How to share your faith by Charmaine Swart

Footprints into Africa Ministry Resource

HOW TO SHARE YOUR FAITH EFFECTIVELY

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

The Motivation – Why must I? The Method – When, Where, Who? The Message – What must I say about man’s problem? The Message – What must I say about God’s character? The Message – What must I say about Jesus Christ? The Message – What must I say about man’s response? The Making of a Commitment – Coming to a decision The Maternal Care and Nurture – How can I help someone grow spiritually?

OUTLINE FOR GOSPEL PRESENTATION IN PERSONAL EVANGELISM MAN’S PROBLEM The ideal The reality Dealing with the problem Who man is? What man did? What happened to man? SIN What is sin? What are the effects of sin? Separates Man’s inability to help himself GOD’S CHARACTER God is a God of love JESUS CHRIST Who is Jesus Christ? The difference What he did?

Gen 1:26 Rom 5:18

Rom 3:23 1 John 3:4 James 4:17 Isaiah 59:2 Rom 6:23 Eph 2:8 and 9 1 John 4:8 Rom 5:8 Matt 16:16 John 20:28 Hebrews 4:15 1 Peter 2:24 2 Cor 5:21

What He offers Declared righteous Restoring our broken relationship Being set free by the payment of a price What must I do? MAN’S RESPONSE 1. Confess 1 John 1:9 2. Change – What is repentance Luke 13:3 3. Commit – The need to put my trust in Acts 17:30 Jesus – What it is not / What is it James 2:19 4. Control John 1:12; John 3:16; Rev 3:20 COUNTING THE COST Price for a privilege Public or private Rev 3:20 COMING TO A DECISION Personal commitment Rom 10:9 THE MATERNAL CARE AND NUTURE New Life 2 Cor 5:17

RECOMMENDED READING

I believe in Evangelism How to give away your faith Evangelism: Now and Then Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God Out of the Saltshaker

David Watson Paul E. Little Michael Green J.I. Packer Rebecca Manley Pippert

Soul winner’s guide - an invaluable aid to all Christian workers. Compiled by Max E. Zimmermann, published by Immanuel Mission to Shut-ins Inc.

SUGGESTED TRACTS FOR USE IN EVANGELISM

Ultimate Questions Becoming a Christian Coming to faith in Christ Journey into life The way ahead Stop and think ….. Living Christian lives series

John Blanchard John Stott John Benton Norman Warren Norman Warren Victor Jack Published by Scripture Union

EXCELLENT BOOKS TO RECOMMEND FOR NEW CHRISTIANS

Basic Christianity Right with God Learning and living the Christian life. New life, New lifestyle.

John Stott John Blanchard John Blanchard Michael Green

MEMORY VERSES

WEEK 1

VERSE Romans 5:18 Romans 3:23 1 John 3:4 James 4:17 Isaiah 59:2 Romans 6:23 Ephesians 2:8&9 1 John 4:8 Romans 5:8 Matthew 16:16 John 20:28 Hebrews 4:15 1 Peter 2:24 2 Corinthians 5:21 1 John 1:9 Luke 13:3 Acts 17:30 John 3:16 John 1:12 James 2:19 Revelation 3:20 Romans 10:9 2 Corinthians 5:17

THE MOTIVATION Why must I? Proverbs 11:30 10 REASONS 1.

Created for relationship Gen.1:26 1Peter 2:10 Man has been separated from God Isa. 59:2

Command of God The Great Commission Matt. 28:18-20 Acts 1:8 Matt. 4:19

Christ’s love compels us 2 Cor. 5:14 1 Cor. 9:16 “No matter what apathy or opposition to be faced, no matter how tiring or painful the work might be, `the love of Christ leaves us no choice`. (New English Bible translation”) David Watson John Stott once wrote, “Nothing shuts the mouth, seals the lips, ties the tongue, like the poverty of our own spiritual experience. We do not bear witness for the simple reason that we have no witness to bear. For too long, Christian witness has been seen in terms of `giving them the gospel’ But until we are willing to give ourselves to people in loving, sacrificial service, we have no right to give them the gospel.” 1 Thes. 2 : 8 David Watson

Cross of Christ Col. 1: 20 The purpose of Christ’s considerable sacrifice was to make possible a new relationship with God, which was previously impossible because of man’s sin. Rom. 5 : 8. `Christ is the only adequate basis for life now and eternity`. Called to Witness As ambassadors As disciples As forgiven sinners

