Sometimes I wonder what people 100 years ago would think if they saw us using our cell phones. This tiny device not only connects us with the entire world but also takes pictures, plays music, has games on it, and the list goes on and on. Our phones are capable of doing so much, but they can be rendered useless so quickly when that battery dies. Without the phone’s source of power, it cannot do any of the things that it was designed to do. As believers, we have been called to reach a lost world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but without the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, this is a task that we will fail at accomplishing.
1. What was the worst situation in which your phone died?
For most believers, it is not new information that they are supposed to be sharing their faith. I believe that most Christians would say they understand that it is an understood expectation, yet so many people let doubt keep them from fulfilling what God has called them to do. Instead of sharing, their mind fills with thoughts and questions about what could possibly go wrong in the situation and why it is probably best that they not share. This leads to a life that ignores what Jesus called us to in The Great Commission in Matthew chapter 28.
Matthew 28:18-20 says, “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’”
2. What mental blocks do you find yourself running into, preventing you from sharing the Gospel?
3. What would you say the first step to “make disciples” is, as commanded in Matthew 28:18-20?
Acts 1:8 says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
The problem is that many of us are trying to share Jesus by our own strength, instead of relying on the power of the Holy Spirit to guide us in each and every moment. It is like trying to use your iPhone with the battery dead. We were not meant to reach people on our own. Acts 1:8 clearly says that we will receive power from the Holy Spirit, and this power will allow us to be “witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” So, we have to understand Who the Holy Spirit is and how He will empower us first before we can go any further with understanding what it means to reach the world.
4. What are some of your general understandings of Who the Holy Spirit is and what He does?
God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit each are fully God, yet distinct in their role. Although this is not a lesson on the Trinity, it is important to understand that the Holy Spirit is not a thing; He is a person. He is the Spirit of God that indwells us when we become believers after fully putting our faith in Jesus. In relation to reaching the world with the Gospel, each part of the Trinity plays their own unique role. God the Father is the source of the mission. He planned salvation and sent Jesus to make a way for people to be reconciled to Him (John 3:16). Jesus, the Son, is the Savior who carried out the mission by dying and rising again to bring salvation to the world (Acts 2:22-24). The Holy Spirit is the power of the mission, enabling believers to live out and share the Gospel effectively (Acts 1:8).
5. How does a better understanding of who the Holy Spirit is in light of Acts 1:8 help you understand the role of the Holy Spirit in your ability to reach others?
6. What would it look like practically to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to share the Gospel?
In 2 Timothy 1:7-8, we read, “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God.”
7. How can this verse encourage you to share the Gospel?
God did not give us a spirit of fear. He gave us His Holy Spirit, and through His Spirit we should feel love and compassion for those around us who do not know Christ. Instead of being afraid to tell them about the true Gospel, it should inspire us to share because we really understand how important it is, and we love them enough to put ourselves through a potentially uncomfortable conversation. We are called not to be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord. I try to be courageous and pray every day that God would give me opportunities to share my faith and that the Holy Spirit would strengthen me to be faithful enough to take those opportunities. It is so convicting to think of times that I have been ashamed and missed opportunities to share my faith. I challenge you to think about how something as simple as not leaving out the fact that you went to Church on Sunday, when a coworker asks you on Monday how your weekend was, can open the door wide open to share the Gospel.
8. What are some practical ways you can open the door for Gospel conversations with people in your lives?
When the Holy Spirit gives us opportunities, we need to be faithful in those moments. We need to be faithful to present the full Gospel. It is true that God loves the unsaved person, but that is not the full Gospel. A person only understanding God’s love for them, does not save them. We have to be faithful to help them understand why Jesus had to die for them. The Romans Road is an incredible roadmap for sharing a true and faithful Gospel.
Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Romans 5:8 adds, “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 10:9 records, “Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
There is the bad news (we are sinners separated from God) along with the Good News (God made a way for us to be saved) in these verses. They clearly take the person who needs to hear the Gospel through the basics of what it really means to be saved. Obviously, these verses can lead to more questions. This is again where we rely on the power of the Holy Spirit. Trust that He will guide you in your conversation. Do not hesitate to tell someone that you are not sure how to answer their question, but that you will gladly look it up and share with them.
9. Do you feel that these verses give you what you need to clearly share the Gospel? Why or why not?
In 1 Corinthians 3:6-7, we read, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.”
10. How does this verse in 1 Corinthians encourage you in your pursuit to share the Gospel?
We are reminded that at the end of the day, it is God who gives the growth. All we can do is be faithful to the calling to reach the world around us with the Gospel of Jesus. As we rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to boldly share our faith with those around us, I promise that we will see God do some incredible things. It may not always work out how we want it to, but we can trust that the Lord is always moving. I know I want Him to use me. I hope you want Him to use you as well!
If you are studying in a group, I want to challenge you to split up into groups of two and practice sharing the Gospel with each other. This may be out of your comfort zone, and that is a good thing. God has called us to do this, so we need to practice and prepare so that we are ready when He puts an opportunity in front of us. If you are studying this on your own, ask a friend or family member who is a believer if they would help you practice sharing the Gospel as well. You never know when you may be presented with an opportunity to share the Gospel. Do not miss the next one!