The ladies’ tea and book club

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Cuppa Tea

Jody* is a hairstylist who has many co-workers and clients whom she has come to know as friends. Recently, she took a step of faith and discovered a simple and effective way to help her friends clearly understand and believe in the good news of Jesus Christ.

Jody explains how she makes meaningful connections with her clients:

“As a stylist, I work hard to make the women who sit in my chair look and feel beautiful. As a Christian, I want to be a good listener, so that each one knows I truly care for them.”

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What’s wrong with me? Why don’t I share the gospel?

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Hispanic Teenager Reading The BibleRemember when…

Remember when you first believed in Christ? Like a new parent showing off baby pictures, you would tell anyone who would listen about the gospelyou couldn’t help it! Being an ambassador of Christ was exciting and natural.

But after a while, we sometimes find that our joy, as believers, begins to wane, as well as our zeal for sharing the good news with others. Why does that happen? Is there a way back to where we began?

The world over, people are coming to a simple but profound new understanding and appreciation of the Bible’s message. A clearly understood gospel is a powerful gospelit saves! But it also saves us from a life of joyless toil and ineffectiveness.

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Guess what? I’m now a Christian!

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Football toss

Editor’s note: Last July, George* shared how he led a group of troubled teens in a resident recovery program through a Worldview Rethink study. Recently, he reconnected with them to find out how they were faring. George wrote us the following email.

I recently had a chance to watch the students from the resident recovery program play a game of flag football. I was eager to reconnect with the guys to see how they were doing. I had not seen them in some time.

When I had finished a Worldview Rethink course with them, there were several teens who professed faith in Christ. There were others who needed time to process what they had learned. Joe* was one of them. He said he had benefited greatly from the study. But how was he now? At the game I was watching, I saw Joe playing. When he caught sight of me, he shouted, “Hey, George! Guess what! I’m a Christian!”

I‘ll admit I was happy and shocked at the same time. Joe had been very cynical during the course and displayed a hardness towards the gospel during the time I had spent with the group.

“WHAT! Are you serious?” I responded.

“I knew you would say that,” Joe said. “You worked on me all spring, and I fought you hard, but I put my faith in Christ this summer. I’ve been waiting to tell you!”

I was so excited I ran over to give him a hug. Humbled, I was reminded of the power of the gospel, to penetrate even the most resistant soul (Rom. 1:16). It has been so exciting to watch Joe grow in his knowledge of the Lord this fall as I have continued my studies with the group.

I have been having a new series of studies with the teens once a week and among them are new students joining in the recovery program. Some are eager to learn about the biblical worldview and others have an attitude similar to that of Joe when we had first began studying the Scriptures together. Again I press forward, trusting not myself but the message of the gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit to change the lives of these troubled teens.

(*Name changed as per GoodSeed policy.)

 

I finally understand what they talk about in church!

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Bible in pew at church

Editor’s note: One of our GoodSeed staff members, Reuben*, had the opportunity last year to speak at a sports camp for youth. He wanted to share the testimony of one of the campers.

Last October, an email was relayed to me from a young man named Tyler* who I had met at camp several weeks earlier. Tyler wrote:

“Reuben* is the reason I turned back to God. I met him at the sports camp this summer and I have been unable to find his email address… I would like to contact him again. He has truly inspired my faith. Also, he gave me a book called By This Name and it has helped me a lot to make progress in my faith. =)”

Tyler gave me credit for turning him back to God, but I give the credit to God and thank Him for using me in His work. In His strength and guidance we stand! I managed to get in touch again with Tyler and he shared with me about his walk since hearing me teach the Bible’s message from creation to the cross. He writes:

“I have been reading the book you gave to me. It has really changed my life. I wish my friends were able to experience what I did at the sports camp. I have one friend who does not believe in God and only wants to believe in what he can understand. I have gotten him a bit more towards following Christ. But I don’t know what more I can do. At my church and youth group, I still make references to what you talked about at camp and it has helped me FINALLY understand what they talk about in church.”

An understood gospel is a powerful gospel; it changes lives and gives believers the confidence to share it with others. Pray with us that, just as Tyler was guided through the gospel message, he can guide his friend through the good news of the Bible in the same way.

