Biblical Foundations for Reach - FBC JAX...God. Eternal life is about knowing God through Jesus Christ (John 17:3). The only way to know God is to believe in his sacrificial death

REACH: FOUNDATIONS FOR EVANGELISMSESSION 1

Introduction

REACH GOALThat every person in Jacksonville will have an opportunity to personally hear and respond to the gospel.

What does it mean to reach Jacksonville?

We want every member of First Baptist sharing Christ with every person they know.

Think about the impact of thousands of people at First Baptist sharing the gospel of Christ with everyone they know.

The Great Commission is about making disciples by teaching them to obey everything Jesus commanded and baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We want to be a Great Commission church.

Biblical Foundations for ReachMATTHEW 28:18-20COMMANDMENT: Make disciples.REASON: All authority has been given to Jesus Christ, as resurrected King.PROMISE: Jesus will be with us as we seek to fulfill the great commission

ROMANS 10:13-15There is a free gospel offer for everyone to be saved by trusting in Christ.

There are logical steps leading to people being saved.

Sent People Preach the gospel Unbelievers Hear the gospel Believe the gospel Call on the Lord And then are Saved

In order for lost people to believe the gospel, Christians must share so that others will hear. Every Christian is sent to share the gospel.

What it means to be a Christian at First Baptist is that it is our responsibility for Jacksonville to hear the gospel.

“Every Christian is either a

missionary or an imposter.”

--------Charles Spurgeon

Session 1 • Page 1

of Great CommissionFAITHFULNESS AT FIRST BAPTIST

History

1800’SSTARTING

THE CHURCH

EARLY1900’S

CHURCHPLANTING

MID1900’S

OPERATIONANDREW

Throughout its 180 years, First Baptist has been defined and characterized by its commitment to sharing the gospel.

But it has looked different in different eras, including when the church was first started downtown.

This was an effort organized through the Sunday School.

The purpose was to get members to invite their friends to church.

First Baptist focused on planting new churches rather than attracting people to their location downtown.

From 1905–1924, First Baptist planted 14 different churches across the city, which in turn planted other churches around the city.

This highly organized effort would meet downtown so members could obtain the names of their contacts, then be sent out to various neighborhoods around Jacksonville.

This was First Baptist’s most recent approach to church-wide evangelism.

LATE1900’S

TUESDAYNIGHT

VISITATION


Gated communities and condos, which are inaccessible for non-residents.

Because of increased safety consciousness, strangers at the door are now more likely to create a barrier to the gospel rather than be an opportunity to share the gospel.

Sending people into certain neighborhoods creates safety concerns.

Many families are doing other activities on Tuesday nights.

Jacksonville is a sprawling city, so there’s logistical concerns with driving downtown and then driving to another neighborhood.

We don’t want to be identified with cults – such as the Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses – that do door-to-door proselytizing.

CHALLENGES TO TUESDAY NIGHT VISITATION

A Changing Landscape

We want to do an old thing a new way.

KEY PRINCIPLE

Relational Evangelism

KEY STRATEGY

NEW CONTEXTS AND CHALLENGES DEMAND DIFFERENT APPROACHES

You have the contacts! Pick a time that works for the contact and that works for you as you

think about when to do Reach.

You may not know any contacts, but you definitely interact with contacts. It is impossible to go through life without interacting with unbelievers, even though Christians can do a good job of insulating ourselves in our Christian communities! Think of your coworkers, the baristas at your coffee shop, the person who cuts your hair, your next-door neighbors, etc. Certainly, you interact with people who do not know Christ. The problem is that you do not know them, which is what we will address next session.


Evangelistic ResponsibilitiesAND MEMBERSHIP AT FIRST BAPTISTFirst Baptist wants to train our people to build their existing relationships toward the goal of sharing the gospel.

A Seven-Step Relational ApproachMOVING FROM LEAST RELATIONAL TO MOST RELATIONAL

PRAYING

GREETING

KNOWING

SERVING

SOCIAL INVITE

CHURCH INVITE

GOSPEL CONVERSATION


SESSION 1

SUMMARY

Remember the Distinctives of This Approach:

IF PEOPLE DO NOT HEAR, THEY CANNOT BELIEVE.

REACH IS A NEW WAY – RELATIONAL EVANGELISM – TO DO AN OLD THING.

YOU HAVE THE BEST CONTACTS.

YOU PICK A TIME THAT WORKS FORYOU AND YOUR REACH CONTACTS.

OUR GOAL IN SESSION 1 IS TO HELP YOU SEE HOW FLUID SHARING THE GOSPEL SHOULD BE - do not get stuck on one particular method applied to all people and all situations; we have to be more natural, more flexible, in our method of entering gospel conversations. With that fluidity, however, there are certain elements of evangelism that will never change, and that is what we will examine next time.

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“You cannot stop their dying, but, oh, that God might help you to stop their being damned!”

CHARLES SPURGEON


Q&AQUESTIONS & ANSWERS

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The Gospel and Conversion

WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?It is the good news of the saving life, death, and resurrection of Jesus for anyone who repents and believes.

KEY PASSAGE: 1 CORINTHIANS 15:1-5OBSERVATIONS: Paul delivers that which is of first importance and shows us what is absolutely necessary: Jesus died for sins, was buried, and raised to life on the third day. We see throughout the rest of the chapter that Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection have tremendous implications for those who believe.

