Conversations on Common Ground Establishing Common Ground for Sharing the Gospel

What does this mean?

What does this mean? The Church needs to approach the world with the Gospel in every generation and culture. One of the best approaches we can have to sharing the Gospel is one that brings the truth of our experiences of faith in the authentic stories of how the Gospel has changed our lives. The challenge for the New England Church is establishing Common Ground with others in a pluralistic, multi-ethnic, and liberal culture.

What’s the big idea? “Finding our way to common ground requires us to know what our treasure is and to understand how to invest in another human being a little bit at a time.”

What’s the big idea? So just how do we do this? “Finding our way to common ground requires us to know what our treasure is and to understand how to invest in another human being a little bit at a time. So just how do we do this?

What’s the big idea? “Finding our way to common ground requires us to know what our treasure is and to understand how to invest in another human being a little bit at a time.” By knowing the stories of our own experience of the Gospel we have come to treasure in our own lives. This will give us greater freedom in conversations with others. Consider the parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price: “Where you treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matt. 6:21 and Matt.13: 44-46) “Finally the scribe who has been trained brings out of his (or her) house new treasures as well as old.” (Matt.13:51-53)

We must learn to Invest before we Invite What we invest in another person is a story from our heart. This is our treasure. This is a story of how the Gospel has affected our lives, some aspect of the great love of God that has been poured into our hearts.

We must learn to Invest before we Invite Discovering the treasure of our Christian Witness as a story requires a treasure hunt that is a journey inward. Making this journey inward with friends is where we begin training the Church up in this old (and yet, in many ways new) approach to disciple-making. We must learn to Invest before we Invite What we invest in another person is a story from our heart. This is our treasure. This is a story of how the Gospel has affected our lives, some aspect of the great love of God that has been poured into our hearts.

Finding Treasure What is your story of how you experienced the truth that God has loved you first? (See Luke 15, the parable of the lost sheep, the parable of the lost coins and prodigals, Rom. 8:31-39)

Finding Treasure What is your story of how you experienced the truth that God has loved you first? (See Luke 15, the parable of the lost sheep, the parable of the lost coins and prodigals, Rom. 8:31-39) What is your story about alienation and separation from God? (see Eph. 2:1-7; Rom. 3:10-18; Gen. 3:7-18; 23)

Finding Treasure What is your story of how you experienced the truth that God has loved you first? (See Luke 15, the parable of the lost sheep, the parable of the lost coins and prodigals, Rom. 8:31-39) What is your story about alienation and separation from God? (see Eph. 2:1-7; Rom. 3:10-18; Gen. 3:7-18; 23) What are some of your most treasured experience of the love of Christ Jesus in your life? (See John 3:16; 1 John 4:16-18; James 4: 5,6)

Finding Treasure How has the cross touched your life? What has been your experience of the reality of Jesus Christ’s substitutionary death for you? When was one of the most memorable experiences of applying the cross to your life?

Finding Treasure How has the cross touched your life? What has been your experience of the reality of Jesus Christ’s substitutionary death for you? When was one of the most memorable experiences of applying the cross to your life? What was one of the clearest lessons that brought home how great the Grace of the Lord is for us? (See Eph. 2: 8-9)

Finding Treasure How has the cross touched your life? What has been your experience of the reality of Jesus Christ’s substitutionary death for you? When was one of the most memorable experiences of applying the cross to your life? What was one of the clearest lessons that brought home how great the Grace of the Lord is for us? (See Eph. 2: 8-9) When did The Prayer of Surrender and the Risk of Faith truly happen for you? What changed in your life after this experience? Did anyone ask you the question of whether you have put your trust in Jesus Christ?