KNOWING AND
SHARING
CHRIST
Teacher: Aleksandar S. Santrac,
DPhil, PhD
FORMULA OF DIVINE PLAN
HP
[high potency] +
CP [close proximity]
+ CC [clear
communication] =
MI [maximum
impact]
HIGH POTENCY

1. Knowledge of Christ
 2.
Faith and spiritual Power
 3. Prayer
 4. Authenticity
 5. Compassion
 6. Giving
 7. Strength of commitment
 8. Impact of sacrifice
KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST
Jesus of Nazareth and Jesus Christ [history,
philosophy, theology]
 What type of knowledge is knowledge of Christ?

FAITH

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
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1. Believing in something you cannot see
2. total trust in God even if you do not know what will
happen
3. hope in the midst of trouble times
1. Definition in Heb 11:1 trusting in something not
working
2. believing in the impossible but seeing it as possible
1. Faith is based on supernatural [also interpretation
of the natural]
2. Faith is radically different experience [mysterious]
FAITH
1. intellectual faith [knowledge vs. faith]
 2. existential faith [knowledge vs. faith]
 3. saving faith [pistis in the New Testament]
 4. faith as trusting/confidence in God

MODEL OF CHRIST’S MISSION
Incarnational model
 Kenosis of Christ and Mission Phil 2
 Luke 4
 His mission was to reach out to the poor, to
deliver the captives, to restore sight to the blind,
and to lift up the downtrodden.
 How did Jesus define the essence of His
mission? John 10:11, Matt. 20:28.

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MODEL OF CHRIST’S MISSION

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Christ's method alone will give true success in
reaching the people. The Saviour mingled with
men as one who desired their good. He showed
His sympathy for them, ministered to their
needs, and won their confidence. Then He bade
them, "Follow Me."
There is need of coming close to the people by
personal effort. If less time were given to sermonizing,
and more time were spent in personal ministry,
greater results would be seen. The poor are to be
relieved, the sick cared for, the sorrowing and the
bereaved comforted, the ignorant instructed, the
inexperienced counseled. We are to weep with those
that weep, and rejoice with those that rejoice. MH143
MINGLING
 SYMPATHY
 NEEDS
 TRUST
 INVITATION TO FOLLOW

HIGH POTENCY [APOSTOLIC MODEL]

1. Acts 4:32-36
A. KOINONIA (FELLOWSHIP IN SPIRIT)
 B. ENERGEIA (POWER OF GOD)
 C. KERYGMA [PROCLAMATION OF THE
GOSPEL]
 D. DIAKONIA [SERVICE]

HIGH POTENCY [SPIRITUAL POWER AND
GIFTS]
1. Spiritual power of regeneration (Romans 8)
 2. Spiritual power of spiritual gifts (1 Cor 12,
Rom 12, Ephesians 4, 1 Pet 4).

HIGH POTENCY – SPIRITUAL GIFTS


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Scripture and Spiritual Gifts
1 Cor 12, Rom 12, Ephes 4, 1 Pet 4
Theology of spiritual gifts
1. Are we cessationists or continuationists?
2. Do we use our gifts for the common good? 1 Cor
12:7; Ephes 4:12; 1 Pet 4:10
3. Proactive approach to use of spiritual gifts
(common grace) Rom 12:6
4. Context of love 1 Cor 13
5. How spiritual gifts help us to become contagious
Christians?
Part I : Power of the testimony [biblical examples]
Part II: Power of the testimony today
CLOSE PROXIMITY [CHURCH AND
CULTURE]
Christ against Culture. Religious exclusivism
and rejection of the worldly culture.
 Christ of Culture. Religious compromise and
accomodation to culture. Christianity as cultural
phenomenon.
 Christ above Culture. Synthesis theory.

Christ and Culture in Paradox. Dualist
theory.
 Christ Transforming Culture.

CLOSE PROXIMITY [CHURCH AND CULTURE
PART II] EVOLUTION OF CULTURE AND
CHRISTIAN
Standard of Truth
A. Premodern: Truth is discerned primarily
through religious institutions and mythology
under the guidance of religious leaders.
B. B. Modern: Truth is discerned primarily
through rational and scientific investigation
under the guidance of rationalistic philosophers
and scientists.
C. C. Postmodern: Truth is discerned both through
mythology and rational scientific means.
ULTIMATE REALITY
A. Premodern: Ultimate reality is spiritual and
deeply influences events in the ephemeral
physical world.
 B. Modern: Ultimate reality is the physical world.
If a spiritual world exists at all, it is ephemeral
and uninvolved in the events of the physical
would.
 C. Ultimate reality is both physical and spiritual
(personal and impersonal); these dimensions of
reality interact in countless ways.

