3: Accessible Gospel God loves you very much and He wants you to be His child. But there’s a problem. We are not like God. We do wrong things, called sin, that keep us away from God. But God has an idea! He loves us so much that He sent His son Jesus. Jesus took the punishment for our wrong things. When we talk to God, believe His idea, and tell Him • “I’m sorry” for the wrong things I do • “Thank you” for Jesus • “I love you,” we become friends with God forever. We get to be God’s child. Yes, this is God’s idea. God has made the way to Him accessible to all who believe. God opens His arms to people of all cultures, races, and ages. He longs to wrap His arms around males and females, as well as persons at all levels of ability. God is the one who established accessibility, and we get to bring that good news to the people in our lives. While the statements above can be worded in many different ways, that is the heart of the good news. How do we take that good news to our grandchildren, children, friends, students, and congregation members who may learn and communicate a bit differently? Not only do we hope to SHOW those around us that our lives are transformed by Jesus, but how can we TELL about what Jesus has done? How do we communicate the depth of the love we have experienced and express that to our friend? While the Holy Spirit is at work drawing people to God, and its God who makes the connection in each heart, what tools can we use to tell about the good news of Jesus Christ? While I believe God will reveal His ideas to you, this section of the book looks at some stories and thoughts for you to consider as you pray about sharing the gospel and making these ideas most accessible to your friend. Introduction Imagine being the newly appointed mission coordinator to Thailand. You have eight weeks to prepare for your first trip to this country. What sort of things might you do to prepare for your visit and the opportunity to tell people about life in Jesus Christ? Perhaps your list would include such items as learning the language, understanding the culture, finding out what is important to people in that country, finding a key contact in Thailand who can be your guide, assembling a team of interested people, praying over this trip, and purchasing clothing that would be received well by the people of Thailand. You might also want to discover phrases or actions that would be considered rude or hurtful to those in Thailand. That’s also part of creating open doors. The analogy is clear. Now that we have a good understanding of our friend, it’s time to apply that knowledge to creating an environment where we can share the good news of Jesus Christ. So often, we are the ones who are limited. We were taught how to present the gospel using a particular tool like the Romans Road. The Romans Road uses key verses in the book of Romans to explain the plan of salvation. While this has been helpful to many, it may have less appeal to a person for whom spoken words are not the first language. While the content is important, how we present that content may require some creativity and prayerful consideration. We may first need to learn to speak that individual’s language, to find out that person’s story and what that individual really enjoys. Perhaps we need to find that person’s “expert” or “guide” so we can better form a safe and productive relationship. Have we considered creating a team that may include intercessors, or perhaps purchasing some items that would be well received by that person? Do we know what phrases to avoid with this individual? While it’s not possible to list one right way to set up the environment for presenting the gospel to your friend, I do want to share several stories that will get your creative juices flowing. When crafting an individualized plan, hearing what has been helpful in other situations can often lead to your own best idea to try. Remember, we are not the one who saves, that’s God’s part. But we are called to set up an environment where we can arrange an introduction. Jessica’s Story Jessica has an amazing puzzle piece. God has used her countless times to teach me and open my mind to things that exist in a spiritual realm. Jessica enjoys jokes and words. She loves to write stories, and she also enjoys cats. Her green areas are many as she is a hard worker and also is a loyal friend. Pink for Jessica would be some academic tasks and understanding the total picture of social relationships. She happens to have autism spectrum disorder. Perhaps someday I will write a book just about Jessica. For this book, however, I want to tell you the story of Jessica saying “I love you” to Jesus. This particular morning at Zeeland Christian School was the culmination of many months of wrestling with the lies Jessica had chosen to believe. Children at another school had said that Christians have cooties. Being a very literal interpreter of language, Jessica walked far away from the things of Jesus given the comments of these other students. Even after transitioning to our Christian school, we stood beside Jessica’s parents in battling these lies and the deep impact this had on her spiritually. On February 29, however, we were together in a corner in my classroom. I had planned the materials and lesson based on my knowledge of the things that are important to Jessica. One of Jessica’s strong interests was Star Trek. She could recite many parts of those episodes. Jessica enjoyed the variety of costumes and characters from that popular TV show. Jessica learned much better from concrete items and things you could touch. I also knew to be careful about using too many figures of speech from Christianity as this would be confusing to her. She is very literal in her