Participants:
Series Code: DPM
Program Code: DPM000032A
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00:04 Now, the O stands for Occupation.
00:09 Now, most people spend 00:10 at least 40 hours a week at work or more. 00:15 And even if they're retired, 00:16 they used to spend 40 hours or more a week at work. 00:20 So you can ask them questions, you know, 00:22 such as, so where do you work? 00:25 Or what do you do for a living? 00:27 You know, well, what did you do before that? 00:29 How did you get into that career 00:31 or that line of work? 00:33 And if it's a young person, you might ask them, 00:36 well, what's your major in college? 00:38 Or what are you looking to do when you grow up? 00:41 They're just simple questions 00:43 that help to facilitate and start conversation. 00:47 Well, let's go to R now. R stands for Recreation. 00:52 Now, this is an important one. You may ask the person. 00:56 So, Susie, what do you do for fun? 01:00 What are some of your hobbies? 01:02 Well, what relieves stress for you? 01:04 What's your favorite vacation spot? 01:07 The reason this is important is think about it. 01:10 When you find out what someone's hobbies are, 01:14 if it turns out they have 01:16 some of the same hobbies as you do, 01:19 it gives you an automatic 01:20 opportunity to spend time together. 01:24 So if someone says to me, 01:25 "Oh, I love to play basketball." 01:27 Boom, that's an open door. 01:29 I can invite them to play basketball with me, 01:32 and we'll be able to spend time together. 01:35 And the truth is, even if they mention some sport 01:39 or hobby that you know nothing about, 01:42 it will still facilitate conversation. 01:44 You know why? 01:45 You don't have to know a thing about their hobby. 01:48 All you do is ask questions. 01:50 Ask them to explain it to you. 01:52 And if it's their hobby, they have a passion for it, 01:55 and they'll be happy to tell you. 01:57 Let me give you an example of this. 01:59 And this is a true story. 02:01 Most of you are familiar with Mark Finley, 02:04 who is a well-known worldwide evangelist. 02:08 He was holding a set of meetings 02:09 at a particular church one day, 02:12 and one of the ladies of the church came up to him 02:15 and asked if he would visit her husband. 02:19 But she told Elder Finley, she told Mark, 02:21 "Now listen, my husband hates preachers." 02:24 And he said, "If the preacher ever comes to his door, 02:26 he's just going to throw him out." 02:28 But I'm asking, will you please just try to visit him? 02:31 Well, Mark wasn't exactly sure what to do. 02:34 So he asked the lady, 02:36 "Well, what is your husband like to do? 02:38 What are some of his hobbies?" 02:40 "Oh, he likes to collect guns. He's a gun collector." 02:45 And Mark thought for a minute and he realized, 02:47 he knows absolutely nothing about guns. 02:51 So what he did is he went to the guy's door, 02:54 knocked on it. 02:55 And when the man answered the door, 02:56 right away he said, "Hi, I'm Mark Finley, 02:59 the Adventist pastor, your wife told me that 03:01 you have a gun collection, would you show it to me?" 03:04 And as soon as he got those words out of his mouth, 03:07 the man's face brightened up right away. 03:09 And he said, "Oh, yeah, sure, come in." 03:12 See before he would have thrown the guy out the door. 03:15 But because Mark is asking about his hobby, 03:18 he literally got an open door. 03:20 So the man brought him in, showed him his gun collection. 03:23 And, of course, Mark didn't know 03:24 one gun from the other. 03:26 So he just asked questions. 03:28 Well, what's the name of this gun? 03:30 What does this one do? 03:31 How is this one different from that one? 03:33 And the man just basically talked forever. 03:36 In fact, he took Mark out back, 03:38 he set up some cans on the fence, 03:40 and he said, "Let's do some shooting practice." 03:43 And so he handed Mark the gun. 03:45 Now, Mark had never fired a gun in his life. 03:47 And so when he aimed towards the can, 03:50 he just prayed a quick prayer and said, 03:51 "Dear God, please let me hit it." 03:53 And so he aimed and he fired, and believe it or not, 03:58 he hit the can and the guy got all excited. 04:01 He said, "Pastor, do it again, do it again." 04:04 And Mark said, "Nope, 04:06 you just get one shot per visit." 04:08 See, the point is, just talking about 04:11 the man's hobby opened a door for Mark 04:14 that normally would not have been opened 04:17 And eventually that man started coming 04:20 to the meetings, 04:22 learning about somebody's recreation 04:24 is very important. 04:27 And then T stands for Testimony or Tidbit. 04:31 This is where we feel that 04:33 it's time to take a little risk, 04:35 where we look for an opportunity 04:37 to throw out a small spiritual tidbit 04:41 to just bring up a religious topic 04:43 or ask a spiritual question 04:46 just to see how the person responds. 04:50 So here's what I want to invite you to do now. 04:52 I want you to go ahead and break up in your groups 04:55 like we did at the last session. 04:57 And I want you to go through 04:58 a role play on FORT with the person. 05:01 Now, you want groups of only two, 05:04 maybe three at the most. 05:05 Let's try to do groups of two. 05:07 And so one person, 05:09 I want you to start asking the other person 05:11 all these questions through FORT. 05:13 Ask them about family, occupation, recreation, etc, 05:17 and let the other person share with you. 05:19 And then I want you to switch roles 05:21 and do it the other way. 05:22 This will give you a little practice 05:24 in an easier situation. 05:27 And you may find out, you might learn something 05:29 about the other person that you never knew before. 05:32 So let's take about maybe five to ten minutes, 05:36 and let's go through this role play. 05:37 So pause the video and break up into your groups. 05:42 Now, of course, 05:44 this was an artificial situation. 05:45 We both know it wasn't real, 05:47 but it just gives you a little practice on 05:49 how this might work in real life, 05:52 and I can assure you, when I have visited people, 05:55 whether as a pastor or an evangelist 05:57 or just out in daily life, I have used for many times 06:01 when I just could not think of what to say, 06:04 and it got a conversation started. 06:07 Well, let's talk more about 06:09 how we throw out a spiritual seed. 06:13 How do we look for opportunities 06:16 where we can bring up a spiritual topic 06:18 into a conversation that doesn't offend people? 06:23 How do we know when the door is open? 06:26 Let me share with you an illustration of this 06:28 so you can see how it works. 06:32 When I was a pastor in Pennsylvania, 06:35 I went to a particular gentleman 06:37 to get my haircut every few weeks. 06:41 And this was an older man 06:42 and he just had a one chair shop. 06:45 So basically, you were the only one in there, 06:47 you had a captive audience. 06:49 Now, his name was Bob. Now, Bob loved to talk. 06:54 And he would always be sharing about, 06:56 oh, how terrible the world is. 06:58 What's wrong with these crazy people? 06:59 Why are the politicians dishonest? 07:01 What's going on in this world? 07:03 You know, he would just share 07:05 his opinion on many different things. 07:07 And so one day I decided to take a risk 07:10 and just throw out something spiritual, 07:13 you know, not something offensive, 07:14 or shocking, or overwhelming, 07:16 but just throw it out and see how he responds, 07:19 see if there is an open door. 07:22 So while he was talking about 07:23 how society 07:25 and how this world is going to pot, 07:27 I just said something like this. 07:30 "Well, Bob, I understand what you're saying, you know, 07:32 the Bible tells me the things like 07:33 this would happen near the end of time," 07:36 and I just left it there. 