PRIMARY POINT: Jesus came to earth to save sinners and restore them to a right relationship with God. Eternal life is about knowing God through Jesus Christ (John 17:3). The only way to know God is to believe in his sacrificial death for sins.

“At its briefest, the gospel is a discourse about Christ, that he is the Son of God and became man for us, that he died and was raised, and

that he has been established as Lord over all things.”MARTIN LUTHER1

“Since the word ‘gospel’ means ‘good news,’ when Christians talk about the gospel, they’re simply telling the good news about Jesus!”

GREG GILBERT2

----------------- 1 (Luther, Martin Luther’s Basic Theological Writings, 94).2 (Gilbert, What is the gospel?).


FRAMEWORK

GOD MAN CHRIST RESPONSEA helpful construct to communicate the gospel as we

reach Jacksonville is GOD, MAN, CHRIST, RESPONSE.

The good news of the gospel begins with the fact that God is the creator (Genesis 1:1). We owe all to Him because we are His created image bearers.

The Lord God is a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in love, but He also requires payment for transgression, iniquity, and sin (Exodus 34:6).

This truth can be terrifying, particularly when we think of our own failures, both public and private.

Every person has rebelled against God. God created us to be worshippers who are obedient to our Creator and in right fellowship with Him. Instead, we are sinners by nature and by choice. We break God’s law with our thoughts, desires, and actions.

According to Scripture, “None is righteous, no, not one,” (Romans 3:10) and “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Sin is more than a mistake or a slip up. Everyone has broken fellowship with the creator by failing to love him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Luke 10:27). We have all failed to be perfect as he is perfect (Matthew 5:48). If we think we are decent people, we should not compare ourselves to others in order to make ourselves feel better; even the smallest of sins are deserving of eternal wrath, because it is a sin against a perfect, eternal God (James 2:11).

These truths have created a problem that we cannot solve on our own.

Jesus came for a specific purpose: He came not to be served but to serve (Mark 10:45). He came to take our place on the cross. By becoming a substitute for us, Jesus made it possible for us to experience fellowship with God. Christ took our punishment and gave us life with God (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Through his resurrection to life, Jesus defeated death and made it possible to restore our relationship with God. God gives us the gift of himself. He sends the Holy Spirit to dwell within all believers. The Holy Spirit serves as a seal of God’s promise to us, and He is the one who causes us to grow in our faith (Ephesians 4:29). We can grow spiritually and put remaining sin to death through the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:1–6).

THE CREATOR AND RIGHTEOUS JUDGE

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GUILTY SINNERS DESERVING GOD’S PUNISHMENT

SINLESS SACRIFICE FOR SINNERS


As Jesus told Nicodemus, we must be born again. We need a new birth (John 3:1–3).

Since all have sinned, God calls all people to respond in faith to the gospel message. This response includes trust in the person and work of Christ and repentance from sin (Acts 16:31; Hebrews 11:6).

Repentance is a turning away from sin to Christ; it is a change of mind. It is a total rejection of the previous selfish desires of our souls to a delight in Christ as the true satisfaction of our hearts (Proverbs 28:13; Psalm 16:11).

Faith is trust in who Jesus is and what he has done on our behalf. Ultimately, it is reliance on Jesus to do what he has promised to do (Hebrews 11:6, Acts 2:39).

This is the good news to which all of the Bible points — the Old Testament looks forward to a Savior, and the New Testament introduces Him to us and explains how we can know Christ.

We must respond to this Savior. R

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TURNING FROM SIN AND TO CHRIST

“Evangelism is teaching the gospel with the aim to persuade.”MACK STILES


WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SOMEONERESPONDS TO THE GOSPEL?

The result of belief in the gospel and repentance from sin is FORGIVENESS and restoration.

RESTORED TO A RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with God. We receive forgiveness of sins and eternal life (John 3:16). We become worshippers of the one true and living God and can now begin to grow spiritually until we are perfected in heaven. All of our sin — no matter how bad it is — is forgiven (1 John 1:7-10). We are freed from the power of sin and can pursue holiness and love (John 8:32). We are made right with God through Christ (Romans 6:16-18).

RESTORED TO RIGHT RELATIONSHIPS with others. As those who are forgiven, we can extend that same offer to those around us. We become ambassadors of Christ, offering peace and grace to those who are suffering in their sin and circumstances (2 Corinthians 5:20). We are restored to proclaim.

RESTORED to serve. We become servants of God rather than slaves of Satan (John 8:44–45). Instead of living for the things of this world, we devote ourselves to living for the Lord. We serve him wherever we are and wherever we go — whether that is in an office in Jacksonville or a jungle in the Amazon.

RESTORED TO right worship. Ultimately, all of life becomes an act of worship as we priase God and live under the Lordship of King Jesus (Romans 10:9).



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GROUP ACTIVITYLet’s put this into practice.

“The gospel explodes with the most relevance, not just with a general presentation of the gospel...but when it is pushed into the details of the

lives of people with whom we are sharing. Jesus did it this way.” HEATH LAMBERT

PRIVATE WORKTake five minutes to work through the following questions and issues.

Consider the woman at the well in John 4. Jesus took time to talk with her and he knew her background. He related to her and understood her story. He took the details of her story (about how she had five husbands) and showed her the relevance of his ministry.

