my 316 application ideas adapted for the azsbc azsbc pastors

My 316 Application Ideas adapted for the AZSBC

AZSBC Pastors and EvangelismPastors in Arizona know and understand evangelism according to our 2016 Pastors Evangelism Survey conducted through Lifeway Christian Research. Notice the following responses by our AZSBC pastors:

-96% daily seek opportunities to speak out about Jesus Christ-97% take the opportunity in sermons to encourage believers to sharetheir faith-93% intentionally spend time building friendships with non-

believers in order to share Christ with them

Our hope and prayer is that each pastor/leader will be encouraged by these findings and allow the MY316 emphasis to help themselves and their people touch lives with the good news of Jesus.

My316 In One Sentence“MY316 helps you use what you already know, your story and John 3:16, to share Jesus Christ with your friends, family and acquaintances.”

Purpose Of My316 To engage every Arizona Southern Baptist in praying for the lost and spiritually disconnected, serving them, and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Pastors and leaders resources are available and can be ordered at no charge to your church, or downloaded at http://my316.azsbc.org

What Is My316?MY316 is an effort to involve each church member in gospel work, which is both intentional and missional. The strategy involves three activities that each person is asked to do: pray for the lost, share with the lost, and serve the lost with Christ’s love.

The gospel conversation is based on personal testimony and John 3:16. Many people living in Arizona and the United States know John 3:16 or at least the reference. It is the first verse many children learn and com-bines both testimony and John 3:16 in manner which is simple, transfer-able.

One of the greatest hurdles to witnessing is overcoming fear. Many lack

confidence in their ability to share. Even the Apostle Paul asked believers to pray that he would be bold in sharing Christ (Eph. 6:19–20). MY316 is designed to help encourage and inspire believers by giving them a way to share Jesus and serve others through Christ’s love.

In addition to communicating the gospel using John 3:16 and personal testimony, we will ask each person to write the names of 3 people on a card whom they believe are spiritually lost and disconnected from Jesus and pray daily for their salvation. Second, we ask that they will show Christ’s love to them by serving them. Third, we ask that they share the gospel with them. Many Christians can simply ask the question, “Do you know most talked about verse in the Bible? The most talked about verse is John 3:16. Do you know this Bible scripture?

My316 Talking Points1. Keep it Simple – Gospel conversations can use what most people

already know, their story and John 3:16. They are asked to pray for and serve people that they already know.

2. Fully resourced with materials funded by the Cooperative Pro-gram – Sunday school curriculum, sermon outlines, John 3:16 verse card, and new believer guides are available at the AZSBC website:http://my316.azsbc.org

3. Customizable – designed for use in Sunday school and worshipso as to reach all church attendees, but can be used any way the church chooses, with any age person.

My316 ResourcesPastor, resources are available and can be ordered at no charge to your church, or downloaded at http://my316.azsbc.org

MY316 materials have been developed in English and Spanish, as have prayer cards. A new believer’s book has been produced, which teaches MY316 to each new believer in the first lesson, followed by other basic Bible teachings.

There are some quality smart phone apps using John 3:16 that you might want to consider and they are the following:


The Share Your Faith app uses John 3:16 “Bridge” illustration. Life on Mission by North American Mission Board

Type John 3:16 in the search mention at the App store and check out the apps that populates.

MY316 provides you with a way to ensure that every person in the church knows how to talk to others about Jesus. Using Sunday school (or whatever your small groups are called) and worship to accomplish this makes the goal attainable. Moreover, church members will be led to pray for the spiritually lost and disconnected, show them Jesus’ love through service and have a Jesus conversation with the people you pray for! You will help every person who attends your church to take personally the command of Christ to share the gospel with every person (Mark 16:15).

Using My316 In Your ChurchMaterials are available to have a church-wide MY316 emphasis of prayer, share and serve. Choose any five-week period for focusing your Sunday school and worship time on evangelism. Materials include five age-grad-ed lessons, children through adults, sermon outlines and a new believer’s book. The suggested focus week-by-week is:

• IntroductiontoMY316resources• SharingJesususingMY316• Prayingforthelost• Servingthelost• Bringingitalltogether• Sermonsandoutlinesareavailableforpastorstopreach• MaterialsareavailableinSpanishandEnglishat:http://my316.azsbc.org

Lets Learn the John 3:16 Personal StoryA great theologian was once asked the question, “What is the greatest thought you have ever had?” His answer came from a song he learned as a little child: “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” What a great truth! God loves me and He love you. The truth is found in many places in the Bible, but the best known verse is John 3:16. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever

believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

This means that God loves all the people of the world. It is also means that we best know God’s love for us because He gave His Son Jesus to live on this earth in perfect obedience to God the Father. Then Jesus died on the Cross for our sin. He was buried and on the third day He rose from the dead. He ascended into heaven and one day, very soon, Jesus will return this earth. This will mark the end of history as we know it and the beginning of life lived in heaven itself.

