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Gospel Workshop Information Packet
INTRODUCTION
Are you a good person that follows your heart?
In order to navigate through life successfully, we need to know the truth. The way to know the truth is to go to the source. Listen to what our creator says about our hearts.
“The heart is the most deceitful thing there is, and desperately wicked! No one can really know how bad it is!” Jeremiah 17:9
Our creator tells us we should not follow our hearts, that they are wicked!
Romans 3:10-12, 23 states: “…as it is written,“There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one. …for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
The scripture is very clear in the Old and New Testament. We are sinful beings! Sin is rebellion against God, and we are indeed, all of us, rebellious people against our God. It turns out that “following our heart” is not a biblically sound concept.
“The heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart.” Adrian Rogers
In fact…. 1. We are all sinners, born spiritually dead. 2. Sin separates us from God. 3. Jesus reconciles us to God. These 3 points are, in a nutshell, the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. If you can remember these 3 points, you can effectively share the gospel!
WHAT WE ARE LEARNING
Our goal is for all of us to have a clear understanding of: 1. What is the Gospel 2.Why do we need to share the Gospel with others 3. How can we do that
Bear in mind that the overarching goal of this workshop is for all of us to actually go out in the world and share the gospel with as many people as possible!
Two very helpful tips 1. Never read a bible verse. 2. Don’t listen to anything we have to say. Allow us to explain: Greg Koukl of Stand to Reason ministries informs us to never read a single bible verse. Context is king when it comes to reading scripture. It’s important to read entire passages and chapters to understand verses in their proper context.
And we ask that you don’t listen to anything we have to say because we don’t want you to take for granted that what we say is correct. We want you to open up your bibles! Be like the Bereans who listened to what Paul had to say and then “searched the scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” Acts 17:11 There’s no substitute for personal time spent in the word of God.
WHAT IS THE GOSPEL
“The gospel is so simple that small children can understand it, and it is so profound that studies by the wisest theologians will never exhaust its riches.” Charles Hodge
This very wise quote is an excellent place for us to start. It is only logical that the first step is to ensure that we all have an understanding of, “What is the Gospel.” However, if we are to ever get to the second step and beyond, we must take the “simple” approach to answering that question vs. the “inexhaustible” approach.
We are working with the version so simple a child can understand it, 3 points. 1. We are all sinners, born spiritually dead. 2. Sin separates us from God. 3. Jesus reconciles us to God.
Since scripture is our ultimate authority, where in the scriptures do we find the most concise definition of “The Gospel?”
In 1 Corinthians 15:1-4: “Now I make known to you, brethren, THE GOSPEL which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received,that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the scriptures.”
This is the earliest Christian creed we have which dates back to the event of the resurrection itself. We see evidence here of the three foundational elements of The Gospel.
1. Why did Jesus have to die for our sins? Because we are all sinners, born spiritually dead. 2. The Gospel saves us but why do we need to be saved? Because our sin separates us from God. 3. What do the burial and resurrection ultimately signify? That Jesus has done everything necessary to reconcile us to God.
We are all sinners, born spiritually dead. Our sin separates us from God. Jesus reconciles us to God. If we could point you to only one verse, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 would be it.
Additional scriptures to support each of the three points are as follows:
1. We are all Sinners, Born Spiritually Dead
“The LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. The LORD God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” Genesis 2:16-17
We know from continuing to read the text that Adam did not die an immediate physical death, but he would experience an eventual physical death because of his sin. What did happen immediately was just what God said would happen; he did surely die – spiritually.
“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and sodeath spread to all men because all sinned…” Romans 5:12
When Adam died spiritually, he passed that on to the entire human race. Consequently, not only is all of humanity destined to die physically, but we are all sinners, born spiritually dead.
