Leading People to the Lord
Allen Hanson
November 29th, 2009
Oftentimes, after we give our testimony, the person or people we testified to will want to give their hearts to the Lord. This lesson gives pointers on leading people to Him.
Be perceptive about where people are. People are in various places with the Lord; some are just coming around to Him, some are ready to commit, some want to hear more but aren’t ready to commit. That’s fine. The easiest way to find out where people are is to ask. It doesn’t have to be a full-blown altar call; just ask, “Would you like to have a relationship with God?” Whatever the situation is, the Holy Spirit will lead you. There are really only two problems to avoid.
o Trying to push someone who isn’t ready. Remember, we’re not paid on commission.
o Being afraid to ask the question. For some reason, the closer you are to someone, the harder it can be to ask. Develop a couple different versions of the question to use for different people.
• Pray with them, not at them. Since you’re leading them to the Lord, you are like a mutual friend introducing two people you think should get to know each other. You can use the whole Sinner’s Prayer thing if you want, but all that really needs to happen is for the person to say that “Jesus is Lord” and believe in his/her heart that God raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 10:9-10). Don’t get too elaborate.
• Explain what happened. After the person accepts the Lord, be ready to explain to the new Christian what happened. Here are some pointers.
o Spirit, soul, and body. Human beings have three parts: We are spirits, we have souls, and we live in bodies. When you accept Jesus into your heart, you are born again, which means that your spirit is made alive, just like a baby being born. This may seem complicated, but is easy to explain from John 3: You need to be born twice to be with God. First physically, then spiritually. The New Testament teaches us how to save our souls, and gives us hope that God will save our bodies as well.
o What didn’t happen. While explaining what happened, it is useful to explain what didn’t happen.
You didn’t get any taller (or shorter).
You don’t look different.
You still have the same habits and behaviors, for the most part.
• Explain what to do next. I personally believe that when we lead someone to the Lord, we bear some responsibility for rearing them as baby Christians. This applies even to someone you may never see again.
o Talk about church. You need to help your new baby to find a church, so they can get the training and nutrients they need. (Psalms 92:14). If the person lives in your area, suggest your church. If your church doesn’t work for them (and sometimes it won’t), help them find a church that does.
o Get contact information. Remember, when you minister to someone, you aren’t just preaching the Gospel; you are inviting someone into your life. Keep track of them, making sure they don’t fall into the cracks, so to speak.
o Hand them off. The most effective way to help others grow is to hand them off. I don’t mean ditch them, but do introduce them to other Christians, so that you can create a Christian support system that meets that person’s needs. Being ready to hand people off means you also need to be ready have other people hand folks off to you.
We’ll talk about this a little today, and spend another day on it, doing role plays to practice leading people to the Lord.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Bible Interpretation 2-28-10
A Few Case Studies:
Practical Bible Interpretation
Allen Hanson
February 28, 2010
This lesson teaches basics of Bible interpretation (hermeneutics) by giving scenarios, working through them, and then discussing the interpretation principle.
The Thorn in Paul’s Flesh
A baby Christian in our church has asked you a question. “In 2 Corinthians 12:7, Paul claimed that a ‘thorn in the flesh’ was given to him. What does that mean? And why was it given to him? And who gave it to him?”
Interpretation Lesson 1: Use the Bible to interpret the Bible (especially use the Old Testament to interpret the New Testament).
Interpretation Lesson 2: Satan afflicts us to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). God uses what Satan dishes out to our advantage (The Book of Job, Genesis 45:4-8).
Replenishing the Earth
A person new to our church comes up to you to ask your opinion on a Bible subject that troubles him. He asks “When God told the man and woman to “replenish the Earth”, did that mean there were people here before Adam and Eve?”
Interpretation Lesson 3: Don’t trust doctrine to one version of the Bible, even if it is the King James Version. Use your tools (Strong’s, Vine’s) to see what words mean in their original languages.
The Sun Goes Around the Earth?
A college student comes to you and says, “My college professor told us that the Bible teaches falsehood, because it says that the sun rises and sets. He equates this to saying that the sun orbits the earth, which we know isn’t true. Is this what the Bible teaches?”
