LESSON 676:PERSONAL EVANGELISM MEMORY VERSE: “He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messaias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ” (John 1:41) TEXT: John 1:35-51

SUMMARY (1) From our last study, we learnt the following lessons: The fruit of the Spirit is the character of Christ reproduced in the Christian through the Holy Spirit. A living relationship with Christ is needed to bear the fruit of the Spirit. A fruit bearing Christian will receive answers to prayers, God will be glorified, shall be a disciple of the Lord and will always be fruitful irrespective of age. The study of today touches on four points: Personal Evangelism: meaning and mandate. Necessity and urgency of personal evangelism. The lifestyle of soul-winners. Effective methods and procedures in personal evangelism.

SUMMARY (2) Personal evangelism: meaning and mandate (John 1:40-42; Mark 16:15): Personal evangelism is the person-to-person sharing of the good news of salvation with a sinner, with the goal of bringing him to God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Necessity and urgency of personal evangelism (John 4:35; Ezekiel 3:17-21): The end of a soul without Christ makes it a necessity to reach out before it is too late. The shortness of time makes it an urgent task to rescue the dying soul. The lifestyle of soul-winners (2Timothy 2:4-6; Isaiah 52:11): A soul-winner must first experience genuine conversion from sin. He must be free from spots, blemishes and evil reports: live an exemplary life. Effective methods and procedures in personal evangelism (John 3:1-3; Acts 8:26-39): Methods include direct/indirect, friendship, literature, after-fellowship, etc. Present the gospel and lead the sinner to the point of decision and surrender to Christ. Be watchful while preaching; avoid anything that may hinder the salvation of souls.

DISCUSSION

QUESTION 1 What does personal evangelism mean? John 1:41-42 Acts 8:37

QUESTION 2 How can the church leadership motivate members to be diligently involved in personal evangelism? 1 Peters 5:3

QUESTION 3 Enumerate the benefits of involving in personal evangelism: James 5:20 Luke 15:10 Daniel 12:3

QUESTION 4 What should be the lifestyle of the effective soul-winner? 2 Timothy 2:6 Isaiah 52:11 2 Timothy 2:15 John 15:4-5

QUESTION 5 (a)Mention various methods of personal evangelism. John 3:3 Acts 8:29-30 (b) As a believer, which of them have you effectively employed?

QUESTION 6 What steps can a soul-winner take to lead a soul to salvation? Galatians 5:19-21, Romans 3:23 Romans 6:23b, John 12:32 Isaiah 1:20 Romans 10:9-10

QUESTION 7 What pitfalls must be avoided when leading a soul to the Lord?

CONCLUSION Personal evangelism is a mandate from the Lord. It is an effective, easy and exemplary soul-winning strategy. It must be done with the purpose of leading souls to the Saviour Jesus Christ. A converted soul must be followed up to establish him in the faith. Baptism in water should be done and discipleship training . The soul-winner must be ready to make sacrifice both financially and materially for the spiritual and physical welfare of the covert.