“There is no one who does good. The LORD has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one.” Psalm 14:1-3
“All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.” Isaiah 53:6
Memory Verse For Point 1: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” Romans 3:23
2. Sin Separates us from God
“For the Christian church… to ignore, euphemize, or otherwise mute the lethal reality of sin is to cut the nerve of the gospel. For the sober truth is that without full disclosure on sin, the gospel of grace becomes impertinent, unnecessary, and finally uninteresting.” Cornelius Plantinga
We need to understand that sin is serious! Sins are not just “mistakes.” It is not acceptable to refer to our sins of choice and claim, “It’s just the way I am.” Sin is rebellion against GOD, an affront to his Holy nature! We can neither understand, nor adequately communicate, how wonderful the Good News is unless we understand how horrible the bad news is! We cannot truly imagine what it will be like for those who choose to reject the finished work of Christ; in the end they will be separated from God and His goodness for all eternity! For now, God sends rain on the just and the unjust, but there is coming a time for the lost when they will be cut off from every good thing they have ever known. Forever. Our loving God has no choice! If a person chooses to reject God during this lifetime, God will not force that person to be in His presence for all eternity.
“They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” Genesis 3:8-10
Up until Adam committed an act of rebellion, He and Eve enjoyed regular, direct, fellowship with the LORD God. Once he sinned, guilt and shame set in and Adam hid himself from God. His sin separated him from God. The fact that our sin separates us from God continues to present itself throughout the scriptures.
“But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.” Isaiah 59:2
“Truly, truly, I say to you,unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3
Why did Jesus tell Nicodemus he needed to be born again? Because his sin separated him from God and in order for Nicodemus to “see the kingdom of God,” he had to be born again. He had to be made alive spiritually. Jesus makes that clear in following verses when he says:
“…unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of flesh is flesh, andthat which is born of spirit is spirit.” John 3:5-6
“For the wages of sin is death,but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23
Again, we see that sin is severe, not to be scoffed at or taken lightly. What we earn for our sin, the just punishment for rebellion against God, is the death that is the ultimate and final separation from God.
Memory Verse For Point 2: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23
3. Jesus reconciles us to God
This is something we can’t accomplish on our own. The following scriptures show that this reconciliation can be provided by Jesus alone. How exactly is this accomplished? We know from the scriptures that God is love. He loves us and desires fellowship with us.
God’s Love: “The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” 1 John 4:8
We know from scripture that God is just. A perfectly righteous judge who must execute punishment for our sins.
God’s Justice: “For He is coming, for He is coming to Judge the earth, He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with His truth.” Psalm 96:13
The only fit punishment for our rebellion is death that results in eternal separation from God.
How can God be a God who is love if He executes the punishment we deserve? How can He be a God of perfect justice if He does not?
God remains true to His eternal attributes of love and justice. He graciously provides a remedy for the seemingly unresolvable problem of our sinful state. The remedy is Jesus! God became a man in the person of Jesus Christ who did what we couldn’t do by living a perfect, sinless life. He then took the punishment we deserved and died as our substitute on the cross at Calvary.
Paul tells us…. “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21
Peter tells us… “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit.” 1 Peter 3:18
Jesus was crucified, He died, and He was buried. Three days later He rose from the dead to demonstrate His victory over sin and death. His resurrection from the dead is proof that God accepted the penalty He paid on our behalf. A penalty He paid with his own blood.
Scripture clarifies that… “There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity – the man Christ Jesus.” 1 Timothy 2:5
This is also our verse to remember for point three.
Memory Verse For Point 3: “There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity – the man Christ Jesus.” 1 Timothy 2:5
Regarding the medium by which Jesus reconciles us to God, physician turned Pastor M.R. DeHaan had this to say… “When we are accused of preaching a gospel of blood we proudly plead guilty to the charge for the only thing that gives life to our teaching and power to the word of God is the fact that it is the blood which is the very life and power of the gospel.” M.R. DeHaan, author of “The Chemistry of the Blood”
From the Old Testament we read… “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.”Leviticus 17:11
From the New Testament we read… “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace…” Ephesians 1:7
Peter states boldly: “… that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.” 1 Peter 1:18-19
Hebrews gives us a final, definitive statement on the blood of Christ: “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness for sins.” Hebrews 9:22
The sacrificial death of Jesus was necessary, nothing less would have sufficed. Jesus did it all, paid it all. He could not have done more, or made salvation more attainable. We are promised salvation from God’s righteous wrath when we believe Jesus is who He claimed to be, accept His sacrifice on our behalf… and repent of our sins.
