2. Ask One Question
Luke 14:15-24
Street
Luke 14:15 Hearing this, a man sitting at the table with Jesus exclaimed, “What a privilege it would be to have a share in the Kingdom of God!”
Discussion: How can you describe your feelings towards the Kingdom of God? Go back and read Luke 14: 7-14 and see why the man was so amazed at what Jesus had just taught about the dinner.
Luke 14:16-17 Jesus replied with this illustration: “A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. When all was ready, he sent his servant around to notify the guests that it was time for them to come.
- Many invitations were sent out inviting people to the feast. T/F
- The servants were sent out to notify that it was time for the guests to come. T/F
Luke 14:18 But they all began making excuses. One said he had just bought a field and wanted to inspect it, so he asked to be excused. Another said he had just bought five pair of oxen and wanted to try them out. Another had just been married, so he said he couldn’t come.
- What did the people who were invited to the dinner begin doing?
- Do you think that the servants did something wrong by inviting these people to the dinner? Why or Why not?
- Why would buying oxen keep them from the going?
- Why would buying a field keep them from accepting the invitation?
- Why would getting married keep them from attending the meal?
- Buying animals and land and weddings are more important then being with God? T/F
- This parable teaches us to obey God In spite of peoples reactions? T/F
- If we know that people will reject us we can stop being obedient. T/F
What is your opinion: “Do only non-believers make excuses?”
Luke 14:21 “The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His Master was angry and said, “Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the city and invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.”
- The Master understood why the people couldn’t come to the dinner. T/F
- The Master was angry at those who refused to come to the dinner. T/F
- In his anger what did the Master say to his servants?
- The Master told the servants to go back and try to “entertain” those who refused to come the first time. T/F
- We should only invite those who look and act like us. T/F
- If we invite the poor, crippled, lame and the blind we will be obeying the Lord T/F
- If we invite poor people to the dinner we need to make the process very difficult for them to become members of our churches. T/F
WE ARE TO GO
Matching: Match the statement on the left with the correct answer on the right:
1. Jesus left heaven and entered the World ___ A. Matt. 28:19
2. Jesus told us to go to other nations ___ B. John 1:14
3. Jesus told us to go out into the city ___ C. Romans 10:14-15
4. Jesus told us to go out into the country ___ D. Luke 14: 23
5. The Bible tells us to go and tell individuals ___ E. Church Members
6. Jesus tells us to sit in the church and pray ___ F. Luke 14:22
7. Jesus says to “entertain” lost people ____ G. Church Leaders
Luke 14:22 After the servant had done this he reported, “There is still room for more.” So his master said, “Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full.” For none of those I invited first will get even the smallest taste of what I had prepared for them.”
- Where were the servants told to go?
- What were they to do out in the country?
- Why were they told to do this?
- How much would they have to pay to attend the dinner?
- In the beginning the food was ready to eat but the chairs were empty. T/F
- Jesus said to make it very difficult for people to come to the dinner? T/F
- How many who rejected the first invitation will get to come to the dinner?
Comparison Chart
We have created a chart that quickly allows you to instruct the Orthodox believer on the different belief systems. It graphically illustrates the differences between what the Bible teaches about God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, the Bible, Heaven and Hell and salvation. Green on the card represents what the Bible teaches and red shows Biblical error. We stand by our belief that salvation is a gift and one that can not be earned. We contrast the teaching of the Bible with Baptist, Orthodox, Jehovah Witnesses, and finally Mormon faith.
This comparison chart is used when needed and is very effective when used as intended. We are trying to align ourselves with the Orthodox and against the others. We only want to high light one difference between us and them and that is that the Orthodox all believe you must work for salvation. This results in no one really knowing whether or not they are going to heaven when they die. The people in Orthodoxy have great respect for God the Father without having any concept of how to be reconciled to Him. They are not our enemy and are truly dying “for lack of information” on exactly what they must do to be saved. Grace and repentance are not taught or understood in Orthodoxy.
