01 1c

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Section 01: Evangelism And Basic Discipling, Foundation Level, 1c

01 1c: Let the gospel flow through networks of family, relatives and friends.

Follow the web of natural relationships, to communicate the gospel:

Ask heads of families' permission to relate the gospel to their family and friends. Help them to participate (help them prepare a Bible story to tell during your meeting with them).
Keep converts in a loving relationship with their family and friends. Do not extract a convert from his own circle of family and friends by warning him excessively against their bad influence and smothering him with Christian friends and influences to a degree that stifles his love for them. Rather, encourage him to love them as Jesus commands, and work through him to win them for Christ.
Witness in their homes, where they are in control, not you. Be vulnerable, just as Jesus was in Levi's home, or Peter in Cornelius' house.
Telling stories--historical events, not fictitious illustrations--enables the gospel to flow. Relate the stories of the historical events surrounding Christ's sacrificial death and saving resurrection.

Find in Acts 10:24, 44 evidence of evangelism that flowed through a network of relatives and friends..

*Find in Acts 16:13-15, 16:29-34 and 18:8 evidence of family oriented evangelism.

*Find in Matthew chapters 21 - 28 some of the main things that happened during and after the week before Jesus' resurrection--so that you can relate them easily to those you tell about Christ:

*Find in Matthew 21:1-11 what happened when Jesus came to Jerusalem.

*Find in Matthew 21:12 what Jesus did that made the religious leaders angry.

*Find in Matthew 25:31-47 how Jesus said the nations would be judged.

*Find in Matthew 26:1-5 what the religious leaders planned to do, during Holy Week.

*Find in Matthew 26:17-29 what happened during Jesus' Last Supper before His death.

*Find in Matthew 27:15-31 why the authorities agreed to have the Roman soldiers kill Jesus.

*Find in Matthew 27:32-61 unusual things that happened when Jesus was put to death.

Find in Mark chapters 14 - 15 more of the main things that happened during and after Holy Week--the week before Jesus' resurrection:

*Find in Mark 14:43-52 how they arrested and tried Jesus, why they sentenced Him to die.

*Find in Mark 15:1-20 what they did to Jesus before they killed Him.

*Find in Mark 15:21-41 things that happened when Jesus died.

*Find in John chapters 13 - 21 more events of Holy Week.

*Find in John 13:1-20 what Jesus did that surprised His disciples, and why He did it.

*Find in John 18:25-19:16 what Pilate did to get the people to stop accusing Jesus, and why he failed.

*Find in John 19:17-37 more things that happened while Jesus was being put to death.

*Find in John 19:28-42 more things that happened after Jesus was put to death.

*Find in John 20:1-18 who saw Jesus first after He rose from the dead, and what He said.

*Find in John 20:19-29 how Jesus removed Thomas' doubts.

*Find in John 21:1-14 what Jesus did the third time He joined His disciples after rising from the Dead.

*Find in John 21:15-25 how Jesus let Peter know He had forgiven him for denying Him.
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* Stories (better, for letting the Word flow from friend to friend)

2(View or downlowd (Optional Documents to view or download, for additional information)

15 Facts of Life and Death (Bible stories to teach God's attributes for pagan societies, for evangelism)

Helping People Find Christ. Cited from Church Multiplication Guide, Patterson and Scoggins, William Carey Library, Pasadena, CA, USA, Chapter 10, Section 01. Jesus says, "Open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest." John 2:35. Click the explanation you want now, of why and how Jesus wants us to deal with persons who are seeking faith but have not yet found Him:

A. Deal Wisely with the Seeker who Is Not yet Firm in the Faith
B. Aim for a Widespread Movement to Christ by Working through Existing Relationships
C. Do Evangelism in a Way that Fits the Culture of the Working Class of People
D. Help Believers to Recount the Great Redemptive Events, in Stories of Scripture
E. Help New believers to Pass on the Good News at Once
F. To Enter a Neglected Community Seek a Man of Peace and Work Within his Social Web
G. Form New Churches or Cells Inside One’s Network of Friends and Kin
H. Where Large Meetings Are Illegal, Form Tiny Groups
I . Give Ample Time for the Holy Spirit to Convince an Entire Family
J. Help Seekers to Affirm Verbally the Essential Gospel Truths
K. Avoid Manipulating People into Making Emotional Decisions
L. Count New Believers as the Apostles Did, After Being Added to a Church by Baptism
M. Follow Up Conversion with Baptism as Soon as Is Practical
N. Assure New believers at Once that You and God Love and Accept Them

Ü(T&M)

Effective Evangelism (of family and friends) Book 5, Activity A6

Pastor's Storybook, Rob and Anne Thiessen and George Patterson. A short book for training pastors where larger programs are still being translated or for other reasons are impractical. Download free from www.Paul-Timothy.net.

Church Multiplication Guide, Patterson and Scoggins, William Carey Library, Pasadena (see sections on witnessing, repentance and evangelist's role)

Bridges of God, the classical work on people movements and culturally relevant evangelism through networks of family and friends, Donald McGavran.

Beyond Church Growth, Robert Logan. A contemporary application of the general approach.

Find out from your local culture informants and trainees who are the "gatekeepers" invested with social authority to close or open access to social groups and networks:

Who must one be and what must one do in order to be approved by those gatekeepers?
At what kind of formal and informal events can one talk about Jesus?

Work out with your trainees the steps they will take to become acceptable and be accepted.

For help: Research

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