Engage: Before You Engage
Summary
TLDRCatherine Renfro, Director of Evangelism at the North American Mission Board, discusses strategies for fostering a culture of evangelism in churches. She emphasizes redefining success in gospel conversations, sharing conversation starters, and encouraging prayer for opportunities to share the gospel. Renfro highlights the importance of equipping church members with the courage and confidence to engage in gospel discussions, using practical tips and resources like the 30-day prayer guide from Hoosier1.com.
Takeaways
- 😇 Defining Success: Success in gospel conversations isn't about someone getting saved but sharing the gospel itself, as God is responsible for the results.
- 🌱 Planting and Watering: Paul's words in First Corinthians 3:6 emphasize that believers plant and water, but God gives the growth, reminding us to focus on sharing the gospel rather than the outcome.
- 🗣️ Conversation Starters: Having a few gospel conversation starters can help initiate discussions about Jesus, such as asking to pray for someone or inquiring about their spiritual beliefs.
- 💪 Courage and Confidence: Conversation starters can provide the courage and confidence needed to start gospel conversations, especially when one is unsure of the other person's response.
- 🙏 Praying for Opportunities: Encouraging church members to pray for opportunities to share the gospel is a powerful practice, as it aligns with God's will and can lead to fruitful conversations.
- 📅 Daily Prayer Practice: Psalm 5:2 suggests that praying in the morning for opportunities to share the gospel sets the tone for the day and prepares one for divine appointments.
- 📝 30-Day Prayer Guide: The Hoosier one 30-day prayer guide is a resource that can help church members pray daily for those in their lives who do not know Jesus.
- 📱 Available Resources: The prayer guide can be found on hoosier1.com or the YouVersion app, making it accessible for church members to engage in daily prayer.
- 🌟 Personal Stories: Personal testimonies, like the story of a person praying for their father's salvation for years, illustrate the power of prayer and the joy of answered prayers.
- 🛡️ Preparing for Conversations: Being prepared with a clear definition of success, conversation starters, and a habit of prayer helps church members to be more intentional in their gospel conversations.
- 🚪 Opportunities Abound: The Bible teaches that the harvest is plentiful, indicating that as the church prays and prepares, opportunities to share the gospel will present themselves.
Q & A
Who is Catherine Renfro and what is her role?
-Catherine Renfro is the Director of Evangelism at the North American Mission Board.
What is the main topic of the conversation in the script?
-The main topic is creating a culture of evangelism in a church, focusing on the third phase called 'engage'.
What is the first thing suggested to do before engaging in gospel conversations?
-The first thing suggested is to redefine success in terms of gospel conversations, emphasizing that success is simply sharing the gospel, not necessarily seeing someone saved.
How does the script define success in gospel conversations?
-Success in gospel conversations is defined as sharing the gospel itself, not necessarily the conversion of the listener.
What biblical reference is used to illustrate that God is responsible for the outcomes of gospel conversations?
-First Corinthians Chapter 3 Verse 6, where Paul says that he planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.
What is the second suggestion for preparing to engage in gospel conversations?
-The second suggestion is to start sharing gospel conversation starters with people before they engage in those conversations.
Can you provide some examples of gospel conversation starters mentioned in the script?
-Examples include asking 'How can I pray for you?', 'Do you have any spiritual beliefs?', 'Has anyone ever told you about Jesus?', 'Do you have a church you attend?', and 'May I share my story with you?'.
What is the third thing suggested to do before engaging in gospel conversations?
-The third suggestion is to help people start praying for opportunities to share the gospel.
What does Psalm chapter 5 verse 2 say about morning prayers?
-Psalm chapter 5 verse 2 says, 'In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my request before you and I wait expectantly.'
What is the purpose of praying for opportunities before engaging in gospel conversations?
-Praying for opportunities helps believers to identify people in their lives who don't have a relationship with Jesus and to ask God for the chance to share the gospel with them.
What resource is mentioned in the script to help church members pray for people in their lives who don't know Jesus?
-A 30-day prayer guide called 'Hoosier One' is mentioned, which can be found at hoosier1.com or on the YouVersion app.
Outlines
📢 Defining Success in Evangelism
Catherine Renfro, the Director of Evangelism at the North American Mission Board, discusses the importance of redefining success in the context of gospel conversations. She emphasizes that success is not solely about leading someone to salvation but rather about sharing the gospel itself. Renfro encourages leaders to remind their followers that God is responsible for the growth, as stated in First Corinthians 3:6. She also suggests equipping them with gospel conversation starters to facilitate the initiation of these discussions. Renfro shares a personal story of a woman who, after years of hesitation, was able to share her faith with a co-worker, highlighting the power of conversation starters in building confidence.
🙏 Encouraging Prayer for Evangelism Opportunities
The second paragraph focuses on the power of prayer in preparing for gospel conversations. Renfro advises leaders to guide their congregation in praying for opportunities to share the gospel with those who do not know Jesus. She mentions the Psalm 5:2 as a foundation for morning prayers and provides specific prayer points, such as praying for opportunities to start conversations, for the salvation of others, for boldness, for the right words, and for the Holy Spirit's guidance. Additionally, Renfro introduces a 30-day prayer guide available at hoosier1.com and on the YouVersion app as a resource for church members to engage in daily prayers for evangelism opportunities. She concludes with a personal account of answered prayers, illustrating the impact of consistent prayer on evangelism efforts.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Evangelism
💡Gospel Conversations
💡Equipping
💡Success
💡Confidence
💡Conversation Starters
💡Prayer
💡Courage
💡Hoosier One 30-Day Prayer Guide
💡First Corinthians 3:6
💡Psalm 5:2
Highlights
Catherine Renfro serves as the Director of Evangelism at the North American Mission Board.