07:38 And I waited to see what Bob would do. 07:41 Now, if Bob responded to that and said, 07:43 "Well, what does the Bible say about the end of time?" 07:46 That gives me an open door to share something. 07:50 Now, if he just skips over 07:51 what I said and starts talking about, 07:53 "Hey, how about those Pittsburgh Steelers, 07:56 how are they doing?" 07:57 Well, then I know the door's closed 07:59 for that moment and Bob's not ready to talk. 08:02 Now, that doesn't mean the door is closed forever. 08:05 The door is just closed at that moment. 08:07 I have to spend more time 08:08 developing a relationship with him, 08:11 because before people 08:12 will talk about religious things, 08:14 they have to feel comfortable with you. 08:16 You've got to earn that right through friendship. 08:20 So I need to focus 08:21 a little bit more on the relationship. 08:23 So here's what I want you to do. 08:25 I'm going to give you some practice 08:26 in three different situations. 08:29 We're going to talk about tidbits in conversation. 08:32 I want you to get in your groups 08:34 and you can put about three, 08:36 or four, or five in these groups. 08:39 I want you to pretend that you are walking with a friend 08:43 and you see a beautiful sunset in the distance. 08:47 What is something you can say that 08:49 throws out a spiritual seed that's not offensive? 08:53 Just throwing something out to see 08:55 if it starts a spiritual conversation. 08:58 I want you to discuss this 09:00 for about two or three minutes in your group, 09:02 so pause the video, and you can start meeting 09:05 in your groups now. 09:08 All right, let's get back together again. 09:10 Now if I was there with you live, 09:12 I would ask each group some of the things that 09:14 they came up with, and you probably came up 09:17 with some really neat things you could say. 09:19 Now, I've just put some examples on the screen 09:21 that others have said. 09:23 Someone might say, "Oh, I love sunsets. 09:27 It reminds me that God still loves this old world." 09:31 Now, you could throw that out 09:32 and the person is not likely to get offended by that. 09:36 Another person may say, "Oh, God is a great artist. 09:39 Isn't He? 09:41 Or God sure can make some beautiful things." 09:45 See, it's throwing out something spiritual, 09:48 but not something too difficult or too overwhelming. 09:51 You're just looking to see 09:53 if the door will open for a spiritual conversation. 09:57 It is taking a bit of a risk. 09:59 But since you have already spent time 10:00 with this person and they are your friend, 10:04 they're not likely to get upset about it. 10:07 Now, you don't want to go too far, you know, 10:09 you're not going to want to say something like, 10:12 "Oh, the red hues of that sunset remind me 10:15 of the fifth trumpet of Revelation 10:17 when the blood rises to 200 stadia at the end of time. 10:21 Now, of course, I'm just being facetious 10:23 and outrageous there, but you get the point. 10:26 You want to pick something small, easy, 10:29 and not offensive. 10:31 You ready to try this again? 10:34 Let's put up another hypothetical situation 10:36 on the screen. 10:38 I want you to get back in your groups 10:40 and I want you to pretend 10:42 you are in the car with a friend. 10:45 And you hear another story about more bombings in Iraq 10:49 or some other part of the Middle East. 10:52 What is something you could say that 10:54 throws out a small spiritual seed, 10:57 maybe a statement you could make just to see 11:01 if the person responds? 11:03 So go ahead and get back 11:04 in your same groups and discuss this 11:07 for about three or four minutes. 11:09 So go ahead and pause the video right now. 11:13 All right, as you've come back together, 11:16 I'd be interested in knowing what you said. 11:18 I'm sure your group came up with some awesome things. 11:22 Now, others have said things like this. 11:25 Well, the world is just getting so crazy, 11:27 it must make God weep. 11:30 It would be interesting to see 11:32 how the person might respond to that. 11:34 Another person might say, 11:36 "I'm sure looking forward to a better world, 11:39 or I'm glad there won't be any of that stuff in heaven." 11:44 Now, it's throwing out something spiritual, 11:47 that's not likely to be offensive 11:49 and it may start a conversation and then again, it may not. 11:54 In fact, you probably said 11:55 some of these things in your group. 11:59 Let's do one more. 12:00 Now, this one we'll do together, 12:01 we won't break up into groups for this one. 12:04 I want you to pretend 12:05 that a co-worker has just told you that 12:08 there is a friend or relative in the hospital, 12:11 and they are worried about them. 12:13 What is something you could say that 12:16 throws out a spiritual seed 12:19 to try to start a spiritual conversation? 12:23 Well, there's a number of things you could do. 12:25 In fact, right now, 12:27 there's probably some ideas going through your mind. 12:30 What some other groups have said 12:32 is the person could say, 12:34 "Well, what's your relative's name? 12:36 I'll pray for him or her. 12:39 That's throwing out a spiritual seed. 12:41 Is it okay if I put his or her name 12:44 on my church's prayer list? 12:47 What about... 12:48 Would your relative mind 12:50 if I stopped by and had prayer with him or her? 12:53 Now, of course, you would have to judge 12:55 whether that's appropriate 12:56 because you probably don't know that person 12:59 and it might make them uncomfortable. 13:01 But the truth is, who says the only people 13:04 we can visit in the hospital are church members? 13:08 Why not our neighbors? 13:09 Why not our friends at school if they're in the hospital? 13:12 Why not visit a stranger? 13:14 Most people are readily willing to accept prayer for healing 13:18 when they're in the hospital. 13:20 In fact, I can honestly tell you, 13:22 in my 16-17 years as a minister, 13:26 no one has ever rejected prayer for me 13:31 when they were in the hospital. 13:32 I have never had someone say, 13:34 "Oh, no, please don't pray for my healing. 13:35 That's not necessary." Never had that happen. 13:39 Now, it may happen at some point, 13:40 but I highly doubt it. 13:42 People are open when they're in the hospital. 13:45 So these are just different things 13:47 you can say to start a spiritual conversation. 13:50 In fact, you might even ask, 13:52 is there anything that I can do to help? 13:56 And then as you pray for this person, 13:58 you know a couple days later, 13:59 go back to your friend and say, hey, how is Uncle Bob doing? 14:02 Or how is your brother doing? 14:04 They will be amazed that you actually remembered. 14:10 Now, let's take this a step farther. 14:13 Let's talk about how to use literature 14:16 when it comes to spiritual conversations. 14:19 Have you ever found yourself in a conversation 14:22 with someone that you weren't expecting? 14:25 And you wish that you had 14:27 some piece of literature to give them? 14:31 Now, it's okay when it's someone 14:32 you see on a regular basis 14:34 because you can always go back and give it to them. 14:37 But sometimes God brings us these onetime opportunities 14:40 and we never see the person again, 14:42 and we wish we had literature. 14:44 I remember once 14:46 when I was traveling to Albuquerque, New Mexico. 14:49 And when I landed in the airport, 14:51 I had to get my rental car because I was going 14:54 somewhere to teach this very seminar. 