# Leading the lost to Christ



## Christopher (Mar 24, 2003)

How do YOU lead a lost person to Christ? Do you use a tract, a set plan of verses, et cetera? Also, do you lead them in a prayer of repentance, thanksgiving, . . . ?


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## Christopher (Mar 30, 2003)

Wow, this is bad. Does this mean no one out there is practicing some form of evangelism?


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## blhowes (Mar 30, 2003)

Christopher,
This is an interesting topic and I'm really looking forward to hearing how reformed Christians &quot;lead somebody to Christ&quot;.

As you probably know, in evangelical circles, its very common to bring somebody down Romans road (or a similar collection of scriptures) and then have them repeat the sinner's prayer after them. I've used this pattern in the past, but don't now because I don't feel that its the best (most biblical) way to do it.

I mean no disrespect to any of my evangelical brothers, but I have serious reservations about this approach because it presents (in my opinion) a picture of God that is much weaker than the one I read about in the Bible. 

Romans 3:23 and Romans 6:23 are used to show that the person is a sinner and because of his sin he deserves death. God offers the gift of eternal life to the person and its up to them to receive it, just like when they receive a Christmas gift. It's a wonderful gift, but you don't receive the blessing unless you reach out and accept the gift. Too much emphasis is often put on their decision to accept or reject the gift.

I may be wrong, but I like to think of the gift more in terms of a trust fund rather than a Christmas gift. A parent sets up a trust fund and it legally becomes the child's when He becomes old enough. He doesn't have to receive it or accept it or anything. When he's of age, the money is his - what he does with the gift is up to him. In the same way, eternal life is a gift that is given to those God chooses to save. When the person is of age (regenerated), the gift is his.

It seems to me that when I read the scriptures, the pattern seems to be that God's gospel was presented; some people believed and some didn't believe. Paul and Peter never offered a gift for people to accept or reject and they didn't, from what I could see, lead anybody in a sinner's prayer. They just spoke the word and allowed God to work in the hearts as He chose. They did their part and God did His.

Again, I'm looking forward to hearing other responses about how reformed Christians help a sinner get from point A to point B. 
Bob


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## pastorway (Mar 30, 2003)

Preaching the gospel to me is as simple as telling people the truth about God and about themselves. I use Scripture any way I can in day to day discussions to show our sinfulness and need for a Savior - I especially use the Law! 

I do not offer the good news until the bad news has been heard! I look for conviction! I do not pray prayers or ask a series of questions. I start and end with Scripture.

I have also learned to keep it simple. If they just want to argue, I do not believe in &quot;debate&quot; evangelism. If God is preparing a heart they will be &quot;seeking&quot;. I really have come to appreciate the Puritans view of seeking and was greatly encouraged by reading &quot;A Pastor's Sketches&quot; by Ichabod Spencer. If I have explained the truth and they want to argue, then we are done. I explain that I have given them the Scripture and if they reject it, so be it. I end the discussion. Many times that will lead them to think about what was said instead of simply dismissing it as they have learned to do.

Build relationships. Tell people the truth. Love them and bless them no matter how they treat you. And don't try to persuade, convince, or argue someone into the faith. If God is calling them they will come. I pray that I am available to help them understand the Way, just as Philip was for the Ethiopian!

We broadcast the seed. He brings the fruit.

Phillip


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## Wannabee (Apr 7, 2003)

I had an opportunity to witness to a guy at work today. His name is Cef. Didn't get very far because he didn't really express any interest, just nodded. I asked him how he would respond if he stood before God and was asked why he should be allowed into heaven. He just asked if I meant when he died. I said yea, exactly something like that, but he didn't respond.
Then I invited him to spend sunday with us, church and then lunch. He said he'd ask his wife. Hmmm.
Would you have handled it any different?


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## Christopher (Apr 14, 2003)

OK guys lets get practical.
Lets say you share the gospel with someone. What next? Prayer? Hand shake? Acknowledgement? What!!! 
What do you do when the guy you just told the gospel to says &quot;Hey man, I want that life in Christ you just told me about. I know I am a sinner. How do I repent and trust. What do I gotta do?&quot;
What would you say?


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## David O (Apr 14, 2003)

I would show him Romans 10:9,10 and ask him if he believes it. If he does, ask him if he'd like to submit to God's authority right here and now. If he needs help praying, give it- a few words at a time if necessary. Oppression can cloud up someone's head and make it hard to remember anything or speak.

