Title Sharing What I Believe

D O W N L O A D E D
Sunday School That Clicks
ADULT
Sharing
Title
What I Believe
Lesson
Lesson10
12
November
August 214
2012
2011
for use as
STEP
1.
Lesson 10
Focus:
Share your testimony
of faith with everyone.
Lesson 10
Bible Basis:
Acts 26:19-32
By Douglas Schmidt
and Faith Waters
Students will discuss their testimonies of what God has done in their lives
and how they can share those with others.
OPENING ACTIVITY: The Story of Yesterday
A
sk your students to briefly tell what they did yesterday—what
happened from the time they got up until they went to bed
last night. It doesn’t matter if the day was exciting or not. The
point is to get them telling a story they know, as a lead-in to
consider our testimony of faith as a story also.
OPENING STORY [read it aloud to your class, or make copies and
pass it around]:
‘I AM SECOND’ MOVEMENT AIMS TO PUT JESUS FIRST
Everywhere we go, there are people searching for those who have
had real life changing experiences with God. They may not verbalize it but the desire is still there. Most people love good books and/
or movies because they are stories with a wide spectrum of characters
and outcomes. What better way to share our faith than by telling our
personal stories? Our testimonies are stories of how we came to know
Jesus Christ. Each individual has a unique story. It needs to be shared
with others.
There are many websites that offer people opportunities to share their
testimonies such as “I Am Second” and CBN. The “I Am Second” website describes the project as “[sharing] the stories of real people who
reached the end of their strength, the end of their control and found
the most surprising truths. Shocking in their honesty, inspiring in their
courage, these testimonies are critical reminders that no one is too far
from God to find Him.” Those who share their testimonies are from
every race, nationality, sex, and socio-economic group.
CBN’s (The Christian Broadcasting Network) website offers viewers
video and written testimonies. The testimonies cover a wide range of
topics such as life after death experiences, miraculous healings, emotional healings, divine protection and survival stories, false religions
and cults, life transformations, etc.
November 4, 2012 / Step 1
Lesson 10
Memory
Verse
“I am not insane, most
excellent Festus,”
Paul replied. “What
I am saying is true
and reasonable.”
—Acts 26:25
D O W N L O A D E D
Sunday School That Clicks
2
One example is the story of Addison Adamu’s spiritual transformation. Addison Adamu grew up in a strict Muslim family in Ghana. He
said, “We were taught and trained that once born a Muslim, you are
always a Muslim. I used to follow my father to the mosque five times
a day.” Addison never seriously questioned the rituals of his family’s
faith until a friend at school showed him a Bible.
“I didn’t want to read the Bible because if I’m caught, it will be another story,” said Addison. “It’s like the highest degree of crime to convert
from Islam to Christianity. He told me that God is love. It’s not about
what you do, but it’s about having faith in him through Jesus Christ.”
That’s when his friend invited him to a Christian healing service.
“I was very curious to go,” says Addison. “Those who came with their
crutches, they started abandoning their crutches, and they were screaming and shouting, ‘I am healed! I am healed!’ That shook my idea about
Jesus Christ that He’s just one of the prophets. The healing power of
Jesus Christ is real! And that day I accepted him as my Lord and my
personal Savior.”
Addison stopped going to the mosque with his family and began
sneaking off to church. One day, his father confronted him.
“When I looked at his face, the rage, the anger, he was a monster saying, ‘Come here, boy. Tell me where are you going,’” said Addison. “And
I said, ‘church.’ ‘What? You’re going to church?’ He pulled out a sword,
and he ran after me. He started yelling, cursing me: ‘I deny you as a
son, you are a traitor, you have denied our faith, and you are not my son
anymore.’ ”
Addison hid in his friend’s home. After three weeks of hiding, he
heard his father had become paralyzed and was dying of an illness
doctors couldn’t diagnose. “When I heard that, I told my friend, ‘Let’s
go and pray for my father,’ ” remembered Addison.“ And he said, ‘No,
Addison, you cannot do it. This is very dangerous. They are looking for
you—they want to kill you!’ He said, ‘You don’t understand,’ and I said,
‘You don’t understand!’ When Jesus heals my father, they will know that
Jesus is real.” So Addison went to see his father.
“He was looking at me,” remembered Addison. “He couldn’t talk. He
couldn’t do anything, but he could hear. And I said, ‘Dad, I’m here to
pray for you.’ I said, ‘Lord Jesus, I know you are a healer. Heal my father
right now, so that the Muslims here and the whole world will know that
you are a healer.’ Before my prayer ended, I saw my father moving his
body. He got up from his bed and he sat. He started talking, ‘Addison,
D O W N L O A D E D
Sunday School That Clicks
November 4, 2012 / Step 1
Lesson 10
Memory
Verse
“I am not insane, most
excellent Festus,”
Paul replied. “What
I am saying is true
and reasonable.”