14:57 So when I went to the car rental counter, 15:00 the person took me out to the parking lot. 15:03 And you know how they do if you've ever traveled. 15:05 You know, they walk around the car with you 15:07 and you're supposed to identify 15:08 is there any scratches or dings on the car 15:11 that they need to mark, 15:12 so that you don't get charged for it when you come back. 15:15 Well, in the midst of doing that, 15:18 the lady from the car rental counter 15:20 actually said to me, 15:21 "So what are you doing in town?" 15:23 Well, I told her, "I'm a preacher, 15:24 and I'm going to a place 15:25 and I'm going to teach a seminar." 15:28 And then she said to me, "Oh, I just moved in town. 15:32 I'm looking for a church to go to." 15:36 Well, I tell you what? 15:38 I was not expecting 15:39 the car rental person to tell me that 15:41 they were looking for a church. 15:42 I wasn't ready for that at all. 15:44 But you know, if we are asking God 15:46 to bring us opportunities, we have to believe that 15:49 he will sometimes in the most unlikely places. 15:54 Well, the place where I was going was an academy. 15:56 It was two hours away, 15:58 so I knew she wouldn't drive there. 16:00 And I didn't know any of the churches 16:01 in that particular city. 16:03 And so I had nothing to give her. 16:06 You know, we talked a little bit, 16:08 but I wanted so much 16:09 to give her a piece of literature. 16:11 Well, when I went up to the academy that weekend, 16:15 I saw a piece of literature sitting on a table somewhere, 16:18 and I looked at it and I thought, 16:20 that will do just fine. 16:22 And so on Sunday morning, 16:23 when I was driving back to the airport, 16:25 I was praying, "Lord, 16:27 please let this same lady be there. 16:29 So I can give her this booklet." 16:31 And I just prayed and prayed. 16:33 And when I got to the counter, guess what? 16:36 She wasn't there. She wasn't there. 16:40 So at that point, I had a couple options. 16:42 A, I could just forget the whole thing. 16:45 B, I could send it to her in the mail at her workplace. 16:49 Or C, I could give it to her co-worker 16:52 and ask the co-worker to give it to her for me. 16:56 Well, I'm ashamed to admit that for a few minutes, 17:01 I actually didn't want to give it 17:02 to the co-worker. 17:04 Because I thought to myself, 17:06 who gives out religious material 17:08 at a car rental counter? 17:09 These people are gonna think, I'm some sort of religious nut 17:12 or religious fanatic, and I actually hesitated. 17:16 Well, fortunately, 17:17 the Holy Spirit got the victory there. 17:19 And I did end up giving the co-worker 17:22 the booklet to give to the friend. 17:25 See, the point is, literature can be important, 17:27 because your conversation 17:29 with someone may be five minutes long if that. 17:32 And the literature can say what you can't. 17:35 The literature can go farther. 17:37 In fact, when they take it home, 17:39 it may sit in their home and someone else 17:42 may also have the opportunity to read it. 17:45 See, you're not going to go home 17:46 with that person, 17:48 but the piece of literature is and it will keep talking. 17:51 Now the question people want to know is, 17:53 "Well, what types of literature should I give out?" 17:57 Well, let me give you a strong recommendation 17:59 I've learned the hard way. 18:01 If you're going to give a piece of literature out, 18:03 it's probably best that you read it for yourself first. 18:07 Make sure it's appropriate, 18:09 just because it's a Christian piece of literature 18:12 doesn't mean it's appropriate. 18:13 It may bring out things that you weren't expecting, 18:16 which that person isn't ready to handle. 18:19 So at least skim through it before you give it out. 18:22 But you don't want to give out small booklets. 18:25 I mean, don't give a 300 page theological textbook. 18:28 I assure you, they're not going to read it. 18:31 Things like Steps to Christ 18:33 or maybe some of the Amazing Facts booklet 18:36 you can get for like $1. 18:38 You know, they're small, 18:39 you can read it probably in less than 30 minutes. 18:42 The Adventist book center 18:43 always has some short sharing booklets, 18:46 and you'll want to pick up things on the five pillars, 18:49 the Second Coming, Salvation, the Sabbath, and Death. 18:53 You may even want to get some discover cards 18:55 where people can take a Bible study through the mail. 18:58 Keep those things in your car. 19:00 If you're a lady with a purse, keep them in your purse, 19:03 because God will always give you an opportunity. 19:08 Just in case you didn't know, 19:09 let me share this resource with you. 19:12 If you should come across someone 19:13 who is blind or visually impaired 19:16 and you're developing a friendship with them, 19:19 there are resources you can find through 19:21 Christian Record Services. 19:23 Now, Christian Record Services is a place 19:25 where I used to work 19:27 as the Personal Ministries' Director a few years ago. 19:30 And they are a Seventh-day Adventist ministry 19:33 that provides all kinds of Christian materials 19:36 for people of all faiths, 19:38 things in Braille, or in large print, 19:41 things on audio CD, even mp3 players. 19:45 And so they provide these things free of charge 19:48 to any blind person or visually impaired person 19:51 anywhere in the world. 19:53 So you don't have to run 19:54 all over town trying to find special literature for them. 19:57 You can simply contact Christian Record Services 20:00 at the number on your screen, or take a look at the website, 20:04 christianrecord.org. 20:06 And you can get familiar 20:08 with everything that they have to offer. 20:11 Now, let's talk about video or DVD evangelism. 20:17 See, for some people, they're a little bit scared 20:19 about giving an actual Bible study to someone. 20:22 And if that describes you, 20:24 you can actually start by using DVD evangelism. 20:28 You say, "Well, what's that?" 20:30 Using videos and DVDs can actually be 20:34 a very effective way to witness. 20:37 So if you're a little scared, 20:38 and you're not sure what to say, 20:40 you can start sharing DVDs 20:42 and let them do the talking for you. 20:45 Right now in this age of technology, 20:48 the church has many Bible studies 20:50 that are on video. 20:51 In fact, I'm just going to list a few on the screen 20:53 that you may be aware of. 20:55 I mean, there are so many of them. 20:57 Mark Finley has Revelation of Hope. 20:59 John Bradshaw has Revelation Today. 21:02 There's the Discoveries in Prophecy. 21:05 There's something called Thunder in the Holy Land 21:08 that is designed more for a small group setting. 21:11 Or there's one that I've done 21:13 called Discover Prophecy seminar. 21:15 And you can actually view that 21:16 and purchase it at discoverprophecyseminar.net. 21:21 But whatever you're comfortable with, 21:23 you take these DVDs. 21:24 And then as you're having 21:26 spiritual conversations with someone, 21:28 and you're building a relationship with them, 21:30 give them one DVD at a time. 21:33 You may say something like, 21:35 "Well, Bob, I know we've been talking about spiritual things. 21:38 And, you know, you've had some questions. 21:41 This is a set of videos 21:42 that have really helped answer some of my questions. 21:45 I think that you would really enjoy them. 21:47 I would be happy for you 21:48 to borrow these one DVD at a time. 21:51 Is that something that would interest you? 21:53 And Bob is either gonna say yes or no. 21:56 If he says yes, give him the first DVD. 21:58 Let him watch it in the privacy of his own home, or better yet, 22:03 he may want you to watch it with him. 22:05 After he finishes it, 22:06 and he brings DVD number one back to you. 22:09 You simply ask, "Well, Bob, do you have any questions about 22:13 what you saw or what you heard?" 