Encouraging, Empowering & Equipping Ordinary Christians To Live Powerful Missional Lives!
When planning to use social media to help share Jesus with others and declare God's Glory then there needs to be some serious consideration given to the kinds of posts that you should make. In this video I am going to share with you 3 kinds of post that will help you make most of Christ in your part of this dark world. This is part two in a series called: HOW TO USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO SHINE THE LIGHT OF CHRIST! To see Part 1 CLICK HERE!
Yes, I do go door to door to share Jesus with people! And yes, I do find it to still be a very good approach to getting the Gospel out to people! And yes, I do see lots and lots of positive responses from those I go to and many of them are giving their hearts and live over to Christ.
For the most part people, even those not interested, have been cordial and polite. It has only been on very rare occasions a person is rude and mean spirited.
But what I am going to share in this post is 12 things that I go door to door to share Jesus with people in my community. These are 11 things that I have found to be important reminders. I share this strategy with you because it can easily be done by any Christian in their own neighborhood where they live or with a Home Fellowship Group of churches that wish to be more missional.
Going in teams of two is a very Biblical approach. In Luke 10 when Jesus was sending out the 72 He sent them in teams of two. We see the Apostle Paul and Barnabas forming a missional team. We see Peter and John often together on missional activities.
Teams provide safety, encouragement, and accountability. If you have to go by yourself then I guess you have to but if you can find someone to go with you, even if its just there to pray while you talk, then that is more desirable.
I know that sounds silly but the reality is that if people can't see your eyes they will be more suspicious of you. You will look intimidating and it will create an immediate wall of separation between you and the person you're talking to.
Your eyes communicate your sincerity and passion. Allowing people to see your eyes is part of the communication and connection you are wanting to establish with a person you're trying to share Jesus with.
Again, this is about creating trust and putting people at ease. The reality is that if you talk with a stranger while having your hands in your pocket the person will concentrating more on your hands and pockets than what you are saying to them.
When strangers see you with your in your pocket they are wondering if you have a knife, gun or some other thing they should be worried about. The solution is simple: Take your hands out of your pockets and fold them in front of you, so they are in plan sight.
This seems obvious but I have been amazed with the number of people who have gone door to door but never once shared their name or the name of the person that came with them. Here's what I usually say,
"Hi, my name is Jay Moore and this is my wife Linda."
The shorter the introduction the better. Once you share with a stranger your name psychologically you are no longer a stranger! Why? Because they now know you by name.
This is important and needs to be share real quickly. The people you are visiting are wanting to know, so there's no need to have a chit chat session with them. After I introduce myself I will say something like this:
" ... we are going through the neighborhood sharing with people that God loves them, we care about them and because life is really tough for people these days we have come by to see if there's anything you need God to do for you, any miracle you need God to perform for you that we can pray about for you. Is there anything you need God to do for you?"
Many times after saying this many people have questions. They may ask, "Are you JW's" or "Are you with a church?" or they may not really understand what you said and they ask, "What are you here for?" After answer those clarifying question I'll always go back and say, "So, is there anything that I can pray for you about?"
After they share their prayer request immediately pray for them about that specific need. Ask God to meet that need and do in such a way that the person knows it was God who did it. Believe me when I tell you that people are hungry for prayer - they need prayer - and very often accept offers for prayer.
Prayer communicates to the person you care about them. And communicating that you care is critical to preparing to share the Gospel. There's old saying,
"People don't care how much you know - until they know how much you care."
Praying for people communicates that you care a whole lot!
Once you have prayed for them ask them if you can tell them a true story from the word. of God. This is important because the Bible teaches us that faith comes from hear and hearing the word of God. To share a Bible story about Jesus is a powerful way to initiate a spiritual conversation that will lead to a Gospel presentation. I would suggest the story of Jesus at the house of Simon the Pharisee' when the sinful came and began to cry on Jesus' feet.
Don't read the story - tell it in your own words but accurately. Don't add to the story but also don't leave anything out of it.
After sharing a true story from the Bible immediately begin to share you personal testimony of coming to Christ. Don't ask permission. They already gave you permission to share a Bible story just continue to talk by sharing your story in Christ. Start your testimony off by saying, "Just like this person who was desperate to see Jesus and receive forgiveness of sin so I to had a time in my life when I wanted my sins forgiven. Then tell them your story. Share with them what you life was like before coming to Christ, how you came to Christ and what your new life in Christ is like now.
Once you have finished your testimony say something like this, "And the best part of my new life in Christ is that Jesus now has me going around telling people that just like the person in the story was forgiven of their sins and just like I was forgiven of my sins, so now they too can experience Jesus' forgiveness for their sins. And then share with them a simple Gospel presentation.
Once you finished sharing the Gospel ask them the million dollar question! Ask them, "Would you too like to experience Jesus' forgiveness of sin?" If they say, "yes" then lead them in a sinners prayer of commitment. A good fisherman knows that they need to reel in the line if they will ever catch a fish; likewise a good disciple maker knows they need to ask the question to receive Christ.
Once you're done praying get excited and let it be known how amazing a decision they just made. Let them know and experience your excitement for their decision to follow Christ.
Before you leave make sure you set up a time to meet within the next few days to begin learn more about Christ and what he has commanded. This is when you begin to disciple them to be obedient followers or Christ.
