Contact4Impact

Priorities

PRAYER > CARE > SHARE > DARE

A Contact4Impact Team joins Jesus in mission to their circle of influence by pursuing these 4 priorities: PRAYER > CARE > SHARE > DARE.

PRAYER

Persistently pray for others to encounter Jesus.

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people (1 Timothy 2:1-6 NIV).

Prayer isn’t just preparation for the work. Prayer is the work—the first work we must do. Here are some things to pray about.

• Pray that you might be a Christ-like example to your co-workers, neighbors or classmates.

• Pray that God would bless those around you and open your eyes to their needs so you can serve them with Jesus’ love.

• Pray for deeper relationships with them.

• Pray that God would give you opportunities to share Jesus with them.

• Pray for the Kingdom values of unity, integrity, respect and service to come to your workplace.

• Pray for creative solutions to the problems in your circle of influence and for His favor to be on you.

This prayer may be helpful.

Father, I pray for _______'s salvation. Help me to live a consistent and attractive Christlike life around _______. Show me _______’s needs so that I can serve him/her with Your love. Do something in _______’s life that can only be explained by Your presence and power. Deepen our relationship together. Open doors for me to have spiritual conversations with _______ and help me to share the Good News of Jesus with him/her. Overcome Satan's blinding of  _______'s heart and mind so that he/she will turn from sin, trust in Jesus as Savior, follow Him as Lord and join a community of believers.

Part of your prayer time is asking the Lord to lead you into ways of impacting those around you. Is there something specific that you can do as an individual or as a team to minister to those around you? What is it? What can you do about it?

CARE

Compassionately care for others’ needs.

Let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith (Galatians 6:9-10 NLT).

In our dog-eat-dog world, goodness and kindness will get people’s attention. Be consistently good and creatively kind. Look around you and ask the Holy Spirit, “Whom can I bless and how can I bless them?” And then do it!

For example, when my friend is in line at a coffee shop, he sometimes asks the person behind him what they like to drink. Then when he gets to the barista, he orders whatever he wants and what the person behind him likes. You can imagine the kind of questions he gets when he hands them their café mocha. 

• Take time to help your co-worker with their project.

• Bring in donuts to celebrate your boss’ birthday.

• Straighten out the staffroom—even clean up the bathroom!

• Support someone going through a tough time.

And how about joining PRAYER with CARE? As you love and listen to people, you’ll notice things that you could pray for. Ask them, “Can I pray for that?” And if they say yes and it’s possible, pray for them right then and there.

Also, as your Contact4Impact Team begins to meet for prayer, you could let your neighbors or co-workers know that your group is praying and that if they have any need for prayer, you would gladly pray for those needs. You’ll be surprised how many people will welcome your prayers.

As you let Jesus’ love flow through you to others, you’ll find that kindness kills skepticism and creates questions. Like, “Why are you doing this?” Whatever you do, don’t wimp out and say, “I thought it would be something nice to do.” Say, “I thought it would be something Jesus would do.” That ought to create more curiosity and open up further conversations.

SHARE

Relationally share each others’ stories and Jesus’ Story.

Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone (Colossians 4:5-6 NLT).

The best conversations begin with good questions and continue with even better listening.

• How are you today? You seem frustrated. Are you okay?

• You have a son or a daughter, right? How are they doing? How’s parenting going for you?

People love to talk about themselves. So give them something to talk about by asking questions like these:

• What’s your spiritual background?

• What have you embraced from your spiritual background?

• What have you rejected?

• What do you think of Jesus?

If you actively listen, you might find that your good question gets a good question in return. Like:

• What’s your spiritual background?

• What have you embraced from your spiritual background?

• What have you rejected?

• What do you think of Jesus?

And once again, here’s a good question:

• How can I pray for you?

It’s amazing how many people will allow you to pray for them and how deeply they’ll appreciate you asking. Listen to their request and then pray right then and there for them.

The point is, if you ask good questions and really listen to their story, you’ll earn the right to share your story and Jesus’ Story.

Share Your Story

Here’s a simple and quick way to share your story. It’s called The 15 Second Testimony.

Take some time to prayerfully fill in the 6 blanks in the graphic. Don’t worry about getting the exact words. Just go with first impressions. You can hone your thoughts later. You can make this your salvation testimony (how you came to Jesus) or your sanctification testimony (how you overcame some difficulty or fear or addiction or weakness through Jesus). Either way, keep it short and sweet and others will be interested to hear your story.

Share Jesus’ Story

After sharing your story, share Jesus’ Story. Here’s a question to get you started. It’s both direct and disarming.

• Has anyone ever explained to you the Good News of Jesus?

People may just respond, “Actually, no. No one has really explained that to me. I have some ideas, but I would like to know.”

Here are 4 presentations of the Good News:

DARE

Personally dare others to be disciples of Jesus.

Philippians 1:12-14 (NIV)

12 Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.

People don’t just wander into a commitment to Jesus. They need to be encouraged and even challenged to consider Jesus’ claims and reign. That’s why the last priority is DARE. In love, we urge people to repent of their sin, believe in Jesus and become His followers. As Jesus said, “Come, follow me.” (Matthew 4:19).

So there’s one more question to ask:

• What would stop you from believing in Jesus and becoming His follower right now?

That should lead to a good conversation and maybe even to someone’s salvation.

Dare to Disciple

And turning from sin and trusting in Jesus is just the beginning. Challenge the person to become a fully devoted follower of Jesus. Here are some discipleship resources you could use:

Prayer > Care > Share > DARE!

Are you ready to start a Contact4Impact Team? Not so sure yet? Let me double dog dare ya to step out in faith and start a team in your circle of influence.

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Support

I’ve Got Your Back!

My name is Karl House. I grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I have planted churches near Toronto and Tampa. I’m now back home in Grand Rapids planting The Way MicroChurches—a growing family of simple churches in Grand Rapids and beyond.

I’m here to support you as you explore and begin your Contact4Impact Team and live a PRAYER > CARE > SHARE > DARE life. You can reach me at (616) 287-3722 or Karl@TheWayMicroChurches.org.