—Acts 26:25
3
your Jesus prayer has healed me. Your Jesus is real. I can talk, I can move
my body. All the pain is gone.’ He said, ‘Come back home, you are my
son and no more persecution,’ in front of everybody.”
Many family members saw what happened and also gave their lives to
Christ. They started going to church with Addison. Addison left Ghana
and came to the United States to attend seminary in Charlotte, North
Carolina. He now travels around the country speaking and praying for
others.
[Now form small groups, and have your students discuss the following
questions.]
..What is a compelling testimony you’ve heard? Why was it
compelling?
..How might simply conveying your story with Christ help circumvent people’s defenses and religious biases?
..Why is it important to remember that God must be given priority in
our lives?
Let’s take a look at how the apostle Paul used his testimony to turn
people’s attention to Christ—and their need to respond to Jesus in faith.
[After you are finished with the questions, go on to Step 2 in your Adult
Teacher’s Guide.]
News Sources:
http://in.christiantoday.com/articles/former-sex-worker-shares-touching-testimony-on-i-am-second/7649.htm
http://www.iamsecond.com
http://www.cbn.com/700club/features/amazing/JRC10_Addison_
Adamu.aspx
D O W N L O A D E D
Sunday School That Clicks
ADULT
Sharing What I Believe
Lesson 10
November 4
2012
for use as
STEP
4.
Lesson 10
Focus:
Share your testimony
of faith with everyone.
Lesson 10
Bible Basis:
Acts 26:19-32
SO, WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE?
I
t’s interesting to note that King Agrippa invited Paul to give his
testimony. He was essentially asking Paul to share the Gospel with
him and those present.
But does that ever happen in real life? Yes! The easiest way to set
this up is to ask non-Christians what they believe about God, the
afterlife, the meaning of life, morality, etc. Ask probing questions and
show genuine interest in what the other person believes.
If you do that, the person may eventually ask something like, “So . . .
what do you believe?”
When this moment comes, could you give your testimony? The good
thing is, you’re not arguing—you’re simply relating your experience.
Simply telling someone about how you were reconciled with God
through Christ may be enough to give that person a starting point to
begin his or her own journey with Jesus.
• ACTIVITY •
Have your students return to the groups they had in Step 1 and ask
them to use these questions to help them outline their testimonies. Not
all testimonies will follow the same pattern, but these questions may be
helpful in getting people thinking about the things they could share.
..What were you placing your trust in before you came to Christ? (For
example, you could tell a story that illustrates how you were placing your
security in this particular “thing.”)
..Why did following that path ultimately fail? What was the turning
point for you?
..How did God come into the picture?
..What happened after you repented of your sins and believed in
Christ?
D O W N L O A D E D
Sunday School That Clicks
November 4, 2012 / Step 4
Lesson 10
Memory
Verse
“I am not insane, most
excellent Festus,”
Paul replied. “What
I am saying is true
and reasonable.”
—Acts 26:25
2
..How is your life different now? (Where might you have been if God had
not saved you?)
After you’ve thought through the basic parts of your testimony, make
the commitment to get together this week at a coffee shop or some other
public place with one or two people from your class and practice giving
your testimony to each other. Perhaps you will even find a non-Christian
nearby who wants to “listen in” on what you have to say.
Close the class in prayer, asking God to create the opportunities to
share the Gospel with those who need to find and turn to Him.
(David C Cook is not affiliated with and does not endorse any website listed on these pages. At the time of writing, David C Cook editors
carefully review the referenced material and non-referenced web page
content. However, due to the nature of the Internet, non-cited content
on the website [including pop-ups, links, and ads] changes frequently
and is beyond our control. Please review carefully before showing links
in the classroom.)
THE BIBLE IN THE NEWS
The man who recreated scenes from the Old Testament using Lego
blocks has now finished creating Lego scenes from the New Testament:
http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/10/09/the-brick-bible-turning-jesusstories-into-lego-scenes/
“Multiply is a simple, practical, biblical, helpful,
and personal tool for disciples of Jesus who want to
make disciples of Jesus.”
—from the foreword by David Platt
New York Times best-selling author
Francis Chan is calling readers to turn the world upside down.
Visit www.MultiplyMovement.com for leader videos and coaching helps.
Special church edition
Available only to churches in cases of 36! Only $3.99 per book.
New York Times Best Sellers from Francis Chan
Daley Hake
800.323.7543
DavidCCook.com