A Great Method
The only way that we can actually win the city to Christ is if we have a method that people will actually use. All the plans and books and “silver bullets” will not work if people will not use them. If you have a way to approach someone on the street with the Gospel that is not offensive and allows them to control the entire encounter you have a better chance of finding more people. This is not our primary way of growing our church, the cell groups are, but we are commanded to go by our Lord. So we do it! We have found that the concept of inviting the lost to the marriage supper has great potential to reach more people. This opposed to the “win the debate against their will” approach. We are not just trying to get some one to pray a prayer of repentance because that is not salvation and we actually want to “see” these people in heaven. We want a friend, not just a great story to tell others. This takes time. So we can not stress how important it is to be patient. Think of a garden…do you place a seed in the ground and then out pops a tomato? NO! It is the same way with this style of evangelism; it takes time to win people over. We are urgently trying to win them over to the Lord but we are very patient so that we can create an environment that actually allows for the objective to be met. We use a method called, “Share Jesus Without Fear” written by Bill Fay.
Share Jesus Without Fear
(Author: Bill Fay)
The gospel of Jesus Christ is good news. You want to share it with every person you know and every person you meet. This method gives you a natural, non threatening way to share Jesus. The following truths illustrate the fact that God does the work. We cannot fail. It is all God’s work.
- “I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power.” 1 Corinthians 2:3-4
- “No man can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” John 6:44
- “So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty.” Isaiah 55:11
Principles
Two important principles guide you in sharing your faith by using verses from the Bible.
1. Hearing
It is important to say to the other person, “Read the verse aloud.” This principle comes from Romans 10:17 “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” God uses this hearing of His Word in a dynamic way.
2. Question
It is also important to ask, “What does this say to you? When the person has finished reading the verse. This principle comes from Luke 10:25-26: “On one occasion and expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher, he asked, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law? He replied. “How to you read it?”
Stay out of God’s way and watch Him work. Your responsibility is to listen. Your only responses should be something like, “Umm,” or “Uh huh.”
Remember:
- The nonbeliever will be doing the reading out loud.
- The nonbeliever will be doing the talking. Listen in a way that he or she will want to talk.
- The Holy Spirit will be doing the convincing.
- God’s Word will bring conviction.
Prepare your New Testament
Mark your New Testament so you can help someone read the verses and come to know Jesus Christ through God’s Word. Notice, you do not have to memorize anything. You prepare yourself ahead of time by marking your New Testament. It is best if you will use a New Testament without any other markings in it that might distract the other person from reading the Scriptures that lead to salvation.
Suggestions on how to approach someone on the street
When you approach some one on the street make sure that you DON’T choose someone who is obviously in a hurry. A good encounter can take up to twenty minutes of their time. A normal encounter will take about five minutes. Some encounters only take one minute but don’t choose someone who is really busy or pre occupied with something else. Also you can ask the first question in several different ways. First introduce yourself and then use any of the following questions. “Has anyone ever shown you what the Bible says about how we can go to heaven when we die?’ “Hi, I am with the National Bible Reading Campaign and we are out encouraging people to read their Bibles today”; “Can I ask you five questions?”.
I normally tell them that the “first three” questions are for their mind. Then I will ask “one more” about their heart and finally the “last and most important” question will be about their soul! There simply is NO one method of doing evangelism that is so much better then another. I have chosen this method because it is non-offensive, trusts that the Word of God will win out in the end, and allows us to establish ourselves quickly and enter into a life changing conversation. I also PROMISE them that I am not trying to change their religion because religion does not get them into heaven, only Christ can do that. I DO tell them I am guilty of trying to change the location of their eternal stay.
I also say that there are some rules to this that I will try and follow. I tell them “First, of all when I begin I can only ask the questions, I will listen to your answers and when you are finished, I will then ask the next question. It only takes about five minutes at the longest.”
Set up your Bible in advance
You don’t have to memorize all these scripture references. The best way to do this and be ready is to write the first reference which is Romans 3:23 on the inside front cover of your New Testament. Then when you turn to Romans 3:23 you only need to write Romans 6:23 on that page, which would be John 3:3 and so on. Remember to put the alternate verses of Eph 2:8-10 and 1 John 3:4-10 in there also.
