Training Guide    

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal l ife in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 6:23

BRIDGE

 

  2  

Why write this?

The Bridge Training Guide is an attempt to put the gospel in front of as many individuals as possible in two specific ways: 1) confronting the reader with the gospel directly, 2) equipping the reader to share the gospel with others. My dream is to have believers convinced of and competent to share the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ in a simple and straightforward way. My aim is to train up believers who can reproduce this gospel message in as many different contexts as possible. This Bridge exists to be a reproducible, concise, adaptable, yet comprehensive tool for precisely this purpose. However it is not comprehensive in all matters of theology, but comprehensive enough for a person to have heard it and have their eternal destiny changed forever upon trusting in its message. It is important to note that this is not a silver bullet evangelistic option, but a good option that will allow the sharer to not only present the gospel clearly but gather information about the person and use it as an entryway into further study about the gospel of Jesus Christ. There is no evangelistic tool that I have seen God use greater than this one to bring people to saving knowledge in Jesus and to bring greater clarity to the Christian message than this one. My life has been changed having learned it and I hope that generations more will come to see its benefits!

623project.com © 2012 Andrew Knight

All drawings done by Dan Nuckols Cover drawing and watermark adapted from Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge stock photo:

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/carrick-a-rede/

 

  3  

Contents What is the Gospel?…………...…4 WHAT is the Bridge?..................5 WHY do we share our Faith?......6 WHY use the Bridge?..................8 HOW do we use it?......................9 Example Dialogue………...……..11 Practice……………………..…….13

The  Bridge  can  be  drawn  for  anyone,  anywhere,  at  anytime.  

 

  4  

What is the Gospel?

“For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…” Romans 1:16

The What of the Gospel? The gospel, as described by Romans 1:16, is the very power of God. The greatest expression of God’s power is not the act of Creation, not the flood, not the parting of the Red Sea, and not even the plagues in Egypt. What God does in making a dead person alive is the greatest expression of God’s power. There is no greater demonstration of the power of God than what he does in saving a sinful and separated people.

The Why of the Gospel? The gospel exists to save. This is its primary purpose. It is for salvation. To have any other primary reason for its use than this one is to misunderstand and manipulate it. One must realize and have the eager expectation that the gospel’s aim is to save its hearers! It is determined to do so.

The Who of the Gospel? The gospel is not biased. It does not segregate with regards to gender, ethnicity, economic class, or age. The gospel is for everyone, everywhere, at anytime. It is for whosoever believes.

The How of the Gospel? How is one saved? By faith. The saving work of Jesus is applied to one’s life through belief in His substitutionary work on the cross for them. Everyone has faith in something, but Christianity is characterized only by faith in the life and death of Jesus Christ.

 

  5  

What?

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life

in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

             

             Wages                                                                                                                                                                            Gift      

                   Sin                                                                                                                                                                                  God                    Death                                            Life                        BUT  

 

 

  6  

Why share our Faith?

1) Jesus said so. Our Savior commissioned us along with his disciples when He said, “All authority on heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20). Implicit in disciple-making is evangelism and conversions. No one follows Jesus without first being saved by him through His gospel by an evangelistic encounter. Converts come first and then by nature and maturity they become disciples!

2) Christians believe the Gospel. Paul comments on our gospel and says that it is, “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). It is the gospel that lies at the base of our convictions for evangelism. Christians share because their message has tremendous power to save and sanctify. If it were powerless we would be useless in evangelistic encounters, but it is able to save and therefore we are hopeful. We share the gospel mainly because we believe in it – that it works! Therefore, our message is a primary motivation in evangelism and we are prime examples that it can and does save anyone!

3) Evangelism exists because worship does not. Jesus said in John 4:23, “the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him.” As believers, we are zealous for all

 

  7  

peoples to worship and adore our Father in heaven as we do. We know that evangelism cannot end until our God’s worship expands across the globe. To worship authentically and spiritually in spirit and truth requires conversion. Evangelism is one of God’s appointed means to bring the worship due his name through conversion, “so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10).

4) Hell is a conscious and certain real ity. The Apostle Paul records that God will be “inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might” (2 Thessalonians 1:8, 9). The Scripture is clear that all those not intentionally trusting the gospel message of Jesus Christ will consciously and eternally suffer damnation in suffering and agony for infinity. May our hearts break as the Apostle Paul did, “My hearts desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved” (Romans 10:1).

