Read John 1:37–42. Why do you think Andrew told his brother about finding the Messiah before he told anyone else?

Andrew found the Messiah, this was tantamount to wining the lottery in our day. Andrew went to the person who was closest to him and immediately shared with him the good news. In the same way we should share with those closest to us the good news of the gospel. When we start with those closest to us we can look for greater success.

Read John 1:43–50. Look at what was going on there. What interpersonal relations are revealed here? In what way does Philip respond to Nathanael's skepticism? What lessons can we take from this story that can help us to understand how personal witnessing works?

Rather than speaking about Jesus, Philip said come and see. We should be able to take people to Jesus the same way that Philip did. We should know the way to Jesus and we should be able to show Jesus in our personal lives. It is all about the relationships that we develop with people.

To whom are those in your immediate vicinity could you do better at witnessing? How much self-sacrifice will it take on your part for you to be a better witness to them?

Prayer: Lord God Almighty, Help us to be able to draw people towards you. Thank you in Jesus name amen.

Read Acts 4:13-14. What do these verses reveal about the relationship that Peter and John had with Jesus and what this connection enabled them to accomplish? Think through what was meant when it says that "they realized that they had been with Jesus." What does that mean? What should a person who has just "been with Jesus" be like?

There is something about being in the presence of Jesus that changes a person. Jesus is such a magnificent person that you can not come in contact with Him and be the same. People realized that the disciples had been with Jesus because He rubbed off on them. They demonstrated the same power and authority that Jesus had. In the same way people should notice that there is something different about us because we have been in the presence of Jesus. The strength of our witnessing comes from spending time in the presence of Jesus. There is no other way to gain power for effective ministry.

How is your own personal relationship with the Lord? How does your mere presence, how you talk, how you act, how you treat people, reveal your relationship with God? Be as painfully honest with yourself as you possibly can.

We must daily consider our lives as they are and as they should be. When we spend time in prayer , God illuminates our minds and consciences. God shows us the areas that we need improvement and the areas where He would like to lead us. Prayer is the way that we obtain that help we need. In addition to prayer we also have the fellowship of the saints to help us grow spiritually. We have everything that we need to experience vibrant spiritual life and growth. We only need to tap into the power God has made available to us through prayer.

Prayer: Lord God almighty, Help us to spend with you which transforms us so that people take note of our difference. Thank you in Jesus name Amen.

Further Study:

Discussion Questions:

"One truth received into the heart will make room for still another truth."—Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, p. 449. In what sequence should the truths we hold be presented in order to be most effective in our outreach? Why should Christ's substitutionary death always be at the forefront of all that we teach?     "Christ drew the hearts of His hearers to Him by the manifestation of His love, and then, little by little, as they were able to bear it, He unfolded to them the great truths of the kingdom. We also must learn to adapt our labors to the condition of the people—to meet men where they are."—Ellen G. White,Evangelism, p. 57. How should love for those to whom we are speaking to about God's Word temper the way we present Bible truth, especially points of doctrine that might challenge a person's existing beliefs or do we need to?

Read the parable of the sower and Jesus' explanation in Luke 8:4–15. What challenges does this parable bring to us in regard to nurturing to maturity the seed that falls on good ground? See also John 16:7-8, 13.

When we think of humans as soil, not all soil is similar.  Some people will hear the gospel and gladly receive it and others will hear it and reject it. Some will hear and only accept it for a little bit.  We must understand that soil where we are planting the gospel seed. Some are simply not ready and some are. We should not get discouraged when we do not see the results we expect , but only remember that people are at different places in the evangelism process.

What part of the parable best describes your own spiritual experience? What choices can you make that can improve your situation?

I think as long as you are a Christian you will experience being any one of the grounds represented here.  The most important thing I see is to learn from our experiences and move beyond our past mistakes. God wants us to experience growth as Christians.  When the general trend of your life is a trend of growth, we are doing great. There may be some set backs here and there but we must continue toward being more like Christ.

Prayer: Lord God almighty, help us to understand the principle of the harvest and not only be harvesters but be harvested. Thank you in Jesus name amen.