Listening for a long time is important. Knowing succinct answers from the Bible is very important, a lost person is spiritually &quot;ADD,&quot; so you usually can't ramble. If you're confident in God and more impressed by His omnipotence than you are impressed by the lost person's sin and sad plight, then they notice. It's almost like screaming. 

I've rarely had anyone refuse to let me pray for them when they are having a hard time (witches included) right there, out loud, in front of God and everybody. The words from the Bible, given to them after you have listened for long enough to them for them to know that you are hearing them, are shockingly living and active. Sometimes it's scary to be assertive enough, and I grew up being taught a &quot;sales presentation&quot; approach that I hate, so I tend to err on the passive side, but that amounts to fear, and I want to fear God more than anything else. 

I think that if you ask God to show you who He has for you, you start to see the world in a completely different way. You can pray for whoever you want to- stinky bum on the street, little kids at the mall, mean co-worker, happy friends, all day long. If you approach the world as God's place and your job is to be His &quot;ambassador,&quot; then you start to notice who is letting you cover them. And you notice how magnificent the people are because they are made in His image.


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## Christopher (Apr 15, 2003)

Ok, let us say you did lead this person in some prayer. What then? Do you pronounce him &quot;saved&quot;? Take him to Church? Watch for evedence?

Would you lead someone in a prayer of thanksgiving for salvation or would you lead them in the &quot;sinners&quot; prayer asking for salvation?


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## russmann (Apr 17, 2003)

Dear Friends,

Pastor Phillip has a great answer on this one. It is crucial to use the Law in evangelism in days like these. Jesus said &quot;unless you repent, you will perish.&quot; We can only see a genuine conversion if we see repentance, and we can only see repentance if a person recognizes that they've offended a holy God. The way the Bible gives us to see that is to examine our hearts in comparison to the Law of God, the 10 Commandments. Jesus even gave us some help in the Commandments when he said to look with lust is equivilant to adultery, and hatred is equivilant to murder. A sinner needs to see that his sin is exceedingly sinful, or else he will not flee from the wrath to come into the arms of the Saviour.

If you're interested in learning more about using the Law in evangelism, I'd encourage you to check out a few messages at this web site:

http://www.worldmissions.com/bible_study/evangelism/

[list:7bc1ec1d9c]
[*:7bc1ec1d9c]Hell's Best Kept Secret
[*:7bc1ec1d9c]True and False Conversion
[*:7bc1ec1d9c]Making Grace Amazing
[/list:u:7bc1ec1d9c]

To answer Christopher, I just ask someone to pray themselves. If they truly have a heart of repentance, I don't need to tell them how to express that to God. When they go on confessing to me, I say, &quot;now say that to the Lord.&quot; I never, NEVER, [b:7bc1ec1d9c]NEVER[/b:7bc1ec1d9c], give them assurance of their salvation. That is God's job! His assurance is much better than mine anyways! So many people have been given a false assurance and &quot;prounounced Christian&quot; when they are still unrepentant in their heart. This innoculates a person against the gospel because they think they are saved, and the evidence of fruit in their life shows them not to be.

I'll ask a convert if they have a Bible and explain that it is important to read it daily, because that is our spiritual food. I suggest starting with Psalm 52.

[b:7bc1ec1d9c]To answer how I evangelize....[/b:7bc1ec1d9c]

Sometimes I start with the question &quot;Do you have a Christian background.&quot; This is a non-offensive way to find out where a person is spiritually. I'll ask &quot;Are you a good person?&quot; The Bible says every man will proclaim his own righteousness, so they always say &quot;Yes.&quot; I ask them if they've considered God's standard of goodness, the 10 commandments. Then I can lead them through the Law. I have a penny with the 10 commandments that I give them. Then I ask if they've kept the 10 commandments. This allows me to lead them through the Law and strip them of their self-righteousness, leaving them guilty before a just and holy God. Next I go to the question of Innocence or Guilt on judgment day. Then, when they realize they will be guilty according to the Law, I ask them if they think they will go to Heaven or Hell. Most answer &quot;Heaven!&quot; Using a few analogies I explain that God will not overlook their sin because of His goodness, rather He will judge their sin because of His goodness. When they realize they are a Hell-bound sinner, that's when I speak of the grace God shows through Jesus Christ, and that He paid the debt they owe so that they could be accepted by God and go to heaven.

