A GRACEful Pattern For Faith-Sharing

FAITH-SHARING SESSION 5

1. Three evangelism categories:

a. Information transmission – one-way act of communicating spiritual facts,
dogmas, or propositions. Relationship perceived as teacher-to-student.
b. Manipulative monologue – may center around an emotional appeal or a
set of carefully prepared questions to which there are only “yes” answers.
Relationship is that of an unprofessional salesperson and customer. The
goal is “to close the sale.”
c. Non-manipulative dialogue – a two-way process involving honest
interaction. Relationship that of a friend to a fried. The goal is that of
sharing love and faith with the other person.

2. Principals for Faith-Sharing: These 1st 3 principles have to do with our

relationship to God through Jesus Christ and our own faith. They are the
foundational principles that underlie those that follow. They remind us that our
faith-sharing is a response of thanksgiving to God’s grace already given to us.
a. We must be clear regarding our purpose, and faith-sharing must be
grounded in prayer. Our initial responsibility is to love the other person
even as we have been loved of God. The ultimate purpose is that a
relationship of trust will develop which is sufficient to allow the sharing of
faith and the extending of an invitation. Our deepest prayer is that an
opportunity will arise to share faith, to offer Christ, to share the gospel.
Prayer is the beginning point for every attempt at faith-sharing. Our
effectiveness is directly related to the sincerity and intensity of our prayer
life. The spiritual disciplines of Bible study and prayer are indispensable.
b. To do the mission of Christ, one must have the mind of Christ. Christian
witness is a matter of the mind as well as heart, soul, and strength. We
must constantly pray that we might possess the mind of Christ. We don’t
need a “great” mind, but the “right” mind. We should constantly pray that
we might be “emptied” or made vulnerable, in order that we can discern
the mission of Christ or the basic needs of others.
c. God is more interested in our AVAILability than our ability. Our faith and
hope must be grounded in what God, through the power of the Holy Spirit,
can do in spite of our weaknesses. Faith-sharing is not simply what we do,
but something God does through us. IF we make ourselves available, so
does God. We must also be fully open and available to receive the power
of the Holy Spirit. If we make ourselves truly available, God will enable us
to overcome the challenges of limited speaking ability limited courage, and
limited power.

Additional principles:
d. Don’t say ‘you’ – say ‘I’. Don’t tell others what they should believe, tell
them what and what WE believe. When you have a trusting relationship,
the freedom is available to tell the other why we believe and what we
believe – in other words to share our own personal faith story. We all have
 a story to tell and the responsibility to tell it. “I” statements start with: “For
me,” or “In Christ I have” or “With Jesus, I know”…
e. It is better to expose our vulnerability than to pretend invulnerability. To be
vulnerable means that we are capable of being hurt or open to pain. We
open our life to the possibility of sharing another’s pain. It also means
facing up to our own woundedness, our own shortcomings. It requires a
self-emptying of anything that would separate us from the persons with
whom we wish to share the gospel. Our point of contact with people is in
our common humanity. Our attitude and lifestyle should be like Harry
Denman, whose favorite request was, “Pray for Harry Denman, a sinner
saved by God’s grace.”
f. If people volunteer information, we can rest assured that they wish to tell
us more. This principle relates both to “listening” and “making invitational
statements.” If we listen, we will hear the feelings of the person we are
attempting to share faith with. We must decide whether we are willing to
be vulnerable to people, and whether we are willing to share their pain.
Group 1 – Role play – Point 1 – G: Grace. Develop a situation or story of a
person who feels unlovable and needs to hear the transforming good news that
“God’s love is for all.” One person will role-play the seeker, and another the
person who invites her, the seeker, and who offers the good news that God loves
her. After accepting God’s love and grace, role play a closure to that acceptance,
a prayer, an affirmation, etc. The situation could be the story of an adult who was
abused as a child and grew up feeling that she was of no value or worth and not
deserving of being loved by anyone, or any other situation you choose. Use
appropriate scriptures to make your point, and review the guidelines on pages
117 – 119 of the book.

Group 2 – Role play – Point 3 – A: Accepting God’s forgiveness. Develop a story

or situation of a person who needs to hear the transforming good new that there
is no action or anything you can do that God will not forgive and forget. This
person truly believes that God could never love her of forgive her – that her sins
are so bad that nobody could forgive or forget them or love her. One person will
role-play the unforgiven seeker, and another the person who invites her, the
seeker, and who offers the good news that God loves and forgives her. After
accepting God’s love, grace, and forgiveness, role play a closure to that
acceptance, a prayer, an affirmation, etc. Use appropriate scriptures to make
your point, and review the guidelines on pages 117 – 119 of the book.
Alternate scenario: a person ahs accepted God’s love and made a commitment
to Christ, but who needs encouragement to enter the community of faith or to
grow in discipleship (Point 4 – E: Entering into the Reign of God.) This person
may feel that they can do it all on their own.