2 Cor. 5:20 Acts 4: 19, 20 Matt 9: 31, Mark 5:20, John 4:29, 39-42

Christ’s example The ministry of reconciliation 2 Cor 5 : 11-20

“We must at all costs keep close to God, trusting in his power and preaching His Word. In the second place, evangelism will fail if we do not keep close to man. Again, Leighton Ford makes the point well: Christian isolation has been a constant barrier to evangelism. Many Christians have been so afraid of being contaminated by worldliness that they have avoided any social contacts with unconverted persons., As a result, they have no natural bridges for evangelism; what witnessing they do is usually artificial and forced rather than the spontaneous outgrowth of genuine friendship. Part of Jesus’ attractiveness, which drew secular people like a magnet, was his wonderful love of life, his natural appealing friendliness. Luke shows Jesus going from dinner party to dinner party, teaching the gospel to the guests. If Jesus came back today and mingled with gamblers, the skid-row crowd and the cocktail set, a lot of shocked Christians would throw up their hands and say He was too worldly!” David Watson Matt 5 :13 – 16 Mark 2 : 16,17 7.

Conscious of the need There are people living in this world that will go to a Christless eternity. Their need is to hear the good news of the gospel and accept Christ as Lord of their lives. John 4 : 35 – 38 Matt. 9 : 35 – 38 Eph. 2 : 12, 13 Recognizing the needs in people’s lives:

i. ii. iii iv v. 8.

The problem

The solution

inner emptiness purposelessness fear of death desire for inner peace loneliness

Jn. 6:35 Jn. 8:12, 14:6 Jn 11: 25, 26 Jn. 14 :27 Heb. 13:5b.

Coming judgement 2 Cor. 5 : 10f Rom. 14 :12 - for Christians (what have we done since our conversion 1 Cor. 3 : 10-15) - for non-Christians (the fearful consequence of God’s wrath) “A clear understanding of the judgement of Christ has been one of the great motivating forces in evangelistic and missionary work. Of course, it would be better if we were spurred into action simply by the love of Christ; of course, it is more honouring to Christ if men respond gladly to His love, instead of choosing Him as the only alternative to judgement. But such is the love of Christ that he is willing to accept our service, or our repentance, even when it springs only out of fear of judgement.” 2 Cor 5: 11 David Watson 5

Caring about people Matt. 9 : 36 Luke 19 : 10 2 Peter 3 : 9b God’s supreme care for people can be seen in His provision of full salvation through the cross of Christ.

10.

Confirmation promise “Bishop: ‘Will you proclaim by word and example the good news of God in Christ?’ Response: ‘I will, with God’s help’ (Worship ‘85 pg 64) Our duty!

“Soul winning is a definite effort to lead a person to Christ - not to change denominations - not to change people’s opinions.”

“Evangelism, we have learned, is a task appointed to all God’s people everywhere. It is the task of communicating a message from the Creator to rebel mankind. The message begins with information and ends with an invitation. The information concerns God’s work of making His Son a perfect Saviour for sinners. The invitation is God’s summons to mankind generally to come to the Saviour and find life. God commands all men everywhere to repent, and promises forgiveness and restoration to all who do. The Christian is sent into the world as God’s herald and Christ’s ambassador, to broadcast this message as widely as he can. This is both his duty (because God commands it, and love to our neighbour requires it) and his privilege (because it is a great thing to speak for God, and to take our neighbour the remedy the only remedy - that can save him from the terrors of spiritual death). Our job, then, is to go to our fellow men and tell them the gospel of Christ, and try by every means to make it clear to them; to remove as best we can any difficulties that they may find in it, to impress them with its seriousness, and to urge them to respond to it. This is our abiding responsibility; it is a basic part of our Christian calling” J.I. Packer

THE METHOD When, where and who ….? “Evangelism is an act of communication with a view to conversion”. J.I. Packer “There is only one method: faithful explanation and application of the gospel message”. J.I. Packer “Christians are sent to convert, and they should not allow themselves, as Christ’s representatives in the world, to aim at anything less. Evangelizing, therefore, is not simply a matter of teaching, and instructing, and imparting information to the mind. There is more to it then that. Evangelizing includes the endeavour to elicit a response to the truth taught. It is communication with a view to conversion. It is a matter, not merely of informing, but also of inviting. It is an attempt to gain, or win, or catch, our fellow men for Christ. Our Lord depicts it as fishermen’s work.” J.I. Packer WHEN? Every opportunity Planned or unplanned 1 Peter 3 : 15 Beware of becoming a Bible puncher! Ecclesiastes 3:7b WHERE? 1.

