Our Materials
We have English
conversations based on texts of scripture in the belief that it will produce
faith in the heart of an unbeliever.
Luke – its purpose…
Acts – its purpose…
Good News – its
purpose…
In the Beginning –
its purpose…
Approach
1. The Word is the teacher and We are the
illustration
2. We share Jesus and Share ourselves
3. A friendly relationship is more productive
than a student/teacher relationship.
How does this kind
of strategy help you as the worker?
- Less pressure to produce results yourself
- Less pressure to know all the answers to all the questions.
- People discover Jesus through God’s revelation itself.
Important Principles to Remember
Since the Word is
the teacher, what are the most important actions for us to take as the worker?
- Non-Confrontational
- Do whatever it takes to keep them coming back
- Focus
- Simplicity
- Socialize
How to Prepare for a Reading Session
- Pray
- Prepare
- Read
- Formulate
- Write
Typical Reading Session
Your conversation
should be one hour. The first 10-15
minutes of a reading session usually begins with friendly conversation: “What have
you been doing today?”. There should be
40-45 minutes on the lesson itself. We
suggest doing no more than one workbook lesson per session. Even if the reader’s English is very good,
their comprehension of the spiritual realities described by the text will not
necessarily be as good.
Reading Techniques
Before you can have
a conversation about a story, you must make sure your reader understands all
the words that compose the story.
- Have them read to you.
- Have them read after you.
- Have the reader tell what happened in
his/her own words.
Asking Questions
·
Use
open ended challenging questions to begin.
·
Who,
what, when, where, why
·
Use the
method of “pursuit”
The way to continue
the discussion is to formulate a challenging open-ended first question and then
use the answer to spontaneously form another follow-up question. If the reader asks you a difficult question, you don't have to have all the answers right away, all you need to do is to say, "That's a great question! Let me do some research and get it back to you next week!" ... then do your research!
A – Luke was
writing a book.
Q – What kind of
book was Luke writing?
A – Luke was
writing a history book.
Q – Why do you
think he was writing history?
A – Because other
people had tried, and it says he studied carefully to write another book.
Q – How does one go
about writing a history book?
A – They gather facts from first reports or writings.
Q – What is the
difference between a history and other kinds of books – say, fairy tales?
Non-Confrontational Approach
People are not
going to be in full agreement with you or the Bible. How do you 1) keep them coming back, and 2)
keep them reading the Bible?
Correcting Wrong
Conclusions
Nothing scares a
worker more than for her reader to begin to draw wrong conclusions. If the reader departs from conclusions which
are supported by scripture, what must one do?
First, be patient. Faith builds
slowly. Be courteous of your reader’s
opinions. Know that he does not have to
have correct conclusions after every lesson.
Note, however, that there are techniques that you may use to guide him
to understanding, if not now, later.
- Ask for clarification
- Finger on another verse – ask them a question that reveals the truth.
- ·
If
still wrong summarize their understanding. Do not argue.
Doing Whatever It Takes to Keep Them Coming Back
- Your reader does not want to use the
workbook, what do you do?
- Your
reader has exceptional English skills, what do you do?
- Your
reader wants to bring a friend and read together, what do you do?
Review of FriendSpeak Teaching Techniques
Don’t forget your
purpose: to share yourself and to share
the story of Jesus.
- Be open minded. Learn from your reader.
- Guide, don’t drag your reader.
- Stimulate the reader’s thinking
- Listen!
- Care about your reader.
- Summarize
- Conclude by repeating what the reader
has said.
- Pray before each session.
- Prepare
- Limit conversation session to 45
minutes.
- Always be there for your reader.
- Introduce him to others.
- Use questions, not statements.
- Use open-ended questions, not yes/no
questions.
- Let one question naturally lead to the
next.
- Use What, Why, How to ask questions.
- Don’t be judgemental; affirm your
reader.
- To correct a wrong conclusion:
- Ask for clarification
- Refer to text to reveal inaccuracy
- Summarize their understanding
- You do not have to have agreement to
continue
Things to Remember
as I Plant Seeds
Prayer
The Lord is with
you and the Spirit will help you speak.
Spend time in prayer that you may be open to his help. Pray for each reader by name.
Preparation
Study your lessons
before you go to read with someone. Read
the complete story from the Bible, create your questions to promote discussion
and conversation, and develop your style of teaching. Have a plan for each reading session before
you start, but be flexible.
Remember!
They probably do
not know anything about the Bible.
The are bound by
their past and culture
Most people who
believe and practice atheism do not really understand it.
Things that they do
not know: There is an Old and New
Testament and a personal relationship with God is possible.
You must be
patient, slow, and not expect too much too soon.
They speak a
different language. This means that they
do not fully understand everything that you say.
Be interested in the other person.
If you talk more
than they do, you are probably talking too much.
Be an attentive
listener. Try not to think about what
you are going to say next.
Partner to partner,
not teacher to student.
Don’t forget why
you are doing this!
Pray that you will
grow to love and like each other.
Remember that you
may be the first believer this person has ever met.
Seed thoughts?
(Paste the seed thoughts and related questions in the column next to the text)