2023 Theme: Be Fishers of Men

January: Evangelical Strategy

God wants all men to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth. Prior to ascension, He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation” (1 Tim 2:4; Mk 16:15). To obey the instruction of the Savior and fulfill the Father’s will to save men, we ought to fulfill our duty in evangelism.

1. The Purpose of Evangelism

1. 1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (Jn 1:1).

   2. To spread the “Word of Truth” of Jesus Christ, the True God.

   3. To spread the “Gospel Salvation” preached by the God-abiding True Church in order to save souls of men. That is the evangelical work.

2. What is Evangelical Strategy

   1. For waging war you need guidance, and for victory many advisers (Ps 24:6; 15:22)

   2. “Strategy” is the means, channel, avenue, policy or tactic to achieve a certain objective.

   3. Evangelical Strategy is the way, channel or tactic to save men.

3. Evangelical Strategy

   1. Evangelical Strategy

      1. Lord’s proclamation on His purpose in coming to the world: I have come to call the sinners to repentance (Lk 5:31-32)

      2. Lord’s proclamation on the fruit of evangelism: Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Mt 4:19)

      3. Lord’s proclamation on the range of salvation: Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation (Mk 16:15)

      4. Lord’s proclamation on content of the gospel: Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned (Mk. 16:16)

      5. Lord’s proclamation the fruit of Faith: Signs will accompany those who believe (Mk 16:17)

         • Preaching the gospel requires patience. Church encourages all members to participate in such an activity, and repeatedly announce, explain, exhort and hearten them.

   2. Prayer Strategy

      1. Jesus went out to a mountainside and spent the night praying to God in the choosing of the twelve apostles (Lk 6:12-13)

      2. The laborers are few. The Lord asked us to pray to God for sending out laborers into His harvest (Mt 9:35-37)

      3. In the midst of exceeding preoccupation, He managed to go to the wilderness to pray early in the morning in the strengthening of faith and power (Mk 1:32-39)

      4. The Lord, through prayer, kept the disciples from the infringement of Satan (Lk 22:31-32)

      5. Watch and pray lest you fall into temptation (Mt 26:40-41)

         • To evangelize and save men is not by might nor by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord. Only through prayer will we have the power before God and reform men to believe in Christ (Zech 4:6-7; 2 Cor 10:3-5)

   3. Training Strategy

      1. The Lord “called” Peter, Andres, James, John to follow Him (Mt 4:18-22)

      2. Jesus “established” (personal choosing) the twelve apostles, that they would often “be” with Him (personal training), and to send them out to preach (Mk 3:14)

      3. Jesus bestowed the disciples the “authority” (training in praying for power), in order to heal the sick and cast out demons (Mt 10:1)

      4. Before Jesus “sent” the apostles out to work, He first “instructed” them many matters (pre-vocational training) (Mt 10:5 – 11:1)

      5. Lord asks that the apostles “deny themselves” and “take up the cross to follow Him” (Discard all things, the working spirit of loyalty until death)

         • Evangelical workers must be trained, have plans to hold regular seminars, practicum, and advanced studies in order to be skilled in evangelical work.

4. Practice Strategy

   1. The Lord “spoke about the truth” with the Samaritan woman one-on-one (Jn 4:6-30)

   2. Jesus “went throughout” Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people (Mt 4:23-25)

   3. Jesus “went up on a mountain”, he began to “teach” the crowd following him (Mt 5:1 – 7:29)

   4. The Lord instructed the apostles to go out, and “preach as they go” (Mt 10:7)

   5. Jesus instructed the disciples: Go (Actual action) and make disciples of all nations (Mt 28:19)

      • Faith without deeds is dead. Likewise must carry out the truth we hear and evangelize the gospel we have come to understand (Jas 2:26, 1:22)

4. Conclusion: How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Rom 10:13-15)

February: Content of Evangelism

1. Sin

   1. Origin of sin: The sin of Adam, original sin, personal sin (Gen 3:1-7; Eccl 7:20; Gal 3:22; Ps 51:5; Rom 1:28-32, 5:12, 6:23)

   2. The Dreadfulness of sin: The wage of sin is death, everlasting suffering in hell. (Rom 5:12, 14, 6:23)

   3. To see the meaning of life: The world is a bitter sea, the end of thoughts. (Ps 90:10; Eccl 1:13; Mt 7:13-14; Rev 21:8)

2. Salvation

   1. To know God: The Creator (Rom 1:23, 25; Ps 65:2; Jn 4:21-24, 17:3; Gen 1:1-28)

   2. He can save us and lead us to heaven, away from hell. (Acts 4:12; 1 Tim 1:15)

   3. The “Word of Life” from the beginning: We have heard, have seen and have handled. (1 John 1-4).

3. Testimony

   1. Things personally experienced: Most reliable and easily expressed

      1. The beggar healed by the pool of Siloam said to the Pharisees, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” (Jn 9:1-35)

      2. After being rescued out of prison by the angel, Peter told the members his experience (Jn 12:1-17)

      3. Paul testified to the Jews in Jerusalem how he was chosen by the Lord, and how God instructed him to preach to the gentiles (Acts 22:1-22)

   2. Things Seen and Heard: Truthfulness to things seen with own eyes and heard with own ears.

      1. Peter and Paul arose boldly in the Sanhedrin and said, “For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:20)

      2. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God (Acts 10:44-48)

      3. A woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, “when she heard about Jesus,” she received faith and reached out her hand and touched Jesus’ cloak. Immediately her bleeding stopped. Upon being healed, she boldly testified to those around her (Mk 5:25-34)

   3. Things Known and Believed in: By Faith and Not By Sight; Since it’s Known it can be Affirmed

      1. After the Samaritan women met Savior Jesus, she went into the town and bore testimony. People of the town then went out to look for Jesus. Many believed in the Lord upon hearing (Jn 4:25-30, 39-42)

      2. After the blind man gained sight, he testified of Jesus’ devoutness saying, “We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will” (Jn 9:31-33)

      3. After Peter and the eleven apostles received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, they bravely stood up, raised their voices, testifying to the resurrection of Lord Jesus, making clear all biblical prophecies (Acts 2:14-40)

March: Objects of Evangelism

Paul said, “Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air” (1 Cor 9:26). Christians run toward Heaven in order to obtain an imperishable crown – an everlasting portion of Heavenly kingdom. To fight the battle courageously is to fight against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms, and to save lost souls. To preach the gospel to save souls of men; objects of evangelism are not-yet friends who have yet to believe – Truth seekers.

1. Own Family Members

   1. Andrew introduced Jesus to his brother Simon (Jn 1:40-42)

   2. Looking after our own family members, we must preach the truth of everlasting life to them (1 Tim 5:8)

2. Relatives

   1. Jesus asked the man from Gerasene, who has been healed from demon possession, to go home and testify. (Mk 5:19-20)

   2. He who does not provide for his own household denies the faith. Preaching the gospel to them is a way to look after them forever (1 Tim 5:8a)

3. Good Friends

   1. Philip testified to Nathaniel about Jesus, saying to him, “Come and see” (Jn 1: 45-46)

   2. A friend loves at all times. To love our friends means to save their souls (Prov 17:17)

4. Those Poor in Spirit

   1. Jesus preached the gospel to the Samaritan woman, instructing her, “drink this living water and you’ll never thirst never thirst again” (Jn 4:13-14)

   2. “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life (Rev 22:17)

   3. The best way to repay the Lord’s grace is to lift up the cup of salvation and hand it to those who are poor and thirsts in spirit (Ps 116:12-13)

5. Those in Affliction

   1. The Lord commanded a man by the pool of Bethesda, who’d been ill for 38 years, to walk (Jn 5:2-9)

   2. It is those who are sick who need a doctor. Introduce the almighty physician Lord Jesus to them (Lk 5:31)

6. Sinners

   1. While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” were eating with him (Mk 2:15)

   2. The Lord has not come to call the righteous, but the sinners. Jesus draws nearer to the sinners in order to guide and lead them onto the right path (Mk 2:17b)

7. Those Who are Heavy Laden

   1. Jesus calls out to Zacchaeus and lived at his house in order to heal his heart (Lk 19:1-10)

   2. All who are weary and burdened, draw near to God and He will give you rest (Mt 11:28)

8. Those who are Disabled

   1. Jesus caused a blind man in the city of Jericho to receive sight (Lk 18:35-43)

   2. To invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind to the feast of grace (Lk 14:13-21)

9. Those Who Hunger and Thirst for the Truth

   1. God told Philip to preach to the Ethiopian eunuch, lead him to understand salvation in the scriptures, and to accept the baptism of remission of sin (Acts 8:26-39)

   2. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. We ought to preach the gospel to those who hunger and thirst for the truth so their hearts may be filled (Mt 5:6)

10. Pious Men Who Fear the Lord

    1. The entire household of Cornelius feared the Lord, therefore God sent Peter to go forth and preach; His entire household was baptized into the Lord (Acts 10:1-48)

    2. The LORD confides in those who fear Him; He makes his covenant known to them (Ps 25:12-14)

11. Our Fellow Citizens

    1. When the church of Jerusalem was under persecution, the disciples scattered throughout preached the gospel to the Jews (Acts 11:19)

    2. Paul sorrowed that the people of Israel remain hardened at heart and in disbelief (Rom 9:1-5)

12. Foreigners from Afar

    1. The disciples preached Lord Jesus to the Greeks while in Antioch. Many came to believe (Acts 11:20-21)

    2. The promise of believe, baptize, and have our sins be removed is for the households of all believers and all from afar (Acts 2:38-39)

13. People of All Nations

    1. Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation” (Mk 16:15)

    2. Gospel of the heavenly kingdom is will be preached to all the world, be testified to all nations, then will the end time come (Mt 24:14)

Conclusion

Paul said, “I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish.” It is evident that creations of all nations are objects of our evangelism.