Paul says in Acts: “I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.” Acts 20:21
Shub (pronounced shoob) is a Hebrew word for repentance. It literally means to turn back, or return, and expresses a radical change of mind toward sin. It implies a conscious, moral separation from sin; a decision to forsake it and agree with God. Repentance may sound like a complicated theological concept, but it doesn’t have to be. We know someone famous who made it very simple.
“I always get where I am going by walking away from where I’ve been.” Winnie the Pooh
WHY WE NEED TO SHARE THE GOSPEL
Now that we’ve covered the simplified version of what is the gospel, we’ll move on to why we need to share the gospel. The answer is, quite simply, because Jesus told us to! Speaking to His disciples, He said to them: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” Mark 16:15
Jesus also said in Acts 1:8: “…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest parts of the earth.”
These directives were not intended only for the audience present, but rather for all who would be indwelled by the Holy Spirit, for everyone who would ever be a disciple of Jesus! Are you a disciple of Jesus?
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” Romans 1:16
Paul tells us that the gospel is the power of God for salvation. Why would we keep that to ourselves?
Evangelist and founding member of True Vine Apologetics Josiah Slivkoff has stated that since we encounter so many people who are unsaved, we are not being at all loving if we don’t share the gospel with them! Jesus said that to love God and to love others are the greatest of the commandments. If we are to be loving, and obedient, we must share the gospel!
HOW WE CAN SHARE THE GOSPEL
We’ve confirmed that not sharing is not an option, but that doesn’t mean that this endeavor is without its challenges.
“According to most studies, people’s number one fear is public speaking, number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you’re better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.” Jerry Seinfeld
Fear of public speaking is known as glossophobia. It is one of the most common phobias there is. Almost all of us have some type of fear or phobia. Have you ever heard of arachibutyrophobia (a-rock-a-beaut-uro-phobia)? That’s the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth. Or how about nomophobia, the fear of no cell phone access. Some poor folks even suffer from phobophobia – the fear of phobias!
More often than not, your opportunities to share the gospel will be one on one, or perhaps within a small group, and you won’t have to worry about having glossophobia. We know, however, that sharing the gospel in any setting can be scary.
Maybe that’s where your phobia is. Perhaps you’re afraid that if you share the gospel with someone it won’t be well received. Maybe you’re afraid that they’ll laugh. They might tell you you’re ridiculous to believe such things in light of our technology and scientific advancements. Or worse yet, what if they get mad? Maybe you’re afraid you’ll be accused of being one of those intolerant, judgmental Christians and how do you respond to that? Or worst of all, what if they start asking questions you can’t answer?
All of those things can be very intimidating and if you are afraid of such things then you, my friends, may suffer from Glosso-gospel-phobia! The fear of sharing the Gospel! If this describes you, then thank goodness you attended the workshop!
Here are 3 easy to remember points that will help you alleviate the symptoms and conquer Glossogospelphobia:
Plan “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.” 2 Timothy 4:2
Determine what methods of gospel presentation are most comfortable for you to work with and be ready. Plan ahead and have whatever you need for that style of presentation on hand. That can be as simple as having a pen and piece of paper with you, or having a few key verses where they are easily accessible.
Practice “Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress… for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.” 1 Timothy 4:16
When Paul encouraged Timothy to “practice these things” he was referring to the minister’s disciplines he had just described, however, we would do well to apply the same principal to sharing the gospel. Besides, we all know “practice makes perfect!”
Present “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.” Corinthians 3:6
It’s up to us to convey, it’s up to the Holy Spirit to convict and convert. The most eloquent presentation won’t sway someone without the conviction of the Holy Spirit, but with the Holy Spirit even a clumsy and awkward gospel presentation can bring someone right to the foot of the cross!
Plan, Practice, Present!
For those times when glossogospelphobia threatens to shut us down, we can remember these encouraging words:
“Don’t be afraid of the world. Don’t be intimidated by the agnostics, the atheists, and those who call Christians narrow-minded haters because we proclaim that Jesus is the only way. Do not back down. You’re going to be rejected. You’re going to be persecuted. Jesus said, “A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will Also persecute you.” John 15:20 “Beloved, you have been chosen by God not just to reign with Jesus, but to suffer with Him as well. But don’t be afraid. Be a soldier. Be willing to take some blows because of your love for Jesus and your defense of the gospel. You are going to be rewarded for it. Be strong and courageous in your love of God.” Rabbi Kirt A. Schneider Now all you have to do is start the conversation! How you choose to do that will depend on things like whether or not you know the person you’ll be conversing with, and where you’re at. To make this a bit easier, we’ve broken down different types of conversation starters into 7 categories.