In order to share the gospel with people more effectively, we must know them more deeply. When we know our friends, neighbors, coworkers, and others in our lives, we will see opportunities to share the gospel with them. Discuss the following ways to know people beyond an acquaintance level and find entry points for sharing the gospel with them. Look for ways to connect their story to the story of Jesus.

Name three people you are going to pray for this week.

For those three people, what are areas of interest in their lives that you can use to learn more about them? Do you know their background? Where are they employed? Do they have a favorite sports team? What are their hobbies? What activities do you see in the life of their families? These questions are meant to help you think of ways to build a relationship with these three people.

How are they broken? In what ways do their lifestyle choices/patterns, hopes, and dreams not align with Scripture? Are they depressed, trying to find joy in false hopes? Are they addicted to something that promises fulfillment but only leads to chaos and sorrow? Are they bitter about a past experience or circumstance in their lives? Have you asked them how you can pray for them? These questions are meant to help you find ways to offer the gospel – with all of its hope, beauty, and life – as the solution to what is hurting or enslaving them.

“The gospel just pops when we know the person and we are able to press the gospel into the details of their lives.”

HEATH LAMBERT

Relationships


PRIVATE WORKTake five minutes to work through the following questions and issues.

GROUP DISCUSSIONSTake five minutes to discuss with the others around your group the questions and issues you identified above.

GROUP DISCUSSIONSTake five minutes to discuss with the others around your group the questions and issues you identified above.

We spent this session discussing the content of the gospel. Now that you have identified entry points for sharing the gospel, think through the following questions based on the relational questions you answered:

GOD How does God – his goodness, holiness, love, etc. – relate to the three people you identified above? How is he better than their brokenness and sin?

MAN Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind. Sin is most fundamentally a failure to do this. How have they failed to live out the Great Commandment to love God with all of their being?

CHRIST How does Christ’s perfect obedience and substitutionary death address the sin patterns and guilt of these people? How has Christ offered restoration of honor or dignity to the shame of the consequences of their choices or the results of others’ actions against them?

RESPONSE What is the response of the person to the hope offered to them in Christ? What does the Bible say about these responses?

Learn from one another and help one another think through ways to seek meaningful relationships with people God has placed in your lives. Ultimately, help one another find areas that offer you an opportunity to speak the gospel into the struggles, failures, and circumstances of their lives.

Learn from one another and help one another think through ways to seek meaningful relationships with people that God has placed in your lives.

Evangelism

Evangelism

Relationships


HOMEWORK

Your assignment for this week is to:

Meet someone you don’t know. Make an effort to greet a neighbor or a co-worker.

Spend intentional time with at least one of the three people you identified above. Make an effort to greet them in their yard, knock on the door and say hello. Take them to lunch or coffee, invite them over to dinner or to watch a football game, or some other way of spending time with the person.

Ask them about the areas of interest that you identified above.

Listen for areas of brokenness and sin in their lives that become entry points for personal evangelism.

Try to offer the hope of the gospel in response to those areas of brokenness and sin.



Personal Evangelism

A NEW WAY OF SHARING THE SAME GOOD NEWS

SO HOW DO WE SHARE THE GOSPEL?

Before the radio, news had to be shared by other means, like the wireless telegraph. The radio introduced a new way of telling stories and sharing news. The radio could share the same breaking news as the telegraph, but in a different way that reached more people faster. After the radio, television was invented and this enabled the same news to travel in a different way. Now there are podcasts, Facetime, and Facebook live events on social media. Throughout the recent decades of technology, new methods of sharing news headlines have developed. New methods, same goal.

As believers today, we are committed to sharing the old gospel in new ways. The content of our message never changes, but the way in which we sow gospel seeds does.

CelebrationLet’s hear from a few people about your progress since

last week. Is there any background information about your relationships that you learned? Are there any areas of

brokenness and sin that you have discovered? Have you been able to initiate any new relationships?

GoalThrough relationships, we introduce people to Jesus and live

life with them as they pursue Christ.

Primary PointThe WHEN, WHERE, and HOW of evangelism will change, but

the WHAT remains the same.

Introduction


Real examples from our church members practicing Reach:

The What:You get to know them and call them to repent and believe in Jesus Christ.

It is a Tuesday night, you invite a neighbor over to your house for hamburgers and hotdogs. While grilling out, they tell you about a recent tragedy in their family. This is an opportunity to know them and talk about God in a way that connects directly with their needs.

It is a Saturday morning on the soccer field, and you are cheering for your kids. You strike up a conversation with a parent that you haven’t met, and you get their number in order to invite them to ice cream after one of the games or to invite them to a Sunday night church service.

It is Thursday lunch, and you go to a restaurant with a co-worker. You intentionally ask them questions about their story and learn that they haven’t been at church in 10 years because they had a bad experience in the past. This is helpful information to know and gives an opportunity for you to address their concerns.

Your pest control man comes out to do the regular inspection. You ask him about his summer plans and learn he is going on a cruise to Alaska. The next time he comes out to do the inspection, you ask him about his trip and ask him to show you photos of the glaciers. He tells you he is taking another trip in a few weeks and you give him a copy of the gospel of John to read on his vacation.

You pick up your groceries at Walmart and learn that it is the cashier’s birthday next month. You jot down her name and next time you go into Walmart to get your groceries you bring her a gift with an invite to church.

