Currently for the works of evangelism for campus fellowship, working youth fellowship and even the sermon speaking at church, it is believed that the works of group discussion would have great impact on evangelism. If this area of work is carried out properly, it will definitely bring much benefit in the future following up work. Once the truth is sown into the hearts of the truth seeking friends, then the truth will grow in their hearts.

The youth of today ought to equip themselves to serve the Lord, so the work of discussing the truth allows us to do our part and after receiving much experience in this field of work, we will be more familiar with it.

Leading people to the Lord is the basic duty of all believers, as Paul said, ‘When I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! If I preach voluntarily, I have reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me’. Some may think that as long as we know about personal evangelism and simply plant the seed of the gospel into the hearts of others, then the rest is up to the individual. They have neglected to the works of watering, nurturing and getting rid of any problems, hence the effects of their works are not great. Therefore, we need to emphasize on the works of cultivation, so that they can grow. The work of cultivation includes group discussion and follow up works. In fact this form of discussion is also follow-up works. In order to re-enforce the works of evangelism by doing follow-up, which is discussing the truth with them, both preaching and cultivating are carried out simultaneously to remind them not to forget about the work of ‘discussing the truth’. The ongoing follow up work should be carried out by mature members (believers) and supported by any other working groups of the church to help truth seekers to find the truth.

1. Purpose of discussing the truth

   1. For the church to get to know the truth seekers (through you).

      1. Knowing their motive in coming to believe and their thoughts on listening to sermons.

      2. Getting to know their needs and not to intrude on their personal lives.

   2. For the truth seeker to get to know the church (through you)

      1. Through your experience in coming to believe (or the testimonies of others), allow them to know that they are welcome in the church and we are concern for them.

      2. Introduce them to services that are suitable for them.

      3. Introduce yourself or brothers and sisters to them.

   3. Let them know the basic things that pertain to the truth.

      1. Introduce the basic aspects – God, the sins of men, savior and the church.

      2. Encourage them to seek for the basis of our faith – the Truth, Holy Spirit and the promise of signs and miracles.

   4. Allow them to understand how to hold fast to the basis of the truth.

      1. Encourage them to participate in a service that is suitable for them.

      2. Encourage them to read the scripture and pray.

2. The criteria for workers who will be involved in this area of work.

   1. Know how to develop a good relationship with the Lord and edify the faith of others (1 Thess. 2:8)

   2. Have love and concern for the souls of others and have the zeal to preach the gospel (Isa 59:16; Rom 9:1-3)

   3. Familiarity with the content and meaning of the gospel and knowing the difficult questions relating to the truth.

   4. A person who has undergone training to discuss the gospel with others.

3. Materials need to carry out this area of work.

   1. The workers need to be proper in their attire and be courteous, caring and friendly in their nature.

   2. Bible: Old and New Testament: It is best to mark down some bible verses and write notes where necessary.

   3. Reference materials such as the details of the truth seeker, pens, papers, testimony flyers in Chinese and English versions, gospel booklets, time of services for the local church. Those materials can be acquired from every GA, CB, downloaded, or ordered by the website of our church.

4. Methods for carrying out discussions with truth seekers

The workers should carry out the discussion based on that particular circumstance and target it towards the needs of the truth seeker. However, for those who have not been involved in this area of divine works, it is necessary for them to understand the few basics and they will be able to make use of them and develop their experience through that process.

1. Welcoming

   1. Welcome the truth seekers to attend our evangelical services

   2. Organize an appropriate venue for discussion, so that they will feel welcome.

2. Getting to know each other

   1. Introduce ourselves (name and tell them that you are a believer in this church)

   2. Get to know the truth seeker (asking their name only and remember it) and then just proceed to converse normally.

3. Understand their need

   1. The work of talking to truth seekers is not simply telling them all the things that we know, but more importantly is to help them in things they lack. Therefore, apart from asking about their name and talking briefly to them, you can ask them some questions to find out their thoughts – ‘What are your impression and feeling after listening to the sermon delivered just now?’ Other questions which is also similar such as – ‘Is this your first time attending a church service?’, ‘What do you think about the point mentioned in the sermon that every one of us have sinned?’, ‘Is there anything that you feel that you are spiritually lacking in, and how can I can?’ 

