| |
Thine actions speak louder than words
do!
-
Help! As the old saying goes "Actions speak
louder than words". God is Love, and we're children of the Father of
Love. We talk about how we love people, yet we often fail to
show God's love in practical ways.
-
Here's some ideas: Share some kewl URL's,
help people create web sites or even show them where to find the latest
technology on the net.
-
Click here for some URL ideas and
technologies to share.
Thou
shalt ask open ended questions!
-
One key to sharing Christ with
someone is to build a relationship with the people we meet online.
Whether you are quiet and not very talkative or the person you're talking
to is that way, we can open up the communication channels by asking open
questions.
-
For example, don't ask yes/no
questions if at all possible. Asking them if they had a good
day will get you a yes or no answer. Instead, ask them to tell
you about their day. Or, ask them their feelings about a given
subject. Using this approach will often loose their lips and the end
result is that you'll get to know this person.
-
We need to be careful to not
just give yes/no answers to questions asked of us. Make every effort
to elaborate on your answers without monopolizing the conversation.
Look for things that you have in common....soon you'll find yourself
building a lasting relationship!
-
Proverbs 18:24 -
"A man that has friends must show himself friendly: and there is a
friend that sticks closer than a brother."
Thou
shalt be patient!
-
"I don't understand
it...I told them everything they needed to know about Christ and they
still won't say the sinners prayer!"
-
We can have all our ducks in a
row and even quote a slew of scriptures to our new friend and yet they are
still unwilling to commit to Christ. Did you accept Christ the
very first time you heard about Him? Most people would have to
answer that question "No."
-
Just remember that we will
seldom see results over night. Take the time to develop a long term
relationship with our new friends. In the end, our job is to be
witnesses of God's Love. It's God who deals with the heart.
-
Colossians 1:11 -
"We
pray that you will be strengthened with His glorious power that you will
have all the patience and endurance you need."
Thou shalt not
judge!
-
We're not called to judge people for the way they live
their lives. True, we might not agree with everything they say or do. But
we should never put them on the defense by judging them by our standards.
Rather look at this time as an opportunity to live by Christ's example.
Walk the walk.
-
We can share our point of view, but be careful to do so
out of a sense of love and gentleness not condemnation.
-
Matthew 7:1-2 - "Stop judging others, and
you will not be judged. For others will treat you as you treat
them."
Thou shalt not use
Christian Speak!
-
Grace, mercy, saved, and born again are a few words
that will confuse people who were not raised in the church. Often
these words mean nothing to non believers and in other cases these words
will have complete different meanings to other religious beliefs.
-
Some examples of this is how other religions see
Christ, God, atonement, and born again. If you're not careful, you
will think that you are talking about the same thing with your friend,
only to find out later that you're talking about a different Christ.
-
Take your time to think before you speak...and explain
everything!
-
1 Corinthians 14:9 - "If you talk in a language they
don't understand, how will they know what you mean? You might as
well be talking to an empty room."
Thou shalt shake the
dust off thy feet!
-
In Matthew 10:14 Jesus sent out His disciples and
told them not to hang around that town if they didn't accept the good
news. He told them they should shake the dust from their feet and move on.
-
Does this mean we need to just hit and run? No.
Rather, we need to learn from this example and make sure we don't become
distracted by people who don't have a genuine interest in the gospel.
Give them a fair chance to respond to the love of Christ. If after
that they still seem uninterested or even hostile, then it may be time to
consider moving on. Keep praying!
-
Matthew 10:14 - If a village doesn't welcome you or
listen to you, shake off the dust of that place from your feet as you
leave.
Thou shalt set
realistic goals!
Thou shalt have
right motives!
Thou shalt be
honest!
-
When sharing your faith, remember the old
saying “honesty is the best policy”. When asked a question that you do
not have an answer to don’t feel the need to make things up. Rather acknowledge
that you don’t know and then endeavor to find out. Don't be tempted
to tell a tale in order to impress your new friend. Save face
and be totally honest!
Thou
shalt follow up!
-
How do you follow-up?
Many have asked, "What
about following up and discipling an individual who makes a decision for
Christ? If they live clear across the country or the world, how do you
help them grow?"
There is much talk today
about "cyber-churches" on the Internet. One or
two people is all it takes to run many of these virtual churches.
Using high quality web sites, they can communicate with and affect
thousands of people worldwide. The participants receive hundreds
of messages and prayer requests during a year and a growing number of
these participants are making the virtual church their only
church.
This is not our concept
of follow up and discipleship. While the Internet world can be
extremely personal, nothing can replace real human touch, a handshake,
and a proper hug. Nothing can replace a face-to-face encounter
with a fellow believer whose gentle caring voice says, "How are
you…really?"
Thus our training
materials focus on how you can help an individual locate and get
involved in a Bible-believing church in their local area. There
are plenty of good materials you will want to send them to help them get
started, but the sooner they get involved in a local church the sooner
they can become an active member of God's family and become fully
equipped to use their spiritual gifts for service in that local body of
believers.
-
Thou
Shalt See Evangelism Tips For ICQ!
-
Thou
Shalt find out how to seek contacts
-
Hints
& Tips part 2 - Lots of great links!
|