INFLUENCE PEOPLE THROUGH SHARING FAITH STORIES- PART 2

What a great story we read a few weeks ago in John 4. Remember the Samaritan woman at the well whom Jesus went out of his way to meet? He knew of her five failed marriages and her live-in boyfriend, but he didn't condemn her. Instead Jesus offered her living water- just what she was thirsting for. "Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ? They came out of the town and made their way toward him." I love the impact that her simple story and question had on her townspeople. "Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, He told me everything I ever did."

You too have a story of salvation that can influence people. Are you sharing it with others? People can debate your beliefs, but they are unable to argue against your own story of what Christ has done for you. So share your story as often as possible. You don't have to become well versed in the Bible before sharing. The Samaritan woman certainly wasn't. Just share! What an amazing impact her sharing had on so many people. But don't stop there. Encourage them to read the words of Jesus, such as in the gospel of John. It was the words of Jesus that drew even more of those Samaritans to the Savior. 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." So invite your unsaved friends to read the gospel of John for themselves. Here again is the link to a great online version of the John's gospel- http://www.livingwater.org/booklet/index.html

1. Please watch the following mini-movie and pass it on if you think it would help people you're seeking to reach.  

                                          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHiZ3KPxD-Q

2. Please call this week and quote to me the books of the New Testament, if you haven't done so yet. You can do it! (c.773-742-2694)

3. Read pages 40-50 of Lifelines and share one thing you liked from it.

Announcements & Reminders

So if someone challenges you and says, "Give me 5 solid reasons why faith in Christ is credible" you'll be ready to give them such by the time we're done with our next meeting- this Sunday, June 8th at 11:30. See you there!

Starting June 1st, we began reading through the book of Acts (Perhaps a more accurate title for it would be- "The Acts of the Holy Spirit though the apostles and other believers as they went out sharing their faith and building up the church." Okay, so it's a bit too long of a title, but you get the better idea of what the book is all about :) Keep in mind that the book of Acts is descriptive not prescriptive. In other words, it describes what happened right after Jesus went back into heaven. It describes amazing and even miraculous events, including Philip being teleported to a different place. Luke the doctor is not perscribing these miraculous experiences as the normal expectations for every believer. We are to go and make disciples, depending on His Holy Spirit whom we each received at salvation (Eph.1:13-14; 1 Cor.12:13), not to wait in Jerusalem seeking a miracle. Seeing lives transformed by the gospel are the miracles we seek. May the Lord use us to continue to spread His word and strengthen His saints.

Best of blessings!

INFLUENCE PEOPLE BY SHARING FAITH STORIES

Stories can greatly influence people. Notice how many stories or parables Jesus told. He was the master story teller. Everyone enjoys hearing a good story and you have a great one to share. It's your salvation story. How did you come to new life in Christ? The following will help you for the rest of your life share your story-

1. Please read the following link-  http://christianity.about.com/od/testimonies/a/howtotestimony.htm
Now write out the main points you want to include in your story. 
What were the key descriptive words for how you were feeling before you came to new life in Christ? 
Where were you when you came to new life in Christ?
What are some of the changes God has made in your life since then?
Please share those key words or descriptive phrases to the 3 questions above. 

Speaking of great faith stories, don't you love the story we read in John 9 of the man born blind? He told us what he was- he was blind. Then he told us what happened to him- he met Jesus and by faith did what He told him to do. Finally, he told us what happened as a result of trusting Jesus- he now could see. (Amazing Grace! I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see.)

2. Please look over a few of the many video salvation testimonies that the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) has recorded. Then send me one that you think would be very good to pass on to unsaved friends. You'll be helping me out on a project I'm working on for us too. Please also send it to one of your unsaved friends as well. Continue praying that God will open their hearts.
http://www.cbn.com/700club/features/Amazing/#salvation

Recognize that you have other faith stories to share. These are stories of how God has helped you since your salvation. We often share these excitedly with our Christian friends. But don't forget that these can also influence your unsaved friends as well. Sometimes we hinder our own impact by believing that it won't impact others. But such stories we share are like seeds we scatter. You never know what will later grow up as a result. So sow! 

3. Please read pages 31-39 in Lifelines and share briefly one sentence that you found helpful as you seek to influence others toward following Christ.

Announcements & Reminders

Starting June 1st, we will begin reading through the action packed book of Acts! The key verse of the book is Acts 1:8. Have you ever noticed the connection between the way Luke began his gospel and the way he begins the book of Acts which he also wrote? Check it out. Also look at how Luke ends and Acts begins.

