A Simple Strategy For Bringing The Kingdom Of God To Your Neighborhood
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Based upon Jesus’ instruction in Luke 10 when He sent out the 72 to every town and village he was about with the purpose of finding, what Jesus referred to as, the Person of Peace this simple strategy was developed and designed to help you find the person of peace that God has prepared in your neighborhood.
A Person of Peace is someone that God has prepared and is ready to receive the Good News of Jesus Christ and could potentially be the key to reaching his or her entire network of relationships for Christ. This strategy is designed to engage your neighbors and find a person who is ready to give their heart and life over to the care and control of Christ.
The thing to remember when reading and implementing this strategy is that it’s not your goal to share with everyone about Christ but to find the person that God has already prepared, The Person of Peace, and to lead to Christ and into disciple. This person of peace will be empowered by God to reach their network of relationships.
STRATEGY PREPARATION:
1. Make & Plate Chocolate Chip Cookies.
You want to make enough plates of chocolate chip cookies for the number of houses in your neighborhood. Each plate should have about 4 to 5 cookies on them.
2. Write Out & Memorize Your Personal Testimony
Write out and memorize your personal testimony of coming to saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Your testimony should include 3 parts:
- Your Life Before Knowing Christ
- How You Came To Faith In Christ
- What God Has Done In Your Life Sense Coming To Faith In Christ.
3. Read & Memorize The Story Of The Sinful Woman
The story of the Sinful Woman is found in Luke 7:36-50. Read the story 4 or 5 times and then rewrite the story in your own words. Be true to the text, don’t add or subtract anything to it, but make sure to tell it in a way and with words you would normally speak and use. Practice telling the story over and over again. . Make sure you practice it by saying it out loud so you can hear your own voice telling the story.
4. Memorize A Simple Gospel Presentation
Here’s a simple Gospel Presentation.
It’s as simple as A, B, C!
A – Stands for Admit.
Ask them if they admit that they are a sinner in need of forgiveness by God.
B – Stands for Believe.
Share with them that Jesus died on the cross to take the punishment for their sins and then was raised from the dead proving that he has power over death, grave and sin. Ask them if they believe in Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection.
C – Stand for Control.
Share with them that they can have their sins forgiven if they are willing to surrender the control of their life over to the control of Jesus. If they are willing to confess Jesus is Lord they can receive forgiveness of sin. Ask them if they are willing to surrender control of their life over to the control of Christ. Ask them if they are willing to pledge their allegiance to Christ and live for Him.
HOW TO APPROACH EACH INDIVIDUAL NEIGHBOR:
1. Knock On The Door & Introduce Yourself
2. Offer The Plate Of Chocolate Chip Cookies
3. Ask For Prayer Requests
For these first 3 parts, you can say something like this:
“Hi! My name is _______________________ and we are your neighbors from down the street. We just came by to say that God loves you and we care about you . We have also made some homemade chocolate chip cookies that we would like to give you. (If they accept, the cookies then continue with saying). We were also wondering if there was anything going on in your life that you need God to take care of? Any need you might that I can pray for you about?”
4. Pray For Whatever Requests They Share
5. Ask If You Can Share A True Story From The Word Of God
6. If They Say:
- “No": Thank them for their time and move on to the next home
- “Yes”: Share the story of the sinful woman that you memorized from Luke 7:36-50.
After you finish sharing the story of the sinful woman you can seamlessly transition to sharing you testimony by saying something like this:
“You know there was a time in my life when I was desperate for God and His forgiveness just like the sinful woman in this story …”
7. Then You Immediately Share Your Testimony
- Don’t ask them for permission to share your story. They already gave you permission to share the Bible story.
- Just keep on talking as if it was one continuous story.
- Here’s a simple way to transition from sharing your testimony to share the simple Gospel Presentation. At the end of your testimony say something like this:
“ and now one of the things that God has me doing is going around sharing with other people that just like the sinful woman was able to have her sins forgiven and just like I was able to have my sins forgiven, you too can have your sins forgiven if you’re willing to …”
8. Then Share The Gospel Presentation
Here’s how to share the gospel. Continue what you were just saying by including this:
“… Admit you are a sinner that needs God’s forgiveness. Do you have sins that you need God to forgive? And if you are ready to Believe, that Jesus died on the cross to take your punishment for your sins and was brought back to life again three days later. Do you believe Jesus died on the cross for your sins and was raised back to life again? And, if you will surrender Control of your life over to the Control of Jesus. Are you willing to give Jesus control over your life?
If They Say:
“No” Thank them for their time and move on to the next home
“Yes” Lead them in a prayer of commitment to Christ.
9. Set up a time to come back in 3 to 4 days to share another true story from the word of God.
10. Keep coming back week after week sharing another story from the Bible. You might want to go through the Book of Mark to start off.
I got to tell you this strategy works amazingly in finding the person that God is already at work. Here’s the best part! You’re not trying to convince anyone of anything. You’re just sharing the Gospel and looking to see how they respond. If they respond negatively, you just move on to the next house. If they respond positively you have just found the Person of Peace – you have just found the person whom called has already prepared to come to faith in Christ.
THIS IS WHAT IT MEANS TO JOIN CHRIST ON HIS MISSION
LOOKING FOR THOSE WHO THE FATHER HAS ALREADY PREPARED!
Are you ready to join Christ on His mission? Are you ready to bring the Kingdom of God to your neighborhood? If so, go buy all the fixings for chocolate chip cookies, memorize that story and your testimony.