It could be a weekend night at the Jaguars game, it could be a Monday afternoon grocery run, it could be a Tuesday night cookout in your backyard – the where and when can always change. But the “what” of the love of Christ and his message never changes. The goal is to genuinely love people and speak truth to them.


What evangelismIS NOT

EVANGELISM IS NOT producing a “decision.” We should help people decide to follow Christ; we desperately want all people to be saved and trust in Jesus (2 Timothy 2:4). Unfortunately, we can get people to make a decision without making genuine disciples. There are times when we will not see the results immediately. To say that faithful evangelism always results in conversion makes evangelism a results-oriented activity that may result in false conversions. Consider the story of Jesus and the rich young ruler in Mark 10:17–21. Jesus shared his message with him in a way that was informed by the particular needs and issues the rich young ruler was facing. Jesus customized the message for that man, but the young man rejected Jesus’ teaching and Jesus let him walk away. Jesus loved him deeply (v. 21) but did not force him to make a decision in that moment.

EVANGELISM IS NOT the fruit. You never know how the Lord is using that evangelistic encounter in that person’s life, which may bear fruit years down the road. Even the Apostle Paul was comfortable being used by God to plant gospel seeds and wait on the results of God in his own timing and plan (1 Corinthians 3:6-9). We should still sow the gospel seeds even when people reject the message.

I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers.

You are God’s field, God’s building.1 Corinthians 3:6-9 (ESV)


EVANGELISM IS NOT inviting people to church. It is great to extend a church invite to someone, but coming to church isn’t what converts someone to Christ; it is hearing and believing the gospel and repenting of sin (Romans 10:14).

EVANGELISM IS NOT ONLY sharing your spiritual story. Although your testimony is a powerful way to validate the truth claims of Scripture, your testimony is like an appetizer at a meal; it is not the main course. Your testimony is meant to point to something greater than your story. Use your testimony to introduce someone to Jesus and the truths about him in Scripture. We must tell people why we have been changed and what changed us, and that requires us to share the specific contents of the gospel. Every time the Apostle Paul shares his testimony in Scripture, he shares the gospel through it (Acts 26).

EVANGELISM IS NOT ONLY defending the faith (apologetics). Giving a defense and an explanation for the things of God may remove objections or other hindrances to someone believing, but it is hearing and believing the gospel that brings someone to life. It is the gospel that has the power to save (Romans 1:16).

EVANGELISM IS NOT social action. An implication of the gospel is for us to care for the brokenhearted, weak, and vulnerable; to do something about suffering around us (Psalm 112:4–5). But false gospels and false versions of Christianity promote the idea that ending human suffering is the gospel. This is what was known as the “Social gospel” of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

What evangelismIS NOT


If we practice unbiblical evangelism and poor evangelistic strategies, it is only natural that it will produce unbiblical results, such as:

False Assurance. Worldly people can end up feeling assurance because they made a one-time decision. The Bible says that believers must bear fruit in keeping with repentance. If someone does not have fruit in his life, he is not a Christian (Matthew 3:8-10; 7:18–19). If we force people to make a decision without letting them “count the cost,” as Jesus says, this leads to church membership roles that are bloated with inactive, non-attending members (Luke 14:25–34). Limiting the gospel to social action leads to people whose circumstances may improve, but eternally they are lost and without God (Luke 12:22).

fruitBAD


What evangelismIS

EVANGELISM includes your testimony. When telling our story, we should share the gospel. It is good to share what your life was like before Christ and after Christ. But don’t forget to share why and how Christ has changed you. That part of the story is the same for every Christian. Jesus took our place on the cross through his sacrifice. He took our sins upon himself and paid for them in full. It is because of his perfect life (that we could not live), his death, and his resurrection that we can now have peace and joy (2 Corinthians 5:21).

EVANGELISM IS a part of Discipleship. It is the intentional investment in others to see them follow Christ, grow toward maturity in him, and become a disciple-making believer. Therefore, evangelism is not divorced from disciple-making; it is a part of making disciples. This is made clear from Matthew 28:19–20: “Go and make disciples…teaching them to obey everything I have commanded of you.” Evangelism is a part of teaching people to obey what Jesus has commanded because the first step of obedience is faith in Christ.

EVANGELISM IS rooted in prayer. We are not simply trying to convince someone to see things from our perspective or selling a product to them. There is a real battle, waged by demonic forces, against what you are saying in order to ruin an evangelistic encounter (Ephesians 6:12). Our great enemy and his forces are at work to stop us from reaching Jacksonville. Thankfully, God is for us, and when he gives us power and grace, we will not fail (Psalm 127:1–2; Matthew 16:18).


What evangelismIS

EVANGELISM uses the Bible. The Scriptures are not simply for sermons during corporate worship or for study during your personal devotions. Using the Bible sets the tone of an evangelistic opportunity. We are not simply sharing our opinions, we are telling the person about something and someone who is greater than we are. At times, we will have opportunities to share the gospel, using Scripture, with someone at a restaurant or in the line at the grocery store. We should have Bible verses such as John 3:16, Romans 3:23, and Romans 6:23 in mind for such encounters. Yet, effective evangelism in our current context often involves more than a one-time encounter. In our consistent relationships, one of the most effective evangelistic strategies you can use is to ask someone to read a book of the Bible with you, like the gospel of John, and get together each week to discuss a chapter. The Spirit of God works when we share, read, and discuss the Word of God.

