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Vision of Fruit

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A Vision of Fruit

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God’s love for you and the students at your school is pretty remarkable. The Scripture says in 2 Peter 3:9 that it is His desire that none of your friends would ever perish, but they would all repent of their sins and come to know Him. If this is God’s desire, how can we tell as many as possible? And when we do, will all of them respond? The answer to that question is found in an illustration Jesus used in Matthew 13:1-23. After you read this passage, discuss these questions: In this Scripture, people’s hearts are described as soil or the ground where the seed was sown.

How would you describe the four types of soil in this story?

1.

2.

3.

4.

In your opinion, what does the seed represent?

Who is the sower, and what does it mean to spread the seed?

If you were a farmer, you would plant seed across all your fields, not just some of them. Why? Because the more soil you cover with seed, the more crop you will have at harvest time. Let’s go back to the story in Matthew 13:1-23 and think about these questions:

How much of the field did the sower plant with seed?

What portion or percentage of the field bore fruit?

Why did some of the field produce, while other parts did not?

What are the four different results from the seed that was scattered?

1.

2.

3.

4.

In this story, the sower was doing a good job spreading his seed across the whole field. But he got different results. Some seed was rejected by the soil. Some sprang up but quickly faded away. Some seed was eventually choked out by weeds. However, a good portion of the soil was ready, and produced a huge crop.

Let’s talk about your school for a moment.

How does the story of the sower, the seed and the soils apply to you and your campus? Give some examples.

When we share Christ with others, can we expect that some will respond? Why?

If not everyone responds to the message of Christ, should that surprise us? Why?

The Bible tells us that our world is made up of spiritual fields, fields of people (see John 4:34-38). A campus is a field of people with clubs, teams, cliques and classes. It is in this field that God is carrying out His rescue operation, using us to spread the seed of His Word to as many parts of the field as we are able. The more Christians who are involved in a campus club or movement, the greater the amount of seed that is spread across the campus – and, the greater the number who will come to Christ. What about those who do not respond when we share Christ? Do we ignore them? In the same way that a farmer cultivates hard soil so that it will receive the seed in the future, we keep loving and relating to our friends who are not responsive. In due time, some of them will put their trust in Christ.

How can you apply this discussion on the “vision of fruit” to your campus ministry?

Has your vision for fruit increased? Explain your thoughts to your group.

What have you decided to do as a result?

 

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How often have you felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit to share the gospel with someone you know but you think, “I just don’t know how to bring it up.”  One thing that helps is having some questions ready for the situations you encounter.  Being prepared can actually help you be more relaxed and able to listen to the other person rather than worrying about what you are going to say next.

In the book of I Peter, the people were afraid for their lives because they were being persecuted for their faith. In I Peter 3:14-15, Peter challenges them to “not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence…”.  So the Lord tells us in His Word to be prepared to share His message.  Of course, the best preparation is to be prayerful for opportunities.

AFTER AN OUTREACH EVENT

There are some questions you could ask students immediately after the speaker shares a message at an outreach.  Whether the speaker shares the gospel or not, you could ask these questions to gain some understanding of what the person is thinking about God and a relationship with Him.

FOUR QUESTIONS:

  • What did you think of the speaker/concert/message?
  • Did it make sense to you?
  • Have you ever heard how you could know God in a personal way?
  • Would you like to hear how you can begin a relationship with Him?

Obviously, there may be other questions you ask in between each of these questions to help bring more clarity.  Memorize these questions so you have them “in your back pocket” to use easily.   After you ask these questions, use a tool like “Connecting with God ” to share the gospel with the student (s).

DURING A CASUAL CONVERSATION

There will be many opportunities to share Jesus with students just simply from having a conversation with them.  As you talk to them, prayerfully look for some common ground or a need in their lives where you could bring up the importance of having a relationship with God.

Just by going on campus, I met Sarah at a Coke machine.  She and her friend were friendly as I chit chatted with them for a few minutes.  As I walked away, I prayed for Sarah and Bethany.  Over the next few weeks I would run into Sarah after school in the hallway or at athletic events.  I would say “Hi” and catch up with her.  After a few times of meeting her, I said “Hey, Sarah, you know I work with Cru High School.  I would really like to share with you more of what Student Venture is all about.  Would you be interested in meeting with me for coffee and maybe bringing Bethany or another friend with you and we could talk more?”  She agreed and we met. (see Follow up article for some guidelines on how to set up an appointment with a student).  As we sat in a coffee shop, I asked the girls these questions:

“If you have ever taken a psychology class or read a Seventeen magazine, you know that a person is made up of several dimensions.  We have the physical, emotional and the spiritual.  (I drew a triangle showing the three parts).  Many times we neglect the spiritual side. By that I mean a relationship with God.  Do you ever think about God?  What do you believe about Him? (I let them respond).  Can I share with you what the Bible says about a relationship with God and how we can begin a relationship with Him?” 

The girls said yes.  They still had a lot of questions as I read through the “Connecting with God” booklet with them because they had never heard the gospel before.  So I asked them to meet for four more weeks where we could go over the questions they had.

WHEN STUDENTS SHARE NEEDS OF INTERESTS IN THEIR LIVES

You can begin to share with them about the Lord by asking questions like:

  • I deal with that a lot myself. Can I tell you how I have been able to handle that situation?  I have learned to depend on God.
  • (When someone expresses insecurities) You are really valuable.  No matter what anyone thinks of you, God thinks you are so valuable.  Can I share with you what He says about you and how much He loves you from the Bible?
  • (When someone expresses hurts) Can I share with you where I have found hope (for life)?
  • Do you feel satisfied?  It may feel like these things are satisfying, but I know of something that will meet the deepest needs and longings of your heart.

From there you could transition to sharing the gospel with questions like these:

  • Would you like to know God in a real and personal way?
  • Can I share with you something that has changed my life? (Share your 3 minute testimony)
  • What do you believe about God? Can I share with you what the Bible says about God and how to know Him?
  • Do you ever think about God or spiritual things?
  • What do you think it means to be a Christian?
  • Would you mind if I shared with you what I’ve learned about knowing God personally?

HELPING A PERSON EXAMINE THEIR PERSONAL BELIEFS ABOUT GOD

We can ask them the following questions that were created by the founder of the organization “Evangelism Explosion” to help someone determine where his/her stand.

  • If you were to die tonight how certain are you that you would go to heaven?  (on a scale of 1 to 100%)?
  • If God asked you “Why should I let you into heaven? What would you say?”Or you could ask, “What makes you ___% sure?” and  “On what basis do you think you will go to heaven?”

I have used these questions many times and people are very willing to answer them.  From here I simply ask, “Can I share with you what the Bible says about how you can be 100% sure you will go to heaven?”  If they agree, then I go through the gospel with them, often using “Connecting with God.”

Finally, just ask the Lord to show you which questions to use in which environment.  Choose the questions you feel most confident using and even reword them to fit your style.  As we pray for opportunities, step out in faith taking the initiative to care about students and to share the gospel, God will open doors and we will see students know the Lord.  He promises to bear much fruit through us as we depend on Him.  (John 15).  Heaven will be so exciting as we see all those who trusted Christ as He worked through us.