Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald Whitney

Week 6: Chapter 5 — Evangelism

Read Chapter 5 of Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. Key Scriptures: Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 1:16; Acts 1:8.

It may surprise some readers to find evangelism listed as a *spiritual discipline* — but Whitney's argument is both simple and convicting: sharing our faith is a means by which God deepens and enlivens the faith of the one who shares it.

Discussion Questions

8 questions

1.Why do you think Whitney includes evangelism in a book about spiritual disciplines? How does *sharing your faith* function as a means of your own spiritual growth, and not just as an obligation to fulfill?

2.Whitney acknowledges that for many Christians, evangelism is the discipline they feel most guilty about and most reluctant to practice. What are the fears, assumptions, or past experiences that most powerfully hold you back from sharing the gospel with people in your life?

3.He distinguishes between *responsibility* and *results* in evangelism — we are responsible for the faithful proclamation of the gospel, but only God is responsible for producing conversion. How does that distinction either relieve anxiety or risk producing complacency? What is the right response to it?

4.Whitney points out that the early church in Acts did not have organized evangelistic programs — they had people whose lives were so changed and whose conversations were so saturated with the gospel that witness happened naturally. What would it mean for you to have that kind of gospel-saturated conversational life?

5.He challenges readers to pray regularly and specifically for lost people by name. Do you currently have a list of specific people you are praying for to come to faith in Christ? If not, who are three people you could begin praying for by name starting this week?

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Closing Prayer

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Lord, forgive us for treating Your gospel as a private possession rather than an urgent gift meant to be shared. We confess our fears — of rejection, of embarrassment, of inadequacy — and we lay them at Your feet. You are not ashamed of us; help us not to be ashamed of You. Give us eyes to see the lost people in our daily lives, compassion that overcomes our comfort, and words that are gracious and clear. May the gospel be so alive in us that it cannot stay contained. And as we share it with others, reawaken in us the wonder of what You have done for us. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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