Conversation Luke 24 : 13 – 25 The disciples on the road to Emmaus Note: they were not intimidated with the presence of the ‘visitor’ - they never changed the topic of conversation. Helpful ways to initiate discussion i. ii.

iii.

Expose your faith. Ask leading questions: For example Q.1. Do you think you’ll go to heaven when you die? Q.2 Suppose you wanted to go to heaven, why do you think God should let you in’ Q.3 Do you think that, before you could go to heaven God would have to change anything about the way you live right now? Help people see holes in their own belief system

“Challenging our non Christian friends on whether they live consistently by their own self-acknowledged principles is an effective way of casting doubt on their present beliefs. Francis Schaeffer has explained much about this in The God Who Is There. So if you are naturally drawn to thinking or find you need help in straightening out the issues, reading that book is a good next step. You may find yourself going back again and again to it and to other books like Os Quiness’s In Two Minds, or James Sire’s The Universe Next Door or C.S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity and Miracles The point is that the Christian world view gives solid, intellectually profound answers to the very questions most people ask when they find their own answers are inadequate”. Rebecca Manley Pippert Remember never force a discussion. 2.

Contact John 4 : 1 – 26 Acts 17: 16 – 34

The Master at work Paul reasoning with the Athenians

The Biblical model:

Acts 1 : 8

Areas of contact: Work/Business Neighbourhood Friendships/ families Travel Leisure time activities e.g., sport ….. “To love the world to me is no chore, My big trouble’s the man next door”

Complete lifestyle Our lives are the best witnesses of what we believe Matt 5:16 “There is a danger of our being so ‘contemporary’ that we may lose the cutting-edge of the gospel. Jesus mixed freely with all sections of society, thieves, crooks, prostitutes and drop-outs. Yet he himself was utterly different, and the truth of his message was uncompromising.” David Watson “To witness effectively we must be realistic: genuine in our knowledge of people in today’s world and genuine in our total commitment to Jesus Christ” Paul E. Little 8

“You cannot pretend to be a man of God. Our lives have got to manifest such a new quality, such marks of transformation, that people will be intrigued and will want to know why. Only then will they be impressed by the good news that we tell them.” Michael Green “By our withdrawal (from society) we deprive many of their only hope to hear the gospel.” Paul E. Little. WHO? 1 Tim. 2:4 – 7 Acts 8:1, 4

Appointed as a herald All inclusive

“As disciples “they were to abide and to serve, to worship and witness. They were called in and sent out - and so is every Christian in the world today” John Blanchard “In evangelism as we saw, we are important; we depend wholly upon God to make our witness effective; only because He is able to give men new hearts can we hope that through our preaching of the gospel sinners will be born again. These facts ought to drive us to prayer” J.I. Packer

Reasons why Christians hesitate to witness 1. 2. 3. 4.

Labelled as a fanatic/religious freak! Fear of failure Doubt in their ability Not living committed Christian lives

THE MESSAGE (Part 1) What must I say about ….. man’s problem The problem of man and sin A common problem is GUILT The need is to deal effectively with guilt. Discover the source of the problem. The need to face up to their real problem, which is SIN The ideal 1. Man is created in the image of God. 2. Man should have a love relationship with God. 3. Man should live a pure life. The reality 1. Man lives to please himself 2. Man has developed evil habits and spoilt his life. 3. Man is separated from God. It is our job to stop people in their headlong flight away from God, away from their feelings of guilt, to stop them and help them face up to reality – that they have sinned and have separated themselves from God. Dealing with the problem Recognition of … who man is: 1. Made in the image of God … what man did …

Gen 1:26

2. Rebelled against God … what happened to man …

Gen 3:1-6

3. The result : man became sinful

Romans 3:23

What is sin? 1. Doing/saying/thinking the wrong things 2. Neglecting to do/say/think the right things

1 John 3:4 James 4:17

What are the effects of sin? It SPOILS and SPREADS into bad habits but the most serious is that it SEPARATES us from God - Isaiah 59:2 and Romans 6:23

