The Way Of The Master | doyouknowwhy

The Way

of The Master

Again, this method is one of the simplest and most effective techniques I have seen to enable a person to see their sinful state. And again, it is the technique used in the Self-Check section. It was developed by Ray Comfort of the ministry, The Way of The Master (www.wayofthemaster.com). Ray Comfort calls it "The Way of the Master", because it follows the way Jesus used to show people their need for a Savior. Ray and Kirk Cameron demonstrate the effectiveness of this way of sharing in some of the following videos:

Watch On-The-Street Witnessing

Witness to Seal Beach Kid

www.youtube.com/watch?v=umn3iCn90IY&t=4s

Ray Comfort stumps him with one challenging question

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fqvqCRJECg

“Everybody believes in their own god.”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGBz5AjbNSU

"Genuinely Good People Go To Heaven."

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xm3wRNLXKF0

Afraid of sharing your faith? This video is for you!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThjMa7CK0sA

The following two videos were taken aproximately 5 years apart from each other. The first video below shows Kirk Cameron talking to a few individuals who the video title indicates as Gang Members. This is an example of using the Way Of The Master technique in a real world scenario. The second video is of an event held about 5 years later by the Way Of The Master. Very surprisingly, one of the individuals Kirk spoke with in the first video happened to be in the crowd in the second video. This person had become a Christian, and the start of their deciding to accept Chris could have been the conversation with Kirk Cameron 5 years previous shown in the first video.

Kirk Cameron Talks with Gang Members

www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVco8t-R8KU

Kirk Cameron & Gang Member - 5 Years Later...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuDFWFKalsU

At its most basic level this method uses just three or four of the Ten Commandments. The person being interviewed is asked a question like,

“You believe you are a good person, right?”

Almost everyone believes they are good. The people interviewed in the videos are no different. They think they are pretty good too. The person being interviewed is then asked if they've kept all of the Ten Commandments. Most will respond that they ”haven’t killed anyone” or done anything major and that they believe they have essentially “kept the Ten Commandments”. This is the typical response when a person believes they are good.

Then they are asked about their ability to keep the commandments dealing with lying; stealing, committing adultery, and blasphemy.

Ray: “Have you ever told a lie, even a small one?”

Interviewee, “Of course, who hasn’t?”

Ray then asks, “What do you call someone who tells a lie, even a small one?”

They usually admit, “A liar”.

Ray then asks, “Have you ever taken anything that doesn’t belong to you, even if it was very small?” (almost everyone will say yes).

Ray then asks, “What do you call someone who takes something that doesn’t belong to them?”

They will concede, “A thief”.

Ray then proceeds the same way through the other few commandments.

Going through these commandments, a person is brought to the realization of the state they are really in. Ray will say to the person

“You’ve just admitted that you are a lying, thieving, blaspheming, adulterer at heart”,

as are we all. Then he asks them,

“If God were to judge you right now would you be found guilty or innocent?”

An honest person realizes that they can only answer “Guilty”.

Then he asks them, “Does that concern you?”

Many are concerned as this is often the first time they've ever truly considered themselves guilty of sin before as this method so effectively shows. This is because they previously have only compared themselves to others who are worse than they are. Once people compare themselves to God’s standard of perfection, many realize their sinful condition, and they are much more open to the possibility of considering a solution to their sinful state.

This is why the Way Of The Master method is so effective, because it shows a person their sinful state. If a person doesn't see themselves as a sinner they won’t see their need for a Savior. Just like many of us don’t see the need for a mechanic until we hear a noise we've not heard or see a dash warning light on that wasn't on before. Just think of your gas tank. When are you concerned about gas? When you have just filled up, or when your tank is low and the low-gas light is on, showing your "need" for gas? It is when you have a need for gas that gas becomes important, right? Right after you've filled your tank, other than to see that the gauge reads full, do you even look at the gas gauge for the next number of days (depending on how far you normally drive)? If you are a Christian, think back to when you decided to accept Christ and his payment on the cross for your sin. When you accepted Christ was it because you realized you were a sinner in need of a savior, or was it because you felt you were a good person?

