Faith Foundations
In this session we continue with the Faith Foundations study by David Platt on RightNowMedia.

Every session has a point—what each participant should walk away from the discussion knowing, feeling, and doing.

  • Main Idea: Remembering that people around us need Christ, we can share the gospel in the context of our daily lives.
  • Head Change: To know that telling others about Jesus can flow out of our natural, everyday patterns of life.
  • Heart Change: To feel motivated to make gospel conversations a regular part of our lives.
  • Life Change: To include the gospel regularly when we engage with people around us every day.
OPEN

When someone asks, “What do you do?” as a conversation starter, how do you answer?

Describing what we do in our current roles might be challenging given the many responsibilities we have. But having a good grasp of the core purpose of our role makes it easier to share with others. Being a disciple of Jesus is similar, as David Platt will explain in our session today. We have foundational, essential responsibilities as followers of Christ, and one of them is to make more disciples. David will show us in this session how we can share the gospel right in the middle of our everyday lives.

Watch Session 9: Gospel Threads (12 minutes).

REVIEW

David opened with the observation that, generally, American Christians are not intentional about sharing the gospel. Unlike in countries where Christianity is illegal, he said, we do not feel the urgency to keep talking about Jesus so that more people will come to faith. To what extent do you find his observation to be true of you? What can keep us from sharing the gospel?

David cited Ephesians 6:18–20, where Paul asks for prayers that God would give him the words “to proclaim the mystery of the gospel” even as he sat in prison, chained for doing that very thing. Paul was passionate about inviting others to trust Christ, no matter what consequences he might suffer. Paul’s zeal can inspire our own passion for evangelism. What motivates you to talk to people about Jesus? What prevents you from doing so?

David’s friends who live in a Muslim context learned that working among Muslims with kindness and integrity earned them the right to eventually talk about their faith. We don’t have to move to a Muslim country to find people who know little to nothing about Jesus. When we love our neighbors, coworkers, and fellow students, demonstrating integrity, we too will earn opportunities to talk about why we live that way. Where have you seen examples of making disciples the long, slow way? What about that approach is attractive—or unattractive—to you?

David gave us another acrostic to help us remember the various elements involved in sharing the gospel. We start with G, for God’s character. As we go about our business, we can talk about God as someone we know and love, acknowledging his role in our lives. How well are you doing at bringing God into conversations already? Which successes in your life can you give God credit for working out? How could you talk about the way God helped you through a difficult time?

Second, O is for the offense of sin. Simply acknowledging the existence of sin in your own life, rather than excusing or minimizing your behavior, may make a big impression. Our humility is an important element of speaking truthfully. What makes acknowledging our own sin a more effective approach than pointing out sin in others?

S is the sufficiency of Jesus—how he is our savior and the reason we have hope for the future. As we bring him into conversations, we can explain or marvel over the cross and the resurrection, Jesus’s kindness and miraculous works, and his wisdom and love. The more clearly we express our gratitude and trust, the more people will begin to see him as someone they want to know too. Christians, and Christianity, can be polarizing, but most people find Jesus himself appealing. When have you been successful in naturally bringing Jesus into a conversation? In what circumstances do you feel most limited in mentioning his name?

The next step is P, personal response. Knowing about Jesus is wonderful, but at some point, we all acted upon our faith. Stories engage our imaginations and emotions, and our testimony of God’s work in our life can impact those who hear it in powerful ways. As we share our stories of responding to God, let’s communicate the need for every person to choose how they will react to his invitation to follow him. How easily can you tell others your testimony, the story of how you came to know and follow Christ?

Our lost friends and family will remain lost, without God and without hope, if they do not decide to follow Christ. Their quality of life now and forever should give us a sense of eternal urgency (David’s words for E) in our conversations with them. As you think of someone you’ve talked with about faith, what kind of approach do you think would help them understand the urgency of their faith?

Finally, L stands for life transformation. Deciding to trust and follow Jesus implicitly includes repenting from sinful patterns and obeying God’s ways. The longer we know him, the more we will act like him. We are transformed by the power of the gospel, and love becomes the foundation of our lives. How have you seen the gospel change someone close to you? In what ways has Christ transformed you?

David closed by encouraging us to make a list of people in our lives who don’t know Jesus, then begin praying for opportunities to weave the GOSPEL threads into our interactions with them. We don’t have to force a conversation about one or all of the points; rather, we can pray that as we engage the Lord will show us which element of the gospel is most appropriate to share. What five people come to your mind who need to hear the gospel? What apprehensions do you have about sharing God’s truth with them? What’s motivating you to begin these conversations?

Healthy disciples of Jesus both reflect Jesus’s character and speak of him to others. He becomes so integrated into our lives that his presence overflows into our other relationships, and we want others to experience the same richness and hope. Which letter in the GOSPEL threads can you focus on next in your interactions with others?

LAST WORD

Participating in God’s mission means making disciples, which begins with sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. As David said in his teaching, we will often find opportunities to initiate a faith conversation that only addresses a small aspect of the gospel. It may take many days and many talks for us to share a comprehensive description of the gospel. But within that process, we are sharing our lives—showing others what our beliefs look like in action. Let’s be intentional about taking the gospel to our neighbors, one act and one conversation at a time.