Discipleship

…that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." John 3:15-17

What Do I Say to Lead a Person to Christ?

We have talked about how to build our faith so we have something to say and how to overcome our fears. Then, we went over some plans and insights on how to reach others for the faith. Now that we have explored these precepts, we come to some of the "nitty-gritty" things like, what am I going to say? I am reluctant to write this chapter because many Christians already think Christianity is just a formula, and it certainly is not. It is a relationship. There is no set formula, just some proven ways that have worked in the past to help show who Christ is. You will find no procedures or plans of salvation in the pages of Scripture, although you will find the precepts there. We win people to the Lord by our love, not by our words. We win people to the Lord by our example, not our "game plan" as we witness. We win people by letting them see Christ at work in us, not by merely telling them how He can work in them.

We are His display! We glorify God when we endure with our faith and character-no matter what we might face or experience. The chief purpose for Christians, above all else, is to glorify God. Christ is our great example for respect and endurance; He endured and suffered for us, He took our place for God's wrath, and as a sinless, innocent person, He went to the cross for us all. We are to follow in His steps-not for our salvation, as that has already been given to us-but to show another picture to those who are watching us. We exemplify Him by being a good example! Why? He has healed and saved us, so we need to trust Him out of our gratitude, and allow Him to be our Shepherd, Guardian, and Lord over all.

Basically, you are sharing your life and the wonder of Christ with someone else. Your life is your witness. The more faith and excitement you have in your faith, the better you will be at witnessing. When you have a new car, the first thing you want to do is to show it off. You may know nothing about that car; you do not know the horsepower, how it was engineered, the stress tolerances of the door hinges, or how long the tires will last. All you know is you are excited that you have a new car-yea. OK! What you have inside you (Christ) is soooo much better than the greatest car ever conceived. You do not need to know all of the ins and outs of theology because new Christians, who do not know much about the faith, lead most of the people who come to Christ to Him. You need to have the desire to show your faith and Christ off. Is not Christ so much more powerful and valuable than the greatest car you could ever wish for? Then, what is stopping your life from being His showroom? Allow your story to be passionate and open to others; this is your key.

Our Objections are Overturned

For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 2 Corinthians 5:14

What we say is perhaps the part most Christians fear the most, as opening our mouths is no easy task for most of us, even for me. We can come up with all kinds of objections for not uttering the words of what Christ is doing in us and what He can do for others, so we have our excuses. Some of these could be I do not know enough, or, I do not have the strength of personality, or, I do not speak well, and so forth. Basically, a lot of great Bible personalities have struggled with this too, such as Moses (Exodus 4:10-12). In addition, the Scriptures tell us that we are not strong or wise enough on our own. Our objections are perchance warranted and true to a point, so why should we desire to be otherwise? The clincher is, we are called to do it anyway. There is no objection or reason that should stop us from sharing who Christ is, even with words. The power and wisdom is from God, not us, as is what to say. It is His love working in us that is to compel us-not our abilities or plans.

The key foundation to anything we say or share is the compliance to show God's love and live it in such a way that brings glory to His Name. Remember, it is how we live that the Holy Spirit may use as a "case in point" to help influence people's decisions about whether they will spend their eternity in Heaven or Hell.

We are to be our best for His glory, regardless of our circumstances. We show our value-that Christ paid a price for us-so we in turn can respond with a good attitude. We must adjust our mindset to see our life here on earth as an opportunity to please Him, and in so doing, be a blessing to those around us with our practical obedience and diligence. If you feel the words you need to say are blocked by stress, hatred, a lack of accomplishment, or if you are unhappy and in the wrong place, then pray more and trust more. This will allow you to do your best for Christ's highest with excitement and passion in order to show others who the Lord is and what He has done for you. In this way, others can know what He can do for them.