Video Transcript: Lesson 5 Section 4

Let's explore the second of two basic approaches to youth evangelism. The friendship model  works together with the contextualization model. But remember, these two approaches are  like the tracks on a railroad that allow a train to move forward. We should build and develop  both in youth ministry. One significant challenge for youth leaders is that teenagers spend the majority of their time at school or at home, not a church. It's difficult for adults to journey with teens through their daily lives, and show how the gospel intersects with everyday problems.  Some teens may come to a Sunday service or to a youth event, but there are many others  outside the church you will not be able to reach. The friendship model for evangelism trains  teenagers themselves to share the gospel with their friends. In order to do this, we must first  begin by ensuring we have a thorough understanding of the gospel message. God created the universe and mankind to live in perfect relationship with Him. Adam and Eve interacted with  God without shame or fear. However, we rebelled against God's rules and tried to follow our  own plan. The result of our broken relationship with God is pain, and both physical and  spiritual death. The basis of the gospel is God's eternal action to forgive our sins and restore a relationship with him. Here are a few verses that clearly lay out the gospel message. Go over  these with your teens in order to ensure the thorough understanding and can explain these  concepts to others. It starts with knowing that God loves us and was willing to send his own  son to pay the price we could not pay. We deserved to be punished. But instead, Jesus gave  his life to save ours. Salvation is a gift offered to all people. We can do nothing to earn it. But  God offers grace that we accept in faith. Our faith is expressed as surrender to God and His  commands. The Christian life is one of obedience in response to God's love and Christ's  sacrifice. Now that your students have an understanding of what the Bible says, it's important to summarize the story in a way that they can easily share with their friends. Here are the  four key points of the gospel to share with those who do not yet believe. First, we were  designed for good and created to have a relationship with God. Second, we were damaged by  evil. We have all rebelled against God and suffer the consequences for our sinful choices.  Third, Jesus restores for better His death and resurrection takes our judgment upon himself,  delivering us from the consequences of sin and giving us eternal life. Fourth, we are sent  together to heal as our lives have been transformed by God through His Holy Spirit. Our  purpose is now to live out God's Kingdom daily. A complete gospel presentation includes  these four points, you don't have to share them all at the same time, or use this exact  wording. Empower your students to adjust these as make sense for the person they're sharing with. Your students also need to be practically equipped to share the gospel message with  their friends. Knowing the information is the first step, but they need the right approach to  share it well. The best way for your students to talk about their faith is over a series of  conversations, not all at once. The first step in the friendship model for evangelism is for  youth to tell their friends that they are a Christian. This may be more difficult than it seems.  And it's important to understand why. Research is showing that teens today are less inclined  to have spiritual conversations. One reason for this is a widespread opinion that faith is a  private matter. People often don't want to discuss spiritual matters with others, or feel like  another's viewpoint is being forced on them. Another difficulty to Christian witness is that a  student's behavior might not match Jesus teachings. Ideally, a Christian's lifestyle makes faith obvious in their words and actions. But teens may have felt the need to hide their faith and  attempt to fit in with their peer group. If this is the case, they need to start by examining their own lives, and taking courageous steps to live in accordance with scripture. It may not be  easy, but the process of realigning themselves to Christian values will create new  opportunities to share the hope they have. The goal of the first step is for a teenager to claim  their faith publicly by telling a friend or family member. Hopefully the news is received  positively. But be prepared to encourage the student should the encounter not go as they  expect. Step two is for the student to invite their friend to a church event. The event should  be geared for visitors. A deep theological Bible study is not the right introduction to faith. The  event should be relational, have an element of fun, and include a clear presentation of the  gospel. Remember, if your students feel the church event will be boring or embarrassing, they likely won't invite someone to participate. A good idea to overcome this is to invite your  students to help you create an event that will appeal to their friends. Have them speak into 

the kinds of activities length and when it should be, you will end up with ideas you would  never come up with on your own, and your students will feel respected and part of the  process. If they're proud of the event you created together, they will want to invite their  friends to experience it. You can also use this as an opportunity to grow your students by  giving them leadership roles in the event planning or execution. Step three is to encourage  your students to explain to their friends why follow Jesus. Have your students think back to  the questions they wrestled with before they became a believer or share their story about a  crisis or problem that brought them to a place of change. It might be helpful to study Acts  chapter 26, where Paul tells of his life before encountering Jesus. Some of your students may  have grown up in a Christian home and always have faith as part of their lives. These  students may not have a dramatic story to share of their life before Christ. encourage these  students to focus on the many blessings they have received by living according to God's  intentions for life. These are also powerful reasons for why their friend should become a  Christian too step four is for the student to share their testimony with their friend. Remember, timing is important. The student should be sensitive to their friend's reactions up to this point, have they been positive or negative? Is the friend asking more questions about faith or  disinterested, and even hostile? Sharing your testimony can be a powerful witness, but it is  also extremely personal. encourage your students to wait for the right time and place to do  this. Remember, too, that there is no specific way someone becomes a Christian. The apostle  Paul had a unique experience seeing a blinding light from heaven, and hearing the voice of  God. But most of the time, testimonies are not so dramatic. Each person's story is important  and valuable. Though each person's testimony will be different. It should include three central truths that match the Gospel story. The first is confessing that you have sinned against God.  Your story should include how you came to that realization and the effects you saw in your  life. Secondly, share how you came to understand that God has forgiven your sins through  Jesus death and resurrection. How did that change your perspective? How did it make you  feel? Finally, share how you accepted God's forgiveness and now live in surrender to him?  What is the process of giving your life to Jesus? When was the moment you knew you had  been forgiven? And how did that change you? share specific examples from your journey that  highlight each of these three truths. The final step is for a student to invite their friend to  follow Jesus. belief must be acted upon to become faith. Again, timing is crucial. It is a big  step to ask your friend to confess their need for forgiveness and accept Christ's sacrifice on  their behalf. Don't pressure or rush this process. They should not feel like they have to give  you the right answer in order to stay friends. Take time to find out what is holding them back  from faith and lovingly address these issues from Scripture. Your friends should feel loved and cared about. Not like they are a problem to be fixed for your personal evangelism project. Of  course, our ultimate goal is for all people we know and care about to come to a saving  knowledge of Jesus. There is an urgency we feel to see them saved, but never use this as a  fear tactic to accept Christ. Throughout this process, remember that it is the Holy Spirit who  works in the hearts of unbelievers. We can provide events at church, build friendships, and  look for opportunities to share our faith. But ultimately, we are not responsible for their  conversion. We cannot explain how faith begins to grow and become real in a person's life.  This is the work of the Holy Spirit in accordance to God's timing. In Mark chapter four, Jesus  tells the parable of the growing seed. The story illustrates the point that faith in God grows in  a mysterious way. This is what the kingdom of God is like a man scatters seed on the ground,  night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows. Though he does not know how, all by itself, the soil produces grain, first the stalk then the head, then the full  kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest  has come. That is what we must seek to do scatter seeds and stand ready to bring in the  harvest. By presenting a contextualized gospel message, we ensure that teenagers can  understand the choice they face. And by equipping students to share their faith with their  friends, we build friendships that will be key in supporting a faith decision. We cannot control  when or how someone chooses to believe the gospel. But we can be confident that God is  working through our efforts to accomplish his purposes.