Lead People to Acceptance
It’s reported that the average person hears the Gospel message an average of seven times before making their decision to follow Christ. While we sometimes hear of first-time message conversions, it’s more often that numerous messages need to be heard before a decision is made. The point is that every person, at every point of contact, is focused on leading that person to accept Christ. In God’s eyes, there is no distinction between the one who starts the dialogue and the one who leads a new believer across the finish line.
And be reminded that being a good friend and a good person doesn’t, in itself, get anyone saved. In fact, it can lead to an enjoyment of being viewed as a good person. That’s self-righteousness and it’s repugnant to God.
To safeguard against that, make it your perpetual goal to move everyone, every day, closer to Jesus. At every contact with a non-believer, make it your highest priority to lead that person to Jesus Christ. Comfort everyone by your words and deeds with the knowledge that God loves them.
Your words have power when they match your walk. Most people will form their impression of you before your first reference to God. If their impression doesn’t match your words, your words will have no power. So leading people to Christ begins long before you focus on leading anyone to Christ.
Without exaggeration, the task of leading people to Jesus is full-time, all the time. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid…Let your light so shine before men that they will see your good works and glorify your Father which is in Heaven (Matthew 5:14-16). Being a good person brings Glory to God when you bring Glory to God — when you connect your goodness to God’s Love. Your role in life is to represent God so that everyone will see Him through you and want what you have.
When you love on people with consistency and live a God-honoring life, people are much more likely to respond to whatever you have to say about God. You now have the credibility of being an expert witness for God. At that point, your passion for their salvation is far more important than the eloquence of your presentation…and the Holy Spirit will guide your conversation with words and thoughts you didn’t even know you had.
Even when you misspeak, the Holy Spirit will always be there, doing His work. This is where it gets real exciting. In the end, you’re merely a pawn in the work that God is doing with the person you’re trying to reach. It’s His Responsibility, not yours, to lead people to Jesus.
Asking people if they believe they’ll go to Heaven when they die is the easiest and most inoffensive way to determine where people are in their spiritual maturity. In most cases, people will say yes and, when asked why, will say because they’re a good person. That opens the door for light conversation about everyone having sinned, that the wages of sin is death BUT the Gift of God (that they can’t earn) is Eternal Life…and that it’s there for the asking because Jesus already paid the price for their sin on the Cross. But they have to ask to receive it. And they have to personally receive God’s Gift of Eternal Life for it to be valid.
While leading someone in the “sinner’s prayer” may seem intimidating at first, it’s almost impossible to get it wrong. There is no official scripting for this momentous event that brings people into the Family of God. Very simply: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9), and 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 (Romans 10:9). And you can lead an unbeliever into confessing their sins, asking for His Forgiveness, accepting Jesus Christ as their Risen Lord and Savior, and they will be saved.
