Ready for a trip? Then zap the QR code!

QR Code CardsWe love to hear from believers who are serious about sharing the gospel message. We get encouraged when they explain how they are sharing the good news with the people in their communities. The other day, Laura* called our office to ask for help.

I talk to lots of young people all the time. I ask them if they know much about the Bible. Many don’t. I ask if they are interested in learning about the Bible. Some of them are curious! But I don’t always have a book on hand that I can give to them. I wonder if you can help me make one of those code squares, the kind they zap with their smartphones and it opens a website.

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MUSA’nın yazılarından başlayarak … now available for download

MUSA’nın yazılarından başlayarak …It’s been in print in Turkey for some time now, but today we are making the Turkish edition of And Beginning with Moses… available as a free PDF download on our website.

And Beginning with Moses… is our primer on sharing the gospel following the example of Jesus on the road to Emmaus. It details the challenges we face in communicating the gospel in today’s culture, including issues like:

  • Syncretism
  • Being too brief
  • Assuming too much of your listener
  • Not covering the essentials of the gospel

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This book was good… and necessary

Hebrew Tabernacle

The exhibitor’s hall at the children’s education conference was quiet as the attendees were at their sessions. Carl,* a sixty-year-old security guard, was making his round of the booths. One particular exhibit caught his eye and he went for a closer look. He realized it was a model of the Hebrew Tabernacle. Daniel,* the GoodSeed staff manning the booth, greeted Carl and asked, “Are you familiar with the Tabernacle?”

Carl nodded hesitantly and replied, “I do have some idea.” Daniel picked up a copy of The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus and opened it to Chapter 9 to show Carl where the Tabernacle was explained in the book. Daniel took a few minutes to explain the significance of the Tabernacle—it was a visual aid that illustrated the work of Jesus Christ on the cross.

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The well-equipped carpet cleaner

carpet-cleaner

Bryan* owns a small carpet cleaning business. “It’s honest work that provides an income for my family,” he commented the other day when he stopped by the GoodSeed USA office to pick up some more Stranger books. His clients trust him to come into their homes and make their carpets fresh and clean once again. Bryan is well-equipped with a specialized truck, including a high-temperature vacuum machine. With plenty of elbow grease, he’s ready for anything.

Not only is Bryan prepared to clean any floor, he is also a well-equipped ambassador of Christ, always ready to share the gospel (1 Peter 3:15). He went on to say:

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Can I stretch the teaching of By This Name over a year?

Time stretchedQuestion:
I have a youth group that meets weekly. Can I use By This Name to teach over the course of a year?

Answer:
By This Name works very well with youths and young adults. It addresses many questions that they may have arising from New Age thinking, postmodernism and secularism.

In our teaching experience, and based on feedback from others who have taught it, we believe that By This Name works best when it is taught in as short a time as possible. This doesn’t mean you rush through the book but we would not encourage you to extend the study over a long period. This is because the gospel message is, in reality, a story—God’s Story. When it becomes stretched out—say over a year—the Story of God becomes a series of disjointed narratives.

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Lord, where would you have me use these tools?

Praying handsThe warm spring sunshine lit the windows of the church fellowship hall. Nestled among a group of 50 or more TERM Seminar participants, Marie* felt a growing sense of anticipation. She had spent three days learning how to share the gospel, concluding with hands-on experience in guiding a course. Now, she had been won over by how simple it was to use the Worldview Rethink curriculum to lead someone through a clear presentation of the gospel message. Along with her fellow participants, Marie had been asked to think of people in her life with whom she could invite to a course. She started to make a mental list.

Back at home, Marie prayed, “Lord, where would you use me? Where would you have me use these tools?” She took her responsibility as an ambassador for Christ seriously and started with a neighbour. She invited Laura* to sit with her through a study of the Bible.

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An ambassador in chains

SunriseRick* has been a believer for many years and he is serving a life sentence for a crime he did not commit. But Rick is not letting his time in prison go to waste. Rather, he has led a number of fellow inmates to faith in Christ and is currently discipling a group of men. As he actively engages others in conversation who are struggling with complex questions and issues in their lives, Rick has been on a lookout for materials that will enable him to give clear, biblical answers. Most of these men know very little about the Bible and some also struggle with learning difficulties—adding to the challenge facing Rick.

His sister Justine* recently attended a TERM Seminar. She began sharing with Rick how GoodSeed tools were designed for those who were biblically illiterate. She also described how visual aids were a significant part of the teaching and how their use would help those with learning challenges grasp the central message of the Bible.

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Question Time with Oaks Christian School No.7: Which is your favourite book of the Bible?

In the seventh video question from The Oaks Christian School, Cameron asks John Cross which is his favourite book of the Bible. John shares that the Gospel of John is his favourite (among many!) because the Apostle John wrote his gospel so that people may come to believe that Jesus is the Saviour.

The Apostle John wrote:

…but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:31 ESV)

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All eyes on Brazil

Brazil flag

All eyes were on Brazil as everyone supported their soccer/football team during this year’s World Cup.

Heaven continues to watch and cheer, but for quite another reason. Brazilian people are understanding and trusting Jesus Christ as their saviour!

“Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15:10 ESV

A missionary in Brazil wrote a little note of encouragement, telling how she has been using The Lamb in her ministry to children:

Thank you again for The Lamb book which you might remember giving to me a few years ago… What a great tool for sharing the gospel and creating conversation about Jesus. I have recently read it with three young friends here who all loved it. One asked to borrow the book after we were finished and read the whole thing out loud to her parents! My mom is also using The Lamb as a discipleship tool with a newly-saved mom of three young children. I found that The Lamb is now available in Portuguese as O Cordeiro. Last summer, I took a few copies to use in Brazil and then to leave with churches and children’s workers there. So glad you introduced me to The Lamb!

We regularly hear stories and testimonies from Brazil of ambassadors of Christ sharing the gospel clearly and people coming to salvation. As the World Cup continues, praise God with us for what he is doing.

More GoodSeed resources in Portuguese >> 

 

Photo Credit: “Brazilian Flag” by Christiano Oliveira is licensed under CC BY 2.0.