Types of Conversation Starters
1. Hand them something. Hand them a gospel tract. You could also print up invitations to your church and hand those to people. 2. Respond to questions with faith based answers. Think about that area of your faith that you are passionate about and insert it into your response to common questions. Even if you have yet to discover your gift or passion, you can always say you are a bible student. That should readily apply to all of us! 3. Request their assistance. Tell someone you would like to practice some skills you learned at a workshop you attended recently and ask if they have a couple minutes for you to practice with them. 4. Offer prayer. If you see someone in distress, kindly offer to pray with them, and do just that. Or perhaps when a server delivers a meal, or a cashier finishes a transaction, just ask, “Is there anything I can pray about for you?” You’ll be surprised at how this plays out when praying in public. Those who can see or hear are not a concern. Be sure you’re not interfering with a person’s job. If they are busy or have a line, find out if they have a prayer need and honor that request on your own at a later time. 5. Wear something designed to spark a spiritual conversation. Something overtly Christian, like a shirt with a bible verse, will probably draw conversation from other believers but that’s ok! Have that conversation, make that connection. Not only is it uplifting but you never know who is listening. Or wear something less obvious, like a pin or shirt with a single word such as BELIEVE, or HOPE, or FAITH. You just might get the opportunity to tell them about Jesus, the object of our belief, our hope, and our faith! Think about it, words like these are actually meaningless on their own, they need to refer to a source. Faith in faith means nothing, faith in Jesus is everything. 6. Show an interest in something about that person. This is great for developing a relationship with someone you may see regularly. Maybe a cashier, someone you encounter through your job, or see at a park, and I would add this applies to homeless people as well. Compliment a hat, their pet, whatever, just be sincere. Ask for their name and make a point to remember it for the next time you see them. 7. Ask questions. Do you attend church? Do you have any spiritual beliefs? What’s your favorite holiday/why? Use questions to practice, in general, speaking with others in public and starting conversations, to develop relationships with people you see regularly.
We encourage you to come up with your own ideas that are specific to a person or situation that you may encounter. Finding the right method to share the gospel with someone is important. It can hit the nerve is a good way or a bad way. Sometimes it’s good to hit the nerve in a bad way to give them something to think about later. The most basic method is best if you aren’t sure how someone is going to react to the message.
Now we’ll take a closer look at 3 specific sharing methods. We’ll look at handing out Gospel tracts, “The Napkin Gospel,” and “The Gospel to Go.”
Gospel Tracts
Whatever your approach, if you decide you’d like to hand out gospel tracts in public you need to employ these important tactics. In order for you to be both safe and effective, we recommend:
1. Go to well trafficked areas. You’ll be safer and will increase your chances of having people accept your tracts and possibly engage you in conversation. 2. Go out in pairs or in groups. It’s much safer that way, and easier to remain aware of your surroundings at all times. This also gives you a prayer partner, and you’ll be following the example Jesus set when He sent out His disciples two by two. 3. Don’t be discouraged. You might not see immediate results with this method of sharing, and it’s possible more people will decline to accept a tract than will take one. That doesn’t mean God won’t water the seed you are planting! 4. Be prepared to give out pertinent information about the church you attend such as location and when they can attend services. Never give out personal contact information, no matter how nice a person may seem. Appearances can be deceiving and overall, the world is not a nice place. The safety tips are very important to remember! 5. Pray! Pray before you go out, for your partner when they are speaking with someone, and pray for all those you encountered when you are done. Prayer is the most powerful weapon in our Christian arsenal!
One more thing to consider is that you can also use gospel tracts to facilitate conversations with people you already know.
The Napkin Gospel
The next method we’ll look at is commonly referred to as “The Napkin Gospel,” which would also fall into the category of “hand them something” since you can hand it to the person you’re conversing with once it’s done. The idea is that you draw out the gospel message on a napkin in a casual setting such as having lunch with someone. Obviously it doesn’t have to be drawn on a napkin, any writing surface will do. We’ll simply use the 3 points of the gospel that we’ve been learning.