If we only show a person evidences for Christianity, many will believe they are still basically good. They won’t see their need for a savior. Even if heaven does exist, many reason that God will let them into Heaven anyway because God is a God of love and a God of love wouldn't really send a “good” person to hell. They also probably believe that all roads lead to God, and as long as they are sincere, God won’t send them to hell.

What most people don’t realize is that God doesn't send anyone to hell. People ultimately make the choice to go there. No, they don’t wake up one day and think “Wow! I’m going to choose to go to hell. This is awesome!” They make the choice through their own actions (or inactions), by their refusal to accept Christ’s payment for their sin. We either accept Christ’s payment for our sin or we are left to try to pay for the penalty of our sin ourselves. If we don't choose Christ's option, we are left to pay the debt we owe ourselves. Since God is the only one capable of paying the debt we owe because of our sin, it is impossible for us to pay for it no matter what we try to do. Without Christ’s payment for our sin, we are still guilty in God’s sight and subject to the penalty that all sin requires and ultimately will receive.

How can a Loving God Send Someone to Hell?

www.livingwaters.com/why-would-a-god-of-love-send-someone-to-hell/

How Could A Loving God Send a Good Person to Hell?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpEaoMg3sG8

Any person who chooses to try to be good enough to justify their going to heaven essentially rejects Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for their sin. Through their action of rejecting Christ's sacrifice they essentially are rejecting having God in their life while here, as evidenced by not wanting to do things God’s way. If they are not interested in God in this life God won't force them to spend eternity with him in the next life.

In the second video above, Sean McDowell mentions two phrases that effectively illustrate this idea:

- Those who freely choose to accept the Jesus payment for their sin and follow God, they say to God,

"Thy will be done"

- For those who freely choose to reject Jesus payment for their sin and freely choose not to follow God, God says to them,

"Thy will be done"

Think about a person who really liked you romantically but you didn't like them romantically. Would you want that person to keep pursuing you or would you want them to respect your wishes and stop pursuing you? Or maybe you have liked someone romantically and they weren't interested. If you continued to pursue them, did they appreciate it or did you find that to respect their wishes meant to no longer pursue them?

Now think about God pursuing each of us. If we don't want God in this life, why would we want to be forced to be with God in eternity? God respects each person’s choices. God loves us too much to force us against will.

That is why it is so important to bring a person to the realization of their sin. Most methods of sharing with others don't really focus on our sin and so don't bring a person to believe they have any need for a Savior. These methods usually try to show the significance of the price Jesus paid or stress how much better a person’s life will be after choosing Christ. When a person doesn't believe they need a savior they will believe that our emphasis of the price Christ paid to save them is senseless.

The following presentations shows the ineffectiveness of methods of sharing the Gospel message which don’t bring someone to the realization of their sin. There are links at the bottom to additional resources, including a PDF of the transcript and worksheet.

Hell’s Best Secret (video with link to audio)

www.livingwaters.com/hells-best-kept-secret/

True and False Conversion

www.livingwaters.com/true-and-false-conversion/

This link is an animated version of the "Are you a good person" presentation with text below the video of important things to realize about God:

Are You A Good Person

www.livingwaters.com/are-you-a-good-person/

This link asks you a few questions if you believe you are a Christian to make sure you are thinking about the actual requirements. It then indicates regular activities we should be involved with as a true Christian.

Save Yourself Some Pain

www.livingwaters.com/save-yourself-some-pain/

Here are additional links on sharing the truths of Christianity effectively.

Way of the Master - Evangelism Training (14 videos)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_bJJJ-lVQo&list=PLwF9_DG7_84it5GFsXH3CXe4YGITn_0MO

Downloadable 'Way of the Master' episodes $0.99 ea.

http://store.livingwaters.com/downloads/video.html

Is "The Way of the Master" the Only Right Way to Share the Gospel? and links to additional sites

www.sohmer.net/wotm_only_way.php

Witnessing Tools & Resources

https://mintools.com/witnessing-resources.htm

Why do Christians leave the faith?