April: Channels of Evangelism

"All roads lead to Rome" tells people that there are many different ways to accomplish a certain goal.

"Mountains don't turn, roads turn; roads don't turn, cars turn; cars don't turn, people turn; people don't turn, hearts change" is to tell people that "if you reach a dead-end, you will change paths, and if you change, you will find a way out".

The truth of salvation in the Bible will never change, but to achieve the goal of "preaching and saving souls", there are many flexible methods, which are worth implementing by evangelists.

The Lord Jesus said, "Go and make disciples of all nations." He also said, "I send you as sheep among wolves; therefore be as wise as serpents, and as gentle as doves" (Matthew 28:19, 10:16).

There are so many channels of evangelism, and the wisdom of using them lies in one’s heart. As long as you pray and ask God to guide you and reward you with wisdom, you will be able to rely on the Lord to do what you want. In addition to the commonly used methods of evangelism, here are other channels of evangelism.

1. Weddings and funerals (Hebrews 13:4; Ecclesiastes 7:1-4)

It seems that it is not easy to invite relatives and friends to participate in evangelical services on weekdays. However, for weddings and funerals, many close relatives and friends come to attend voluntarily and listen to the sermon solemnly. If the speaker can seize the opportunity and clearly share the benefits of believing in the Lord clearly in the doctrine, such as: Christians do not follow secular traditions; after believing in the Lord, we are free from the control of Satan, and we are free in making choices according to the biblical teachings without fear; so every day is a good day, as long as it is convenient, every time is a good time, if it’s under God’s will. We have no fear on the seventh month of the lunar calendar (that is, the ghost month in Chinese culture, nothing is suitable). In Christ we are safe, free, and happy; husbands and wives respect and love each other; and have a blessed marriage to the end of life, as well as the morality of believing in the Lord: abiding by filial piety, prudently chasing after the end, respecting the old and loving the young, all of which are admired by the people in the world. Furthermore, the Gospel Team can prepare leaflets and invitation cards at the door service desk, and then distribute them to relatives and friends of the guests. In particular, it can be used to inform the date of the Spiritual Convocation Evangelical Service and our TJC website.

2. Tribute to the Elders (Leviticus 19:32)

How can we lead the elderly to believe in the Lord? Tribute to the Elders is a good opportunity. We can give invitation cards to believers, and forward them to the elderly (or over 60 years old), and the church will enter the information of the elderly into a book. Many elderly people will be happy to receive the invitation. We should try and bring them to church in our cars if needed, greet them at the door with a smile, and pin a prepared name tag with their name (maybe even add a flower), draw a colorful commemorative poster on the wall, take a joyful photo for them (if the couple comes together, take a photo together), and lead them into the chapel to sit down. In the sermon, the speaker can speak about God's blessings to the elderly and the duty of respecting the elderly, share about filial piety, and instruct the younger generation how to respect the elderly, encouraging everyone to follow. After the sermon, the church provides a love meal and then presents a gift. The elderly would be happy to accept the invitation for the next time to attend the services. 

3. Special lectures (Proverbs 15:13, 17, 17:1, 6, 22, 27, 19:11, 18, 22:6, 15, 23:25, 27)

In a modern society where divorces, broken families, parenting difficulties, lost teenagers, economic depression, unemployment, depression, and suicide are very frequent. People feel empty, lonely, troubled, painful, and have many worries in their hearts, and they urgently need someone to solve their problems. The church can hold special sermons on spiritual cultivation, such as "The Secret of Love between Couples", "Establishment of Parent-Child Relationship", "Education of Love in the Family", "How to Counsel Teenagers", "How to Face Depression", "How to Manage Unemployment problems”, "A Joyful Life", etc. These topics can attract neighbors to listen to the lectures. As long as the workers spread the word and try their best to invite people. There will be many friends who are distressed or interested in seeking answers to attend these special lectures. After they attended these, it will be easier to evangelize to them afterwards. 

4. Family Activities and Fellowships (1 Tim 5:8)

The church can hold family activities once or twice a year, whether traveling, visiting, or hiking, which can lead relatives to believe in the Lord. Before the event, you can preach to your unbelieving relatives and invite them to participate. We can invite unbelieving parents to attend these activities, so it will to be a family activity. Then take the opportunity to have fun fun, sit together, walk together, and eat together to establish friendship with unbelieving relatives in the Lord. First you talk about life, and then mention faith; If you continue to follow up, they will surely become a believer in this church.

5. Hymnal Outreach (Ephesians 5:19; Psalm 149:1-3)

Use holidays, festivals, and weekly breaks to plan and hold parent-child concerts, hymnal fellowships with choir singing, musical instrument performance, duet singing, ensemble, solos, as well as sermons, short gospel talks, and short testimonies and thanksgiving to spread the gospel of Christ. The program is diverse and there are many attendees. Members who participate in the performance can invite relatives and friends to the meeting (church, home or specific places are all acceptable), take the opportunity to distribute church publications, register the information of visitors, and follow-up to invite them to attend church services. 

6. Special Holidays and Thanksgiving Gatherings (Ephesians 6:1-3; Timothy 5:4)

On special days such as Mother's Day and Father's Day, the church holds fellowships, and invites relatives and friends, parents or children, by letter to give them the opportunity to come to church to learn about the church gatherings, activities, and fellowships. Brothers and sisters can appreciate the love of God and the efforts of parents’ dedication for their children. Children can develop a sense of gratitude and filial piety. The parents can develop the concept of loving the truth of the Bible, feel the warmth of love in Christ, and experience Religious Education. This can lead people to path of truth, so that the whole family can respect the elderly and love the younger ones. Christianity teaches us to respect morality and improve family happiness. You should bring the whole family to pursue and understand the truth to believe in Jesus Christ. During the Spring Festival, a special Thanksgiving gathering is held, leading the whole family to participate in the gathering, so that they can reflect and share how much grace they have received from God during the year; and learn how to fear the true God in order to receive greater grace from God.

Conclusion:

Unbelievers are everywhere. Everyone is responsible for preaching the gospel. There are many ways to preach the gospel. Furthermore, the gospel workers are very limited, as the Lord said: "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers out to harvest His harvest" (Matt. 9:37-38).

May: Personal Evangelism (1)

In the process of evangelism, there is usually only one person who preaches the gospel and one person who listens to the gospel. This is the "one-on-one" method of evangelism, which is called personal evangelism. Personal evangelism relies on the power of the Holy Spirit and the Bible to preach Jesus Christ to people, so that people can know the one true God, in order to serve God together and receive glory together in the future when they enter the kingdom of heaven and enjoy eternal life.

1. Biblical Basis for Personal Evangelism

   1. The example of the Lord Jesus

      1. Spoke to the woman at Jacob's well about the living water (John 4:6-26).

      2. Discussed with Nicodemus about being born again (John 3:1-15).

      3. Spoke to Zacchaeus about repentance (Luke 19:1-10).

      4. Healed the sick man at the Pool of Bethesda (John 5:2-9).

      5. Spoke of the way of salvation to the thief on the cross (Luke 23:33-43).

   2. The teaching of the Lord Jesus

      1. Freely you have received, freely you shall give (Matthew 10:5-8).

      2. There is joy in heaven over a sinner who repents (Luke 15:7).

      3. Be careful not to despise the little ones (Matthew 18:10).

   3. The example of the apostles

      1. Andrew led his brother Peter to the Lord (John 1:35-42).

      2. Philip led his friend Nathanael to the Lord (John 1:43-51).

      3. Philip led the Ethiopian eunuch to be baptized (Acts 8:26-40).

      4. Paul leads the jailer’s family to the Lord (Acts 16:29-34).

   4. The teaching of the apostles

      1. God does not willing that anyone should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Pet 3:9)

      2. God desires that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:4)

2. Elements of personal evangelism

   1. Proclaiming and preaching: Relying on the power of the Holy Spirit to preach to non-Christians the great salvation of Jesus Christ of what He accomplished for mankind.

   2. Accept and trust: The purpose of personal evangelism is to enable unbelievers to accept salvation and learn to trust God.

