STARTING YOUR OWN PROFESSIONAL MINISTRY

1. STARTING YOUR OWN PROFESSIONAL MINISTRY GOAL The goal of this seminar is to help you develop an attitude of moving from “success” to “significance” in the market place, and to build a movement of transforming leaders.

2. KEY QUESTIONS WHAT IS SUCCESS WHAT IS SIGNIFICANCE HOW DO YOU MOVE FROM SUCCESS TO SIGNIFICANCE

3. Introduction The work place in Africa has changed over the last few years. It has developed it’s own culture, values and traditions that are diametrically opposed to God. We have a great opportunity to bring transformation into our work world. By fully integrating our faith into our words, how we do business, and the quality of our work. We must allow God to transform us and reveal Himself to those around us.

4. In a nut shell, for us to transform the market place and move from success to significance, we must take the initiative to be movement builders. DEFINE A MOVEMENT CHARACTERISTICS OF A MOVEMENT(see bottom page)

5. TAKING THE INITIATIVETHINK ABOUT THIS • “Two thirds of God is ‘go’” • “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations” (matt. 28 :19) • “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creations” (mark 16:15) • “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit.” (John 15:16) • “What part of ‘go’ don’t you understand.” • “We have an in-built squeamishness that we need to deal with; and that’s one of the reasons that God has given us His Holy spirit – especially in the matter of witness. But, I tell you it is worth it. It is worth taking that initiative; and we need to learn ways to do that, because of the end product”

6. 1. Talk about Jesus • Talking about religion and spirituality is no substitute for talking about Jesus. • Three basic issues: • Talking at all; • From religion to Jesus; and • Asking the question.

7. Talking at all • Work at excelling in social conventions, like: • Talking about the weather or the weekend; or • Introducing others and being introduced.

8. From religion to Jesus • “You know, Jesus of Nazereth had something to say about that.”

9. Asking the question • “You have not shared the gospel with someone until you have asked the question.” • “are you ready to become a Christian yet, or are you still thinking about it?” • “is there any reason why you wouldn’t commit yourself to Christ?”

10. Talk about Jesus • “What kind of friend do you want to be?” • Talking about Jesus takes people seriously. • “Are you befriending me in order to talk to me about Jesus or are you talking to me about Jesus in order to be my friend?”

11. Expect God to use you • Witnessing is not rocket – science; • But it can take time to see God work. • Success in sharing your faith is simply taking the initiative to talk about Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy spirit, and leaving the results to God.

12. Do the maths • Not only help people to make a commitment; but help them to help others make a commitment. • “It isn’t a matter of just adding people to the kingdom of God… it’s a matter of multiplication in the kingdom of God.” • And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. [2 Timothy 2:2] • Could you choose four or five others with whom to run a course like this? • Success in sharing your faith is simply taking the initiative to talk about Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit, and leaving the results to God.

13. 2. FIVE IN FOCUS

14. FIVE IN FOCUS Sharing our faith with our acquaintances • What do we mean by acquaintances? • How do we make acquaintances? My “sphere of influence” In as many spaces as you can, write down the names of one or two friends and acquaintances who are not yet Christians. Where you study and where you work should be relatively straightforward. It is probably best to include extended family where you live; and don’t forget to include neighbors, staff in local businesses, and those on the fringes of your church. Lastly, any sports you do or hobbies you have come under play.

15. FIVE IN FOCUS STUDY WORK PLAY LIVE

16. SHARING YOUR FOCUS • Chose five people from your chart for whom you would like to pray • Imagine a good quality event is to take place to inform people about Christianity. It is designed for people who aren’t Christians; it won’t be cringe laden, but topical-suitable for skeptics as well as those who are interested; it will be in a venue that would not threaten or embarrass any of your acquaintances. • What would be some possible “next steps” to increase your contact with each of these people? • Pray for the five people you have named.

17. FIVE IN FOCUSI am praying regularly that the following five people will come to consider seriously what it means to know Jesus personally 1 2 3 4 5 Colossians 4:2-6

18. FIVE IN FOCUS A challenge • Who do you think God wants to use to reach the people whose names you placed in your “sphere of influence” diagram? Might you be one of God’s agents for this task? Do you think God might have been involved in putting you in contact with the people you meet every day? • What would Colossians 4:2-6 have to say in answer to this question? 2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4 that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5 Be wise in the way you act towards outsiders: make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. [Col. 4:2-6]. • pray regularly for the five people whose names you have written down. I Urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayer, intercession be made for everyone…3 this is good and, pleases our God and savior, 4 who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. [ 1 Timothy 2:1,2,3 ] The Bible encourages me to pray for my five in focus: To be attracted to Jesus Christ. [John 6:44] To develop a single-minded interest to find out about Jesus. [Acts 17:11] To have their interest in discovering Jesus fuelled by the good example of other Christians. [Acts 2:47] The bible encourages me to pray for myself, that I would: Be a helpful example of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. [Matthew 5:16] Be wise and creative in what I do and say, encouraging positive curiosity about Jesus. [Colossians 4:5,6] Be ready to explain what it means to be a follower of Jesus. [1 Peter3:15]

