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5 KEYS TO EVANGELISM: HOW TO SHARE YOUR FAITH

Pastor Tim Carpenter, Bethany Church

Class Outline 1. Understanding The Story of God 2. Opening the Conversation 3. Sharing My Testimony 4. Sharing the Gospel 5. Following Up

Classes will be a mixture of prayer, lecture, discussion, and workshops.

The goal of this class is not just to give us knowledge but to offer us skills

and tools to engage people with the beauty of the Gospel

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Class Outline You will get out of this class what you put into it. If the information is pursued as just an academic exercise, it will remain just that. If it is used as an opportunity to both learn and engage in evangelism, you will place yourself in a position to see God move in powerful and joy-giving ways.

The ball is in your court.

Class Goals The class goals are to: 1.  Understand the over Biblical narrative i.e. the Story of God

2.  Become familiar with the content and truths of the Gospel

3.  Be given tools that will allow spiritual/Christ-centered conversations to occur

4.  Write out and start to memorize our personal testimonies

5.  Open spiritual conversations with family, friends, co-workers.

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Class Disclaimer There is no formula. There are tools, Scripture, the Holy Spirit, and love.

Prayer

Let’s open in prayer

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Understanding The Story of God What is evangelism? Etymology – the word evangelism comes from the Greek word euaggelion meaning ‘gospel’ or ‘good news’. In the verb form – euaggelizesthai – the word changes slightly to ‘announce’ or ‘to bring good news’. It is also sometimes translated as ‘preach’, and it appears over 50 times in the New Testament. (www.carm.org)

Foundationally, evangelism is when someone shares – in word – the Good News concerning the life, death,

and resurrection of Jesus Christ and how we can be forgiven of sin and given eternal life.

Understanding The Story of God

If we are going to invite people into a personal relationship with the Creator of the Universe, it is important that we understand the broader story of what God is doing in the world. In the next 2 sessions we will be learning The Story of God. This is different than understanding how to share The Gospel, even though the 2 are linked.

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Understanding The Story of God

Why does all of this matter? - No Meta-narrative - No Lasting Meaning - The Frenetic Pace of Modern Life - Post-Christian society - “Why the + sign around your neck?”

Understanding The Story of God

The Story of God in 7 parts: 1. Creation and Its Purpose 2. Humans and Their Role 3. Sin and Its impact 4. God’s Redemptive Work through His People 5. Christ’s Ministry and Saving Work 6. The Mission of the Church 7. The Return of Christ

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Understanding The Story of God

As we consider The Story of God, let’s understand the Key Character of this Story – Jesus Christ. - John 5:34+ - Luke 24

Understanding The Story of God

The Story of God in 7 parts: 1. Creation

- Genesis 1-3 - What occurred?

- What did God create? - Why did God create? - No Creator = No Story*, No Redemption, No Purpose

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Understanding The Story of God ¨  The emanation or communication of the divine fullness, consisting in the

knowledge of God, love to him, and joy in him, has relation indeed both to God and the creature: but it has relation to God as its fountain, as the thing communicated is something of its internal fullness. The water in the stream is something of the fountain; and the beams of the sun are something of the sun. And again, they have relation to God as their object: for the knowl- edge communicated is the knowledge of God; and the love communicated, is the love of God; and the happiness communicated, is joy in God. In the creature’s knowing, esteeming, loving, rejoicing in, and praising God, the glory of God is both exhibited and acknowledged, his fullness is received and returned. Here is both an emana- tion and remanation. The refulgence shines upon and into the creature, and is reflected back to the luminary. The beams of glory come from God, are something of God, and are refunded back again to their original. So that the whole is of God, and in God, and to God; and he is the beginning, and the middle, and the end.

Jonathan Edwards, The End for Which God Created the World

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Understanding The Story of God

The Story of God in 7 parts: 2. Humans and Their Role

- Genesis 1- 2 - Humans created

- Cultural Mandate - Why did God create humans, why the cultural mandate?

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Understanding The Story of God ¨  THE CULTURAL MANDATE:

The use of this terminology is not essential, but the idea it stands for seems clear in Genesis 1 and 2. From the beginning God intended human beings to be his junior partners in the work of bringing his creation to fulfillment. It is not in our nature to be satisfied with things as they are, to receive provision for our needs without working, to endure idleness for long, to toil in a system of uncreative regimentation, or to work in social isolation. To recap, we are created to work as sub-creators in relationship with other people and with God, depending on God’s provision to make our work fruitful and respecting the limits given in his Word and evident in his creation. - theologyofwork.org

Understanding The Story of God

The Story of God in 7 parts: 3. Sin and Its Impact

- Genesis 3 - A rejection of God’s perfect law - At least 4 broken relationships

- Sin = death (mercy/grace = not complete/immediate death) - The concept of sin may be argued with by non-Christians, but the experience is usually not.

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Understanding The Story of God

If Jesus is the Main Character of the Story of God, where do we see Him in Creation, Creation of Man, and Sin? - Genesis 1:1 (cf. John 1:1-5) - Genesis 1:26 - Genesis 3:15, 21