   3. Fellowship and service: After a person accepts the gospel, we also need to bring them to the church so that they can grow and enrich their spiritual life through listening to sermons and fellowshipping with brothers and sisters, and finally they can serve God with other members.

3. The advantages of personal evangelism

   1. Everyone has a role, everyone has a responsibility

      1. Those who received grace freely will give freely (Matthew 10:8)

      2. The Lord commands us to preach the Gospel to all nations (Mark 16:15)

   2. Not limited by time or space

      1. The truthseekers are all around us, as long as you have the heart, you can preach anywhere (John 4:5-30)

      2. At any given time, we can encounter unbelievers and any time is a good opportunity to talk to them (Acts 5:27-32)

      3. Personal evangelism is not limited by time or place. In general evangelical services, the location and time are selected and pre-determined, but personal evangelism is not like is flexible and can be personalized according to their situation without any restrictions.

   3. Seize every missionary opportunity

      1. Congregational evangelism has a certain place, time, speaker, audience, and sermon content; but personal evangelism is completely unlimited.

      2. As long as you establish a friendship with the unbelievers around you, it is a good opportunity to preach. You can let the discussion take its course and share a wonderful testimony.

   4. Can penetrate into all walks of life

      1. Believers include men, women, the elderly and the youth. Occupations include scholars, farmers, businessmen, students, freelancers, etc. Friends in every social class need someone to preach the gospel to them (Romans 10:14-15)

      2. Every believer can find the object of preaching in their own environment, and only personal evangelism can go deep into all walks of life and save people of all walks of life.

      3. Personal evangelism is direct contact with another person to understand their needs. For example, the needs of an educated youth are different from those of a country side woman. The questions of the educated youth may include: "Is there a God?"  Preachers can preach the truth of the Gospel according to their needs.

   5. Can meet the actual needs of individuals

      1. There may be many truthseekers in mass evangelism, but the preacher cannot preach the gospel to every individual truth seeker. Only one theme can be given to all the people in a mass evangelism.

      2. Personal evangelism allows one-on-one conversations, through which friendship can be established to communicate in depth, to understand the difficulties and needs of the other party, to solve their belief challenges, and to help them gain peace in body and mind.

   6. The effect of evangelism is more reliable and solid

      1. Visitors through general evangelism need follow-up. If not, they will not be able to receive salvation.

      2. Personal evangelism has the effect of meeting in-person and face to face, which is convenient for contact, follow-up, discussions, guide the other party to draw close to the church, accompany the Bible study and prayer, pray for the fullness of the Holy Spirit, and easily help experience faith, understand the truth and believe in the Lord.

      3. Personal evangelism is requires the initiative to preach the truth of the gospel to others. "Evangelical services” are to invite unbelievers to "come" to the services, while "personal evangelism" is to "go" to preach the gospel among people. For those unable to attend evangelical services due to limited time, personal evangelism can come in handy, and can achieve better results.

June: Personal Evangelism (2)

4. Ways of Personal Evangelism

   1. Direct evangelism: in schools, parks, cars, boats, and airplanes, directly find some people who do not know the truth of the gospel, and then preach the gospel to target their need. Paul preached the gospel in Athens (Acts 17:16-17), and also preached God’s salvation to the people on the boat to Rome (Acts 27:21-26), by the river at the gate of Philippi he preached to the women sitting there meeting (Acts 16:13-15).

   2. Friendship evangelism method: Set a goal among the people you know, and spread the gospel to a certain relative, friend, or colleague who is not a believer in the Lord. You must find more opportunities to contact these people, and spread the gospel at the right time. Jesus often went to Mary’s house in Bethany to eat, and took the opportunity to preach the gospel and explain the truth to her (Luke 10:38-42). Paul approached Onesimus in a Roman prison and eventually led him to the Lord (Phil. 9-13).

   3. Dialogue evangelism method: find those who are interested in faith but have many doubts, and discuss difficult questions of the truth of the gospel. Jesus talked about the truth of being born again to Nicodemus (John 3:1-15); specially appeared to Thomas and talked to him about the reality of resurrection (John 20:24-29). Paul converted the jailer (Acts 16:29-34).

5. Place of Personal Evangelism

   1. In one's own home: invite relatives, friends over and testify to them (Acts 28:30-31).

   2. In other people's homes: Visit them, distribute pamphlets and leaflets (Acts 20:20-21; Luke 10:1-7). 

   3. In the chapel (Acts 17:1-3, 16-17): Take the opportunity to talk with truthseekers before and after the service. 

   4. At school (Proverbs 22:6): Preach to classmates, and lead them to participate in various gatherings or activities of the church. 

   5. At work (Matt. 10:32-33): In the office, schools, factories, shops and other service places to talk and preach to people.

   6. On the street (Acts 17:16-17): Distribute leaflets at intersections and places with many pedestrians, and talk to people when the opportunity arises. 

   7. On the road (Acts 27:21-26): Distributing leaflets, talking about the truth, and testifying on trains, cars, ships, and planes. 

   8. In hospitals, prisons, nursing homes, and orphanages (Acts 16:22-34; John 5:1-9): preaching to those who are suffering and lonely are very effective. 

   9. In parks, train stations, and public places (Matthew 10:7; Ecclesiastes 11:6): As long as you rely on the Lord, you can greet and talk with people bravely, and you can preach the gospel anytime, anywhere.

6. Stages of Talking and Leading Truth seeker

   1. Cultivate friendship: Set up a Christian demeanor, never exclude yourself from others, maintain a good impression, establish good friendship, and understand each other's needs and problems through conversation and fellowship. 

   2. Introduce the Gospel: Seize the opportunity given by God, use your testimony of grace, share life experience, exchange different ideas, and clarify the truth of salvation. 

   3. Lead to believe in the Lord: ask for the leading of the Holy Spirit, lead them to come to church, receive more doctrines, introduce fellow brethren, accompany them to read the Bible and pray, encourage them to earnestly seek the Holy Spirit, until they believe and are baptized. 

   4. Firm faith: Patiently care and counsel, cultivating each other's faith, teaching self-reliance, promoting spiritual growth, training to participate in holy work, and becoming a true Christian.

7. Adopt Truth seekers

Every believer who is baptized by grace should have the mission of preaching and saving people. In order for all those predestined to eternal life to believe in the Lord and be saved (Acts 13:44, 48-49), each person should adopt two to four unbelievers every year as the objects of your personal evangelism, and after a period of time of guidance, take them to attend church services and evangelistic services, lead them to believe and be baptized, become a "believer", and train them to become a "disciple". 

1. Collection period: In line with the principle of "freely received, freely given" (Matthew 10:7-8), think about the collected items in prayer, put their data on the "visitors card", and submit this list to fellowships or churches to be able to pray for those on these lists and ask the Holy Spirit of God to touch their hearts. 

2. Intercession period: It is the responsibility and obligation of every believer to pray and intercede for the salvation of all people (1 Timothy 2:1-4). Therefore, everyone should proactively pray to the Lord every day for the seekers they have adopted, and the fellowship and the church should also intercede for them. 

3. Caring period: Caring for truthseekers with "a heart of mutual love" (John 13:34-35), such as sending cards, leaflets, sending letters, calling and chatting, visiting in person, talk heart to heart, etc., in order to build relationships and cultivate deep feelings. 

4. Preparatory period: Give truthseekers a gospel gift, such as spiritual publications, gospel books, testimonies of grace, etc., and borrow the content of the gospel gift, talk to them about their challenges in faith and feelings, and be their good companion in conversation (Proverbs 17:17). 

5. Evangelism period: In order to share the benefits of the gospel with them, invite them to attend church services and evangelical services, and accompany them to attend various services with the determination of Paul "I have become all things to all men” (1 Corinthians 9:22-23), and read the Bible, pray, ask the Holy Spirit to be with them, and answer their questions. 

6. Cultivation period: Regardless of whether the truthseekers are baptized or not, we should continue to follow up and lead them, so that they can grow up spiritually, receive solid spiritual food, and be proficient in the principles of righteousness (Hebrews 5:13-14); for new believers, it is even more important to pay attention and care, help to solve the problems they face after being baptized, and cultivate them to become true disciples (2 Timothy 2:1-3).

July: Personal Evangelism (3)

The Lord Jesus declared to His disciples that only those who do the will of the Father can enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7:21). Paul clearly indicated God’s will: He wants all people to be saved and to understand the truth (1 Timothy 2:4). Therefore, as true believers, it is reasonable to follow the will of the heavenly Father to "save all people", spread the gospel widely, guide all people to understand the truth, abandon falsehood and return to the truth, and run together on the road to salvation.

8. The mission of preaching and saving people

Paul is finally entrusted by the Lord, with the determination of "I might by all means save some". He did his best for the gospel, so as to share the benefits of the gospel with others (1 Corinthians 9:16-23). To Timothy, Paul writes, “Preach the word, in season and out of season, with all your heart, with all patience...., be careful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of a preacher, and fulfill your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:1- 5). From this we can see the importance of preaching and saving people.

