[Notes in square brackets for the session leader only – not to be read out]
Name one thing you hope will improve in your Christian experience as a result of being in a cell group.
[Ask someone to read 1 Peter 1:3-9. In an open time of prayer, encourage people to express their gratitude to the Lord, based either on this passage or on their own experience.]
"All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation…" (2 Corinthians 5:18) This is God's purpose. For his church. For his people. That's why we're here – to participate with God in his mission to bring the people of this world back to himself! There is no greater work we can do on earth.
In session 6 we looked at the basics of cell group evangelism – making an Outreach List, praying, inviting, visiting and serving people. In this session we will look a little deeper at some aspects of reaching out together.
Firstly, prayer is the essential foundation. As we pray we are not asking God to be concerned about the fate of unsaved people; he already cares more than we ever can. Instead, we are depending on God, asking him to help us, and we are learning to cooperate with the Holy Spirit. Prayer changes situations, and praying changes us!
Then it is important to remember that cell group evangelism is all about relationships. The Cell Group Challenge is ‘for every group member to develop a relationship with at least 3 local non-Christian friends, seeking with the help of the group, to draw them to Christ'. And we must treat people with respect – they are not machines to be changed by a fixed process – our goal is always to help them move a step closer to Christ, while leaving them feeling positive towards their next ‘God-encounter'.
No church or group can reach everybody. An approach that attracts one person will turn away another. So if we want to be effective in evangelism we must target our approach; we must decide what type of people we want to reach. Who then should we target?
Rick Warren says, "I believe that the most effective evangelistic strategy is to first try to reach those with whom you already have something in common." (The Purpose Driven Church, page 173)
Even that definition can be narrowed down further. When he was training his disciples, the Lord Jesus told them to move on to the next place if they were not welcomed. So also, we should seek out those who are willing to listen to the message, the spiritually receptive, and not waste our time with those who will not listen.
Another quotation from Rick Warren: "Spiritual receptivity is something that comes and goes in people's lives like an ocean tide. At various times in life people tend to be more open to spiritual truth than at other times. God uses a variety of tools to soften hearts and prepare people to be saved. Who are the most receptive people? I believe there are two broad categories: People in transition and people under tension. God uses both change and pain to get people's attention and make them receptive to the Gospel." (The Purpose Driven Church, page 182.)
In summary, we should target people like us, especially those presently experiencing some kind of change or some kind of pain.
We must love unbelievers!
"Loving unbelievers the way Jesus did is the most overlooked key to growing a church. Without his passion for the lost, we will be unwilling to make the sacrifices necessary to reach them… …If we don't love people, nothing else matters." (The Purpose Driven Church, page 208.) And…
"Love is more than a feeling; it is a behaviour. It means being sensitive to someone else's needs and putting them ahead of our own." (The Purpose Driven Church, page 211-212.)
In all our efforts to reach out, we must love people! We must take a genuine interest in their welfare. And again we can learn from the Lord Jesus himself – often his first contact with a person was to meet their current need. Use the gifts available in your group to meet unbelievers' needs. And always be on the lookout for those who are spiritually receptive, the man or woman ‘of peace'.
Question 1 Which aspects of cell group evangelism excite you the most?
Question 2 Which aspects of cell group evangelism do you find most daunting?
Question 3 Everyone lives within a network of personal relationships. We can use these networks to help find those who are spiritually receptive. How many people here today found Christ through the help of a family member or a friend?
Split into two's or three's and share any present needs you have, including any concerns from today's study. Pray for one another.
Either: (a) Evaluate your Outreach Event: How did it go? Who came? Did your visitors enjoy the event? Are any of them looking forward to joining one of the new groups when they start? Did any aspect of the event fail to live up to expectations? Are there any lessons you can learn to improve such events in the future?
Or (b) Discuss follow up. How's it going? What's the next step we can take to help those on our list.
Finish by praying together for the people we're trying to reach.
Cell Leader Training 11 - Version 2 Oct 15