WELCOME.

This is everything you need to begin your own conversation.

A little preparation always helps.

Everyone has the ability to share the message of Jesus. Lots of us just need a little help. We’re here to give you whatever help you need.

We’re going to help you build some confidence. We’re also going to make it easy— even fun for you to have an honest, relevant conversation about the good news of Jesus with your friends.

Partner up.

Sharing Jesus is way more fun and motivating when you are side-by-side with another friend. We highly recommend inviting someone to join you in leading this gospel conversation.

Go through this training & preparation together!

BEFORE YOUR CONVERSATION

  • 1. Check it out.

    The Good Friday Conversation is a one-hour, conversational journey for friends.

    • Short videos featuring student voices kick- start the conversation. Thought-provoking questions allow you and your friends to share your own perspectives.

  • 2. Pray

    A conversation like this can bring tremendous change in the lives of your friends! Remember— This is a GOOD NEWS conversation that begins and ends in love. While you are the person responsible for initiating a conversation, the Holy Spirit will be the one who changes hearts.

    Who are 3-5 people you can be praying for right now?

  • 3. Pick a time

    Good intentions often live and die as good ideas, but lack specific action. Picking a time helps you begin to imagine the details of the conversations. It gives your friends time to make themselves available.

    This conversation anticipates that Easter is coming. Any time before Easter is ideal, it doesn’t have to be on Good Friday!

    • April 2 is Palm Sunday

    • April 7 is Good Friday

    • April 9 is Easter Sunday

    Go ahead and put your conversation into your calendar now.

  • 4. Invite.

    Make it as personal as possible. If you’re going to use social media, how might you make your friends feel like this is both a personal and an authentic invitation?

DURING THE CONVERSATION

  • HOSPITALITY

    • Prepare your apartment or house if you are meeting in a private space – how can you set up the environment to make it as comfortable, special, and welcoming?

    • Some students are planning to have this conversation around food. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Your hospitality will go a long way in making your friends feel comfortable sharing their opinions with you.

  • WATCH TOGETHER

    How will you watch the short videos?

    • We recommend casting to your TV if you have a larger group. Using your computer to connect to a TV would also be encouraged where possible.

    • Using your phone or tablet is great for more intimate settings.

    • Consider sharing The Good Friday Conversation direct link so everyone can follow along on their own device.

  • YOUR VOICE

    You are a friendly guide, not an interrogator. The questions are designed for open conversation, not to force a specific answer.

    PAY ATTENTION TO:

    • Timing. Do you need to keep moving?

    • Dominance. Is one voice (including yours) talking to much? How can you invite others to share?

    • The vibe. Don’t force people to go where they aren’t comfortable. You might ask, “Is it ok if we talk about this?”

AFTER THE CONVERSATION

 

What happens next?

The Good Friday Experience is all about setting the table for a great conversation about Jesus with friends. Be prepared for some friends to want to immediately respond to the invitation of Jesus! For others, beginning to follow Jesus will be a journey— with many conversations along the way.

  • You keep talking, listening and asking questions.

  • You keep loving and caring.

  • You keep inviting. Following Jesus happens in the context of community.

Here are some “next step questions” to better understand the desires of your friends.

ASKING

Where would you say you’re at with God right now?

How close do you feel to God right now?

Do you feel like you know how you could take the first step towards Jesus?

 

EXPLORING A BIT DEEPER

Do you feel like there are some barriers between you and Christ right now?

Do you feel like this might be a time to make a decision to follow Jesus?

Would you like to pray together with me and invite Jesus into your heart?

 
 

INVITING TO CHURCH

A relationship with Jesus is about connecting to a community. One of the best ways to meet Jesus this Easter season is at a local church. Consider this as a great, next invitation for your friends who are open to exploring more about Jesus.

 
 
 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

GodTools exists to help you have conversations about Jesus with the people you care about.

BEGINNING A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

 

TRUSTING IN JESUS

To begin a relationship with God, you must place your trust in Jesus alone.
God is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. You can express your attitude towards God through prayer. Prayer is simply talking with God.

HERE IS A SUGGESTED PRAYER

Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. I'm sorry for going my own way. Please forgive me for all my sin. Thank you for dying on the cross to pay for my sin. I agree to turn from my old ways and follow you as my Savior and Lord.

Key Scripture

  • For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.

    Colossians 1:16

    This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God.

    1 John 4:9-10

  • We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

    Isaiah 53:6

    For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

    Romans 3:23

  • Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

    Luke 5:31-32

    If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

    1 John 1:9

  • “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

    John 10:11

    “I and the Father are one.”

    John 10:30

    “But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” Then the man got up and went home.

    Matthew 9:6-7

  • If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

    Romans 10:9-10

    For it is by grace you have been saved through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

    Ephesians 2:8-10

  • Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

    Ephesians 2:19-20

    I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

    Revelation 7:9-12