Evan101_Discussion2
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Bethel University *
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Dec 6, 2023
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EVAN 101
D
ISCUSSION
A
SSIGNMENT
I
NSTRUCTIONS
Discussions are collaborative learning experiences where the student creates a five-part thread in
response to the provided prompt and interacts with classmates’ answers. The student will
complete 2 Discussions in this course. The student will post one thread of at least 300 words by
11:59 p.m. (ET) on Thursday of the assigned Module: Week. The student must then post 2 replies
of at least 150 words each by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of the assigned Module: Week.
While there is not a number requirement for citations, the student is expected to reference
applicable readings, presentations, and notes in the discussion threads and replies. In addition,
the student should use the Bible as a source as well as cite related internet resources. Because
this course is taken by the entire university you may use the citation style (APA, MLA, Turabian,
etc.) with which you are most comfortable.
In order to be able to do this kind of a project outside of the class, you will go cover
each of the 5 steps listed in the SERVE acrostic using the questions below and write
a thread in the second discussion:
Seek
God’s Power and Presence- Write down a two-sentence prayer that you could
pray before going out to do a Servant Evangelism Project. Seek to be used and be
useful.
Examine
Your World- List 2 specific needs that people in your sphere of influence
have that you could meet. This can be people in your dorm, neighborhood, class,
where you shop, or in your community.
Respond
to needs- Write a paragraph to plan out specifically how you would meet
one of the two needs you listed and how you would bridge that activity into a gospel
conversation.
Vacate
your Bubble- List two fears that you have that keep you from getting out of
your comfort zone to share the gospel. What is your plan to overcome those fears?
Evaluate
your Strategy- Based on your plan above, what are some possible
challenges you might face and how can you prepare for them?
Please use this SERVE acrostic as an outline for your thread. If you are not a
believer, you can write a two-sentence note to yourself why serving is useful for the
first step; the final steps can be the same. Try to be as concrete as possible.
Remember an aim of the assignment is to start a conversation with classmates.
Seek
Dear Lord, please give me strength and give me courage as I enter into the field of servant
evangelism and enable me to shine your light and demonstrate your love to others. I pray that
your will be done and that you would use me to further your Kingdom as I engage with others.
Examine
There are two primary needs present among my friends: homework assistance and a person
with whom they can “vent.”
Respond
EVAN 101
In order to respond to my friends’ need of a person with whom they can “vent,” I would
first ensure that I make myself available to them when they are in a moment of need. If a friend
of mine were to reach out to me needing to share with me the troubles of her day or the troubles
she has endured as a result of the actions of another, I would set aside a time when we could sit
down and talk together (likely in a private setting to ensure she receives my full attention).
Throughout the conversation with my friend, I would ensure that I am attentively listening to her
and showing empathy for whatever hardship she may be facing—even if it is seemingly small or
silly. Jesus demonstrated both listening and empathy in His ministry to others, so it is important
that I strive to mimic Jesus’s actions in order to engage in effective evangelism (Early &
Wheeler, 2020). “Empathy is a powerful perspective and tool in the tool kit of any effective
evangelist” (Early & Wheeler, 2020). Further, Ephesians 5:1-2 says, “Be ye therefore followers
of God, as dear children;
And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself
for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour” (
King James Bible,
1769/2017). This means that I must demonstrate the same love to others that Jesus demonstrates
to me in order to be more like Him. Once I have attentively listened to what my friend has to say,
I would respond to her by offering her some advice on how to overcome her hardship, and I
would further steer the conversation toward sharing with her the comfort that Jesus provides. I
would share with her that there is a God who loves her and sent His son to die for her, and that,
although tough things do happen in life, God has a plan. I would encourage her to consider the
idea of being able to place her trust in an omnipotent, loving God whenever she finds herself
facing a difficult situation (and in every situation), and I would share with her areas in my life
where I have been weak and turned to God for strength. I would share with her the impact that
God has had on my life, and I would encourage her to understand the importance of having God
in her life. I would offer to pray for her that she might be able to get through whatever hardship
has come her way and that she might come to know God. From there, I would hope that she
would have some questions about the Gospel that I could answer for her, but if she rejects the
idea of turning to God, then I would pray that God might work in her heart and bring her closer
to Him. In either outcome, I would continue to pray that God might use me to draw her into His
Kingdom, and I would make myself available to my friend for any questions she may have or
future hardships she may face.
Vacate
There are two primary fears that I have that often make it difficult for me to leave my
comfort zone when it comes to sharing the Gospel. The first is that I am often scared that I might
say the wrong thing and “ruin” an opportunity to effectively share the Gospel. To overcome this
fear, I would pray for God to give me strength and to give me the words to say. I would pray that
God works through me in a way that I can follow His lead and let Him control my speech. I
would remind myself of the importance of sharing the Gospel with others and compare it to the
minuteness of my fear of saying the wrong thing. Romans 6:23 says, “
For the wages of sin is
death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (
King James Bible,
1769/2017). If I fail to obey God’s commandment to share the Gospel, I will have allowed the
aforesaid silly fear to prevent me from sharing the danger of sin and the importance of Jesus with
others. Salvation is way more important than any fear I may have. Further, I am not the one who
does the saving, God is. No matter how the conversation goes, God’s will will be done, and I can
trust in God’s plan and in His timing.
