Chair 1: The Lost
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Many studies today are finding that people are less religious than they used to be. Now why is that?
It is possible that many people are losing their faith, but I believe that the reason people are less “religious” is that they were probably not truly religious to begin with.
We attend VBS, we memorize the verses and sing the songs, we are open to God but far from Him. People may be active in their churches and in their religion but spiritually dead.
We may read the Bible but find it meaningless, just black words on a white page. There is no foundation that is the basis for their belief, so we are easily moved towards easy believism and false religiousness.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
;23
We are sinners by birth and by choice, which means we are spiritually dead.
Many people may agree with this verse outwardly, but inwardly they may feel that they are better than other people because they attend or attended religious services and stayed busy with church activities.
But for all out busyness, we are still spiritually dead. And dead people are incapable of doing anything.
It is very easy to think that a lost person who doesn’t know Jesus is very much alive. They may even seem religious.
So we convince ourselves that all they need is a little more church, or a little more Bible, or a little more faith. They just need to make Jesus a bigger par of their life.
But the reality is that instead of turning over a new leaf, they need a new life.
If we agree with Paul’s assessment:
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
Then we need to accept the remedy:
among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
The lost do not need to be rehabilitated, they need to be resurrected.
People who are in Chair 1 are not just nice people who need a little more life; they are spiritually dead people who are incapable of knowing God through their own efforts.
They may seem spiritual, in fact they may be asking many spiritual questions, but they are not religious and are lying in a spiritual coffin and unable to come to life on their own.
The Bible has a lot to say about Chair 1 people, and it is not all pleasant.
says they “follow the ways of this world” and belong to the “ruler of the kingdom of the air”
says that “by nature” they are “deserving wrath”
A person in Chair 1 is “hostile to God,” “does not submit to God,” and is unable to do so ()
This person is “an enemy of God” and “cannot please God” no matter what they try to do (; )
When a Chair 1 Person dies, they are destined to spend eternity apart form God (; ; )
This is not good news. These are all pretty harsh statements, but they are clear teachings from God’s Word. And this is who we were before we came to Christ. We need to understand this if we are going to help Chair 1 people.
The truth can hurt but it can also bring true healing.
The Good News is that Jesus can reverse all of this.
The Process
The Process
God is a missionary God.
God called Abraham and blessed him to be a blessing to the nations of the earth.
He sent Joseph to Egypt to save the nation of Israel.
He sent Moses to free the Israelites.
God sent His Son to redeem the lost.
And He sends you and me to make-disciples, and He showed us how to do it.
Jesus Enters Our World
Jesus Enters Our World
Jesus left the comfort of Heaven and entered our world.
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
Philippians 2:
Jesus left His world, Heaven, to enter our world.
This is what Chair 1 people need. They need Christ-followers in their lives who are willing to enter into their world relationally.
They need friends who will enter their world. This is what Jesus did for us.
Jesus went where people were so that He could identify with them and so in turn they might get to know Him.
Jesus was moved by a Great Commandment love, and we should be the same.
Who has God placed right in front of you? Are you entering their world? Would people identify you as a “friend of sinner?” That is what they called Jesus.
Are you willing to leave the comfort of your home or church and enter the world of those without Christ?
We need to “walk as Jesus walked” and “do what Jesus did” (; ). Jesus entered the world of unbelievers in order to be friends with them.
Chair 1 people need friends who will enter into their world.
Jesus Prepared Himself
Jesus Prepared Himself
Jesus prepared himself, learning the context and culture in which He was sent.
Jesus was 30 years old when His ministry started. He spent 30 years in preparation, learning as He went about His everyday life. Jesus lived in obscurity for 30 years coping with the challenges of everyday living as a child, a friend, a son, a provider, and a businessman.
His preparation took more time than the time spent in His ministry.
His first challenge to the initial disciples was to “come and see.” Come and see how I am living as a perfect human, the second Adam.
Chair 1 people need Christ-followers who have prepared themselves.
Chair 1 people need Christ-followers who have prepared themselves.
Chair 1 people will have questions.
