Lesson 4 - Living in Christ
Lesson 4 - Living in Christ
Living in Christ
Lesson 4 – Witnessing for Christ
Matthew 28:19–20
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit,
and teaching them to obey everything
I have commanded you.
And surely I am with you always,
to the very end of the age.”
Today we are looking at a “The Marriage Model” for evangelism…in our outreach and relationship with others for Christ and His Kingdom:
A. Courting in the “Pre-Marriage” Parallel: (Learning of Christ and responding to the conviction of the Holy Spirit).
A believer shares the Gospel of Jesus Christ with another person and the Holy Spirit Convicts them of their sin and need for forgiveness of their sin and guilt.
John 16:8
8 When he (the Holy Spirit) comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment….
B. Commitment in the Marriage - the “I Do” Parallel: A Person makes a heartfelt commitment to Christ, by Grace through faith in an individual’s understanding of the Gospel and the supernatural revelation by the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 15:2–5
“By this gospel you are saved...
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance:
•that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
•that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
•and that he appeared
oto Peter, and
othen to the Twelve.
oAfter that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time,
most of whom are still living, though some have
fallen asleep.”
C. Continuation and maturity in living his or her life as a committed, faithful, and honorable spouse, “As long as they both shall live”: A growing, deepening, maturing commitment and communion with Christ.
Today we are focusing on the first (our introduction to and learning of Christ), and the second part (the “I do”…accepting Jesus Christ as Savior) of this “Marriage Model” in outreach to help others in their beginning relationship with Christ.]
(The following is taken from “Living in Christ, Lesson 4”, by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.)
As He began His ministry, Jesus called two fishermen, Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, and said, “Come, Follow me, …and I will send you out to fish for people” (Matthew 4:19). Through the ages, the same call has gone out to all those who put their faith in Jesus Christ. He reaches the lost today through faithful witnesses like you. The Apostle Paul said that God has “committed to us the message of reconciliation” and that “we are therefore Christ’s ambassadors” (2 Corinthians 5:19-20).
As you seek to be a witness for Christ, your life is a key part of your witness. Because you are a new creation, you need to demonstrate your new faith by your conduct. Jesus said, “let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). This means your habits and lifestyle should commend the Lord Jesus Christ and help to draw others to Him. It does not mean that you must become perfect before you can witness. You surely will stumble from time to time as you are learning to walk. But as you learned in the last lesson, God is willing to forgive your sins and put you back on your feet again.
But living as a good example will not, in and of itself, make you an effective witness. You also need a power beyond yourself. That is the work of the Holy Spirit, who indwells all believers. The Bible says,
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8
When your life is clean and you walk under the control of the Holy Spirit, He is able to witness through you. For example, we read in Acts about a man named Philip who was chosen to serve the church because he was “full of the Spirit and wisdom” (Acts 6:3). Philip was having a successful ministry in Samaria (Acts 8:4-13) when an angel summoned him to go to Gaza (Acts 8:26), where an Ethiopian official was returning from Jerusalem and reading from chapter 53 of Isaiah. Using his God-given wisdom, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, Philip “began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus” (Acts 8:35).
Your life is an essential part of your witness, and the Holy Spirit is indispensable in witnessing. But there is a third ingredient without which there can be no effective witness: the Word of the Living God. In the witness of Philip, we saw how God had sovereignly placed the appropriate Scriptures in the hands of the Ethiopian. The Bible says that we have been “born again…through the living and enduring word of God” (1 Peter 1:23). When the seed, which is God’s Word, is planted in a prepared heart, it produces the fruit of a new believer in Christ.
The question now is, “How do I start witnessing for Christ? What do I say?” To begin with, you can always share how Christ changed your own life. There is great power in a simple and honest personal testimony. It is also helpful, however, to have a practical outline in mind as to how you will present the facts of the Gospel.
The Gospel Message
Truth 1:
God’s Plan – Peace and Life
God created us not as robots, but as personal beings made in His own image (Genesis 1:27). He created us with the ability to relate to Him on an intelligent level. He gave us freedom of choice so that we could choose whether or not to love and obey Him. Just as we humans experience our deepest love from other humans, who have the freedom to accept or reject us, so also our Creator wanted a being who could love Him more than the rest of His creation.
When God had finished creating the world, He declared that everything in it – including human beings – was “very good” (Genesis 1:31).
Truth 2:
Our Problem – Separation from God
Right away, God gave the humans He had created an opportunity to choose whether or not to obey Him. He placed Adam and Eve in a beautiful garden with just one regulation: They could eat of the fruit of every tree but one; to eat of that tree would mean spiritual death and separation from God (Genesis 2:16-17). Unfortunately, Adam and Eve chose to disobey God (Genesis 3:6) and were therefore separated from Him (Genesis 3:22-24). This separation exists today for all who are without Christ as Lord and Savior.
“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned…”
Romans 5:12
Everybody has sinned. “I’m not perfect…nobody is perfect.”
Even though Adam and Eve committed the “original” (first) sin, simple observation shows us that every human who has ever lived has been a sinner as well – as this verse states.
As a result of this universal sin, a chasm or gulf has become fixed between God and humans, as shown in the diagram below. Though the ages, people have tried to bridge this chasm in many different ways, but without success. As the illustration shows, they have tried various religions, good works, morality, and various philosophies of life to bridge the gap.
As we will see in step 3, there is only one remedy for this separation.
Truth 3:
God’s Remedy – The Cross
Jesus Christ is the only answer to this problem of separation between human beings and God. When Jesus died on the cross and rose again from the grave, He paid the penalty for our sin and bridged the gap between God and us. His death and resurrection make a new life possible for all who believe in Him.
