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Relational Evangelism – Chris Selby – Part 2

You want to help your students share their faith, but how? Chris Selby joins Brian again on this episode to talk about how to equip your students to have conversations with their friends about Jesus!

Q: What did you do to help your students share the gospel with their friends?

A: We worked with the Bloom’s Taxonomy educational tool. Memorization is the first level of learning, so we would spend time memorizing the G.O.S.P.E.L. acronym (God. Our. Sins. Paying. Everyone. Life.) so they could remember it when they needed it. Understanding is the second level of learning, so I taught entire series of sermons each part of the G.O.S.P.E.L. acronym. The more you understand the gospel, the more grateful you are and the more you want to share it. Application is the third level of learning. As a group, we would practice turning everyday conversations into spiritual conversations one-on-one, by using the A.A.A. method (Ask great questions, Admire them, Admit your own need without Jesus). We would also have them immediately text a friend, go door-to-door monthly and attend conferences to reinforce their learning. With practice, switching conversations to spiritual matters gets easier and more comfortable.

Take 5 for the Cause -During our ministry nights we would ask one student to share a story about a gospel conversation that went well and another student to share a story where the conversation went poorly. Students will surround and support those sharing their hard stories, celebrating the courage it took to have a gospel conversation.

Q: What was it like in the first few months you started to see the amount of gospel conversations grow?

A: Unreal, similar to when the church prayed for Peter’s freedom and did not believe it when he showed up at the door (Acts 12). The joy of the students during their updates became normal and every week new kids were attending and accepting Christ.

Q: How specifically do you pray for youth leaders to grab hold of this vision?

A: I beg God to give them a holy discontentment for the way they are doing ministry if it is not the way He wishes. I pray that for myself too. We get comfortable, sidetracked, and in a programming wheel, and many leaders do not know any different. Yet, youth leaders go into ministry because they want to see Jesus change lives

Q: What is the difference between a gospel presentation and a gospel conversation?

A: A presentation comes from the mindset, “I will teach you this whether you want it or not.” A relational gospel conversation comes out of a previously built relationship, which for students usually already exists. We train our students to ask God to break their hearts for their friends’ sin and to give them an opportunity to share the gospel with them, wherever they are. As the Holy Spirit leads they ask good questions to switch the conversation to a spiritual one. If their friend wants to talk about it, they talk about it. If not, they don’t and that’s okay.

Closing Thought:

Youth pastors, help your students reach their friends by pointing out a group, like a sports team or band section, and ask them how many people in that group they think they can share the gospel with by the end of the year.

Youth pastors, be encouraged. You are in ministry for the right reasons. It is hard because you are on the front lines, but if you start using these tools, intercessory prayer and relational evangelism, God will be at work in your ministry. Your job is one of the most important in the world. Keep pressing on.

Resources:

Life in 6 Words App – (G.O.S.P.E.L. acronym) by Dare 2 Share Ministries – Students can have the app open as they walk someone through the gospel.

 

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