1. Regarding the final judgement of God in the future, and to receive the reward of entering the kingdom of heaven, Paul solemnly charged before his death (4:1; Mark 16:15)

2. Seize every opportunity and time to preach (4:2; Ecclesiastes 9:10-11; Acts 16:25)

3. Be single-minded and focus on preaching and saving people (4:2; John 5:34; Acts 19:8-10)

4. In order to accomplish the great work of saving people, one must be patient (4:2; 2 Corinthians 11:23-30)

5. The target of the battle is the devil, and the target of the conversation is the unbelievers, so be cautious in your words and deeds (4:5; Ephesians 6:12; 1 Peter 5:8; Col 4:4-6)

6. The work of saving souls may be hindered by the devil in many ways, so it is necessary to endure suffering (1 Peter 5:9-10; 2 Timothy 4:17-18).

9. The content of personal evangelism

   1. See through life and think about the ending

      1. Recognize that the world is not an eternal destination. Think about the coming and going of life, the meaning of life, and the future destination. (Psalm 90:10; Ecclesiastes 1:13)

      2. Explain the origin of life, the result of the sin of Adam and Eve, the source of life, and the way to eternal life (Genesis 2:7, 3:16-19; Hebrews 9:27; Revelation 21:8; Matthew 7:13-14)

   2. To know God, the Creator

      1. Man-made idols are not the true God. The Creator who created all things and human beings is the only true God. He is the true God to be worshipped. Knowing God brings peace and blessings (Genesis 1:1; Psalm 115:3-8, 135:15 -18; Romans 1:23-25; Job 22:21)

      2. The true God who created all things does not require people to prepare sacrifices for worship, but requires people to worship in spirit and truth, and He also listens to people's prayers (John 4:21-24, 17:3; Psalm 65:2)

   3. Understand one's own sin, original sin and actual sin

      1. There is no perfect person in the world who does not sin, and the Bible condemns everyone’s sin (Ecclesiastes 7:20; Galatians 3:22; Psalm 51:5)

      2. Since Adam  sinned, all human beings have been born in sin and will experience death, because the wages of sin is death, therefore, everyone needs Jesus as Savior (Romans 1:28-32, 5:12, 6 :23).

   4. Believe and be baptized, The forgiveness of sins through the shedding of blood. 

      1. The kingdom of heaven is holy and perfect, without sin, but human beings have sins and transgressions. Unless our sins are dealt with, we are not eligible to enter the kingdom of heaven and enjoy eternal life. God asked the sinless Christ Jesus to die for us who are sinful, so that we can live in Him inwardly to become the righteousness of God. (Mark 16:15-16; 2 Corinthians 5:21)

      2. Everyone in the world has sinned. There is no savior in the world, except only to believe in Jesus, look to the cross for salvation, believe and be baptized, rely on the blood of Jesus, wash away sin, become the Son of God, belong to Christ, and receive the inheritance. (Ephesians 2:13; Acts 22:16; Gal 3:26-29)

   5. Baptism experience, sanctification and salvation

      1. Faith with experience can strengthen faith, believe in Jesus, pray and ask, receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and have evidence of the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven. Receiving the Holy Spirit can be seen and heard. (John 14:16-17; Acts 2:1-4; Ephesians 1:13-14)

      2. The Holy Spirit empowers people, prays for the saints, and helps believers to sanctified in order to receive salvation. When you know the Holy Spirit recorded in the Bible, go to the true church established by the Holy Spirit, pray to experience the Holy Spirit, and understand the true way (Romans 8:26, 2 Thes 2:13; Titus 3:5)

   6. Choose the church that belongs to Christ

      1. Jesus Christ is the Savior of all believers, and the church is the body of Christ. Therefore, to be saved and enter the kingdom of heaven, you must belong to the true church of the body of Christ. From the Bible, the true church that will be saved must be unique, because there is one Lord and one body. (Ephesians 5:23; Isaiah 2:1-4; Amos 9:11)

      2. A church established by the Holy Spirit is the promised true church with the Holy Spirit dwelling in it, spreads the truth of salvation, and manifests the power of God. The body of Christ has the Holy Spirit, truth, and miracles. In the true church, to be saved, we must believe, be baptized for the forgiveness of sins, to became a child of God, a member of God's family, and received the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven. (Romans 8:9; Ephesians 2:12-13, 19)

   7. Follow the Savior and endure to the end

      1. After believing and being baptized, one begins to follow the Savior Jesus Christ to walk on the journey to heaven. One must deny oneself, take up one’s cross and follow the Lord. (Matthew 10:37-39, 16:24-26)

      2. There is only one baptism for the forgiveness of sins, because Jesus died for our sins only once. Therefore, after being baptized, one must rely on the Holy Spirit to pursue sanctification, put to death lust, keep in the Lord, overcome all sins, and enter the kingdom of God We have experienced many hardships, and only those who persevere to the end can be saved. (Hebrews 3:14, 6:4-6; 1 John 5:4; Philippians 4:13; Matt 24:13).

August: Personal Evangelism (4) 

10. Motivation for personal evangelism

Personal evangelism is a labor-intensive and time-consuming task. Why do some people enjoy it? It is because their heart is motivated by the love of the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:14). Those who live for the Lord should follow the main purpose and preach the gospel to save souls.

1. Possess spiritual love: eager to save people’s souls and gain eternal life together, deeply afraid that relatives and friends will go to hell and suffer eternal punishment (Matthew 16:26; 1 Corinthians 10:33; Mark 9:47-49).

2. Possess strong faith: Those who believe in God’s will, will be helped, and God will work with them when doing God’s holy work. Therefore, be strong and courageous and not afraid (Matt. 28:20; 2 Timothy 4:17-18; Joshua 1:1-3, 9).

3. Have the hope of the promise: Believe that God’s work will bear fruit sooner or later, sow with diligence, and those who sow with tears will reap with joy (Matthew 28:19; Ecclesiastes 11:1-6; Psalm 126:5- 6; Hebrews 10:36).

11. Training and Essentials of Personal Evangelism

    1. Pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you (John 6:44; Col. 4:2-4; Zech. 4:6-7). 

       1. Gospel work is the great work of saving souls, and it can only be accomplished when the Holy Spirit works in people's hearts.

       2. Only by praying persistently on weekdays, asking God to open the door of preaching, and co-working with the Holy Spirit, can people be attracted to the door of grace.

    2. Understand the basic beliefs of the church (John 16:13; Romans 10:17; 2 Timothy 3:15; Hebrews 4:12)

       1. The Holy Spirit of truth enables people to understand all truths, and only by understanding the basic beliefs can one develop the gift of preaching. 

       2. By listening to sermons and reading scriptures, meditating on God’s words, and enriching spiritual wisdom, you will be able to clarify the truth to seekers at that time, so that they can discern the thoughts and ideas in their hearts. 

    3. Understand the state of social beliefs (Proverbs 27:23; 1 Corinthians 9:22; Acts 17:16-17, 22-23). 

       1. Know yourself and your enemy, and you will win every battle; whoever you preach the gospel to, you should know their faith. 

       2. It was practical and wise for Paul to understand the beliefs of the Athenians before debating and preaching with the locals.

    4. Cultivate speaking skills and demeanor (1 Corinthians 9:22; Matt 10:16; Col 4:4-6).

       1. Learn how to establish a relationship with others, how to gain the trust of truthseekers. Develop communication skills, with simple and clear explanations that can be accepted by the other party.

       2. Learn to speak cautiously, understand that some words must never be spoken, and be appropriate in clothing, appearance, words and deeds.

    5. Clarify general discourse problems (Acts 17:11; Col. 3:16; cf. Acts 7:22, 18:24-26). 

       1. If you first understand what is the problem in the hearts of the seekers, then you can find the correct and reasonable answers, answer the doubts in their hearts in a timely manner, and convince them. 

       2. Through the "Practicum drills" meeting, we can train the gospel workers to be familiar with answering the doubts of the faith of the seekers, so that they will not be afraid of being embarrassed when they cannot answer the questions when they talk with others. Through personal evangelism lectures and sermon rehearsal meetings, we can learn again and again, so that the personal evangelism work will be better and more fruitful.

    6. Make good use of the church's published materials (cf. Matt. 13:25; Genesis 24:10, 22, 53, 61). 

       1. The church publishes various materials, including countless testimonial leaflets, and the Holy Spirit monthly magazine. There are abundant evangelical resources that can be used.

       2. When in contact with truth seekers, appropriate gospel leaflets and testimonial collections can be presented, so that they can read and meditate carefully to understand the truth, come to the church to listen to the sermon, and even believe and be baptized.

    7. Use the testimony of our grace (Luke 7:22; Acts 4:20, 22:3-21; Mark 5:19-20).

       1. The true church has the presence of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the omnipotent true God. He is the master of life and the almighty physician; all of these can be manifested through wonderful and true testimonies to convince people.

       2. After getting the testimony, read or listen carefully, then close your eyes and think quietly from the beginning to the end, and then compare it with the original testimony. If there are any important points, review it again, and then practice until the key points, content, and sequence are clear, it can be remembered and applied at any time.

