Here is a great activity to take your students through. Its called the “Cause Circle”. Before taking your students through it though, I challenge you to do it yourself. Seriously now, take the time. God will work through the activity in your heart and it will be all the more transformational for your students.
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I want you to take a minute and think about your friends. I’m not talking about your Facebook friends. I’m talking about the ones you actually spend time with, the ones you hang out with, huddle around your lockers at school, text everyday, all day.
Now, write the names of your closets friend on a piece of paper in no particular order. Be creative and simply write them in a clumped group instead of a list. Once you have done that draw a circle around all the names of your friends you wrote down. Question: how many of those names in that circle don’t know Jesus? Have you thought about which ones? Good!
Here’s my next question: Have you exposed them to Jesus? No? Then let me encourage you to share the gospel with them. Take that sheet of paper with the names you circled, look again at the names of your friends you want to expose to Jesus. Now as you look at their names I want you to picture their faces. When we put a face to the name it becomes more personal. Is your heart breaking for your friends in that circle that don’t know Jesus? Yes? Then it’s time to pray for them.
Now circle the names of at least three friends in your circle that you want to share your faith with. At the top of the larger circle you drew earlier write PRAY. Now draw an arrow from the individual names you circled to the word PRAY. Start praying and asking or even begging God to break your friends hearts to see Jesus. Ask God for the courage you need and want to expose your friends to Jesus. And ask God to give you opportunities to share your faith those three friends.
Now, on the right side of the circle write the word PURSUE. Why? Because once you start asking God for opportunities to expose your friends to Jesus He WILL give you ways to PURSUE them with spiritual conversations. Look at what happened to Phillip when he pursed.
The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and walk along beside the carriage.” Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” (Acts 8:29-30)
As the conversation continued Phillip shared the gospel with this man, answered his question and helped him understand who Jesus is. As this man began to understand more from the conversation Phillip was having with him, the man was eventually persuaded to be baptized. Why? Because he was exposed to Jesus and put his faith and trust in him alone.
As you continue to PURSUE your friends with conversations about Jesus, your desire to PRAY for them will increase. And eventually, like Phillip, you’ll find your conversations with your friends about Jesus are actually going deeper than before.
Now, on the left side of the circle write the word PERSUADE. As your spiritual conversations go deeper it should be your hope and prayer that over time you will be able to persuade all your friends that you circled to put their faith and trust in Christ alone, get involved and become a part of a church and youth group, and commit to living and sharing THE Cause.
Lastly, take that sheet of paper and put it some place where you will see it everyday. And each day PRAY, PURSUE, & PERSUADE those friends in your circle. As your friends put their faith and trust in Him alone, continue to add more friends to your circle that need to be exposed to Jesus.
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Our world today is filled with many good and worthy causes, but the cause that consumed Jesus is the ultimate cause! His cause is THE Cause… to make disciples who make disciples.
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost. (Luke 19:10)
As a youth leader, how can you use the Cause Circle to commit to reaching YOUR friends for Christ? Do you think this tool is effective to take students through? Why or why not?