SEEKER OF TRUTH
Seeker of Truth
 A. Premodern: Individuality is discouraged and
conformity to community traditions is highly
prized.
 B. Modern: Individuality of the independent
objective scholar (transcendent subject) is prized
over conformity to received traditions.
 C. Postmodern: Individuality is disdained as selfdeceptive, but individuals are encouraged to defy
oppressive traditions.

MODES OF COMMUNICATION
Modes of Communication
 A. Premodern: Heavy reliance on oral, ritualized
and iconographic communication due to
widespread illiteracy and primitive publishing
techniques.
 B. Modern: Heavy reliance on written
communication, especially paper, due to rising
literacy and publishing technologies (printing
press).
 C. Postmodern: Written communication is
lowered to the level of other formats, especially
the iconographic, due to widespread electronic
technologies.

HISTORICAL PROGRESS
A. Widespread mythic meta-narratives depict
history in never-ending cycles.
 B. Widespread rational and scientific metanarrative depict history as progressing toward
utopia.
 C. Fragmented, heteromorphic multi-narratives
depict history as cycles and counter-cycles of
cacophony and harmony.”

CLOSE PROXIMITY
Postmodern seekers
Agnostics
Atheists
Millenialists
Humanists-moralists
Churched

Proactive approach: Sharing Christ among one of
these groups. [assignment for weekend]
PSYCHOLOGY OF WITNESSING
Theory of personality and witnessing
 Love three dimensions

PSYCHOLOGY OF WITNESSING

People ----> Holistic Approach

- Aspects of a person (to not be confused with "parts"): body, soul,
spirit
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1. Body- Works on pleasure/pain ----> Loves for pleasure (eros)
2. Soul - Power/control/prestige/emotions -----> Loves for the beauty
of friendship (phileo)
3. Spiritual (mind) - Purpose/meaning -----> Loves for the sake of
others (agape)
-If a person loses their purpose in life, they lose everything

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*Highest pleasure the Christian can experience is to love somebody
for the sake of them only, experience agape love
PSYCHOLOGY OF WITNESSING

Personal Maturity -----> What sharing Christ is
about
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- Four Dimensions of self:
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*Cosmic Value ----> Worship God: connect with the
transcendent
*Experience Value ----> Relations: with God and
neighbor
*Creative Value ------> Service
*Attitudinal Value -----> Endurance: never giving
up
SMALL GROUPS
HOW TO GIVE BIBLE STUDIES
Background and content
 Preparation, willingness to serve
 Helpful tips for Bible studies
 How decision making process works?
 Bible Study Sample/Exercise Wed 11/11

HOW TO GIVE BIBLE STUDIES [CONTENT]
"The love of Jesus will melt and win hearts
when mere reiteration of doctrines will
accomplish nothing." DA p. 826

“The people are more ignorant in regard to
the plan of salvation and need more
instruction upon this all-important subject
than upon any other." Test, 4, 394
HOW TO GIVE BIBLE STUDY [CONTENT]
Next to the word of God, a soul winner's
testimony is the most powerful tool he has.
"That you may declare the praises of him who
called you out of darkness into his wonderful
light.“ [1 Pet 2,9]
1. My life before I knew Christ
2. How I became a Christian
3. My life after I became a Christian
1. Mow the lawn for your
neighbor
1. Share produce out of
your garden
3. Offer to babysit
4. Go on errands for
those who can’t
5. Take time to listen to
their problems
6. Help them with their
computer
HOW TO GIVE BIBLE STUDY [PREPARATION]

Your success will not depend so much upon
your knowledge and accomplishments, as
upon your ability to find your way to the
heart. By being social and coming close to
the people, you may turn the current of
their thoughts more readily than by the
most able discourse.” GW, 193.
HELPFUL SUGGESTIONS DURING
BIBLE STUDY
1. Be a “learner” along with the student
2. Stay focused on the lesson you are
studying
3. Never argue
4. Keep the study to one hour
5. If the student has a wrong answer
(You’re wrong!)
HELPFUL SUGGESTIONS DURING
BIBLE STUDY
6. If the student asks a question you
cannot answer
7. Study the lessons in the order given
8. Don’t let the student get you
sidetracked
9. Give your student an honest
compliment
10. Don’t be judgmental
The Four Basic Levels of
Decision Making
1. Information
Making
A
Decisio
n
For
Christ
Does the individual have
adequate information to
The Four Basic Levels of
Decision Making
1. Information
2. Conviction
Making
A
Decisio
n
For
Christ
Begins to sense that this seems
to be the right thing to do. They
believe it is God’s will.
The Four Basic Levels of
Decision Making
1. Information
2. Conviction
3. Desire
Making
A
Decisio
n
For
Christ
What he wants to do. Sees
the blessings we have in
The Four Basic Levels of
Decision Making
1.
2.
3.
4.
Information
Conviction
Desire
Action
Making
A
Decisio
n
For
Christ
Makes a decision based on
information, conviction and