22:15 And that begins a spiritual conversation. 22:17 Then you give him DVD number two, 22:20 and you just keep doing that, 22:22 giving him or her one DVD at a time. 22:26 You'd be amazed what God will do. 22:28 But let me advise you on one thing. 22:31 As much as possible, 22:33 try to go in the orders of the DVDs, 22:36 because if you go out of order, they're watching a topic 22:40 that maybe they're not prepared for. 22:42 I did that once and I got burned. 22:45 There was a lady coming to my church 22:46 and she was really interested in the seven last plagues. 22:50 Well, I had an evangelism series on DVD 22:53 that had about 23 DVDs to it. 22:56 The seven last plagues was DVD number 19 22:59 and I went ahead and gave it to her. 23:02 And she got so upset about what was on there, 23:05 she wouldn't come back to church again. 23:07 And the reason was on video 19, 23:11 the speaker was revealing some of the things 23:13 they learned in the first 18 DVDs. 23:17 And, of course, she hadn't studied those things 23:20 and she wasn't ready to hear them. 23:22 And so she listened to it prematurely. 23:24 I should have had her listen to the first 18 first. 23:28 So whenever possible, 23:30 try to go in the order that you can. 23:32 But DVDs are a great way to share with others, 23:36 and most of them cost under $100. 23:39 It's just a wonderful way to share 23:41 and it's worth the investment. 23:43 It's very inexpensive. 23:45 You may even ask your church to purchase a few sets 23:48 of various DVD series that members can share. 23:54 Now, let's transition 23:55 and talk about sharing your testimony. 23:58 The whole point of developing a friendship with someone. 24:02 The whole point of discovering their interests 24:04 is so that you can get to a point 24:07 where a door is open for you 24:09 to share your personal testimony. 24:12 When that door is open, 24:14 when that time comes, you need to be ready to share, 24:18 share your testimony in three to five minutes. 24:22 Now notice, there is a hyphen 24:25 between the three and the five on that screen. 24:28 It does not say 35 minutes. 24:31 I mean, when they finally ask you a question, 24:34 if you give them a 35 minute answer, 24:37 I will guarantee you they will never ask you 24:39 a spiritual question again, because they're going to think 24:42 I'm going to get a sermon every time I ask. 24:45 Share it in three to five minutes. 24:48 And your testimony may consist of three things. 24:51 Number one, how you became a Christian. 24:55 Number two, why you became a Christian. 24:58 And number three, 24:59 the most important, why is it a blessing? 25:03 You can do the same thing 25:05 for any question like Adventist, 25:06 how you became an Adventist? 25:08 Why you became an Adventist? Why is it a blessing to you? 25:13 Now understand, this is not a testimony. 25:15 How did you become a Christian? 25:17 Oh, because my parents are a Christian. 25:18 You know, why are you a Christian? 25:20 Because I don't want to go to hell. 25:21 Why is it a blessing? I don't know. 25:23 That's not a testimony. 25:25 Be willing to share in three to five minutes 25:27 how it happened, why you made the choice, 25:31 and why you find it to be such a positive blessing. 25:35 Now, if you want to practice this, 25:36 here's what you do. 25:38 Go home, and write out your testimony 25:40 on one sheet of paper, front and back. 25:43 That'll be about three to five minutes, 25:45 write it out, because by doing so, 25:48 it'll help you to know it better 25:50 or even to memorize it. 25:52 Now, that doesn't mean that when someone finally asked you 25:55 or you have an opportunity 25:56 to share your testimony, you're not going to say, 25:59 "Well, Susan, just wait a minute, 26:01 let me go get my paper," and then you read it to them. 26:04 That's not what you do. 26:05 The paper is just to help you memorize it more in your mind. 26:10 Just think about writing out that testimony. 26:13 And you can do the same with any of the doctrines. 26:16 How did you learn about the Sabbath? 26:19 Why do you keep it holy? 26:21 How has it been a blessing to your life? 26:24 Always include the positive of what it has done for you. 26:29 And after three to five minutes, 26:31 if the person is still interested, 26:33 and they're asking you questions, 26:34 by all means, go on. 26:37 But if you go 35 minutes when you shouldn't, 26:39 they'll never ask you again. 26:41 But if you keep it short, and they want to know more, 26:44 you have a continual open door. 26:48 Now lastly, in this session, 26:51 I want to talk about one more essential thing 26:54 and that is how to make a gospel presentation. 26:59 If someone were to ask you, 27:01 how do I accept Jesus as my Savior? 27:04 What am I supposed to do? Do I pray a magic prayer? 27:08 Do I come forward on an altar call? 27:11 What does that mean? 27:13 You and I need to be able to explain it. 27:16 Every church member should be able to explain 27:19 in about three or four minutes, 27:21 what the gospel is and how to accept Jesus. 27:24 You're not going to call your pastor 27:25 on the phone and say, "Pastor come out to my office, 27:28 this person wants to know how to accept Jesus." 27:30 I mean, by that time, the opportunity is gone. 27:33 God wants you to explain it 27:35 because God called you to be His missionary. 27:40 So I'm going to explain what I do. 27:42 Now that doesn't mean you have to do it my way. 27:44 I just want to give you a structure to work with. 27:46 Then we're going to do a role play, okay? 27:50 I like to share four simple things 27:52 with people that you see on the screen. 27:54 Number one, I like to share with them. 27:57 We know, Joe, ever the Bible says 27:58 everyone has sinned in their life. 28:00 We were just born with it. 28:03 And you may have noticed, 28:04 it is easy for us to do wrong, isn't it? 28:07 It's actually hard for us to do right. 28:09 But, Bob, the Bible says that the penalty of sin is death, 28:13 which means eventually 28:15 sin is going to take us to the grave, 28:17 and we'll be eternally separated from Jesus. 28:21 But you know, the good news 28:22 is the Bible says that Jesus paid that penalty 28:26 when He died on the cross. 28:28 And since He lived a perfect life, Bob, 28:32 when you accept Jesus as your Savior, 28:34 the perfect life that He lived then counts for you. 28:39 And then I like to ask them. 28:41 Bob, what do you think it would be like 28:44 to think that God could look at you 28:47 as though you were perfect? 28:50 But it's possible when you accept 28:52 Jesus as your Savior. 28:54 But see, we have to take the step of inviting Him in 28:58 and asking Him to be our Savior. 29:02 Now, someone may look at that and say, 29:03 "Well, you left some things out." 29:05 Yeah, I probably did. 29:07 It doesn't have to answer every conceivable question. 29:11 All a person needs to do is recognize they're a sinner, 29:14 know that they have a need for a Savior 29:16 and invite that Savior into their lives. 29:18 That's the first step. 29:21 So here's what we're going to do. 29:22 I'm going to do a role play with a friend of mine, 29:25 then you're going to break up into your groups, 29:28 and you're going to try this. 29:30 So we need to pause it now. 29:33 Well, Matthew, I'm glad you had a chance to come over 29:35 and we could share a meal together tonight. 29:37 We haven't done that for a while. 29:39 Thanks for inviting me. The food was really good. 29:41 And one of them, 29:43 my wife's a pretty good cook, isn't she? 29:44 Yeah. 29:45 I mean, I know I'm a little biased in everything. 