We're moving! Instead of meeting on the first Sunday of the month, we will be meeting on the second Sunday of the month to avoid any conflicts with baptisms. So we'll have our next NGL Leadership training meeting on Sunday, June 8th at 11:30. 

Congrats to those who have already called and quoted to me the books of the New Testament in order. To those still working on such, try reviewing them daily. You'll get it. Then call me. C.773-742-2694

Just to bless you, here's a testimony/praise song that my wife has been listening to and now I really like it as well. (See how my wife even unintentionally influenced me?! Your love for Christ unveiled makes an impact.) 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJPw7ePEEvw

PS- If you have a favorite song that you want to pass on, that would be great! Thanks

Use Questions to Influence

By asking thought provoking questions you can greatly influence people. (Ah, there's that leadership word, "influence" again.) Here's a great question my dad, whom I greatly admired, would ask me- "Wha cha been learning?" It sure beats, "How ya doin'?"

"What have you been reading or learning?" That's a question I often ask others. (It will get you talking about significant things quickly.) And then I learn so much by listening to their response. If they then ask you what you've been learning, you've got gold to share with them. By the way, I am so enriched by reading your responses from what you're learning via this blog. Thank you! 

"So what have you been learning lately, Dave?" 

That's so nice of you to ask! I have been learning and so enjoying digging into John's gospel of belief ("believe" is used 98 times). For example, it struck me that the people who are the examples of "belief" to follow in the gospel are...well, let me first set the stage for revealing that discovery. As we know from last week, John recorded 7 miraculous signs to point people to put their faith in Christ (see John 20:30-31). But what is surprising is that after Jesus performed a miracle, often the crowd was divided with many who opposed him. For example, when Jesus healed the invalid by the pool on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders sought to kill him (5:16-18). When Jesus fed the 5,000, they followed him only to get more free food, but abandoned him when Jesus challenged them to truly believe in Him (6:26,36,40-42,58-66). When Jesus restored the sight of the man born blind, the religious leaders greatly denounced him, calling him a sinner, demon possessed and raving mad (9:22-24; 10:19-20). And after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, the leaders were so frustrated and furious that they made plans to kill Lazarus as well! (12:10-11). Tragically, the Jewish leaders and many of the people hardened their hearts in the face of Jesus' miracles.   

So who was a hero or an example of this saving faith that believes and follows Jesus as Savior? Well, it wasn't the religious leader Nicodemus, at least at first. The miracles only led him to believe that Jesus was a teacher sent from God (3:2). This is as far as many of the people got in their faith in Jesus. But Jesus knew the true condition of such people's hearts (2:23-25), so he declared to Nicodemus, "You must be born again" (3:1-16). John's gospel calls people to a born again, saving faith, not to a superficial faith. So many people today say they believe in Jesus, but they don't follow him. Saving faith follows Jesus. Jesus said, "whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (8:12). Saving faith is a following faith. 

Certainly Thomas was a true believer, but even he was not an example to follow. He didn't believe even after the other disciples told him they had seen their risen Lord. Only when Jesus appeared to Thomas did he believe and declare, "My Lord and my God!" Remember what Jesus then said to Thomas? "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and believed" 20:29. By the way, this is a blessing that is also upon you, for you believed without having to see the Messiah and His miracles. This is what God wants for us- to walk by faith, not by sight- to trust His word, not to demand miracles, as the skeptical Jews did (see John 2:18; 6:30; 1 Cor.22). 

So were there any people who put their saving faith in Jesus as Savior without seeing any miracles? Yes! Who were these heroes in John's gospel? The examples of such saving faith are, of all things (drum roll, please), the Samaritans! What? Yes! After Jesus talked with the Samaritan woman at the well, many of the townspeople spent time with Jesus and believed in him. They said, "we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world" 4:42. How excellent! They heard the gospel and truly believed that Jesus was their Savior- even the Savior of the world. He so loves the world! Wow! 

Here's a great life lesson from this. The most powerful thing to get your unsaved friend to see, is not a miracle of Jesus, but the gospel of Jesus- to hear it or read it for themselves. It is the gospel that has the power to prompt salvation and transformation, not miracles (Luke 16:31). I know it can add up to a lot of money to be buying lots of the gospel of John booklets to give away, so very soon I'm going to give you as many as you wish to give away (de nada.) What a great influence you will have by simply passing these along!

1. Last week you noted the 7 miraculous signs recorded in John. Now let's note the 7 "I am" statements that Jesus declares about Himself. Please underline these in your Bible.