How do you help those people whom you share the Gospel to but aren't ready to surrender their life over to the care and control of Christ? It's not that they are opposed to it but they are just unsure and need more information.
In this short training video we are going to ask and answer that question. I pray you find it to be helpful as you go out and shine the Light of Christ to your part of this dark world!
Let's take a look at two important things that Jesus did to call out his first disciples. Then let's begin to join Christ on His mission by calling others to become disciples for Jesus also.
I love to hear your thoughts about this topic! Please share your thoughts as a comment!
This story starts off after Jesus has been arrested, after he has been killed, after he has been resurrected but before He has ascended into Heaven. It is the story of how Jesus restored the Apostle Peter back to the ministry after he had failed Jesus at His crucifixion by denying Him three times. Peter is discouraged and beating himself up for his failure. In this post we are going to look at the 5 steps Jesus took to restore him, so he could become that powerful servant of God we all love and respect.
You will need to get your Bible out and read what it says to see how it applies to the points I am making. I pray that God will bless you as you read this and encourage you. Maybe you are one who who needs to be restored. Here's some good news for you! Jesus is ready, willing and able to restore you just like He did for Peter and countless others. So, read and be encouraged!
This story starts off with Peter telling some of other apostles that he was going to go back to fishing. This is important because Peter had left this profession to follow Christ just about 3 years earlier. For him to make this declaration "I'm going fishing" he was in essence saying, "I am going back to my old life before we met Christ."
That is the attitude of a backslidden Christian! They've given up on follow Christ and going back to live the way the used to live before knowing Christ. But also, in this story we see that Jesus has other plans. He doesn't allow Peter to just goes back to his old life but Jesus shows up to restore him to full service and commitment.
In verses 4-7 we see Jesus showing up on the shore where Peter and the others were fishing that night. He calls out to them and tells them to throw the net on the other side. When they did their nets were filled fish. This caused them to remember another time when Jesus said to do the same thing with the same kinds of results. And because of this they recognized that it was Jesus was on the shore.
Why did Jesus come to where Peter was at? Because Peter was floundering and felt unworthy to continue to be a servant of Christ. Jesus showed up to restore him and give him the confidence he need. NOTICE IT WAS JESUS WHO PURSUED PETER - NOT PETER PURSUING JESUS!
In verses 10-14, after Peter responding favorably with Jesus' pursuit we see Jesus inviting Peter and the others with him, to sit down and have a meal with him. How many times had Peter sat around the fire eating a meal with Jesus over the past three years? A ton for sure! Because of his failure he probably thought those opportunities would never happen again but now Jesus is inviting Peter to sit and eat with Him. How precious and encouraging that must have been for Peter.
I think one of the important things to realize in being restored to Christ is that Jesus isn't wanting to beat you up first! No, Jesus is wanting the wonderful relationship that had be originally established to be restored. Jesus wants to sit and eat a meal with us as much, if not more, than we do with him.
As they finish their meal together, in verses 15-17, we see Jesus ask Peter three times if he love him or not and each time Jesus follows Peter answer with a command to take care of His sheep. Jesus already knew Peter loved him. It wasn't for his benefit that Jesus asked that question but it was for Peter's benefit. Peter needed to be reminded of his love for the Lord and to be reassure that Christ still wanted him to be part of his band of apostles. The questions of love and the commands to take care of the sheep was Christ's powerful way of letting Peter know that his service and ministry was wanted and needed. The only requirement Jesus asked from Peter was for Peter's love and devotion.
In verses 18-19 Jesus shares with Peter what it will cost him for continuing to be a devoted follower of Christ. He lets him know that his commitment and service would lead him to his own death and a death by crucifixion.
Isn't interesting how open and clear Jesus is with his followers of what it means and cost to be his disciple. IT WILL COST YOU YOUR LIFE! Even though, out of fear, Peter denied Christ, Jesus was letting him know that there would be other times to come where Peter would need to gird up his fear and place his faith and trust in Him. Jesus was preparing Peter for what would evidentially come around again.
In verses 20-23 Peter begins to ask what would happen to a different disciple. Jesus' response is classic. "What's that to you?" In other words Jesus was telling Peter what happens to other disciples is none of His business. The only thing that should be important for Peter was to faithfully live out what God has determined to be his role.
To often, faithfully serving Christ, gets all muddled up because our focus is on other people and not on Christ and his will for our lives. We complain to God about this person having this blessing, or that person getting to serve Christ in that way. That kind of focus will never honor God. Instead, we should be saying to Christ as he reveals his mission for us to be these words,
"Yes Lord, yes to you will and to your way. Yes, Lord, yes I will trust you and obey. When your Spirit speaks to me, with my whole heart I'll agree. And my answer will be, 'yes Lord, yes."
We believe that ordinary christians are God primary choice for doing His extraordinary work. Throughout scripture we see God choosing to use everyday people to join Him on His mission of raising up, training up and unleashing them to become rapidly reproducing disciple makers. The Ordinary Christians intends to join God in that pursuit.
Become a Ministry partner of The Ordinary christian & help us give away powerful training to God's people to live a powerful missional life. HIT THE DONATE NOW!
Powered by Squarespace
