Youth Evangelism Training

Three Story Evangelism Y Youth for Christ International

Three Story Evangelism used by permission from Youth for Christ/USA. Copyright 2000 Youth for Christ/USA. All rights reserved.

Stories That Count booklet is designed to: 1. train you to share Christ. Three Story Evangelism is a simple way to share your faith. Its all about three stories: Gods Story, My Story and Your Story. Evangelism is simply sharing the good news, the good news of Jesus Christ. The good news is such good news because the bad news is such bad news! 2. challenge you to pray. P.R.A.Y. will challenge you in your personal prayer life and Talk to God continues will spur you on to pray for your friends who need Jesus. 3. equip you for battle. Its warfare and youre in it! Learn how to use Gods weapons of warfare.

Contents Gods Story (Lifes Greatest Adventure) My Story Depend on Jesus Be Real Love Others Get Connected Have Courage Share the Gospel Talk to God Your Story Talk to God continues Prayer Evangelism and Triplet Prayer Power Evangelism GOD, You and the adversary Prayer Discipleship

Three Story Evangelism Introduction Evangelism is sharing the good news! The good news of Jesus Christ is such good news because the bad news is such bad news. The bad news is that all of us are separated from God and there isnt anything we can do about it. The consequences are devastating! The good news is that Jesus provides the entire solution to our separation from God. (Bill Muir, YFC/USA) There are many different ways to share the good news with your friends. YFC has chosen a simple way for students to learn how to share their faith. Its all about three stories: My Story, Your Story, Gods Story. Gods Story While sharing your story and listening to theirs, chances are youll find the perfect opportunity to SHARE THE GOSPEL with them, asking them if theyre ready to make His story a part of their story. The high points of Gods Story are that He came, He died, He rose, and He sent His Holy Sprit to help us live for Him. My Story This just might be the hook that gets your friend to listen up! So remember BE REAL. You have Gods permission to not have it all together! Let them know how much you need Jesus everyday before you tell them that they need

Jesus. Share your rescue story (testimony) with your friends. Your Story This is where you LOVE OTHERS enough to say, I want to hear your story. Listening to your friends is one of the best ways to show them you care. It seems like everyone always has something to say. Be one of the few that listen. Its that simple! Three Story Evangelism is about telling your story of how Jesus rescued you, earning the right to be heard by being a good listener, and learning how to best tell Gods Story, the good news of Jesus Christ. Evangelism is so important . . . because time is eternal. Jesus talked a lot about eternity and peoples souls. In Matthew 16:26 He said, What good will it be for a person if they gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? C.S. Lewis said it this way: We are ever living, never dying individuals. Evangelism is so important . . . because the punishment is so severe. Jesus talked more about hell then He did heaven. The Scriptures describe the eternal separation from God as a terrible place to spend an eternity. Jesus described it this way in Matthew 24:51, . . . where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Evangelism is so important . . . because eternal life is so promising. Jesus said that anyone who believes in Him will have eternal life (John 3:15-16).

In the true sense of the Word, God says that He loves you and me and that He gave His Son so that we could have eternal life if only we believe. Evangelism is so important . . . because Scriptures are so relenting. The theme of the Bible is that people can be reconciled to God. From Genesis to Revelation, we witness the unfolding drama of redemption. No sooner do humans fall, then God begins to promise a coming deliverer. The angels announcement of Jesus was, . . . and you are to give him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21) Evangelism is so important . . . because the gift is free. A simple act of faith is all that is required to experience Gods grace and forgiveness. Paul tells us, For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is a gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Evangelism Is So Important by Bill Muir

Gods Story

Hear Gods Story Written that we may believe That Jesus is the Christ The Son of God And that by believing we may have life in His Name. -Paraphrased from John 20:31

Gods Story The High Points Jesus . . . showed up died rose sent the Holy Spirit . . . for us .Lets go back to the beginning of His story. An infinite God created the heavens, and the earth (Genesis 1:1), and He created people in His own image (Genesis 1:26). Man and woman were placed in a perfect environment, with all their needs taken care of. They were given only one prohibition; they were not to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, lest they die (Genesis 2:17). Unfortunately, they did eat from the tree (Genesis 3), and the relationship between God and mankind was now broken. However, God promised that He would send a Savior, or Messiah, who would deliver all people from the bondage of sin (Genesis 3:15). The Old Testament kept repeating the theme that some day this person would come into the world and set mankind free. Gods Word did indeed come true. God became man in the person of Jesus Christ (John 1:14, 29). Jesus died in our place so that we could enjoy again a right relationship with

God. Jesus has paved the way! God has done it all, and our responsibility is to accept this truth. We can do nothing to add to the work of Jesus; it has been done for us. If mankind could have reached God any other way, Jesus would not have had to die. His death verifies the fact that there is no other way. (Adapted from A Ready Defense by Josh McDowell) In order for you to be a better story teller of Gods story, you need to know His story better. There are no magic words that MUST be said but if you put to memory the Scripture verses, and can clearly tell His Story, then the Holy Spirit will bring to mind those things that need to be said when sharing your faith with others. Here is one way to learn more of Gods Story.

1.

God loves you and wants a personal relationship.

For God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, so that anyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16) God wants you to know Him personally.

And this is the way to have eternal life - by knowing You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one You sent to earth. (John 17:3)

God created you and is excited about you! You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body, and knit them together in my mothers womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex. (Psalm 139:13-14)

The good news is such good news because the bad news is such bad news!

2.

Your sin keeps you from having a personal

relationship with God.

Yes, they all have sinned; all fall short of Gods glorious ideal . . . (Romans 3:23)

What is sin? Knowing what is right to do and then not doing it is sin. (James 4:17) You see, God is holy and perfect and we are not. When we do not meet Gods perfect standard, we sin. Our sin has caused a separation of relationship with God. Who has sinned? Yes, they all have sinned; all fall short of Gods glorious ideal . . . (Romans 3:23) Everyone has sinned! No one is excluded. What happens when we sin? But the trouble is that your sins have cut you off from God (Isaiah 59:2). Death means eternal separation from God. The good news gets better!

3.

Jesus Christ died and rose again so that your sin could be forgiven.

He died once for the sins of all of us guilty sinners, although He Himself was innocent of any sin at any time, that He might bring us safely home to God. (1 Peter 3:18) Jesus Christ: . . . died to pay the penalty of sin. But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8) . . . rose again, which proves He can forgive you. Christ died for all our sins just as the Scriptures said He would . . . He was buried . . . three days afterwards He arose from the grave just as the prophets foretold . . . He was seen by more that five hundred Christian brothers at one time . . . (1 Corinthians 15:3-6) . . . bridges the gap between God and you. That God is on one side and all the people on the other side, and Christ Jesus, Himself man, is between them to bring them together, by giving His life for all mankind. (1Timothy 2:5) . . . is the only way to a relationship with God. I am the Way - yes, and the truth and the life. No one can get to the Father except by means of me. (John14:6) The good news is just good news without faith!

4.

You must personally trust Jesus Christ to be your

Savior and Lord.

To all who receive Him, He gave the right to become children of God. All they needed to do was to trust Him to save them. (John 1:12) Trusting Christ means: . . . you turn to God from your own way of living. Now change your mind and attitude to God and turn to him so he can cleanse away your sins . . . (Acts 3:19) . . . you receive Gods gift of salvation. Because of His kindness you have been saved through trusting Christ. And even trusting is not of yourselves; it to is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good we have done, so none of us can take any credit for it. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

In other words, receiving Jesus means to: turn to God from your own way of living. REPENT invite Christ to come into your life and trust Him to forgive your sin. TRUST allow God to direct your life. SURRENDER Are you ready for a personal relationship with God? If so, where would you place yourself in this illustration?

Self-directed life Guilty Eternal life in hell

God-directed life Forgiven Eternal life in heaven

Check which box best describes you: q I dont have a personal relationship with God. q I would like a personal relationship with God. q I have a personal relationship with God. You can begin your personal relationship with God by receiving Jesus Christ by faith. You can express your faith (trust) through prayer. Prayer is simply talking to God. He knows what you mean even when it is difficult to express yourself. You may use the following words or your own:
Dear God, I know that my sin has separated me from You. Thank You that Jesus Christ died in my place. I ask Jesus to forgive my sin and to come into my life. Thank You for giving me eternal life. Now take control of my life. In Jesus Name. Amen.

5.

Your trust in Jesus Christ begins a lifelong

relationship.

