God over

a cuppaBy Jenny Colby

Scripture

John 14:1-9

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Let’s Focus:One of the places I visit regularly is the TeaHouse in Bracknell. It is a place where peoplecome for refreshments or a rest. But most of allthey come for some fellowship; many of thesevisitors are perhaps lonely or isolated. Mywitness as a Christian is simply to make myselfavailable to anyone who wants to talk or seekprayer with me.

‘I wish I could believe like you’; these words havebeen said to me on more than one occasion byvisitors I see most weeks in the Tea House.Sometimes they are followed by a conversationabout the Christian faith; sometimes simply a chatabout mundane matters.

Through getting to know people at the Tea House,I have developed links with families wantingBaptism for their children and requesting me tolead their funeral service when the time comes. Isee this ministry as sharing with people along life’sjourney: sharing with them in their glad times andsupporting them through difficult times.

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Let’s Reflect:The Bible reading speaks about Jesus’ patience with his disciples. Inanswer to Philip’s request ‘Lord show us the Father’, Jesus says ‘Don’tyou know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a longtime? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.’ (John 14:8-9).Jesus has called me to be his hands and his feet (as shown clearly in thewritings of St Teresa of Avila). My prayer is that people will come to knowChrist through seeing him in my life, my words and my actions; for wealso read in John’s gospel, ‘I am in my Father and you are in me, and Iam in you.’ (John 14:20).

When others see Christ in our life through our actions and words, we arebeing true witnesses in a most natural way. This scripture is apt whenconsidering what presence evangelism is all about. It is easy to makeourselves available to God for Him to use us through our ordinary,unexciting everyday experiences. What is important is that we areprepared to serve and ready to share our faith when the moment is right.

Whether we agree or not that Christian presence can rightfully be termedevangelism, Christians are present in the world and this will have a directbearing on how they are perceived by non Christians.

The way we live our everyday lives should lead us to askthe question, ‘Are we Good News tosociety?’ When we givetestimony of our lifetransformed by Christ weshare in the mission of theChurch that was inauguratedby Christ himself. In my ministryas an Evangelist, I have seenthose who previously lived forthemselves start to live withothers’ needs in mind. I have

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seen people who are materialistic, change and share their resources withothers. Transforming lives reflect Christ and are inspirational.

St Paul teaches us in Romans 12:18 that we should live at peace witheveryone. That peace is born out of love. The heart of presenceevangelism is the ability for one to love unconditionally those that Godplaces on our path. That ability to love comes about through prayer.

For me, prayer is an essential tool to succeed in the mission God hasplaced before me. We need to challenge ourselves to be different and lovethose who come into our life; we need to be good to them, by at leastpraying for them.

I have had the privilege of meeting people who are hurting. I have prayedfor each of them. I often contemplate that if Jesus had not prayed forforgiveness for those who crucified Him, then all of us would not have theopportunity to experience the joy of salvation. Just be aware that brokenpeople can unwittingly upset us as they reach out for help; it is easy toreject them because of their actions. In those moments, pray that they will experience calmness and be open to the gospel and come to Christ.

When someone sees or experiences our genuine love for them they maywell say, ‘I wish I could believe like you’. Sincere actions will draw them to Christ.

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1. Can true Christ-like love be insincere? How do we ensure itremains sincere?

2. How can I share my faith in a natural manner?

3. What activities might we consider as being presenceevangelism?

4. Where could we engage in presence evangelism?

5. What will we do when people respond to us?

Let’s Discuss:

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Action:People come into the Tea House each Friday, not to hear me preach thegospel, but to enjoy the atmosphere and spend time in the company offriends or chatting to me or one of my volunteer helpers. I have got toknow many members of the public over the last four years, through servingthem Fairtrade tea and coffee each week.

One family I have got to know through the Tea House asked me to baptisetheir baby son and less than a year later asked me to officiate at the funeralof their still-born daughter. I drew very much on God’s strength for the lateroccasion and tried to show to them through my words and actions howmuch God loves them and had placed them as a family, including their still-born daughter, in His loving arms.

Many people who come into the Tea House have learning difficulties. They are welcomed, loved and shown that they are valued, by me and byGod who is a loving Father to all. Others who come are elderly people wholive alone and value the time spent chatting, listening to music or just beingin the company of other people. For them it is important to show thatJesus is the constant companion to all who believe in Him. Also to sharewith them that Jesus gives us hope for this life and a promise of eternal lifewith Him and with our loved ones.

Being prepared to share one’s faith in an environment where there are no rules and every encounter is unique, challenging and encouraging. You need to be open to God bringing you those who have a need. Youneed to be prepared to ask people ‘are you ok?’; be ready to really listen tothe answer, and finally be open to respond in a loving and caring manner.