understanding. God’s presence was clear as He led this conversation and activity. I had found a plastic set of armor based on the Scripture passage from Ephesians 6 that describes putting on the armor of God. I had set out the belt of truth, the shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit, and the other pieces in this child’s play set. The helmet, however, I held on my lap. There was no script in my head, I just knew that Jessica did not yet have access to the helmet because it was the helmet of salvation. We had talked many times about Jesus and how we can belong to Him. Each time, she had chosen not to respond. I knew that I was using too many words with her. I needed something concrete. Jessica started to dress up in the costume pieces. I explained what each item was. When she was nearly done, she asked for the helmet on my lap. I told her, “No, you can’t have this part.” Perhaps this sounds manipulative; even I had not planned these words out. Yet, it was soon clear how God would use this time together. I explained that this was the helmet of salvation. “You can wear this helmet when you understand and believe God’s plan. God loves you very much, Jessica. He wants you to be His child, just like your mom and dad and Mrs. Newman are His children. But the wrong things we do called sin doesn’t let us be close to God. That’s why God sent Jesus to take our punishment instead of us. When you talk to God and tell Him that you are sorry for doing the things that make Him sad, that you love Jesus for taking your punishment, and that you want to be God’s child, then you get to wear the helmet of salvation.” Right then, Jessica said, “I want to talk to God.” She prayed a beautiful prayer and then I got to see something that has transformed not only Jessica, but me. For the first time, I got to witness the miracle of salvation in a person who has no social veil. She didn’t wonder or check around and decide how she should look or act. I witnessed the Holy Spirit change her life. And it was instant. Never had I seen a life changed in front of my eyes in such immediate ways. As the Holy Spirit invaded Jessica, she had a new look on her face. While she used to be delighted with Star Trek, that was gone. She now was totally consumed with telling other people about Jesus. She obtained a cross that she wore around her neck. She would compare stories with people and talk about February 29 and wondered what date they became a Christian. She talked to people at school, at home, and on the bus. Jessica is a sister in Christ who continues to teach me. Her food for thought the other day was when she said, “My body has autism, but my spirit does not.” While Jessica may have many meanings for this, I believe one of the things she was saying is that while she has the differences associated with autism, her connection with God is unhindered. Was it the plastic armor set? Was it some creative manipulation that I held this helmet on my lap? Was it something in the date being February 29? No. It was God. The Holy Spirit invaded room 8 at Zeeland Christian School and used the humble tools available to draw her to Him and make that connection with Jessica. I was called to get to know Jessica and create an environment where I could make the introduction. But salvation is a gift from God – one that He has given me – and one that He poured out on Jessica that day. Now we both engage in the joy of introducing others to Jesus Christ. Just as God has dramatically changed both of our lives, He longs to invade the lives of others. Are you ready to join Jessica and me on this mission? You have relationships with people we will never meet. God has put you in a unique position to reach certain individuals. Please take time to pray over this opportunity. It may be someone with a disability, or it could be someone who is your neighbor. When my son heard about this process of getting to know an individual and then making an environment where you can set up the best introduction between Jesus and this person, he noted that this really “works for everyone.” How true. Scott And The Summer Camp: A Reminder To Start By Getting To Know The Individual Before we launch into additional ideas, I want to tell Scott’s story. Like Jessica, Scott lives with autism spectrum disorder. I met Scott after a disastrous introduction to Jesus where he decided he wanted nothing to do with that church or anyone in it. One important thing to know about Scott and many others with ASD is that they often process language very literally. If you would happen to mention that it’s “raining cats and dogs,” that person would rush to the window to watch that happening if it’s the first time that phrase was used. If you think about it, many Christians use figurative language to describe a religious truth. Even Scripture uses some interesting analogies. Psalm 91:4 states, He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. To persons with ASD, this could be confusing. Does this make God a hen? Imagine what happened one day when Scott was at summer camp retreat with the youth group from his church. While it was excellent that they included Scott with the other youth from church, the people in charge had not spent time really getting to know him. They skipped that part. One of the presenters made the call to the group. He mentioned that they could be “covered with the blood of Jesus” and then asked if anyone wanted to “give their heart to Jesus.” Scott was absolutely in horror. This was like an R-rated horror movie in his head. He made a hasty exit and promised to never return. He was picturing people surgically removing their hearts and thick, red blood covering the place. Thankfully, Scott is a willing learner. I wrote Scott a story about