God will never leave you. I will never, never fail you nor forsake you. (Hebrews 13:5) God completely forgives you. For He forgave all your sins, and blotted out the charges against you. (Colossians 2:13-14) God assures you that you will go to heaven. I have written this to you who believe in the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. (1 John 5:13) God gives you the Holy Spirit to enable you to live the Christian life. Let us follow the Holy Spirit's leading in every part of our lives. (Galatians 5:25) You commit yourself to God. You continue to live in Him. And now just as you trusted Christ to save you, trust Him, too, for each days problems; live in vital union with Him. (Colossians 2:6) You continue to grow in your relationship with God. Let your roots grow down deep into Him and draw nourishment from Him. See that you go on growing in the Lord, and become strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. (Colossians 2:7) Go to God daily in prayer. (Philippians 4:6-7) Read the Bible every day. (2 Timothy 3:14-17)

Obey God moment by moment. (Luke 6:46-48) Worship in a church regularly. (Hebrews 10:24-25) Tell others about Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 3:15-16) Let the Holy Spirit direct your life. (John 14:26) Now you can share Jesus Christ with others. It is God Himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago He planned that we should spend these lives in helping others. (Ephesians 2:10)

HAVE COURAGE

LOVE OTHERS

DEPEND ON JESUS

BE REAL

GET CONNECTED

SHARE THE GOSPEL

TALK WITH GOD

My Story

I am not the person I always dreamed Id be. I am not the person I pretended to be. But I am not the person I will yet be because Jesus loves me and He is renovating my life. Here is the truth: This house is under construction by the master carpenter. So come on in and dont mind the mess. I have nothing to hide, nothing to fear, nothing to lose. My Jesus loves me, and He is not finished with me yet. -Olivia

MY STORY . love others . share the gospel . have courage . depend on Jesus . get connected . talk to God People are looking for honest relationships. They are not interested in simply hearing about our successes, but want to hear about our failures too; not only our gains but our losses; not only our pleasures but our pains; not only our hopes but our disappointments. When we share both sides of our story, we become more believable to them. People are looking for love and acceptance, not just words. Its not what you say that matters. Its what you do that counts! People are looking to see your faith lived out before them. People are looking for those who live the life, whose life reflects what they are preaching. They want to see Jesus in you! People are looking for Jesus. They may not realize they are but thats why the Good News is such good news. They find that Jesus story is what they have been looking for all their life.

BE REAL
Because you cant convince others that they need Jesus until you show them that you need Jesus. No one is perfect! Perfection can mean without flaw. It can also mean complete, independent, not in need of Jesus work in our lives. When we pretend that we are perfect and without fault, we are hurting ourselves as well as others around us. We need to get humble before Jesus and admit our imperfection and, if called to, we need to admit our imperfections to others. When Jesus showed up on earth, He didnt just tell us how to live for God. He showed us. His message was believable because He acted it out. We can believe that God is merciful, not merely because Jesus said He is, but because Jesus showed mercy. And we know that God hates evil . . . not just because Jesus said so, but because Jesus Himself got angry at evil. Jesus was and is real and He calls his followers to be the same.

LOVE OTHERS
Simply acting like Jesus is the best way to let your friends find out that youre a Christian. Jesus loved His way into peoples lives. Remember the lady at the well (John 4:7-26). Jesus listened intently to her, considered her needs important, and then met her at her deepest need (spiritual). Did Jesus know who He was talking to? This woman was a Samaritan, a member of the hated race; she had a bad reputation; and no Jewish man would dare speak to a woman in a public place. But Jesus did. He knew all about her and loved her anyway. Read John 4:15-19. Many Samaritans believed in Jesus because of her testimony concerning Him. And then Jesus did something even more unheard of. Jesus went and stayed with the Samaritans for two days and because of His words many more became believers. Jesus crossed all barriers to share the Good News. He chose the more excellent way - love. We who follow him must do no less.

SHARE THE GOSPEL

The word evangelism means good news. The mystery of the Gospel is that its able to bring good news to our deepest longings and needs. In evangelism, our job is not to convince or convict, but to witness - telling others what we know and how Jesus rescued us. ITS ALL ABOUT EVANGELISM!!!!!!!!!

BE REAL If you pretend that youre perfect . . . or that your sins dont require Jesus forgiveness, no one is going to believe your message. First show others who you really are. Then you can talk about how you really need Jesus.

LOVE OTHERS Your love reveals Jesus to others before you ever open your mouth. You are evidence of a loving Jesus. And you want them to know this loving Jesus.

DEPEND ON JESUS If you dont depend on Jesus as Savior and Lord, theres no point in trying to convince others that they need Jesus. Evangelism starts in your own heart. My Rescue Story You had a reason or circumstance that brought you to the edge - to call out to Jesus for rescue. Whatever it was, it showed you your personal need for Jesus. Why not write out your story so when you are called upon to share your story, you will know what to share. Your story should include: what you were like before you met Jesus, what made you call out to Jesus to be rescued, what changed after you trusted Jesus, and why it is still good news now. Write your rescue story! ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________

GET CONNECTED
The Word encourages us to outdo each other in being helpful and kind and in doing good. We are to meet together to encourage one another (Hebrews 10:24-25). The NIV says it like this. Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. When we do this, we will prove to the world that we are Jesus disciples. ITS ALL EVANGELISM

TOGETHER . . . share who you really are, struggles and all. Share from your heart, confess your faults to one another, talk about your spiritual walk.

TOGETHER . . . share how youre doing in your relationships - family, friends, boyfriend or girlfriend and others in your world. Most important, talk about how youre sharing the Gospel with those around you.

TOGETHER . . . Pray together, read the Bible together, worship together. Did you know that the word together is mentioned 484 times in the Bible and the words gathered together are mentioned 97 times? Think about it! If the word together is mentioned that many times it must be important to God. Lets take a look at several verses that use the word together. TOGETHER . . . They gathered together They suffered together They were known to sing together They went to war together They joined together They were tempered together They assembled together They dwelled together They pitched together They met together They were called together They were knit together They were wrapped together In a league together

They congregated together They were purified together They sang together They took counsel together They were at rest together They were fashioned together They were known to stick together They were joyful together They took counsel together They consulted together They compacted together They lived together They reasoned together They stood together They pleaded together They could spring up together Draw near together Bow down together Flow together Feed together Cry together They could be brought together Walk together Grow together Be joined together Sit together Agree together

Talk together Commune together They went forth together They banded together They planted together They glorified together They were perfectly joined together Laborers together Workers together Quickened together Framed together Bound together They built together Were heirs together Elected together . . . And made to sit together in heavenly places.

The word covenant means to make a formal binding agreement. When entering into a covenant with Jesus, make sure you mean it! The covenant below calls you to be a peacemaker, a promise-keeper, and a God-chaser. Before signing, pray about it! The Covenant I join in covenant this day with my Lord Jesus Christ. I covenant that to the best of my ability I will work to answer the prayer of Jesus found in John 17 where He prayed that we, the Body of Christ, become one. I covenant to become and remain single-minded, focused on Him and my calling. I will not waver or turn aside. I covenant with my family to help create an atmosphere of unity in my home. I will love as Christ loved and serve as Christ served. I will practice mutual submission and forgiveness. I covenant with my community - my friends and neighbors - to be a peacemaker and not a relationship breaker. I will pursue long-term friendships, preferring my brother in all circumstances and abstaining from prejudice. I covenant with my local church not to speak evil of my brother and not to sow seeds of discord, but to honor

Gods set authorities. I purpose to practice servanthood in the local church. I covenant with the Body of Christ at large to attempt to erase man-made lines of division in the Church. I purpose to relate to all Christians. He who calls my Father his Father, I will call brother. Signed Dated

The Covenant and Together is taken from the book Gods Dream Team, A Call to Unity by Tommy Tenney.

HAVE COURAGE
To be courageous means to be steadfastly minded, strong, established, fortified, prevailing, strengthened, made strong. Having courage doesnt mean that you dont face fears that sometimes seem overwhelming. It just means you believe that your God is bigger than all your fears. Its just that simple! Having courage means acting as if my God is bigger than any fear I may face. Scared Silent . . . Lets admit it! Sharing your faith with someone can be a frightening experience. Fear of embarrassment, concern

that we dont have the right answers, doubts about our faith - these things can make it pretty tough. God said that He didnt give us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:8) The battle is won or lost in our mind. Fear invades the mind. Our thoughts overtake our reasoning. We become unable to rightly discern truth. Faith leaves! Bondage sets in! We have given ground to our adversary, the devil. He wants to immobilize us! He has. Fear is like . . . a blind man, in a dark room, looking for a black cat, that isnt there. How do we overcome our fears? By taking every thought captive before it runs its course. God has given us a safethinking mind. A mind for good judgment, disciplined thought patterns, and the ability to understand and make right decisions. When fear invades your thoughts, ask the Holy Spirit to invade with faith! Acts of courage are like snapshots, reminding us of what Jesus can do through a person. STEPHEN, a profile in courage

Throughout history, Christians have given their lives to carry the Gospel around the world. They died for the sake of the Gospel. It is important for us to remember, that a person cannot give his life for the Gospel until he has learned to live his life for the Gospel. Stephen was such a man. (Acts 6 and 7) We meet Stephen in the New Testament when he was appointed with others to manage the distribution of food among Christians in Jerusalem. Because many people lost jobs and belongings when they became a Christian, it became necessary for all Christians to share what they had with each other. Stephen and the others were asked to make sure that the available food was handed out fairly. Stephen did great wonders and miracles among the people. Just when Gods message was being preached in word and in deed and the number of disciples were on the increase, Stephen was harassed in the temple by several troublemakers who opposed him and his beliefs. He responded calmly and clearly. His wisdom confounded them. Stephen was hauled before the religious court where he used a summary of the Jews own history to show that Jesus was the Savior. The court was unable to answer him, so they decided to silence him. They stoned him to death while he prayed for their forgiveness. Stephens final words show how much he had become like Jesus in a such a short time. His death had a lasting effect on a young Paul, who would later change from a man who fiercely destroyed the faith to radically defending it. (Taken from Life Application Bible for Students.)