I am the bread of life- 6:15,48,51

I am the light of the world- 8:12; 9:5

I am the gate- 10:7,9

I am the good shepherd- 10:11,14

I am the resurrection and the life- 11:25

I am the way, the truth and the life 14:6

I am the true vine- 15:1

2. Which of these statements that you underlined, do you like best? Please write and tell me why. 

3. As of Sunday, May 18th, we were reading John 8. Please share something that struck you from your daily chapter readings so far.

3. Please read in Lifelines, pages 21-30 and share briefly something you liked.   

Thanks again for how you're enriching me, but don't neglect to enrich others with the gold you've dug up. Express your leadership/influence by sharing with others also. Way to go!

Surprise! I'd like to give you that unlimited supply of gospels of John now so that you can start giving them away to people. How could I be so generous? I found an excellent online version of such :) Check it out at- http://www.livingwater.org/booklet/index.html

Please start by giving at least one away to your wealth partner or another Christian friend. 

Announcements & Reminders

How ya doin' on memorizing the books of the New Testament? Use last week's bookshelf to help and call me when you've got it down- c.773-742-2694

Keep praying for your unsaved friend(s). If you think they would be open to receiving an e-gift of a gospel of John, great! If not, please seek to email them something for starters. I like starting with something to make people laugh, such as the following.  Have a laugh!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBvysuewIOs

Know and Use the Most Influential Book in the World!

You guessed it, its the gospel of John. Surely, more people have come to Christ through this book of Scripture than any other. And may God use it and you to draw your unsaved friends to Christ. Few Bible authors tell us why they wrote their books, but John does. Look up John 20:30-31 and discover why.
John specially selected 7 miraculous signs that he places throughout his gospel that are intended to stimulate faith that Jesus is truly the Christ (the promised anointed King), the Son of God (God the Son), and that by believing in Him, your friends might receive new life in his name.

Imagine an unsaved friend of yours is willing to read through the gospel of John. It would be very good to know the book well to begin with, wouldn't it? So what are those 7 miraculous signs John records? Let's look at them and their significance. (I'm including the significance of each of these 7 signs from the late Dr. Adrian Rogers, one of my all time favorite Bible teachers.)

Jesus turns water into wine- 2:1-11. Jesus is God's joy for your disappointments.
Jesus heals a nobleman's son- 4:43-54. Jesus is God's assurance for your doubts.
Jesus heals the invalid man-  5:1-9. Jesus is God's strength for your disabilities.
Jesus feeds the 5,000- 6:1-15.  Jesus is God's satisfaction for your desire.
Jesus calms the storm- 6:16-21. Jesus is God''s peace for your despair.
Jesus gives sight to the man born blind- 9:1-41. Jesus is God's light for your darkness.
Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead- 11:1-45. Jesus is God's life for your death.

Do you have a study Bible that you can write in? If so, please use it also as a wealth catcher. You might want to copy the significant statements Dr. Rogers made after each miracle in your Bible at the appropriate place. The more you do so, the more enriching your Bible will be to you. If my house caught on fire, my study Bible would be the one earthly treasure I would seek to take with me.
Signs point to something don't they? These 7 signs all point us to Jesus and to put our faith in him no matter what happens to us. 

John's gospel also records the swirl of debate among the people as to who they believed Jesus to be. Some even believed he was demon possessed and raving mad (8:52; 10:19). Ultimately, the authorities had him crucified because they claimed he was blaspheming, since he claimed to be the Son of God (19:7 aka God-10:33). John let's us know his conclusion regarding Jesus from the very beginning. 

Please post your comments regarding the following- 

1. If someone was asking you about Jesus, what would John 1:1,14 reveal to them? (short answers)
2. If they wondered about the big bang and evolution, what would John 1:3 reveal to them? (short answers)
3. Those who were the closest to Jesus, declared who they believed him to be. Please circle in your Bible all the names given to Jesus in chapter 1. Please share one of your favorite ones with me.
4. Do you have a study Bible? (really short answer:)
5. Please read pages 11-20 from Lifelines and share briefly something that you would like to share with a friend from it. What an enriching leader/influencer you are in doing so. Keep praying and sowing good seeds in your unsaved friend. Faith comes by hearing the message of Christ.


Now here are some things to enrich your reading through John.
Keep your eyes open for special  terms that are frequently used. "God" (used 82 times) so loved the "world" (79 times) that He gave His One and only "Son" (43 times) that whoever "believes" (98 times) might not perish, but have eternal "life" (36 times). Notice also how Jesus repeatedly claims that He was "sent" (55 times) by His "Father" (134 times). He came to "witness" (54 times) to the "truth" (38 times) and revealed His "glory" (42 times).

Notice also the contrasts John uses between such things as light/darkness, life/death, truth/lie, flesh/spirit, sight/blindness, from above/from below.