(*Name changed as per GoodSeed policy.)

 

Photo credit: Bala Sivakumar on Flickr

 

I don’t speak their language… how can I explain the good news?

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Missions Fest EdmontonIt was very good to be present at 2014 Missions Fest Edmonton. Many visitors stopped by the GoodSeed booth to check out our tools and ask us questions. We were very encouraged by the believers who had people in their lives with whom they wanted to share the gospel.

Bob* was one of the people who dropped by with a question. Some time ago, a young Chinese couple came by his office by mistake. They were actually looking for a clinic and mistook his office for it. Bob saw an opportunity to make friends and he not only helped them out, he kept in touch with them. Over the months, he met with them several times for coffee and a chat.

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TERM Seminar in Quebec

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TERM Seminar, Quebec

(Voir la description en français au bas de la page)

When it comes to sharing the gospel, many of us are unsure of what to say or whether we should even try at all. Some of us quote John 3:16 or pass out gospel tracts. We appeal to the fact that God has a wonderful plan for a person’s life. But in recent years our efforts have often been met with blank stares or harsh criticism. As to those who do confess Christ, it seems many fall by the wayside or show no fruit of understanding in their lives. Some believers secretly wonder about the power of the gospel and whether it even works.

The GoodSeed® TERM™ Seminar is a time to stop and rethink evangelism in the context of our diverse, ever-changing world. The seminar takes participants into Scripture to see what it has to say about evangelism methodology. In the process there springs to light an approach that Jesus used on the road to Emmaus. The architecture of The Emmaus Road Message (the message Jesus shared on the road to Emmaus) has proven effective—whether we are engaging the confused, the seeker or the hardened.

The facilitators of the seminar will show participants how to teach the gospel using the book By This Name and the accompanying workbook, along with visual aids, so that they in turn will be able to teach it to others.

Important note: This seminar in French will be held over two weekends. Participants must be able to attend all six sessions as the flow of material builds upon previous sessions.

Dates:
March 13, 14, 15 and March 27, 28, 29 (Six sessions in total)

Schedule:
— Thursday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
— Friday eveningsfrom 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
— Saturday froms 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Location:
Église Évangélique d’Aujourd’hui
1220, Avenue des Pensées
Bécancour, QC G9H 2T2
http://eglisedaujourdhui.ca/

Cost: $15 to cover the cost of the book and workbook. (Each participant is responsible for his or her own lodging and meals.)

Registration:
To register of for more information, please contact Gaetan or Ivy Pilon at
Phone: 1-888- 314-3623
Email: [email protected]
Online registration: please visit our Canada store.

(To register online, please add this seminar to your cart and proceed to check out. There will not be any charges. Please ensure you use a current email and phone number so we can contact you. Thank you.)

 


Cours de formation Par ce nom

Quand vient le moment de partager l’Évangile, souvent nous ne savons pas quoi dire ou même si nous devrions essayer de dire quelque chose. Certaines personnes citent Jean 3.16 ou distribuent de petites brochures d’évangélisation. Parfois, nous disons aux gens que Dieu a un plan merveilleux pour leur vie. Mais depuis quelques années, la réaction que nous recevons est un regard sans expression ou encore une critique sévère. Et ceux qui font profession de foi en Christ sont souvent laissés à eux mêmes ou ne manifestent aucun fruit dans leur vie, ce qui indique qu’ils n’ont pas vraiment compris le message. Certains croyants doutent secrètement de la puissance et de l’efficacité de l’Évangile.

Le cours qu’offre BonneSemence est une occasion de nous arrêter pour repenser l’évangélisation dans le contexte de la pluralité de notre monde changeant. Ce cours amène les participants dans la Bible pour voir ce qu’elle dit au sujet de la méthodologie de l’évangélisation. Ce faisant, une approche utilisée par Jésus sur le chemin d’Emmaüs en ressort. C’est une approche qui s’est montrée efficace pour communiquer l’Évangile à une diversité de gens : ceux qui sont perplexes, ceux qui cherchent et ceux qui sont endurcis.

