Good news deserves a thorough explanation. If we indeed believe that the gospel is the best news ever given, then we will gladly sacrifice whatever time is necessary in order to help others know, understand, and respond to the gospel. There are several solid resources that you could use to lead an evangelistic Bible study with an unbeliever. Christianity Explored and The Story of Hope are two that I would recommend. 

Times Have Changed

I doubt that many of us need to be convinced that we are living in a post-Christian culture. When the waves of postmodernism crashed on the shores of our culture in the late 20^th century, Biblical concepts that were accepted by society at large began to erode away. Judeo-Christian beliefs have been replaced with expressive individualism, the sexual revolution, and religious skepticism. Christians often find themselves feeling overwhelmed by the never-ending onslaught and dominance of anti-Christian philosophies. How can we reach people for Christ in such a brazenly godless society?

Needless to say, we can’t rely on “hit and run” gospel presentations for effective disciple-making ministry. Times have changed. We need to consider a different approach for engaging unbelievers with the good news of Jesus.

In my previous blog article, we looked at how to address peoples’ life stories with the hope of the gospel. This method of evangelism is an effective introduction to the good news of Christ, but it needs to be supplemented by further gospel conversations and deeper exposure to the truth. In other words, it needs to be followed up with evangelistic Bible studies.

Evangelistic Bible Studies

Definition: An evangelistic Bible study is a sequential, systematic approach to presenting the truths of the gospel through inductive studies of God’s Word.

Evangelistic Bible studies are designed to methodically present the redemptive truths of Scripture to people with little or no Christian background. They typically blend inductive Bible study questions with clear explanations so that readers can see and understand Biblical truth for themselves. Evangelistic studies help unbelievers explore essential redemptive truths about God the Creator, man the sinner, Jesus the Savior, and the need for repentance and faith.

Reasons for Evangelistic Bible Studies

1.  God uses His Word to bring new life to spiritually dead sinners. 

Carefully consider the following Scriptures:

“Since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God” ~ I Peter 1:23

“Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” ~ Ro.10:17

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” ~ Heb. 4:12

Read More