I always use tracts as a way to open up a conversation. If for some reason the conversation is cut short, the tract has an opportunity to keep working on them. If you've been using tracts and they don't &quot;sell themselves&quot; you've been using the wrong tracts. Check out this web site: http://www.livingwaters.com/
for good tracts, including the pressed penny with the 10 commandments on it.


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## Scott Bushey (Apr 17, 2003)

Russ,
I used to be very fond of Ray Comfort. In fact, I have been out evangelizing with his team on a few occasions when I lived in L.A.. Many of Ray's positions are excellent, i.e. his emphasis on the law of God. However, his understanding of soteriology is skewed (Arminian). Which just goes to show however, that it is God who saves and not men. God can use a donkey, no doubt. This is not to imply that biblical accuracy is secondary. Theology is important and men are called to study in the effort of not being accused of of illiteracy when it comes to our faith and belief.

You write:
&quot;This innoculates a person against the gospel.....&quot;

Scott inquires:
Des not this statement fly right in the face of irresistible grace? How can one become innoculated to the power of God?

In regards to Chris's question, I believe most salvific biblical examples show people sitting either under active preaching or reading the scriptures when they are saved. It is seen as and most emphasis placed upon a heavenly event. If I pray with the respondees, it is more of a prayer of how one is saved and whom saves them; what are the fruits of salvation etc.


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## russmann (Apr 17, 2003)

Dear Scott,

Maybe we have more in common than I thought! Did you talk to Ray about having an Arminian soteriology? I havn't seen that in his teaching at all, in fact just the opposite. The emphasis on True and False conversion and explaining that &quot;back sliders&quot; never really slid foreward in the first place sounds like a Calvinist viewpoint. His web site says that he won't say where he is on that topic, so I'm interested to find out how you know he's Arminian. I'm not trying to defend here, I'm just curious.

I find it interesting that he uses quotes from all sorts of evangelists throughout the centuries, from Luther, Calvin, Spurgeon, Whitefield, to Bounds, Finney, Wesley, etc. He specifically makes a disclaimer about Finney though...

Scott, I wasn't making a theological statement. I was one of those innoculated so-called Christians when I was confronted with the Law and shown my true state. I was converted by God, irresistably  The point of that statement is that when you try to preach the gospel to someone who believes they are already saved, you will have a much more difficult ground to plow. This is in no way saying that anyone but God saves people or that a person will never be truly saved if they're a false convert.

The reality is that God uses the foolishness of the message preached to bring souls to repentance and faith in His Son. Don't go hyper-C on me, Scott! This message preached will fall on ears that have been trained to believe &quot;Oh, when he talks about sinners, he's not talking about me... this part doesn't apply to me...&quot;


[Edited on 4-17-2003 by russmann]


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## Scott Bushey (Apr 17, 2003)

Russ,
Thanks for your response. We're you also aware that when Ray goes out to evangelize he brings his own milk crate? The crate has a switch built into it that goes to a microphone where people ar able to ask, challenge, what have you. If the respondant gets to vocal or boisterous, Ray steps on the mute switch and *silence*. It's pretty funny. It's his way of running the (for lack of a better word) show. 

So that we do not change the tone of this thread, I will address this issue in another thread I will start entitled, &quot;What are the characteristics of reformed theology?&quot;

C-you over there!


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## LawrenceU (Apr 18, 2003)

To answer Chris' question on 'let's get practical', I almost always wait until the person begins asking me what they need to do (as they did to Peter) and the respond in the same manner as did he.

Lawrence


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## LawrenceU (Apr 18, 2003)

[b:758a06618c]Follow up[/b:758a06618c]

This usually lead to a very fruitful discussion about repentance and its 'offspring'


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## ~Cathie~ (Apr 18, 2003)

I understand where you are at Christopher with your questions...I've been taught all the regular *Roman's Road* to soul saving and was part of the *I found it* door to door operation of Bill Bright...lol &lt;sigh&gt; all those years ago now...let's see that was 28 years ago now.

To comfort you...I'd say....settle for working on*being* rather than saying, being faithful to Christ is obvious to those around you...and the Lord will just give you natural opportunities to witness for him, and that on most any topic.

