Practical Activity
It’s time to put what we’ve learned into practice. Let’s use everything we’ve learned in this lesson to engage in authentic conversational evangelization with non-Christian believers, using the One Good Reason method. The activity has 4 steps:
Step 1 – Open your Bible and read 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 to yourselves. After reading it to yourself, read it carefully and deliberately out loud. Repeat this step at least one more and meditate on what St Paul is saying. Write down everything that comes to mind.
Second – Recall your most memorable interactions with non-Christians who believed in God, and write down what you can remember about those encounters. If you haven’t interacted with someone like this, think about how you’d respond if you met someone who had either not heard of Jesus or denied that He was God.
Reflect on steps 1 through 2 using this quote from the 40th Letter of Saint Augustine:
“[St. Paul’s words] are to be ascribed to…compassion…not…deceit. [For anyone who] ministers to the sick becomes as if he were sick himself; not…[by] pretending to be [sick], but considering…what he would wish done for himself if he were in the sick man’s place.”
Third, how does Saint Augustine’s quote compare and contrast with how you read 1 Corinthians 9: 19-23? How might the words of Saint Paul and Saint Augustine help you evangelize non-Christian believers in God? What role does sympathy and empathy play in evangelization?
And, finally, when you are ready, post in the School Forums about your experience doing this practical activity. There is a specific topic created for this. Also, give a constructive question or comment about the lesson, or somebody else’s post on their experience doing the practical activity. All of this is required for your One Good Reason certificate of completion!