How do I witness to people from other religions?

1. I need to know who I am, in light of who He is, first!

Matthew 4:19 “Jesus said to them, “Come follow Me and I will make you fishers of men”

• Am I a biblical Christian? A disciple? Then committed to Following, Being Changed, on His Mission

2. I need to live for His mission and purpose, not my own anymore.

Luke 19:10  For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” NLT

• He came to save the lost, make disciples and equip us to do the same (Matt 28:18-20)
• The harvest/opportunities are great (Matt 9:35-38
  • Of the approximately 7,000 languages in our world, fewer than 600 have a completed Bible.

3. I need to know His message, the Gospel.

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 ³ I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. ⁴ He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. NLT

• Good News, Bad News, Best News
• Not all paths lead to the same destination – there might be some similarities but the differences are too extreme to reconcile (ie – Mormons, Muslims, Hindu, Catholics, etc)
• God’s way of salvation is His way, and there is no other way! (John 14:6)

4. I need to follow His method [Show & Tell]

• We follow after Christ, His example – He demonstrated SHOW and TELL – living and speaking forth the good news of God’s way of life and salvation

2 Timothy 2:23-26 Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. ²⁴ A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. ²⁵ Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. ²⁶ Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants. NLT

• SHOW that God’s way of life has changed how we live and interact and treat others
• TELL others the good news of who He is and how He designed life to be lived

A few PRACTICAL things to keep in mind:

1- Remember the goal – to be FAITHFUL [faithful > fruitful//progress>perfection]

1 Cor 3:6-8   ⁶ I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. ⁷ It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. ⁸ The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. NLT

• We are to do our part: some plant, some water, all tend the soil, God does the growing!
• We’re to be faithful to Show and Tell His truth and seek to help people progress/move/grow towards Him – first to conversion then to maturity in Him [ladder illustration]

2 – See a third category in the conversation [Secular    Spiritual   the Gospel]

• Secular: Weather, news, kids, work, etc

• Spiritual: Morality, Church, Prayer, God, Faith, Religion, etc
• Gospel: Jesus, Salvation, sin, hell, resurrection, etc
• If talking with another religious person (Mormon, Catholic, JW, Muslim, etc), focus on 2 key areas:
  • 1-Who is Jesus
  • 2-How do you receive or earn or get Salvation?

3- Learn to share your TESTIMONY

1 Peter 3:15-16 Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. ¹⁶ But do this in a gentle and respectful way.^[c] Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. NLT

• Be READY (reactive) to share and SEEK (proactive) ways to share
• Our part, be a faithful “witness”, testifying to what you’ve seen and heard (Acts 1:8; 1 Jn 1:3)
• God works powerfully through our testimony (Rev 12:11)

Practical Next Steps

• If you haven’t yet, Accept Christ – become a disciple of His
• Get more equipped in sharing your faith and answering people’s questions
• Craft your testimony: your BC, point of Decision, and your AD
• Share your testimony with someone and get feedback (friend, family, small group, etc)
• Pray and seek to engage in a “spiritual” conversation this week

For Group Discussion:

What stood out to you the most from the sermon this week? Is there something new or challenging you heard?

Opening Question: Have you ever gone street witnessing? How do you respond to people of any faith, knocking on your door?

Main Point: Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him.

Main Scripture: Acts 17:16-31

Questions:

Head 

• What was going on in Athens that Paul was distressed about?
• How did Paul enter into a conversation with this group of people?

Heart 

• What might earn you the influence to tell others about Jesus?

Hands 

• Who comes to mind when you think about sharing Jesus with someone from another religion?
• How can you be a witness for Jesus in your spheres of influence with both truth and grace?

Additional Scripture: John 14:6, John 4:1-26

Tips and Resources: Be a kind human.

https://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-only-way.html

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