LESSON OBJECTIVES
Goals
1. To help students understand that they are on this earth to share the Good News
2. To equip students with the tools necessary to share the Good News
3. To challenge students to share the Good News with someone this week
Topics
Evangelism, Gospel, Witnessing
Scripture Memorization
Acts 1:8
OPENING PRAYER (5 to 10 minutes)
GROUP BUILDING (10 minutes)
Great Story (Activity) Click here
GETTING STARTED (10 minutes)
You don’t have to be a salesperson to share the Gospel. In fact, the Good News of Jesus is not something that you have to sell. It is a message that has changed countless lives.
General Discussion:
• How have you experienced Jesus change your life?
• Who do you know whose life has been changed dramatically through Christ?
Ephesians 2:10 says, “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
A good illustration, that has been used before when looking at this passage, is to compare our works to puddles on the sidewalk. We should not view works as a chore or something to check off a list. Instead, they are puddles laid out before us by our Father. What is the first reaction that kids have when they see a puddle? They jump right into it. They splash and play. They look forward to the next puddle and do not look at them as burdens.
The same is true with the works we GET to do in God’s Kingdom. Today, as we write our own stories and prepare to share the Good News with others, we need to see these opportunities as puddles laid out in front of us by God. So, let’s jump in.
DIGGING IN (25 minutes)
Read Acts 1:1-11
Discussion Questions:
1. How would you summarize these verses?
2. In what ways did Jesus prove that He was alive? (He appeared to many people over a period of 40 days and spoke of the Kingdom of God.)
3. What did Jesus leave with the disciples? (The promise of the Holy Spirit and the commission to go into the world with the Gospel.)
4. Why do you thing the disciples just stood looking into the sky? (Perhaps they were confused; they expected Jesus to return immediately, etc.)
Luke is writing this book as a sequel to his Gospel. These verses chronicle the last days of Jesus on earth, and ends with a promise: He will return one day. In the meantime, Jesus promises His disciples that they will receive the power of the Holy Spirit in order to carry out His commission to share the Gospel throughout the world.
General Discussion:
• What do you think is the hardest part of sharing the Gospel?
• Why is it so hard?
• What is one question that really concerns you that you will not be able to answer?
It is great to be motivated to reach out, but sometimes we need some practical help. Here are some tips to help assist anyone who may be fearful or lacking in knowledge to share the Good News. (Encourage students to take notes on these tips. Space is provided in the lesson workbook.)
FOUR TIPS FOR SHARING THE GOSPEL
1. Just Say Jesus
Read John 14:6
It’s not your job to convert the lost. It’s your job to point to Jesus. Some good news that you can have today is that you don’t have the pressure of saving your family or friends. That is God’s job. He will do the saving and all you need to do is to point to His work.
• Don’t feel the need to embellish detail, let the Holy Spirit work.
• Spend more time on Jesus than the dirt of your former life.
• Concentrate on the message of the Gospel, not just on your response to it.
2. Visualize the Gospel
Read Colossians 1:6
The storyline of the Gospel flows from Creation to Fall to Redemption to Restoration. Throughout the Bible, we see that God makes a perfect creation and that man’s sin leads us into a fall. We long for redemption and this is only found in Jesus. It is through His work that we are restored to new life and perfection.
Write the following on the board: Creation – Fall – Redemption – Restoration
Then ask the students to think about the following questions:
• How do you see God’s perfect creation fallen into sin?
• How do you see others trying to redeem themselves from sin?
• How does the world teach you to redeem yourself?
3. Pray for Boldness
Read Acts 4:31
God hears your prayers and is a Father who yearns to draw His children to Himself. One easy and helpful prayer is to ask God to go out before you, to prepare the hearts of the people you will meet, and to give you a boldness to speak. Take a few minutes before you go out to pray for all of the conversations you will have.
4. Tell Your Story
Read 1 John 5:11
The easiest way to tell others the Good News about Jesus is to tell about you.
• Tell what God has done in your life.
• Tell how He has changed you.
• Tell about the pain that He has brought you through.
• Tell about the joys you’ve experienced in Him.
• Tell how God is shaping your story and use it as much as you can in conversation.
All of this is great to know. However, how can we put it into practice?
MAKING IT REAL (25 minutes)
MY STORY (Workbook Activity)
(The lesson workbook contains a section for this activity. See below for an example. If not using the workbook you can pass out pens and paper.)
For the remainder of our time, we will focus on giving a testimony to what God has done in our lives. He has made each of you unique with certain talents and abilities. However, one of the most special gifts given to you by God is your personal story. Your story is the most powerful tool you have in sharing the Good News to the world.
Why Me:
I am going to ask several questions. What you need to do is focus in on one or two of them and write down your thoughts. (Ask each question slowly, pausing between each to allow the students time to ponder which ones speak to them the most.)
Discussion Questions:
• Why are you a follower of Jesus? (If you are not, write down why you are in this class.)
• Why are you not a follower of another religion?
• Was there an event or a person that helped change your mind about God?
• What went through your mind the first time God became real to you?
• How has your view of God changed?
• Were you more attracted to God’s love or God’s truth? Explain why that was?
(Give the students about five minutes to write down their thoughts.)
Most Gospel ministry involves ordinary people doing ordinary things with Gospel Intentionality. The communities where we introduce people to Jesus must be communities in which “God talk” is normal. This means talking about what we’re reading in the Bible, praying together whenever we share needs, delighting together in the gospel, and sharing our spiritual struggles with the “Total Church”, believers and unbelievers. The Gospel changes lives.
Changes:
Here are a few more questions to ask yourself while telling your story. Again, focus in on a few of the questions and write down your thoughts. Also, feel free to share your thoughts with the rest of the class.
Discussion Questions:
• What changes have you seen in yourself or others as result of the Gospel? What is the story behind each? (For example, adoption, grace, mercy, forgiveness, wisdom, power of the Holy Spirit, etc.)
• How has your view Christians changed over the years? How are you like/unlike perceived Christians?
• What are some obstacles you have overcome as you have grown in faith?
• What are some areas where you are weak and God is getting the glory?
• How have you seen God at work in your life this week?
• What scriptures have been monumental in your walk?
• How do you see God working in ordinary everyday ways? (Provision/Creation/Fulfillment/etc)
• How is being a Christian Difficult? In what ways have you died to self?
• What Idols have you worshipped in the past, believing they would bring life?
• What story in the Bible most closely connects with yours?
(Again, give the students five to ten minutes to write down their thoughts.)
Workbook Activity (20 minutes)
My Story
Your story is the most powerful tool you have in sharing the Good News to the world.
WHY ME
Focus on one or two questions and write down your thoughts or ideas.
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
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CHANGES
Focus on a few questions and write down your thoughts or ideas.
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
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CLOSING PRAYER (2 minutes)
Pray that your students can share their story with boldness.