EVAN 101
My second fear is public speaking and sometimes speaking to people with whom I am
unfamiliar. In order to overcome this fear, I would, again, pray that God give to me courage and
strength and that He would help me to focus on Him only. I would pray that God helps me
remember that He created every person who may be present before me and that no matter where
I am or who I am with, God is with me. Isaiah 41:10 says, “
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be
not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold
thee with the right hand of my righteousness” (
King James Bible,
1769/2017). I would pray that
God helps me to remember this truth as I go before a crowd or even an individual that I may
have never met.
For both of my fears, I would also seek to remember one specific key verse and to
recognize the truth that goes right along with it. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “
For God hath not given us
the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (
King James Bible,
1769/2017). God does not give me a spirit of fear, so I know that whenever I feel afraid, it is not
from God. It is coming from the enemy who is constantly working against God and His
Kingdom. As long as I hold fast to God and recognize the irrationality of my fear, I can ensure
any evangelism to which God calls me remains unaffected by the efforts of the enemy.
Evaluate
One possible challenge that I might face in my above strategy would be if my friend
decided to stop talking to me as a result of anything that was said or as a result of her desire to
avoid or flee from God. It would make it difficult to continue to shine God’s light to her when
she refuses to talk to me or have any contact with me. However, this would in no way hinder my
ability to pray for her and reach out to her. Sometimes even a simple text out of the blue can
make all the difference in a person’s life—even if they never respond. One good example is seen
in my uncle who fell prey to a life of addiction. He dropped out of contact with my family, but
my mom always sent him a text whenever she thought of him. She would send updates about my
siblings and I in our various activities, and all of use continued to pray for him. He never did
answer any of those messages, but when he finally came home and gave his life to Jesus, he
shared with us how much those messages meant to him even though he never answered. In a
situation like my uncle, if my friend decides to stop talking to me, it does not mean that I have to
stop reaching out to her or stop praying for her. In fact, it would mean the opposite. I would keep
her in my prayers and continue to reach out to her in the hopes that God might use me to turn my
friend’s heart toward Him. It is God who does the saving, so as long as I am obeying Him and
sharing His love with my friend, I can still practice evangelism whether my friend recognizes it
or not!
References
Earley, D. & Wheeler, D. (2020).
Evangelism in daily life.
B&H Academic.
King James Bible
. (2017). King James Bible Online.
https://www.kingjamesbible.org/
Links to
an external site.
(Original work published 1769).
I enjoyed reading your post and getting to learn more about you. It seems as though your
volunteer position has you well suited for reaching youth. I believe that that is an excellent
opportunity to have considering the current state of the United States and the seemingly large
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EVAN 101
amount of youth who have never even heard the good news of the Gospel. I will make sure to
be praying for you as you continue on in that form of ministry! I appreciated that you pointed
out in your post the importance and the impact a relationship with another can have. I could
not agree more. Those with whom you have established a relationship are far more likely to be
susceptible to the words you have to say than a complete stranger might. Another part of your
volunteer role in which you seem as though you are well suited is the opportunity to
demonstrate empathetic listening to deepen and/or establish relationships with the youth in
your group. This form of listening "is the deepest level of listening and authentic ministry," and
it generates the best circumstance in which you can effectively share the Gospel with others.
(Earley & Wheeler, 2020). This truth is further emphasized by James 1:19, which says,
"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath"
(
King James Bible,
1769/2017). By being quick to empathetically listen to others, we can much
more effectively shine God's light and share His love and the Gospel with others. Thank you for
your contribution to this week's discussion.
I enjoyed the opportunity to read your post regarding this week's discussion topic and to
learn about your ministry to those in the Enoble Nursing Home and to those in the Halfway
house. In your "Respond" section, I really
loved the way you phrased the extreme importance of
ending silence and pushing through fears in order to share God's word with those who so
desperately need it where you said, "It is time out for being silent about the power of Jesus
Christ, and it's time that we step out of our comfort zones and preach and teach the good
news." This is a really powerful and motivational truth that really emphasizes the direness of
our needing to share the Gospel. Jesus
is
coming back, and we need to break free from the
boundaries of our comfort zones and share Him with anybody that we can. As Christians, we
must live up to our calling to be more like Jesus and to fulfill the Great Commission outlined by
Matthew 28:16-20. According to the textbook, "Before people are willing to hear facts and
evidence proving the claims of Christianity, they need to see these truths consistently lived out
by Christians"
(Earley & Wheeler, 2020, p. 83). When we consistently live out
our calling to share God's word with others, more people will be exposed to
God's light shining through us. Matthew 5:16 says, "Let your light so shine
before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father
which is in heaven" (
King James Bible,
1769/2017). Every day that we have
on this earth is a gift from God, and we must use it to share Him with others
knowing that this world is temporary--God is eternal. We want to help as
many people as we can come to know Him so that they may understand
salvation and how it is given by God. Thank you for your contribution to this
week's discussion and for your insightful comment regarding the importance
of using the time that God gives to us to share Him with others.