Lifestyle Witnessing Lesson 6: Adapt

Lifestyle Witnessing • Lesson Six • Adapt 1. Apostolic adaptability 2. Divine adaptability

Prayer Lord Jesus, help, your Church uphold, For we are sluggish, thoughtless, cold.

Oh, prosper well your Word of grace, And spread its truth in every place. Amen. (CW 541:4)

Witnessing Activity Report Spend a few minutes talking about witnessing joys and frustrations, triumphs and failures.

Introduction Think of a person with whom you have a difficult time communicating. List the consequences of your lack of communication.

After you’ve made your list, answer these two questions.

1. Am I willing to accept those consequences?

2. Is it worth my effort to communicate more effectively?

Most of the time poor communication stems from differences. We tend to believe that others see things the way we do. That’s wrong. A key to communicating effectively is to discover the other person’s perspective.

This principle is also true when we’re communicating our faith. For example, how would you respond if a coworker said to you, “I could never believe in God the way you do”? On the one hand, you could become defensive and argue with him. You could tell him he’s lost and quote a Bible passage or two.

Or you could reply, “That’s interesting. Tell me what you think about my God. Maybe, based on what you believe about him, I wouldn’t believe in him either!” Which response do you think will help you gain the other person’s perspective and, perhaps, trust?

We have the most important news in the world. It demands the best possible communication.

Such communication can be difficult and frustrating. It demands that we adapt to other people’s communication styles or needs. It means, as Paul said, “We put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ” (1 Corinthians 9:12).

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Studying God’s Word Apostolic adaptability 1 Corinthians 9:19–23 In fact, although I am free from all, I enslaved myself to all so that I might gain many more. 20 To the Jews, I became like a Jew so that I might gain Jews. To those who are under the law, I became like a person under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might gain those who are under the law. 21 To those who are without the law, I became like a person without the law (though I am not without God’s law but am within the law of Christ) so that I might gain those who are without the law. 22 To the weak, I became weak so that I might gain the weak. I have become all things to all people so that I may save at least some. 23 And I do everything for the sake of the gospel so that I may share in it along with others.

1. In your own words, state the principle Paul followed when ministering to others.

2. Review the passage again, and state why Paul followed this principle.

3. How did Paul follow this principle in the following places: •

in Lystra? See Acts 16:3 (Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, so he took him and circumcised him on account of the Jews who lived in those places, because they all knew that his father was a Greek.)

•

in Corinth? See Acts 18:18 (After Paul stayed many more days, he said good-bye to the brothers and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchrea Paul had his head shaved, because he was keeping a vow.)

•

in Jerusalem? See Acts 21:26 (The next day, Paul took the men and went through the ceremony of purification with them. He entered the temple to announce the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them.)

4. How did Paul become like a non-Jew (those not having the law) in the city of Athens?

See Acts 17:22,23 (Then Paul stood up in front of the council of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious in every way. For as I was walking around and carefully observing your objects of worship, I even found an altar on which had been inscribed, ‘To an unknown god.’ Now what you worship as unknown—this is what I am going to proclaim to you.”)

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5. Read the section from 1 Corinthians below. How did Paul become like “the weak” (Christians easily offended or lacking knowledge)?

However, that knowledge is not in everyone. Instead some, who are still affected by their former habit with the idol, eat the food as something sacrificed to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. . . And be careful that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if someone sees you, a person who has knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, will not the conscience of this man, weak as he is, be emboldened to eat food from an idol sacrifice? You see, the weak person is being destroyed by your knowledge—the brother for whose sake Christ died! And when you sin in this way against your brothers and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food causes my brother to sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I do not cause my brother to sin. (1 Corinthians 8:7,9-13).

His Word in My Life Learning to adapt is not easy. First, we have to know when it’s necessary to adapt. Second, we must overcome our natural aversion to changing our way of doing things. Imagine someone of a different generation, culture, or personality. How might you have to adapt in order to better share the gospel?

Paul teaches us how important it is to adapt, but he also reminds us that there are limits. “I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law” (1 Corinthians 9:21). How might Paul have been tempted to sin in adapting his methods to reach others?

Paul’s goal is the Spirit’s goal: to win the lost. When that becomes our goal, we’ll be more eager and able to adapt to others.

Divine adaptability Scan John chapters 3 and 4.

John 3 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these miraculous signs you are doing unless God is with him.”

Jesus replied, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: Unless someone is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 3

Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?”

4

Jesus answered, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: Unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God! 6 Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh.

Whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be surprised when I tell you that you must be born from above. 8 The wind blows where it pleases. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

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“How can these things be?” asked Nicodemus.

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“You are the teacher of Israel,” Jesus answered, “and you do not know these things?

Amen, Amen, I tell you: We speak what we know, and we testify about what we have seen. But you people do not accept our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven, except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven.

10 11

“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

14

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 The one who believes in him is not condemned, but the one who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God. 19 This is the basis for the judgment: The light has come into the world, yet people loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil. 20 In fact, everyone who practices wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, or else his deeds would be exposed. 21 But the one who does what is true comes toward the light, in order that his deeds may be seen as having been done in connection with God.” 16

22

After this, Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside where he spent some time with them and was baptizing.

23

John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water there.

People kept coming and were being baptized, 24 for John had not been thrown into prison yet.

Then an argument broke out between John’s disciples and a certain Jew about purification. 26 His disciples came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, about whom you testified—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him!”