    8. Lead the other person to learn to pray (John 4:24; Psalm 65:2; Philippians 4:6-7; 1 John 3:24, 4:13).

       1. To teach truth seekers to get close to God and experience God is to lead them to pray together, to worship God in spirit and in truth, to communicate with God, and to tell God all their needs; in the urgent prayer of love words, they may seek the Holy Spirit and know God is omnipresent.

       2. Encourage the other party to pray by themselves, and draw close to God in their hearts anytime, anywhere. They will surely gain wonderful experiences in their daily life and know the omnipotent true God.

    9. Clarify the motivation of correct belief (Mark 16:15-17, 20; John 3:1, 2; Matt 9:35)

       1. Those who believe and are baptized will be saved; those who do not believe will be condemned. This is the main content of the Gospel. Therefore, it is explained to the truth seekers that the purpose of believing in the Lord is to save their souls and enter the kingdom of heaven; This is a temporary grace, which is only the peace of mind and body in this life. The former is eternal blessing, while the latter is temporary peace.

       2. Miracles follow the gospel work to confirm the true way preached; it can be seen that the manifestation of miracles is not the main purpose of believing in the Lord, but that God uses divine miracles to lead people to know the Savior Jesus, and to allow people to know the Savior Jesus. People receive peace of mind and body, which shows God's love for people.

    10. Establish the friendships in the Lord (Colossians 1:28; cf. John 4:5-30; Acts 18:24-28)

        1. Missionary work is about presenting the truthseeker fully in Christ, not before man. Therefore, do not communicate with truthseekers with physical emotions, so as not to mislead them. 

        2. Care for the truthseekers with the love of saving souls, and do not develop a romantic relationship with them. So, the value of the gospel and the meaning of salvation will not be lost. It is about building a healthy, spiritual friendship.

    11. Find the right time to lead to the church (Acts 20:28; Ephesians 5:23, 2:19; Romans 12:10). 

        1. Jesus Christ is "the Savior of the whole church". If you want to be saved into the kingdom of heaven, you must join the church. The church is God's family, and if you want to be a member of God's family, you must come to God's family frequently. 

        2. Personal evangelism should lead truthseekers to approach the church, participate in gatherings, get to know preachers, elders, and believers, so that they can get used to life in God’s family, know people in God’s family, and become members of God’s family in the future.

    12. Unceasing intercession and patient guidance (1 Timothy 2:1-4; 2 Timothy 4:2-5; 1 Thessalonian 5:17-18; Psalm 126:5-6)

        1. Only the true God, who is in charge of the universe and mankind, can guide people to know salvation. Therefore, we can only pray for truthseekers unceasingly, so that they can stabilize their faith, understand the truth and believe in the Lord.

        2. The work of the gospel will inevitably be hindered by Satan. Only by enduring in every way and relying on the Lord to overcome everything can people be moved to obey Jesus Christ, believe in and be baptized, and have the hope of being saved.

Conclusion:

1. Evangelism is the work of saving souls, the most important thing is to pray and rely on the Holy Spirit to lead.

2. Personal evangelism is the most basic and most effective channel for the multiplication of believers. Everyone is responsible for personal evangelism. There is spiritual love, strong faith, and hope of promise. Only by doing a good job in training and understanding the essentials of evangelism can it be achieved target.

3. May all believers realize their responsibilities and spread the gospel of salvation.

September: Evangelism Training (1)

Before Jesus ascended to heaven, He specifically charged his disciples: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all peoples." (Mark 16:15) Therefore, all true believers should inherit the Lord's great work of saving souls, obey the will of the Father, and save the world. 

1. Talking about the fundamental meaning of the Word

   1. Spread the Gospel of the Kingdom to others freely (Matthew 10:7-8).

   2. Spread Christ and present everyone perfect before God (Colossians 1:28).

   3. Instruct the right way to be saved, so that people can believe and be baptized to be saved (Acts 2:37).

Therefore, preaching refers to a Christian who has been baptized or has been trained to talk about the truth of salvation with a friend wholeheartedly and sincerely. In other words, preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus to others, share the correct faith with them, and share the benefits of the gospel.

2. The substantive purpose of speaking (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

   1. Break down the strongholds that the devil builds around the human heart - self-exaltation, arrogance and self-righteousness, self-confidence.

   2. Capturing the truth-seeker's mind out of the hands of the devil, making it obedient to the saving truth of Christ.

   3. Guide the other party to abandon evil and return to the truth, turn away from evil and follow the good, repent and believe in the Lord, and be baptized into the true church with the presence of the Holy Spirit.

   4. Make him a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). Go to heaven with him and share the abundant life of Christ.

The Lord Jesus wanted to save His people from their sins (Matt. 1:21), and today’s Christians are to work together with the Lord to complete the substantive work of saving people’s spiritual lives.

3. Talk about the basic understanding of the Word (Zechariah 4:6-7)

   1. The great work of saving souls is not a matter of the world. It does not rely on power and talent, let alone one's own knowledge, eloquence and methods.

   2. The special target of the battle of saving souls is the spiritual beings in the air, so it can only be accomplished by relying on the co-workers of the Spirit of God.

   3. Being powerful before God is the main motivation for preaching work. Therefore, nothing but watchful, persevering prayer can do the trick.

4. The prerequisite for preaching - praying for the power of the Holy Spirit

   1. Have the ability to practice the Word: Pursue love for others, glorify God and benefit others, make a good impression on people, and be able to influence people to believe in the Lord with good deeds; and have a good reputation to attract people to the truth (James 1:22-25; Timothy 2:4, 15; 1 Peter 3:1-2).

   2. Ability to witness: to be able to explain the right way of salvation sincerely and courageously based on spiritual love, and to move people’s hearts with true testimony and save lives (Acts 2:14, 37-42, 4:20; Proverbs 14 :25).

   3. Ability to intercede: to have the confidence to intercede physically and mentally for friends who are truthseekers, and to be able to be heard by God and to be effective. Signs and miracles and the abidance of the Holy Spirit prove that this church is the true church. Make it convincing and true (Acts 4:29-31, 5:12-16).

5. Always prepare

   1. Pray for the filling of the Holy Spirit and rely on the leading of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 3:14, 16, 19, 6:18-20).

   2. Be clear about the right way to be saved, and always pursue growth (Col. 1:25b, 3:16).

   3. Pay attention to the life of faith and shine for the Lord everywhere (Matthew 5:16; 1 Peter 2:11-12).

   4. Collect good testimonies and spread the gospel at the right time (Acts 4:20, 17:16-17).

   5. Be brave, sincere and loving, determined to lead patiently (Proverbs 14:25a; 2 Timothy 4:2-5).

6. Examples of what the Lord Jesus said

   1. The Lord Jesus spoke with the lawyer (Luke 10:25-37)

      1. The theme is to inherit eternal life (v.25)

      2. The Lord Jesus used the Old Testament as his teaching material (v.26-27)

      3. Follow the biblical guidance (v.28)

      4. Explain the true meaning of love with appropriate metaphors (v.30-37)

   2. The Lord Jesus received the blind man of Jericho (Luke 18:35-43)

      1. The blind man knew that Jesus, the Son of David, was the Savior (v.37-38)

      2. The blind man has an urgent desire to ask the Lord to save him (v.30)

      3. The Lord Jesus received the blind man with loving words (v.40-41)

      4. The Lord Jesus saves people according to their faith (v.42)

   3. The Lord Jesus saves Zacchaeus the tax collector (Luke 19:1-10)

      1. Zacchaeus loved the Lord Jesus (v.3)

      2. He had the courage to overcome difficulties (v.4)

      3. The Lord Jesus understood Zacchaeus’ sincerity (v.5)

      4. The Lord Jesus publicly stated that he would come to Zacchaeus’ house (v.5)

      5. Zacchaeus received Jesus with haste and joy (v.6)

      6. Accepting the love of Jesus influenced Zacchaeus (v.8)

      7. The Lord Jesus affirms that salvation has come to the house of Zacchaeus (v.9)

      8. The Lord Jesus confesses what the Savior is looking for (v.10)

   4. Jesus talks to Nicodemus (John 3:1-21)

      1. Nicodemus seeks the Lord at night regardless of his status (v.1-2)

      2. He knew the Lord Jesus through His miracles (v.2)

      3. The Lord Jesus directly showed the way of regeneration (v.3-7)

      4. The Lord Jesus used the wind as an illustration to explain the things of the Holy Spirit (v.8)

      5. The Lord Jesus showed the way of eternal life, emphasizing the importance of believing in Jesus (v.14-18)

      6. Those who do the truth will come to the light (v.19-21)

October: Evangelism Training (2)

7. The application of speaking method

12. 1. When meeting friends of the truthseekers, have a friendly attitude and be clear with where you are coming from and the mission.

    2. If you know the person you are talking to in advance, you can first find out their name, age, education, work, temperament, religion, family, etc., it will be beneficial to talk about work.

