Week 6 - SHARE (Part 1)
CONNECT
What are you thankful for?
What challenge are you facing?
Have there been any answers to prayer?
Pray for each other.
Last week you were showing Your 3 the compassionate care of Jesus. How has that been going?
Did anything stand out to you from last week’s follow-up Bible readings?
How did your “I will …” statement from last week go?
How did your sharing goal from last week go?
How’s your memory work coming along?
John 15:5 (NIV)
I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
DISCOVER
Let’s start with a review.
Our mission is to Join Jesus in making disciples of those around us by living a Prayer > Care > Share > Dare lifestyle.
JOIN JESUS
Jesus is on a mission to seek and save the lost. Not only does Jesus call us to join Him as His disciples, but He also calls us to join Him as His mission partners. As we join Him in this mission of making and maturing disciples, Jesus has promised to join us.
BEAR FRUIT
This mission is to be the fruit of our relationship with Jesus. Only as we remain in Jesus can we bear the fruit of a Christlike life and the fruit of making and maturing disciples.
LOOK AROUND
Look around you and see that your mission field is ripe for harvest.
PRAYER
Pray for others to encounter Jesus.
CARE
Care for others’ needs.
And now …
SHARE
Share each others’ stories and Jesus’ Story.
We’ll divide SHARE into 2 parts. First, we’ll look at sharing each others’ stories. Then we’ll look at sharing Jesus’ story.
Ask God to speak to you as you read His Word.
In LOOK AROUND, we read the story of the Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well (See John 4). Have someone share the highlights of that story.
John 4:39-42 (NIV)
39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in [Jesus] because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers.
42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”
What stands out to you in this passage?
What does this passage say about God (The Father, His Son Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit)?
What does this passage say about people, including ourselves?
What does this passage say about the life God invites us to live?
Digging Deeper
John 4:39 (NIV)
Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in [Jesus] because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.”
Why did the Samaritan woman’s testimony have such an amazing impact on people of her village?
John 4:40-42 (NIV)
40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers.
42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”
How did the Samaritan woman’s story lead the village to hear Jesus’ Story?
Why is the combination of both our stories and Jesus’ Story important?
Draw Out Their Story
Colossians 4:5-6 (NLT)
5 Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.
The best conversations begin with good questions and continue with even better listening. For example, you could ask:
How are you today? You seem frustrated. Are you okay?
You have a son or a daughter, right? How are they doing? How’s parenting going for you?
Or as we saw last week on CARE, here’s a good question:
How can I pray for you?
You’ll be pleased just how many people will allow you to pray for them and how deeply they’ll appreciate you asking. Listen to their request and then pray right then and there for them.
How do you get others to share their story? Here are some good conversation starters to draw out their stories:
What’s your spiritual background?
What have you embraced from your spiritual background?
What have you rejected?
What do you think of Jesus?
What questions have you used to start spiritual conversations with people?
By asking good questions and being a good listener, you just might find that your good question gets a good question in return like, “What’s YOUR spiritual background?” or “What do YOU think of Jesus?” By listening to others' stories, you earn the right to share your story.
Share Your Story
Watch this video …
Why is this 15 Second Testimony a good way to share your story?
Even though Paul doesn’t keep his testimony to 15 seconds, how does his testimony before King Agrippa in Acts 26 follow the 15 Second Testimony outline?
Acts 26:1-29 (NLT)
1 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You may speak in your defense.”
So Paul, gesturing with his hand, started his defense: 2 “I am fortunate, King Agrippa, that you are the one hearing my defense today against all these accusations made by the Jewish leaders, 3 for I know you are an expert on all Jewish customs and controversies. Now please listen to me patiently!
4 “As the Jewish leaders are well aware, I was given a thorough Jewish training from my earliest childhood among my own people and in Jerusalem. 5 If they would admit it, they know that I have been a member of the Pharisees, the strictest sect of our religion. 6 Now I am on trial because of my hope in the fulfillment of God’s promise made to our ancestors. 7 In fact, that is why the twelve tribes of Israel zealously worship God night and day, and they share the same hope I have. Yet, Your Majesty, they accuse me for having this hope! 8 Why does it seem incredible to any of you that God can raise the dead?