DEPEND ON JESUS Abiding in Christ is being connected to Jesus in a vital, living relationship. In John 15, Jesus teaches the disciples the importance of abiding. He establishes Himself as the vine and says that we are to be the branches connected to the vine. Jesus states, Abide in Me, as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in Me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from Me you can do nothing. (John 15:4-5) These are several ways to maintain an active, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. 1. SOLITUDE Setting aside time to be alone with Jesus is vital in developing an intimate relationship with Him. We see Jesus example in Luke 5:16 even He needed to withdraw to a deserted place and pray. There are two basic ways God communicates with us. One of the clear ways He speaks to us is through His Word. Another way is prayer, which provides an opportunity for us to speak with Him and Him with us.

2. OBEDIENCE/SURRENDER One cannot abide in Jesus without obeying His words. John 15:10 says, If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love. John 14:21states, They who have My commandments and keep them are the ones who love Me. And those who love Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love them and will reveal Myself to them. The only way were going to know Jesus and grow in our faith is byobeying His word out of our love for Him. 3. SERVICE The book Experiencing God, by Henry Blackaby and Claude King, states, It is impossible to be in relationship with God and not have a mission. Our God is always at work around us and invites us to join his work. Our mission is to serve those around us by communicating Christ to them. Questions About Abiding Place an X on the continuum of how well you know Jesus. (Hardly) 1 2 3 4 5 (Know very well)

How important is your relationship with Jesus? (Unimportant) 1 important) 2 3 4 5 (Very

Looking at how I spend my time, my personal time with Jesus is . . . (Low priority) 1 priority) I trust Jesus with . . . (Few things) things) 1 2 3 4 5 (Many 2 3 4 5 (High

What, if anything, needs to change. Are you willing to change? Then why not pray now!

TALK WITH GOD

God, when I pray, do I talk to you or with you? God, are you really listening to me? God, does prayer change things or does prayer change me? God, I am suppose to pray Your will be done. How do I know what Your will is? God, I am at a loss. I have so many questions. Teach me to pray! What if you could have a personal interview with the King or President of a country, how would you feel in anticipation of that meeting? What would you say? And then what if you learned that that person knew all about you and could even read your mind? At first, you would probably feel honored, privileged, and humbled. And you would choose your words carefully. But then, when you heard that he knew you well, no doubt you would be scared to death. Lets carry this one step further! Suppose you learned that this person thought you were very special, really liked you

a lot, and wanted the best for you. At this point you would probably feel relieved and yet excited about the meeting. Thats how it is with God! God is all-powerful (certainly much more powerful than any world leader). And God is all-knowing. He knows our thoughts, dreams, fears, and motives. In addition, God loves us and has only our good in mind. Through prayer, we can talk to Him about anything, at anytime. We should be eager and excited about those special times with the Creator of the universe. Prayer is an adventure! Prayer also takes faith! Prayer takes faith. . . that God is listening. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their prayers. (1 Peter 3:12) He hears the prayers of the righteous. (Proverbs 15:29) Prayer takes faith. . . that God is receptive. The prayer of the upright pleases Him. (Proverbs 15:8) Prayer takes faith. . . that God is responsive. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. (James 5:16) This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears uswhatever we askwe know that we have what we asked of Him. (1 John 5:14-15)

P.R.A.Y. P.R.A.Y. is a tool to help you pray! The acronym P.R.A.Y. stands for . . .

PraisewRepentwAskwYield
Begin your prayer time with PRAISE! Psalm 100:4 says to Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.

Praise
This is the exciting part. God is so awesome that He deserves our highest honor. When we worship God we are moved from thinking about ourselves to centering our whole being on Him and His excellence. Praise moves us into Gods presence. The Bible says He dwells in the praises of His people! He makes Himself present with us when we lift Him up to His rightful positionabove all else! Almighty, Sovereign Lord, You are worthy of my highest praise! I join all creation in giving glory to Your majesty. Every day I will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness. (Psalm 145:7) For You alone are worthy to receive all glory and praise! May all the peoples of the

earth worship You, the one true God, and Christ Jesus, the one whom You sent. Give me an undivided heart that I may fear Your name. I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify Your name forever. For great is your love toward me . . . (Psalm 86:11-13)

Repent
This is the serious part. Repent means to have a change of mind about your sin. Another way to say it is to turn away from your sin - never to do it again! We have all missed the mark and have done things that are against God. Yet God is always willing to forgive our sin and cleanse us from every wrong when we confess our sin to Him (1 John 1:9). After we have done this, we have His promise that He will forgive us. Then, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we resolve with all our heart to turn away from our sin. Psalm 145:8 says, The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. Forgiving Father, I have sinned against You by ____________________ (fill in the blank). Thank You that when I confess my sins, You are faithful and just and will forgive me of my sins. Thank you for Your mercy, and I receive Your forgiveness.

Give me strength to say no when I am tempted again and show me the way out. I trust in You, and its to You I look for strength! Next comes the time to petition God for our needs as well as for the needs of others.

Ask
This is the powerful part. Weve moved into Gods presence with praise and worship, and have removed all obstacles between us and God. Now we can present our needs to Him as well as the needs of others. His Word promises that He will not only listen but He will answer! He will always answer according to His timing and will. Heavenly Father, I know that You will answer me when I call to You. With confidence I present my needs and the needs of others to You. (List those needs.) I know that You are the God of the impossiblenothing is too big or too hard for You. Give me persistence in prayer, a heart of faith, and a spirit that waits on You. Thank You that You are my provider, my hope and my help. I await Your answer with expectancy.
Yield means to give up to anotheryour rights, your will, your desires; to submit, defer, relinquish.Yield

Yield
This is the peaceful part. Yielding to God becomes easier as we see God work mightily on our behalf. We become convinced of His great love and care for us, and we know that He will always do what is best for usalways! When we pray, we trust God that His answer and His timing will be perfect for every situation we face. As we continue to surrender ourselves to Him, God will work in us as well as through us. Loving God, I give myself wholly to You. Be the Lord of my life. Rule and reign in my heart. I want to decrease so that You might increase. I surrender all! I have total trust and confidence in You, knowing that You have my best interest at heart. Teach me to pray for what I should, not what I want. Now, write your own prayer using P.R.A.Y. Dear Father in heaven, ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________

YOUR STORY The High Points Relationship is a bridge to Christ. listen listen listen It is important that we learn their story, things that theyve experienced in their lives. The way we learn their story is through dialogue: by listening and asking questions. Evangelism is more about listening than telling. Jesus demonstrated the art of listening with the woman at the well. Jesus, through a series of questions, created a safe place for a woman to share her story. Her struggles became a doorway Jesus used to introduce Himself. Through conversation about herself, she became open to seeing Jesus for who He is. For most of that conversation, Jesus was not telling a story. He was listening to her story. There are two parts of Your (Their) Story to listen for: 1. What is happening in their life. 2. What is lacking in their life. If we listen well, we will understand better what is missing in their life, things like love, purpose, friendship, forgiveness, hope, reconciliation with another person, identity, fulfillment, and so on. If we find out what is missing, we may discover how to connect their story with Jesus story.

Listening to people builds relationship with them. The Holy Spirit can use that relationship to communicate the Gospel. Some recent statistics show that 78% of people come to Christ through a friend. A relationship is a good bridge to Christ. Listening to people also helps show that you love them. Someone has said, I dont care how much you know, until I know how much you care. One of the greatest gifts you can give someone is to listen to their story - with understanding of where he is and what he has been through, without interrupting or correcting. Listening to a person also builds credibility as you begin to talk about your story and Jesus story. God may not want you to tell the whole story at one time. He may want it shared over a period of days or even weeks. This is why a continued relationship is so important. Allow the Holy Spirit to simply guide you through your conversations. When someone accepts Jesus Christ as Savior, evangelism isnt over! Evangelism also includes discipleship. The commitment to evangelism is a commitment not to abandon a new believer. We must find someone (if we cant do it), to move alongside who will guide, mentor, teach and model Gods truth. Evangelism is one person telling another person about Jesus.

