The Main Thing: God calls us to be active in sharing our faith. Share with your disciple biblical motivations for evangelism.
The Bible is the story of God choosing a people for Himself, and growing His Kingdom here on earth. As Jesus followers, we have been invited into the process of what He is doing, and evangelism plays a central role in our calling as Christians. Although experiences in evangelism may vary, this conversation will provide motivation for your disciple to take steps of faith in the area of evangelism. Read some or all of the following verses and discuss.
Q: When it comes to sharing your faith, what has your experience been like so far?
Q: When you hear the word “evangelism,” what comes to your mind?
Say: To encourage you in sharing your faith, today we are going to look at three different motivations for evangelism found in the Bible: God’s fame, our design, and others’ need.
God’s Fame
Read 1 Chronicles 16:23-25 and John 17:20-24
Q: According to these verses why should we share Jesus with others?
1 Chronicles 16:23-25 – Talking about what God has done brings praise to God.
John 17:20-24 – Jesus prays for those who will come to faith as a result of the disciples’ witness, specifically that they will increase in number, and that Jesus will be magnified as they understand the power of the gospel.
When we are sharing the gospel, we are giving praise to God. We are telling people about God’s great love, His tender mercy, His uncompromising justice, and His sheer brilliance to devise a way to forgive us without being unjust. Even if no one ever responded in faith, proclaiming the Gospel brings glory to God.
Also, when we share the gospel, God moves in people’s hearts to produce faith, and they believe. As a result they begin to live for Him instead of for themselves, and they give Him praise. As we share the gospel, we make Him famous.
Our Design
Read 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
Q: What privilege and responsibility have we been given as Christians?
As Christians we are Christ’s ambassadors.
Q: What is the role and purpose of an ambassador?
To live in a foreign country specifically in order to represent the interests of his or her home country, not just for enjoyment of the foreign country or to blend in. This means as Christ’s ambassadors on earth, we are created to represent the interests of God’s kingdom, which includes evangelism.
Q: What difference does it make if we live each day as God’s ambassador?
Read 1 Peter 3:15
Q: What do we learn about our involvement in evangelism?
We are commanded to take the initiative to share our faith, whether convenient or not.
Read John 4:35-36
Q: According to these verses, what happens when we share our faith?
Whether we are sowing or reaping, sharing our faith produces joy.
So we see, the Bible is clear that Christ’s followers are created and commanded to share our faith. But also, in the process of sharing our faith, our joy in the gospel is made complete.
Others’ Need
Q: As we read each of the verses in this section, what do we learn about people who don’t know Jesus?
Read Matthew 9:36
Jesus describes the lost as harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Read Romans 6:23
The consequence of sin is death.
Read 2 Corinthians 4:4
Satan has blinded the minds of unbelievers.
Read John 4:35
People are spiritually ready – The fields are ripe for harvest now.
Read John 14:6
Jesus is the only way to the Father.
Q: When you look at the campus around you, knowing that there are so many people here who are lost and have never heard the Gospel, how do you respond?
Read Romans 10:14-15
Q: What do these verses tell us about evangelism?
Evangelism is necessary. Unless someone hears the gospel, they cannot believe. Therefore we need to verbally share this good news with others.
Q: Having looked at the biblical basis for sharing Jesus with others, how will this affect the way you use your time on campus?
Q: If every Christian were actively engaged in helping others discover Jesus, how would our campus change?
Dream together of how the campus would be different.
It is clear from Scripture that God uses us to bring Him praise and to invite others into His Kingdom. While we do not control the results, we can control whether we take the initiative to share Jesus with others. While we may still have fears when it comes to sharing our faith, the Holy Spirit can help us overcome these fears. We are not called to be perfect at evangelism, God simply asks us to be obedient – motivated by love for Him and compassion for others.
Application and Action
- Make a list of 5 friends who do not know Jesus, for whom you will pray and with whom you will share the gospel.
- This week, take the initiative to share the gospel with someone on this list.
- Share what the Bible says about evangelism with another Christian this week.
