An Engaged Witness:

Prays for the Lost: We cannot save people. However, our God can. Our goal should be to align ourselves with His plan to redeem the lost around us. We accomplish that alignment with Prayer.

Care for the Lost: People don’t care what you know until they know that you care. We must care for the lost in the same manner that Jesus did. We see that Jesus cared for the lost by seeing them and their needs, valuing them as His lost sheep, and pursuing them with intentional relationship.

Share with the Lost: We cannot share the Gospel without verbally communicating the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. To effectively share with the lost we must share our lives, our testimony, and the Gospel message.

 PRAY FOR THE LOST

One way that we engage in the mission of God to be effective witnesses is to pray for the lost. We see throughout the book of Acts the disciples prioritizing prayer in their lives.  Instance after instance we see the early church turning to prayer in their pursuit of taking The Gospel to ends of the earth.  Why? Because they realized that they needed the guidance and direction of God in order for them to fulfill the mission given to them by God.

Yet, so often, we neglect this vitally important aspect of our lives.  We must be people who prioritize prayer in our lives. Below are three areas that should be in prayer when it comes to being a witness.

In this section you can find a few resources to help you kick-start praying for the lost in your life.

1. Up to the right, you’ll find 4 prayer walking videos. Use these videos to pray for the lost in that specific neighborhood, in Urbandale, in the High School, and in our state. You could also use them to get a feel for prayer walking and then prayer walk areas you are in – your neighborhood, your school, or even your office building.
2. Below that is a guide to help you get a better understanding of prayer walking and how to do that.
3.  Then right below this is a Scripture prayer guide that can help you pray for the lost you know by name. Read the Scripture, and then read the prayer inserting the names of the lost in the blanks.

Let’s seek to be engaged in being effective witnesses by prioritizing prayer in our lives, and watch as God begins to align our thoughts, words, and actions with His mission to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

CARE FOR THE LOST

Caring for the lost is one the hardest aspects of being an engaged witness. So often we get so caught up in our own lives, that we fail to see those around us who have needs. However, we cannot deny that the church in Acts went out of their way to care for others.  They did so because that is exactly what Jesus did.

Through the life ministry, and practices of Jesus we saw that He truly cared for the lost. How did He accomplish that? Well it began with prayer. However, We also see through the Gospel that He saw the people around them, the needs they had, and had compassion on them.  Why? Because He ultimately saw their value – being created in the image of God.  However, what He saw and the value they had drove Jesus to action – healing the sick and casting out demons, but also drove Him to die on the cross for the lost.

As followers of Christ and engaged witnesses for the Gospel we too must care for the lost in our lives.  We must be aware of the people around us, see them and their needs, have compassion on them, and then be driven to action. However, we can’t do that unless we know them. We can’t know them, unless we have margin in our lives to do that. And we can’t care for the lost unless we have eyes to see them, and the priority of being an engaged witness.

1. A great way to begin caring for the lost is in the lives of those around you. You could invite a family over for dinner, a group of people to cookout in your back yard, invite all of your neighbors to a get together in your driveway, or your co-workers to coffee & donuts in the break room. Choose something along those lines, and begin learning their names. To the right, you’ll see a picture of one of our congregation members front yard ice cream socials. All you need are invites, a couple boxes of ice cream sandwiches, and you’re ready! You can request custom invite cards by filling out the form below the picture, or simply print your own by following the button below that.
2. Another great resource to begin caring for your neighbors can be found at www.blesseveryhome.com. This tool allows you to learn your neighbors names, track how you’ve prayed for, cared for, and shared with them, and even allows you to receive reminders in your journey as an engaged witness in your neighborhood.

SHARE WITH THE LOST:

Share your life

Sharing with the lost really involves three dynamics:

1. Sharing your life
2. Sharing your testimony
3. Sharing the gospel

Sharing your life doesn’t need to be complicated – simply identify lost people in your life and invest some time with them. Don’t forget to be praying for them along the way and asking the Spirit for help and opportunities to share!

• Identify lost people in your life. Make a list on a piece of paper and write down the names of 5-10 lost people in the following categories: family, friends, work, neighborhood, school, club/hobby group. Begin praying for those people!
•  Invest in these people by spending time together. Do whatever you think makes sense: grab coffee/lunch, watch a game together, enjoy an outdoor sports activity, invite to a game night or fire pit, etc. Download the Identify / Invest worksheet below.
• Challenge: spend 2-5 hours this week investing in one or multiple relationships with lost people in your sphere of influence.

SHARE YOUR TESTIMONY

Sharing your testimony doesn’t have to be complicated or intimidating. Watch this 3-minute video from Pastor Brett on how to share your personal testimony with someone else. You can also download the worksheet below.

• Challenge: share your personal testimony 10 times this week!

SHARE WITH THE LOST

Sharing the gospel doesn’t have to be complicated either! There are many great methods for sharing the gospel, and you can explore them below. The important thing is that you are prepared to share the gospel with clarity and confidence regardless of which method is easiest for you. Watch Pastor Brett demonstrate the 3 Circles presentation and download the worksheet using the button below.

• Challenge: share the gospel 3 times this week!
• Challenge: share one of the “Gospel Videos” on your social media platforms