Prayer:Lord Jesus Christ, use my body as if it were yours. Utilise my handsand feet to take me to the places you want me to be. Enable me tosee with your eyes, bless me to look with compassion on this world.Christ you have no body now on earth but ours. Amen.

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I remember the first time I prepared to lead a bible study; I was 22years old and went bald! Well, I think that was down to naturerather than the preparation. However, it was scary as well asexciting. Ring a bell? Then read on….

The scriptures are littered with stories of God's people being called to do something they feel they are not humanly capable of. Yet it issimilarly littered with outcomes of God's people completing what Hehas called them to undertake and the blessing therein.

So let's take those fears and chill a bit, in the knowledge that God will help you, as he has helped countless others.

Part of my ministry as an evangelist over the past 10 years has beento encourage and enable, so be encouraged that the Lord ismoulding you in leadership. In my experience it helps to know thatyou do not have to be an expert on the Bible or even a collegeprofessor! Essentially it is all about preparation and discussion. AllowGod to enable you by His Holy Spirit to lead you with confidence anddiscernment. Therefore in order to offer some help to you, I have setout below some of the things that have aided me in leading studies in the past.

Supporting Notes

for Individuals and

Group Leaders

Before you begin Studying the scriptures and exploring other people’s experiences ofevangelism can be for some, very exciting; for others it can be verydaunting indeed.

I have put together some suggestions that may help you as youprepare to get the most out of The Fullness of Life. We hopethat each week you will be stimulated through the scriptures andthrough the content on the Web. To find out more about how allof our Evangelists and staff are working at transforming lives andcommunities visit http://www.churcharmy.org.uk/people to see videos of ministry in action.

Each of our contributors to these studies has carefully thoughtthrough how you can apply this learning in your own life and context,in order to engage in evangelism. Their questions are designed tochallenge and encourage action.

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Studying as an individual Pray: Before you begin each study, ask the Lord to guide you and openyour mind. Give yourself time to allow God to stabilise your inner self sothat you can apply what you are learning in your life.

Time: Give yourself space to learn; the studies are designed that youcan learn at a pace that suits you. It may help you to briefly read allseven studies before you begin; this may help you to think about wherethe studies will take you.

Bible: Having your own Bible is important as it will be a book that youwill be familiar with. The version that you find most helpful is the bestone to use. All Bible verses quoted in these studies are from the NewInternational Version.

Notes: Make notes within eachstudy. Remember there are nowrong answers; the beautyabout our relationship withGod is that He illuminatesour life and inspires us bythe Holy Spirit. So jotdown your response tothe question honestly.

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Studying as a group For the leader: These notes may be of some help as you prepare tolead the group either for the first time or as a seasoned veteran!

Preparation: Groups are naturally formed of individuals, so beencouraged to follow the points suggested for individuals, as youprepare for your group study. In this way you will find your learning ingroup study deepens through your preparation.

Participation: Discussion is by far the best form of learning.Remember that as the leader you will need to ensure that everyonehas their say. No answer is wrong! Share how God is teaching you,how He is encouraging/challenging you, and how He is doing that with others.

Be focussed: Stick to the study material being discussed for thatweek. It has been my intention that you only have to use the scripturesreferred to. There is no need to look up commentaries or other views.The core essence of these studies is to reflect upon the evangelisticexample given. Therefore the paramount questions of the study are:How can I do this? How do I apply this?

Listen: Encouraging all that listening to other members of a group is asimportant as contributing. If you have an attentive ear, you may besurprised at how much you can learn from others. In parish ministry Iwas always amazed at how the quiet person sometimes came with asuggestion that was as a blast of fresh air.

A balanced input: As group leader you should be able to ensure allhave the chance to contribute. It is important that we ensure thatindividuals do not dominate the discussions. The eagerness one has toshare can often be at the cost of others not having time to respond.Therefore encourage one another; after all, the Christian journey reallyshould not be about outsmarting each other.

Involve God: God wants to share with each of us; His desire to see usevangelise. Be open to the Holy Spirit talking to you and to your fellowgroup mates. Most of all have fun discovering new boundaries.

Supporting Church Army Your prayers and financial support are vital to the success of Church Armyministry. There are many ways in which you can partner with us - at home, in church, with friends, by joining us in prayer, making a regulardonation or even with a bequest in your Will.

Make a regular donation A regular gift enables us to plan with confidence, as well as reducing ouradministrative and banking costs.

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Make a one-off donation £15 - would enable a Church Army evangelist to minister with children and young

people through a school assembly or after-school club.£25 - would fund a prayer group for homeless people at a Church Army project.£50 - would provide a three course meal for 30 isolated older people at one of

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