How has God been preparing you to answer those questions?
Each of us have endured challenges in our life. We did not face these challenges by coincidence. It might be that God wants to use us to help others who face similar problems.
What needs are your neighbors facing that no one is addressing? We need to address them. It is not about knowing all the answers, it is about being willing to discover the answers with Chair 1 people.
Spader, Dann. 4 Chair Discipling: Growing a Movement of Disciple-Makers (pp. 58-59). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.
Jesus Presents the Gospel
Jesus Presents the Gospel
Jesus shared a simpler message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come.”
Chair 1 people need someone to share the Gospel clearly to them.
Chair 1 people need someone to share the Gospel clearly to them.
All around us, there are people who are searching for the Good News.
God’s spirit is drawing people to Himself.
We must do our job with boldness and clarity. It we don’t tell our friends who will?
Many times I think we make it to difficult. It is pretty easy to share the Gospel.
Principles for Ministry to People in Chair 1
Principles for Ministry to People in Chair 1
The challenge to “come and see” is a simple challenger
It doesn’t demand a lot from either the person giving the challenge or receiving it.
It is easy to do and easy to reproduce
It means simply inviting someone to dinner in your home. It can be an invitation to attend an outreach event or church service, or a golf outing to deepen a relationship.
“Come and see” invites people into our lives to go deeper in friendship.
Outreach is a process
It may take someone hearing the Good News several times before they are ready to accept it.l
Spiritual CPR - shorthand for the process of outreach
C - stands for Cultivation.
Cultivation is breaking up the hard ground so that it can receive seed.
This is the hardest part of the process.
This is the building of relationships with the lost so that they will be receptive to the seed of the Gospel.
P - stands for Planting
Planting is sowing the seed at the right time, at the right depth, the the right way.
This means sowing the seed into the friendship with a lost person.
There is no magic formula for how best to do this.
The Holy Spirit has to direct us in the right way to do this.
R - stands for Reaping
Spiritual reaping requires sharing the Good News, clearly and concisely, and calling for a response.
Outreach is a process, and everyone is not in the same step in the process.
It is pretty easy to share the Gospel.
Jesus Christ is the only means by which a person can be restored in his or her relationship to God.
Jesus is not the best way, but the only way.
You either trust Jesus for your salvation or you are eternally dead.
Evangelism is most effective when we are motivated by love.
Our love for God is deepened as we understand what great things God has done for us ().
God has made us “children of God” (),
Our love for God is deepened as we understand what great things God has done for us (). God has made us “children of God” (), granted us eternal life (), made us each a “new creation” (), and delivered us “from the dominion of darkness” and has forgiven us completely of our sins (). In light of all this, we should be overwhelmed by God’s goodness toward us, “overflowing with thankfulness,” as Paul says (). The more we grasp all that God has done for us, the more our love of God compels us to share the Good News with others.
granted us eternal life (),
made us each a “new creation” (),
and delivered us “from the dominion of darkness” and has forgiven us completely of our sins ().
In light of all this, we should be overwhelmed by God’s goodness toward us, “overflowing with thankfulness,” as Paul says ().
The more we grasp all that God has done for us, the more our love of God compels us to share the Good News with others.
Evangelism is a byproduct of a healthy body.
Healthy things reproduce.
As we live holy lives, we reach people for ‘christ.
If a church is healthy - which means made up of Christians living holy lives - it will draw people to Christ.
If the church is unhealthy, there will be no disciple-making taking place.
God draws people to Himself, and He often draws them to churches that are healthy enough to care for new spiritual babies.
Evangelism is best achieved through relationships.
We reap in proportion to what we sow
God’s job is to prepare people’s hearts and draw them to himself ().
The Holy Spirit’s role is to convict the world of sin ()
Our job is to find the people God has prepared and to proclaim the truth to them.
Our job is to cultivate, plant, and pray for the harvest.
The goal of our mission is to help those in Chair 1 move to Chair 2.
Those who plant abundantly will reap abundantly, but those who plant little will reap little. Which do you choose?