Step One
Use questions that determine where God is working.
1. Do you have any kind of spiritual beliefs?
Alternate: Are you Orthodox?
2. To you, who is Jesus?
3. Do you believe there is a heaven and hell?
Alternate: Do you believe heaven and hell are a place people can go when they die?
4. If you died right now, where would you go? If heaven why?
What to listen for: Works, through prayer ect..
Ask them to repeat this and make sure to get the answer WORKS or through works for the second part of the questioning to be more effective.
5. Would you want to learn what the Bible says about all these important questions?
Alternate: If you were wrong would you want to know what the Bible says about these things?
Alternate: I know you probably took religion classes in school would you like to learn how the Bible answers all these questions?
If the answer to the last question is “Yes”, then open your Bible and proceed to Step Two.
If the answer to the last question is “No”, do nothing but thank them for their time.
Step Two
Let the Bible speak. Ask the person to read the verse out loud. Then ask, “What does this say to you?”
Listen to the person as they try to understand the passage and explain It to you.
(0f course there are time when it is just easier to read the verse to them and some time they just don’t know how to read. Try and be patient with those who don’t know how to read… do on to others as you would have them do on to you.)
1. Romans 3:23- “All have sinned.”
2. Romans 6:23-“The wages of sin is death.”
3. John 3:3- You must be born again? Do you ever remember a time in your life when you knew that you had been completely forgiven of all your sins and you began a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?
Go to 1 John 3:4-10 and have them see what the Bible says about repentance
A simple question like… “when did your life change” will move them closer to understanding the Born Again experience.
4. John 14:6 “I am the way the truth and the life”
Go to Eph 2:8-10 Point out that it says not through works.
Go back to John 14:6 “Point out that it says through Christ”
5. Romans 10:9-11 “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart”
Did you know that under the Roman Caesar a person would be killed for saying this. Why was this not a problem for someone who believed Jesus rose from the dead?
6. 2 Corinthians 5:15 “No longer live for themselves.” (When did your life change?)
7. Revelation 3:20 “I stand at the door and knock.”
8. Acts 17:26-34 “What three groups do you see here in this verse?”
(Ask them what group they are in…some times on the street you have people who are in a group who are laughing at you, this is your chance to show them that people laughed at Paul!)
- V32 Some laughed
- V32 Some said another time they would want to hear more
- V34 Some became followers of Paul and believed.
If they say that they are in the third group politely tell them that during the first part of the discussion they said that they had never been “Born Again” and didn’t know what that even meant. Ask them if they ‘believe” in Jesus or do they actually “follow” Jesus? Politely remind them that even the devil believes…!
IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS
We now try to move to the “teach one lesson” step by offering to do a Bible Study with them in their home or a neutral location. Do not push! If the Holy Spirit is working and He is….then just Trust that He will convict them of their need for Salvation. Remember no man can come to Jesus unless the Father who sent Jesus draws him (John 6:44). It is now time to really try and get to the next goal. We want to be in their home doing Bible Studies with them. After that we see them joining a group and then possibly becoming a leader. This is what makes our plan work….we are extremely patient as we push for the next step.
If you push them on this they will give you their number and even their address…just to get rid of you. I do the opposite; I tell them that this requires a lot of time and effort on are part and actually would be better if they just told the truth. I then say if you not that interested then let me give you my number in case you ever change your mind.
Part Three
If you have “no resistance” what so ever and you feel that you will answer to God for not taking the person through the sinners prayer then I recommend the following questions. (Having them repeat a prayer is NOT salvation.)
1. Are you a sinner?
2. Do you want forgiveness for your sins?
3. Do you believe Jesus died on the cross for you and rose again?
4. Are you willing to surrender your life to Christ? (if they said no to a Bible Study before then now is a good time to ask them again….if they say no then we have a problem!) Lk 14:25-35
5. Are you ready to invite Jesus into your heart and into your life?
I just say that they must convince God that they want to be saved! Millions have prayed a prayer like this and been saved but there simply is NO formula for salvation. You must enter into a “personal relationship” with Jesus before you die. In order to do that you must be Born Again meaning God sent the Holy Spirit to you. You can not be “born again” if you don’t believe God is the judge of your sins. God is offering you ONLY one way back to Himself and that is through Christ, not through your good works, and this is because He LOVES you. Will you lay down your life and follow Jesus? Saying a prayer like this will work if it comes from your sincere desire to know Jesus and be forgiven of your sins. Repeating a prayer someone else prays does not save you! If the person whom you are praying with only prays to get rid of “the pushy, impatient, arrogant, and Biblically ignorant, evangelist” ….this is not salvation. They should also be interested in Bible Study if they were just saved don’t you think? We are trying to win a friend (John 14:15) not just a convert so we can brag about it. (Galatians 6:13)
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I have sinned against You. I want forgiveness for all my sins. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for me and rose again. Father, I give You my life to do with as You wish. I want Jesus Christ to come into my life and into my heart. This I ask in Jesus’ name. I know that I can no longer live to please myself and I truly ask you to help me turn from my sins and return to you- “my heavenly Father- the Creator of heaven and earth”. Thank you for saving me and giving me the eternal life which begins by receiving your forgiveness through the death of my Savior and now living in the power of your resurrected Son, my Lord. Your Word says that have promised eternal life to anybody who turns from their sins and follows Christ.
This is not salvation unless the Holy Spirit is sent from God to bring them Grace. If they continue in deliberate unbroken sin then there is no possibility of this being a salvation experience. (1 John 3:4-10) Only time will tell so don’t be in such a hurry to confess that they have been saved…LET THEM DO IT! Time will tell if they truly have been born again. Be patient!
Hebrews 10:26-29 “Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received a full knowledge of the truth, there is no other sacrifice that will cover these sins. There will be nothing to look forward to but the terrible expectation of God’s judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies. Anyone who refused to obey the Law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Think how much more terrible the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God and have treated the blood of the covenant as if it were common and unholy. Such people have insulted and enraged the Holy Spirit who brings God’s mercy to his people.”
Anybody who understands the Holiness of God would not want to insult Him!
Read and Discuss the following passages of Scripture
Matthew 22:1-14 (Wedding Supper) Concentrate on verse 10!
Acts 8:26-39 (Story of Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch) Look at verse 31!
Acts 10:1-43 (Peter and Cornelius) Was God pleased with this man? Vs. 4
How do you as a member of the National Bible Reading Campaign fit into God’s plan according to these passages? Give a specific example for each verse.
National Bible Reading Campaign
It is important to realize you represent the work of the National Bible Reading Campaign. We make a “promise” to the people we talk to that we are not trying to “change” their religion. There is absolutely no reason what so ever for arguing with someone or even asking them “why don’t you go to church?” Each step of the Campaign has a next step, that is what makes it work and also why it takes a great deal of time. Please be very patient with the people that you talk to and hopefully they will see the Love of Jesus when you are talking with them and not a “self righteous” follower of Moses. (Luke 8:36-50)
2 Timothy 2:23-26 This Passage is our real guide here, “Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights, The Lord’s servants must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone. They must be able to teach effectively and be patient with difficult people. They should gently teach those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will believe the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape from the Devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.”
Remember in this step we are talking to lost people not just talking about them!
What are we to avoid doing the following things:
- Avoid arguing with ignorant people T/F
- Don’t start fights T/F
- Avoid quarreling T/F
- Be patient with difficult people T/F
- Gently teach the truth T/F
- Wait for God to change their hearts T/F
The Truth Hurts
For an entire summer we went and approached people in the street with the Gospel this way. Almost all would allow us to ask the five questions. Almost no one let us in their apartments to do lessons. Don’t get discouraged, the harvest will come. You are just being obedient at this time. You are doing exactly what the Bible says to do regardless of results we are going to be blessed for our efforts. If anybody new rejection it was Christ! Please remember how the religious people treated Him. The sinners were His friends…
