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7. Sharing Your New Life with Others

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TOGETHER LESSON

How did you first hear about Jesus? Someone told you, right? Did you know that you have also been sent by the Lord to reach others with the good news about Jesus? You and I as followers of Jesus Christ have the awesome privilege of sharing the good news of eternal life with others. There is tremendous joy in reaching out to those who do not know Jesus and introducing them to him so they can know him just as you now know him.

“But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?” (Romans 10:14 New Living Translation)

Tell the World about Jesus

This amazing task is called the “Great Commission.” It is what Jesus told his followers right before he left earth to go to Heaven. “Go and make disciples of all nations.” (Matthew 28:19) When Jesus gave that command to his followers to go and make disciples, it was not to ordained preachers, hired church staff or organizations. He spoke those words to average, every day kind of people like you and I are. “All nations” includes your sphere of influence, wherever that is.

Think of it this way: Imagine you had cancer and were chosen to be part of a special test group for a new cure. The treatment cured all of your cancer completely free of charge. What is the first thing you would do after you were healed? You would want to tell all of the other cancer victims about this great cure! Well, sin is a cancer affecting every single person. And you have been cured—forgiven of your sins—by Jesus Christ. Do you remember how you felt before you believed in Jesus? Maybe you felt lonely, guilty, and without hope. The entire world is lost without Jesus. We are Christ’s ambassadors. (2 Corinthians 5:20) He has selected us to represent him and reach them with his love and forgiveness.

Key Question: Are you willing to be Christ’s ambassador to those in your sphere of influence? If so, tell God right now that you are willing.

1. The Gospel Is Good News

“Jesus Christ laid down his life for you so that he could give his life to you so that he could live his life through you.” (Ian Thomas)

Relating the good news to others takes two basic forms: your walk and your talk. As you grow in your relationship with Christ, others can see Christ by your walk (life). As the quote above says, Jesus living his life through us is one way he draws people to himself.

“In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good deeds and give honor to your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

But, as we read at the beginning of this lesson, you must also tell the good news of the gospel so others may believe in Christ.

The Gospel is the good news about Jesus Christ coming to earth to save us from our sins. If you have opportunity to tell someone one thing, tell her about Jesus.

  • Tell her that God loves her and wants a relationship with her. But, sin separates her from God’s love.
  • Tell her that Jesus is God, who came to earth as a man, and died for the sins of the world.
  • Tell her that she can be completely forgiven of her sins and receive eternal life with God solely by believing in Jesus as Savior and Lord.

That is the gospel. Anyone can share it, and everyone needs to hear it. Pray and ask God for an opportunity this week to share the gospel. A famous evangelist once said this, “Take the initiative to share the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit and leave the results to God.”

2. Pray & Watch

You do not need to be an expert in the Bible or have years of experience with Christ to reach others for him. There are several ways you can share Christ on a daily basis.

The first and most important thing to do is to pray: ask your heavenly Father to lead you to someone who is open to hearing more about Christ. It is the Holy Spirit’s job to draw people to Christ. Pray the following:

“Father, please send the Holy Spirit to work in the heart of ________ to draw her to Jesus and make her into a laborer for the Kingdom.”

Keep on praying that prayer as often as you think about or see that person, envisioning the Holy Spirit going to work in that person’s life, drawing that person to Jesus. Then you can ask the Spirit to open the door to have a conversation with her. Make an intentional date to spend time with her.

When you talk to her, ask good questions to determine if she is interested in spiritual things or whether she has already trusted in Christ as her Savior. For example:

  • What is your faith background?
  • What were you taught about God growing up?
  • Have you had a spiritual experience that shaped your life?
  • Have you ever read or been taught from the Bible?
  • How have spiritual values shaped your life?

You don’t have to make a complete presentation of the Gospel to make an impact for Christ. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you to someone who is open to hearing more about Jesus.

3. Share Your Story

If you trusted Christ recently, you remember what life was like for you before Christ came into your life. How did you feel? What triggered your need for Jesus? What did God use to draw you to him? That may be how God will use you to reach others for Christ.

Once you have established a relationship with a friend, and “earned the right to be heard,” pray for an opportunity to share your story—what Christ has done in your life. Be ready for openings in the conversation where you can share simple statements of what God has done in your life (including your weaknesses and need of him). Allow her a peak into the life you have in Christ. Encourage her trust and create curiosity for more.

Most people reject Christianity because they don’t “have a clue” what it is all about, or they misunderstand…and think it is just “religion.” They do not realize they are missing a totally awesome relationship with Jesus! The best way to share…so that they really understand what the Bible says…is to prepare a short version of your own faith story that includes the Gospel message in it—what you heard and believed.

You will get an opportunity to work on your story in the Personal Discovery Guide this week.

4. Ask for a Decision & Lead Her in Prayer

As the Holy Spirit leads, expect God to be working in her heart. Ask one of the following questions:

  • Does this make sense to you?
  • Would you like to accept God’s gift?
  • Would you like to trust in Christ now?

Tell her that she must personally trust in Christ’s death on the cross in order to receive God’s forgiveness for her sins. If she is ready for a decision, pray with her to trust in Christ. A sample prayer is:

“Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for dying for all of my sins – past, present, and future. Thank you for giving me eternal life and wanting a relationship with me. I trust in you now as my Savior, and I desire you to be Lord of my life.”

