MAKE THE GOSPEL CLEAR

 

All of the time and energy you have invested in connecting with students takes you to a pivotal point: leading them to trust and follow Jesus. One of the greatest perks in youth ministry is for students to have the opportunity to hear a clear presentation of the gospel of Jesus and then to respond to that invitation and become a disciple of Jesus. The ripple effect from that can be utterly amazing. 

 

Bill played baseball for the school team. I met with him and some other guys every week to explore who Jesus is. As a result, Bill opened his heart to Jesus and began to grow in his faith. When he graduated, he went back to his high school and did what I did with him—he gathered a group of guys to explore who Jesus is. 

 

One of the guys in his group was Foley. Through Bill, Foley opened his heart to Jesus. Bill became one of my best friends and has spent his life introducing people to Jesus and discipling them like I did with him. And then Foley did the same. He became a pastor, and then later he became the leader of his church denomination’s worldwide fellowship. When you make the gospel clear, and it resonates with the younger generation, you never know how the Lord will use that to change students’ lives, and then how they in turn will change their worlds!

 

Sharing Jesus is ultimately important, so how do we do that in the clearest and most compelling way possible?

 

Transition to the Gospel

Near the end of Jesus’ long conversation with the Samaritan woman, after drawing her in with the idea of “living water” and explaining that life with God involves a relationship rather than religious principles, He finally told His story. He revealed His identity as the Messiah that she and so many others had been looking for (John 4:25-26). 

            

Like Jesus, once you tell your personal “Jesus story,” you can immediately transition from yourself to focus on the person you’re talking to. Do that by asking if they have a “Jesus story” like that. Whether they answer “yes,” “no,” or “maybe,” go ahead and ask them if you can share a simple, easy-to-understand presentation of the gospel. To make this presentation both verbal and visible, have a good gospel presentation tool in hand. (Find good ones in the resources below.) Make sure you read through the one you use several times and, for all practical purposes, memorize it. 

            

You can follow these steps to make the transition from your testimony to the gospel:

 

• Ask if he or she has experienced a personal relationship with Jesus like the one you just described.

• If so, ask him/her to share their story with you. 

• If not, ask directly if he or she would like to begin that relationship now. If you have come to this point, rarely does anyone say “no” to your question. 

 

Ask the Important Question

Then ask point blank: “Would you sincerely like to open your heart to Jesus now?” If you sense a genuine desire to do so, lead in a prayer to receive Christ that is in the gospel presentation. The prayer will say something like this: 

 

Jesus, I need You, and I want You to take control of my life. I admit that I have tried to live life on my own, but because I am a sinful person, I am not able to do that. I need You, Jesus, who died on the cross to save me from my sin and from myself, and who rose from the dead so your Spirit can live in me. Now I invite You to enter my heart and my life, and take control of my life now. In Jesus’ name, amen.

 

Listen for the Response

People who want to receive Christ have an awareness of their own sin and an appreciation for what Jesus did on the cross. You may not always see these signs visibly because people can respond emotionally in so many different ways. So you can simply ask: “Were you sincere when you prayed that prayer?” 

 

Listen carefully to the response. If he or she responds with something like: “I try to be good” or “I go to church,” that reveals that this person has not quite yet grasped the point. But if their prayer was sincere, they will have a desire to know more or to ask searching questions. Take them at their word, and then in your follow up, build on the prayer that was prayed. A variety of feelings can express themselves, but usually when people come to grips with God’s unconditional love, they have some kind of feelings about that. Then just ask them to share their feelings. 

 

Sometimes you can get students to say or pray just about anything, but it means nothing if the Holy Spirit has not drawn them to follow Jesus. So be patient. If the student isn’t ready, don’t push it. Encourage them to think about it for a few days and then get back together to talk some more. That takes the pressure off and keeps the door open for more conversations.

 

Those who do pray to receive Christ, whether initially or after considering it for a time, need to get started in growing in their relationship with Jesus. In the next few articles, we will discover how to practically get them on the road to becoming a passionate follower of Jesus! 

 

Your Next Steps

We encourage you to keep a notebook or journal of ideas, action steps, and resources that will help you advance your youth ministry. You can use the following questions and suggestions for brainstorming and developing your goals and plans. 

 

• Read through "3 Circles" or "Life in 6 Words" (or one of the other gospel presentations you chose) several times to prepare yourself to go through it again during your next appointment. Doing this will strongly reinforce your presentation. 

 

• Set up your next appointment as soon as possible. 

 

• Write a summary of the key points of your gospel-sharing experience. Recall things like the questions you asked to create an environment of love and acceptance, how you turned the conversation to Christ, what the student’s real needs and real feelings were, how you felt about sharing your story and the gospel story, and the response to it. Decide what changes or improvements you would like to make for your next appointment.

 

Resources

• "3 Circles" gospel presentation and app and “3 Circles” Evangelism Kit" (free download)

 

• “Life in 6 Words,” Dare 2 Share, www.dare2share.org