🌱 GROWING IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
🗣️ Lesson 12: Share Him
📘 12.6 Summary
Tell of God’s love and lead people to Jesus
📖 1. Introduction
This week’s lesson reminds us that every Christian is called to speak about Jesus. Witnessing is not only a task for pastors or evangelists, but for all who have experienced God’s love. Whoever lives with Christ will naturally develop the desire to share this hope. It is not about pressure or perfection, but about a life that points to Jesus. God’s mission begins in the heart and flows from there into our relationships.
📜 2. The Biblical Foundation
The Great Commission from Matthew 28:18–20 forms the foundation of this lesson:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.”
Jesus sends His followers into the world, but at the same time He promises them His constant presence. The apostles lived out this commission and could not remain silent about what they had experienced with Jesus (Acts 4:20). Their strength did not come from their own ability, but from the work of the Holy Spirit.
🌍 3. Connection to Our Time
Today, too, we live in a world that is searching for hope. Many people do not know God or have moved away from Him. Some openly reject faith, while others carry a deep spiritual longing within them. God calls His church to meet these people with love, patience, and truth. Often, mission does not begin in a pulpit, but in everyday relationships, conversations, and encounters.
💡 4. Central Message of the Lesson
👉 God’s love should become visible through our lives so that other people may come to know Jesus and follow Him.
✝️ 5. Theological Focus
A central theme of the lesson is the nature of true mission. God never works through force, but through love. From the beginning of the Bible, God respects human freedom of choice. Jesus forced no one to follow Him. He healed, taught, helped, and invited people to trust Him.
Therefore, our witness must also be marked by the same attitude. Mission does not mean winning arguments or persuading people by pressure. It is about making God’s character visible. God’s truth has its own power and needs no manipulation.
At the same time, the lesson shows that witnessing arises from a personal relationship with Christ. Peter and John could not remain silent because they themselves had experienced who Jesus is. Their witness was credible because their lives had been changed.
The foundation of every mission therefore remains:
- experiencing God’s love,
- living with Jesus,
- being filled with the Holy Spirit,
- and sharing this experience.
🌟 6. Spiritual Deepening
Another important focus of this lesson concerns people who have moved away from God.
The stories of Ephraim, Gomer, and Peter show that God gives up on no one. Even when people make wrong decisions or leave the faith, God’s heart remains full of love and hope.
This truth changes the way we deal with such people.
Often we react with:
- disappointment,
- concern,
- frustration,
- impatience.
God, however, meets them with patience, mercy, and a constant invitation to repentance.
Therefore, an important part of our witness consists not only in reaching people who do not yet know God, but also in praying for those who have moved away.
The lesson repeatedly emphasizes the power of personal example. Many people may no longer listen to sermons, but they observe the lives of Christians.
They see:
- our love,
- our willingness to forgive,
- our patience,
- our peace,
- our hope.
In this way, a selfless, loving life becomes one of the strongest witnesses of all.
When Christ dwells in our hearts, as Ephesians 3:17–19 describes, His love becomes visible through us. Then our words become credible and our lives point to Him.
Mission therefore does not begin with methods, but with a deep connection to Jesus.
🔧 7. Application in Everyday Life
Practical steps:
- Ask God daily for opportunities to witness.
- Build genuine friendships.
- Pray regularly for the people around you.
- Tell others about your personal experiences with God.
- Meet even those who have gone astray with patience and love.
❓ 8. Reflection Question
Whom does God want to draw closer to Himself in the coming days through my life, my words, or my prayers?
🌟 9. Closing Thought
The most important message of this lesson is: we are not speaking about a theory, but about a Person. Jesus has changed our lives and wants to reach other people as well. If we remain rooted in His love, our lives become a living witness of His grace. God is not looking for perfect missionaries, but for people who are willing to share His love.
“We cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:20) ❤️🗣️
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Questions:
1. Why is love so fundamental and essential for every kind of effective witnessing?
2. When have you realized that winning people for God is connected with a personal and living relationship with God?
3. Is there a basic requirement or fundamental understanding needed in order to speak with others about God? If so, what could it be?
4. If you wanted to give a Bible study to a non-Christian, where would you begin? What would be your initial focus: proving certain doctrines or inviting someone to get to know Jesus?
5. Sing the hymn “What Joy It Is to Be Redeemed” (GHS 363, SuG 331) and think about how you proclaim this.
Answers:
1. Why is love so fundamental and essential for every kind of effective witnessing?
Because love is the essence of God, and people are most deeply touched by genuine love. Without love, even correct words sound cold and unconvincing. Love creates trust, opens hearts, and makes the gospel credible. Jesus first won people through His love and compassion.
2. When have you realized that winning people for God is connected with a personal and living relationship with God?
People are often reached when they see that our faith is genuine and that our lives have been changed. A living relationship with God gives peace, hope, and joy that others can perceive. Whoever lives with Jesus personally speaks of Him more naturally and convincingly.
3. Is there a basic requirement or fundamental understanding needed in order to speak with others about God?
Yes. The most important requirement is a personal experience with Jesus. One does not need to know all the answers, but one should know what God has done in one’s own life. Authentic witness arises from a real relationship with Christ.
4. If you wanted to give a Bible study to a non-Christian, where would you begin?
I would begin with Jesus—with His love, His life, His sacrifice, and His invitation to a personal relationship. Before explaining individual doctrines, it is important that people come to know Christ. When they learn to understand and love Jesus, many other biblical truths become easier to understand.
5. Sing the hymn “What Joy It Is to Be Redeemed” and think about how you proclaim this.
Redemption is one of God’s greatest gifts. Whoever has personally experienced the forgiveness, hope, and love of Jesus can share this joy with others. Not only through words, but also through a life full of gratitude, peace, and trust, it becomes visible what it means to be redeemed.