29:48 But I'm kind of curious. 29:50 Over the last few months, 29:51 you and I have talked about spiritual things 29:53 a number of time and you've been asking 29:55 about Jesus. 29:57 And I'm wondering, has anybody ever explained to you 30:00 what it means to accept Jesus as your Savior 30:03 or what the gospel is? 30:04 No, not really. 30:06 Would you mind if I took two or three minutes 30:08 just to briefly explain it to you? 30:10 I appreciate that. 30:12 Okay, and I promise I won't give you a sermon. 30:15 It's kind of like this. 30:17 You know, the Bible says that every person is born with sin. 30:20 It's kind of like a disease we have. 30:23 You know, sin is not just the bad things that we do. 30:26 It's actually something that's inside of us. 30:28 And I don't know, 30:29 maybe you've noticed in your life, 30:31 it's actually easier for us to do wrong 30:33 than it is for us to do right. 30:35 Do you ever find that out in our life? 30:36 That's for sure. Oh, yeah. 30:37 I mean, you hit your thumb 30:39 with a hammer and before you know it, 30:41 a word comes out without even thinking. 30:43 You know, that's our human nature. 30:46 And the bad news is the Bible says that 30:48 the wages of sin or the penalty of sin is death, 30:52 that eventually sin is going to lead us to the grave, 30:55 is going to separate us from God forever. 30:57 Now, so far, that's bad news. 30:59 You know, we're all born with sin 31:01 and the penalty is death. 31:02 That's not good. But there is good news. 31:06 And the Bible tells us that when Jesus died on the cross, 31:10 that was just more than a good man making a sacrifice. 31:14 That was actually Jesus, 31:15 the Son of God paying the penalty for our sin. 31:19 In other words, He died for you, 31:21 so that you don't have to. 31:23 And when you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, 31:26 that means the perfect life that He lived, 31:28 actually counts for you. 31:30 It gets put on your record book. 31:32 So when God looks at your record book in heaven, 31:35 He actually sees someone who is perfect, 31:38 because Jesus perfection gets credited to you. 31:42 What do you think it would be like to know that 31:45 God could look at your life as though you were perfect? 31:49 I'd like someone to look at my life 31:51 as though it's perfect. 31:53 That's amazing, isn't it? Yeah. 31:55 But you know, it's like getting married 31:57 in the sense that 31:58 we actually have to ask Jesus to be our Savior. 32:01 You know, He doesn't force His way in, 32:03 we have to give Him permission 32:05 and let Him know that we need His forgiveness 32:07 and we need Him in our life. 32:09 Is that something you've ever thought about doing? 32:13 When I was younger, I thought about it few times, 32:16 but no one talked to me about it so. 32:19 Let me ask you something. 32:21 Is it something you might consider 32:23 doing right now? 32:24 I'd be happy to pray you through it 32:26 if you'd like to take the step 32:27 of inviting Jesus into your life. 32:29 I really would like that. Okay. 32:32 Well, let's do it this way. 32:33 If you're comfortable, 32:35 I'd like to invite you to pray first. 32:37 You know, nothing fancy, just in your own words, 32:40 just tell Jesus that you want Him to be your Savior. 32:43 Just ask for His forgiveness and that He would change 32:46 your life just in your own words, 32:48 and then I'll pray after you. 32:50 Would you be comfortable doing that? 32:52 I'll try. Okay. 32:54 Why don't you go ahead and do that? 32:55 And if you don't mind, 32:56 I just like to put my hand on your shoulder. 32:58 Okay. Go ahead. 33:01 Jesus, thank You for all the things 33:04 you do for me like, 33:05 I haven't even known things You've done for me. 33:09 Forgive me of the bad things I've done in my life. 33:13 Please, bring me and help me be a better person. 33:18 Thank You for everything you do. 33:20 Amen. 33:21 Heavenly Father, 33:23 I just want to thank You for the way 33:24 You've worked in Matthew's life, 33:26 the good conversations we've had, 33:28 and today he has invited you into his life to be his Savior. 33:32 Thank you, Lord, that today You give him eternal life. 33:35 Bless him as he develops a relationship with You. 33:38 I ask it in Jesus' name. Amen. 33:42 You know, right there, you've taken the first step, 33:44 you've begun a relationship with Jesus Christ. 33:48 You know, I'm just kind of wondering, 33:50 would you be interested in 33:51 having a Bible study once a week 33:53 because now that you've invited Jesus in, 33:56 you kind of want to grow in that relationship 33:57 to know Him better? 33:59 Would you be interested in doing that? 34:01 I would. You know what? 34:03 Let's get together and maybe we can start 34:05 maybe Tuesdays at 7 o'clock. 34:07 Will that work for you? That's a good time for me. 34:10 Let's plan for that. All right, thank you. 34:12 All right. Thank you, Matthew. 34:15 Now, what are some of the things 34:16 you noticed about that role play? 34:19 Well, you've probably noticed it was artificial. 34:22 It wasn't real to life. 34:24 There was no way I can make it real to life 34:26 unless I pull a stranger off the street 34:28 and did that with them. 34:29 And they probably wouldn't appreciate that. 34:32 But the point is, you don't even 34:33 have to do it perfectly. 34:35 If I was to do it over, 34:36 I would probably do it differently. 34:38 Because I found, I said some things 34:39 I didn't actually mean to say. 34:41 But you know what? 34:42 God's not looking for perfect people. 34:45 God's been using imperfect people 34:48 for a long time. 34:50 And it just planted a seed in Matthew's heart, 34:52 and he accepted Jesus. 34:54 Now, if the person doesn't want to pray out loud, 34:56 then you can pray for them. 34:58 But I always like to invite the person to pray 35:01 to ask Jesus into their life 35:03 if they're comfortable doing so. 35:05 Because you know, 35:07 sometimes those bumbling stumbling prayers 35:09 are the most sincere ones that you will ever hear. 35:14 If they're not comfortable, I will pray for them 35:16 or maybe they can repeat after me. 35:19 And then if it's appropriate, I like to place my hand on them 35:22 and pray as well. 35:23 Now, when you pray after them, 35:25 don't pray some fancy prayer and a long prayer 35:27 because then it will intimidate them 35:29 from praying, just keep it simple. 35:31 Thank you, Jesus for giving Matthew salvation today. 35:35 Please continue to be with him, 35:36 bless him to know You in a deeper way. 35:39 Amen. Just like that. 35:41 Now, of course, if that was a woman, 35:42 I may not have put my hand on 35:43 or that may not be appropriate to do so. 35:46 But it's always good to have human touch when it's possible. 35:51 So if you'll look on the screen, 35:52 these are the things you can do. 35:54 When you've explained the gospel to someone, 35:57 then you go right ahead and ask them, 35:59 would you like to invite Jesus into your life today. 36:02 They're either going to say yes or no. 36:04 If they say no, don't get excited, 36:07 you weren't a bad witness, 36:08 it just means they're not ready yet, 36:10 or they need time to think about it. 36:12 So just keep praying for them. 36:15 If they say yes, invite them to pray 36:17 in their own words, 36:18 then you pray a prayer of confirmation. 36:21 And if they haven't been going to church, 36:23 invite them to come to your church right away, 36:25 because now they have to grow. 36:27 And if they're not doing a Bible study with you, 36:30 that's the time to ask them 36:32 because they need to grow deeper 36:34 in their relationship with Christ. 