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John answered, “A man cannot receive a single thing, unless it has been given to him from heaven. 28 You yourselves are witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent ahead of him.’ 29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. But the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and listens for him, is overjoyed when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine is now complete. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”

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The one who comes from above is superior to everyone. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in a way that belongs to the earth. The one who comes from heaven is superior to everyone. 32 He testifies about what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. 33 The one who has received his testimony has certified that God is true. 34 In fact, the one whom God has sent speaks God’s words, for God gives the Spirit without measure. 35 The Father loves the Son and has put everything in his hands. 36 The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who rejects the Son will not see life; instead, God’s wrath remains on him.

John 4 Jesus found out that the Pharisees had heard he was making and baptizing more disciples than John, 2 though it was not Jesus himself who was baptizing but his disciples. 3 So he left Judea and went back again to Galilee.

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4

He had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the piece of land Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there. Then Jesus, being tired from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 (His disciples had gone into town to buy food.)

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The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

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Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

10

“Sir,” she said, “you don’t even have a bucket, and the well is deep. So where do you get this living water? 12 You are not greater than our father Jacob, are you? He gave us this well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his animals.”

11

Jesus answered her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I will give him will never be thirsty ever again. Rather, the water I will give him will become in him a spring of water, bubbling up to eternal life.”

13

“Sir, give me this water,” the woman said to him, “so I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”

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16

Jesus told her, “Go, call your husband, and come back here.”

17

“I have no husband,” the woman answered.

Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say, ‘I have no husband.’ 18 In fact, you have had five husbands, and the man you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true.”

“Sir,” the woman replied, “I see that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, but you Jews insist that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

19

Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will not worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know. We worship what we do know, because salvation is from the Jews. 23 But a time is coming and now is here when the real worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for those are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”

21

The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (the one called Christ).

“When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

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Jesus said to her, “I, the one speaking to you, am he.”

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Just then his disciples returned and were surprised that he was talking to a woman.

Yet no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking to her?”

28

Then the woman left her water jar and went back into town. She said to the people, 29 “Come, see the man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” 30 They left the town and came to him.

31

Meanwhile, the disciples kept urging him, “Rabbi, eat.”

32

But Jesus said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.”

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Then the disciples said to each other, “Did anyone bring him something to eat?”

Jesus told them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.

Do you not say, ‘Four more months and the harvest will be here’? Pay attention to what I am telling you. Open your eyes and look at the fields, because they are already ripe for harvest. 36 The reaper is getting paid and is gathering grain for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may rejoice together. 37 Indeed in this case the saying is true, ‘One sows, and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap a harvest for which you did no hard work. Others have done the hard work, and you have benefitted from their labor.”

34 35

Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony: “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them. And he stayed there two days. 41 Many more believed because of his message. 42 They told the woman, “We no longer believe because of what you said.

Now we have heard for ourselves. And we know that this really is the Savior of the world.”

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After two days, Jesus left for Galilee. 44 Now Jesus himself had testified that a prophet is not honored in his own country.

45

When he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all the things he did at the Festival in Jerusalem, because they also had gone to the Festival.

46

Jesus came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine.

In Capernaum, there was a certain royal official whose son was sick. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea into Galilee, he went to him and begged him to come down and heal his son, because his son was about to die.

Jesus told him, “Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders, you certainly will not believe.”

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49

The royal official said to him, “Lord, come down before my little boy dies.”

50

“Go,” Jesus told him, “your son is going to live.”

The man believed this word that Jesus spoke to him and left.

51

Already as he was going down, his servants met him with the news that his boy was going to live. 52 So he asked them what time his son got better. They told him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” 53 Then the father realized that was the exact time when Jesus had told him, “Your son is going to live.” And he himself and his whole household believed.

54

This was the second miraculous sign Jesus did after he came from Judea into Galilee.

Jesus knows what is in a person’s heart. He also knows the unique needs of individuals.

Three conversations in John chapters 3 and 4 demonstrate Jesus’ ability to deal uniquely with different personalities. His goal was the same: to bring each person to faith. But he varied his approach. He adapted his witness.

1. What was unique about Jesus’ communication with each of these people? Consider their ages, life situations, hurts, family lives, cultures, and burning questions.

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Nicodemus (John 3:1-21)

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The Samaritan woman (John 4:4-26)

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The royal official (John 4:49-53)

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His Word in My Life Jesus never said, “Write down this piece of information. Someday you’ll need it.” Sometimes we’re accused of having all the right answers to questions people aren’t asking. How might that happen?

Discuss practical ways you may need to adapt to communicate Christ to each of the following: •

a stressed-out manager

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a new mother

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a teenager

Jesus didn’t waste his time blaming age, gender, or personality differences for an inability to communicate God’s love. He adapted. So can we.

Summary Take each witnessing situation as you find it. Don’t force the person to fit into your mold.

Rather, adapt your approach and presentation to the person. Be flexible. Try to think like the other person. Don’t do or say things that would turn him or her away.

Life with God Read the gospel of Mark this week, and note how Jesus communicated differently with various individuals.

• Day 1: Read Mark chapters 1 and 2.

• Day 2: Read Mark chapters 3 and 4.

• Day 3: Read Mark chapters 5 to 7.

• Day 4: Read Mark chapters 8 to 10.

• Day 5: Read Mark chapters 11 to 13.

• Day 6: Read Mark chapters 14 to 16, and plan your witnessing activity report for the group.