INTRODUCTION “Steps to peace with God” is an excellent tool to use in communicating the essentials of the gospel message in an effective, easy-to-understand manner. It begins with a positive note, helps you to stay on the subject, and enables you to be brief, prepared, and confident. It can also be left with the person.
OPENING STATEMENT
To begin the conversation, you might say something like: “John, I’ve been sharing this booklet with some friends to get their opinion of it. It explains how a person can have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Would you mind if I take a few minutes and share it with you?”
SHARING THE BOOKLET
Read slowly in a natural way.
Stay on track! If questions come up that aren’t related to the subject, say “Good question. Let’s come back to that later:” Deal with those questions after you have presented the booklet.
Hold the booklet so that the person can see it and use a pen or finger to focus attention on the material being read.
Don’t argue. God’s Word and Spirit must convince him. You need to be sensitive to the person you are sharing with so that you can deal with his questions, hesitations, or even reluctance to continue.
After you have read the booklet, give that person an opportunity to pray to receive Christ – “Tim, did this booklet make sense to you? Have you ever asked Christ into your life as your personal Savior and Lord? Would you like to pray that prayer, right now, with me?” Or “Do you feel you can sincerely ask Christ into your life right now?”
If willing, let him follow you as you say the prayer aloud. If he feels more comfortable, let him pray in his own words.
If unwilling, don’t close the door to future interaction. Leave the booklet with him and let him know you will continue to pray for him and are available to answer questions or help in any way.
INTRODUCTION
The Operation Timothy series, is a tool that offers an opportunity to become directly and vitally involved in God’s strategy to reach the world with His message, ‘that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ.” (2 Cor.5:19)
Operation Timothy is about the strategy of spiritual multiplication based on biblical principles. This is the method Paul used with Timothy - one man helping another to grow in his Christian faith; that man, in turn, helping another, and he another….
Operation Timothy is designed to help you effectively disciple a young Christian, helping him to grow in knowledge, understanding and application of the Word of God.
THE OBJECTIVE
Operation Timothy is a proven, effective strategy of building disciples. In Operation Timothy your objective is to develop the “Timothy”, to maturity in Christ (Col.1:27, 28), Our goal is to produce reproducers – disciple makers.
THE PLAN
The OT material has been designed to help you present the biblical basics to a young Christian in an orderly, easy-to-understand manner. The content is organized into four books, each containing 6 chapters, each chapter dealing with a major concept of the Christian life. The major concepts in each of the books are:
BOOK 1:FINDING THE WAY
The Bible: Believe it or not?
Investigating the Bible.
Is God relevant to My Life?
Examining evidence that the God of the Bible can be trusted.
Who is Jesus?
Discovering who Jesus Claims to be.
Did Jesus Have a Purpose in Coming?
Taking a closer look at what Christ did.
Can God Accept Me?
Looking at God’s basis of acceptance.
How can I be forgiven?
Exploring God’s basis for forgiveness.
BOOK 2: KNOWING THE TRUTH
Gaining Eternal Assurance
Gaining assurance of eternal life.
Discovering the Holy Spirit
Understanding who the Holy Spirit is and
how to live by the Spirit.
Knowing Your Enemy
Investigating who the enemy is and how he operates.
Dealing with Temptation
Experiencing the realities of temptation, confession and obedience.
Your Calling As An Insider
Gaining a vision of being “salt and light” where we live and work.
Telling Others about Christ
Learning to tell your story.
BOOK 3: LIVING WITH POWER
Digging Into the Bible
Learning to study the Bible.
Communicating with God
Understanding the value of prayer.
Thriving in the Church
Taking a closer look at the church.
Becoming a Person of Character
Developing a godly character in my personal life.
Pursuing Intimacy with God
Gaining a deeper walk with God and understanding suffering.
Knowing God’s Will
Discerning God’s will and responding in obedience.
BOOK 4: MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Bringing it Home
Living the Christian life at home.
Taking it to Work
Integrating Christian principles in the workplace.
Handling Money Wisely
Discovering God’s values regarding money.
Moving Toward Maturity
Understanding spiritual birth, growth and reproduction.
Multiplying Your Life
Establishing a life purpose statement.
Seeing the World God’s Way
Studying Christ’s vision for the world.
We can be used by God in a mighty way if we faithfully follow-thru with our own spiritual babies in Christ. Operation Timothy is prepared for just this purpose, in response to the commands and examples in God’s Word.
THE SCHEDULE
You should meet your “Timothy” on a weekly basis with each meeting lasting 90 minutes. Although Operation Timothy contains 24 major concepts (chapters), the course will generally take longer than 24 weeks. Sometimes you will complete a study of a major concept in a single lesson, but Timothy’s needs and his understanding of the material may require that you take two or more sessions to complete a chapter. Each session is scheduled for 90 minutes, divided as follows:
Fellowship and sharing 20 minutes
Study, memory verse & discussion 60 minutes
Prayer 10 minutes
THE PROCESS
To reproduce himself a man must have knowledge of what to reproduce, the skill to reproduce it, and character that provides a model of what is to be reproduced. Bringing a man to this level requires a three-fold approach:
Teaching – The objective is knowledge. Using Bible study (2 Tim.3:16) you teach your “Timothy” knowledge of God’s Word, its principles and precepts.
Training – The objective is skill. Here the focus is on the “how-to’s”. Through discussion and lesson assignments Timothy will learn to apply this knowledge to his life and transfer it to others.
Time – The objective is character. Our goal is to produce disciples who have the character of Christ. It takes time to build a relationship, and a relationship is the foundation for character development.