While we are on the topic of those we are witnessing to...would you brothers please pray for a nieghbor of mine and her family...Krista, she is mother to three boys and wife to Al...and is about 2 1/2 years older than my oldest daughter....Krista grooms my dogs and has asked me to stay and talk to her while she grooms...I have 5 Standard poodles a toy poodle and a Rusian Wolfhound, so I see her often...and I've been talking to her naturally about my life, family and the Lord's mercy shown to me....she has asked to borrow parenting books and a couple of our WCF to teach her boys out of...so far there has been no visible doors closing, and infact she shows that she listens intently to my stories and re-tells bits to me...Anyway, she was raised RC until 11 then her father died and her mother was institutioned shortly after for a mental disorder...so Krista being the oldest raised her younger 3 siblings...she and I became very animated when she told me of how years ago she took her little boys to the Alliance and taught Sunday School there for two years without any question being asked of who she was, and what she taught to the children.... lot's I could say about what's wrong with that type of training of children but will save that for another thread...... Krista found that SS material so light compared to the RC chatechism class that she enrolled her oldest boy up here after moving to this community.


Krista and family are presently un-churched....

I've come to love this girl and bless Krista's sweet heart, when recently I was moaning about all my five girls soon leaving the nest...she perkly said * Adopt Me*

May she be one of Christ's elect!

~cis~


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## russmann (Apr 21, 2003)

*Friendship Evangelism*

Here's a simple article talking about Friendship Evangelism:
http://www.worldmissions.com/bible_study/evangelism/friendship_evangelism.html


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## Christopher (Apr 23, 2003)

Thanks for the comfort Cathie, however . . . I was asking these questions to spark conversation on this important topic. We &quot;Reformed&quot;, Sovereign Grace folks are always being accused of not evangelizing. I have been asking many &quot;Refomed&quot; folks how they witness to others and I keep getting these blank stares. Interresting. This should not be so form those who believe in God's grace and His power to save those whom He will. 
Ryle asked, &quot;Do you pray?&quot;
I ask, &quot;Do you witness?&quot;


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## Christopher (Apr 23, 2003)

Thanks for the comfort Cathie, however . . . I was asking these questions to spark conversation on this important topic. We &quot;Reformed&quot;, Sovereign Grace folks are always being accused of not evangelizing. I have been asking many &quot;Refomed&quot; folks how they witness to others and I keep getting these blank stares. Interresting. This should not be so form those who believe in God's grace and His power to save those whom He will. 
Ryle asked, &quot;Do you pray?&quot;
I ask, &quot;Do YOU witness?&quot;


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## russmann (Apr 23, 2003)

*Henri J. M. Nouwen*

[quote:f0f6ba4b5e]Prayer and action, therefore, can never be seen as contradictory or mutually exclusive. Prayer without action grows in powerless pietism, and action without prayer degenerates into questionable manipulation. If prayer leads us into a deeper unity with the compassionate Christ, it will always give rise to concrete acts of service. And if concrete acts of service do indeed lead us to a deeper solidarity with the poor, the hungry, the sick, the dying, and the oppressed, they will always give rise to prayer. In prayer we meet Christ, and in him all human suffering. In service we meet people, and in them the suffering Christ.[/quote:f0f6ba4b5e]

[b:f0f6ba4b5e]Charles Spurgeon[/b:f0f6ba4b5e]

[quote:f0f6ba4b5e]Brethren, DO something, DO something, DO something! While societies and unions make constitutions, let us win souls. I pray you, be men of action all of you. Get to work and quit yourselves like men. Old Suvarov's idea of war is mine: 'Forward and strike! No theory! Attack! Form a column! Charge bayonets! Plunge into the center of the enemy!' Our one aim is to win souls; and this we are not to talk about, but do in the power of God![/quote:f0f6ba4b5e]


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## jasond49079 (Aug 9, 2003)

Anybody read the book by Will Metzger [u:c4c28b367e]Tell the Truth[/u:c4c28b367e]


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## Lyle (Sep 18, 2003)

Leading those to Christ is another of the great privlidges we as Christians have. Often in our world, we get to caught up in our own little comfort zones to realize that we have the message of life, and we live in a dieing world. It's like holding the cure to cancer and not giving it out, or not giving the raft you have to a drowning man. We don't realize the power the Bible has, but rather intend to hide behind this cutain that we need to just manage our own lives. That view in and of itself is not bad at all, cause it's somehting that we need to do. But this message is somehting that needs to get out, and I'm not just talking about on the front of a T-shirt, or writing John 3:16 on a sign.