36:37 So here's what I want you to do before we end our session. 36:41 Push the pause button, 36:43 I want you to get in groups of two, 36:45 and I want you to make 36:46 a gospel presentation to your partner. 36:49 Now, you can keep on the screen, 36:50 I'll put it back 36:52 and I'll put the four points up there. 36:54 You can refer to that if you need to. 36:56 Now, it may seem awkward at first, 36:58 if you've never done this before. 36:59 But you're among friends, 37:01 so you don't have to be nervous and worry about it. 37:03 Just give it a try and give it practice 37:06 and pray with the other person, 37:08 then switch the roles 37:09 and let the other person do the same. 37:12 So take about five or ten minutes to do that, 37:15 and pause the video now. 37:18 I hope that was a good experience for you. 37:21 And even though it was artificial, 37:23 when you're asking God to use you as a witness, 37:26 that opportunity will one day come 37:29 and you will need to be ready. 37:31 Let's close this session by taking a look at 37:34 a very powerful quote written in the Australian Union 37:38 Conference Record of 1902. 37:40 It says, "The one work more precious 37:44 than any other is the work of soul-saving. 37:48 The same intensity of desire for the saving of souls 37:52 that marked the life of the Savior 37:55 marks the life of His true followers." 37:59 We need to pray that God will give us 38:01 the same passion for souls that Jesus has. 38:05 Because Ellen White writes, 38:07 "That is what marks the life of His true followers today." 38:12 May God help us to have a passion for souls 38:16 who don't know Jesus? 38:18 Would you pray with me? 38:20 Heavenly Father, 38:22 these are some valuable principles 38:24 to use in our life. 38:27 And it may be that right now, 38:28 we don't know exactly how to use them. 38:30 But we pray that 38:32 You will give us those opportunities. 38:35 Bring one person across our path 38:37 that maybe sometime in the next few months, 38:40 we will have a chance to share the gospel 38:43 with them. 38:44 We ask these things in Jesus' name. 38:47 Amen. 38:54 Welcome to session three of Living an Evangelistic Life. 38:58 Today, we're going to talk about 39:00 how to visit people. 39:03 Now, if you've joined us for the first two sessions, 39:05 we've learned that friendship is the key word, 39:08 and it is the first step of soul winning. 39:12 We also learn how to bring up spiritual topics 39:15 into a conversation without offending people. 39:18 And we've learned about sharing our testimony 39:20 and making a gospel presentation. 39:23 But today, we're going to spend time 39:25 looking at the principles of how to visit 39:28 different kinds of people. 39:30 We're going to talk about 39:31 how to connect with guests at the church. 39:34 We're going to talk about how to visit people 39:37 who are attending evangelistic meetings. 39:40 We're going to talk about how to visit former members 39:43 or former Seventh-day Adventists 39:45 who are no longer attending, 39:47 and then we're going to spend some time 39:48 talking about how to visit the sick. 39:52 And the reason this is important 39:54 is because God has called all of us to be ministers. 39:57 Sometimes we have the mistaken idea 40:00 that the pastor is the only one 40:02 who's supposed to do visitation. 40:05 And you will find no such thing in the Bible 40:07 or in the Spirit of Prophecy. 40:09 We've already seen from scripture 40:11 that the minister's job 40:12 is to equip the saints for ministry. 40:15 And when you think about it, 40:17 there's no way that one person can do 40:19 all the visitation that's necessary. 40:21 In fact, to be honest, 40:23 it can't even be done by just elders, 40:25 especially if it is a larger church. 40:28 And the New Testament has told us that 40:31 we are to care, and encourage, 40:33 and have concern for one another. 40:37 And so that term one another means that 40:39 all of us have been 40:41 given the responsibility for ministry. 40:44 Even back in the Book of Genesis, 40:46 Cain asked the question, "Am I my brother's keeper?" 40:51 And God answers that question by saying, "Yes." 40:54 We are our brother's keeper 40:56 and God has called us to minister unto them. 40:59 So let's start with the first group of people. 41:02 And there will be times throughout this session 41:04 where you will again need to pause the tape 41:07 and break up into your small groups. 41:09 But for now, let's talk about, 41:12 how do we connect with a visitor 41:14 who has just come to the door of our church 41:17 for the first time or the first few times? 41:20 Now, friends, should we take visitors seriously? 41:23 Yes or no? Absolutely. 41:26 I mean, that's why the church exists. 41:28 If your church exists just to be a social club 41:31 and make its members happy, 41:33 you might as well close the doors 41:35 because we've missed the whole point of having 41:37 a gospel commission. 41:39 So let's pretend now that a visitor 41:41 has come through the door. 41:43 And you need to understand that when someone walks 41:47 into the Seventh-day Adventist Church 41:49 on a Sabbath morning, 41:50 there is always a reason for it. 41:53 Most people don't just get up on Saturday morning and say, 41:57 "You know, I think I ought to go 41:58 to church on Saturday morning." 42:00 There is something that has brought them 42:01 through your doors. 42:03 And we've got to take that seriously. 42:05 So let's pretend there's a lady named Jean. 42:08 And you feel the conviction 42:10 that you need to connect with Jean, 42:12 and you'd like to invite her to your home for a meal. 42:15 What can you say? Is there some magic words? 42:19 Should we memorize some sort of speech? 42:22 You might just say something simple, be yourself. 42:25 You might say something like this. 42:28 "Jean, I've noticed you've been coming to our church 42:31 and I haven't really gotten a chance to know you. 42:33 I'd love to invite you to our home 42:35 for a meal this week." 42:38 Now, that's predicated that 42:39 you've called them on the phone earlier. 42:41 Now, if you're just seeing them at church, 42:43 you would simply say, 42:44 I'd like to invite you over to my home 42:46 for a meal after church. 42:49 Or if your church is having potluck, 42:51 simply invite them to stay by and you sit with them, 42:55 because this is what gives you an opportunity 42:58 to make a real connection with this person 43:01 that God has brought to your church. 43:05 Now, your next question may be, 43:07 well, Pastor Dave, what do I talk about? 43:10 I'm not such a great conversationalist. 43:12 Well, this is where FORT comes into play. 43:15 Now, if you were here on the second session, 43:17 we took a lot of time to go through FORT. 43:20 It's an acronym that stands for things you can talk about 43:23 with someone, family, occupation, 43:26 recreation, and throwing out a spiritual testimony. 43:30 I'm not going to review that now. 43:32 If you weren't here, make sure that 43:33 you watch session number two, 43:35 but those are all things that you can use 43:38 to just make a connection with people. 43:43 Now, let's suppose it gets to a point 43:45 where you're having real good conversation. 43:47 It could be in your home, 43:49 it might simply be at the church potluck. 43:52 What are some things that you can ask that 43:54 throws out something spiritual, that you might be able to get 43:58 to the spiritual heart of the matter 44:01 and just see if God will open a door. 44:04 These are some non threatening questions 44:06 you might ask. 44:08 So, Jean, how did you find out about our church? 