Summer Reading Challenge: Sharing Jesus without Freaking Out, Chapter 8

SESSION 8—Make Friends, Not Visits: Developing a Plan

Principle 8: Developing a lifestyle of sharing Jesus consistently flows out of a plan to share Jesus regularly.

Summer Reading Challenge: Sharing Jesus without Freaking Out, Week 7

SESSION 7—Talk, but with More than Words Principle

7: Talk to the actual person in front of you about the Jesus inside you; let them see and hear the change Jesus makes in you.

Summer Reading Challenge: Week Six-- Let Them Help You

Principle 6: Expect people to be open to the gospel, and learn to share Jesus where they live.

Summer Reading Challenge, Sharing Jesus without Freaking Out, Week 5

SESSION 5—Ignition and Transition: Conversation Starters and Signposts

 Principle 5: Effective evangelistic conversations connect the unchanging gospel with the specific issues people face.

Summer Reading Challenge: Sharing Jesus without Freaking Out, Week 4

SESSION 4—It’s Not in Your Power, Yet You Are Vital

Principle 4: God has sovereignly placed you in this world at this time with the abilities and gifts you have to bring glory to him and show the joy of the gospel to others.

Summer Reading Challenge: Sharing Jesus without Freaking Out, Week 3

SESSION 3—It’s Easier than You Think: Conversations, Not Presentations 

Principle 3: Shifting from giving an evangelistic presentation to having an evangelistic conversation takes pressure off the witness and relates the gospel more clearly to an unbeliever. 

Summer Reading Challenge: Sharing Jesus without Freaking Out, Chapter 2

SESSION 2—God Is Not Mad at You: Understanding the Message 

 Principle 2: In order to share Jesus confidently and consistently with others, first share him confidently and consistently with yourself.

This Week, Pray for: God to help you face and overcome your fears. God to help you meet your neighbors if you haven’t already, and begin developing relationships with them. Each day this week, pray the three-fold prayer of the witness: God, give me this day: 1). an opportunity to share Christ 2). The wisdom to see it 3). The courage to take it

Summer Reading Challenge: Alvin Reid's Sharing Jesus without freaking out, Chapter 1

Welcome to the Summer Reading Challenge! This week read chapter 1, Spread the Word: Don't Overcomplicate it on pages 5 through 19.

Principle 1: God Created you for His glory, to advance His gospel with the gifts, talents, and opportunities He gave you.

Watch the video of Alvin Reid below then answer the questions on pages 127, 128. Feel free to share your answers, insights or questions in the comments below.

Day 19 – Forgiving One Another

Matthew 5:21-24

 
²¹ “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ ²² But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.

²³ “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, ²⁴ leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.

 

Matthew 6:14-15

 

¹⁴ For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

 

It is probable that at some point on this trip someone will rub you the wrong way or even offend you. In order to not get distracted and to maintain our witness as believers, it will be imperative that you are prepared to forgive others quickly. 

 

Looking at the scriptures listed above, “offering your sacrifices” in Matthew 5 is the equivalent of asking forgiveness for your sins in prayer. What does this verse say to do before you can seek forgiveness from God? Also in Matt. 6:14-15, what do these verses say about the importance of forgiving others?

Day 18 - Greatness and leaders

Matthew 20:20-28 

 

 ²⁰ Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. ²¹ “What is it you want?” he asked.
She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”
²² “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”
“We can,” they answered.
²³ Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”
²⁴ When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. ²⁵ Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. ²⁶ Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— ²⁸ just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

 

How does your picture of a leader compare to Jesus in verse 28?

Day 17 - Anxiety

Philippians 4:4-9

 ⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
 

1 Peter 5:6-11

⁶ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. ⁷ Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

⁸ Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. ⁹ Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
¹⁰ And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. ¹¹ To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

 

Philippians tells us to not be anxious, but instead to pray. Post this scripture some place where you can see it every day,and instead of worrying over things, practice prayer until it becomes an automatic response to anxiety. Philippians also tells us to focus our thoughts on the good things and rejoice in the Lord. When anxiety sets in what will be your “happy thought?” Peter tells us to be humble. What do you think humbleness has to do with anxiety and prayer?

Day 16 - Removing the Obstacles

John 11:39-40

“Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” 40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

There are a lot of obstacles that must be removed for this trip. What are some possible obstacles? In these verses, Jesus asks for the obstacle to be removed. By asking, he allows us to respond. How do you respond to removing obstacles?

Day 15 - Overcoming the Ruts

Numbers 13:25-33

 

All 12 spies in this passage saw the same thing, but two saw the good and ten saw the bad. Caleb knows God promisedthem the land and will take care of the “bad” things. How do you help yourself focus on the promises of God when things look rough?

Day Fourteen

Revival Psalm 85 You, Lord, showed favor to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob. 2 You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins. 3 You set aside all your wrath and turned from your fierce anger. 4 Restore us again, God our Savior, and put away your displeasure toward us. 5 Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger through all generations? 6 Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? 7 Show us your unfailing love, Lord, and grant us your salvation. 8 I will listen to what God the Lord says; he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants— but let them not turn to folly. 9 Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land. 10 Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other. 11 Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven. 12 The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest. 13 Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps. What does revival mean to you?

Day Thirteen

Day 13 - The Extraordinary Ministry Act 4:1-19 The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. 2 They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. 3 They seized Peter and John and, because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. 4 But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand. 5 The next day the rulers, the elders and the teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. 6 Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and others of the high priest’s family. 7 They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?” 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! 9 If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, 10 then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11 Jesus is “‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” 13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. 14 But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. 15 So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. 16 “What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign, and we cannot deny it. 17 But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name.” 18 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! People listened to the disciples and either believed or got angry. What was the major theme of what the disciples were saying in this passage?

Day 12-- The Surprise Witness

John 4:1-42New International Version (NIV) Jesus Talks With a Samaritan Woman 4 Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John— 2 although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. 3 So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. 4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. 7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” 11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?” 13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” 16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” 17 “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” 19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” 21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” 25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” 26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.” The Scripture tells us that everyone/anyone can be a witness. Today, pray for each individual in the team to be a witness at home and abroad. Also, pray for divine appointments for your lives and the trip, that God will bring people into your path who are seeking to know more about God and a relationship with Jesus Christ. Pray for boldness to share your faith.

Day 15 Overcoming the Ruts

Overcoming the Ruts Numbers 13:25-33 25 At the end of forty days they returned from exploring the land. 26 They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. 28 But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan.” 30 Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” 31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” 32 And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. 33 We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” All 12 spies in this passage saw the same thing, but two saw the good and ten saw the bad. Caleb knows God promised them the land and will take care of the “bad” things. How do you help yourself focus on the promises of God when things look rough?

Day 11-- Ministry Companion

John 14:16-31New International Version (NIV) 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” 22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?” 23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. 25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. 28 “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. 30 I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, 31 but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me. “Come now; let us leave. Last week we talked a little bit about the Holy Spirit. This passage talks about God’s word and the Holy Spirit. Drawing from the passage, how are they interrelated?

Day 10-- The Great Commission

Matthew 28:19-20New American Standard Bible (NASB) 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” In what way do you think we will be involved in these tasks while on this trip?

2017 Summer Reading Challenge: Sharing Jesus without Freaking Out

Welcome to the 2017 Summer Reading Challenge! You can pick up a copy of Alvin Reid's book Sharing Jesus without Freaking Out at the Communication Center or the digital version for Kindle here.