Three Story Evangelism Think of the three stories Gods Story, My Story, Your Story as different circles. At the beginning of a relationship, the circles probably dont touch. As the relationship grows, those circles get closer together and begin to overlap.

Your circle and their circle will probably overlap first. As you begin to introduce Jesus story, His circle will begin to overlap theirs. The more these circles overlap, the more the lost person will understand the power and the relevance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ . . .until His story becomes a part of their story.

talk to God continues . . . prayer evangelism Have you ever wondered where prayer began? Or why it is that we need to pray? All our questions can be answered from Gods Word. So, lets start at the beginning of the story, Gods story. Genesis 1 Then God said, Let us make man in our image, in our likeness. (Genesis 1:26) The Good News The Hebrew word for image (tsalem) is the concept of a shadow. The word likeness in Hebrew (demuwth) is to compare. Adam was similar to, or comparable to God. When creation looked at Adam, they were supposed to see God. God was to be recognized in humans so that humans could accurately represent Him. God chose, from the time of creation, to work through humans, not independent of them. Without giving away ownership, God gave rulership of creation to humankind . . . and let them rule over the fish, birds of the air, over livestock, over all the earth . . . (Genesis 1:26). The Hebrew word for rule is mashal or manager, steward, governor, mediator, or go-between. Adam represented God with full authority and was to manage and rule for Him (Psalm 115:16).

The Bad News Genesis 2:1-7 describes the fall of humankind. Adam sinned and fell short of the glory of God. The Greek word for glory (doxa) is the concept of recognition. God was no longer recognized in fallen humankind. So complete and final was Adams authority over the earth that he, not just God, had the ability to give it away to another. Adam gave away the earths dominion to Satan. (Jesus called Satan the ruler of this world three times in the Gospel of John12:31; 14:30; 16:11) The Good News again So complete and final was Gods decision to do things on earth through human beings that it cost God His Son to regain what Adam gave away. God became one of us. Though God is sovereign and all-powerful, Scripture clearly tells us that He limited Himself, concerning the affairs of earth, to working through humans. He limited Himself and became man. Jesus is the image of the invisible God . . .For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him (Colossians 1:15;19). He came to represent God to the world. He came to save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). He came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). He came to take back authority. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me (Matthew 28:18). This power and authority He now gives to us, His followers. When Jesus had called the Twelve together, He gave them power and authority to

drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and He sent them out to preach the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick (Luke 9:1). In Luke 10:19, Jesus speaks to His disciples saying, I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. Christs Authority Our authority comes from being sent ones, ones who represent Jesus. A representative is a sent one. Sent ones have the authority, as long as they represent the sender. The importance or emphasis is not on the sent one but on the sender. As long as we function in that capacity, we function in Christs authority. And, in essence, were not really doing the works, He is! For example, an ambassador representing one nation to another is a sent one. He has no authority of his own, but is authorized to represent the authority of the nation sending him. Did you know . . . all are born under the power of Satan, living in darkness, in the kingdom of darkness. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to

God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins . . . (Acts 26:18). . . . the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. (1 John 5:19) Did you know . . . all are born blinded to the Gospel. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Corinthians 4:3,4) The word veil in the Greek (kalupsis) means to hide, cover up, wrap around. The word blinded (tuphloo) means to dull the intellect. From the same root comes a word (tuphoo) that is used for being high-minded, proud or inflated with self-conceit. There is a definite connection between blindness and pride. Sometimes we talk people into a salvation prayer without true illumination or revelation (unveiling), but there is no real change. The reason is that there is no true biblical repentance which only comes from biblical revelation. Repentance means to have a new knowledge or understanding a change of mind. Did you know . . . Jesus came to defeat the works of Satan. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devils work. (1 John 3:8) Did you know . . . Jesus gave believers a weapon to war for the souls of man.

1 Timothy 2:1-4I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone . . . [God] wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of truth. The Hebrew word for intercession is paga, which means to meetwe meet with God asking Him to meet with someone else. Intercessors meet with God; they also meet the powers of darkness. Jesus calls us to go-between God and humanity for the purpose of reconciling the world to Him, and between Satan and humanity for the purpose of enforcing the victory of Calvary. Prayer : A Weapon of Warfare . . . the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. (1 John 5:19) Fight the good fight! Put on the full armor! The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world! These admonitions from Scripture reveal the truth about the invisible, but raging battle the human race faces. The whole world lies in the grip of the enemy. It is not a battle that can be fought on human terms. It is a spiritual battle and must be fought with weapons of divine power for . . . we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. (2 Corinthians 10:3-4) A stronghold is a place from which to hold something strongly. Satan has a place of strength within unbelievers from which he can hold on to them strongly.

The passage in 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 says that the god of this world (Satan) has placed a veil or covering over the minds of unbelievers that keeps them from clearly seeing the light of the gospel. It is important to know they dont see the Gospel because they cant see it. They dont understand it because they cant understand it. What unbelievers hear is filtered through a belief systema veilthat causes them to hear something totally different. This means that unbelievers dont hear what we are saying, they hear what we are saying plus what they already believe. The fourth verse of 2 Corinthians 4 clearly states this: that they might not see the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. They simply do not see the same image of Christ as we do. Armed with the weapon of prayer comes the divine power to demolish these strongholds. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5) Speculationslogismos. This word speaks of their accumulated reasoning, wisdom or logic. Logismos is the sum total of the accumulated wisdom and information learned over time. It becomes what one really believes. High thing (KJV)hupsoma. The word means any elevated place or thing and is the same root word for Most High God.

 Thoughtnoema. This word means plans, schemes, devices or plots. It refers to the spontaneous thoughts and temptations Satan uses to assault unbelievers, as well as the schemes and plans he uses to to keep them in darkness. In intercession we must boldly declare that no weapon of Satans will prosperthe weapon of speculations, the weapon of high things, and the weapon of thoughts. We must bind his plans and stand against them through prayer. We can and should pray that unbelievers be shielded from Satans thoughts and temptations. A Practical Application Pray the following for those who need Jesus. Insert their name in the blank. That God would lift the veil over and give revelation and enlightenment. For the Holy Spirit to hover over and protect . For godly people to be in s pathway. To cast down anything that would exalt itself against the knowledge of God, specifically pride and rebellion. (This is the hupsoma dimension of the stronghold.) To take down all known strongholdsthought patterns, opinions on religion, materialism, fear. (This is the logismos dimension of the stronghold.) To bind Satan from taking captive; to bind all wicked

thoughts and lies Satan would try to place in s mind. (These would be the noema aspect of the stronghold.) That the armor of God would be placed on . Our hope of unveiling the minds of those who are perishing so that they may see the true image of Christ (evangelism) is through the power of prayera divine weapon of warfare. Prayer, the Story Adam was supposed to represent God on planet Earth -managing, governing and ruling for Him. God told Adam what He wanted and Adam re-presented Him to the rest of the Earth. Adam was a go-between for God. Literally, Adam was Gods mediator on the Earth. Adam failed and God had to send another human called the last Adam to do what the first Adam was supposed to do and fix what the first Adam messed up. So Christ came to represent God on Earth. He became the mediator, going-between and re-presenting God to humanity. Christ came to earth to destroy the works of the enemy. His coming nullified the legal hold of Satan had over us and pronounced that we are no longer bound by his works. Jesus voided the contract!

Although Jesus FULLY accomplished the task of breaking the authority of Satan and voiding his legal hold upon the human race, someone on earth must represent Him in that victory and enforce it. This is where prayer comes in! We meet with God for the purpose of reconciling the world to the Father or we meet with the powers of darkness to enforce the victory of Calvary.

talk to God continues . . . prayer triplets

. . . no one is so poor as he for whom not a single soul is praying, he who has no one who takes him personally and persistently to God in prayer. -O. Hallesby

What is a Prayer Triplet? A Prayer Triplet is a team of three Christians committed to pray together regularly for friends who need to meet Jesus. You and your team agree to meet for 20 minutes on a weekly basis to pray for three friends each who need Jesus (nine friends total). Begin with a three-month commitment to pray together, and after that, renew the commitment. STEP 1 Find two friends that will commit to join you to pray for friends who need Jesus. Jesus made some specific promises to pairs and trios who pray. Find out for yourself in Matthew 18:19-20. Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:12 STEP 2 Each of you should write down the names of three friends with whom you want to share Jesus, and two friends with whom you can pray.