Remember: It is the Holy Spirit’s task to convict men of their sin – John 16:8 Response: People were cut to the heart – Acts 2:37 Man’s inability to help himself Man cannot be faulted on his attempts to help himself … BUT they are futile. The seriousness of sin “Left to himself, man is guilty, lost and separated from God and utterly helpless.” John Blanchard Typical examples of man’s attempts to save himself: Try to be a better person Tries to read the Bible Attends Church Prays more frequently ….. BUT ALL IN VAIN! Two examples to get this point across: o Crumpled paper – (can’t take the creases out) o One bad egg – (one bad egg spoils the cake – you can’t take it out) “It is not good enough to just tell people about the Saviour, they must be made aware of the seriousness of their sin to realize the importance of their need of a Saviour.” Eph. 2:8, 9 No amount of “good deeds” will win the favour of God. The Cross 1 Peter 2:24 2 Corinthians 5:21

THE MESSAGE (PART 2) What must I say about ….. God’s Character? As a sinner you are condemned by God – John 3:17 / Rom 5:18 1. God is a God of love 1 John 4:8; John 3:16; Rom 5:8 2. God is a God of justice Isaiah 30:18; Rom 1:18 and 2:23b Sin cannot be taken lightly! Remember SIN CAUSED DEATH – even just ONE sin is enough is to condemn us to hell! Sin must be punished. 1 John 4:14 The death of Christ on the Cross paid the penalty for sin – Heb 10:22b and 26b – 28 Helpful example to get this point across Two-sided coin one side = God’s love; the other side = God’s justice.

THE MESSAGE (PART 3) What must I say about Jesus Christ? Who is Jesus Christ? Jesus Christ is God Himself Matt 16 : 16 John 20 : 28 (see Appendix 1) Jesus Christ is God in the flesh 1 John 4 : 2 Colossians 2 : 9 Jesus Christ is sinless Hebrews 4 : 15 Jesus is the God-man : 100% God and 100% man. Colossians 2:9 Although He was a man and subject to temptation, He never sinned. What He did? Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty for sin 1 Peter 2:24 He became our substitute by dying for our sins. Remember: He never had any sin Himself. Jesus died in my place on the cross. I deserved the punishment of my own sin. He paid in full the price of my sin. Illustration: A business account when fully settled gets the stamp PAID on the account – there is nothing further owing – paid-up in full.

“It is essential to anchor our faith in objective, historical events. It is not enough to say that “Jesus gives you peace”; that is also the claim of Guru Maharaj Ji and a host of other prophets today. Concentrating on the purely subjective side of the Christian faith (feelings of love, joy, peace, etc) is but one step away from confusion, deception, agnosticism, or even atheism. The strength of God’s message is that it is firmly rooted in the true historical events of Golgotha and the empty tomb. This is the solid foundation on which everything else rests. Today there is an increasing tendency to ignore the historical basis of the Christian faith, and to try and build a superstructure of spiritual experience.” David Watson

What He offers? 1.

He offers us the opportunity of being declared righteous Man is guilty because of sin and condemned by God Illustration: Law Court - a non-guilty party may settle the debt of the guilty. The guilty parties’ “debt” is settled and he is free. (Justification: Just as if I’d never sinned) Rom 3:24

“Since Christ has died in our place to bear the guilt and judgement of our sin, it is possible for us, guilty though we are, to step out of the court of God free from guilt and without a penny to pay. When we trust in Christ we are declared righteous, we ‘become the righteousness of God’. We cannot be condemned in the future. As far as our eternal standing before God is concerned, the case is closed; nothing can ever separate us from His love.” David Watson

He offers us the opportunity of restoring our broken relationship. There is an urgent need to be reconciled to God. Man has been separated from God because of his sin. “Jesus came as perfect God and perfect man, and reconciled us to God by the blood of His cross”. Colossians 1:20 2 Corinthians 5:20

“Since God by his very nature is vigorously opposed to all that is evil, the only way possible for reconciliation is to take away the cause of estrangement. It was for this reason that Jesus ‘appeared once for all…. to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself’. The barrier or sin being now removed, it is possible for man to be accepted into God’s presence when, before, this would have been totally unacceptable. Through our self-willed rebellion, we had made ourselves enemies of God. But such was His love that even ‘while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son.”

David Watson 3.

He offers us the opportunity of being set free by the payment of a price Jesus Christ has paid the ransom price by His death on the cross, Matthew 20:28

“Indeed, because that ransom has been fully paid for us by Jesus, there are two obvious consequences. In the first place, we are free to enjoy the ‘glorious liberty of the children of God’: free from guilt and power of sin, and free from the righteous judgement of God. In the second place, we are no longer our own: we have been bought with a price. And instead of our self- centred existence, which leads only to slavery, we are to live to the glory of God. And that brings perfect freedom”.

