Friday, February 13, 2009

How To Lead Someone To Jesus

I wrote this because for so long I did not know how to introduce someone to Jesus. For some reason I could never ask them, if they wanted to know Jesus. Fear of rejection really did a number on me. As you read... be encouraged. It's a lot easier than I thought. All it takes is His love and an awareness that you are His disciple and He wants to use you! (Rom 12:1)

On average, nine times out of ten we will be witnessing to someone and it's going really well. We say something like, "Have a great day!" and we will walk away without asking them if we can introduce them to the Lord. This should not be so! If they are breathing they need Jesus, right? Okay, I'm glad you agree.

There are many ways to introduce someone to Jesus and basically we are there to facilitate an introduction to the Lord. The Lord will accept any way we can spit out the invitation! He knows about fear and intimidation. Holy Spirit is there to help you. If you are not sure if it's the right time to ask the person if they want to get saved, ask the Lord under your breath, "Lord, should I ask them if they want to get saved?" Holy Spirit will help you. He's your adviser and confidant and He want's them saved more than you do!

Let's say someone asks you a couple of questions about the Lord and you answer them and you have a positive feeling about the situation. Ask them if you can introduce them to Jesus. It's that simple. Just pray with them something like, "Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and show me You are real. I give you my life and I thank you for saving me and forgiving all my mistakes."

You can just ask them something like...

"Do you want to be sure you'll go to heaven? ( I recently led two people to the Lord with this question.)
"Are you tired of being bitter, frustrated and not happy with your life?"
"Are you looking for peace that stays with you? Let me introduce you to Jesus"
"Are you looking for a reason to live? Can I introduce you to my friend Jesus?"
"Do you want a "High" that is better than any drug or alcohol combination? Let me introduce you to Jesus.

Your words do not have to be in christian jargon. Actually, it's better if they are not. You do want the person to understand you, right? Your words will differ depending on who you are talking to and how nervous you are. Do not worry about that. If possible get them to repeat your words after you. That is a very good way to teach someone how to pray. They don't know how approachable Jesus and Holy Spirit are. It will be a revelation to some of the people you talk to.

You want them to speak out loud because our lives are determined by what we say. You will notice that sometimes the person you are leading to the Lord has a real struggle with saying the words out loud. That's because there is a Spiritual battle going on in their hearts at that moment. The bible is very clear that we must speak out loud. In Romans 10:10 we read, "For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified and it's with your mouth that you confess and are saved."

If someone tries to tell you "they didn't mean it when they asked Jesus into their lives." I encourage you to leave that question with the Lord. You would be surprised at how many re-commitments happen later on because the person remembers you leading them in prayer. Many people hear their conscience when all the noise stops, usually at night before they go to sleep. Holy Spirit will use your words. Do not negate your faith stand with negative words. Keep your faith strong on their behalf and God will bring them through.

Repentance

Repentance is something that God will work in their hearts through Holy Spirit. You don't need the person to confess every sin they have ever committed in order to get saved. The bible says that "The goodness of God leads you (men and women) to repentance." (Rom 2:4) We do not want to beat them up with how bad they are because that is not our job. Holy Spirit's job is to convict the world of guilt because they haven't accepted Jesus. (John 16:8) It is our job to tell people the good news (gospel) of God's love. As we introduce people to Jesus and they get a glimpse of His goodness, they will repent as a natural consequence. We look so dirty compared to Him. His love is so overwhelming we could never tell the half of it, right?

For example, I didn't know about repentance when I was committing suicide. I just whispered with all my might, '"If there's a God, I need to know!" I was brought back to life twice before I realized that I was being kept alive and I couldn't talk or move at that time. There was no way I could ask Jesus into my heart because I didn't know who He was! Are you getting this? God is not looking for excuses to keep us out of Heaven. He's looking for any opportunity to get us into Heaven!

I woke up in the morning with no side effects and my brain and body still functioned properly. It was a real miracle. I didn't know who this God was that kept me alive, but I knew that without him I was dead, dead, dead. Repentance? It didn't cross my mind. I was in hot pursuit of this wonderful peace and love that had kept me alive the night before. Repentance came later as I got a revelation of who Jesus was, what He had done for me and what it had cost Him.


Points To Think About

So many people are dying around you. Ask the Lord to increase your awareness of where they are at spiritually and then ask Him to give you a supernatural love for them so you'll be motivated to pray and to move out of your comfort zone. It is not the evangelist's job to save everyone. God has told all of us to go and make disciples. Be one of the Harvest Workers for the Lord. The Payback is out of this world. LOL!

Remember.... The only thing you can take to heaven with you is the souls/people you've led to the Lord.

Did you know that most adults get saved by their friends who love them and pray for them over a couple of years and then get them planted in the Body of Christ?


Remember: ASK! Ask them if they want to know the Savior. Ask them if they want to get to know God. Ask them if they want your phone number so they can call you later. Ask them if they want to go to church. Like a salesman we have to ask or we won't get the sale. So ask. So many times people have thanked me for taking the time to pray for them and share with them.

The very worst case is they'll say "No." A "no" answer can mean a number of things.

-I don't have enough information
-I don't have time to discuss this now.
-I don't think it's important now.
-I'm embarrassed because my friends are here and I don't want to lose face.
-I'll get saved later.

Ask Holy Spirit how to respond to them. I have left many, many people with a tract to read with more information on salvation for them. Sometimes it's okay to leave them with your phone number depending on what the Lord says. Most times, I just bless them and tell them to have a good day. It's always appropriate to ask the Lord to keep working on them and to release the Angels to help with the salvation of this precious person.

I bless you as you go out today and be a witness for the Lord.

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