EVANGELISM IS sharing the gospel of Christ. Remember the material from session 2. Everything we share points to Jesus.

EVANGELISM includes inviting people to church. People need to know we genuinely love them. Some people will want to “watch” you for a time to see if you are genuine in your faith and life. Yes, they hear what you are saying, but they want to see how you live. In today’s context and culture, people are spiritual and curious about Christianity at times, wanting to observe the authenticity of Christians and the effects of the gospel on our lives.

“The gospel must be taught before someone can become a Christian.”

Mack Stiles


Practicing true evangelism and healthy evangelistic strategies will result in:

Making Disciples. The Bible says we will know someone by his fruit (Matthew 7:15–20). Are people turning from sin to life in Christ? That is a disciple and it is something that only happens in true evangelism with true results.

Our growth as disciples. Faithfulness before the Lord is a requirement for growing in our relationship with Jesus. Therefore, we need to uphold his commission to make disciples. Reaching Jacksonville with the gospel will spur on our own growth in Christ. Every believer should identify with Paul’s compulsion to share the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:16–17) and see the Lord use us for bringing people to Christ, which in turn grows our own faith.

Church growth by conversion. Our church will grow numerically by genuine conversions and baptisms. Too often, churches only grow by people transferring their membership from other churches. We want new convert growth, not just transfer growth. We are eager to see all of Jacksonville trust and know Christ (2 Peter 3:9).

A changing city. Naturally, the gospel will affect morals, laws, daily choices of people, and other aspects of our city. Historically, when the gospel is preached widely, cultures change. They go from places marked by sin and sorrow to communities that show tremendous change – a true night and day difference (Isaiah 55:11).

fruitGOOD


A Reach Goal

OBJECTION?Perhaps, some of you may have the thought,

“I don’t know any unbelievers.”

Historically Currently

EVERYDAY EVANGELISM

In the past, including the late 20th-century context, the church staff gave contacts for Sunday

School classes to visit.

You know the contacts! First Baptist members know contacts (neighbors,

coworkers, etc.) and must pursue those people weekly or even daily. Start

thinking this way: Who are the people that God has placed in your life who

need to hear the gospel?

That is the whole purpose of Reach – to help us begin to extend the gospel to every person in Jacksonville, which requires figuring out how to put yourself in a place where you can have evangelistic opportunities. The first step is to spend time thinking and praying about people in your life who need to hear the gospel.

QUESTIONHow do we have intentional relationships around the gospel?ANSWERThe Relational Steps ApproachSESS

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GROUP ACTIVITYLet’s put this into practice.

With the others in your group, take 10 minutes to work through the following questions and issues.

FOR FIVE MINUTES: Discuss how you built relationships with one of the three people you identified last week. What did you discover that was new about the person? What new issues of brokenness and sin did you discover about the person? What does the gospel say about that brokenness and sin? Did you get a chance to offer the hope of the gospel to redeem that brokenness and sin? If so, tell about the conversation; how did it go and what was the result?

FOR FIVE MINUTES, work through the following questions and issues:

How have the practices discussed last week and this week shifted your perspective on sharing the gospel with others around you?

How do you need help thinking through better ways to enter meaningful relationships, identify brokenness and sin in someone’s life, find entry points to share the gospel, and tell someone about Jesus?

What will you do this week to continue fostering a deeper relationship with the three people you identified last week?

Encouragement


HOMEWORK


Continue to pursue a relationship with the three people you identified last week.

Identify one new issue of brokenness and sin in their lives.

Try to verbally offer the gospel of Christ in response to that area of brokenness and sin this week.



Relational Steps Approach

A note before we get started. You do not have to follow these steps in order. Do not feel forced to follow this exact path. For example, if someone is asking you how to have salvation in Christ, do not reply that you need to pray for them first and greet them, followed by getting together this Friday for coffee. No! By all means, share

the hope of Christ with that person right there!

Let’s hear from a few people about your progress. Every step of the process is a win. The ultimate goal is to be faithful to the Great Commission. This means that each small step along the way is to be celebrated.

“If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. And if they will perish, let them

perish with our arms about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, at least let it be filled

in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned or unprayed for.”

CHARLES SPURGEON

The 7 Relational Steps

Write their names on your Reach sheet and put the card in a prominent place where will you see it daily. This could be in your Bible, on your fridge, or on top of your night stand.

Commit to pray for them regularly. Psalm 126 promises that if we are diligent to sow and ask God for help, then we will see him do great things. We must continually beg the Lord to bring our friends and neighbors to life in Christ. Pray that God would bless you with opportunities to build a relationship with that person and that you would be sensitive to the Spirit for opportunities to minister to that person (Ephesians 6:19). Pray, because the greatest evangelistic strategy in the world will fail if God does not move through you in that person’s life (Psalm 128:1-2).

Pray for boldness to share the gospel clearly.

PRAY FOR THEM.

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Celebration


Be friendly! A simple smile and hello can be a powerfully warm and meaningful gesture. God made humanity in his own image and every person is valuable (Genesis 1:27). We should seek to show kindness through every means possible because people are valuable and we never know when God will grant us the opportunity to share Christ through relationships.

Be intentional. If we aren’t intentional with our greetings, then we will be forgettable and can come across cold. It takes intentionality to be friendly.

