Friendship Evangelism Pt 1 - Leader

FRIENDSHIP EVANGELISM – Part I

FRIENDSHIP EVANGELISM IMPORTANT NOTE: THIS LESSON IS AN INTRODUCTION TO FRIENDSHIP EVANGELISM. IT GIVES SOME SCRIPTURAL BACKING BUT THE MAIN PURPOSES OF THIS SERIES IS TO EQUIP THE MEMBERS TO REACH THEIR FRIENDS FOR JESUS CHRIST. THE WHOLE IDEA IS THAT AT THE END OF THIS LESSON, THE MEMBERS LEARN HOW JESUS ESTABLISH “FRIENDSHIP” WITH THE SAMARITIAN WOMAN AND HOW HE STEERS THE CONVERSATION TOWARDS A PRESENTATION OF THE GOSPEL. (SHARING HIMSELF)

FOCUS (10 mins) Ask members how they come to know Jesus Christ. If they come from non-Christian background, let them share their conversion experience. If Christian background, how did they first have conscious faith.` Ask members what they think of the word “evangelism”? What is the mental picture they have on their mind. Eg. knocking on doors, street evangelism or crusades etc? Ask members what do they think is the most effective way in winning people to Christ and assimilating them to the church? Ans: Friendship evangelism.

YOU MAY HAND OUT THE NOTES AT THIS TIME.

II. What is Friendship Evangelism? (10 mins)

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Church advertising: __2%_____ The Pastor: __6%_____ Organized evangelism programs: __6%____

YOUNG ADULT CELLS MAR 2006

Leader’s Notes Learning Outcomes: Understanding, Attitude Objective: At the end of this lesson, you will be able to: • Define what is friendship evangelism. • Draw at least 3 practical lessons from Jesus on friendship evangelism. • Desire to reach at least a friend for Christ this year. Due to time constraint, you can only allow a max. of 2 persons to share. Of course, you can ask for a show of hands how many are conversions and how many are from Christian family in your cell. (As cell leader, you should know!) You may elect those who are more quiet to share so the rest of the cell get to know them better.

Friends and relatives: __86%____

Definition: Friendship evangelism is an Who are the people on whom we have the greatest influence? _intentional_ building of Our relatives, friends and associates. relationships for the purpose of _sharing the Gospel_ and leading Have you ever asked yourself, “Why should I witness?” the person into _meaningful Ask members to response to the above questions. They should be able to come out with credible answers. Please do not relationship_ with Christ. give the answers straight away and let them discuss. Note: the below answers are not exhaustive and never read the answers to the members. It is ok if they missed out some answers or have other answers not as below. Just summarize 4 or 5 points will do. Don’t dwell too long here. Move on! Several reasons should come to mind. Firstly, because Jesus commands you to: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” (Matt. 28:19). Also, Ezekiel 3:11 says, “and go to the exiles, to the sons of your people, and speak to them and tell them, whether they listen or not…” Second, you must witness because you love the unsaved (if you don’t, you should). The most loving thing you can do is present the gospel in hopes of bringing others to salvation. Galatians 5:22 lists love as one of the fruit of the Spirit. It is love’s nature to give. Take for example John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…” Love gives, and if you have only a small portion of His love, you will want to give to others. Third, witness because it is a wise thing to do. Proverbs 11:30 says, “…he who is wise wins souls.” Now, I am not a very wise person. But, I want to be wise in God’s sight and since God says I’ll be wise to win souls, or try to, then great, witnessing is what I want to do. Fourth, witness to keep people out of hell. Hell is a terrifying place of utter anguish and eternal separation from God. Those who are not saved go there. Witnessing is an attempt to keep them out of hell. Fifth, witness because it pleases God and brings glory to His name. And finally, and most important, witness so they may find the love and fellowship of God (1 John 1:3), the greatest of all treasures. I can think of no greater gift than salvation. It frees the sinner from sin, it delivers the lost from damnation, and it reveals the true and living God to those who don’t know Him. The angels of heaven rejoice greatly when anyone passes from judgment into salvation ( Luke 15:10). Shouldn’t we as Christians rejoice too? Shouldn’t we weep over the lost? Shouldn’t we ask the Lord of the field to send laborers into His Leader’s Notes harvest ( Luke 10:2)? Certainly! The salvation of others is the goal of your efforts. The love of God is your motive. Is page 1 of 4 there anything greater? So, share.