5. The Next Step for Her – Establish Her in Her New Faith

Once a person has come to Christ, now you have the privilege and honor of establishing her in the basics of the Christian faith as you have now been established through this series of lessons. Schedule a time to start going through Graceful Beginnings with her. Soon she will be reaching her peers for Christ, too.

It is also vital that she get immediately “connected” with other Christians, preferably those who will have common interests and have been praying for her along with you. By joining a community of believers, she can learn from other mentors besides you.

6. The Next Step for You

To keep growing as a disciple of Jesus Christ:

  • Join a Bible study or small group where you can enjoy fellowship with others who are also learning more about this new life in Christ.
  • Keep telling others about Jesus and personally discipling them in the basics of the Christian faith using “Graceful Beginnings.”
  • Take the next step of growth through the “Graceful Living” study, available at https://bible.org/series/graceful-living.
  • Look for ways you can serve others in your local church or community.

Discover more treasure: Work through your Personal Discovery Guide to review what you learned in today’s “Together Session” and discover more of the riches that are yours in your relationship with Christ.

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PERSONAL DISCOVERY GUIDE

Christianity is Christ! It's all about a relationship with him. Jesus Christ gave his life for you by grace, so he could give his life to you by grace, so he could live his life through you by grace. Knowing Christ’s love for you and the presence of his life in you should motivate you to “live for him” (2 Corinthians 5:14-15; Galatians 2:20) and to serve him through serving others (John 13:1-15; Galatians 5:13-14; Philippians 2:1-4). Both are responses to God’s grace in your life. Another response is letting his life in you overflow to others around you, particularly those who need to know Christ.

Renewing Your Mind with Truth

Continue putting truth in your mind through memorizing Bible verses that are relevant to what you are learning.

  • Review Memory Verse 1 – Ephesians 2:8-9.
  • Review Memory Verse 2 – John 20:31.
  • Review Memory Verse 3 – Galatians 5:22-23.
  • Review Memory Verse 4 – Hebrews 4:16.
  • Review Memory Verse 5 – John 13:34-35.
  • Review Memory Verse 6 – Galatians 2:20
  • Begin working on this week’s verse – Romans 10:14.

Memory Verse 7

“But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?” (Romans 10:14 New Living Translation)

Note: This week, you will do your reading on Days 1-5 and work on your faith story on Days 6 & 7.

Getting to Know Christ

Finish reading through the gospel of Mark to get to know Jesus better—reflecting on his life, his relationships, and his teaching. Consider praying for specific issues in your life, for friends and family you desire to know Christ, and for your personal spiritual growth. As you read God’s Word, you will want to talk with him more.

Day 1 Discover Jesus

Read: Mark 14:1-31. Reflect on what you read—

Day 2 Discover Jesus

Read: Mark 14:32-52. Reflect on what you read—

Day 3 Discover Jesus

Read: Mark 14:53-15:15. Reflect on what you read—

Day 4 Discover Jesus

Read: Mark 15:16-47. Reflect on what you read—

Day 5 Discover Jesus

Read: Mark 16:1-20. Reflect on what you read—

From This Week’s Reading:

  • What discoveries have you made?
  • What questions do you have?

Days 6 & 7 Your Faith Story

“People love to hear stories…Telling your faith story is just that: your personal story about your faith. It’s an unobtrusive way to speak about the love of God in your life and the love he has for all people…Your life and story is the best tract to be written!” (The Disciplemaking Ministry Guide for Women in Leadership, “How to Share Your Faith,” page 21)

Use the following prompts to get you started. Then, choose the highlights to make a “Five-Minute Faith Story” that you can easily share when Jesus gives you opportunity.

Before you trusted in Christ

Although the tendency is to spend most of the time on your “before Christ” experience, only give enough information so someone else would know why you needed Christ in your life. Tell what you needed so that someone may identify with you.

Identify what your life was like.

  • What were your attitudes, needs, and/or problems?
  • To what source did you look for security, peace of mind, or happiness?
  • In what ways were your activities unsatisfying?
  • Find 2-3 words to describe what only Christ could fill or do in your life (e.g. loneliness, feelings of insignificance, anger, rejection).

Briefly share a personal example that captures the needs and attitudes from this time of your life as identified above.

How you came to know Christ (point of salvation)

Share when and how you first heard the gospel and/or were exposed to Christianity.

  • What brought you to the place of being willing to listen?
  • Who influenced you?
  • How and when did you decide to follow Jesus?
  • Describe how you felt, what truths you heard, what you thought about them, and how you felt after you made the decision.

Give the gospel in this section. Use 1 or 2 relevant scripture verses.

My life after knowing Jesus

Spend the most time on this.

  • What conditions before Christ has been satisfied by a relationship with him?
  • What does it look like in your life to have a relationship with Christ?
  • How long did it take before you noticed changes?
  • What are your blessings?
  • Where do you struggle?
  • How do you depend on him through those struggles?
  • What difference does having him in your life make during those times?
  • Emphasize what you have learned about God’s grace to you.

Briefly share a personal illustration that shows the wonderful difference that Christ has made in your life.

Wrap up by inviting the listener to trust in Christ as you did so she can experience a new life of freedom and joy!

NEXT TOGETHER TIME: Share your faith story with your Graceful Beginnings leader and listen to hers. Ask Jesus to give you opportunity to share your story with others in your life as well.

Related Topics: Basics for Christians, Christian Life, Spiritual Life

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