David Watson Illustration:- A slave that is bought at a price to be liberated Galatians 4 : 4 – 6

There is no value in knowing about God’s offer of salvation if we do not appreciate it in our own lives. It does not happen automatically.

What then must I do?

THE MESSAGE (Part 4) What must I say about ….. man’s response? It must be pointed out that man needs to respond to God’s offer. Remember: “Good deeds cannot save man from his sin Eph. 2:8-9 God’s salvation is a free gift (cannot be earned!) “In the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, God has provided the perfect answer to man’s greatest need. Yet not everyone has found that answer. Most men are still lost in their sin, and away from God.” John Blanchard What is the appropriate response to God’s offer of salvation? 1.

Confess. 1 John 1 : 9 The need to acknowledge that I am a sinner “….. That you are a guilty, lost, and helpless sinner….”

Change Luke 13:3 Acts 17:30 The need to recognize that I must repent What is repentance? “Repentance is not merely regret, or feeling sorry for yourself. This is often no more than self-pity or personal annoyance that some wrong action has led to inconvenience or disappointment. Repentance is not mere resolution, or a determination to do better in the future. That can be so futile. Promising either yourself or God that you will try harder from now on is not repentance. To repent is to turn from sin and this involves a change of mind, a change of heart, and a change of will.” John Blanchard

“They saw that people could not come to receive God’s gifts with dirty hands. They needed to drop the mud with which they were playing and come with empty hands to be washed and receive. Repentance is not primarily an exercise in remorse about the past. It is an attitude of turning back to God: a change of mind, resulting in a change of direction. It was to ….. ‘repentance towards God’ as well as ‘faith in our Lord Jesus Christ’ that Paul urged his hearers (Acts 20:21). The basic human failure is not in our peccadilloes but in our relationship with God, ruptured through years, decades even, of rebellion and neglect. Repentance is the willingness to have this put right, and the determination to remove any hindrances on our side to its repair.” Michael Green

Commit Hebrews 11:6 The need to put my trust in Christ Jesus. What it is not? Just knowledge James 2:19 -

Just requesting assistance Acts 14: 15-17

What is it? Total commitment to Jesus Christ “To have true faith, you must first look at WHO God is. He is to be obeyed. If He is to be our God, then we must belong to Him, with everything we have. You allow Him to come into your life and change you. You trust your life and your eternal future to Him.”

Evangelism Manuel “Faith rests on a person. Faith is that act by which one person, a sinner, commits himself to another Person, a Saviour. It is the attitude of complete trust in Christ, of reliance on Him alone for all that salvation means. What is it to believe in Christ? It is to feel your need of Him, to believe that He is able and willing to save you now, and to cast yourself unreservedly upon His mercy, and trust in Him alone for salvation. These confirm the Bible’s teaching that faith is an act of personal commitment, and not merely a combination of knowledge and feelings.”

John Blanchard 4.

Control John 1:12

Romans 10:9.13

Revelation 3:20

The need to ask Jesus Christ to be my personal Saviour. Illustration:

Our lives are like driving a car: Jesus wants the steering wheel and we must move across into the passenger seat.

THE MAKING OF A COMMITMENT What must I say about …. 1.

Coming to a decision?

COUNTING THE COST

Price for a privilege Jesus never turned people away, He never stopped them following Him, He simply made the cost clear, so that they could first consider the implications before making their decision. “A demand (obedience) as well as an offer (salvation)” John Stott -

the demand of total submission.

Luke 14:25 – 30 Mark 8: 34 – 38

consider the cost deny himself

Renunciation of Sin -

repentance

Renunciation of self -

take up your cross lose your life

Public or private? “We are commanded not only to follow Christ privately, but to confess Him publicly”. John Stott Matt. 10:32 - 33 Mark 8:38 “If then you suffer from moral anaemia, take my advice and steer clear of Christianity. If you want to live a life of easy-going self-indulgence, whatever you do, do not become a Christian. But if you want a life of self-discovery, deeply satisfying to the nature God has given you; if you want a life of adventure in which you have the privilege of serving him and your fellow men; if you want a life in which to express something of the overwhelming gratitude you are beginning to feel for him who dies for you, then I would urge you to yield your life, without reserve and without delay to your Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.” John Stott

COMING TO A DECISION “We have to make a personal response to Jesus Christ, committing ourselves unreservedly to Him as our Lord and Saviour”. John Stott Make up your mind!

