Sermon Tone Analysis

1. THE MOTIVATIONS TO WITNESS:

A. The first motivation is obedience.

1. () "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

B. The second motivation is love.

() “For the love of Christ compels us…”

() "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

C. The third motivation is truth.

() “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

2. THE METHOD FOR WITNESSING:

A. Make a firm commitment to witness.

() “ I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: "Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me."

B. Do it naturally in the course of everyday living.

1. () "Go therefore (as you are going) and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

a) Just be yourself.

b) Starting a witnessing encounter is no different than starting any other conversation.

C.

You can use the C.A.S.T. method:

1. C: Stands for Connection.

a) Talk about the person’s background:

(1) Where are you from originally?

(2) How long have you lived here?

b) Other questions:

(1) If you are already acquainted, ask about family members or mutual friends.

2. A: Stands for Activities

a) Find out about the person’s work, hobbies, or interests.

(1) You may ask:

(a) What kind of work do you do?

(b) What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

(2) For students:

(a) What courses are you taking?

3. S: Stands for Spiritual Matters

a) This is the real heart of the conversation.

Find out whether the person is open to discussing spiritual matters.

(1) Questions you might ask:

(a) Would you consider yourself to be a spiritual person?

(b) Do you ever think about spiritual things?

(2) If they aren’t sure what you mean, say things like Heaven, prayer, God, etc.

(a) Some like to use diagnostic questions such as:

(i) Do you know for sure that you will go to heaven when you die?

(ii) Can I share with you my story of how I came to be sure?

4. T: Stands for Tell Your Story

a) If the person is open, continue by sharing the gospel.

b) Share your personal story / testimony.

1.

A personal testimony/story is divided into three areas

a) Your life before you made a commitment to follow Jesus

b) How you came to know Jesus personally

c) How Jesus has changed your life since you came to know him personally.

· An excellent model of a personal testimony and its use is found in .

o Paul’s life before Christ.

§ () "I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers’ law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today.

I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, as also the high priest bears me witness, and all the council of the elders, from whom I also received letters to the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring in chains even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished.”

o How Paul came to know Christ.

§ () “"Now it happened, as I journeyed and came near Damascus at about noon, suddenly a great light from heaven shone around me.

And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’

So I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’

And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’

"And those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they did not hear the voice of Him who spoke to me.

So I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’

And the Lord said to me, ‘Arise and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all things which are appointed for you to do.’

And since I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus.

Then a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good testimony with all the Jews who dwelt there, came to me; and he stood and said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’

And at that same hour I looked up at him.”

o How Paul’s life was changed.

§ () “"Then he said, ‘The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth.

For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.

‘And now why are you waiting?

Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’

“

2. Your personal testimony is very important:

a) It has ___authority________________

No one can refute it, it happened to you!

b) It ____communicates_

It is a wonderful resource to communicate the reality of how Christ has changed your life!

c) It _____relates_

Everyone alive has a spiritual void that can only be filled by a personal encounter with Jesus Christ.

d) It is ___powerful_

God can use your story/testimony to impact lives and to reveal the life and love of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world.

3. Remember:

a) Be sensitive to the person with whom you are sharing at this strategic point.

b) Be prepared for questions.

c) See your sharing as a conversation, rather than an uninterrupted presentation.

C. Extend the invitation

1. () “And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation."

D. Follow up to disciple

1. Evangelism and discipleship are two sides of the same coin.

2. How does refer to a new believer?

a) “…as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby . .

.”

3. Who did Jesus tell Peter to feed in ?

a) “So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?"

He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You."

He said to him, "Feed My lambs."

4. Just like taking care of the needs of a newborn, God expects you to attend to the needs of the new believer.

5. What are some of the immediate needs of a new believer?

a) Baptism, discipleship, friends, a small group, a church home, etc.

CONCLUSION: