAT EXPERIENCE?

BECAUSE EXPERIENCE IS ENERGY

· When a guys meets a girl – he does not go home and write down what he is going to tell his boys; he just calls them up and says – Man, I talked to so and so and xyz…

· When you experience a ride a Disneyworld, you don’t go and explain every detail and nuance about the ride to your friends – you say: Man you gotta go on that ride

· WHY? YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED IT!!!!!!!!!!

OVER THE NEXT TWO WEDNESDAY I WANT TO HELP YOU TO TELL PEOPLE ABOUT JESUS BY HELPING YOU TO RELIVE YOUR EXPERIENCE(S) WITH JESUS THROUGH YOUR OWN TESTIMONY

WHAT I WANT TO SEE AND AM PRAYING FOR OUR CHURCH IS PEOPLE COMING TO KNOW JESUS AND COMING HERE TO TRAVEL ON THE JOURNEY OF WHAT IT MEANS TO KEEP ON KNOWING JESUS FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES.

WE ARE GOING TO SEE THIS HAPPEN WHEN WE CONSISTENTLY PRACTICE FRANGELISM

FRANGELISM

FRANGELISM IS THE INTENTIONAL EFFORT OF EVERY PERSON AT RLC TO SHARE THE GOSPEL THROUGH THIER TESTIMONY TO THEIR

F = FRIENDS R = RELATIVES A = ASSOCIATES N =NEIGHBORS

BEFORE WE START THAT LET’S TALK ABOUT WHERE FRANgelism COMES FROM

Tell a story about me telling someone about something. Then ask:

DR. FRED LUTER - PASTOR OF FRANKLIN AVE BAPTIST CHURCH IN NEW ORLEANS

PICTURE OF DR LUTER

HERE’S THE STORY

Luter was call to the church in 1986 with 65 members

After introducing FRANgelism to the church they grew to 300 members by 1989

By 1994 they had grown close to 1 thousand people so, in 1997 their built an 1800 seat church

Prior to hurricane Katrina (2005) they had grown to nearly 7000 in worship

After Katrina they lost close to 3000 because they were displaced but, as of this date, they have gathered that many more back into the church and are completing 4500 seat sanctuary.

Now, I don’t share this with you

- because of numbers, but we need to know something:

o people matter to the Lord and therefore impact people should matter to us.

- because this to show you what Dr. Luter did.

o I share this because I want you to see that the initial and continual explosion of growth in his church happened when those 65 people became committed to sharing the gospel – NOT WITH STRANGERS – but with people in their circle; Friends Relatives, Associates, Neighbors

HERE IS WHAT I TRULY BELIEVE AND WILL SINCERELY AND WITH ALL MY HEART AND ENERGY WORK TOWARD:

IF WE, AS A CHRUCH, CAN BECOME COMMITTED TO SHARING WITH OUR FRIENDS, RELATIVES ASSOCIATES AND NEIGHBORS THE GREAT NEWS OF THE LOVE OF JESUS FOR THEM, I HAVE NOT DOUBT THAT WE WILL SEE TRANSFORMATIONS HAPPENING AND LIVES CHANGED.

SO TODAY IS THE BEGINNING OF BUILDING FRANGELISM WITHIN THE DNA OF RLC.

1. FIRST THING – Equipping you:

a. I am going to teach you how to turn your testimony into the story of God’s working in your life so you can share the love of Jesus towards you to other people.

b. We are going to provide you with church cards to share with your Friends Relatives, Associates, Neighbors

b. We are going to provide you with church cards to share with your Friends Relatives, Associates, Neighbors

1. SECOND THING – FRANgelism Emphasis months

a. Starting in September and every other month after that for the rest of the year

i. 1st Sunday: Invite Your Unsaved And Or Unchurched Friends

ii. 2nd Sunday: Invite Your Unsaved And Or Unchurched Relatives

iii. 3rd Sunday: Invite Your Unsaved And Or Unchurched Associates

iv. 4th Sunday: Invite Your Unsaved And Or Unchurched Neighbors

HERE IS YOUR WORK FOR THIS WEEK

1. Use the testimony guide to write out your testimony by answer the questions

2. Make a list of all the people you know in each category who are not believers or who do not attend a church

3. Commit to praying for two in each category, for seven days, praying the following prayer

- Lord, help me to love Friend with your love so that I can be willing to share my testimony with them and or invite them to church. - Lord, please soften their hearts towards you so that when I share my testimony and or invite them to church they will respond and attend church “with me.”

o Lord, please soften their hearts towards you so that when I share my testimony and or invite them to church they will respond and attend church “with me.”

WHAT WAS I DOING?

I was evangelizing. Telling someone good news about something I have experienced to be good!

When is the last time you tried to evangelize someone about something?

Now, was it hard to do it? No! You did not need to know everything about it. YOU SIMPLY NEEDED TO BE ABLE TO SHARE WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT IT OR WHAT WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE OF IT?

That is how we share the gospel with others. YOU DO NOT NEED TO know everything about Jesus or everything about the gospel. You just need to share or talk about what Jesus and the gospel have done for you!

WHEN I SHARE ABOUT MY EXPERIENCE AT A RESTAURANT I AM TALKING ABOUT MY EXPERIENCE BUT IN A WAY THAT MAKES PEOPLE WANT TO GO TO THE RESTAURANT.