Learn names. Ask for someone’s name and try to remember it. Write it down on your Reach card or a notebook and pray for them. In the church, the Bible instructs us to greet each other by name because it is important (3 John 1:14; 2 Corinthians 13:12). This is a great habit to extend to unbelievers and shows genuine care.

The Bible tells us we are to be slow to speak and quick to hear (James 1:19). This principle requires us to ask questions and get to know others.

Getting to know people is one effective way to follow Christ in evangelism. Jesus knew the people he was attempting to reach. He asked questions and was observant, questions that cannot be answered “yes”or “no”. Following this example gives us opportunity to connect God’s story to the story of the people we are reaching out to.

Ask open ended questions in conversation. Asking open ended questions gives someone the opportunity to express what they are really thinking. Out of the heart the mouth speaks, and it is important to hear the desires of someone’s heart (Luke 6:45; Proverbs 20:5). Here are some examples of questions that lead to discussion: What brought you to Jacksonville? Do you like your job? How is your family? How can I pray for you? How did you and your spouse meet? How has being a parent changed your life? What do you and your family do for fun? Do you go to church?

Observe and note things about those you are reaching so that you can bless them.

As you ask questions and get to know others, you will discover important information. You might discover their birthday is near or that they have just found out they are expecting a child. This information is important because you can follow up intentionally with a gesture of kindness in the future.

GREET THEM.

GET TO KNOW THEM.

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Utilize the information you discover in getting to know others in order to love and serve them.

Perhaps you learn they are a coffee or tea drinker as you chat at work. You can buy them a special bag of coffee or a nice can of Harney and Sons tea at 4 Grounds to give them the following week.

Perhaps you notice that you personally hate rolling your trash can back to your garage every week after the trash collection. You might realize that your neighbors also don’t enjoy this task. This could be an opportunity for you to pull your neighbor’s trash cans up to their garage and surprise them with this small caring act.

Perhaps as you get to know your neighbors you learn that they have a busy life and two little toddlers. You can volunteer to babysit them so they can have a well needed date.

Perhaps you learn that they have recently had a death in the family. You can send them a hand-written note with a gift card attached and let them know that you are praying for them.

Social invites are easy to offer and have little risk. Typically, the worst that someone can say is “no.”

Invite them over to your house for a cookout or a crock pot meal. This is a great way to show Christian hospitality and extend authentic care (1 Peter 4:9). In our culture today, there are people who would never step foot inside a church building, but they would come over for coffee and a board game or popcorn and a movie.

If you are a Jaguars fan, you could plan your game day event and just add a new friend along for the fun.

If you enjoy the beach or a water park, invite them to join you and to share in the experience. Simply being together while doing this or any activity, will provide opportunities for getting to know each other and for deeper conversations.

You might observe that they clam up or become excited when they discover that you attend church or are more spiritual than they are. This is good to observe and you can have an opportunity to follow up and ask them questions about their responses. Follow up questions can include questions like, “I noticed you were excited when I mentioned church, do you consider yourself spiritual?” Or, “What are your thoughts about visiting church? Have you had a good experience or a poor experience?”

SHOW CARE / SERVE THEM.

EXTEND A SOCIAL INVITE.

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True Story of Relational Evangelism

Dr. Rosaria Butterfield was a university professor in Gay and Lesbian studies. She would never have considered becoming a Christian if it wasn’t for a simple invitation to dinner from a Christian couple. The Christian couple wanted to share Christ with her, but there were no strings attached to the invite, it was just a simple invite to eat dinner and get to know Rosaria. She tells her story in the book called, The gospel Comes with a House Key. What did God use to draw a radical, committed unbeliever to himself? Did God take her to an evangelistic rally? Or, since she had her doctorate in literature, did he use something in print? No, God used an invitation to dinner in a modest home, from a humble couple who

lived out the gospel daily, simply, and authentically.

“… Let God use your home, apartment, dorm room, front yard, community gymnasium, or garden for the purpose of making

strangers into neighbors and neighbors into family. Because that is the point – building the church and living like a family,

the family of God.”ROSARIA BUTTERFIELD

Inviting someone to church can be a way to open the door to deeper conversations. For various reasons, you might not feel comfortable sharing the whole gospel with someone, but a church invite is a great step.

There are always exciting events at First Baptist that might interest various families or singles. Don’t restrict your church invite to just Sunday morning. Many unbelievers are unable to attend on Sunday mornings due to work schedule, but you can invite them to a different service at a different time. You can tell them about a new Wednesday night teaching series that might interest them or you can tell them about a Sunday night service that is low key and informal.

You can observe how someone responds to your church invite and it can give you an indication of their views on spiritual matters. Some might be excited, some might be hesitant, some might have never been invited to church at all! You can follow up on their response and ask further questions about it. (See next steps)

INVITE THEM TO CHURCH.

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In relational evangelism, you must get to know someone in numerous ways. You get to know their family history, their leisure preferences, their hobbies and their career dreams. Intertwined in each of these areas are spiritual matters. People are either living according to the flesh or according to the Spirit. It is important that you learn about the spiritual beliefs and practices of the people you are reaching.