FRIENDSHIP EVANGELISM – Part I

YOUNG ADULT CELLS MAR 2006

III. Friendship Evangelism in the NT (20 mins) Examples in the NT: Again, feel free to let the members provide answers. Below are some examples. (not exhaustive) 1. In John 4:53, there is a story about a man whose son is healed and he and his whole house believed. 2. Andrew followed Jesus and brought his brother Peter to Him. (Jn 1:40-42). Philip introduced his friend Nathanael to Jesus (Jn 1:43-45). 3. In Acts 10 we read how Cornelius was instructed to send to Joppa for Peter to come and tell him words whereby he might be saved. When Peter arrived, Cornelius had gathered his friends and kinsmen together to hear what Peter had to say. 4. Paul, looking for prospects, went down by the riverside where some women were worshipping. One of them was Lydia whose heart was opened, and she along with her household were baptized (Acts 16:15). 5. Paul and Silas were in prison for preaching Christ. An earthquake came causing the prison to be opened allowing the prisoners to be loosed from their chains and the doors to be opened. The jailer came in and was about to take his life. They said, "Do yourself no harm: for we are all here" (Acts 16:28). Then he invited them to his home. In a short time, this man decided that he believed in Christ, and was baptized along with all his household (Acts 16:22-31).

Why do you think Jesus did not let him? Do you think the man will be a more effective evangelist if he had followed Jesus? Why or why not? Because he was to witness for Jesus in the Decapolis region. Don’t think the man will be more effective if he follow Jesus, eg. go to Jerusalem. Why? Becos he is well-known as a demoniac in the Galilee region, so his testimony is powerful here. They know him and know what he has gone through. It is easier for him to witness there. What implications can you draw for your own personal life? It is easier for me to share the gospel with my friends becos they know me rather than to a stranger. Of course, if we are bad testimony, then it is harder for us to share. (Think about your lifestyle!) Nonetheless, some of us may have a flair for witnessing to strangers. Some of our young people may even be called to witness to thousands, eg. the next Reinhard Bronke in the YA ministry. Hallelujah.   What kind of person is this Samaritan woman? Bad woman. See attached information. How did Jesus initiate conversation with this woman? Ask for water. Something that the woman was doing and she can relate to it. How did Jesus sustain interest in the conversation and what is the significance of offering living water? Offer living water to the woman. Jesus used this as a hook to share about himself as the living water. It creates interest in the woman to want to know what is this living water. Note that Jesus was very creative in sharing the gospel and using analogy from everyday life, something the woman can understand. Significance: Jesus is the living water. Jesus must have touched a raw nerve in the woman when asked about her husband. How was this instrumental in winning this woman to Christ? Jesus was sensitive to the woman and did not condemn her. He could have told her you sinner and immoral woman blah blah blah. But He did not. He did not give her a lecture on righteousness or go into theological arguments between Jews and Samaritan worship. Instead, Jesus was able to perceive a real need in the woman’s life, bring out that need and address that need. I believe that need is relationship with God. The woman may be seeking for love and relationship in the wrong places, which explains why she has 5 husbands (no reason to suspect that she is a prostitute here.) But the real need is Spiritual, that is why she talk about worship when confronted lovingly by Jesus in verse 19. Application: Go beyond surface needs when you listen to your non-Christian friends. What are some reasons for the woman to leave her water jar and go to the town to tell the people about Jesus? If Jesus had made her feel condemned, she would not have gone to tell others about Jesus. I believe Jesus must have spoken assuringly to her all this time and friendship was established. In the end, she became a soul-winner for Jesus. Thus, love and relationship must be vital ingredients for effective evangelization. What are some practical lessons you can draw from Jesus on friendship evangelism from his encounter with this woman? • Jesus seeks out the sinners. Nobody is beyond salvation. • Do not condemn or argue with your prospect. • Give time, listen and understand your prospect. • As you get to know your prospect better, go beyond surface needs. • Lead the discussion to Christ. Leader’s Notes page 2 of 4

FRIENDSHIP EVANGELISM – Part I

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It is 3 am in the morning, I am tired. I am sure you and your members will come up with more ingenious answers.  God bless.

