BRIDGING THE GULF BETWEEN GOD AND MAN
    Methods For Witnessing - Part 1

Text- Romans 6:23

Tonight I am going to break into the middle of the study we have been doing in the book of Ephesians and do a short mini series on 3 practical and popular methods for witnessing to an unbeliever.

On Sunday morning Pastor Vernie is speaking on "Bridge Building" showing us the reason why we need to witness. During these next few weeks I'll be showing you how to do it. Tonight the title of my message is, "Bridging The Gulf Between God and Man" and our text is found in Romans 6:23.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (NIV)

A pastor went to the movies and was looking for a seat. He asked a man sitting next to an empty one if it was saved. The man knew the local pastor and said, "I don't know preacher, but I'm sure it would be willing to listen to you."

If you want to be effective in reaching unbelievers you need to learn all that you can about evangelism. It is like fishing. A good fisherman watches fishing shows on tv, goes to fishing and boat shows, visits tackle shops, listens to fishing reports, reads fishing books and magazines.

One thing I would like to point out is that there are many different ways to witness to an unbeliever. In this mini series we are only going to look at three of the most popular methods used today.

Again, it is like fishing, the method you use is determined mainly by the kind of fish you are trying to catch and the environment in which they are found.

Two men decided they were going to go fishing on a lake. Before shoving off in their boat another man walked up and asked if he could go along with them. Since there was plenty of room they agreed to allow him to go along. When they got to the middle of the lake one of the first two men opened up his tackle box and pulled out a stick of dynamite, lit the fuse and threw it into the water. When the fish rose to the top from the explosion the second man scooped them up with a big net. After seeing this the third man who asked to go along with them revealed that he was a fish and game officer and they were both under arrest. That's when the first man lit another stick of dynamite, handed it to the officer and said, "That's ok officer, now are you going to fish or just sit there?"

One of the reasons why so many Christians and churches are not catching any people for the Lord is because they are just sitting in the same spot with the same lure and the same pole that they have used for 40 years talking about all the fish that they used to catch. Their mentality is that their methods worked once before so why should they bother to change anything.

What we need to understand is that while the message of the Gospel never changes, the methods we use to proclaim it must change if we want to reach people.

Our old lures, in many cases, just don't work anymore. They are unappealing, dull, broken, rusty and worn out.

Many churches are dying today because they are unwilling to change. Some are afraid of change and instead they need to fear the consequences of not changing.

When I am out fishing and my bait or lure isn't getting any results, I might try to change several things. First I try to change my presentation. Instead of reeling it in slow I might do it fast, instead of smooth I do it jerky, instead of letting it sink deep, I fish the surface. I might also try to change the entire lure I am using and see if the fish are attracted to a different color, shape or sound. And lastly, I will also change the location. If they aren't biting in one spot, I will move to another, until I find a fish that I can catch.

Two elderly men were avid ice fishermen. Each day at sun up they would make their way through the snow out to the frozen lake and find a spot about fifty feet apart, cut a hole through the ice and drop in their hooks. But that was where the similarities ended. One of the men would catch fish left and right and the other only caught a cold. After a few weeks, the weary, unsuccessful fisherman went over to the man with a 20 pound stringer of fish and asked, "How in the world do you do that? We're only fifty feet apart, yet you're catching all the fish! What's your secret?" "Yumnagtkpwnswam", the successful fisherman replied. "I couldn't understand you," said the other man, "could you repeat that," "Yumnagtkpwnswam," he said. "I guess the cold air has frozen my ears, but I can't understand a word you are saying." said the other fisherman. Could you speak a little clearer?" With that the successful fisherman cupped his hands in front of his mouth, spit into them with this horrendous sound, whipped his drooling lips on his sleeve and said, "You gotta keep your worms warm!"

The method that I want to share with you tonight is one that has been used to reach 10's of thousands of people all around the world by a man who is considered the greatest evangelist of this century. It is called, "Steps To Peace With God" and is used by the Billy Graham Crusade to witness to unbelievers.

In this presentation were going to look at four steps involved in leading a person to Christ.  I’m also going to ask you to draw a diagram that can be used to illustrate what we’re going to talk about.

This can be drawn on a napkin in a restaurant, a receipt at a coffee shop or a piece of scratch paper in a doctor’s office.  It is easy and memorable.