Three friends who need Jesus 1. 2. 3. Two friends to pray with 1. 2. STEP 3 Now that you and your friends have committed to Triplet Prayer, decide on a day, time (set aside 30 minutes), and a place to meet. STEP 4 Use the following guide to assist you during your Triplet Prayer time. The Triplet Prayer Guide emphasis three specific sections: (1) Spiritual Renewal (2) Prayer for the Lost and (3) Prayer for the World. After focusing on the center point, which is the worship of God, prayer then flows naturally to the other three areas.

1. Spiritual Renewal for Yourself and Your Church The goal is to pray that your group will know Jesus better and become more like Him. This is when the needs within your group can be prayed for. Your focus then should switch to the renewal of the Body of Christ in your city and your nation. 2. Salvation of Your Friends Each member should pray for three non-Christian friends. This means that the team will be praying, by name, for the salvation of nine people. Remember what you learned about praying for people who dont know Jesus. Begin by asking God to intervene in the lives of your friends, reconciling them to Himself. Then boldly declare that no weapon of Satans will prosperthe weapon of speculations, the weapon of high things, and the weapon of thoughts. Bind his plans and stand against them in the Name of Jesus. Pray also that your friends be shielded from Satans thoughts and temptations. 3. Pray for the World The group should pray for the worldwide work of God through His church. The team should choose three countries of the world in which to focus their prayers. The more you know about these countries, the more clearly you can pray. Worship: Praise God for His greatness. Use a Psalm or sing a praise song. Thank God for what He means to you. Thank God for the privilege of praying.

1. Prayer for one another: We pray . . . (choose one verse to pray through each time you meet) that we will love God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength. (Mark 12:30) that we will love our neighbor as our self. (Mark 12:31) that God will enable us to speak the Word with great boldness and great power. (Acts 4:29) that God will fill us with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. (Colossians 1:9) that we will live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way; bearing much fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that we may have great endurance and patience, joyfully giving thanks to the Father. (Colossians 1:10-12) that God will give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation so that we may know Him better. (Ephesians 1:17) that God will strengthen us with power through the Holy Spirit in our inner being so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith. We pray that we, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge; that we may be filled to the measure of the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:14-19) that God will cause us to live by the Spirit so that we will not gratify the desires of our sinful nature. (Galatians 5:16)

 that God will help us to give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord. (1 Corinthians 15:58b) that God will let no sin rule over us. (Psalm 119:133) that we will remain in Christ, bearing much fruit, showing ourselves to be Christs disciples. (John 15:4; 8) that we will live to praise Him. (Psalm 119:171) 2. Prayer for 9 (3X3) friends: We pray that our friends (name them) . . . will be drawn to Jesus. (John 6:44) will be saved. (Romans 10:1) will not be blinded from the truth by Satan. (2 Cor. 4:4) will seek to know God. (Acts 17:27) will be convicted of sin and guided in all truth by the Holy Spirit. (John 16:8, 13) will repent of their sin and turn to God. (Acts 3:19) will humbly seek Christ. (John 7:37-38) 3. Prayer for the World (choose three countries to pray for) We pray . . . for the salvation of those not yet reached with the Gospelthat God would draw them to His Son. (John 6:44) for Gods blessing, peace, protection, encouragement and growth for those who know Jesus, and that the Holy Spirit will enable them to fulfill their redemptive purpose. (Colossians 1:9-14; Psalm 5:11; Psalm 10:17; Philippians 2:13; 4:6-7; Colossians 2:2-3; John 14:27; Titus 2:11-14)

We pray for the national leaders that they would . . . glorify God (Psalm 138:4-5) Father, reveal yourself to our leaders. May they come to hear Your Word again as if it were fresh from Your mouth, Lord. Help them live in wise humility so that they acknowledge Your greatness and come to openly thank You. act with God's wisdom (Daniel 2:20) Lord Jesus, grant our leaders Your wisdom. You have given them all the wisdom they have. Please grant them even more so that they can deal with difficult people and tough decisions with integrity and kindness.

follow Jesus (Mark 2:14) Lord Jesus, come near to our leaders today, right in the midst of their duties. Even though they may know things about You, call them again to become Your followers, Your disciples. Move them to follow You in radical ways. uphold righteousness

(Isaiah 11:2-4) King Jesus, put Your Spirit upon those who You have appointed to lead us. May they take a stand for justice and make every decision based on truth so that we can live in ways that are right in Your sight. hear the Word of God (Acts 13:7) Lord God, call to attention our leaders to hear Your Word. Send people into their lives to convey Gospel truth in relevant ways. walk in integrity (Proverbs 20:28) Lord, train our leaders in Your ways of dealing in integrity and in truth so that their leadership will be pleasing to You and establish a heritage of righteousness. love their family (Psalm 115:14) Father God, do good things in the family of our leaders. Strengthen their marriages. Bless them and their spouses so that they love their children with Your love. Lead their spouses and their children to follow Your Son, Jesus.
(Leaders Prayer Guide written by Steve Hawthorne, WayMakers. )

Take a minute to meet with God on anothers behalf. ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________

POWER EVANGELISM the story Did you know the moment you asked Jesus into your life, His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, came to live inside of you? Well, its true. When His story became a part of your story, Jesus Spirit came to reside with you. This story is about His Story, the Holy Spirits story. God exists in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Another name for this is the word trinity or three in one. Trinity is a hard concept to understand so we will use several illustrations to help explain: Have you ever thought how unique an egg really is? It is one yet has three separate parts - the white, the shell, the yoke. Each part is distinctively different. WATER ICE STEAM They are one in the same. They have the same property but are distinctly different. BODY SOUL SPIRIT Together they make up one person. Yet, each is distinctly different. While these examples can in no way explain the TRINITY, the understanding of three in one is present in each example.

The word TRINITY says: God is one in His essential being, but the divine essence in three forms (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), each constituting a Person, yet in such a way that the divine essence is wholly each Person. (The New Bible Dictionary -JD Douglas) Now lets put it in language easily understandable. Just like H2O can take the form of three distinct properties, so it is with God. God exists in three distinct forms - God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit; each being a Person yet, each Person being God. God the Father is unique to His Fatherhood. God the Son is unique to His Sonship and His humanness. God the Holy Spirit is unique to His works. Now that you are closer to understanding the Trinity, lets take a look at the Person of Holy Spirit. He is a Person. He is named the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, Comforter, Counselor. He is spirit - you cannot see Him. He is holy because He is God and God is holy. He is fully God. He was always. He is eternal with no beginning or end.

In the beginning He was there. . . . and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. (Genesis 1:2) Throughout the Old Testament, He was there. He equipped those for service by giving skills for duty, like craftsmanship(Exodus 31:3); leadership (Judges 3:10); physical prowess (Judges 14:6). He inspired the prophets, and through the prophets foretold the coming of the Messiah. In the New Testament, He is there. The Spirit was not to function fully within believers or towards the world the Son returned to the Father through the cross, the resurrection, and ascension. Christ Himself was the ever-present Counselor (advocate) and ever-present Comforter (strengthener) and not until His departure would the other Comforter (Holy Spirit) be needed. So long as Christ could be His own interpreter and witness and could repeat His teaching to His disciples, there was no need of another to enlighten, to witness, and to bring Jesus words to remembrance. But Jesus leaving would necessitate the sending of the Spirit of the Father to undertake these duties among believers, and to accomplish the further tasks of convincing the world of sin in terms of unbelief in Christ and of judgment because of the verdict passed upon the prince of this world (Satan) in the death of Christ. (The New Bible Dictionary)

In other words . . . as long as Jesus was walking the earth, there was not the need for another to do His work. He was sufficient to accomplish His task. But when Jesus died and returned to heaven, He continued to do and to teach through another, the Holy Spirit - the third person of the Trinity. The Scriptures are full of references concerning the Holy Sprit. He is mentioned in every book except 2 John and 3 John. Why not look up some references on your own? A concordance (an alphabetical index of words in a book) will help you find verses corresponding to the Holy Spirit. Look up Holy Spirit, choose a verse, read it, and write down something you learned about Him that you didnt know. I learned this about the Holy Spirit . . . ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________

Lets find out more about the Holy Spirit. He was there . . . when Jesus was conceived (Luke 1:26-35); baptized (Matthew 3:13-17); tempted (Matthew 4:1-11). Each of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) and Acts speaks of Jesus baptizing with the Holy Spirit. Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33; Acts 1:5 After Jesus' death, He came to His disciples and breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit." (John 20:22) In the book of John, chapter 14 through 16, Jesus tells much about the soon-coming Comforter - the Holy Spirit. Jesus called Him the Spirit of truth. (John 14:17) Jesus called Him the Counselor, whom the Father will send in My name, who will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (John 14:26) Jesus said that when the Counselor comes, whom He will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, He (Holy Spirit) will testify about Me (Jesus). (John 15:26) Jesus said that when He goes away, He will send the Counselor. (John 16:7) Jesus said when the Holy Spirit comes, He will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment. (John 16:8) Jesus said of the Spirit, He will guide you into all truth. He will not

speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is to come. (John 16:13) Just as Jesus was to bring glory to the Father (John 14:13), the Holy Spirit was to bring glory to the Son (John 16:14). "The Spirit jealously guards the honor of the Son and refuses to glory Himself." (Taken from The New Bible Dictionary) Jesus continues to tell of the Holy Spirit in the Book of Acts. He is speaking to His disciples, "But you will receive POWER when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8) The Holy Spirit comes to testify about Jesus. And when you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you, too, will testify about Jesus. Read chapters 1 and 2 of Acts to understand what POWER EVANGELISM is all about. Write down something new that you learned about the Holy Spirit. I learned this about the Holy Spirit . . . ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________