God wants you to know for certain that you have eternal life. The Bible assures us that we can know God and have eternal life. John 3:16 tells us that:

1. God loves each of us. He loves every person in the world.2. God gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, to live for us and die forour sins on the Cross (see also Romans 5:8).3. We must believe in Jesus in order to have eternal life. The word“believe” means that we must commit our life to Him and follow Himas our Lord and our God.4. Believing in Jesus means we will not “perish,” meaning we won’tspend all of our life and all eternity separated from the presence ofGod in hell.5. When we turn our life over to Jesus by believing in Him, He givesus “everlasting life.” Everlasting life begins the moment you believe inJesus and begin to follow Him, and it continues into heaven itself.

Randy McWhorter, Church Heath Team Leader of the California SBC provides a great John 3:16 bridge illustration.

Notice the 4 parts: The Greatest Love; The Greatest Gift; The Greatest Faith and The Greatest Life. He provides you with excellent sermon points and a way for your people to draw out the Bridge To Life. A sug-gestion would be to have your people write the entire verse out on top of a page or card and then draw the bridge parts underlining the portion of the verse you are addressing. You will only have one picture to draw as well. However, it’s good to see how each portion of John 3:16 flows in McWhorter’s illustration.

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[For God so loved the world] [that He gave His only begotten Son], [that whoever believes in Him should not perish] [but have everlasting life]. NKJV

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My Story With JesusIt will be very helpful to you to write a brief description of what Jesus means to you. This is your story of following Jesus and it’s one that you need to share with others. A simple outline for writing your story is:

1. My life before I believed in Jesus (How did you feel? Afraid?Hopeless? Lack of peace? Lack of purpose?2. How I became a follower of Jesus (Did someone tell you aboutJesus? Was there a particular Scripture verse that helped you come tofollow Jesus?)3. My life now that I believe in Jesus and follow Him (I have pur-

pose, peace, assurance of knowing God, freedom from fear, etc.?)

My316, It’s Your Story And God’s StoryWhen you combine Your Story of knowing Jesus with God’s Story in John 3:16, you have a message that you can share with others who need to Know Jesus. Below Is An Example Of How This Might Look.

Example of a MY316 StoryThere was a time when I had no peace in my life. In fact, if I thought about life very much I would feel afraid. I feared what death would mean. The only thing I knew is that death would forever separate me from my family, from all those I love. And honestly, I didn’t see a whole lot of hope in this life.

Then I was introduced to a person who changed my life. I’d heard of Jesus before, but I didn’t know him. And I didn’t realize how much he loved me and that all he did he did for me. I came to believe in Jesus and I gave my life to Him.

Jesus took away my fear that death would separate me from God and ev-erybody I love. He actually gave real purpose to my life. Jesus said some-thing that has come to mean a lot to me. He said, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” Jesus is talking about himself. Jesus is God’s Son who was sent to me and you because God loves all people in the world.

The Bible says that if we will believe in Jesus we will have eternal life. To believe in Jesus means to believe He loves you. To believe in Jesus means you believe He died on the Cross for your sin of not obeying God. To believe in Jesus also means you believe that He was raised from the dead to live forever as our Savior and Lord. To believe in Jesus means to turn away from our sin of living life without Jesus, and trust Jesus to save us from our sin.

What do you think when you hear John 3:16? Would you like to believe in Jesus and turned your life over to Him? If you would like to know Jesus right now, you can pray and ask him to come into your life, cleanse you of your sin, and save your soul. Pray this prayer with me:“Dear heavenly Father, thank you for loving me. Please forgive me for living my life without believing in Jesus and obeying you. Jesus, I believe in you. I believe you died on the Cross for my sin. I believe you were raised from the dead. Come into my life, forgive me of my sin, and save my soul. Thank you for saving me. Amen.”

Committing Your My316 Story To MemoryIn order to make your MY316 Story something that you can easily share, you must commit it to memory. By memory, this does not mean that it becomes firmly planted in your mind, but also that it takes deep root in your heart.

Read your MY316 Story ten times, out loud, or until you have commit-ted it to memory. This step is vital to your ability to tell others what Jesus means to you, in a natural way, while also helping them to under-stand that God loves them too.

Suggested Mission Service ProjectsCommon in our American culture today is that before a person commits to follow Jesus, he or she often experiences a conversion regarding his relationship with Jesus’ followers. When the spiritually lost and disconnected see godly love from a follower of Jesus, they are often more receptive to the gospel. As a result, service projects are a wonderful way to show our love for another person. Perhaps the following list of service projects will stir an idea in your heart as to how.