……

a personal decision Revelation 3:20

“The house is a picture of my life. Christ stands outside the front door. He will not put His shoulder to it. He does not use a battering ram. He waits patiently until I open the door. Then he will come in, and on entering He will have become to me a Saviour, I have acknowledged I need, and I shall find myself reconciled to God, enjoying that fellowship with Him for which I was created”. John Stott What is involved in this decision? A definite act A unique act An individual act A deliberate act An urgent act An indispensable act

(Christ knocks, we open) (only once!) (only you can do it) (not by chance or assumption) (Time never waits, it goes by; never know the end) (cannot afford not to make it)

“You can believe in Christ intellectually and admire him; you can say your prayers to him through the keyhole (I did for many years); you can push coins at him under the door to keep him quiet; you can be moral, decent, upright and good; you can be religious; you can have been baptized and confirmed; you can be deeply versed in the philosophy of religion - and still not have opened the door to Christ. There is no substitute for this.” John Stott

How can I make it? The sinner’s prayer

“Lord Jesus Christ, I acknowledge I have gone my own way. I have sinned in thought, word, and deed. I am sorry for my sins. I turn from them in repentance. I believe that you died for me, bearing my sins in your own body. I thank you for your great love. Now I open the door. Come in Lord Jesus. Come in as my Saviour and cleanse me. Come in as my Lord, and take control of me. And I will serve as you give me strength, all my life. Amen.”

Common problems encountered with regard to the making of the decision 1.

Procrastination Solution:

Perfecting our lives first Solution:

Pretending not to hear Solution:

Putting our dependence upon our feelings Solution:

For further help. ‘How to give away your Faith’ Paul Little (Deals with seven basic questions non-Christians ask) ‘Answers to Tough Questions’

Josh McDowell and Don Stewart

THE MATERNAL CARE AND NURTURE How can I help someone to grow spiritually? There are quite a number of things that need to be pointed out to a New Christian. As a result of his commitment to Christ, he now has: New birth New enemy New family New relationship New lifestyle (obedience)

John 3:3 Eph. 6:12 Eph. 2:19 -22 John 14:23 Galatians 2 : 20

2 Corinthians 5:17 1 Peter 2:9 – 10 Galatians 4:6

1. Peter 5:7

Needs in the new Christians life: 1. Prayer The need to develop our relationship with God Matt. 6:5 – 15 2. Word The need for instruction 2 Timothy 3:16 -17 3. Fellowship The need of encouragement and communal worship Heb. 10:25 4. Witness The need to tell others about Christ. The new Christian must be taught the value of developing his Spiritual life. DIFFICULTIES IN DEVELOPMENT 1.

The issue of Assurance of Salvation The single “greatest” area of set back in a Christians life Learn to ask 2 vital questions: i) Who does your salvation depend on? ii) What does the Bible teach about …..? Example:

Rev 3:20 a) b) c) d)

What does this verse teach? ………………………………………………… What did you do? ………………………………………………… According to this verse what happened? ………………………………………………… How do you know? …………………………………………………

What happens if I ……..

…….

Sin again - 1 John 1: 9 Remember: you will be more aware of your sins because the Holy Spirit lives within you convicting you of your sin. Don’t feel different? Remember: you cannot depend upon your feelings as they will fluctuate but depend upon God and His Word

APPENDIX ONE “I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him. ‘I am ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg - or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” C.S. Lewis – “Mere Christianity” a)

WHAT DID JESUS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT HIMSELF What are His claims? i. John 5:17, 18 to be equal to God. ii. John 8: 58 (background Exodus 3:14) to be God himself iii. John 3: 13 to have come from God to this world (heavenly origin) iv. John 20: 28 to receive worship as God v. John 8: 46 to be sinless From these it is obvious that He could not have been just a good moral teacher. A good moral teacher would not make these claims! What are His claims?

WHO IS JESUS? Jesus claims to be God. Two alternatives False Liar

lunatic

True Lord Implications

Could He have been a liar? Note: He told “lies” even when the result was crucifixion. The character of His teaching. “How in the name of logic commonsense and experience could an imposter ….. have invented, and consistently maintained from the beginning to end, the purest and noblest character known in history with the most perfect air of truth and reality” Schaffer.

ii.

Could He have been a lunatic? Note: We know nowadays the characteristics of lunacy. Jesus shows none of these. “The discrepancy between the depth and sanity of His moral teaching and the rampant megalomania which must lie behind His theological teaching unless He is indeed God has never been satisfactorily explained.”

iii.

Jesus - Lord This is the only alternative left if you are prepared to face the evidence. Jesus is God, God became man.