EVANGELISM WITH POWER Everyone wants POWER POWER POWER and usually for the wrong reasons. Many will forfeit their souls for power. Jesus says, "What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?" (Matthew 16:26) Many will forfeit money to gain power. "When Simon saw that the apostles by merely laying on hands conferred the Spirit, he pulled out his money, excited, and said, 'Sell me your secret! Show me how you did that! How much do you want? Name your price!' Peter said, 'Why thats unthinkable - trying to buy God's gift! You'll never be part of what God is doing by striking bargains and offering bribes. Change your ways - and now! Ask the Master to forgive you for trying to use God to make money. I can see this is a habit with you; you reek with money-lust. Acts 8:18-23 What was Simon's sin?

Did Simon have a "change of mind" about his sin after Peter confronted him? Read Acts 8:24.

What are some other things people will do to gain POWER?

Now let's look at POWER from God's perspective! POWER in the New Testament means dynamis or exousia in Greek. EXOUSIA means derived or conferred 'authority', the warrant or right to do something (Matthew 21:23-27); from this it comes to denote the bearer of authority on earth (Romans 13:1-3), or in the spirit world (Colossians 1:16)." (The New Bible Dictionary). In other words, exousia means authority. "DYNAMIS is the ability (2 Corinthians 8:3), or strength (Ephesians 3:16), or it may mean a powerful act (Acts 2:22), or a powerful spirit (Romans 8:38)." (The New Bible Dictionary). In other words, dynamis means dynamite. Jesus had all authority given Him by His Father (Matthew 28:18). He gave authority to His disciples (you and I) to become sons of God (John 1:12) and to share in His work (Mark 3:15).

POWER MINISTRY 1. Jesus began His ministry in Galilee in the power (dynamis) of the Spirit. (Luke 4:14) 2. Jesus did miracles of healing in the power of the Spirit. (Luke 5:17) "And the power of the Lord was present for Him to heal the sick." 3. Jesus did mighty works in the power of the Spirit. (Matthew 11:20) What one happening in Jesus' life, or should I say death, best displayed the awesome POWER of the Spirit?
ANSWER: Jesus resurrected!

Christ being raised from the dead has always been a point of argument for those who don't believe. But for those who believe, the verdict is in - it was the POWER of the Spirit. "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in Me (Jesus) will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." (John 14:12) The word that comes to mind after reading this Scripture is unbelievable. Jesus said you and I would be doing greater works than He. But it would not happen until He went to be with the Father. Then He would send the Spirit.

List some things that Jesus did in His three years of ministry in the power of the Spirit. Look in the Gospels.

The Acts of the Holy Spirit Jesus said in John chapter 16, verse 7-11, "So let Me say it again, this truth: It's better for you that I leave. If I don't leave, the Friend (Holy Spirit) won't come. But if I go, I'll send Him to you. When He comes, He'll expose the error of the godless world's view of sin, righteousness, and judgment: He'll show them that their refusal to believe in Me is their basic sin; that righteousness comes from above, where I am with the Father, out of their sight and control; that judgment takes place as the ruler of this godless world is brought to trial and convicted." (Taken from The Message) In other words, Jesus' death ushered in the present ministry of the Spirit in the world: conviction of sin righteousness judgment so that salvation in Jesus Christ be made known to the uttermost parts of the earth.

Would you say that the very last words spoken from a person who is leaving this life would be VERY important words to remember? q YES q NO If so then take a look at Jesus' last words - Mark 16:15 and Acts 1:8. What does Jesus want of you?

To accomplish this BIG BIG BIG task, remember one thing. Jesus didn't leave you to do His work without help! He also didn't leave you powerless! Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to live BIG inside you so that He could continue His work through YOU! To better understand the power of the Holy Spirit, let's begin in the first chapter of Acts. Acts was written by historian Doctor Luke. He also wrote the Gospel of Luke. But remember it was God who inspired Luke to write every word (2 Timothy 3:16). The dominating theme of Acts is the ACTIVITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. Its historical value centers on Christianity's beginnings. Its detailed progress of the spread of the Gospel along the road from Jerusalem to Rome should be an encouragement to you as you see your inadequacy in preaching the Gospel to all the earth, and yet, see the awesome power of God to do just that.

Luke begins Acts by speaking of His former book (Luke) and its contents - what Jesus did (deeds) and what He taught (word). It continues with Jesus' resurrection, His forty days after His death, and Jesus' command to His disciples: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard Me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." (Acts 1:4-5) Jesus met again with His disciples and said, "You will receive POWER when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My WITNESSES in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8) After Jesus' ascension into heaven, you find His disciples joining together constantly in prayer in the upper room. Then the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. (Acts 2:1-4)

When the crowd heard the sound of the blowing wind, they gathered around the disciples and were astonished that the Jewish disciples were speaking in their own language. Peter, filled with the Spirit, addressed the crowds that gathered. He began speaking the words of the prophet Joel. "In the last days, God says, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on your servants, both men and women, I will pour out My Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. (Acts 2:17-18). And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Acts 2:21) Peter boldly proclaimed Jesus as the Christ, the Anointed One, by the POWER of the Holy Spirit. Read his salvation message in Acts 2:22-41. Let's outline the message: Jesus of Nazareth was accredited by God through miracles, wonders, and signs. Jesus was handed over to wicked men by God's set purpose and foreknowledge and was put to death on the cross. God raised Jesus from the dead and exalted Him to His right hand in heaven. Jesus received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and poured out His Spirit. Salvation message: REPENT! Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the

forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Acts 2:38 It says that the people were cut to the heart and those who accepted the message were baptized and about three thousand were added to their number that day. The disciples spoke with boldness, spoke with clarity, spoke under the POWER of the Holy Spirit and numbers believed. They were WITNESSES of the truth. After another prayer meeting, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. Their prayer was "enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus." (Acts 4:29-31). With great power the apostles continued to testify (witness) to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all." (Acts 4:33) "The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people." (Acts 5:12) The apostle Paul, while ministering in Thessalonica, said, "For our Gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance." (1 Thessalonians 1:5)

The model of ministry throughout the Book of Acts is through both word and deed. WORD - preaching sound doctrine POWER - demonstrating the truth ASSURANCE - boldness; ministering with deep conviction What one thing have you learned about the Holy Spirits power that you didnt know! I learned this about the Holy Spirit . . . ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ Prayer Father, I am understanding more about evangelism - the need for prayer, the need to learn the plan of salvation, the need for being filled with the Spirit, the need for the Holy Spirit's power. Come and fill me, come empower me, come and teach me for I desire to be Christ's ambassador to the world, beginning where I live. Amen.

GOD, you and the adversary We have heard Gods Story. The adversary, the devil has a story too. Before getting into GOD, you and the adversary, lets find out more about this character called the adversary. In the beginning Lucifer, now known as Satan, was created by God (Ezekiel 28:15a); a model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty (Ezekiel 28:12b); anointed as a guardian cherub (Ezekiel 28:14); blameless in all his ways (Ezekiel 28:15) . . . until wickedness was found in him. His heart became proud on account of his beauty and his wisdom became corrupt because of his splendor. (Ezekiel 28:17) Lucifer tried to make himself like the Most High God. (Isaiah 14:12-15) Because of his rebellion, he was expelled from heaven and cast to earth. The devil first appears in the Garden of Eden (Ezekiel 28:13: Genesis 3) in the form of a serpent. His plan was to deceive mankind into thinking they could be like God. Remember God told Adam you are free to eat from any tree in the garden but you must NOT eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die. Eve was unsuspecting of the serpents craftiness. He abruptly said to Eve, Did God really say, You must not eat from any tree in the garden? Eve quickly corrected the serpent. Then to make matters worse, the serpent challenged the very words of God. You will not surely die.