    3. The words should be simple and easy to understand, the attitude and words both should be sincere and kind. We should ask the Lord to reveal to us what to say, and lead people to the Lord with appropriate words.

    4. Everyone's personal experience is often the best opening statement and the most powerful testimony.

    5. Give praises to the merits of the truthseekers, such as their eloquence, character, knowledge, demeanor, appearance, and piety. But do not flatter them too much so it doesn’t sound sincere. 

    6. In general, it is easier for people with similar age or the same gender to understand and communicate naturally.

    7. In order to lead them to the truth, you should keep quiet in your heart, to speak with kindness, don't be competitive, and don't be impatient; it is not appropriate to look at your watch frequently, be absent-minded, or to look around.

    8. There is no need to cover everything while you preach. It is better to explain a few verses of the Bible more in-depth, than to flip through too many verses with no explanations. If you can read and pray with the truth seekers it is even better.

    9. If two people are talking with one truthseeker at the same time, one person should give the talk, and the other person should pray silently and ask the Lord to lead. Do not discredit what the other brethren said, but rather, add on to their points to reinforce the truth. 

    10. Overly polite conversations tend to stray away from the subject.  Pray silently to the Lord, return to the subject in a skillful manner and talk about the content of the gospel.

    11. For the first conversation, the time should be kept short, and the questions and answers should be simple. The principle of answering each question in detail should be grasped, and answers should not be vague and general.

    12. During the conversation, listen patiently to the other party’s opinions, search for the other party’s difficulties by relying on the Holy Spirit, and ask the Lord to give them graceful words to help them.

    13. Don’t criticize the other party’s mistakes when talking, just express the beliefs of our church; if the other party’s reaction is not pleasant or they’re stubborn, you can give them a pamphlet or publication to end the conversation.

    14. When talking with someone who is sick, it is advisable to inquire gently about their condition first. Testify to them at the right time, and intercede for them. The time should not be too long, and it is not advisable to whisper to others in front of the patient, so they won’t feel uncomfortable and will be able to trust you.

    15. If the other party is determined to pursue the truth, or when they are suffering from illness, difficulty, or shock, ask the Lord to help their situation, seize the opportunity of evangelism, and encourage and accompany them in prayer.

    16. If you can always bring Bibles, leaflets, booklets, spiritual publications, sermon or testimonial cd, truthseekers information cards, party invitation cards, etc. when you go out, you will be able to seize the opportunity to spread the gospel to people at any time.

    17. Before leaving, you can choose the appropriate preaching publications for the other party to read according to the content of the sermon. If you lend the cd to the other party, you will have a good opportunity to talk again.

    18. Finally, when asking about the life background of the other party and the appropriate time of visit, log in the truthseeker's profile card, and introduce him to the preacher, elder or person in charge, so that they can be further cultivated.

    19. If possible, lead the other party to learn to pray before leaving; for the first time, you can lead the other party in prayer with understanding, so that the other party can experience the beauty of having a Lord and trust from the heart.

    20. When saying goodbye, you should leave a good impression on the other party with a friendly smile, a happy attitude, and blessings for peace, so that you can continue to keep in touch and have the opportunity to talk again.

8. The method of talking drills: about 12 people in each group, carry out in groups.

The church should often carry out "speech drills" to train gospel workers. Proverbs says "a pot is for refining silver, and a furnace is for refining gold" (Proverbs 17:3). Providing training opportunities for speech drills can help those who are interested with the same spirit in the Lord, it becomes a precious vessel like gold and silver, which is suitable for the use of our Lord Jesus Christ. The church can arrange qualified personnel or gospel group leaders to be the "host" of the sermon drill, and prepare the topic and content of the drill in advance, with seriousness, lead participants in a simulated personal preaching question-and-answer situation. There are four ways to learn how to preach to people

1. 1. Learning method: This is the simplest method. First, the believer or the leader asks the truthseekers difficult questions, and other fellow coworkers learn to answer them, and correct and supplement each other until the answer is complete, and then ask the second question. E.g.,

      1. Why is your church called the True Jesus Church?

      2. Is the church true or false? Is God also true or false?

      3. Was Jesus God or man?

      4. Where did the Bible come from? Was it written by man or by God?

      5. Why do we Easterners believe in the gods of Westerners?

   2. Dialogue method: When the "learning method" is practiced smoothly, the "dialogue method" will be adopted. Divide the participating spirits into two groups, one is the believers of the church, the other is the truth seekers, and the truth seekers Take the initiative to ask questions, and then believers in the Lord raise their hands to answer. If the other party is not satisfied with the answer, they can continue to ask questions, back and forth, until the truthseeker is completely satisfied; then continue to ask the second question. The host is present to provide guidance, and make correct answers and conclusions. After the talk drill, a review meeting must be held to improve. Truthseekers of all kinds:

      1. Atheist

      2. Polytheists

      3. Idol worshipers

      4. Ordinary Christians

      5. Catholic

   3. Grouping method: The dialogue method and the grouping method can be used alternately. Select two groups from the participants, one to three people on each side, one group represents the association, and the other group represents the truthseeking friends, and the two groups sit opposite each other in front of the podium to talk, first one person introduces himself, greets each other, gets to know each other, and after the family chat, the believer invites the other party to the church to listen to the sermon as an introduction, enter the content of the faith, and make a personal sharing. After about 15 to 30 minutes, it will come to an end. After the host inquires and observes with the fellow workers present, comment on the attitude, tone, wording, content of answers, scriptures quoted, testimonies shared, greetings, farewell, etc. The shortcomings are all raised in line with the teaching of speaking the truth with love, as a reference for encouragement and improvement, to help everyone improve their speaking skills and maximize their effect.

   4. Case method: This method is most suitable for training before house-to-house evangelism. First, one or several people presuppose the position (for example, in a family, there are family members of different ages, different generations, education, occupation, belief, and health status.), waiting for the visit of the Gospel staff at home, and then one to three members of the church come to visit and talk. From knocking on the door, ringing the doorbell to start the practice, how to make the other party answer the door easily, greet when opening the door, introduce yourself, let the other party has a good impression, talk happily, listens to our testimonies, and is willing to leave contact information, wants to pray with us, and is willing to be heard by the church. First arrange people to act as truthseekers, and then pre-make the content according to the role of the case to get ready to talk. If you want to do personal evangelism from house to house, you can start the drill by knocking on the door and ringing the doorbell. As for how to establish a good first impression, it needs to be carefully studied by the same attitude. 

November: Truth Discussion Practicum

9. Talk about the topic of the exercise

   1. What are the benefits of believing in Jesus?

   2. Why not worship ancestors if you believe in Jesus?

   3. Wasn’t Jesus a Jew? Wasn’t he also a man? Why could he save people?

   4. Why does your church hold services on Saturday?

   5. Why is your prayer different from other churches?

   6. Why don't you celebrate Christmas?

   7. Why don't you eat food worshipped to idols? 

   8. Why are there so many different churches in Christianity?

   9. Can I be saved if I believe in Jesus in other churches?

   10. What is the difference between Christianity and Catholicism?

   11. Why do you have to be baptized to believe in Jesus?

   12. Why does your church carry babies to the river/sea to be baptized?

   13. Why does your church need to hold a foot-washing ceremony?

   14. What is Holy Communion? Can we eat it too?

   15. What is the Holy Spirit? What does it mean to receive the Holy Spirit?

   16. What is the difference between your Holy Spirit and the spirit of a sorcerer?

   17. If you live according to your conscience, do not break the law, do not do bad things, will you not be able to enter the kingdom of heaven in the future?

   18. What should I do to enter the kingdom of heaven in the future?

   19. I heard that you believers don’t smoke, drink or gamble. Life is so restrictive, what fun is there in life?

   20. Your church has things like healing the sick and casting out demons, but other religions do it too. Is there any difference?