   2. When the truth seeker starts to share their feelings, we need to listen attentively and understand what they are saying. Furthermore try to understand the feelings in their hearts even though they may not have say how they feel, then we will be able to help them effectively.

4. Provide and help them with their needs

   1. According to the needs of the truth seeker, we can provide the help they need and show that we understand how they feel. However if what they feel is not right, then try to explain that we agree with the points that are right but politely correct them for their mistakes.

   2. When you can understand what they say and how they feel, then they will feel that you can give them the help they need.

   3. Testify how you first came to seek the truth and your experience in coming to believe in the Lord. It will help to overcome their anxiety and give encouragement in how to deal with obstacles and how to pray and rely on the Lord. Through this, you have actually included some of the massage of the gospel in your testimonies.

   4. When you are testifying, you can make use of pamphlets, booklets and the bible.

5. Guide them to seek for the true elements of their belief

   1. Take some examples from the bible which relates to the important promise the Lord have given us for our daily living, for example – not to worry about food and clothing (Mt 6:26), the promise of Sabbath day (Mt 11:28), the promise that we will overcome the evil one (1 Jn 3:8, 5:18) etc.

   2. Teach them to hold on to the promise and pray. Guide them to pray in a correct manner.

6. Reminder for things concerning their daily lives

   1. Teach them how to read the bible and pray

   2. Invite them to attend the appropriate services and to explain that coming to service regularly does not require any condition (some people may think that if they come again, they will have to get baptized and to offer offerings).

   3. After the discussion, introduce them to some other believers, especially those who can continue on to do follow-up work. As they get to know more people, they will not feel like a stranger and more members will have known them.

7. Keeping in contact

   1. We need to sincerely let the truth seeker know that we hope to keep in contact in the future through phone calls. First give them your contact details and at the same time ask them for their phone number (record it down immediately in the note book to show that we do respect them).

   2. For the first meeting, all we need to know are their names and phone numbers. Other details such as age, interest, area of specialty, reason for believing and home addresses can be made known through the conversation. Even if we cannot obtain this information in the beginning, it is not urgent because we can find out in the future discussion when we talk to them again.

   3. The few points listed above can be used in a flexible manner. Each session of discussion would only require about 10 minutes or so.

5. A few points to remember

1. 1. 1. The discussion leader needs to finish the session on time 

Depending on how much time is allocated for discussion as announced by the service leader and if the truth seeking friends wish to stay to discuss the truth, we need to find out how long can they stay for and not to drag on with the conversation until late at night, so that it will not affect their having to go to work the next day.

2. It is not appropriate to argue with the truth seeker

Perhaps the truth seeking friend will raise several questions and some of the question are asked because they wish to gain a deeper understanding, but there are also some questions which are raised to make things difficult for the our workers to handle. Therefore, we need to be mindful. If the question does not lead to contention, we need to give them the answers, but if we know that it will cause contention, we need to avoid it in order to keep the peace and give them a chance to discussion the matter in the future. Hence, when we encounter questions that might cause contention, we need to handle it properly:

1. Acknowledge that they have a very broad knowledge and also indicate that we wish to discuss the matter further with them and to learn more from them. As for the question they raised before, we have not taken much notice into it in the past. We shall consult with other more experienced members and then we shall get back to them and welcome them to come again in the future.

2. Sometimes we can introduce them to read some books because the books have listed more explanations for the question they have and it is much clearer than what we can say to them. This will not give them any chance to refute and they would need to read the book, hence giving them plenty of time to think and ponder into the topic.

3. While conversing, if it relates to some personal issues, the visitor attendants should have certain understanding and awareness:

   1. In order to give proper help to the truth seekers, we may need to go deeper to understand their problems, even if it has to do with their personal lives.

   2. Often time in the first conversation, it is not proper to ask people their personal problems.

   3. If it is necessary, we should have the love of Christ, with sincerity and care, to understand their problems. Please remember, our purpose to understand their problems is to help them to know our Savior Lord Jesus and to solve their problems with Biblical teachings and guidance from the Holy Spirit.

   4. After we know their problem, we need to intercede for them, asking the true God to guide and abide with them. If we do not want to intercede, then we should not know their problems.

   5. While we are helping, we need to keep ourselves holy. We should ask for the guidance from the Holy Spirit, and not intrude into their personal lives.