For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God . . . Isnt that why Satan was cast from heaven? Only God is the Most High. God is omniscient (allknowing); omnipotent (all powerful); omnipresent (everpresent); sovereign (having sole authority). Satan is limited . . . limited in his ability, knowledge, works, and power. Yet, even within these limits, he continues, to this day, to wage war. He aggressively opposes Gods will and plans for mankind. In carrying out his opposition, the devil employs the services of other spirits (demons), who are obedient to him. These spirits, who made up a third of the angelic beings, joined Satan in his rebellion against God and were also expelled from heaven. The adversarys primary strategy is: to prevent mankind from being reconciled to God through His Son, Jesus Christ. The adversarys secondary strategy is: to harass (fight) those who have denounced his rule. You learned more about the adversarys story of destruction. Now for GOD, you and the adversary . . . The next several pages will focus on the following: Who God is Who your adversary is Who your authority is

What authority has been given you What weapons of warfare have been given you Who God is The Name of God is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and are safe. (Proverbs 18:10) And those who know Your Name will trust in You . . . (Psalm 9:10) For You have been my refuge, a strong tower against my foe. (Psalm 61:3) Knowing God is central to spiritual warfare. Faith increases in the discovery of knowing who God is. Fear increases in the absence of knowing who God is. How the Lord desires that you know Him better and that you might trust in Him! Proverbs 3:5 says to "Trust in the Lord with all your heart." Trust in Hebrew is batach and means to be confident, sure, and secure. Yet, how can you trust in someone you do not know? Would you agree that confidence (faith, belief, dependence) increases when you get to know someone better? God took upon Himself to name Himself so that we would know Him better. In other words, God revealed to us His character, His attributes, and His nature through His names.

(The Names of God below are taken from the book Lord, I Want to Know You by Kay Arthur.) Elohim (Creator) The name Elohim designates God as God (Creator). Deuteronomy 10:17 says, "The Lord your God (Elohim) is God of gods . . ." "El" means mighty or strong; "him" is a plural ending that indicates three or more (Godhead-Father, Son, Holy Ghost). El Elyon (The Most High God) The name El Elyon indicates God as the sovereign ruler of all the universe. Its meaning is the "Most High God." El Roi (The God who sees) The name El Roi tells us of a God who sees. El Shaddai (The All-Sufficient One) The name El Shaddai means the All-Sufficient One. The thought expressed in the name Shaddai describes power, but it is the power, not of violence, but of allbountifulness. He is God Almighty. Adonai (Lord, Master) The name Adonai denotes God as "Lord and Master." The word Lord indicates relationship with the emphasis on a master/servant relationship (possession/ submission).

Jehovah (The Self-Existent One) The name Jehovah is derived from the word havah which means to be, to become. Jehovah speaks of God's being or essence. Self-existent One describes this Name for God. Jehovah-jireh (The Lord Provides) The name Jehovah-jireh tells us The Lord will provide. He has provided for our redemption through the great sacrifice of His Son. And He will give further provision to those He has redeemed. Jehovah-rapha (The Lord that Heals) The name Jehovah-rapha describes The Lord who heals. The One who is the Great Physician heals you of sin, heals a broken heart, heals diseases, heals lands, cures the mind, pardons the soul. Jehovah-nissi (The Lord my Banner) The name Jehovah-nissi tells us The Lord is My Banner. Only by abiding under His banner, standard, ensign of Jehovah-nissi can you have victory over the flesh, the world, and the devil. Jehovah-mekoddishkem (The Lord Sanctifies) The name Jehovah-mekoddishkem means The Lord sanctifies you. The word sanctify means to set apart with holiness as its requirement.

Jehovah-shalom (The Lord is Peace) The name Jehovah-shalom reveals Himself as The Lord is peace. He is the One who gives peace regardless of the circumstances. Jehovah- sabaoth (The Lord of Hosts) The name Jehovah-sabaoth means The Lord of Hosts. Sabaoth is used to refer to a host of angels or heavenly bodies, a celestial army, or to all the earth contains. Until God's people find themselves failing and impotent in the face of trial do we realize our need to run to our Jehovahsabaoth. Jehovah-raah (The Lord My Shepherd) The name Jehovah-raah is The Lord my Shepherd. There is no want for those whose Shepherd is Jehovah. Jehovah-tsidkenu (The Lord Our Righteousness) The name Jehovah-tsidkenu is The Lord our righteousness. God made His Son who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22). By believing in Him, you are made His righteousness. Jehovah-shammah (The Lord is There) The name Jehovah-shammah means The Lord is there. His presence is there and indwells the believer. Did you know that God is: Eternal (Genesis 21:33) Ever-present (Jeremiah 23:23-24)

Infinite (without limits) (Isaiah 40:12-13) Sovereign (Daniel 4:25) All-knowing (Psalm 147:5) All-powerful (Luke 1:37) Everlasting (Isaiah 40:28) Did you know that Jesus is: the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15) the exact representation of His (Gods) being (Hebrews 1:3) the image of God (2 Corinthians 4:4) Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. (John 14:9) So if you are looking to know God better, read about His Son in the New Testament. Who your authority is God stands in authority over all He has created. Before the Son came to earth, He and the Father shared the same authority. But when He was sent to this earth, He forsook this authority, giving up His rights and becoming obedient to the will of God the Father (John 8:28). Because of His obedience, even unto death, Jesus regained His authority. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. (Matthew 28:18) The angels, authorities and powers are in submission to Him. (1 Peter 3:21-22)

You are under the authority of God and then under the delegated authority God has placed in your life (parents, boss, etc.). At no time should you rebel against either unless the latter has asked you to violate God's command or to trespass against the Person of Jesus Christ. All other rebellion would be an affront to God. What authority has been given you Jesus is the head over every power and authority (Colossians 2:9-10); Jesus is far above all rule and authority, power and dominion (Ephesians 1:21); Jesus became as much superior to the angels as the name He has inherited is superior to theirs (Hebrews 1:4). That makes Him above all else! Your authority is based on your relationship with Jesus Christ. You are a representative of His authority, not a substitute. While you are on the earth, you are to represent His divine authority. Make no mistake! All authority belongs to the Lord. We merely maintain the Lords authority here on earth, but we ourselves are not in authority. (Watchman Nee) This is worth repeating! Christs Authority Our authority comes from being sent ones, ones who represent Jesus. A representative is a sent one. Sent ones have the authority, as long as they represent the sender. The

importance or emphasis is not on the sent one but on the sender. As long as we function in that capacity, we function in Christs authority. And, in essence, were not really doing the works, He is! For example, an ambassador representing one nation to another is a sent one. He has no authority of his own, but is authorized to represent the authority of the nation sending him. As a sent one, you have been given authority to represent Him and enforce His victory. We have been given authority to overcome the enemy (Luke 10:17-20; 9:1-2) and to work hand-in-hand with Jesus towards the realization of His redemptive purposes on earth. Lets represent Him well! Who is your adversary He is limited in power. He is limited in knowledge. He is limited in presence. He is limited! Satan has limitations. He is a created being who is under the wrath of God, defeated at Calvary by Christ, and whose doom is eminent. And as a created being, he is limited in power (only God is all-powerful), limited in knowledge (only God is all-knowing) and limited in presence (only God is everywhere present). 1) Satan is limited in authority. Only God is sovereign.

Satan can act only within the limits God has imposed on him by the way God originally created him and by God's command. Satan could not touch Job (Job 1 and 2) or Peter (Luke 22:31), and he cannot touch you without God's permission. God tells him, 'Thus far and no further.' God will not let him touch you unless it would open the possibility of spiritual growth, blessing, and eternal reward. 2) Satan is limited in knowledge. Only God is infinite (boundless, endless) in knowledge. Satan often knows more of the future than you do, but often he does not know what people will say or do. He makes repeated mistakes. He has to depend on his demons to relay information, and he has taught them to deceive. Undoubtedly, they often deceive him. Satan cannot feed his false prophets correct information that he does not have, so they often make false prophesies. All fortune-tellers, astrology experts, and followers of the occult are repeatedly deceived. 3) Satan is limited in power. Only God has all power. Satan has great power, but all God needs to do is assign more angels to handle him. (Daniel 10:13) The One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world (1 John 4:4). Those who are with us (the angels) are more than the demons who are against us (2 Kings 6:16). Satan does not have enough power or authority to make a promise. God is the God of promise. There is no power in Satan's name. We have divine power in Jesus' Name.

