{"id":5503,"date":"2016-10-06T10:39:43","date_gmt":"2016-10-06T16:39:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.goodseed.com\/blog\/?p=5503"},"modified":"2020-09-23T15:58:44","modified_gmt":"2020-09-23T21:58:44","slug":"to-give-or-to-guide-that-is-the-question","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goodseed.com\/blog\/2016\/10\/06\/to-give-or-to-guide-that-is-the-question\/","title":{"rendered":"To give or to guide… that is the question"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"ladies-study\"<\/a>Kayla* has three friends who aren\u2019t believers. Because she desired to share the gospel with them, Kayla attended a TERM Seminar<\/a> to be better equipped. After the seminar, Kayla knew she wanted to use GoodSeed resources with her friends. But should she give them each a book and leave it at that? Or should she offer to guide them through a study?<\/em><\/p>\n

We encourage believers to share the good news through two primary ways: give<\/strong> and guide<\/strong>. To elaborate, give<\/strong> means to take one of our books, audiobooks or videobooks and give it to a friend. Guide<\/strong> means to take the resources and lead a gospel Bible study. Both methods work. We have numerous testimonies of how people have come to faith in Christ because a friend gave them a book<\/a> or guided them through a study<\/a>. But in Kayla\u2019s situation, which option would be better?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s explore the merits of each option in turn.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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When to give away a tool<\/h3>\n
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Giving away a book or other resource is easy to do. Here are six reasons.<\/p>\n

1. Fleeting opportunities.<\/strong> Sometimes, you only have a few moments to share the gospel. How can you do that in less than five minutes? Suppose you\u2019re in a conversation with your hairdresser, a fellow traveller on a plane, or the plumber who\u2019s come to fix a leaky pipe and you sense an opportunity. What do you do? In such circumstances, giving a book is your only option. You may never see this person again so putting a carefully-crafted gospel presentation in their hands is the best thing to do. We encourage believers to be prepared with a Be Ready Box<\/a> for such occasions.<\/p>\n

2. Distance.<\/strong> Sharing the gospel with someone at a distance is always a challenge. When your friend is in the next city or on the other side of the globe, the most efficient way to share the gospel is to send a book or ebook to them. Include a note to encourage them to read and pray the Lord will use the material to great effect.<\/p>\n

3. Hesitancy.<\/strong> Perhaps you have friends who are coy when the conversation turns toward spiritual matters. They are half-hearted, sometimes indicating they want to hear more about God, other times, they change the subject. For such friends, it\u2019s best to hand them a book and say, \u201cHere\u2019s an objective book that peels away all the religious talk to let the Bible speak for itself. Why don\u2019t you have a read and see if this satisfies your curiosity about what the Bible is all about?\u201d<\/p>\n

4. Resistance.<\/strong> Once in a while, you\u2019ll encounter someone who appears entirely closed to the gospel. They aren\u2019t interested in religion or worse, are antagonistic towards believers. Perhaps it\u2019s a parent, a sibling or a co-worker. Inviting them to a study is out of the question. However, presenting a book may work. You might say: \u201cWhy don\u2019t you take just a little time to learn what the Bible really has to say about life and death, and life after death? Why not learn for yourself before rejecting it completely?\u201d This is an appeal to being reasonable and your friend may acquiesce.<\/p>\n

5. Intimidation.<\/strong> Your friend may feel pressured if you offer to do a study. The idea of being trapped for hours studying something they\u2019re not familiar with may put some people off. They feel intimidated and as believers, we should never put someone on the spot. Giving a book on these occasions allows them to learn at their own pace. Just let them know you\u2019re available whenever they want to talk.<\/p>\n

6. Convenience<\/strong>. You may be nervous about leading a Bible study. Even having a 30-minute conversation about the good news makes your palms sweaty. You want to share\u2026 but how? Giving away a book makes evangelism doable. It\u2019s easy. Anyone can do it, including you.<\/p>\n

Those are six reasons when giving a book is a great way to share the gospel. Now, how about guiding a study? Here are three good reasons.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

When to guide a study<\/h3>\n
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1. Accountability.<\/strong> You have a friend who has shown interest but who you know lacks the commitment to finish a book. If you offer to guide a study, they may be willing to study the book together. A Bible study provides the structure and discipline to complete a study. You\u2019re ensuring the book is studied and completed in a timely manner.<\/p>\n

2. Increased comprehension.<\/strong> For some friends, they may read through the book but not understand everything they\u2019ve read. If you\u2019re not around to take questions, they may give up in confusion. But if you guide them through a study, you\u2019ll be there to answer questions and clarify points. Additionally, if you take advantage of the workbook, the visual aids and the video clips that are part of the materials, they\u2019ll understand better.<\/p>\n

3. Just not a reader.<\/strong> Perhaps your friend doesn\u2019t enjoy reading or is a poor reader. In such a case, handing him a book isn\u2019t going to have much impact. However, if you offer to sit down and do a study with them, they will be able to track along and learn.<\/p>\n

\"one-on-one-study\"<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Why guiding works better than giving<\/h3>\n
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In some situations, giving a book is the only choice. But if circumstances allow you to choose, then consider these four reasons why you should choose guiding over giving.<\/p>\n

1. It develops relationship.<\/strong> If you have a good relationship with a friend, it\u2019s easier to offer to do a study together. During the course of the study, your friendship is bound to deepen. This is vital if your friend struggles to accept the implications of the Bible\u2019s message. Sometimes, your friendship is what helps them choose to trust in Jesus. They trust you, and therefore are more inclined to trust the message you are presenting.<\/p>\n

See how Dennis\u2019s friendship helped Ian accept Christ and walk through a dark period in his life. ><\/a><\/p>\n

2. It shows you care.<\/strong> When your friend sees that you are willing to devote time to teach them the Bible\u2019s message, it shows how much you care. This encourages them to be attentive during the study.<\/p>\n

3. It allows you to disciple them.<\/strong> Once your study concludes and your friend chooses to put their faith in Christ, your relationship allows you to help them in their journey as a disciple.<\/p>\n

4. It allows you to follow up.<\/strong> At the end of the study, your friend may choose not to trust Christ for various reasons. A common one is that they need time to process what they\u2019ve learned. Or there are issues in their life that cause them to wrestle with the Bible\u2019s message. But because you\u2019ve built a relationship through the course of the study, the door is open for further questions and discussions. This may eventually lead them to trust the Lord in the end.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Different ways to guide a study<\/h3>\n
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Christ commanded us to be witnesses for him. Indeed, the gospel is a life-saving message and therefore important to share. Start by being aware of the opportunities to give away resources and at the same time, be alert to the Spirit\u2019s prompting on opportunities to guide.<\/p>\n

The Worldview Rethink curriculum<\/a> that GoodSeed has developed provides a variety of ways to guide a study. Based on your circumstances, you can lead a study with just one person or a group. You simply read together, or take advantage of additional aids like workbooks, visual aids and video clips.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve worked hard to make guiding a study as simple as possible. We encourage you to familiarize yourself with the materials. In our experience, when we are prepared, the opportunities begin to present themselves.<\/p>\n

Watch the video for different ways you can guide a study.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n