Look for ways to introduce spiritual topics. What are their greatest fears or hopes in life? What are griefs or sorrows that have affected them? What are challenges they are facing? These issues can be opportunities to introduce them to God and to ask them their perspective on Jesus. Questions that can help you open up a spiritual conversation can include the following:

When you are suffering (you can know specifics as you have taken the step of getting to know them), does anything bring you comfort?

Have you ever considered what it would be like to have peace from God in the situation you are facing (you can apply specifics)?

Have you given much thought about how God can help you with the problems (you can know the issues they are dealing with if you have taken the time to get to know them) you are facing?

I’ve mentioned my church on occasion, what are your thoughts about religion? Do you consider yourself a spiritual person?

Once you are engaged in a spiritual conversation, you can look for ways to connect them to the good news of Jesus Christ. You can tell them about his cross and his resurrection. You can ask them to repent of their sin and trust in Jesus. This is the most important part of the conversation and the entire point of Reach.

HAVE A SPIRITUAL CONVERSATION WITH THEM.

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“Keep your eyes fixed upon that light, and go directly to it; then you will see the Gate.”THE EVANGELIST TO CHRISTIAN IN JOHN BUNYAN’S PILGRIM’S PROGRESS


Evangelism as a Group

Evangelism Tools

We are calling on Sunday School classes to work together. Very few people can be consistent with evangelism apart from encouragement and accountability. You need one another. Pray for one another. Encourage one another. Work together on specific opportunities to share the gospel.

For example, two couples from a class could invite a non-Christian family over for dinner on Friday night and seek to build a gospel-centered relationship with them. Think about ways that you can work with others if you are struggling to carry out Reach on your own.

HOW WILL WE HELP ONE ANOTHER DO THIS?

Want to get better at sharing the gospel?

There are several helpful resources for personal evangelism — utilize tools such as:

3 Circles: Life Conversation Guide

Evangelism Explosion

Two Ways to LiveShare Jesus Without Fear

by William Fay

Resources are available. You can learn from your campus pastors, books on evangelism, or Wednesday night trainings. We want you to take advantage of the helps that you have available to you.

“There is no formula that dictates how God must work in evangelism.”MACK STILES

The key is to pick a resource and apply it. It really does not matter if you choose one evangelistic training program over another, or perhaps you prefer to simply sit down with someone over the course of 8 to 10 weeks and read through the gospel of John as your evangelistic method. The point is this: our goal is to do something to share the gospel with everyone you know in Jacksonville.


Tools to Help

REACH PARTNERSPick one person in your Sunday School class to be your Reach partner. You should check in with each other often to share your progress. This can be your current accountability partner or someone new.

RECORD YOUR PROGRESS ONLINEFavorite the Reach page in your browser or on your phone. Download the First Baptist app and place it on your home phone page so you can access it. Track your progress and record digitally those you are reaching. This is the way our church can know how we are doing as a whole with relational evangelism. Our pastors are going to be checking the status of our progress to know how to pray and see where you need help in the seven-step relational process.

fbcjax.com/reachor

search FBC JAXon the App Store and Google Play

REACH TRACKING SHEETWe have designed and provided the Reach tracking sheet as a tool to track your progress. Use this sheet often to pray, update, and keep in your bible or post on your mirror at home as reference. This sheet offers a way for us to hold ourselves accountable and will serve as a visible reminder to get to know people and to share the gospel. The sheet also serves as a way to celebrate. You should report your progress to your Sunday School class or to your Reach partner. Let’s celebrate however God is using you. Remember the point is that you are doing something to share the gospel.

REACH PODCASTStart your weekday with a 3-5 minute Reach devotional on our podcast. Senior Pastor Heath and Associate Pastor Sean Perron will be reflecting on passages from the Book of Matthew and practically connecting them to Reach. This is a great way to pray for our city, meditate on the Bible, and be intentional to share Christ with everyone we know.


THE 4 P’Spray praise present plan


INSTRUCTOR RESOURCE

PRAYTake time to ask your class for any prayer needs related to Reach. We can labor hard and long but if God doesn’t give the increase our efforts are in vain (Psalm 127:1-2). Ask for specific Reach prayer requests. Pray publicly for specific people on each other’s Reach sheet. Pray for Sunday School members who need more opportunities to build relationships. Pray for Sunday School Members who need more boldness to share Christ. Pray for friends and neighbors of Sunday School Members who have been invited to social events, church, and invited to believe in Christ. Pray together as a class for fruit and for further progress. It will be amazing to see how God answers these specific prayers over the course of time!

PRESENTTake time to hear an update from your class on their Reach card progress. How many people are at step one? Step three? Step five? Have them share with the class or have them take time to share with their Reach partner in the class. Use this as a time for your class members to present to each other where they are in the Reach process. This will hold each other accountable and encourage one another to continue making progress.

PRAISETake time to ask your class for any Reach praise updates. We want to celebrate all that God is doing through your class reaching out to others. Be sure to celebrate even the “smallest” steps take such as getting to know someone more or inviting them over to a home. Be sure to celebrate gospel conversations and certainly rejoice when someone trusts in Jesus Christ. Praise God collectively for the work he is doing regardless of which step it is along the way.