10. Targets of our Gospel Preaching: How to Preach to them

    1. People who feel empty

       1. Joys of the world are not true joy (Ecclesiastes 2:10-11, 1:9)

       2. The promise of an abundant life (John 10:9-10)

       3. The true joy found in the abidance of the Holy Spirit (John 16:22-24)

       4. The Holy Spirit’s intercessory prayer for the weak (Romans 8:26-27)

    2. To optimistic youths

       1. Youths have a great future lying ahead of them (Proverbs 20:29; Ecclesiastes 11:9-10)

       2. The true value of life in comparison to the world (Matthew 16:26)

       3. Things that man ought to think about in life (Genesis 1:27, 2:7; Ecclesiastes 7:2-4)

       4. To have eternal life in Jesus (John 6:26-68, 10:27-28)

    3. Atheists

       1. To prove the existence of God from creation (Romans 1:20; Hebrews 3:4)

       2. To be able to differentiate good and evil with the help of conscience (Proverbs 20:27, 9:10)

       3. To naturally seek help from God when there are no other way out (Psalm 46:1, 25:12)

       4. To know God after receiving the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:17-19; 1 Corinthians 2:10-12)

    4. To people who worships many gods

       1. It is good to have reverence for God (Acts 17:22-23)

       2. The true God is the God who created the heavens and the earth (Acts 17:24-31; Romans 1;25)

       3. To worship the true God with the heart (John 4:24; 1 Samuel 16:7)

       4. God grants the Holy Spirit as a form of proof (1 John 3:24; Gal 4:6-7)

    5. To those who practice ancestral worship

       1. It is good to have filial piety (Genesis 50:22-26; Leviticus 19:32)

       2. The deceased cannot come back to life (2 Samuel 12:23; Proverbs 23:22; Ephesians 6:1-3)

       3. To remember the source of our origin-God (Genesis 1:27, 2:7; Ecclesiastes 12:7, 13)

       4. To worship our heavenly father is to worship our true source of origin (Luke 3:38; Acts 17:26-29)

    6. To those who had already believe in Jesus

       1. To have hope in Jesus (Ephesians 2:11-13)

       2. Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? (Romans 8:9; Acts 19:1-7)

       3. The true church with the abidance of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14, 23; James 2:26)

       4. To personally experience the grace of God (Acts 2:1-4, 13, 15, 32-33)

    7. To those who are busy in life

       1. To praise them for being able to find satisfaction in his work (Ecclesiastes 3:13)

       2. What hope does he have in being busy day and night (Psalm 39:4-7; Ecclesiastes 2:22-23)

       3. Empty we came into the world and we will leave the world likewise (1 Timothy 6:7; Ecclesiastes 5:15)

       4. We ought to seek for the blessings of eternal life (Matthew 16:26; John 5:39)

    8. To those who are sick

       1. There are many sufferings in life (Job 5:6-7, 14:1; Ecclesiastes 1:12-13)

       2. It is very hard to bear with physical illness (Job 7:4-6; Isaiah 53:4-6)

       3. To have peace in knowing the true God (Mark 16:17-18; Psalm 34:8-10)

       4. To seek for eternal life- the true blessing (Job 22:21; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

    9. To those who are determined in doing good

       1. Better a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city (Ecclesiastes 7:20; Proverbs 16:32)

       2. We ourselves are our greatest enemy (Romans 7:15-17; John 8:34-36)

       3. The wages of sin is death (Luke 5:32; Timothy 1:15-16; Romans 6:23)

       4. To rely on the Holy Spirit to overcome sin (Romans 7:18-25, 8:6; 2Th 2:13; Heb 4:15-16)

    10. To those who are proud and self-righteous

        1. It is good to have a tight rein on our speech and conduct (1 Peter 3:10-12; Psalm 143:1-2)

        2. The scripture declares that all man have sin (Galatians 3:22; 2 Timothy 3:15)

        3. Men are saved not by their works (Ephesians 2:8-9; 2 Corinthians 10:4-5; Psalm 8:3-4; Proverbs 22:4)

        4. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3; 1 Peter 5:6; Acts 2:37-38)

    11. Those in search of “The Pervasive Truth”

        1. The wisdom of salvation can be found in the bible (2 Timothy 3:15-17; John 6:63)

        2. Our savior Jesus is the way (John 14:6; Matt 17:13-14)

        3. The Holy spirit guides us to understand the truth (John 16:13)

        4. The path to everlasting life is in Jesus (John 6:47, 63; 14:1-4; Romans 2:6-7)

    12. To those who are old

        1. Our lives are filled with bitterness and toil (Psalm 90:10, 12)

        2. Life is liken to a dream and is only temporal (1 Peter 1:24-25, 2:11)

        3. Our soul’s home in heaven (Hebrews 10:13-16; John 14:1-3)

        4. Jesus can give us eternal joy and blessings (John 14:6; Philippians 1:21-23, 3:7-8)

11. Sample Case Studies for Practicum 

    1. A university student: grew up in a Presbyterian background, has a father that is the elder in the Presbyterian church, has good character and his whole family is deemed to be zealous believers. He himself is a reverent and God loving man, and a choir member in his church’s youth choir.

    2. High School student: he is not that diligent in his school studies, doesn’t have any concepts on religion, the father is always busy gambling, he could not find warmth in the family, there is emptiness in his heart, he always smokes, watch movies, shops, and loiter in the cafeteria with his classmates, and he likes to befriend those of the opposite sex.

    3. A soldier by profession: physically fit, loyal to his country, doesn’t believe in the existence of God, self-righteous, able to adept easily to all circumstances, unmarried, does not have strong family concepts, and thinks that death is the end to all things.

    4. An accountant (female) : young and beautiful, good with calculation, a person who greatly values money, dreams of becoming wealthy and rich, enjoys luxurious life, hopes to marry a rich business man, thinks that it’s fine to be in any religion as she would be of the same faith as the husband after she marries.

    5. A factory worker (female): a graduate from secondary school, unmarried, parents think that worshipping more gods will bring more peace, other than having mortuary tablets of their ancestors, there are 3 other different idols at her home. Although her parents fervently worship the idols, she does not have the interest in worshiping the idols. She is interested in music, singing, vacations and folk dance.

    6. Unemployed youth: loves to feast, drink, gamble, dance, and befriend bad companies, does not have self-control in life. Was fired many times due to violating regulations, wants to turn over a new leaf but can’t find the strength to do so.

    7. An exemplary secondary student: interested in learning, short sighted, would spend the whole day studying, obeys school regulations, house rules, quiet and of few words, plans to fulfill his dreams of studying a course that is of great demand in Taiwan university. Other than studying, he had no other wants or interests in life.

December: Basics of Visitor Attendants

Currently for the works of evangelism for campus fellowship, working youth fellowship and even the sermon speaking at church, it is believed that the works of group discussion would have great impact on evangelism. If this area of work is carried out properly, it will definitely bring much benefit in the future following up work. Once the truth is sown into the hearts of the truth seeking friends, then the truth will grow in their hearts.

The youth of today ought to equip themselves to serve the Lord, so the work of discussing the truth allows us to do our part and after receiving much experience in this field of work, we will be more familiar with it.

Leading people to the Lord is the basic duty of all believers, as Paul said, ‘When I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! If I preach voluntarily, I have reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me’. Some may think that as long as we know about personal evangelism and simply plant the seed of the gospel into the hearts of others, then the rest is up to the individual. They have neglected to the works of watering, nurturing and getting rid of any problems, hence the effects of their works are not great. Therefore, we need to emphasize on the works of cultivation, so that they can grow. The work of cultivation includes group discussion and follow up works. In fact this form of discussion is also follow-up works. In order to re-enforce the works of evangelism by doing follow-up, which is discussing the truth with them, both preaching and cultivating are carried out simultaneously to remind them not to forget about the work of ‘discussing the truth’. The ongoing follow up work should be carried out by mature members (believers) and supported by any other working groups of the church to help truth seekers to find the truth.

1. Purpose of discussing the truth

   1. For the church to get to know the truth seekers (through you).

      1. Knowing their motive in coming to believe and their thoughts on listening to sermons.

      2. Getting to know their needs and not to intrude on their personal lives.

   2. For the truth seeker to get to know the church (through you)

      1. Through your experience in coming to believe (or the testimonies of others), allow them to know that they are welcome in the church and we are concern for them.

      2. Introduce them to services that are suitable for them.

      3. Introduce yourself or brothers and sisters to them.

   3. Let them know the basic things that pertain to the truth.

      1. Introduce the basic aspects – God, the sins of men, savior and the church.

      2. Encourage them to seek for the basis of our faith – the Truth, Holy Spirit and the promise of signs and miracles.

   4. Allow them to understand how to hold fast to the basis of the truth.

      1. Encourage them to participate in a service that is suitable for them.

      2. Encourage them to read the scripture and pray.

2. The criteria for workers who will be involved in this area of work.

   1. Know how to develop a good relationship with the Lord and edify the faith of others (1 Thess. 2:8)

   2. Have love and concern for the souls of others and have the zeal to preach the gospel (Isa 59:16; Rom 9:1-3)

   3. Familiarity with the content and meaning of the gospel and knowing the difficult questions relating to the truth.

   4. A person who has undergone training to discuss the gospel with others.

3. Materials need to carry out this area of work.

   1. The workers need to be proper in their attire and be courteous, caring and friendly in their nature.

   2. Bible: Old and New Testament: It is best to mark down some bible verses and write notes where necessary.

   3. Reference materials such as the details of the truth seeker, pens, papers, testimony flyers in Chinese and English versions, gospel booklets, time of services for the local church. Those materials can be acquired from every GA, CB, downloaded, or ordered by the website of our church.

4. Methods for carrying out discussions with truth seekers

The workers should carry out the discussion based on that particular circumstance and target it towards the needs of the truth seeker. However, for those who have not been involved in this area of divine works, it is necessary for them to understand the few basics and they will be able to make use of them and develop their experience through that process.