what those phrases really mean. After we gave him a new definition of those words, people can use those phrases with Scott now because he has the interpretation. Scott did, indeed, “give his heart to Jesus” and he is “covered with His blood.” He is my brother in Christ and I am so thankful for him. He stands as an example today that we must begin by getting to know the individual. It would have saved Scott some trauma! Capture The Flag: Revised Greg, a young adult in my life, offers another story. Greg loves sports and camping. He enjoys moving and laughing. Spoken words are a struggle for Greg even though he understands many words. Greg has Down syndrome. One summer, Greg was especially taken with a game at his summer camp called Capture the Flag. For the sake of this illustration, and for those who have not been camp counselors or youth group leaders, Capture the Flag is a game with two teams and a field or section of land that is divided into two halves by some sort of middle line or boundary. Each team gets 1 or more flags (sometimes a sock tied to a stick) to hide or place on their side of the playing field. Many teams appoint a few people to guard these flags for the duration of the game. On each side is also some sort of base that represents a “jail.” The object of the game is to sneak across the field and try to capture the other team’s flag or flags without getting tagged before you get back to your side. If you get tagged, then you must go to the jail. The only way to get free is to have a teammate sneak back across the field and tag you. Once you are tagged in the jail, you get a free walk back to your home team. Since Greg was delighted with Capture the Flag, it seemed like a great tool when setting up an environment to make the introduction between Jesus and Greg. In a smaller space, I set up the middle line, a couple of flags, and a jail. Together, using movement and his love of this game, we talked about the flag on the other side trying to get us to do bad things – things that made God sad. Then, sin captured us and put us in jail. We stood together there and yelled out “Help! We are stuck! Get me out of this sin jail!” Even though my words were articulated more clearly than Greg’s words, he understood what we were doing. Then I asked a friend to play the role of Jesus. I told Greg that if we ask Jesus to help, He will stay in jail for us and we can have a free walk back. Jesus came to earth to be in sin jail for us so we can have a free walk back. We gave Jesus a hug and then got to walk across the middle line. We cheered as Jesus later walked back over the line – knowing that Jesus is much stronger than sin and we get to be with Him on the Jesus side. This environment made a big difference for Greg. He understood. In fact, he reenacted this Capture the Flag game several times for others. We knew what he was doing, and this game became a witness to many others who got to watch it. It was Greg’s testimony. Would this work with someone else? Possibly. But it was really important to notice Greg’s love for this particular game and then turn it into a way to tell the gospel story. The Holy Spirit was at work drawing Greg and God used this environment to allow Greg to see His amazing love for him – and Greg responded! Nicole’s Story: We Are Responsible For Creating The Environment As I was speaking at a conference in San Diego, I was on a panel of speakers to address this issue of spiritual formation and persons with disabilities. A mother raised her hand. “You are telling stories about people who can respond with actions and words. What about my daughter? Given the seizures she has, the psychologists say she will never be able to think or act past what a 6-month-old can do. What can I do to introduce my daughter to Jesus?” One of the speakers beat me to an answer. She told this mom that she does not need to do anything – that her daughter would be considered by God like an infant who dies. I struggled with this answer. This mom was not asking about what God would do. This mom wanted to know what SHE could do. They entrusted me with the microphone and I asked that mom some questions. “What makes your daughter smile?” “What things does she like to do?” “What is her favorite toy?” It was clear that music was one of her favorite things. Since it’s God’s part to provide salvation, can we still create an environment for an introduction? The music team at this mom’s church certainly thought that was true. After the conference, they made a recording of some songs that spoke Nicole’s name as well as told about Jesus and His story. Playing this gave her a big smile on her face. In fact, they played these songs at Nicole’s funeral. This mom and her congregation were faithful in creating an environment. How much more faithful is God in keeping His promises! Wordless Drama Team: Use The Gifts Of Each One For many years I had the pleasure of directing a drama team. This was a team made up of actors with disabilities and some of their friends without disabilities. We visited many churches over the years and even enjoyed taking a bus tour one spring vacation. This particular drama was wordless. As the music played, the actors and actresses depicted Satan luring them into sin and capturing them. As they were tied up with scarves and trapped by a delighted Satan figure, Jesus came to them. He prayed over them and then the actors rose at Satan’s signal and they started to nail Jesus to an imaginary cross. They laughed and mocked as they hammered with pretend tools until Jesus died. After spending some time under a grave cloth, Jesus rose in a great victory. To the tune of “Nothing but the Blood of Jesus,” one by one the actors and actresses chose to leave the lure of sin and