The Bridge Diagram A Training Manual

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 6:23

CONTENTS: Why share the gospel? What is the gospel? Why use the Bridge Diagram? How do you draw the Bridge Diagram? Personal Ministry Tips

WHY share the Gospel? 1. Concern for God’s glory John Piper says, “Missions exist because worship doesn’t”. God’s aim is to be known and praised and enjoyed and feared among all peoples of all nations (Ps. 67). He desires to be glorified throughout the world, therefore we should desire to see Him glorified throughout the world (Isa. 11:9, Rev. 15:3-4). Because life and ministry and evangelism is ultimately about God, and not us, God’s glory is to be our driving motivation in ministry. Passion for God’s glory is what sustains us in evangelism even when compassion for people is weak. Think of this as the evangelistic expression of the first Great Commandment – to love God with all our hearts, souls, mind and strength.

2. Compassion for man’s destiny Jesus gives us a window into His heart when He sees the crowd and has “compassion on them, because they are harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matt. 9:36). The closer we get to Jesus the more we become like Jesus, and the more we see people the way Jesus did. The reason Jesus so loved and was so broken for sinners is because he knew they were harassed and helpless without the gospel in this life, but without the gospel they were also headed to hell in the next life. Hell is a true and terrifying reality. In 2 Thes. 1:8-9 Paul says that God will “punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power.” Think of this as the evangelistic expression of the second Great Commandment – to love others as ourselves.

3. Conviction for our responsibil ity Another motivating reason for evangelism is because Jesus said so. In Matt. 28:19 He gave all his disciples for all time the Great Commission to “go and make disciples of all nations”. That is a command to be obeyed, not an option to be considered. As disciples we must make disciples, and evangelism is the first step in the disciple-making process. Paul understood this when he talked about the reward and responsibility in evangelism when he said, “I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel. For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me” (1 Cor. 9:16-17).

4. Compelled by Christ’s love In 2 Cor. 5:14 Paul says that “Christ’s love compels us”. As we experience Christ’s sacrificial and saving love for us, we can’t help but extend His love and grace to others. And the more we consider how God saved us, the more confident we are that he can save anybody!

WHAT is the Gospel? “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone

who believes…for in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith…” – Romans 1:16-17

The Nature of the Gospel 1. The SOURCE (“of God”) The gospel flows from God’s merciful and missional heart.

2. The STRENGTH (“the power of God”) As powerful as tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, and exploding stars are, they are still not called the power of God. The greatest display and discharge of God’s power is in the gospel.

3. The SCOPE (“everyone who believes”) The gospel is not for one people, but ALL peoples. It is not for one nation, but ALL nations. It is not for one race, but ALL races. It is not for one gender, but ALL genders…it is for anyone, anywhere at any time.

4. The SUFFICENCY (“the righteousness of God from faith”) The beautiful & wonderful truth of the gospel is that it is enough to save us! We don’t add our efforts to it; we just accept it by faith.

The Content of the Gospel The GOSPEL is the good news (not good advice) that Jesus Christ took our punishment in exchange for his perfection in order to bring people from every nation, tribe and language back into a right, real and radical relationship with Himself. It includes for primary parts:

1. GOD God created us to glorify and enjoy Him forever in a relationship with Him.

2. SIN Man is sinful and separated from God.

3. JESUS Jesus Christ’s life, death and resurrection is God’s ONLY provision for sin.

4. FAITH Each person must individually receive Christ as Savior & Lord through repentance & faith.

Why use the BRIDGE DIAGRAM?

Basic The Bridge Diagram enables us to share the gospel clearly by sharing it simply. What makes it a dynamic tool is that it is a comprehensive yet concise presentation of the gospel.

Reproducible The Bridge not only explains the gospel to unbelievers, but its simplicity makes it a great tool for equipping believers. Our goal should not only be to do more evangelism, but to develop more evangelists. The Bridge is simple and basic enough to be shared after seeing it only one time, but can also be owned and personalized the more familiar someone becomes with it.