 

  8  

Why use the Bridge?

B__________ The Bridge diagram is helpful because it is basic and simple. Its clear and comprehensive, yet brief presentation of the gospel is what sets it apart from other methods. Its key is keeping a simple message in a simple and digestible format.

R__________ If it is not reproducible then what good is it? The aim with this diagram is its ability to be learned thoroughly after seeing it the first time. This diagram is not only aimed at bringing the gospel message to an unbelieving soul, but an equipping tool for those who want to be empowered to share it.

I __________ Most people are visual learners. And the benefit of the Bridge Diagram is its illustration. It combines Scripture with a diagram to help the listener understand and interact with the message of the gospel.

 

  9  

D__________ One of the greatest pitfalls in evangelism is that the sharer gives a mini-sermon to the listener. Evangelism can easily become a monologue, rather than a dialogue with the other person. Dialogue keeps the listener engaged and helps the sharer adapt his message to the comprehension and questions of his listener.

G__________ The Bridge is gospel-centered. Not a whole lot more – just the gospel. It does not deal with the side issues of proving God, creation, or nuanced theological issues. But its goal is to share the story of the saving message of God through man’s sin, separation, Christ, and response in faith.

E__________ While the bridge is not comprehensive in dealing with all the questions of Christianity, it is an entryway to discussing a whole spectrum of issues that surround the Christian gospel. It provides a platform into further discussion about conversion, the gospel, or other particularities about Christianity. But the Bridge primarily deals with the good news of Jesus and it’s a prerequisite teaching of the Bible that is necessary to understand before understanding in other areas will exist.

 

  10  

How?

1. Write out verse clearly.

2. Remind them of our position before “the fall.”

3. Define terms for them.

i. Wages - Gift ii. Sin - God iii. Death - Life

4. Ask them, (3 magic questions)

i. “Where would you position yourself along the line?” ii. “Where would you like to be?” iii. “What is keeping you from being there?”

5. Clarify that “repentance and faith” are evidence of Life.

Process of Asking, Drawing, and Defining:

1. Asking – Can I share a verse with you that summarizes the entire Bible? 2. Drawing – the structure of the diagram 3. Defining – 3 main words in first phrase

4. Defining – 3 main words in next phrase 5. Drawing – the Cross as the Bridge 6. Asking – the three important questions

 

  11  

Example Dialogue Asking

Drawing Defining

Simply write out the verse and ask…

Can I share a verse with you that summarizes the entire Bible? Draw out God and man icon and explain, “The two main characters in the Bible are God and man. In the beginning God and man were in relationship, but when man rebelled against God sin and separation occurred. Draw in the chasm. This verse is God’s solution to bridging the gap between God and man.

Define and dialogue through the terms in the first phrase of the verse. Ask, “What are the three main words/nouns in the first phrase?” Write out the words under the “man” cliff and ask him to define each one:

- To you, what is a wage? “something that is earned from a job” - To you, what is sin? “disobedience; action, but also a heart attitude” - To you, what is death? “separation from God, spiritual death = hell”

 

  12  

Define and dialogue through the terms in the second phrase of the verse. Ask, “What are the three main words/nouns in the second phrase?” Write out the words under the “God” cliff and ask him to define each one:

(show the contrasting relationship between each word in this phrase with it counterpart in the first phrase = Opposites)

- To you, what is a gift? “something that is free; it costs nothing” - To you, who is God? “He is opposite of sin; sinless; perfect” - To you, what is life? “living forever, spiritual life with God = heaven”

Draw in the Cross that bridges man back to God and explain how all other attempts fail to bridge man back to God (bible study, church attendance, good works). Write in above the cross the word, “Trust.” Explain that God wants a relationship with us and that relationships involve trust. Say, “Friendship with God starts by trusting in Jesus’ death (He died the death we should have died) and life (He lived the life we could never live).”

Finish by asking 3 questions, “Which cliff would you place yourself on and why? Where do you want to be? What is keeping you from being there?

 

  13  

Practice

                                     

 

  14  

The Bridge Training Guide

Videos, articles, diagrams

623project.com