1. Welcoming

   1. Welcome the truth seekers to attend our evangelical services

   2. Organize an appropriate venue for discussion, so that they will feel welcome.

2. Getting to know each other

   1. Introduce ourselves (name and tell them that you are a believer in this church)

   2. Get to know the truth seeker (asking their name only and remember it) and then just proceed to converse normally.

3. Understand their need

   1. The work of talking to truth seekers is not simply telling them all the things that we know, but more importantly is to help them in things they lack. Therefore, apart from asking about their name and talking briefly to them, you can ask them some questions to find out their thoughts – ‘What are your impression and feeling after listening to the sermon delivered just now?’ Other questions which is also similar such as – ‘Is this your first time attending a church service?’, ‘What do you think about the point mentioned in the sermon that every one of us have sinned?’, ‘Is there anything that you feel that you are spiritually lacking in, and how can I can?’ 

   2. When the truth seeker starts to share their feelings, we need to listen attentively and understand what they are saying. Furthermore try to understand the feelings in their hearts even though they may not have say how they feel, then we will be able to help them effectively.

4. Provide and help them with their needs

   1. According to the needs of the truth seeker, we can provide the help they need and show that we understand how they feel. However if what they feel is not right, then try to explain that we agree with the points that are right but politely correct them for their mistakes.

   2. When you can understand what they say and how they feel, then they will feel that you can give them the help they need.

   3. Testify how you first came to seek the truth and your experience in coming to believe in the Lord. It will help to overcome their anxiety and give encouragement in how to deal with obstacles and how to pray and rely on the Lord. Through this, you have actually included some of the massage of the gospel in your testimonies.

   4. When you are testifying, you can make use of pamphlets, booklets and the bible.

5. Guide them to seek for the true elements of their belief

   1. Take some examples from the bible which relates to the important promise the Lord have given us for our daily living, for example – not to worry about food and clothing (Mt 6:26), the promise of Sabbath day (Mt 11:28), the promise that we will overcome the evil one (1 Jn 3:8, 5:18) etc.

   2. Teach them to hold on to the promise and pray. Guide them to pray in a correct manner.

6. Reminder for things concerning their daily lives

   1. Teach them how to read the bible and pray

   2. Invite them to attend the appropriate services and to explain that coming to service regularly does not require any condition (some people may think that if they come again, they will have to get baptized and to offer offerings).

   3. After the discussion, introduce them to some other believers, especially those who can continue on to do follow-up work. As they get to know more people, they will not feel like a stranger and more members will have known them.

7. Keeping in contact

   1. We need to sincerely let the truth seeker know that we hope to keep in contact in the future through phone calls. First give them your contact details and at the same time ask them for their phone number (record it down immediately in the note book to show that we do respect them).

   2. For the first meeting, all we need to know are their names and phone numbers. Other details such as age, interest, area of specialty, reason for believing and home addresses can be made known through the conversation. Even if we cannot obtain this information in the beginning, it is not urgent because we can find out in the future discussion when we talk to them again.

   3. The few points listed above can be used in a flexible manner. Each session of discussion would only require about 10 minutes or so.

5. A few points to remember

1. 1. 1. The discussion leader needs to finish the session on time 

Depending on how much time is allocated for discussion as announced by the service leader and if the truth seeking friends wish to stay to discuss the truth, we need to find out how long can they stay for and not to drag on with the conversation until late at night, so that it will not affect their having to go to work the next day.

2. It is not appropriate to argue with the truth seeker

Perhaps the truth seeking friend will raise several questions and some of the question are asked because they wish to gain a deeper understanding, but there are also some questions which are raised to make things difficult for the our workers to handle. Therefore, we need to be mindful. If the question does not lead to contention, we need to give them the answers, but if we know that it will cause contention, we need to avoid it in order to keep the peace and give them a chance to discussion the matter in the future. Hence, when we encounter questions that might cause contention, we need to handle it properly:

1. Acknowledge that they have a very broad knowledge and also indicate that we wish to discuss the matter further with them and to learn more from them. As for the question they raised before, we have not taken much notice into it in the past. We shall consult with other more experienced members and then we shall get back to them and welcome them to come again in the future.

2. Sometimes we can introduce them to read some books because the books have listed more explanations for the question they have and it is much clearer than what we can say to them. This will not give them any chance to refute and they would need to read the book, hence giving them plenty of time to think and ponder into the topic.

3. While conversing, if it relates to some personal issues, the visitor attendants should have certain understanding and awareness:

   1. In order to give proper help to the truth seekers, we may need to go deeper to understand their problems, even if it has to do with their personal lives.

   2. Often time in the first conversation, it is not proper to ask people their personal problems.

   3. If it is necessary, we should have the love of Christ, with sincerity and care, to understand their problems. Please remember, our purpose to understand their problems is to help them to know our Savior Lord Jesus and to solve their problems with Biblical teachings and guidance from the Holy Spirit.

   4. After we know their problem, we need to intercede for them, asking the true God to guide and abide with them. If we do not want to intercede, then we should not know their problems.

   5. While we are helping, we need to keep ourselves holy. We should ask for the guidance from the Holy Spirit, and not intrude into their personal lives.

   6. In addition, after we know their problems or personal issues, we have the responsibility of keeping it confidential.

4. Our speech and actions need to be gentle and polite

The workers should not carry the attitude that they are there to teach the truth seekers and should not see themselves as better than others by pointing out the sin of others.

We can bear testimony regarding how we transgressed against the Lord in the past and how we come before God to seek for forgiveness. It will indirectly tell the truth seekers that they too have sinned, and they will come to understand that we are in the same situation as they are and we are just as weak. Then they will be able to be honest with us and we will be able to lead them to repentance and to believe in the Lord.

5. Remind the truth seeking friend that the evil one has many tricks and traps.

Many truth seekers will have to face some hindrances from the evil one, such as: mockery from their friends, attacks from their relatives, temptation by things which involve sinful pleasures (gambling and immorality), so that they cannot escape from the bondage. So we need to remind them to prepare their hearts, to rely constantly on prayer, to come to church regularly and to intercede for one another to overcome all things. At the same time, we can made use of some testimonies to strengthen their faith.

6. Feel joyful for them because they came to seek after the truth.

Not only the angels in heaven would be joyful over them, the whole church is happy for them too. This matter is indeed a great blessing. With our sincerity, honesty and care for them, we can help to minimize the inferior feelings and anxieties they may have, so that they will have the faith to continue with the work of seeking after the truth.

These reminders mentioned above can be applied whenever necessary and also with flexibility, and the result shall be good in the end.

6. The follow-up works after these discussion sessions.

   1. The importance of follow-up works.

When the church organizes door to door evangelism, outdoor evangelism, family evangelism and evangelism services, the church will start to give out registration cards through the divine workers. Due to the fact that we do not have a lot of experience in follow-up work, or the lack of proper organization, we might not be able to get in touch with the truth seekers for two to three months after the evangelical service. If this is left till much later, the faith of the truth seekers would also turn cold and some may even lose their faith, so many of these truth seekers are lost. Sometimes, although they have been visited by divine workers, they were not able to communicate well with the workers because they do not know them very well and there is not much success from these works. All the hard work of evangelism has not come to fruition because of the lack of follow-up work, and it is something very regrettable.

Therefore, the church needs to design a good plan for these follow-up works. After each evangelical service, we have to organize meetings to discuss about ‘follow-up work’. Apart from evaluating the result of the evangelical service, we could also find out if the workers who spoke to the truth seekers are willing to carry on with the follow-up work? If they are not willing, where can we find replacements? How can we manage the registration information gathered from the truth seekers? Among the people who came to seek the truth, how many of them require others to look after them? Will the follow-up work be done by the truth seeker themselves, in a group and individually? How can we record follow-up work? Should the work group meeting be held at a regular time?

A properly organized follow-up work will assist any future organization of evangelical services and it will help to increase the effectiveness of evangelical works.

2. The best candidates for follow-up work are the ones that hold the discussion session with the truth seekers.

Why is it better to let the workers who are present at the discussion session to carry on with the follow-up works? Some of the reasons are as follows:

1. They have given the first good impression for the truth seekers and at least the truth seekers have talked in depth with them about their feelings. This connection cannot be replaced by others. Otherwise they need to re-establish the sense of understanding again with another worker and hence might be difficult. For example, a worker who carries out follow-up works would say to them, ‘The person whom you spoken to after the evangelical service has told me all about your situation, so today I came to pay you a visit.’ How would you feel about this?

2. The worker who was involved in the discussion needs to be responsible for the follow-up work of the truth seekers they have spoken to, until the time that the truth seeker has come to believe and be baptized. If this work is done with the complement of the evangelical work of the preacher, then the church will definitely grow.

3. The church ought to train our brothers and sisters to be involved in talking to truth seekers. When all of them are involved, their spirituality will grow and the church will also prosper. If not all of the workers can carry on with follow-up works with individual truth seekers, those who can do it should set up a team, so that the process of follow-up can be done consistently. As for those workers who cannot participate, they can get involved in a follow-up work group, so it is possible for all workers to be trained in conducting discussion sessions.

3. Follow-up works carried out for the truth seekers

Contact them within 3 days (via phone or meeting) after the evangelical service to understand their situation after searching for the truth and give them proper encouragement and guidance.