Maybe you’re afraid to share your faith because you don’t know what to say. Or maybe you’re sharing the Gospel, but nothing is happening; people aren’t committing their lives to Christ. Are you doing something wrong?

You can’t open someone’s heart to the truth of the Gospel—but God can, by His Spirit. The Apostle Paul wasn’t eloquent, but God used him because he depended on the Holy Spirit to guide him (see 1 Corinthians 2:1-5). God guided many others in the Bible as well—like Moses, who at first asked God to get someone else to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land, or Jonah, who didn’t think the wicked Ninevites deserved God’s mercy and tried to run the other way.

Remember that God does not call the equipped; He equips the called—and as Christians, we are all called to share what Christ has done. Some of Christ’s last words on earth were, “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). Sharing our faith isn’t just a suggestion, it’s a command. And God is with us when we obey Him.

Go to Tell Someone by Greg Laurie at Lifeway Small Group or Harvest Online Course

Why Share the Gospel?  

MAIN POINT

As Christians, we share the gospel because we’re commanded to and because we care. (LUKE 15: 7, 10, 32; PSALM 126: 6)

INTRODUCTION

• What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done? Why did you do it?

• When you hear the word evangelism, do you think of adventure? If not, what word comes to mind and why?

For the next two weeks, we’ll be studying and discussing personal evangelism. This is something most of us know to be part of the Christian life, but we often feel intimidated by the idea and unsure of what to say. Here’s the spoiler: You can tell someone the good news of Jesus. It’s simple. It’s also exciting!

Before showing the video for session 1, pray for God to work in your hearts during the next two weeks, beginning right now.

UNDERSTANDING

Watch Session 1: Why Share the Gospel? Greg Laurie at Lifeway Small Group(30 minutes)

• As Christians, we share the gospel because we’re commanded to and because we care. How does this influence your approach to evangelism?

Read Luke 15: 7, 10, 32.

Answer the following question in the quiz.

• What do the parables and conclusions of the lost sheep, coin, and son teach us about God? About “lost people”?

DISCUSS

• What did Greg mean by getting mad about people not knowing Jesus?
• How does understanding the difference between a sin of commission and omission help you think about the Christian life? About evangelism?

Answer the following question in the quiz.

• On a scale of 1-10 (1 = dry and stagnate and 10 = full of life), how would you rate your spiritual life? Why?

Dry & stagnate

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Full of Life

• How are giving and receiving both related to spiritual health?
• Share about a time when you felt spiritually refreshed by sharing your faith, teaching, or discipling someone.

We can’t control whether or not someone believes the gospel, but we can control whether or not we share it. Jesus told us there is joy in heaven over every sinner who comes to repentance (Luke 15:7). If heaven gets excited, we should get excited, too! No doubt about it, new believers are the lifeblood of the church. They also are the lifeblood of the Christian. We all need new believers in our lives. We need to deepen and ground them. In turn, they reignite and excite us.

APPLICATION

Answer the following question in the quiz.

1. On a scale of 0-10, how often do you think about the spiritual condition of the people you know (0 = never, 10 = constantly)?

Never

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Constantly

• What would help increase this number, keeping people’s spiritual condition in the front of your mind?
• If you’ve shared the gospel or been blessed to lead someone to Jesus, in what ways did it energize your own faith and enthusiasm?
• What do you think the following statement means: “You have a choice to evangelize or fossilize”?
• How have you seen this true in your own life?
• Based on today’s discussion, what do you need to do now?