The materials, structure, and schedule of Operation Timothy utilize this approach, blending its three components in such a way as to allow you and Timothy to make the most of your time together. The Bible study completed in preparation for your time together, your fellowship, discussion and prayer during your weekly meeting, as well as other time you spend together in business and social activities are all important. They provide the opportunity for teaching, training, and the time needed for the development of a meaningful relationship.
INTRODUCTION
“I wish I could turn this conversation so as to tell this person about Christ” or your may think, “If there was only more time, I could tell him what Jesus Christ means to me.”
In order to turn day-by-day contacts and CBMC office visits into eternal profit, a person must prepare his testimony ahead of time. For with a few different openings already thought through, he will then be ready on-the-spot to include a complete witness, even in a very short conversation.
OUTLINE
In preparing your testimony, aim for about a four minute presentation. Use as your guideline Paul’s testimony to King Agrippa found in Acts 26:
Gracious Introduction (26:2,3) Find a point of common interest or identification, such as friendship – “Jim I really value your friendship, and I’m sorry that I have never introduced you to my special friend, Jesus Christ.” Success - “You and I have much in common, George. We’ve both acquired everything we could want, yet underneath it all, I know I have been unsatisfied.” Or raising children “Bringing up children these days is rough. Apart from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, I would be helpless to know how to raise mine.” Think of several introductions that you could use.
Good Part of Past life (26:4,5) If you just say what a sinner you were, people will not identify with you. Therefore, mention briefly your morality, church attendance, ideas about God, and generosity, just as Paul did.
Bad part of Past Life (26:9-11) “Even though people thought I was a good person, I knew what went on inside.” Mention specific areas such as your thought life, hateful attitudes, covetousness, emptiness, or pride. Perhaps you feared not going to heaven as would many listening to you.
Circumstances of Conversion (26:12-15) Do not feel your own story is colorless, for your conversion is as much a miracle as Paul’s. Use details which show the personal transaction with God, yet avoid confusing statements, such as, “I went forward at church”, lest your listener thinks going forward is the answer. Instead, say “when the minister asked if any had not received Christ personally, I knew I had not and that was the time I must trust Him”.
Results of Conversion (26:19-22) Mention the most striking change in your life, as Paul did – whether in desires, actions, hunger for God’s Word, peace or satisfaction. Show the effect of your being born-again.
Gospel Message (26:23) Weave into your story Christ’s death for our sins and His resurrection, as this is the message with power. You may prefer to follow the basic points of “Steps to Peace with God” at this time.
Personal Appeal (26:27-29) Using the listener’s name, ask him, “Bob, have you ever thought of Christ in this personal way?” Or, “If you died today, where would you be?”. Or “Does what I have said bring any questions to your mind?”
Conclusion – The response may lead you to make arrangements for a later talk on this subject, or if there is time, to continue talking now. By being prepared, you will be ready and able to present Jesus Christ to one who needs Him.
GIVING YOUR TESTIMONY
Be known in your business and social life for honesty, integrity and paying your bills promptly, seeking to have no unconfessed sin in your life.
Desire in your heart to be used of God
Expect God to use you, realizing he wants this too.
Pray first, that God may speak through you.
Study your Bible daily to know HOW to use God’s Word and how to testify for God
Write out your testimony so it will be organized for effectiveness and better communication.
Practice giving your testimony in order to gain confidence.
Be careful of your personal habits (dress, body and breath)
Depend upon the power of God, not upon your wisdom.
Present a person, Jesus Christ. Let His love shine through you.
Be sure to give God’s plan of Salvation, using scriptural references.
Stay within a time limit.
Be sincere, truthful, tactful, enthusiastic, positive, gentle and convincing.
Be confident that he will give the victory and realize that the battle is the Lord’s
HELPFUL HINTS FOR PREPARING YOUR TESTIMONY
Speak to God first, and ask Him to speak though you. Ask Him to give you wisdom and guidance as you write (James 1:5,6)
Follow a three-point outline:
Life before knowing Christ
How you came to Christ (be specific)
Life after you received Christ (changes He has made, what He means to you now).
Begin with an interesting, attention-getting sentence and close with a good conclusion. Include relevant, thought-provoking, personal experiences.
Write in such a way that others will identify with your pat and present experiences.
Give enough detail to arouse interest.
Use some Scripture verses.
Avoid –
Using statements which reflect negatively on people or organizations
mention denominations
preaching at people. This is a testimony, not a ‘preachamony.’
using stereotypes or overworked terms.
using words that are meaningless to non-Christians, e.g., “salvation” ‘saved” ‘Born again” “Sanctified” etc. If these types of words must be used, they should be clearly explained.
Prepare your testimony so that you can share it in a group situation as well as with an individual.
Build your testimony around a theme – something characteristic of your life that is of general interest to non-Christians. Examples: personal success (your past vs. present perspective), life goals, etc.
Keep in mind that your testimony should give enough details so that someone else would know how to trust Christ after hearing how you did it.
It is important that Christ be lifted up as the only way to eternal life (John 14:6) . Make sure this point is clearly made in your testimony.
Now you’re ready to prepare your story. Use the three-point outline from item 2 above to quickly list the major points as they come to mind. When you write it out in more detail, keep it between 700 and 1000 words (if typewritten, about four double-spaced pages). This will allow you to stay within three to five minutes when you give it verbally. Many men have found it helpful to take a first-pass at their testimony verbally and have a friend identify and jot down the major points on the outline.
As you begin, ask God to give you the right words and approach. Trust Him to do it. This is as much His story as it is yours.
NOTE: Detailed information and instructions on how to prepare and use your testimony are also found in Chapter 6 of Operation Timothy book 2 - Knowing the Truth.
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