Interpretation Lesson 4: The Bible was designed to teach eternal truths from an Earthly perspective in a way that is understandable to people who lived at least 2000 years ago. It is intellectually dishonest and unfair to try to turn it into 21st century textbook on celestial mechanics.
Interpretation Lesson 5: People who disagree with the Bible and what it teaches are not above perverting the Scriptures (2 Peter 3:16). When people quote the Scriptures, check the context on them, using several different Bible translations, and see if what they are saying is true. Don’t be persuaded by an empty suit, glib speech, or educational attainment. Note: the Bible never says that the sun orbits the earth, in any version of which I am aware.
The Unforgiveable Sin
A young Christian comes up to you and asks you for a moment of your time. She says, “I think I may have committed the unforgiveable sin.” She tells you what she did, and states “I read in the Bible that Jesus said there is a sin that won’t be forgiven. What is it, and did I do it?
Interpretation Lesson 6: You can do a word search on the term “forgiven” or “blasphemy” and find the scripture verse where Jesus mentions a sin that won’t be forgiven. Jesus calls this sin “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit”. How do we determine what this means?
Fallen From Grace
A man in the church that you have known for a while wants to talk to you alone. He tells you, “I have sinned and fallen from grace. What must I do to get God to like me again?”
Interpretation Lesson 7: Look up the term “fallen from grace”. Use the context of the passage to determine just what that term actually means (Hint: It’s in Galatians).
Practical Bible Interpretation
Allen Hanson
February 28, 2010
This lesson teaches basics of Bible interpretation (hermeneutics) by giving scenarios, working through them, and then discussing the interpretation principle.
The Thorn in Paul’s Flesh
A baby Christian in our church has asked you a question. “In 2 Corinthians 12:7, Paul claimed that a ‘thorn in the flesh’ was given to him. What does that mean? And why was it given to him? And who gave it to him?”
Interpretation Lesson 1: Use the Bible to interpret the Bible (especially use the Old Testament to interpret the New Testament).
Interpretation Lesson 2: Satan afflicts us to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). God uses what Satan dishes out to our advantage (The Book of Job, Genesis 45:4-8).
Replenishing the Earth
A person new to our church comes up to you to ask your opinion on a Bible subject that troubles him. He asks “When God told the man and woman to “replenish the Earth”, did that mean there were people here before Adam and Eve?”
Interpretation Lesson 3: Don’t trust doctrine to one version of the Bible, even if it is the King James Version. Use your tools (Strong’s, Vine’s) to see what words mean in their original languages.
The Sun Goes Around the Earth?
A college student comes to you and says, “My college professor told us that the Bible teaches falsehood, because it says that the sun rises and sets. He equates this to saying that the sun orbits the earth, which we know isn’t true. Is this what the Bible teaches?”
Interpretation Lesson 4: The Bible was designed to teach eternal truths from an Earthly perspective in a way that is understandable to people who lived at least 2000 years ago. It is intellectually dishonest and unfair to try to turn it into 21st century textbook on celestial mechanics.
Interpretation Lesson 5: People who disagree with the Bible and what it teaches are not above perverting the Scriptures (2 Peter 3:16). When people quote the Scriptures, check the context on them, using several different Bible translations, and see if what they are saying is true. Don’t be persuaded by an empty suit, glib speech, or educational attainment. Note: the Bible never says that the sun orbits the earth, in any version of which I am aware.
The Unforgiveable Sin
A young Christian comes up to you and asks you for a moment of your time. She says, “I think I may have committed the unforgiveable sin.” She tells you what she did, and states “I read in the Bible that Jesus said there is a sin that won’t be forgiven. What is it, and did I do it?
Interpretation Lesson 6: You can do a word search on the term “forgiven” or “blasphemy” and find the scripture verse where Jesus mentions a sin that won’t be forgiven. Jesus calls this sin “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit”. How do we determine what this means?
Fallen From Grace
A man in the church that you have known for a while wants to talk to you alone. He tells you, “I have sinned and fallen from grace. What must I do to get God to like me again?”
Interpretation Lesson 7: Look up the term “fallen from grace”. Use the context of the passage to determine just what that term actually means (Hint: It’s in Galatians).
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