It’s time for a paradigm shift!
I speak with a lot of people about sharing Jesus with others, and again and again I hear Christians talk about “trying to get someone along to church”. That’s the relational equivalent of trying to bring someone home to meet the folks on the first date!
Church is actually a culturally tricky place to go to, particularly for men – where else is it normal to stand and sing to a man “Jesus, lover of my soul”? Besides, the people I work with live all around Brisbane, the Gold Coast, there’s even a train that enables people to commute from Gympie! (and they do)
You want everyone to ultimately be a part of a loving church family, but it’s probably not the first step. We need a paradigm shift, Jesus calls us to make disciples, not bring people to church. So how about us? How about we take Jesus to people?
Most people reject Jesus without actually meeting him. They haven’t read the Bible for themselves. So why not invite someone to read the Bible with you?
The advantages are:
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1. It’s convenient. You can do it at a time and place which suits best. Over coffee, sushi or a burger; before work, at lunch, after work; whatever works. 2. It’s flexible. If they can’t make it one week, that’s fine, pick up where you left off the following week. Can’t make it today? How about tomorrow? 3. It’s authoritative. The Bible has an authority as a holy book that many people still recognise today. “Defend the Bible? I would as soon defend a lion! Unchain it and it will defend itself.” – C.H. Spurgeon 4. It’s Tailored to the individual. It’s a good environment for your friend to ask questions and to raise objections freely. You can also tailor your answers to best suit your friend’s circumstances and background. |
What to read?
While all the Bible is God’s word, and it all points to Jesus, there are some parts that more naturally lead to Jesus. One of the gospels it probably a good place to start, (though if you desire to sit down and have a look at Leviticus, respect!)
We’re currently encouraging people to consider using The Word one to one (theword121.com) with work colleagues. It’s essentially John’s gospel with guided notes designed to help adults engage with the Bible directly without having to answer tricky questions.
We’ve found it to be a very easy and engaging way of reading the Bible together, particularly if you don’t feel very confident in just picking up the Bible and reading it.
How to read the Bible one to one
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1. A bit of time for chit chat. (Spend some time getting to know each other, you’re actually interested in this person right?) 2. Expect to do most of the reading/talking when it comes to the Bible. You may not feel like it, but you are the expert here. 3. Either read the passage out loud, or better yet, read the passage silently together – reading out loud is a bit of a weird thing Christians do. 4. As the expert, think carefully before asking questions, people don’t like to appear ignorant or silly, so maybe limit questions sounding out your friend’s reaction to what you’re looking out. “Have you ever considered?” “What do you think about...?” 5. Say a short prayer at the end if your friend doesn’t mind (most people are OK with this). This helps to communicate that it’s not just intellectual learning but relationship with God that's on offer. 6. Organise your next meeting – it doesn’t have to be weekly, don’t be offended if the person doesn’t think meeting to read the Bible is as important as you – they won’t. |
There is training that we can provide you in Word one to one, it will take about 30 minutes and you’ll be ready to go. Let me know if you would like me to take you through it
Books on the subject: One to One Bible Reading by David Helm (Matthias Media).One-To-One by Sophie de Witt (Authentic Lifestyle).
* Image from flickr.com/photos/railsummit/