9 “I used to believe that I ought to do everything I could to oppose the very name of Jesus the Nazarene. 10 Indeed, I did just that in Jerusalem. Authorized by the leading priests, I caused many believers there to be sent to prison. And I cast my vote against them when they were condemned to death. 11 Many times I had them punished in the synagogues to get them to curse Jesus. I was so violently opposed to them that I even chased them down in foreign cities.
12 “One day I was on such a mission to Damascus, armed with the authority and commission of the leading priests. 13 About noon, Your Majesty, as I was on the road, a light from heaven brighter than the sun shone down on me and my companions. 14 We all fell down, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is useless for you to fight against my will.’
15 “‘Who are you, lord?’ I asked.
“And the Lord replied, ‘I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. 16 Now get to your feet! For I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant and witness. Tell people that you have seen me, and tell them what I will show you in the future. 17 And I will rescue you from both your own people and the Gentiles. Yes, I am sending you to the Gentiles 18 to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me.’
19 “And so, King Agrippa, I obeyed that vision from heaven. 20 I preached first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that all must repent of their sins and turn to God—and prove they have changed by the good things they do. 21 Some Jews arrested me in the Temple for preaching this, and they tried to kill me. 22 But God has protected me right up to this present time so I can testify to everyone, from the least to the greatest. I teach nothing except what the prophets and Moses said would happen— 23 that the Messiah would suffer and be the first to rise from the dead, and in this way announce God’s light to Jews and Gentiles alike.”
24 Suddenly, Festus shouted, “Paul, you are insane. Too much study has made you crazy!”
25 But Paul replied, “I am not insane, Most Excellent Festus. What I am saying is the sober truth. 26 And King Agrippa knows about these things. I speak boldly, for I am sure these events are all familiar to him, for they were not done in a corner! 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do—”
28 Agrippa interrupted him. “Do you think you can persuade me to become a Christian so quickly?”
29 Paul replied, “Whether quickly or not, I pray to God that both you and everyone here in this audience might become the same as I am, except for these chains.”
Practice Makes Progress
Give it a try.
Take some time to prayerfully fill in the 6 blanks in the graphic. Don’t worry about getting the exact words. Just go with first impressions. You can hone your thoughts later. You can make this your salvation testimony (how you came to Jesus) or your sanctification testimony (how you overcame some difficulty or fear or addiction or weakness through Jesus).
Then have each person share their 15 Second Testimony. Once again, don’t worry about being polished. Just break the sound barrier and share from your heart.
Keep things short and sweet. Try to keep your testimony to 15 of 30 seconds.
Give each other feedback. Keep it positive and constructive.
Keep working on your 15 Second Testimony.
We’ll continue to practice sharing our 15 Second Testimony each week as we work through FRUIT.
Mission Assignment
Look and pray for an opportunity to share your 15 Second Testimony this coming week with Your 3. You could say, “I’ve been working on my testimony, do you mind if I share it with you?” Most people would gladly listen.
Matthew Party
Matthew Parties are an effective way to SHARE your story with those around you. Matthew Parties are named for the party Matthew threw for his tax collector and sinner friends on the evening he met Jesus. Matthew held this party so his friends could meet the Lord in a safe, hospitable setting (Matthew 9:9-13). Matthew Parties give your group an opportunity to invite your friends to a social gathering. That way, unbelievers and spiritual seekers can discover that Christians are “normal” and this networking could lead to further connections, conversations and invitations to other group activities. The sky’s the limit on what a Matthew Party could be. How about hosting a Thanksgiving dinner or going to a football game together or having a karaoke night or organizing a weekend camping trip? (Adapted from The Effective Church Group.)
What Matthew Party could your group organize and whom could you invite?
LIVE
What truth have you discovered from today’s Bible passage(s) and conversation?
What would stop you from believing and obeying this truth?
How will you live out this truth this coming week? Finish this statement: “I will ….”
Who else needs to hear this truth? How could you share it with them?
When will we meet again?
Who will facilitate that meeting?
Pray for God’s help as you seek to follow Jesus this coming week.
FOLLOW-UP READINGS
Here are the Bible passages you are encouraged to read this coming week:
BUDDY SYSTEM
Connect with your buddy this week and ask each other these questions:
How are your readings going?
How’s your “I will …” statement coming along?
How’s your sharing goal coming along?
How can I pray for you?
PRINTABLE PDF
FRUIT - Week 6 printable PDF
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