Les animateurs du cours montreront aux participants comment enseigner l’Évangile en se servant du livre Par ce nom et du cahier d’exercices ainsi que d’aides visuelles pour qu’à leur tour les participants puissent l’enseigner à d’autres.

Remarque : Ce cours en français sera donné sur deux fins de semaine. Les participants doivent pouvoir assister aux six blocs d’enseignement, car chaque bloc s’appuie sur le bloc précédent.

Dates :
6 blocs d’enseignement
Les 13, 14 et 15 mars ainsi que les 27, 28 et 29 mars

Horaire :
— Le jeudi soir, de 19 h à 22 h
— Le vendredi soir, de 19 h à 22 h
— Le samedi, de 8 h à 16 h

Endroit :
Église Évangélique d’Aujourd’hui
1220, avenue des Pensées
Bécancour (Québec) G9H 2T2
http://eglisedaujourdhui.ca/

Coût : 15 $ pour le livre Par ce nom et le cahier d’exercices.
Chaque participant est responsable de trouver son propre logement et de payer ses repas.

Pour vous inscrire ou pour obtenir plus d’information, communiquez avec Gaetan ou Ivy Pilon.
Téléphone : 1-888-314-3623
Courriel : [email protected]

Pour vous inscrire en ligne, veuillez ajouter ce cours à votre panier et vous rendre à la caisse. Aucuns frais ne seront ajoutés à votre compte. Veuillez fournir une adresse courriel et un numéro de téléphone afin que nous puissions communiquer avec vous. Merci.

 

TERM Seminars in Canada, UK and Ireland

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TERM Seminar

When it comes to sharing the gospel, many of us are unsure of what to say or whether we should even try at all. Some of us quote John 3:16 or pass out gospel tracts. We appeal to the fact that God has a wonderful plan for a person’s life. But in recent years our efforts have often been met with blank stares or harsh criticism. As to those who do confess Christ, it seems many fall by the wayside or show no fruit of understanding in their lives. Some believers secretly wonder about the power of the gospel and whether it even works.

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Who shares Bible verses at a soccer match?!

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Soccer match
(Editor’s note: Over Christmas, we received a very encouraging testimony that reminded us of three things: 1) the power of God to transform lives, 2) the effectiveness of the prayers of friends and family, and 3) the fruit resulting from a lifelong lifestyle of sharing the gospel.)

During a Christmas Eve service last year, Stephen* shared how he had been turned off by Christianity when he was 17. While watching a soccer match at a stadium, someone invited him to read aloud some Bible verses. That immediately put him off anything to do with Christianity.

Over the years, whatever Stephen learned about the Bible was gleaned from TV documentaries. It didn’t make sense to him. Then, Mabel*, a friend of his wife, invited both of them to attend a “By This Name” course. Stephen wasn’t interested but his wife insisted on him accompanying her. Unknown to him at the time, Mabel and his wife had been praying very hard for Stephen to attend the course.

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Couldn’t be easier to use!

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Worldview Rethink

Recently, a pastor sent us an encouraging review of The Stranger Leader’s Guide found in the Worldview Rethink Curriculum Box. Our curriculum team was so encouraged by it and we wanted to share it.

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Mommy, I understand!

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clouds

(Editor’s note: An understood gospel is a powerful gospel. It saves lives! We have heard many stories of children coming to put their trust in Jesus for salvation, but this was a special one.)

Jill* told us of her friend, Suzanne*, who had an autistic son. Suzanne despaired over how she could share the gospel with him. After thinking about it, Jill told her, “I think I have just the book for you.”

She passed Suzanne a copy of The Lamb. Excited, Suzanne read the story slowly to her son and she used the included audiobook CD to reinforce what was taught.

A few weeks later, Suzanne spoke to Jill. “Thank you, Jill! It worked. The Lamb book worked. My son understands the gospel and he believes in Jesus!” Suzanne knew that her son understood because he could answer the questions at the end of each chapter. She related that the careful pacing, the repetition of key concepts, the detailed illustrations and the audiobook CD helped her son to put his trust in Jesus as his substitute lamb—his Saviour.

[*Names changed as per GoodSeed policy.]