The Bible says,
“For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people.”
1 Timothy 2:5-6
When Jesus Christ died on the cross, He made it possible for sinful people to be reconciled to God. The Apostle Peter said, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (1 Peter 3:18). Regardless of popular opinion that there are many ways to get to God, Jesus said….
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”John 14:6
It is faith in Jesus Christ and not human effort that brings us to God. There is nothing we can do to earn our salvation. It is grace all the way:
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
Yes, God has provided the only way, but we must make the choice. That brings us to step 4, the vital step of faith:
Truth 4:
Our Response – Receive Christ
We must all come to the place where we are willing to admit, “I am a sinner.” Then we must be willing to repent, or turn, from our sins. The Bible says, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out” (Acts 3:19). To repent means to change your thinking and to change the direction of your life. It means turning to Jesus Christ, who is the door to eternal life, the door to God and heaven. Jesus said,
“I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.” John 10:9
The door to forgiveness and salvation is through the cross of Christ. By faith, we must trust Him and receive Him as our Savior and Lord. When we do, we become children of God:
“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12
Eternal life then becomes a present possession:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16
By faith we cross the bridge from death to eternal life through the cross.
Now let us look at the four Truths of the Gospel together:
God’s Plan………………………….Peace and Life
Our Problem………………………Separation from God
God’s Remedy…………………….The Cross
Our Response……………………..Receive Christ
Which side are you on?
Here? or Here?
All you need to explain the Gospel using this graphic illustration is a pen and a piece of paper. As you draw your illustration and explain the Gospel, try this four-step method of presentation:
Step 1: Explain the Facts
First, share the facts: On the top of your page, list the four truths presented on the previously noted: “God’s Plan,” “Our Problem,” “God’s Remedy,” “Our Response.” List them one at a time and use a Scripture or two with each one.
After you list the first basic truth, “God’s Plan – Peace and Life,” read a Scripture or two and say, “eternal life is not automatic, because we have a problem. Let me illustrate.” Then draw the graphic of God on one side of the chasm and us on the other. As you draw, share the Scriptures that explain how the separation took place. Work your way on to the second diagram showing how the cross bridges the chasm between God, and us, and how we can cross the bridge through faith in Christ.
Step 2: Invite a Response
If you feel led by the Spirit and the person is responding positively, proceed to the second step and offer and invitation, saying, “If this illustration is true – and I believe with all my heart that it is – then all of humankind is on either one side of the chasm or the other:
•“There are those who by personal faith in Jesus Christ have crossed the bridge and are now in God’s family.”
•“Then, there are multitudes who may be religious, striving to do good works and to be morally upright, but who have never committed their lives to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. They are still in their sins, separated from God.”
Then ask, “Which side are you on? Here…or here?” If the person is unsure or definitely realizes that he or she is on the wrong side, let the person know that he or she can be sure of his or her position by:
1. Admitting your need. (“I am a sinner.”)
2. Being willing to turn from your sin, and ask God to forgive you. (Repent)
3. Believing that Jesus Christ died for you on the cross and rose from the grave. (Faith)
4. Through prayer, inviting Jesus Christ to come in and control your life through the Holy spirit. (Receive Christ as Lord and Savior.)
Step 3: Pray with the Person Responding
The third step is the prayer of commitment. The Scripture says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13).
Remember, Jesus Christ is the door to eternal life.
Through prayer we can enter that door and receive Him as Lord and Savior. Lead the person in a simple prayer, such as:
Dear Lord Jesus,
I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness.
I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead.
I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life.
I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior.
In Your Name, Lord Jesus, amen.
Step 4: Confirm the New Believer in His or Her Decision
If the person sincerely prays that prayer, he or she is a Christian and has been saved from eternal death! You will want to share some Scriptures to give the person assurance of His or her new standing before God.
What happens when we believe in Jesus Christ? The Bible says,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
And,
“Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” 1 John 5:12-13
Make sure the person knows that eternal life is a gift from our heavenly Father, and that it is a present possession.
Follow-Up
When you help a person in coming to faith in Christ, remember that this individual is a spiritual baby (1 Peter 2:2). In order to grow, an infant needs nurture and care. This means encouraging the person to immediately begin regular times of Bible study and prayer. You can do so by using this booklet.
•Share with the person the things you have learned from the Living in Christ booklet.
•This new Christian also needs the fellowship of other like-minded believers. Help him or her get established in a bible-teaching church.
Lesson 4:
Your Response
A witness in a courtroom tells what he or she knows about a given situation. The Christian witness tells others what he or she knows about Jesus Christ and what it means to personally trust Him.
1. What is the Good News (Gospel) that we should share?
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 ___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
2. What power does the Gospel possess? Romans 1:16
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
3. What are three things an effective witness for Christ must have?
(a.)Matthew 5:16
_____________________________________________________
(b.)Acts 1:8
_____________________________________________________
(c.)1 Peter 1:22-23
_____________________________________________________
4. Review the preceding message on witnessing and briefly explain the “Bridge to Life” illustration:
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
5. Once a person is convinced of his or her sin and need of a Savior, what should that person do?
(a.)Acts 3:19 ______________________________________________________
(b.)John 10:9 ______________________________________________________
(c.)John 1:12 ______________________________________________________
6. When a person believes in Jesus Christ, what can he or she now say with assurance? John 3:16
________________________________________________________________
Remember to: Memorize the two verses for Lesson 4:
Telling Others About Christ
Acts 1:8
8 “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Telling Others About Christ
Matthew 4:19
19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”