Philippians 2:15
&quot;That you may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, amoung whom you shine as lights to the world;&quot;

Matthew 5:14
&quot;You are the light of the world, a city on a hill cannot be hidden.&quot;

Thinking, it can run so much farther then just tlaking and giving out tracts, but living it is key. Actions speak louder then words. Now I'm a guy and i find i have won the respect of so many people (many amoung the elder generation) because I can keep my nose clean and my eyes right ahead in the mall. I've learned to control my desires. People don't hear me saying things, and preachign the word, and then counter acting myself. But now to say I'm perfect, for i still struggle because I lie in this cacoon called the flesh.
Note that in Romans 5 it says, &quot;God demonstrated His love to us.&quot; he went farther then just telling us (Jeremiah 31:3), to showing us. By giving up His own Son to pay the price for sinners, to die as a ransom for those who killed Him.

We can learn a few ways to sharing the gospel by seeing what God does, God meets people in two areas. Where they're at, and at they're point of need. We don't need to say, hey there's this guy named Jesus calling you to repent. Nor do we need out turn or burn guns, just simply communicate. I find using examples of things aorund helps out alot, things they can relate to. i have started out conversations directly by asking if they study law, or theology. But we need to remmeber it's not us doing the work, but Christ thorugh us. This is a blinded world, but we have a living God. We have a powerful message. We can plant the seeds of the gospel, and it will be by God's grace if they grow, for not all seeds do. But never underestimate God, it may be years before they finally realize. Like Lincon failed at almost everything before he became president, and just because you aren't see hundreds of people come to Christ, or you're not standing on a stage, doesn't mean God isn't using you. He uses you too, where you're at. That is if you will let Him, God is a gentlemen and will not push Himself on you, but patiently waits.
Another thing we need to do is overcome our fears. Often we miss so many oppertunities to serve god because we are afriad, we look only the this present moment, when there's so much more to see. We need to look for everything we can, we need to have the Word memorized, because people can ask some pretty random questions. But remmeber a drop of honey will catch more flies then a tub of viniger, and people don't usally like to be preached at and called sinners. Rather you need to let the Spirit show them their need.
there's not really any course you could take, you could write a book but it would never end, for cases a different with every person. You justneed to be on your toes and ready in season and out. Demonstrate God's love in any way possible, starting where you're at. Bloom where you are planted 


grace &amp; peace,
Lyle


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## Lyle (Sep 18, 2003)

[quote:b0f13a12e8][i:b0f13a12e8]Originally posted by deadmen.org[/i:b0f13a12e8]
Welcome to the board, Lyle. I'm Josh. Have a question for you. You wrote:
[quote:b0f13a12e8]
We don't need to say, hey there's this guy named Jesus calling you to repent.
[/quote:b0f13a12e8]

Maybe not in the same manner, but why not? He did. John did. Peter did, etc. I'm just curious and hope I'm not misunderstanding you. Thanks.

Josh [/quote:b0f13a12e8]

It's kinda the way you say it I was trying to say, like boring, cry, scared to death.... you know, that kind of way. yes we should say it, and it should be with confidence, vigor. A good salesmen must believe that his product is the best to sell it...

Thanks for the welcome :smilegrin:


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## 5Solas (Dec 28, 2003)

I try to build a relationship with people. As the relationship develops I gradually unpack the Gospel message.


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## robot (Mar 16, 2004)

I'm currently witnessing to a friend of mine named Blake. He was interested in Christianity after my friendship with him, and him seeing how I had a sense of calm and peacefulness when he was having problems with anger, and other things. After I laid out what Christianity is basically about, he wanted to know more; so, I gave him a Bible. He's reading Genesis right now, and when he's done he'll read either John or Luke. He's really interested in it, and has been asking me a lot of good questions. I pray everyday that he comes to Christ, and I think God will do it.
If you guys ever need good help explaining things in Genesis to people, http://www.answersingenesis.org is an excellent source.


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