Conclude by asking your members to share and pray for your target list. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM: http://evan.tedfox.com/help-in-evangelism/the-samaritan-woman/ Engaging someone would lead to being able to connect with the person. John included 2 conversations in John 3 and 4 to show us the kind of believers that Jesus was looking for, the sort of people he would accept. Jesus did not accept everyone who entrusted himself to him, for instance in John 2:23-24 we note that Jesus did not just accept whoever claimed to believe in his name. Those people had false faith as believed in Jesus because of his miracles alone. They had no conviction to the faith and did on believe based on who Jesus is and what he has done. What kind of a person was this woman of Samaria? We notice that this woman’s name was not mention in the passage. She had gone to draw water in the afternoon when it was hot while she could have done it earlier when it was cooler. It also seemed like she was the only one there that Jesus easily ask her for a drink. She was also alone, not in a group as woman usually go with companions. This timing and action of hers was quite unusual, and perhaps is explained in John 4:16-18. Having five husbands was quite a big deal in that day (as much as it is not something very common today). Woman then needed to be married for security and stability; if you were not married; you would in a sense ‘lose out’. Town people probably avoided her for that reason, though possibly she still held hope ( John 4:25). The equivalent of such a character today would be someone perceived as a social outcast, a person who is weird, which we do not want to associate with. How did Jesus deal with such a woman? Jesus had offered her something she could not refuse ( John 4:10). The woman thought that if she had ‘living water’, she would not have to come to the well everyday, and there was probably no need to stand the stares. Jesus’ request was very extraordinary as it was strange for a Jewish man to speak to a Samaritan woman (even his disciples were shocked) John 4:9 cites that Jews do not associate with Samaritans (refer to 2 Kings 17), they did not even want to go through Samaria to reach a certain destination, instead, they make a round to reach it. However, John 4:4 seems to suggest that Jesus had intention to pass through Samaria. Jesus spoke to her by using a simple request. The offer of living water. Jesus used ‘living water’ so the woman could be interested, he associated ‘living water’ from water and then linked it to what he had to offer (eternal life). John 4:11 suggests that the women did not understand what Jesus was saying. She was interested in living water as physical water, something ordinary not extraordinary. (Note that we might err in this ourselves when we deal with theological concepts like “sinners”. We should be conveying the seriousness of it instead of treating it very simply) The woman had took pride in Jacob’s well. Samaritans took pride in Jacob as his well was in their land. Note that Jesus answered indirectly to the woman’s question of whether he was greater than Jacob was ( John 4:13-14). Essentially, Jesus was offering himself (whoever has the son, has life). However, John 4:15 shows that the woman still did not get it, she could not rid the physical interpretation and grasp fully what the living water is about. Likewise, it is harder for us to convey this special thing to others, to tell them about a spiritual reality. (A hunger/thirst) Do we understand the spiritual reality we are presenting? Are we guilty of presenting an attractive spiritual reality (an excitement)? We should realize that something like eternal life cannot be explained by the categories of this world. Do we find the life that God offers much more satisfying than what the world has to offer? Jesus did not stop the conversation there. He ended off the ‘living water’ conversation by John 4:16 telling her to ask her husband to come. Notice that the woman’s replies in John 4:17 were shorter and less talkative, Jesus seemed to have touched a nerve. However, John 4:17-18 showed that Jesus was sensitive in his speech and did not condemn her. We should keep this in mind with social misfits and be careful about saying ‘you should haves..’ and creating a guilt. Jesus had raised the husband issue (God is all knowing!), as he could turn the conversation to Himself. John 4:19 showed the woman probably not distressed from her immoral living as she became aware of whom Jesus was. Through John 4:2124 Jesus also raised that the place of worship was not so important (no need for Jews and Samaritan argument) rather, it was the essence of worship. That is, worship is not “where?” as we do not go to church to worship but we go to church for a worship. John 4:23 states to worship in spirit and truth. God is spirit ( John 4:24), thus worship has to be an activity that is sprit-directed. Therefore, worship is not a particular place, but something we do. John 4:26 possibly came as a shock and delight to the women, as the conversation (centering upon living water and Jesus revealing who he is) concluded. Jesus did not receive a drink in the end though. John 4:28-29 showed the woman wanted to proclaim who Jesus was in spite of what people might think of her(note her identity). John 4:42 showed the testimony of the town people. Note though, that Jesus had not done miracles with them, but the Samaritans had not so much reluctance in accepting the truth. Conclusion Jesus accepted people into the family because they believed who he is, Jesus wants us to believe. After all, the gospel is the good news to those who feel unworthy of his word. Lessons and Applications to Engaging and Evangelizing to people • •

How do we initiate and sustain the conversation Prepare to understand the person (his thinking and heart) to tell an unchanging message to the person (Jesus’ approach was not standardized. We are interested in the individual, not a standard approach to the masses. )

Leader’s Notes page 3 of 4

FRIENDSHIP EVANGELISM – Part I • • • •

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Who do you think Jesus is and what is your response to the things he has done? (give people a better grasp of the gospel) Don’t avoid certain people, Jesus’ ministry was to all sorts of people from all walks of life Don’t just share your testimony, preach the gospel! Do not keep the gospel to yourself, share it!

Leader’s Notes page 4 of 4