Keep in mind that not all of the people called his "disciples" (followers) were true believers. Some in the crowd just followed Jesus for the food- see John 6:26,60-66. 

Though even Jesus and all the apostles were Jews, John uses the word, "Jews" (71 times) most of the time to refer to the opponents of Jesus, though not every time. So let the surrounding words and verses help you understand to whom he is referring- curious followers or critics. Both were often within the same crowd- see 10:19-21; 11:36-37; 7:40-43; 8:30-59.  

Reminders and Announcements
As you know we began reading a chapter a day through this great gospel of John on Sunday, May 11th. If you were asking an unsaved friend or new believer to read through John, suggest that they underline things they like and put question marks beside things they have questions about. Then you will have much to share when you meet together. By the way, after they finish reading through John, I would encourage them to keep reading through the rest of the New Testament. Make reading and sharing the word of God be the meat of your mentoring. 

Enjoy our amazing attribute of the month- God's grace! Did you notice how Jesus is described in John 1:14,17?

Here's help in memorizing the books of the New Testament. Most people do fine with the gospels and Acts, but then things get fuzzy when many of us get to the second level of the bookshelf. Those on the second shelf were all written by Paul to churches and pastors.

Notice that Romans, the first "book" of these church letters, is the biggest (16 chapters long) and was addressed to the Christians in the capitol city of the Roman empire. (If a letter was written to Christians in Chicago, I guess it would be called- Chicagoans.) Then Paul wrote to the carnal Christians in Corinth. They were so messed up, he had to write to them a second letter as well :( 
Now we come to four funny named church letters- Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians. These were largely Gentile churches, so we'll remember them by this silly phrase- Gentiles Eat Pork Chops- G.E.P.C. Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians. Get it? 
Then Paul wrote two letters to the Thessalonians and two letters to pastor Timothy. Since those four books all start with T, it's helpful that the next letter is to Titus. Too bad Philemon doesn't start with a T too:( (His funny name is pronounced- Fi' lee mon.)

Now we're already on the bottom bookshelf. Hebrews is also the longest of these General Epistles (letters) written to Hebrew Christians. Then the others are named after who wrote them, rather than to whom they were sent. Interestingly, James and Jude were both half brothers of Jesus. In between their letters, we have two by Peter and three by John. By the way, John the apostle is the same author who wrote the gospel of John and our last book in  the Bible, Revelation. (Yes, it is pronounced, Revelation, not Revelations.) There you have it! With a little bit of looking at this bookshelf and reviewing the names out loud, you'll have it too. Remember, what is expressed is impressed. And repetition is the mother of learning. Call me when you can quote them all without peaking- c.773-742-2694. Best of blessings!

yourstoserve,
dave

DO I QUALIFY FOR LEADERSHIP?

We've been learning a lot about leadership as influence. We've learned that at the heart of influence is love for God and others. Influence is not about a bag of tricks to get people to do what we want. That's manipulation. Godly influence is about helping people become spiritually mature or Christlike. We've learned that we need to be people of Christlike character and caring in our relationships, if we are going to make any kingdom contribution in others lives. So it shouldn't surprise us too much when we see what kind of people God is looking for to lead others. Let's look at a passage from the mentor Paul, to his protege and church planter,Titus. 
1. Read through Titus 1:5-11. You'll notice most all of the qualifications for being an elder (aka a pastor or overseer) are about his character, not his skills, as most job interviewers are looking for. Read also the list given in 1 Timothy 3:1-8. Now pick out one quality from either of these lists and convince me (influence me) why this is such an important quality for a leader to have. 

2. As we prepare all the more to influence people to come to faith in Christ, let's sharpen ourselves in this way. For starters, please review the table of contents of Lifelines so you know what it covers and then read from the beginning through page 10. What is one thing that you liked about what you read? 

3. Who is an unsaved person you will be praying for and seeking to sow good seed into his or her life?

4. Can you quote the books of the New Testament in order?

5. Can you quote the books of the Old Testament in order?

Announcements and Reminders

Congrats to all who have quoted Eph.2:6-10 to me! Ya dun good! You deserve a break to let it all soak in. So rather than jump right in to the M&M of Colossians 3, I'm just going to ask you to memorize the books of the NT in order if you haven't done so already.

Speaking of our M&M in Ephesians, our awesome attribute of the month is God's grace- His favor that we certainly do not deserve. He gives freely to us, though it cost Him dearly. G.R.A.C.E.- God's Riches At Christ's Expense.