I llustrative The Bridge is a powerful combination of Scripture and Picture. Most people are visual learners. We tend to understand more from what is seen than from what is said.

Dialogical The Bridge also creates a forum to dialogue over the truths of the gospel. Truth is best understood through an interactive dialogue rather than a passive and monologue. Dialogue keeps the hearer engaged as well as allows the sharer to adapt and adjust to the questions and comprehension of the hearer.

Gospel-centered This version of the Bridge is still relevant because it not only shares the gospel, but shows how the gospel is the “third way” between irreligion & religion. Man cannot find purpose, security and fulfillment apart from God (irreligion); he also can’t work his way back to God (religion).

Entryway Though some people may respond immediately to the presentation of the gospel, most will need more time to evaluate what they have heard and explore Christianity further. By helping to discern exposure and stimulate interest, the Bridge becomes an entryway into further investigation to help address peoples’ questions about Christianity.

HOW do you draw the Bridge Diagram? The SHARE Acrostic

Search for life Everyone is searching for life but ultimately unable to find it on their own.

DRAW first pie diagram on the left with man at the center. DEFINE temporary purpose, security and fulfillment.

How God created us to find life Why is this? Because God created us to find life in a relationship with Him.

DRAW the second pie diagram on the right with God at the center. DEFINE true purpose, security and fulfillment.

Answer in one verse One verse in the Bible gives God’s answer for finding the life God offers.

DRAW the cliffs and write Romans 6:23 DEFINE the terms (wages, sin, death, gift, God, eternal life…show the contrast between the first 3 and last 3).

Receive Christ In order to experience the life God offers we must receive Christ through repentance & trust.

DRAW the cross and explain that because we couldn’t get to God on our own we need Jesus. Jesus lived the life we couldn’t live, died the death we deserved to die, and rose victoriously over sin and death to accomplish salvation for us. DEFINE the terms (repentance and trust).

Evaluate and respond Ask: “Which circle best represents your life? Which would you like to represent your life? What is holding you back? Would you like to investigate more?”

Practice:

Personal Ministry Tips Target Pick a place to labor in, not just people to minister to. A Target is a place where you live, work or play in which you can spend consistent time networking with lots of people. A target could be a dorm, an athletic team, a sorority or fraternity, a club on campus or any other place where people consistently spend time together. Obviously, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t share the gospel and build relationships with people outside of your target. But what we’re saying is that in order to be effective, you need to be strategic.

Teammate Go together, not alone. Jesus always sent His disciples out in pairs. This tells us something interesting about ministry…we are most effective when working together. Having a ministry partner holds us accountable when we are tired or frustrated or just lazy. Ministering in pairs also helps display the gospel as the people we minster to see how we relate with the person we minister with. Also, in many cases, if a ministry partner is gifted differently than you then they will be a great complement to you.

Time 90% of ministry is just being there! Time is the currency for relationships and the pathway to influence. Truth passes best through relationships, and relationships are built over time. Don’t expect to impact people greatly if you don’t spend time with people intentionally. Plan slots each week to spend time in your ministry target. Here’s a suggestion: though ministry will always involve events (meetings, Bible Studies, conferences, retreats), aim to spend the majority of your ministry time in relationship (doing things together). Use the events as springboards into relational time discussing what they heard and the questions they have. You can impress people from a distance, but you only impact them up close.

Trust Pray! Pray! Pray! Only God can change people’s hearts, therefore we must plead with Him for the people we minister to. Claim verses for them. Pray daily for them. Write their names to help you be persistent in prayer. Pray in light of needs and barriers as you get to know them.

Talk People cannot respond to a message they haven’t heard. “Faith comes through hearing the message and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17). If we love people we must talk to people about Christ. Identify with Christ. Share your story. Share the gospel!

Notes:

A product of Campus Outreach Augusta For more information: www.coaugusta.org