19. FIVE IN FOCUS My “five in focus” prayer card Cut the card from the page; write the names of your “top five” in the space provided; put the card where you will see it every day; and pray for the people named. I Urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayer, intercession be made for everyone…3 this is good and, pleases our God and savior, 4 who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. [ 1 Timothy 2:1,2,3 ] The Bible encourages me to pray for my five in focus: To be attracted to Jesus Christ. [John 6:44] To develop a single-minded interest to find out about Jesus. [Acts 17:11] To have their interest in discovering Jesus fuelled by the good example of other Christians. [Acts 2:47] The bible encourages me to pray for myself, that I would: Be a helpful example of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. [Matthew 5:16] Be wise and creative in what I do and say, encouraging positive curiosity about Jesus. [Colossians 4:5,6] Be ready to explain what it means to be a follower of Jesus. [1 Peter3:15]

20. 3. ANSWERING PEOPLE’S QUESTIONS

21. How do I know what to say? • We may think our greatest difficulty in speaking up about Jesus is going to be that of answering people’s questions. Probably the greater question is, are we ready to open our mouth and trust God with the results? • People will ask questions. And we may not always have an answer for them. But there is embarrassment in admitting this and promising that we will find an answer for them.

22. Why do people ask questions? • Perhaps they genuinely want to know the answer to something that is a holding them back from saying “Yes” to Christ. They will be keen to hear what you have to say. • Or perhaps they have misunderstood the message. The misunderstanding has become a stumbling block for them. They will be open to having their thinking put straight on the matter.

23. Why do people ask questions? • Or maybe the message is getting through! The question or objection is an attempt to deflect attention away from themselves and from the demands of the Gospel. If you can deal with their objection you may help them realize that they cannot go on avoiding the issue. On the hand the objection may indicate that there are deeper matters at stake.

24. What lies behind people’s questions? • They need more information or clarification. • They are aware of a moral issue in their life which is challenged by the Gospel. The question is a smokescreen to divert your attention. It may still be worth answering their question or objection. But ask first, “If I could answer your question, would you then be ready to say Yes’ to Christ?” • They are hurting over something. Asking if something has happened to them in the past to cause their questioning, may bring out the underlying reason.

25. How should we answer people’s questions? • There is no substitute for a clear explanation of the gospel message. Proving to someone that God exists will not tell them how they can know him personally. • Treat everyone’s questions and comments seriously. If you ignore what they say you will communicate that you are not interested in them. • Recognize that you can never give a full answer. Your aim should be to sow a few thoughts that show that there is a reasonable answer to their question. Don’t suffocate someone with too much information. • Be a good listener. Show that you are genuinely interested in what they think and feel. Try to understand what has led them to their current beliefs. Ask yourself, “Why this person might be saying this?” They will be more inclined to listen to you.

26. How should we answer people’s questions? • Ask the Holy Spirit to show you what is keeping them from a relationship with God, and to give you them the words to say. The Holy Spirit can help us to know whether a question is genuine or merely a smokescreen. • Never be afraid to say, “I don’t know.” It adds weight to what you do know. It reinforces the fact that Christians do not claim to be “know-alls.’ It shows that there is truth that can be discovered. But don’t leave it there. Aim to find out the answer, or at least give the other person something to consider.

27. How should we answer people’s questions? • Talk about what Jesus means to you. No-one can argue with what you have experienced. It will also help them to see how Christianity “works.” • Always bring the conversation back to Jesus. He is the ultimate answer. • Aim to win the person not the argument. Be gracious and loving. No-one is brought into the Kingdom of God by being beaten in an argument.

28. Gaining confidence in answering questions • Good preparation for commonly asked questions enables us to: 1. Focus on a few key points, rather than rambling on; 2. Listen to what lies behind the question, rather than being thrown by the question itself; 3. And bring the conversation back to Jesus, rather than getting side-tracked into long discussions without an obvious close.

29. Gaining confidence in answering questions • Familiarize yourself with Stepping Stones (Birmingham: Agape 2002), and with Gregory Edward Boyd’s Letters from a Skeptic (Eastbourne: Kingsway 2000). Both books help t answer difficult questions. Stepping Stones is a series of sound-bite answers to difficult questions which help turn people’s stumbling blocks into stepping stones to Jesus. Letters from a Skeptic is a real-life correspondence between a skeptic father and his believing son. It is concise, personal, readable, and great to lend to people. • Practice answering one question.

30. ATTITUDE WE MUST CULTIVATE • We must always seek to connect the lost with Jesus. • We must always be involved in aggressive discipleship. • We must do the maths. • We must be self sustaining. • Evaluate and filter.