   6. In addition, after we know their problems or personal issues, we have the responsibility of keeping it confidential.

4. Our speech and actions need to be gentle and polite

The workers should not carry the attitude that they are there to teach the truth seekers and should not see themselves as better than others by pointing out the sin of others.

We can bear testimony regarding how we transgressed against the Lord in the past and how we come before God to seek for forgiveness. It will indirectly tell the truth seekers that they too have sinned, and they will come to understand that we are in the same situation as they are and we are just as weak. Then they will be able to be honest with us and we will be able to lead them to repentance and to believe in the Lord.

5. Remind the truth seeking friend that the evil one has many tricks and traps.

Many truth seekers will have to face some hindrances from the evil one, such as: mockery from their friends, attacks from their relatives, temptation by things which involve sinful pleasures (gambling and immorality), so that they cannot escape from the bondage. So we need to remind them to prepare their hearts, to rely constantly on prayer, to come to church regularly and to intercede for one another to overcome all things. At the same time, we can made use of some testimonies to strengthen their faith.

6. Feel joyful for them because they came to seek after the truth.

Not only the angels in heaven would be joyful over them, the whole church is happy for them too. This matter is indeed a great blessing. With our sincerity, honesty and care for them, we can help to minimize the inferior feelings and anxieties they may have, so that they will have the faith to continue with the work of seeking after the truth.

These reminders mentioned above can be applied whenever necessary and also with flexibility, and the result shall be good in the end.

6. The follow-up works after these discussion sessions.

   1. The importance of follow-up works.

When the church organizes door to door evangelism, outdoor evangelism, family evangelism and evangelism services, the church will start to give out registration cards through the divine workers. Due to the fact that we do not have a lot of experience in follow-up work, or the lack of proper organization, we might not be able to get in touch with the truth seekers for two to three months after the evangelical service. If this is left till much later, the faith of the truth seekers would also turn cold and some may even lose their faith, so many of these truth seekers are lost. Sometimes, although they have been visited by divine workers, they were not able to communicate well with the workers because they do not know them very well and there is not much success from these works. All the hard work of evangelism has not come to fruition because of the lack of follow-up work, and it is something very regrettable.

Therefore, the church needs to design a good plan for these follow-up works. After each evangelical service, we have to organize meetings to discuss about ‘follow-up work’. Apart from evaluating the result of the evangelical service, we could also find out if the workers who spoke to the truth seekers are willing to carry on with the follow-up work? If they are not willing, where can we find replacements? How can we manage the registration information gathered from the truth seekers? Among the people who came to seek the truth, how many of them require others to look after them? Will the follow-up work be done by the truth seeker themselves, in a group and individually? How can we record follow-up work? Should the work group meeting be held at a regular time?

A properly organized follow-up work will assist any future organization of evangelical services and it will help to increase the effectiveness of evangelical works.

2. The best candidates for follow-up work are the ones that hold the discussion session with the truth seekers.

Why is it better to let the workers who are present at the discussion session to carry on with the follow-up works? Some of the reasons are as follows:

1. They have given the first good impression for the truth seekers and at least the truth seekers have talked in depth with them about their feelings. This connection cannot be replaced by others. Otherwise they need to re-establish the sense of understanding again with another worker and hence might be difficult. For example, a worker who carries out follow-up works would say to them, ‘The person whom you spoken to after the evangelical service has told me all about your situation, so today I came to pay you a visit.’ How would you feel about this?

2. The worker who was involved in the discussion needs to be responsible for the follow-up work of the truth seekers they have spoken to, until the time that the truth seeker has come to believe and be baptized. If this work is done with the complement of the evangelical work of the preacher, then the church will definitely grow.

3. The church ought to train our brothers and sisters to be involved in talking to truth seekers. When all of them are involved, their spirituality will grow and the church will also prosper. If not all of the workers can carry on with follow-up works with individual truth seekers, those who can do it should set up a team, so that the process of follow-up can be done consistently. As for those workers who cannot participate, they can get involved in a follow-up work group, so it is possible for all workers to be trained in conducting discussion sessions.

3. Follow-up works carried out for the truth seekers

Contact them within 3 days (via phone or meeting) after the evangelical service to understand their situation after searching for the truth and give them proper encouragement and guidance.