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Ministry Ideas for Churches and Individuals:• Replaceburnedoutlightbulbs• Takeyourpetstonursinghomes• Makesandwichesforpeople• Offerbabysittingservices• Preparewelcomebasketsfornewneighbors• Rakeorblowleavesforsomeoneinyourneighborhood• Mowlawnsfortheelderlyorsinglemother• Takesomeonetochurchwhocannotorcannolongerdrive• Cookforthoseinneed• Adoptasenioradult• Afterschooltutoringforat-riskkids• Helpsomeonemove• Makehomemadecookiesandtaketoyourneighbors• AtChristmas,makehomemadecookiesandtaketoyourneigh-

bors and prayerfully explain the meaning of Christmas.• Beautifysomeone’sflowerbed–ormaybedoafrontyardmake-

over• Readtosomeonenolongerabletoread• Takepeopletothedoctorand/orhospital• Serveatachildren’shospital—servingtheparents• Findwaystoserveteachersinyourlocalschooldistrict• Findwaystoserveaschoolinyourareawithnostringsattached• Servepublicservantslikefirefightersandpoliceofficers• Haveyourchurchdoacarclinicforsinglemoms• Spendtimewithunchurchedornever-churchedfamiliesinyoursphere of influence. Ask how you can pray for their family.• Serveamilitaryfamilywhiletheirsoldierisaway• Serveaninternationalstudentorfamily–invitethemtodinner• Helparefugeefamilywithanouting,meal,orfriendlyvisit• Welcomeinternationalsintoyourhomeduringtheholidays• Helpanelderlyorhandicappedpersongroceryshop• Cleanoutunwantedorunuseditemsfromyourhomeandholda garage sale. Call a few of your neighbors and see if they would like togo in together for one large sale or organize a neighborhood event.Use the money to help a needy family or worthy project• Cleanorrepairaneighborhoodparkasagifttothecommunity

• Servealongsideanexistingministrytohelpthemaccomplishtheir purpose: feed and clothe the poor, help with Crisis PregnancyCenters,partnerwiththoseworkingtoendhumantrafficking,pro-

vide fresh water, fix up homes etc.• Mentoranunchurchedyoungadultoryoungadultcoupleinyour neighborhood. Help them learn how to fix things around thehouse, make meals, raise kids… live life with them• Helpwithsportsormusicbasedprogramsforkidsinyourcom-

munity• ServeatalocalSetFreeministryinyourarea• Take9-voltbatteriestopeopleinyourneighborhoodonceayearfor their smoke detector• Havea“snowshovel”crewreadytohelpoutonthoseoccasionalblizzards clearing paths from front doors to mailboxes or cleaningdriveways for those who can’t do it (Arizona has places that snow)• Nameyourownserviceprojects!

People I Know With Whom I Want To Share My316Pastors/leaders: Lead your people are to have conversations with others sharing their story and God’s story, using John 3:16. Ask them to write the names of everyone you know who isn’t following Jesus. These can be family members, friends, and acquaintances. In some cases, you simply may not know whether they know Jesus or not. Pray for them that they will come to know Jesus.Pastors and leaders, who is on your top three list? Which three will you share Your Story and God’s Story (John 3:16) with this month/week?

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Evangelism Planning Calendar

Below is a sample, three-year evangelism calendar. Prayerfully look over this and then use the additional clean copy to dream and prepare your church’s evangelism activities for the next three years.Be careful to follow the logical sequence of enlistment, training,activity and follow-up for each emphasis you plan. Also, keep in mindthe importance of focusing on different age groups and priorities over

the three-year period. This is the benefit of looking at three years worth of activity. You can see the big picture and adjust accordingly.You might want to hand draw this on poster board or butcherpaper and hang it up on a wall for all to see. Visibility is a good way to communicate it to others and to have built in accountability. You could say, “In sight, in mind.”

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My 316 Application Ideas

Getting It Done Timeline

Implementation is the weak link in any vision, plan or good intention. This Getting It Done Timeline is provided as a tool for you to build ac-countability into the disciple-making plans on your heart right now.It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.–Ecclesiastes 5:5 (NIV84)

Within the next 24 hours I will:___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Within the next 7 days I will:___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Within the next six months I will:___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Within the next year I will:___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I will enlist the following person within 48 hours and share my plan. I will ask him or her to call me at the end of each commitment to deter-mine my status. _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________

Planning Resource: The 4 Disciplines of Execution by McChesney, Covey and Huling As you read this ask yourself the question, "What whirlwinds keep me from the discipline of evangelism weekly?"

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my 316 application ideas adapted for the azsbc azsbc pastors

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