Visualising Your Oikos Through a Pack of Cards

By Colin B.

Introduction

This vision cast uses an ordinary pack of playing cards to help us think about perseverance in sharing the Good News.

Sometimes we pray for people, share Jesus, and see little or no response. It can be easy to become discouraged and stop trying. This simple illustration reminds us that we do not know who God has prepared to hear, so we keep praying, keep sharing, and keep looking.

It also reminds us that the goal is not simply to see one person come to faith, but to help new disciples reach others so that disciples make disciples and multiplication begins.

What You Need to Prepare

You will need:

• A standard pack of playing cards.
• Make sure the pack contains all four Aces.
• Before beginning, arrange the cards so that none of the Aces are near the top of the pack.
• Keep the cards in their box until you are ready to begin.
• Familiarise yourself with the questions in the vision cast so you can present it naturally rather than simply reading it.  Practice it.
• Be ready at the end to help the disciple begin or expand their Oikos list of family, friends, neighbours, workmates and others they can pray for and share Jesus with.

The illustration works best when it is done slowly, simply and conversationally. Allow the disciple to deal the cards themselves and answer the questions as you go.

Basic instructions:

Take the pack of cards out of its box.

Show both sides of the pack, then place the cards face down.

Proceed slowly and in a relaxed manner.

Ask the disciple:

“How many Aces are there in a pack of cards?”

Four.

Now say:

“Imagine that every Ace represents a person who hears the Good News and comes to follow Jesus.”

Then add:

“Now imagine that finding an Ace was worth more than a million dollars to you.”

Hand the pack to the disciple and ask them to begin dealing the cards out, one at a time, face up.

After the first five cards, ask:

“If you hadn't found an Ace in the first five cards, would you stop dealing?”

No.

Confirm:

“Exactly. You wouldn't stop just because the first five cards weren't Aces.”

Then ask:

“So when would you stop?”

Hopefully the answer will be:

“Not until I found all four Aces.”

Say:

“Exactly! So why do we sometimes give up after sharing Jesus with only a few people who aren't interested?”

We don't know where the Aces are.

We don't know which person will be ready to hear.

So we pray, keep sharing and don't give up.

Finding four Aces is only an illustration, but imagine four people coming to saving faith in Jesus—four people rescued from an eternity without God.

God's heart is that people should not perish but come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

We cannot do this in our own strength. We pray and ask the Holy Spirit to lead us, give us courage and wisdom, and help us recognise the people God has prepared to hear.

But there is one more part.

What if each of those four people then began praying for their own family and friends and sharing Jesus with them?

And what if the people they reached did the same?

Now we are no longer talking about just four people, but a movement spreading outwards.

That is multiplication.

So let's not give up after the first few cards.

And let's make sure we don't overlook the people God has already placed around us.

Who can we put on our Oikos list today?

Who are the family members, friends, workmates, neighbours and others God has already placed in our lives?

Let's make a large Oikos list, pray for them by name, and ask God for opportunities to share the Good News.

Keep praying. Keep sharing. Keep looking. Don't give up.

You don't know where the next Ace is.

PS:

I try to use an extra large deck of cards if I am doing this in front of a large group so it is easier to see, but any deck will do.