4) Satan is limited in presence. Only God is everywhere present. Like all other created beings, Satan is never in more than one place at one time. Since Satan cannot be present with you often, if ever, he has to depend constantly on his demons. They have less power than he does. Each demon can only be in one place at a time. (Taken from Wesley L. Duewel's book, Mighty Prevailing Prayer.) What weapons of warfare have been given you Satans demise . . . Christs victory Jesus gained victory over the enemy at the cross. The cross robbed the enemy of his power (Colossians 2:15); destroyed the enemys works (1 John 3:8); destroyed him who holds the power of death - that is the devil (Hebrews 1:14). Jesus is victor but the wounded foe continues on. It says in 1 Peter 5:8 that Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. If our enemy is as ferocious as this verse says he is, then how do we defend ourselves against his onslaughts? When you yielded your allegiance to Jesus, you entered a spiritual battle, facing an invisible enemy. But you were not left alone to fight this battle for the battle is not yours but the Lords. (1 Samuel 18:47) The Word describes this battle in military metaphors. A Christian . . . * serves as a soldier. (2 Timothy 2:3)

* is urged to fight the good fight. (1 Timothy 1:18) * understands that the weapons of warfare are not the weapons of this world. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5) * puts on spiritual armor. (Ephesians 6:10-18) * recognizes who their adversary is. (Ephesians 6:12) * aggressively withstands, vigorously opposes, and bravely resists the plans and schemes of his adversary. (Ephesians 6:13) * resists the enemy, standing firm in the faith. (1 Peter 5:9) WEAPONS OF WARFARE Jesus didnt leave you disarmed to face the enemy in your power. No, He has given you weapons of warfare to combat the enemys wiles and schemes. Remember that "although we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds." (2 Corinthians 10:3-4) 1. YOUR SPIRITUAL ARMOR It says in Ephesians 6:11-17 - "Put on the full armor of God." Why??? "So you can take your stand against the devil's schemes." The armor is for your protection! So let's learn how to PRAY it on. (The following prayers are written by Mark Bubeck.) BELT OF TRUTH "By faith I reach out for the wholeness of Your armor. Heavenly Father, I receive the girdle of truth and by faith I wear it. Help me not to deceive or be deceived in any way." BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

"I wear the breastplate of righteousness. Having none of my own righteousness, I desire to walk in the adequate supply of Your righteousness." SHOES OF PEACE "Help me to walk in my shoes of peace. I claim my peace with God through prayer and the Holy Spirit's work and the near presence of the God of peace with me." SHIELD OF FAITH "Be my shield today, dear Lord. May Your presence hedge me in and quench all of Satan's flaming arrows." HELMET OF SALVATION "Helmet my head with Your salvation. May the Savior cover my mind to protect me from Satan's intruding thoughts. May the Lord Jesus Christ think His thoughts in my mind today. SWORD OF THE SPIRIT "I receive the Word of God as the Spirit's sword. Teach me to use it proficiently in my protection and in my witness. Help me to memorize and to know its power." I declare that I stand clothed in Jesus for He alone is my Truth, my Righteousness, my Peace, my Faith, my Salvation, and Living Word. In Jesus, I am clothed for battle. I resist the enemy by standing firm in the faith today. I ask You, Father, to deliver me from the evil one for I know he would want me to be a reproach to Your name. But I desire only to bring glory to Your Name in both word and deed. I need your protection from his ploys today. I submit myself to You and Your Lordship. Amen. 2. THE WORD OF GOD

"But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, 'The Lord rebuke you.'" The Word is a powerful tool. Begin to memorize the promises of God and His declarations over you, His child. The enemy loves to condemn you of your past failures, so when the enemy reminds you of your past, remind him of his future. 3. INVOKING THE NAME OF JESUS The power is in the Name of Jesus. "The seventy-two returned with joy and said, 'Even the demons submit to us in Your (Jesus') Name.'" Luke 10:17 4. OUR AUTHORITY IN CHRIST Christ gives you authority in His Name - Read Luke 9:1-2; 10:17-20. Check it out . . . In Luke 10:17-20, Jesus has given His disciples the authority to overcome the enemy but He wanted them to realize the more important thing. "do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." (Luke 10:20) 5. PRAISE AND PROCLAMATION -WORSHIP WARFARE We worship God, He defeats the enemy. Let's take a look at several uses of the word "praise" in both the Hebrew and Greek.

PRAISE - hillulim - praises, thanksgiving. (Lev. 19:24) PRAISE - todah - confession, thanksgiving. (Psalm 50:23) PRAISE - doxa - glory. (John 9:24) PRAISE - epainos - commendation. (Philippians 1:11) PRAISE - barak - to bless, declare praise. (Psalm 72:15) PRAISE - yadah - to stretch out the hand, confess. (Psalm 7:17) We praise God because He is worthy of our praise! He deserves it! And a great benefit of praise is that God inhabits or dwells in the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3, King James). He draws near with His presence as we praise Him. Declaring God's praises (through song, scripture reading, prayer, and proclamation) defeats the enemy! I will praise You with all of my heart. (Psalm 138:1) Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing praise to His Name for this is pleasant. (Psalm 135:3) Open the Bible to 2 Chronicles 20 and read the whole chapter. Focus on verse 22. The Lord set ambushes against their enemy while the people sang and praised their God. Check it out "God wants us to recognize that worship is an aggressive act in the spirit. Praise drives back the forces of darkness. It overcomes our fears and stirs new faith and hope. The

radical acts of worship in the above passage showed that Israel's confidence was in God, not in their military might. When we feel overwhelmed in the battle of life, we must focus our hearts and minds on God and on His greatness and sing out His praises. As we do, we're unleashing the most powerful weapon on earth." (CSB Bible) 6. PRAYER You can demolish strongholds of the enemy through prayer, through praise, through the Name of Jesus, and by the authority given you. In 2 Kings 6:8-18, Elisha prayed to God that his servant be able to see with "spiritual eyes" the multitude of angels surrounding them. They were facing annihilation. Elisha said to his servant (verse 16), "'Don't be afraid. Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.' And Elisha prayed, 'O Lord, open the servant's eyes so he may see.' Then the Lord opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha." Much prayer, much power! 7. POWER IN THE BLOOD Revelation 12:11 declares They overcame him (the accuser, your adversary, the devil) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.

We overcome our enemy by appropriating the victory of the finished work of Christ, and by the public confession of our faith and patient endurance even in the face of martyrdom. (Spirit Filled Life Bible) Now . . . be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power! (Ephesians 6:10)

Prayer Discipleship It could be that discipleship is not something you are comfortable with. If so, you should find someone who is capable of mentoring the new believer. Look to your youth leader/YFC staff person/ pastor/ mature Christian to help in this process. Even if discipleship is not for you, why not invest in the new believers life by committing to pray for him/her? The Apostle Paul continually prayed for new believers. Let's learn from him. EPHESIANS' PRAYERS Paul says that he had not stopped giving thanks for the Ephesians (those who had placed their faith in the Lord Jesus), and always remembered them in his prayers. PRAYER 1 - Ephesians 1:16 Begin by giving thanks for the new believer(s). PRAYER 2 - Ephesians 1:17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that (he/she) may know Him better. PRAYER 3 - Ephesians 1:18-19 I pray also that the eyes of s heart may be enlightened in order that (he/she) may know the hope to which He has called (him/her), the riches of (his/her)

glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe. PRAYER 4 - Ephesians 3:16-17 I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen with power through His Spirit in 's inner being, so that Christ may dwell in 's heart through faith. PRAYER 5 - Ephesians 3:17-19 And I pray that , being rooted and established in love, may have the power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. PHILIPPIANS' PRAYERS Again, Paul begins the Book of Philippians by thanking God for them and praying with joy for their partnership in the Gospel. PRAYER 1 - Philippians 1:3 Begin by giving thanks for the new believer and your partnership in the Gospel. PRAYER 2 - Philippians 1:9-11 And this is my prayer: that 's love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ - to the glory and praise of God.

COLOSSIANS' PRAYERS Paul begins the Book of Colossians by saying, "We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus" PRAYER 1 - Colossians 1:9 I pray that God would fill with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. PRAYER 2 - Colossians 1:10 And I pray this in order that may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully give thanks to the Father, who has qualified to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. PRAYER 3 - Colossians 1:23 I pray that continues in (his/her) faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the Gospel. PRAYER 4 - Colossians 2:6 I pray that just as has received Christ Jesus as Lord, that (he/she) will continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith, and overflowing with thankfulness. PRAYER 5 - Colossians 3:1 Since is raised with Christ, may set (his/her) heart on things above, where Christ is seated at

the right hand of God. And may (his/her) mind be set on things above, not on earthly things. PRAYER 6 - Colossians 4:3 And I pray that God may open a door for 's message, so that may proclaim the mystery of Christ. And I pray that may proclaim it clearly. PRAYER 7 - Colossians 4:12 May be a wrestler in prayer for others. May (he/she) stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. GALATIANS' PRAYERS PRAYER 1 - Galatians 5:22 I pray that will live by the Spirit, keep step with the Spirit, and be filled with the Spirit. May the fruit of the Spirit increase: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. PRAYER 2 - Galatians 6:8 May sow to please the Spirit. PRAYER 3 - Galatians 5:18 I pray that will be led by the Spirit so that (he/she) will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

God thought it VERY important to document Paul's prayers. Find other prayers in the Scriptures that you can pray for new believers.

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