1. I may talk about the customer service – but I talk about how I experienced it

2. I may talk about the food but I use words such as – awesome, great , or the best I every had (these are my experiences with the food)

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT JESUS THAT WAY AND WE ARE GOING TO LEARN HOW TO TALK ABOUT JESUS THAT WAY

WHEN YOU EXPERIENCE SOMETHING GREAT DO YOU HAVE TO THINK HARD ABOUT HOW YOU WILL COMMUNICTAE THAT EXPERIENCE? NO! WHY? BECAUSE EXPERIENCE IS ENERGY

· When a guys meets a girl – he does not go home and write down what he is going to tell his boys; he just calls them up and says – Man, I talked to so and so and xyz…

· When you experience a ride a Disneyworld, you don’t go and explain every detail and nuance about the ride to your friends – you say: Man you gotta go on that ride

· WHY? YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED IT!!!!!!!!!!

I WANT TO HELP YOU TO TELL PEOPLE ABOUT JESUS BY HELPING YOU TO RELIVE YOUR EXPERIENCE(S) WITH JESUS THROUGH YOUR OWN TESTIMONY

· They overcome by the word …testimony

WHAT I WANT TO SEE AND AM PRAYING FOR OUR CHURCH IS PEOPLE COMING TO KNOW JESUS AND COMING HERE TO TRAVEL ON THE JOURNEY OF WHAT IT MEANS TO KEEP ON KNOWING JESUS FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES

BEFORE WE START THAT LET’S TALK ABOUT FRANgelism

Dr. Fred Luter (put a picture on slide)

· Went to an inner-city church in 1986 that had 65 people

· Evangelism: Tried everything

o Door to door

o Cookouts

o Community events

§ All good but very minimal impact

o Went to a conference that “changed everything – his life and ministry

§ FRANgelism (I think this is his term for what he learned)

· Friends Relatives Associates Neighbors who do not know Jesus and or are unchurched

o Luter introduced this to his church and within a year it exploded

After introducing FRANgelism:

· 1989, to over 300 members.

· 1994, the church could no longer accommodate the crowd so in 1997, he moved into an 1800 seat sanctuary.

· By 2005 prior to Hurricane Katrina, FABC grew to over 7,000 members.

o Lost over 3 thousand because of the Hurricane – but through aggressive FRANgelism has added nearly all of that number they lost back

o Currently, they will soon be moving into a 4,500-seat sanctuary

Now, I don’t share this with you

- because of numbers, but we need to know something:

o people matter to the Lord and therefore impact people should matter to us.

- because this to show you what Dr. Luter did.

o I share this because I want you to see that the initial and continual explosion of growth in his church happened when those 65 people became committed to sharing the gospel – NOT WITH STRANGERS – but with people in their circle; Friends Relatives, Associates, Neighbors

IF WE, AS A CHRUCH, CAN BECOME COMMITTED TO SHARING WITH OUR FRIENDS, RELATIVES ASSOCIATES AND NEIGHBORS THE GREAT NEWS OF THE LOVE OF JESUS FOR THEM, I HAVE NOT DOUBT THAT WE WILL SEE TRANSFORMATIONS HAPPENING AND LIVES CHANGED

WHY DO WE WANT THEM TO COME TO OUR CHURCH?

1. We know that, deep down inside, everyone wants someone to hold their hand

a. Story or nursing home

2. We know that anyone who is willing to be loved will be cared for at Renewing Life Church

3. We know that they will hear a message that is encouraging and will speak to their lives

4. We know that the love of the Lord is invested in each of us and we are to be dispensers of that love to our Friends, Relatives, Associates, Neighbors

SO TODAY IS THE BEGINNING OF BUILDING FARNGELISM WITHIN THE DNA OF RLC.

1. FIRST THING – Equipping you

a. I am going to teach you how to turn your testimony into the story of God’s working in your life so you can share the love of Jesus towards you to other people

b. We are going to provide you with church cards to share with your Friends Relatives, Associates, Neighbors

2. SECOND THING – FRANgelism Emphasis month

a. Starting in September and every other month after that for the rest of the year

i. 1st Sunday: Invite Your Unsaved And Or Unchurched Friends

ii. 2nd Sunday: Invite Your Unsaved And Or Unchurched Relatives

iii. 3rd Sunday: Invite Your Unsaved And Or Unchurched Associates

iv. 4th Sunday: Invite Your Unsaved And Or Unchurched Neighbors

The Ongoing Seven Day Strategy

· Make a list of all the people you know in each category who are not believers or who do not attend a church

· Commit to praying for two in each category, for seven days, praying the following prayer

o Lord, help me to love Friend with your love so that I can be willing to share my testimony with them and or invite them to church.

o Lord, please soften their hearts towards you so that when I share my testimony and or invite them to church they will respond and attend church “with me.”

WRITING YOUR TESTIMONY AS A GOSPEL CONVERSATION

1. Writing Your Personal Testimony Evangelistically

An account of your life with Christ beginning with your religious beginnings, your conversion and what Christ is doing in your life, now.

1. Religious Beginnings

1. Your first ideas and thoughts about God, Christ, etc.

2. What was the essence of your life and hope?

1. My family, friends and interest

2. My security was in….

3. My religious upbringing was….

2. Conversion

1. What caused you to move from these first ideas to faith

1. Crisis of faith/belief

2. Think through the following

1. I was awakened to my need by….

2. What I thought or noticed about myself and or God at this point was….

3. What aspects of the gospel affected me

4. What I began to see about Christ and my need

3. Present Work of God

1. What are the present fruits and experiences of God in my life?

1. My relationships with…

2. My attitudes toward…

3. My desires are now…

4. A difficult areas still is…

2. Using Your Testimony

1. Consider a theme

2. Memorize it until it flows

3. Gather transitional question

1. Have you come to the place in your spiritual life where you know for certain that if you were to die today you would go to heaven, or is that something you would say you are working on? (Childers)

2. Do you think about spiritual things

3. What is your concept of God? Do you view God positively or negatively?

4. Do you have a church or religious background?

5. Can I share with you how I came to know that I have eternal life and how you can know too?