7. Equipped

God's word, God's Spirit and God's people are all there to help you

See The Lessons

In The Bible Read This
2 Timothy 3, 14-17, Luke 4.18, Hebrews 12, 1-3.

Here Is Your Memory Verse
So we say with confidence, the Lord is my helper,
I will not be afraid, what can man do to me? Hebrews 13.6

Afterwards Talk About This
Now that you know how God plans to support you,
what difference will it make when you talk about Jesus?

Something To Do Before Next Time
Arrange to speak to either a person, a small group,
or a church about Jesus and plan to sow the seeds of God’s word,
look for an opportunity to let God’s Spirit work, and tell them
about worthy people in God’s family past or present.

Written Diploma Work
Write the outline of your message in no more than two sides
of paper and submit it for marking.

Meditate Word By Word On This Verse
1 Corinthians 9, 15-18

Spend a Minute to Change the World
Pray For India - Operation World page 273
900,000,000 Hindu/Muslim peoples
Fast growing minority Christians, many unreached poor, peoples

 

Be sure to teach this lesson to others.

Always pray and prepare well adding your own verses and stories to bring it to life.

We are going to talk about three ways in which God supports you when you talk to people about Jesus either in private or in public. He backs you up by the power of his Word, by the power of his Spirit and by the powerful testimony of his people.

1. The Power Of The Word

The unique nature of God’s Word is that unlike any human word it is ~

Living, Actually Alive, Heb. 4.12, 1 Peter 1.23, Acts 7.38

 

Thoroughly equips you, 2 Tim. 3.16

Accomplishes the task, Isaiah 55.11

It’s like a hammer that cracks, breaks and demolishes rocks, Jer. 23.29

Works in people, 1 Thess. 2.13

It’s the sword that God’s Spirit uses, Eph. 6.17

 

It Is Like A Seed That You Sow.

See Mark 4.13-20

 

Satan snatches some seed away.

Some don’t allow it to take root.

Some allow worries in life to bury it.

But many people who hear the word are like good soil, and the word brings them a 30, 60 or 100 fold harvest. You know that a field is mostly good soil, rocks and weeds are on the edges, so expect many people to grow in truth. Jesus says that the seed grows all by itself, slowly, out of sight, little by little, until harvest time. So a good farmer sows and waits with patience and expectation. Mark 4.26-29

2. The Power Of God’s Spirit

He will back your testimony with powerful signs from God as you pray for the needy people. Signs point out a direction, and in this case they point the way into God’s Kingdom and into his love and care.

What Signs Can We Expect To See?
Quoting Isaiah 61, 1-2, Jesus says in Luke 4.18 that when the gospel is preached to the poor ~

The broken-hearted can be healed.

Prisoners can find freedom.

The blind can begin to see.

The oppressed can be released.

Favour can be still be found with God.

 

One day John the Baptist, who was in prison and discouraged, not seeing God’s power despite preaching the truth, sent to Jesus asking if he was really the Messiah. Jesus said these signs pointed to him ~

 

The sick can be healed.

Evil spirits can be cast out.

The lame can begin to walk.

Lepers and outcasts can be cleansed.

Deaf people can hear for the first time.

People who died can be restored.

(See John 10.41, Luke 7, 20-23)

Christians are seeing these signs today all over the world. Jesus will do the same for you when you pray for people in his name. Then we can add the signs that Jesus promised in Mark 16, 17-20.

Tongues. (One of the gifts of the Spirit)

Protection against dangers.

Signs that confirm the word.

 

What Then Should We Do?

Follow Jesus’ example in Acts 10.38

 

Believe the promise of Jesus for ourselves. (Acts 1.8, John 14.12)

Follow the example of the early church, who preached the Word and moved in the power of God’s Spirit on many occasions. See the stories in Acts.

3. The Testimony Of God’s People

Despite the hypocrisy which unbelievers may accuse the church of, (it’s often true, so you may as well apologise for it), you can point out the indisputable evidence of changed lives, especially your own.

You can also point out the very real love found amongst God’s people, and you can point to the lives of great men and women of God in history and today. You will find that the public respect both a great man of God or a great villain but the lukewarm they dismiss with indifference or mockery.

Mention The Great Christian Reformers,

You can point to the lives of great Christian men like William Wilberforce, who stopped slavery,

Shaftesbury, who struggled for the poor, Dr. Barnardo, who helped orphans,

Booth, who began the Salvation Army,

Bishop Tutu, who fought apartheid.

 

Mention The Great Civilizers,

like missionary explorer Livingstone, Studd, who lived and died for Africa,

Taylor, who lived and died for China,

Carey, who lived and died for India,

Judson, who lived and died for Burma,

Billy Graham, who preaches to millions.

 

Mention The ‘Good Samaritans.’

When it comes to helping the hungry, the thirsty, ragged, sick, homeless, and prisoners, God’s people are always there. All over the world Christians work hard to show God’s love, often for little or no pay.

 

ACET cares for AIDS victims,

Remar, Teen Challenge and Jackie Pullinger fight drugs,

Mother Teresa of Calcutta helps the sick and dying,

The Church in South Africa, Romania, Poland, and Latin America

strongly fights injustice.

Western Christians fight against abortion and other social evils.

Despite failures and falls Christians can hold their head up high under any fair examination, anywhere, and anytime. After nearly two thousand years of vicious attacks and persecutions, the people of God are alive and growing at an unprecedented pace worldwide. With the support of the living word of God, the power of the Spirit of God and the love and passion of the people of God we can expect to keep on growing until Jesus comes back.

 

To Close Pray For The

World's Most Unreached Peoples By Name

 

Taken from the Joshua Project 2000 Unreached Peoples List

at www.ad2000.org these people have no church and as yet

no cell, church or mission has committed themselves

to prayer, adoption or church planting among this people.

 

© Dr Les Norman | School of Christian Leadership, UK
Permission is granted to provide copies at cost price for study purposes

but not for sale or commercial purposes. Freely you have received, so please freely give.

 

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