44:12 What brought you here today? 44:14 See, there's always a story involved in that. 44:17 Maybe they watched 3ABN. 44:19 You know, maybe they watched It Is Written. 44:21 Maybe they're a former Seventh-day Adventists 44:23 and they've been convicted to come back to church. 44:26 Maybe some tragedy happened in their family? 44:29 There could be any number of things 44:31 going on that brought them to your church. 44:33 This is a chance for you to ask a question. 44:37 And if they're willing to share, 44:39 just listen to the story that they tell. 44:43 You might even ask them if they've ever been 44:45 to a Seventh-day Adventist Church before 44:48 and that will kind of give you an idea 44:50 as to whether they have any familiarity 44:52 or maybe they grew up as a Seventh-day Adventist. 44:55 You can even ask them. 44:56 Do you have any questions about our church? 45:00 All these things are just designed 45:03 to start a spiritual conversation 45:05 and help you to make a deeper connection 45:07 with that person. 45:09 Now, if they're not ready to talk about those things, 45:11 that's perfectly fine. 45:12 But the fact that you asked gives the Holy Spirit a chance 45:16 to open a door where you can learn 45:18 something about their spiritual journey 45:20 and make even a small connection 45:23 with their heart. 45:24 Can you say amen? 45:26 Now, I'm going to tell you 45:27 a quick story to illustrate why this is important. 45:30 You realize especially for greeters. 45:34 The greeter is one of the most important positions in a church 45:38 because the greeter is usually the first person 45:42 that a guest sees. 45:44 And studies have shown, a guest makes an impression 45:48 about your church about the first 10 seconds 45:51 he walks in the door. 45:53 So the first person you want them to meet 45:55 is a greeter who is friendly, 45:57 evangelistic and who wants to make 45:59 a connection with them. 46:01 Now, don't take this the wrong way. 46:03 But if it is physically impossible for you to smile, 46:06 do not be a greeter. 46:08 Find some other work in the church to do. 46:11 I remember my wife, who does homecare work. 46:15 She had to go out of town to training one weekend. 46:19 And I won't say what city it was in, 46:21 but it was a fairly large city in the United States. 46:24 And this training was over a Saturday and a Sunday. 46:27 And so my wife had talked to the trainer 46:30 ahead of time and said, "Listen, I'm a Sabbath keeper. 46:33 And so on Saturday, 46:35 I'm going to be going to church, 46:36 but Sunday, I'll be there for the training." 46:39 And they gave her permission. 46:40 And so she looked up a church in that local area. 46:44 And I remember her telling me about her experience. 46:48 She drove to the church, and it was on street parking. 46:51 She had a hard time finding a place to park, 46:54 but you can't blame the church for that. 46:56 But she couldn't figure out what door to go in. 46:59 Nothing was marked, 47:01 and there was no particular entrance. 47:03 And she couldn't figure out, do I go in this door? 47:05 Do I go in that door? What am I supposed to do? 47:08 Because we just take those things for granted. 47:11 You know, in some churches, 47:12 if you walk through the wrong door, 47:13 you're going to end up front on the stage somewhere. 47:17 And so she waited to see where everybody else would go. 47:20 Well, she walked in, and nobody really greeted her, 47:24 sat down for Sabbath School 47:26 and when the remarks were over, 47:28 everybody broke into their classes, 47:30 but no one told her where to go. 47:32 No one invited her to join a certain Sabbath school group. 47:36 So she just got up 47:37 and she went to one of the groups on her own. 47:40 Then church time came, when church came, 47:43 she simply sat in a pew, 47:45 and she waited to see if people would greet her 47:47 because it was obvious that she was a visitor. 47:50 And she told me not a person said a word to her. 47:54 And even when the worship service was over, 47:57 and they were going out the door, 47:58 you know how you usually shake the pastor's hand 48:00 or whatever, even then no one said anything to her. 48:04 She stood by to wait and see if there was a potluck 48:07 or hoping that someone might invite her home 48:10 because she had nowhere to go. 48:12 Nobody said anything. 48:14 In fact, once she went up to someone 48:17 who I think was either a greeter or a deacon, 48:19 and she wanted to find out where the restrooms were. 48:22 And she said, "Pardon me, 48:24 could you tell me where the restrooms are?" 48:26 And you know what the guy did? 48:28 Didn't even look at her 48:30 and just continued his conversation 48:32 and just pointed 48:33 in the direction of the hallway. 48:36 I can guarantee you, 48:38 that is a church that has issues 48:40 and will not be a growing church 48:42 until it takes its visitors seriously. 48:46 And if that's what God has called you to do, 48:49 it is a very needed ministry. 48:52 Could you say amen? 48:54 Let's talk about now making visits 48:56 during evangelistic meetings. 48:59 But you may wonder, 49:00 well, why should a layperson learn 49:02 how to do this? 49:04 We have to keep in mind. 49:06 It can't be the evangelist that makes all the visits 49:09 even though he or she may be the speaker. 49:11 They can't get to all those people. 49:13 And we all realize, 49:14 eventually those meetings are going to be over. 49:16 And the evangelist is likely to be gone somewhere else. 49:20 So they've got to make connections 49:22 with church members. 49:23 And that's many times where we fail. 49:25 It's not that evangelism doesn't work. 49:28 It's just that 49:29 we let one person do all the work. 49:31 The church doesn't make connections 49:33 with these guests. 49:34 And so when the evangelist or the pastor leaves, 49:37 they have no one that they're connected to. 49:40 Friends, public evangelism works 49:42 if we are willing to go forth the effort 49:45 and visit with people and make relationships. 49:49 So now let's pretend you're partway 49:51 through the meetings, 49:52 and you have just covered the Sabbath topic. 49:55 Now, one of the things I do in our meetings 49:58 is I hand out a little book request form, 50:02 that if people are interested 50:03 in learning more about the Sabbath, 50:05 they can request a free book. 50:07 And many people usually hand those requests in. 50:10 And then we take those requests, 50:13 and we deliver the free book in person, 50:15 because it gives us a chance to visit. 50:17 Now, the book I would recommend is 50:19 "When God Said Remember" by Mark Finley. 50:22 It's easy to understand, 50:24 and it answers many of a person's questions. 50:28 Now, the purpose of this visit is simply to make 50:30 a personal connection with them. 50:32 You're not going there to share all the 28 fundamental beliefs, 50:35 you're not even gonna stay long. 50:37 You're just going there to deliver the book 50:39 and make a personal face to face connection. 50:42 That's number one. 50:44 Number two, it also gives you the opportunity 50:47 to determine whether they're open to the Sabbath 50:51 and gives them a chance to answer 50:53 or to ask some questions. 50:55 Not everybody will do that in the hall or in the church 50:58 because so many people are around, 51:01 but the home is a good place to do it. 51:03 So let's say that you have brought 51:05 the book to the door 51:06 of someone attending the meetings. 51:08 What do you say? 51:09 Well, you might say something like you see in the screen. 51:13 "Hi, Mary! 51:15 This is David from the Discover Prophecy Seminar. 