The conversation focuses on creating a culture of evangelism in churches, particularly the third phase called 'engage'.
Equipping leaders to share the Gospel is essential before engaging in gospel conversations.
Redefining success in gospel conversations is crucial; success is sharing the Gospel, not just conversions.
The results of gospel conversations are in God's hands, as stated in First Corinthians 3:6.
Providing conversation starters can help individuals initiate gospel discussions more confidently.
Examples of gospel conversation starters include asking about prayer needs and spiritual beliefs.
Prayer plays a significant role in preparing for gospel conversations, as illustrated in Psalm 5:2.
Encouraging church members to pray for opportunities to share the Gospel is a powerful practice.
Practical ways to pray for gospel opportunities include praying for boldness and the right words.
The Hoosier One 30-day prayer guide is a resource to help church members pray for those who don't know Jesus.
The prayer guide is available at hoosier1.com and on the YouVersion app for daily use.
Praying for opportunities can lead to exciting moments of sharing the Gospel, as shared in personal stories.
A personal testimony of a family praying for their father's salvation, which was eventually answered at age 75.
The importance of being intentional in having gospel conversations in everyday life.
The role of leaders in helping their congregation define success, share conversation starters, and pray for opportunities.
Transcripts
hi my name is Catherine Renfro and I
have the privilege of serving as the
Director of evangelism at the North
American Mission board we're going to
continue the conversation on creating a
culture of evangelism in your church as
we look at the third phase of the
process which is called engage you see
once you've equipped those you lead to
share the hope of the Gospel there are
some things that you can help them with
before they engage in gospel
conversations as they engage and even
after they engage in gospel
conversations you see these reminders
that you can give them can help them to
have the courage and the confidence they
need to even begin starting to have
these conversations so let's start with
what you can do to help them before they
engage in conversations
you see the first thing that we should
do before engaging in gospel
conversations is define success truthly
speaking we need to redefine success
because many people believe that gospel
conversations are successful if the
person they're speaking with places
their faith in the Life Death burial and
resurrection of Jesus and are saved
however what we know is that success is
not seeing someone saved success is
simply sharing the gospel you know
oftentimes we all get so wrapped up in
how a conversation will go or how a
person will respond if we try to share
the gospel with them but the truth is
God never left the results of gospel
conversations up to us in fact Paul says
in First Corinthians Chapter 3 Verse 6
he says I planted the seed Apollos
watered it but God has been making it
grow
see God never left the results of those
conversations up to us as followers of
Jesus we get to plant and water seeds
but it's God who brings the growth
anytime people in your church share the
gospel they are successful no matter the
outcome secondly start sharing gospel
conversation starters with them before
they engage in those conversations you
know the hardest part of having a gospel
conversation is knowing how to get into
the conversation
proficient in anything then we have to
get practice
it's true of talking to people about
Jesus we have to get practice in but
having a few conversation starters in
our back pocket can help us get there
here's a few conversation starters that
you can share with people in your church
how can I pray for you
do you have any spiritual beliefs do you
mind if I ask you a spiritual question
has anyone ever told you about Jesus
do you have a church you attend
may I share my story with you
these are just a few simple ways that we
can help people get into conversations
about Jesus and the gospel I was talking
with someone recently who's wanted for
years to talk to a co-worker about Jesus
however unsure of how her co-worker
would respond or the ramifications that
would come as a result of it she wavered
you see for so long fear doubt and
uncertainty held her back then one day
this co-worker expressed some
frustrations and struggles and this led
to my friend asking her co-worker if she
could share what God had done in her
life through similar circumstances I'll
never forget my friend coming to me one
day and say Catherine for the very first
time in my life I got to tell someone
about Jesus and it was awesome
you see conversation starters can help
people have the courage and confidence
they need to begin the conversations
that they want to have with other people
about Jesus the third thing that you can
do
before engaging in gospel conversations
is help your people start praying for
opportunities one of the most powerful
things we can do every single morning
before the day begins is to pray Lord
give me an opportunity to tell someone
about you today
Psalm chapter 5 verse 2 says in the
morning Lord you hear my voice in the
morning I lay my request before you and
I wait expectantly you see God not only
hears our prayers but he responds to
them so help those that you lead
identify friends family members
neighbors co-workers anyone in their
lives that don't have a relationship
with Jesus and challenge them to pray
daily for those people
maybe you can give them some specific
ways to pray here are a few of those
pray for an opportunity to start a
conversation about Jesus with that
person
pray that person would be saved
pray for boldness
pray for the right words to say at just
the right time and pray that the Holy
Spirit would speak through you you know
we've created a Hoosier one 30-day
prayer guide that's an incredible
resource that can help your church
members start praying every single day
for people in their life that doesn't
know Jesus this prayer guide can be
found at hoosier1.com or on the
YouVersion app you and your church can
use this to pray for friends and family
members that don't know Jesus that they
may come to have a saving relationship
with him the most encouraging moments
are listening to someone who's so
excited about getting an opportunity to
share the gospel that they've been
praying for you know I was visiting
family recently in the Midwest and I met
someone who was honoring their dad on
his 90th birthday and this person was
sharing their story and and she said
that their parents had had gotten a
divorce when they were little kids but
they always prayed that one day their
dad would come to know Jesus at 75 years
old the father was saved and their
prayers were answered
as your church prays for opportunities
each day you can be confident that the
Lord will give them opportunities
because the Bible says the Harvest is
plentiful being prepared before engaging
in gospel conversations helps us become
more intentional about having those
conversations as we go in everyday life
help those you lead by defining success
sharing conversation starters with them
and getting them to pray for
opportunities before sending them out to
engage in these gospel conversations
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