CPR for Your One – Cultivating Your One

Review:

How to reach just one person for Jesus this year.

Identifying our one.

Praying for our one.

The value of your one to God.

Today: Begin to look at the practical steps we’ll need to take on the way to reaching your one for Jesus.

Evangelism can be broken down into three separate efforts found in an analogy Jesus often used: farming.

Jesus and Paul used to describe evangelism

Mark 4:1-20

John 4:35–38 (NASB95)

1 Corinthians 3:6–8 (NASB95)

These verses describe the CPR of evangelism.

In medical CPR (Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation) we attempt to bring someone who is at back to life.

In evangelism CPR (which we’ll define in a minute) we are attempting to bring a person to .

Prior to salvation our one is. Through faith in Jesus as Savior they can become spiritually alive.

Ephesians 2:1 (NASB95)

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,

Ephesians 2:4–5 (NASB95)

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,

even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

Colossians 2:13 (NASB95)

When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,

The CPR in evangelism CPR takes it acronym from the agricultural metaphor Jesus and Paul used in talking about evangelism. It comes from the three distinct stages we see in farming. These are: cultivating the ground, sowing the seed/planting the plants, and reaping the harvest.

In evangelism CPR stands for

C-

P –

R –

In evangelism these mean:

C – cultivation – getting our one’s heart ready for the planting of

P – planting – getting into our one’s mind and heart so it can begin to grow and produce the fruit of salvation.

R – reaping – inviting our one to receive Christ as and begin to follow him as .

Unlike farming which always starts with cultivation, our ones may be found in various stages of readiness to hear or knowledge of the gospel.

This means we may not need to do much or any cultivation. We may just need to plant the gospel in our one’s heart. Or, we may not need to plant the gospel because it has already been planted. We may just need to try to reap the fruit of the gospel in our one’s life by inviting him/her to receive Jesus as Savior.

Because each of our ones may be in different places spiritually, each of our efforts may begin at a different place and proceed at a different speed.

This week we’ll cover the C of evangelism CPR. After Super Sunday we’ll pick up the P and the R of evangelism CPR.

Cultivating Your One

Understanding the cultivation step

What is cultivating?

Preparing the soil of a person’s heart to .

Why is this needed?

Our hearts are like the soil on the path that is to the Word until it is cultivated.

What is the goal?

Helping our one come to the point he/she is to our sharing the gospel with them (or hearing it from other sources).

Do I have to cultivate?

That depends on where you are in your with your one and where your one is in their and understanding of the gospel.

How can we cultivate our one?

Look for ways to with your one

Find ways to spend quality time together

Have coffee or a meal together

Invite him/her to join you in an activity

Do something he/she enjoys

Go somewhere together

Spend time

Draw them out in conversation. Listen. Discover their life story, their disappointments, their beliefs.

When appropriate, ask pointed questions.

Let them talk as much as possible. Practice good listening.

Find ways to

Can you help him/her in some way?

Can you lighten a load he/she bears?

Can you do something they have difficulty with?

Don’t forget about

Giving help or support

Giving time

Giving a gift

Be willing to

Your one may like to give. He/she is always ready to help, to pitch in, to volunteer.

If so, receive help when offered.

Ask for their help.

Exercise the power of

Say a good word to your one

Point out something positive about him/her or what he/she does

Give compliments frequently

Show appreciation

Give warm greetings

Smile at him/her

Use when appropriate

The appropriateness of physical touch depends on the relationship that exists and your sense of your one’s openness to it. If they tend to be a toucher, fist-bumper, slap on the back, little squeeze person, they probably will respond positively to the same. If they keep their hands to themselves, or keep physical distance between you when talking to you, a handshake may be all you should offer.

Physical touch is often appropriate when something or when you are trying to communicate .

Examples:

Firm handshake

Pat on the shoulder or hand

High five/fist bump

Side squeeze or brief hug

Live and speak

Don’t act like you have it all together

Open yourself up just as you hope your one will

Be honest about your struggles

Offer to for them

Ask what you could pray for them for, when appropriate.

Be willing to let cultivation

APPLICATION

Three things I could do to cultivate my relationship with my one:

1.  

2.  

3.  

When could I do these things?