Session 1
TWO SHORT VIDEOS, A PHOTO, A POEM, SOME SCRIPTURE (35 minutes)
1) Thanks for trusting us to be your "tour guides" as you start out on this little discipleship journey. And please don't forget to make prayer an integral part of your experience! NOTE: You will understand more in a few minutes, but you are one of those silhouettes in the photo to the left.
2) Okay, let's get started. Click the link below to watch the short video clip from the home page. If you’ve already seen it, that's great. However, unless you saw it in the last few days, please watch it again as it lays the foundation for the rest of this first Session. It's only 3:32.
Almost everyone who watches this video is inspired by it. But then the conversation sometimes gets a little tricky. In case you are saying to yourself, "I don't think I could do that," or "That's not who I am," don't worry. Even hose of who are comfortable sharing our faith, sometimes still feel that way too. If you want to hear some of Chuck Baily's funny insecurity stories and blunders as a 21-year-old new Christian, just ask him. (And remind him to include his "bed slat evangelism" fiasco).
We have two reasons why you shouldn't worry too much.
My first reason is this. At one point in your life, you didn't know how to ride a bicycle. You didn't know how to swim. And you didn't know how to drive a car. You might have been somewhat afraid too. If so, that was a good thing, right? You would have wrecked your bicycle and the car. AND you could have drowned! But you really wanted to learn -- and you did.
So, the only question is....How much do you want to effectively share your faith with people you care about? Stop and honestly answer that question right now to yourself. Is it really a priority on the same level as learning to ride a bike, drive a car, or swim once was for you?
Our second reason is that God created each of us with different personalities and talents. Many authors have written about six different styles of evangelism. They are explained in Session 3. So...based on the way God has wired each of us, our efforts WILL look different. Plus, you don't have to do this alone. The Holy Spirit is already right there. That should provide some comfort, right? And you can often do all this in the context of your community of other followers.
3) Click the group photo button, and then read the explanation.
4) Next, watch Penn Gillette, an atheist, chastise Christians for remaining silent. The length is one minute. We'll be curious to see what you write about this in your reflection. Lol.
5) "I Stand By the Door” a poem by Rev. Sam Shoemaker.
Before you click on the link to this poem, here are a few facts about the author. Knowing a little about him will make this part of the exercise more meaningful. I urge you to take your time as you read it. In essence, it's Sam's memoir. He published this work along with several other writings in the late 1950s. Earlier, (1925-1952), Sam served as rector of the famous Manhattan Calvary Episcopal Church in New York City. He also had a nationally syndicated radio broadcast for several years. It was before television, so his audience was huge. Newsweek listed Sam as one of the ten greatest preachers in America. As you might imagine, he was offered many lucrative positions.
Yet in 1953, Sam and his wife felt God was calling them to Pittsburgh. He challenged himself and others to "Make Pittsburgh more famous for God than it is for steel." But in my opinion, preaching was not the key to his legacy. Sam died in 1963, so none of us have read or heard his sermons. Instead, I think his legacy was that he oriented his whole life around helping people find God. And guess what? Thousands did. And they reached thousands more. (His Wikipedia site outlines much of this). He planted good "Kingdom seeds" during the eleven years he was here in southwestern Pennsylvania and those efforts are still bearing fruit over 50 years later!!
If there are reconstructed group photos in heaven similar to the one you just saw of me, it wouldn't surprise me to be found in one of Sam's photos as a third or fourth generation disciple of his.
Click this link and let Sam himself give you a picture of his life and calling. Let it sink in.
Since you just read this poem, ask yourself: What did Sam have to believe 1) about himself, 2) about the people he was encountering, and 3) about the power of God --- in order to make this his life's work? Perhaps just as important, what happened in and around Sam to create this amazing climate for God's Spirit to powerfully act in the lives of others he came in contact with?
As you finish up Session 1, the most important thing for you is this: WHO is going to be in your group evangelism / discipleship photo? Or mine? Who else is going to be standing alongside us as a result of our time here on earth? And who will be standing beside them?
REMEMBER the small picture of silhouettes at the top, one of which is YOU? Pray for God to begin to fill in the other silhouettes with real people. He will do it, but only as you become more intentional in caring for and praying for those He has placed in your life. At some point, He will give you the opportunity to share the Gospel with them and/or invite them to be part of a community of Christ-followers where they can begin to see the Gospel being lived out.
Of course, neither Jesus, Sam, nor I are asking you reach t My thousands. Our challenge is that you start praying that God would use you to reach out to just a few people He has already placed in your life (and soon to be placed on your list in Session 2).
6) Scripture verses on discipleship. On behalf of Jesus, I ask you to really consider these verses and make them part of your DNA. Jesus and Paul aren't just trying to convince some elite group of followers to live out these verses. Instead, their point is that this should be the norm for everyone claiming to be a Christ-follower. Take your time and let these verses sink in.
7) REPORTING IN. Just click on the tab below to email Chuck. OR if you are reporting in to someone else, just email or text them.
Your brief reflection on the two videos.
Your reflection on the poem. List some fears or other reasons that might keep you from being a “stand near the door” kind of person. Let's begin to talk about them. (In Session 3, you will discover your "Evangelism Style(s).. It will definitely increase your comfort level about these issues).
Your reflection on the scripture verses. How do you “see” yourself in light of these verses? Most of us just assume we are followers of Christ. If these verses really do reflect the norm for how Christ-followers are supposed to live, we all have some work to do. It's a life-long process, but now is a good time to start.