Being an Influence for Christ Class 1

Adult Class

Being An Influence For Christ Class 1

December 2007-February 2008

Evangelism is about telling the good news of redemption in Christ Jesus. But when somebody believes and obeys Jesus, it is nearly always the result of many influences. Our task is help every member be an influence for Christ—but not necessarily to be the person who formally presents the gospel.

Most discussions of evangelism focus on a method that is suited to one personality type: the outgoing, uninhibited evangelist crammed full of Scripture and burning with a desire to save the world by bringing it to Jesus. However, most people aren’t like that. We have different gifts—Ephesians 4:11-13. If evangelism is not your gift, you can, and should, still be an influence for Christ.

Larry Gilbert has listed seven presuppositions that many church members have about helping someone draw closer to Christ. These presuppositions create guilt and raise barriers to our helping someone come to Jesus. They need to be erased from our hearts and minds, because they are not helpful at all.

Any Christian who is willing to commit himself or herself, can become a dynamic soulwinner, skillfully able to meet total strangers and lead them to Christ. In fact, Gilbert claims only about 10% of Christians have the gift of evangelism. The rest of the church should be involved in using their own gifts to help influence people.
I need to participate in an intense, repetitive training program before I can effectively share Christ with others. For the vast majority, this will not be necessary or desirable. This still focuses on a method rather than a process.
I must increase my level of spirituality before I can share Christ effectively with others. Everybody needs to grow, and obvious character issues can block effectiveness, but if you understand your relationship to God, you can do good work for the kingdom.
“Spiritual” Christians are concerned about the spiritual well-being of casual acquaintances and strangers. Actually, we all care more about people we already have a relationship with.
The longer I am a Christian, the fewer unchurched friends I have, until finally everybody I know is a church-attending Christian. The truth is, we still have an average of seven unchurched people in our social circles.
Sharing Christ with someone is a “now-or-never” decision making situation. Most people will reject high-pressure methods—or else they will fall away as quickly as they submitted to baptism.
Before I can share Christ with others, I must become sales-oriented and able to get to a decision. You just need to be yourself with people you care about.

While there are dramatic accounts of immediate obedience in the New Testament, there are other passages that show a step-by-step process of people turning to Jesus.

· In Mark 5:17-20, the people of the Decapolis beg Jesus to leave. But by Mark 7:31-8:1, the man formerly possessed by a demon has influenced many to be curious about Jesus and willing to hear Him.

· There are ongoing efforts to speak about Jesus noted in Acts 2:40, 47; 4:33; 5:13; 13:42-43; 14:3; 18:11 and other places.

· The basic principle is shown in 1 Corinthians 3:5-8.

The analogy of a harvest is particularly appropriate because many separate actions are required for a successful harvest.

We need all kinds of tasks to be done in order to bring people successfully to Christ. Every Christian has a part in this effort—and it should be perfectly natural and comfortable. We need to work together to help our friends, family and loved ones move a step closer to obeying Jesus Christ and obtaining true redemption from Him.