REACHING OUR NEIGHBORS

To reach our neighbors, the process of disciple making begins by praying for the Lord to help us build relationships in the community and to open doors for gospel conversations. At GFC, we practice living a B.L.E.S.S. lifestyle that helps us reach people while transforming our community. 


B.L.E.S.S.

 

B  Begin With Prayer. Loving your neighbor means praying for them. In prayer we open ourselves to God and the leading of His Spirit. In prayer we focus our minds to recognize His promptings. In prayer, we receive the direction we need to discover who God is calling us to bless.


L  Listen. Jesus lived the life of the spectacular but the gospels are filled with normal everyday moments as well where He was just “with” people. Everyone has a story. Few people have someone to listen to that story. 


E   Eat. When Jesus wanted to explain to His disciples what His forthcoming death was all about, He didn’t give them a theory. He gave them a meal. Jesus is eating over 20x in the gospels.

 

S  Serve. Jesus modeled for us that once you pray, listen and eat with someone, chances are you will discover how best to serve the person God is calling you to bless.  Serving together with your neighbors is a great way to develop closer relationships.

 

S  Share. Jesus is our model for this also (John 3 Nicodemus, John 4 The Woman at the Well).

Be prepared to tell God’s Story (Creation, Fall, Rescue, Redemption, Restoration).

Be prepared to tell Your Story (My life before Jesus, How I met Jesus, My life since I met Jesus).



SCROLL DOWN TO SEE:

  • HOW TO SHARE THE GOSPEL
  • KNOW GOD'S STORY
  • KNOW YOUR STORY
  • HOW TO SHARE YOUR LIFE WITH OTHERS

HOW TO SHARE THE GOSPEL

Our desire at Grace Fellowship Church is to help people trust and follow Jesus in order to fulfill the calling God has on all of us to go and make disciples of all nations. We want to equip you to be bold in knowing what IS the gospel, how does YOUR story fit into the gospel story, and to equip you with ways to share the gospel across the street and across the world. 


Being bold begins with prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit. Prayer creates in us a passion for the lost as the Holy Spirit leads us to the right people at the right time and opens their hearts to hear the gospel.


Our prayer is that you embrace the urgency of Jesus’ calling to make disciples and that you are encouraged to be bold in sharing the gospel with your neighbors. Scroll down to see some helpful tips about knowing God's story, knowing your story, and learning how to build relationships with others.

KNOW GOD'S STORY:

WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?

Creation

In the beginning, God spoke and everything came into existence including Earth with perfect garden of paradise called Eden. God made Adam and Eve in His image to reflect Him. They were created with the grand purpose of worshipping Him by loving Him, serving Him, and enjoying perfect relationship with Him.

Genesis 1:1, Ps 90:2


Fall

God gave Adam and Eve the freedom to make decisions and govern the earth with one rule: not to eat fruit from a specific tree. One day, God’s enemy, a fallen angel named Satan, wanted to overthrow God so he took the form of a serpent and lied to Adam and Eve. He deceived them into thinking God was not good and did not have their best interest in mind. So in rebellion, Adam and Eve ate the fruit, deciding that they, not God, would determine right and wrong.


Sin entered into all of creation and into the hearts of Adam and Eve and has been passed down from generation to generation. All of creation was distorted from its original design. Everyone has sinned, and the ultimate consequence, even worse than physical death, is an eternal separation from a loving God called hell. Because of all this, we need to consider the questions: Can anything be done? Is there any hope?

Romans 3:19, 23


Rescue

God removed Adam and Eve from Eden as a result of their sin but left them with a promise of rescue and hope. He promised them one of their descendants would someday rescue mankind from sin. The promised Savior, simply, was God. God became human in the person of Jesus Christ almost 2,000 years ago. He perfectly enjoyed and obeyed God without sin. This ultimately led to His agonizing death on a cross as He willingly, obediently, and sufficiently died to pay for the sins of mankind, according to God’s plan. In the greatest display of mercy and grace the world has ever known, Jesus’ life and death became a substitute for all who would trust in Him and His resurrection on the third day showed that He had defeated death.

1 Peter 3:18, Galations 1:4


Restoration

For all those who trust in Jesus alone, God has also promised He will make all things new. The new heaven and new earth will be completely free of sin and selfishness, pain or sickness or death. God’s original purpose will flourish, as those who trust in His rescue will enter into the grand purpose of worshipping Him by loving Him, serving Him, and enjoying relationship with Him forever.

John 3:16, Revelation 21:4


Respond

God is writing an amazing story from creation to restoration. He created you to be a

part of that story. Faith is simple trust in Jesus Christ alone to save you. It means

instead of believing you can rescue yourself from the consequences of sin, you

transfer your trust to the rescue He purchased for you by His death as you repent of

your sin and surrender your life to Him. He then gives you eternal life in Heaven

forever and a relationship with Him the remainder of your life as you live as a

disciple of Jesus for the rest of your days. Your allegiance is now to Jesus, The King,

no matter what happens in your life from here forward.  

God is inviting you to be part of the story He is writing throughout the ages to come.

He is offering salvation to you today and you can embrace the rescue of God by

simply:

  • ADMITTING YOUR NEED TO GOD FOR SALVATION FROM SIN
  • ASKING HIM TO FORGIVE YOU OF YOUR SIN AGAINST HIM
  • TRUSTING IN FAITH FOR JESUS ALONE TO RESCUE YOU

John 20:31, Romans 10:9

Now, as a Christian, the remainder of your life should be spent following Jesus

Christ, the King of your life, in faith from this day forward as a continually growing

disciple of Jesus who makes disciples of Jesus. That is accomplished through

relationships within the church that help you…

  • KNOW God through weekly worship, teaching and personal Bible study
  • GROW in Community and as a disciple through weekly Life Group gatherings
  • GO change the world through serving, missions and making disciples of Jesus

KNOW YOUR STORY:

HOW DID GOD

CHANGE YOUR LIFE?

You can write out your story by following the format below.


1. Write about what your life was like before you began following Jesus.


2. Write about how you became aware of your own sin and need for forgiveness.


3. Write about what happened the day you confessed your sins, believed in Jesus as your savior and decide to follow Him.


4. Write about how your life has changed since.

HOW TO SHARE YOUR

LIFE WITH OTHERS

1 Thessalonians 2:8 "Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.”


Let’s live out 1 Thessalonians 2:8 and Love Your Neighbor by sharing our lives and the gospel as God leads. Here’s some tips for being relational with people in need.  Then watch the video below to hear a message about earning the right to be heard.


Here’s some suggestions:

  1. Pray: Ask God to prepare you and the hearts of the people you would like to spend time with.
  2. Be intentional: 
    • Prayer walk your neighborhood - Ask neighbors what can you pray for them about.
    • Plan a meal, coffee, hike with a family/friend. Repeat.
  3. Ask Questions:
    • About their story: What’s your story? What do you want out of life? What are your spiritual beliefs? What do you believe about Jesus? What role does God play in your daily life? Was church a part of your life growing up? What do you think a Christian is? 
    • About what they believe:  What do you mean by that? How did you come to believe that? What evidence is there for that? Have you considered…?
    • About what you believe: Can I share my story with you? Do you know what Christianity teaches about Jesus? May I share with you how Jesus is unique among all other gods/religions?
RESOURCES