This is an article from the January-February 2015 issue: The Power of Honor

January 01, 2015 by Andy Smith

Three-Story Method and Set of Bible Stories for Evangelism

Theme: Shame and Honor

Three-Story Method and Set of Bible Stories for Evangelism

THREE-STORY METHOD

In Sustainable Church Multiplication Movements (S-CMMs), Christians start groups which discuss Bible stories. They also train other Christians to do the same. One effective way to start a new group is to:

  1. Ask people to tell you their life story;
  2. Tell them your life story;
  3. Tell them God’s story; and then
  4. Ask them if they would like to discover more about God’s story.

YOUR STORY

As much as possible, tell your story in a way that will connect with the person. In many contexts, it should be two to three minutes long and cover three things:

  1. What you were like before you came to faith in Jesus;
  2. What you discovered about Jesus; and
  3. How that discovery changed your life.

GOD'S STORY = CREATION TO CHRIST

A long time ago, God made the universe. Of all that he created, people were the most special. He bestowed the highest honor on them, making them in His image.

One day, people were tempted to do disobey God, a shameful thing. Afterwards, they began to be afraid of him.

More and more people were born. They, too, did shameful things. However, God chose a man and promised him, “I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you, and I will bless the whole world through your descendants.” That man believed God. In the following years, God fulfilled his promise to him.

Nevertheless, people continued to do shameful things. So, God sent them messengers. Occasionally, those messengers announced that he would send a Savior who would make it possible for people’s honor to be restored.

At the right time, God sent that Savior. His name is Jesus. He performed miracles, healed the sick, and taught with authority. Those who believed he was the Promised Savior became his followers. God gave them the right to become his children.

Others refused to believe. They had Jesus arrested and put to death. Unknown to them, God was working out his plan. He put on Jesus the shame of all people. Jesus died on their behalf. Then, to give him the greatest honor for having done so, God raised him from the dead.

Jesus appeared to his followers. He told them that they would receive the Spirit of God who would change them from the inside out, enabling them to be honorable.

Jesus returned to heaven. As promised, his followers received the Spirit of God who changed them from the inside out.

The same is happening today. God forgives those who believe that Jesus died for them. He removes their shame and gives them the right to become his children. His Spirit changes them from the inside out, enabling them to be honorable.

I’m one of them. I enjoy helping others have their honor restored. Is this something you and your family would be interested in?

SET OF STORIES AND QUESTIONS FOR EVANGELISM

Lead groups you start in discussing these stories which the Spirit can use to urge them to repent and believe in Jesus. Also train Christians in doing this with the groups they have started.

  1. Creation – Genesis 1:1-31
  2. Adam and Eve’s Sin – Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-24
  3. Cain and Abel – Genesis 4:1-16
  4. Noah and the Flood – Genesis 6:9-22; 7:6-12, 17-24; 8:20-22; 9:1-6, 18-27
  5. Abram’s Call – Genesis 12:1-20
  6. Sodom’s Evil – Genesis 18:16-33 and 19:1-29
  7. Isaac and His Sons, Esau and Jacob – Genesis 21:1-7; 25:19-28; 26:1-5
  8. Moses and the Burning Bush – Exodus 3:1-12
  9. The Israelites’ Exit from Egypt – Exodus 12:21-38 and 14:1-31
  10. John the Baptist’s Ministry and the Start of Jesus’ Ministry – Mark 1:1-15
  11. Jesus’ Power and Authority – Matthew 8:23-34; 9:1-8
  12. Jesus’ Death – Luke 22:1-6 and 23:32-46
  13. Jesus’ Resurrection – Luke 24:1-7, 36-49

Discuss one Bible story per group meeting. After the group has read the story, facilitate a discussion of it using these questions.

  1. According to this story, what beliefs, thoughts, feelings, and actions does God consider honorable?
  2. What beliefs, thoughts, feelings, and actions does God consider shameful?
  3. What element of this story speaks most powerfully to you?
  4. What would it look like for you to live according to that element of the story?

Comments

January 05, 2015 by Dennis Golding

Not bad brother Andy. But would it be ok to run these meetings with terms other than the paired honor and shame? I mean, folks have been using all sorts of small groups to bring people to Christ for generations without using those paired words. Indeed, tens of millions of souls now help populate the heavens due to such other worded endeavors. John Wesly even used the book of Barnabas to preach Christ. I myself can count amongst those I’ve worked amongst individuals from such places as Eritrea, Malta and even two from Leictenstien. I never yet employed the paired words you posit nor any other set piece, rote presentation of the gospel. Nor would I encourage anyone to do so. If the much lauded four spiritual laws can be shamed by the witherings of the latest Avatars, then I think that the new Two Step, even set to a three step won’t prove as sustainable as a helper at one’s side.

January 09, 2015 by Robby Butler

Hello again, Dennis.
Andy does not focus exclusively on one terminology (honor/shame), but on expanding our vocabulary to match the variety offered in Scripture. He has encouraged people in a variety of cultures to summarize the gospel it terms they would find most meaningful, and this is but one example of the results. I think you would find hearty agreement with his book “Meaningful Evangelism: Choosing Words that Connect.”

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