OPENING PRAYER: Almighty Father, please let all Your children discover through this lesson, the effective ways of handling personal evangelism and be involved comprehensively in the name of Jesus. (Scroll down for RCCG Sunday School 5 June 2022 HYMN)

PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE:
Teacher should allow students to review the previous week’s lesson.

MEMORY VERSE: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” – Romans 1:16 (KJV)

BIBLE PASSAGE: Mark 16:15-18 (King James Version)

15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

LESSON INTRODUCTION: Personal evangelism is the act of a person sharing the gospel with another. While there are many different methods of evangelism and means of helping others find salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, personal evangelism has been found to be very effective. Personal evangelism is the responsibility of every believer. God calls each of us to different tasks and endows us with different gifts, but the goal is the same-the salvation of the lost (1Cor.12:6-7; Lk.19:10). He places us in strategic positions for influence, not a privilege. We have neighbours, co-workers, friends, and relatives who need to hear the good news about Jesus. Like Apostle Paul, believers should not be ashamed of sharing their faith with others (Romans 1:16).

TEXT REVIEW:
i. The message of the great commission is “Preach the Gospel” to every human being. This same applies to personal evangelism.
ii. What are the benefits of accepting and danger of rejecting the gospel?
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LESSON OUTLINES:

1. THE PREPARATION PHASE
2. CREATIVITY IS KEY

1. THE PREPARATION PHASE
A. The person who wants to embark on result-oriented personal evangelism must prepare in the following five ways:
i. Preparation through prayers.
ii. Preparation through righteous lifestyle.
iii. Preparation through the knowledge of the word of God.
iv. Preparation through life application.
v. Preparation through the right attitude.

B. Why are these preparation phases essential?
I. Preparation through consistent and meaningful prayer life is essential because:
i. Prayer enables the preacher to be filled with the Holy Spirit. (Acts 4:31).

ii. The Holy Spirit brings conviction and repentance. (2 Tim.2:25).
iii. The Holy Spirit reveals Jesus to the sinners. (Jn.3:16).
iv. The Holy Spirit releases the right word to the audience. (Col.4:6).
v. Through prayer, God will open the hearts and eyes of the sinners to receive and see Christ. (2 Cor. 4:4).
vi. Prayer equips the evangelist with courage and boldness to preach the gospel. (Acts 4:29).

II. Preparation through righteous lifestyle: Righteous lifestyle is a divine qualification to embark on personal evangelism after salvation. (1 Pet.3:15).
III. Preparation through Biblical knowledge: Being well-grounded in the word of God enables the preacher to rightly select and refer to the appropriate Bible verses for the situation or condition of the audience. (2 Tim.2:15).
IV. Preparation through life application of your salvation experience and testimony: Sharing the experience of what Jesus has done in your life to save you can encourage your audience to believe Jesus and be saved. (Phil.3:4-6; 1Cor.15:9; Jn.9:25).
V. Preparation through right attitude: Sharing the gospel with love and respect for your audience will attract them to the Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Cor.13:1-3, Mark 12:30, Matt. 7:3-5).

CLASS ACTIVITY 1: What are the dangers of embarking on personal evangelism without adequate preparations?

2. CREATIVITY IS KEY

i. Share the gospel as God gives you the skill and the abilities not necessarily the same way as other people. (1Cor.12:12-26, Eph. 4:11-16).
ii. Maximise every opportunity you have to share the gospel of Jesus with other people. (2Tim. 4:2).
iii. Give support to all works of evangelism- be it personal or mass evangelism. (Phil. 4:9).
iv. You can write tracts, compose songs, produce graphic design, and so on to support- the soul-winning mandate. (1Cor.3:5-9).

CLASS ACTIVITY 2:
Identify other creative means of delivering the gospel message to the sinners.

SUMMARY: “Preparations” and “creativity” are essential tools of personal evangelism.

CONCLUSION: As long as we have breath, we can do personal evangelism. As long as we stay surrendered to the Holy Spirit, He will do it through us (Lk.12:12; Jn.9:4).

EVALUATION:
i. What are the preparatory phases of personal evangelism?
ii. What is creativity in personal evangelism?

CLOSING PRAYER: Father, please let spiritual barrenness cease from among God’s people in Jesus’ name.

ASSIGNMENT: Identify five (5) consequences of lack of preparation and creativity in personal evangelism. (2X5=10 Marks).

RCCG Sunday School HYMN

1. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
   O how I love Thee well,
   I am happy, it makes me glad
   To rejoice at Thy birth.
2. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
   Thy friendship suits me well,
   Both young and old will sing Thy song,
   We long for Sunday School.
3. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
   Christ was Thy first teacher,
   The Holy Spirit, great teacher,
   Does manifest in thee.
4. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
   This testimony is sure,
   That God, the Father Almighty,
   Poured His blessing on Thee.
5. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
   Though the sun be so bright,
   Or if the clouds black with rain,
   I’ll be in Sunday School.
6. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
   I rejoice to see Thee,
   Will thou pass over me today?
   Without my being blest?