Step one: Draw two cliffs, with the chasm in between. Draw a stick figure representing humanity on top of the left cliff, write God on top of the right cliff. What is the first point? We are all sinners, born spiritually dead.
Step two: Write that inside the cliff where the person is, along with the scripture reference. Romans 3:23 The chasm represents the separation, so that’s where we write point 2, which is… Sin separates us from God.
Step three: Write point two in the chasm, along with its corresponding verse. Romans 6:23 And what is point 3? Jesus reconciles us to God.
Step four: Write in point three, and the scripture reference, inside the cliff where God is. 1 Timothy 2:5 The sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf at the cross bridges the gap between God and man.
Step five: The final step is to draw the cross in a way that bridges the gap, and above it write in the Name that is above all Names. Jesus!
Gospel To Go
The next method is super easy! We call it “Gospel to Go” because not only do you have quick and easy access to all the information you need, but with each of the following examples, you have something you can give to the person you’re conversing with when you’re done. They can literally take the “Gospel to go!”
Version 1: The 3 points of the Gospel and the corresponding scriptures on a half sheet of paper you can keep with you in your purse or wallet after you make copies, you can also use the back of that sheet to draw the napkin gospel!
Version 2: The picture for your phone with the 3 Gospel points.
Version 3: The business cards we have here for you. You’ll be able to take some with you today, you are welcome to take as many as you are sure to use. You can have more printed from Paso Printers at 1326 Park Street in Paso Robles, 805-238-3908, just mention True Vine Apologetics/Devon Radke and they will be happy to help you.
FINAL TIPS
The most important part is for you to remember, and become comfortable with verbalizing, the 3 points of the gospel message. If you practice, and pray, you will be amazed at just how often you actually get the opportunity to say these 3 life changing sentences, and how easy it will become!
If someone asks questions you can’t answer, just be honest and say you don’t know. Be willing to get an answer and get back to them. Don’t let this bother or embarrass you, no one has all the answers to every question.
If you encounter persistent resistance from someone, ask the question, “If the bible is true, would you become a Christian?” Don’t let the conversation escalate into an argument! Because if they say no, it means there isn’t anything that will convince them at this time; no scriptures, no amount of evidence. It means their objection isn’t intellectual…it’s volitional. Maybe they don’t want it to be true so they can continue on their own path. If they say no, just drop the subject and go out for pizza. Keep that person in your prayers.
Don’t be discouraged by missed or failed opportunities. This is very important, because this happens to all of us. We realize too late we’ve missed a chance, or we think we could have done much better with an encounter we did have. Simply be resolved to learn from every experience and use it to your advantage when you try again.
Remember to Like us on facebook, and enjoy a visit to the website. You can contact us through the phone number and email address on our facebook page, or on our website, which is where you can find the gospel picture for your phone, share experiences, or ask questions. We are anxious to hear from you and support you in any way we can!
We want you to know we also offer a presentation series entitled, “I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist,” and are happy to provide presentations for any group at no cost.
Now go forth and SHARE - THE – GOSPEL!! RESOURCES
Gospel 2 Go Phone Image Please visit our website to find the cell phone image for you to save to your device. https://truevineapologetics.weebly.com/gospel-workshop.html
Tracts You Can Purchase http://store.livingwaters.com/ https://www.christianbook.com/ https://www.crossway.org/tracts/
Magic Tricks to Lean https://www.goodtricks.net/
Videos to Help You Learn More https://www.livingwaters.com/watch/
Other Gospel Sharing Ideas Gospel ABC’s: https://www.jdfarag.org/abc Bracelet: https://www.amazon.com/Captiva-Mkt-Christian-Inspirational-Wristbands EvangeCube: Unique way to share the gospel: https://e3resources.org/ How to use EvangeCube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zETUh50u8Vs
Social Media & email Share your favorite method of the gospel through your email and social media
4 R’s of the Gospel Realize you are a sinner – Romans 3:23 Recognize Jesus died for you and arose again – Romans 5:8 Repent and live a new life – Acts 3:19 Receive Jesus as your savior – Revelation 3:20