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Vision of Fruit

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A Vision of Fruit

Copyright Fireseed Productions, Duplication permitted

God’s love for you and the students at your school is pretty remarkable. The Scripture says in 2 Peter 3:9 that it is His desire that none of your friends would ever perish, but they would all repent of their sins and come to know Him. If this is God’s desire, how can we tell as many as possible? And when we do, will all of them respond? The answer to that question is found in an illustration Jesus used in Matthew 13:1-23. After you read this passage, discuss these questions: In this Scripture, people’s hearts are described as soil or the ground where the seed was sown.

How would you describe the four types of soil in this story?

1.

2.

3.

4.

In your opinion, what does the seed represent?

Who is the sower, and what does it mean to spread the seed?

If you were a farmer, you would plant seed across all your fields, not just some of them. Why? Because the more soil you cover with seed, the more crop you will have at harvest time. Let’s go back to the story in Matthew 13:1-23 and think about these questions:

How much of the field did the sower plant with seed?

What portion or percentage of the field bore fruit?

Why did some of the field produce, while other parts did not?

What are the four different results from the seed that was scattered?

1.

2.

3.

4.

In this story, the sower was doing a good job spreading his seed across the whole field. But he got different results. Some seed was rejected by the soil. Some sprang up but quickly faded away. Some seed was eventually choked out by weeds. However, a good portion of the soil was ready, and produced a huge crop.

Let’s talk about your school for a moment.

How does the story of the sower, the seed and the soils apply to you and your campus? Give some examples.

When we share Christ with others, can we expect that some will respond? Why?

If not everyone responds to the message of Christ, should that surprise us? Why?

The Bible tells us that our world is made up of spiritual fields, fields of people (see John 4:34-38). A campus is a field of people with clubs, teams, cliques and classes. It is in this field that God is carrying out His rescue operation, using us to spread the seed of His Word to as many parts of the field as we are able. The more Christians who are involved in a campus club or movement, the greater the amount of seed that is spread across the campus – and, the greater the number who will come to Christ. What about those who do not respond when we share Christ? Do we ignore them? In the same way that a farmer cultivates hard soil so that it will receive the seed in the future, we keep loving and relating to our friends who are not responsive. In due time, some of them will put their trust in Christ.

How can you apply this discussion on the “vision of fruit” to your campus ministry?

Has your vision for fruit increased? Explain your thoughts to your group.

What have you decided to do as a result?

 

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What they’re saying about Cru

Students today are more relational than ever, and so it makes your job of sharing Christ in a relevant way that much more important. If you are a student, you’ve got a built in advantage. You speak the language, and understand them like no other creature on the planet. You are God’s best weapon for bringing Him to your campus. If we’re honest though we’d have to say it’s tough presenting Christ as the only way to God in our culture.

Ideas are easily swapped in the cafeteria or during practice, but our message demands a response. We want that person to make an intelligent decision about what we communicated. Sometimes we can dance around the issues talking about spiritual stuff, but never really get to the heart of the matter. We often never actually bring them to the point where they can receive Christ. That’s why using a simple tool to communicate your faith can be so helpful.

Using a tool keeps the message simple and to the point.

How often have you gotten into long conversations with a friend about spiritual things, but couldn’t seem to get down to the main issue of where they stood with God. Most evangelistic tools present a simple and complete outline including Scriptures to help you keep on track.

Usually a tool will begin on a positive note – “God loves you!”

This is important, because God’s Spirit wants to draw your friends to God. Presenting God in a positive sight will let them take that first step towards Him.

A tool will always present how to receive Christ.

It’s built right into the text, and usually all you need to do is read it, and lead your friend in prayer.

A tool will give you confidence because you’ll know what to say.

The Japanese have a saying, “I will master something, then the creativity will come.” When a woodworker masters how to use the tools of his trade, he then naturally creates objects of beauty and worth. When you master a tool, you will then be able to relax and be yourself in the context of a spiritual discussion. Something many adults can’t even do well. Christ wants to express His love and concern through you. If you are always concerned about what to say next, that will be harder to express. A tool will help you become confident in the message you want to bring to your friends.

Some students react to using a tool. One guy said, “I’m the only Bible some of my friends will ever read, so I’m just gonna let my life speak for itself.” But can a person really trust Christ by just observing someone’s life? The simple definition of evangelism is to announce or proclaim good news. God has called us to back up our life with words that will clarify and bring to light the reality of Christ in us.

Remember, an evangelistic tool helps us in our mission to present Christ. However, it is only a tool. God is the one who draws people to Himself. He is the One who will open their eyes to spiritual truths. He will be the one to give assurance in their heart for what He has done. It’s not the words in the booklet that will change anyone. A tool acts as a simple outline to lead them to the truth they need to place their trust in Christ.