walked under a red cloth into the loving arms of Jesus. Jesus traded their scarves of sin for a colorful scarf representing freedom in Christ. The final scene showed these new believers holding out their scarves for those watching and inviting them into a life of freedom as a Christian. As the director of this drama, I had the best seat in the house. Not only did I watch these actors and actresses fully practice the gospel message for their own lives, I got to see the impact the drama had on those watching. The person in the drama who played the part of Jesus was an amazing actor. His facial expression communicated volumes. His open arms of welcome looked inviting for everyone watching. His passionate and personal relationship with Jesus Christ came through clearly as he portrayed this role. He also happens to have Down syndrome. As these children and adults performed the nine-minute drama, not only did people see the salvation message and what happened to the physical body of Christ, they also got to see a very visual reminder that the body of Christ, the Church, is made up of a variety of individuals. As those performing ministered to those watching, it was clear that people were moved. We often allowed others watching a chance to come under the red cloth and be welcomed into the arms of Christ. Several stories came back to us about this drama being the tool God used in the life of someone watching – an individual accepted the invitation to become a Christian. I offer this story as an example of something you may be able to do in your own community. It’s also a reminder to use the gifts of each one. Those in the drama were truly gifted and used by God in this way. The inclusive picture of friends ministering together is also something that spoke to those watching. Think of how you can use the green areas of each one, and how that might create avenues for practicing and spreading the gospel. In this case, some persons with disabilities and their friends were instrumental in bringing the gospel message to others while also experiencing the power of God’s love in their own lives. The Joy Of Brainstorming As a speaker, I have had the joy of presenting this topic in many locations around the country. While I always hope to encourage and leave ideas for people to try, it’s clear that I have been a learner too. One of my favorite parts of this session is asking participants to think about a particular individual, what they know about that person, and then what kind of ideas they may have in introducing this person to Jesus. Here is a list of great ideas that some are going to try: Videos “Finding Nemo” is a favorite movie for Joey. His Sunday school teacher is going to use this with everyone in the class and create a parallel to the gospel message. “Beauty and the Beast” (the animated version by Disney) has a transformation scene at the end. The one who created this portion of the movie is a Christian. It was designed to show the transformation that happens in giving our life to Jesus Christ. This is Amanda’s favorite movie, so her mom wants to use this with her. A church volunteer meets every week with a man with an intellectual disability. His friend loves “Star Wars.” They started to use this to understand the battle between God and Satan and he actually found a Bible study on the Internet that uses “Star Wars” as a base. This has been an excellent tool to better understand the gospel message. One church volunteer noted an adult’s continued interest in the children’s radio program The Adventures in Odyssey . She decided they would write a new episode together – one that highlights the salvation message. As you watch a favorite movie with a friend, do you see any similarities with the gospel message? If so, this might be a tool you can use! Bible apps and technology You Version is a Bible app available for download on many devices. In addition to materials for adults, they have an interactive and completely free set of Bible stories for children. You can find the material at bible.com/kids. One dad has spent hours beside his son as they interact around the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Dad uses this to allow his son Mark the chance to show others how to use the app and tell the story. People have found great success by searching for some sort of online Bible study based around an area of interest. It’s incredible what they have found. While you would still need to preview it and modify that resource, it’s worth checking! The technology person for a larger church is taken with Jason. It’s unclear what Jason may understand, but he wants to put together a movie about Jesus and His love for Jason – and he wants to have Jason be in the movie. Jason lights up when he sees himself in a mirror, so he is thinking Jason would be drawn to this video. Hands-on tools Marta’s grandma sees her love for instant hand sanitizer. She is planning on using that to talk about how Jesus is like that hand sanitizer. He comes to clean us up from our sins. She is even making up a special bottle so they can act it out together. Jayger’s Church school teacher sees his love for playing with cars. She is planning to make up the Jesus track. It will have a Jesus car wash and she wants to put Jayger’s picture on one of the cars, get it dirty with sin, and then let Jayger run it through the Jesus wash. She is even thinking up a special song to use as they switch out that “sin car” with one that is clean and new. Hayliegh has a love for butterflies. Her aunt and uncle want to set up a special butterfly collection that features the life cycle of a Christian. Their idea even involved a special poster at the end where Hayliegh could insert her picture into the cycle. As the brainstorming continued, they also were thinking of taking her favorite book – The Very Hungry Caterpillar – and turning it into a story about the transformation that takes place in a person who loves and serves Jesus. Jaylin loves Barbie dolls. Her creative dad is deciding they will use the Barbie dolls to act out the story of Jesus and how He loves us so very much. They can put on this show for several family members as Jaylin gets to hear and act out the story several times.   