PLANAfter hearing where class members are in the Reach steps, then help one another plan the next step forward. Have Reach Partners offer suggestions to each other on the next steps on how to make progress. For instance, if someone is stuck in the step of “greeting” and is afraid to get to know someone more, then brainstorm questions they can ask their neighbor next time they see each other. If someone in the class has invited someone over for dinner two or three times, but is now scared to share Christ, then help them plan on ways they can engage their neighbor in a gospel conversation. Use this as a time (whether collectively as a class or by allowing time for Reach partners to discuss) to help one another plan the next Reach steps for each other.

pray praise present plan


Follow Up: What is Next?We want groups to utilize Reach in order to see the gospel spread throughout Jacksonville, and we pray that God would help your class engage more effectively in relational evangelism.

We want to hear how the Lord is moving through your evangelistic efforts. Tell us about how the Lord is using you to share the gospel. Tell your Sunday School class. Tell us about God using you to share the gospel with your neighbors.

We want you to try some specific ways to get started in evangelism. These suggestions are meant give you ideas for getting started:

NATURAL GOSPEL CONVERSATION RATHER THAN WOODEN GOSPEL PRESENTATIONTry to talk to people about the gospel rather than simply going through a canned speech that doesn’t connect to their lives; when discussing something that is wrong in their lives or wrong in the world — whatever the subject might be — try to use Revelation 21:1–4 as the antithesis to that issue. Connect and relate the hope of Christ before them, that one day God will make all things new and his children will no longer experience pain, tears, or death. Talk to them about Jesus.

EVANGELISTIC BIBLE STUDYWhen you are ready to share the gospel with your contact, ask them if they would be willing to get together once a week and read the Bible with you. Pick a time and read through John. Simply read a chapter and talk about it. Come prepared each week having already read the chapter and have a few thoughts about the text. Remember that you are not teaching the passage as much as you are talking about it in the same way that you would talk about an article in the local newspaper.

MEALSWork with another person or couple or Reach partner in your Sunday School class to meet twice per month with a Reach contact for dinner. Use those times to build a genuine friendship with your contact and seek to talk about the gospel when the Lord gives you an opportunity. Examples: Maybe this is a meal at your house every Friday night.

Maybe you start going to the same restaurant to meet the same waiter. There are church members who have done this and it has only taken them three weeks to see their waiter come to church and others it has taken three years to see their waitresses come to know Christ. Faithfulness is the goal!


ROLE PLAYINGPractice sharing the gospel with a member of your Sunday School class. The person playing the role of the contact might struggle with depression or alcoholism. How would you share the hope of Christ with that person? Perhaps the person playing the role of the contact has a broken marriage and his spouse is about to leave him. What would you say to that person? Maybe the person playing the role of the contact is an angry person. How can the peace of Jesus give that person joy? Use these suggestions or other forms of sin to help one another practice sharing the gospel in various ways.



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HOMEWORK


Continue building a relationship with at least the three people you identified during Session 2, and find ways to help them this week. How can you serve them in some tangible way? Serving others will build favor with the person and offer a platform to sharing the gospel verbally. Find a tangible way to serve the three people with whom you are seeking to know and share the gospel.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCESAvailable in Books & Media

The gospel Comes with a House Key: Practicing Radically Ordinary Hospitality in Our Post-Christian World by Rosaria Butterfield

What is the gospel?by Greg Gilbert

The Soul Winner by Charles Spurgeon

Evangelism: How the Whole Church Speaks of Jesus by J. Mack Stiles

The Master Plan of Evangelism by Robert E. Coleman

A gospel Primer for Christians: Learning to See the Glories of God’s Love by Milton Vincent


TeachingINSTRUCTORTEACHING PRINCIPLES

EYE COMMUNICATIONThe ability to make and maintain eye contact in a meaningful way.

GESTURES AND FACIAL EXPRESSIONAnimation communicated through your face and body that corresponds with your message and conveys energy.

POSTURE AND MOVEMENTReflecting confidence and energy in your body position and movement.

DRESS AND APPEARANCEPresenting yourself in a way that does not detract from the message you want your hearer to grasp.

VOICE AND VOCAL VARIETYUsing pitch, volume, and vocal energy that will keep your listener engaged in the content of what you are saying.

WORDS AND FILLERSUsing language that is replete with meaning, effective pauses, and devoid of “fillers”—those annoying “ums,” “ahs,” and meaningless phrases such as “whatever,” “you know,” “like,” and “I mean.” [Also “we see”].

HUMORA healthy sense of humor about yourself and life in general makes you approachable and likable.

LISTENER INVOLVEMENTInvolving yourself with your listeners in order to help them listen.

THE NATURAL SELFBeing real—using these communication parameters to let the real you come through without seeming stiff or phony.

The best teachers make teaching look easy and natural. But, as with most things, the people who make it look easy are in fact drawing upon thorough preparation. There may be a small number of people who can get by without any prep, but for the vast majority of us, good teaching happens as a result of good preparation. Study the material, anticipate questions, and get excited to teach!

Prepare

Even the most effective communicators need God’s help. As you are preparing to teach and thinking about how to communicate effectively, take time to ask the Lord to grant clarity of mind and speech, and for the Spirit to use your teaching for the benefit of those listening.

Prayer

9 Communication Skills

----------------- From Preaching with Bold Assurance: A Solid and Enduring Approach to Engaging Exposition, by Hershael W. York and Bert Decker, pp. 224-25

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Documents

Biblical Foundations for Reach - FBC JAX...God. Eternal life is about knowing God through Jesus Christ (John 17:3). The only way to know God is to believe in his sacrificial death