I hope you're enjoying the daily feast in God's word. We started reading 2 Timothy on the 3rd. We will begin reading Titus on the 7th, followed by Philemon on the 10th. Then we will begin reading through the great gospel of John of the 11th. Seek to be a stream, not a swamp. Pass on the water of life to others. Don't let it stagnate. Put another way, keep enriching and influencing others. Way to go!

Did you notice a theme in Titus- "good" and "good works"? Those are good words to underline in your Bible. Keep up the good work of studying and sharing.

Please enjoy a very good outreach video that you may want to pass on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGlx11BxF24

How is the Holy Spirit at Work in Your Life?

Ugh! That seems like such an intimidating question. Most certainly the Holy Spirit is at work in your life. But usually His work is subtle, like the way fruit grows. He is the Influencer par excel-lance. He is at work influencing us toward Christlikeness. But how does He do this? Eph. 5:18 tells us one big way He influences us- "Do not get drunk with wine...but be filled with the Spirit." In other words, don't be under the influence of alcohol (distilled spirits), but be under the influence of the Holy Spirit. Don't let alcohol influence your thinking, speaking and acting. Allow the Holy Spirit to be doing that. If we are going to be good influencers of others toward Christlikeness, we need to first allow the Spirit of Christ to influence us. He does this especially through the Spirit inspired Word. To neglect that is to neglect the clear voice of the Spirit. It is to go out into battle without "the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God." Eph.6:17. But rather than tell you what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit, I would like you to share with me. 

1. Please click on the following link to a helpful article that lists a lot of great ministries and accompanying verses regarding the Holy Spirit.  http://carm.org/holy-spirit
After studying it, please pick and type out one verse that you especially like and share why. 

2. The Spirit of Christ wants to work in our lives to also do good works. Please watch the following video and tell me who you influenced by passing it on to- perhaps your wealth partner or others.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BG7Vy6wIA1s

Announcements & Reminders

See you this coming Sunday at 11:30 for our monthly NGL Leadership Training Mtg. Please remember to bring your Bible and wealth catcher.

How ya doin' with our M&M of Eph.2:6-10? Please call me (c.773-742-2694) as soon as you can quote it or quote it to me at our Sunday meeting when it is due.

Hope you enjoyed our focus on the Holy Spirit. I thought that was especially important in light of our theme this month on God's holiness. Though we are far from holy in our daily lives, isn't it so good of God to declare us holy through the death of His Son for us?! And then He even has given us His Holy Spirit to live within us. TYF! Thank You Father!

And TYF for your holy word. We began reading through 1 Timothy on Sunday, April 27th. On Saturday May 3rd, we will begin reading through 2 Timothy, the letter Paul wrote just before he was beheaded. You'll see what was so important and much on Paul's heart.

Christ has risen! So how should we now live?

Enjoy this great, short video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czDiI9W89vw

In Light of Christ's resurrection, isn't it interesting what our M&M (Memorization & Meditation) passage of Ephesians 2:6-10 says?!  Let's use our SOS (Study, Obey, Share) approach to this passage. After reading it over a few times, please post re. the following-

1. Share one golden gem you gleaned from your digging in Eph.2:6-10. 

2. Please enrich me with a verse that captured your attention from our daily readings from either Philippians, Colossians or 1 Thessalonians.

The following are simple Yes or No questions.

3. Have you intentionally sought to influence your wealth partner recently? (You could even send him/her the above youtube video before answering :)

4. Have you ever completed the Blue Book? (This fill-in-the-blanks booklet covers repentance, faith and baptism.)

5. Have you ever taken anyone through the Blue Book?

6. Have you ever completed the Green Book? (It covers 6 healthy habits of growing believers) 

Announcements & Reminders

We started reading 1 Thessalonians on the 19th. What a great, short book!

We will begin reading 2 Thessalonians on the 24th. Both 1st & 2nd Thessalonians mention the end times in nearly every chapter. Hmm, I wonder why?

Keep reviewing Eph.2:6-10 and you'll have it down by our next NGL leadership training meeting- Sunday, May, 4th at 11:30 in the break room. Please call me as soon as you can quote it. (It's far more valuable than the 200 points that goes with quoting it.)

I'm so enjoying your blog posts. Keep up the good work! (100 points if posted by Thursday nights.)

Speaking of our blogs, next week's blog will be on our monthly theme- God's holiness as we focus on the Holy Spirit- our power for living our resurrection life.

Remember what the goal is- spiritual maturity or Christlikeness. We pictured this as a never-ending circle of dependence and devotion to God and a triangle of Christlike character, caring relationships and kingdom contributions. 

From my wealth catcher to yours- "The things you do for yourself are gone when you are gone, but the things you do for others are your legacy."