The Easter Book If you are still looking for some printed resources and more ideas, I had the chance to write a book called The Easter Book for Friendship Ministries (now called With Ministries). While I typically do not write curriculum, I was lured into the opportunity to come up with several pages of ideas for presenting the salvation story… without asking anyone to “give your heart to Jesus.” While this book is part of a larger set of materials, it contains many activities you may be able to use, especially with adults. One of my favorite portions of the book is a fill-in-the-blank story that goes along with a bracelet. Each color on the bracelet matches up with a part of the explanation of becoming a Christian. The final project is a bracelet and story about that person giving his or her life to Jesus. You Try It I hope that your mind is already bubbling with ideas to try. Begin with the form you created from Appendix A. Look first at the puzzle piece on page 86. Focus on the green part of the puzzle piece that displays the gifts, strengths, and interests of that person. Those words should provide some of the first clues. Do you have words like music or drawing? Does your friend enjoy baking or playing games? As you study those words, does it bring up an avenue you may be able to use in your introduction of the good news of Jesus Christ? The greens on the puzzle piece will often be the activity to house the message. If your adult friend enjoys baking, then you might make Easter rolls. When you break them open, they are hollow inside. You could find a recipe for a resurrection cake where each layer and part represents what Jesus has done for us. Turn the baking environment into an introduction to Jesus. Perhaps you are a parent. If your child is “green” at playing and running, you might create a fitness course where each station tells a part of the story of God’s love in Jesus Christ. Perhaps you are a grandparent and your grandchild enjoys playing board games with you. If that’s a green part for your grandchild, how could you adapt his or her favorite board game to represent the parts of the gospel message? Are you a youth group leader? Perhaps a green area for your teen is a particular sport. What about acting or playing drums? Consider those green areas as the activity to house the message. Next, focus on the ways your friend takes information in. Do you have notes on Appendix A about the importance of using pictures or keeping it short due to attention span? Can you use books with words or would you want to use music? How a person takes information in will help you choose the content for the activity. For example, if you are doing the Easter cake baking, should you have a word recipe or picture recipe to describe the gospel layers of the cake? As you look at ways your friend gets information out, this will be the way you can check for understanding. For example, if your friend can pull you to a particular place and you are doing the fitness course, you could ask your friend to take you to the place that shows us Jesus is alive. If your friend can point to a picture or object and you are doing a board game, have that person point to someone that Jesus loves in order to move forward 4 spaces. As you plan your environment and activity, make sure to factor in movements, sensory sensitivities, safety issues, and equipment needed. For example, if you are interacting with a person who is green in throwing a ball, you might choose some sort of game format. But if that individual has sensitive ears and you bring balloons into the game, that individual may not want to engage in the activity. As the activity begins to form in your mind, consider constructing the content so that you can repeat it and review it. Having a fitness course means that you can do the stations many times over. Having a picture recipe that goes along with the cake gives you a way to look at that recipe together and remember the cake-baking experience. Doing a drama or creating a chant to the drum rhythm is something you can record and watch together later. Creating something lasting allows you to come back to it and learn from it many times over. And take it from a special education teacher, your very first idea will most likely need to be altered, tweaked, modified, or even scrapped. In the time I spent with Jessica, the armor of God idea was several ideas away from where we started. I watched her reaction each time, prayed for guidance, and God gave me more ideas for how to approach setting up a great environment where I could introduce her to the Lord of my life. At this point, if nothing comes to mind, ask another individual to brainstorm with you. Remember to cover this process with prayer. God handcrafted this individual and knows this person from before birth. Ask Him to highlight a path. Remember, you create the environment for the introduction to Jesus and His love for this individual, and watch God do the rest! If you want to brainstorm or ask us to pray with you, please contact With Ministries. We could have no greater joy than to come alongside you as you bring the good news of Jesus Christ to someone in your life. Prayer partners are standing by! Email admin@withministries.org.
Last modified: Tuesday, January 2, 2024, 9:04 AM