Way Of The Master: Lesson 5 Crafting the Message
We have spent four weeks now in this course and have been challenged with a new approach to telling others about our need for Christ’s forgiveness. You probably have had some exciting experiences and numerous times dealing with fear. Fear, however, can be a great motivator. When you feel fear, it is most likely because God wants to speak through you and Satan knows it so he lies to you and puts evil thoughts in your mind. This should force you to pray. You can, and should, pray even while you are witnessing. So, when you feel fear, PRAY and PRAY some more.
To be effective, you do not have to have all the answers but you do need to have a carefully crafted message. When Christ witnessed he did it in four steps. First, he related to those whom He talked. He formed a relationship in just a few moments. Then, he created opportunity to swing to the spiritual. Once talking of spiritual matters, He allowed the Law and the Holy Spirit to convict. Lastly, Christ revealed the gospel to them only after they were convicted.
So, once we have swung to the spiritual, what do we say? The first question is something like, “Would you consider yourself to be a good person?” This is very inoffensive and puts people at ease because we all want to think that we are good and we usually take pride in showing it off.
Then you can follow it up by asking, “Do you think you have kept the Ten Commandments?” Once again, they will be quick to show you. Then you can ask to see if this is the case by taking them through a few of the Commandments. Once they see they have broken the commands of God, you can ask, “If God were to judge you by the Ten Commandments, would you be innocent or guilty?” Followed by, “Would you go to Heaven or Hell?” Then, “Does that concern you?” If they are concerned and the Spirit is working, they are ready for the gospel.
They might try to argue but we must keep them focused. Remember, you will not have all the answers so it is best to not try to answer their questions. Simply allow the Spirit to do His work.