51:17 I just stopped by for a minute to drop off 51:20 the book that you requested." 51:23 Quick, simple and to the point. 51:26 Now, you may say, 51:27 "Well, what if they didn't request the book? 51:29 Or what if in our meetings, 51:30 we didn't do a free book request?" 51:32 Then you might say something like, 51:34 "Well, our Pastor Mark asked me to stop by 51:37 and give you this book to thank you for coming." 51:40 It pretty much works the same way. 51:42 And if all you get 51:44 is a 60 second conversation on the doorstep, 51:47 that's perfectly fine, 51:48 because you've still made a connection. 51:50 Now, you may want to call and try to make an appointment. 51:53 But usually that doesn't work well 51:55 because people will just say, 51:56 "Well, give it to me at the meetings." 51:58 And the point is to make 52:00 a personal connection with them. 52:02 So let's say that you've done this, 52:04 and that Mary has invited you into the house 52:08 just for a few minutes, 52:09 or maybe you're talking on the doorstep. 52:12 What are some simple questions that you can ask? 52:16 You'll find these on the screen. 52:18 You might say, "Well, Mary, 52:19 how did you find out about the meetings? 52:22 Why did you decide to come?" 52:23 You're smiling when you say this. 52:26 And what this does, 52:28 you're inviting them to tell their story. 52:31 Anytime someone comes 52:33 to a public set of evangelistic meetings, 52:35 there is always a story behind it. 52:38 They got a brochure in the mail, 52:40 or certain things were happening in their life, 52:42 or they were involved in a Bible study on Revelation, 52:45 or they were praying for truth. 52:47 There's a 1000 different stories 52:49 you could hear and you want to invite that 52:51 person to share it. 52:54 If you have time, you might even invite them 52:56 to share a little bit of their spiritual journey 52:59 by asking a simple question. 53:01 Well, Mary, did you grow up in a Christian home? 53:04 Tell me a little bit about how you became a Christian? 53:08 Of course, you can't ask that question 53:09 if they aren't a Christian. 53:11 But if you determine that they are, 53:13 it just gives them a chance 53:14 to share a little bit of their story. 53:17 And it will cause an automatic connection 53:19 to happen between you and that person. 53:22 And really, the biggest thing you need to do 53:24 is just ask one or two questions, 53:26 and then listen, it will make an impression. 53:32 You may say to Mary, 53:33 "I see that you requested the book on the Sabbath. 53:36 Was that something that was new to you? 53:39 What do you think about it?" 53:41 And it invites you then to solicit 53:43 their response about the Sabbath. 53:46 You can ask them, "Do you have any questions?" 53:49 Now, if they say it was new to them, 53:51 you should ask them 53:52 whether they have any questions. 53:54 You say, "What if I don't know the answer?" 53:56 That's okay. 53:57 You could share a little 53:58 of your testimony or you can say, 54:00 you know, I'm sure that Pastor Dave 54:02 is going to cover that tomorrow night. 54:04 If the conversation is just going really well, 54:07 and they're thinking about the Sabbath, 54:09 and most people the first time are not going to say, 54:12 "Well, yes, I want to start keeping the Sabbath holy," 54:14 because they're processing this. 54:16 But if they're very positive towards it, 54:18 you may simply end by saying, Have you ever thought 54:21 about making the Sabbath a part of your life? 54:24 And if they haven't thought about it, 54:26 they will now that you've asked that question. 54:29 Then give them the book, 54:31 encourage them to read it 54:33 to answer their questions, 54:34 and have a short prayer of blessing for their family. 54:38 You might even invite them to come to church one Sabbath. 54:42 You know, you're not inviting them to, 54:43 you know, become a Seventh-day Adventist member just yet. 54:46 You're simply saying, 54:47 "Well, if you'd like to experience the Sabbath, 54:50 why don't you come this week and just see what it's like," 54:53 and you plant a positive seed. 54:56 That visit could be as short as maybe 10 or 15 minutes. 55:01 Don't overstay, 55:02 but you're there to make a connection, 55:04 hear their story, 55:06 and let them ask questions if they choose to do so. 55:09 And believe me, 55:11 a short visit like that makes a difference. 55:13 And then they're connected with you, 55:16 not just simply the pastor or the evangelist. 55:21 Now, let's talk about how to make a visit 55:22 to someone who's considering baptism. 55:26 Say they have filled out a card to be baptized. 55:30 Or maybe they've raised their hand 55:32 or they've come forward on an altar call. 55:35 Now, the pastor, evangelist probably 55:37 will want to talk with them, but you can visit them too. 55:41 So the purpose of this visit is simply to acknowledge 55:44 and affirm this decision that they've made. 55:47 That one you'll probably 55:49 want to make an appointment for, 55:50 but depending on your circumstance, 55:52 and whether you live in a big city 55:54 or in a country setting, 55:55 you can judge that one for yourself. 55:58 Now, this visit can be at the hall, at a church, 56:01 but preferably it should be in their home 56:04 because you make more of a connection that way. 56:07 You simply ask the question. 56:09 You know, Bob, I see that 56:10 you filled out a card for baptism. 56:13 Could you share with me, 56:14 why did you decide to check for baptism? 56:17 And then just listen to their story, 56:19 because they're going to share with you why. 56:22 They're going to share with you what's going on in their heart. 56:25 And you just need to listen and encourage them 56:28 to continue in that direction. 56:31 Eventually, you will ask them, is this something 56:34 you're thinking of doing right now? 56:37 Because that gives you an idea, are they serious about 56:40 taking this step right now in the near future? 56:43 Or are they just talking about 56:44 sometime down the road in three, four or six months? 56:48 You know, it gives you an idea 56:50 of how important this is to them. 56:53 Then you simply affirm their decision. 56:55 say, "Oh, Bob, I'm so thankful to hear of your decision. 56:58 I'm looking forward to the day when you're baptized." 57:02 And then have a simple prayer with them. 57:05 Then you'll want to set up 57:06 a time later to review baptismal statements. 57:09 You know, because you'll explain 57:11 when a person's baptized, they're going to want to know 57:13 what the church believes. 57:14 And so you'll set up an appointment 57:16 for later to review 57:18 the baptismal statements with them. 57:20 And when you do it, you just read over them, 57:23 let them ask whatever questions they may have, 57:26 and then you set the date for baptism, 57:28 and you can rejoice with them. 57:31 Can you say amen? 57:32 See, these are simple visits, and people may have questions, 57:36 and that's okay. 57:38 But the whole point is that you are making a connection, 57:43 and you are building a friendship 57:45 that we hope will last forever. 57:48 Could you say amen? 57:50 Hi, this is David Klinedinst. 57:53 I hope you've been blessed by the presentation today. 57:56 If you would like more information 57:58 about our ministry or about our other seminars 58:01 and presentations, visit our websites 58:04 at davidklinedinst.org, 58:08 or discoverbibleprophecy.org. 58:12 If you'd like to make a donation 58:13 to keep these sermons on the air, 58:15 you can contact us 58:17 at Discover Prophecy Ministries, 58:19 PO Box 850, Columbia, Maryland 21044, 58:25 or call toll free at 855-774-HOPE. |
Revised 2020-05-29