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by Dr. Bill BrightAnother important consideration in sharing Christ with others is leading the new Christian to full assurance of faith in Christ. The material in the Four Spiritual Laws booklet following the prayer is designed to aid you in helping the new believer to be sure that he is a Christian and helping him grow in his faith.
After an individual has prayed, ask the following questions contained on page 11 of the booklet:
“Did you receive Christ into your life? According to His promise in Revelation 3:20, where is Christ right now in relation to you?”
If the reply is, “Well, He is in the world,” or “He is in heaven,” ask the question again, emphasizing “...but where is He in relation to you?”
Explain that, according to Revelation 3:20, Christ said He would come into our lives:
"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me."
Then ask,
“Would He mislead you? On what authority do you know that God has answered your prayer?”
Then explain that our authority is the trustworthiness of God Himself and His Word. Together read 1 John 5:11–13:
"This is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life."
Emphasize that we can know we have eternal life on the basis of these promises from God’s divinely inspired Word.
Recently, I shared the gospel as explained in the Four Spiritual Laws with a man who received Christ but had no assurance of salvation. After reading 1 John 5:11–13 to him, I asked, “What would happen if you died today?”
He replied, “I’m afraid that I would go to hell.”
But as I reread the 1 John passage several times, I saw light come to his eyes and radiance to his face. The Holy Spirit had broken through the resistance that this man had built up for fifty years, and he finally saw God’s truth and received Christ into his life by faith.
When reading this section of the booklet, always explain the importance of faith. Review and explain the meaning of Ephesians 2:8-9. Warn against the danger of depending upon feelings.
One of Satan’s great lies is that you must have some kind of an emotional experience when you receive Christ. But the Word of God says that we receive Christ by faith and we are to live by faith. This doesn’t exclude the importance of emotions. But, according to John 14:21, you are not to seek an emotional experience; you are to live by faith and obey God’s commands.
"Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me."
Explain the train diagram on page 12 of the booklet and the truth that the Christian life is not lived according to feelings but according to faith in God and His Word. Study this information carefully, and always make it clear to the person with whom you are sharing Christ.
Also read and explain briefly and clearly the five wonderful things that have happened to the new Christian, which are listed on page 13 of the booklet.
When the individual is assured on the basis of God’s Word that Christ is in his life, suggest that each of you pray aloud, thanking God for what He has done. The very act of thanking God demonstrates faith and often contributes to the assurance of salvation.
Continue with suggestions for Christian growth and the importance of becoming active in a local church, as explained on pages 14 and 15.
The Importance of Follow-Up
I cannot overemphasize the importance of proper follow-up for the new Christian. Write down the name and address of each individual with whom you pray. This can be done tactfully and without offense if you give the person your name and address first. Then arrange to meet with the new Christian for spiritual counsel and follow-up the very next day, if possible, and certainly not more than forty-eight hours later. If you can’t meet in person, send a letter of encouragement to the new Christian.
As new believers write to tell us of their decision for Christ, many receive assurance of their salvation just by reading and studying the follow-up materials that we send them. I recall a new staff member who dropped by to thank me for sending her a series of twelve follow-up letters.
“After receiving Christ,” she said, “I was plagued with serious doubts. I decided that I didn’t want to be a Christian after all. I even became resentful about you and your letters to me. Then God used your letters to answer my questions and to help me surrender my life completely to Christ. Now I have applied as a staff member with Campus Crusade for Christ and have just been accepted. I am so happy, and I want to thank you again for writing those follow-up letters. I wouldn’t be here today if it hadn’t been for them.”
You can also help encourage new Christians to grow and to begin to win and build others through personal follow-up, Sunday school and church attendance, small groups, home Bible studies and Campus Crusade conferences.
Campus Crusade for Christ wants to serve you and the entire body of Christ, not only by helping to train you to share your faith more effectively, but also by helping to train and build up those whom you introduce to Christ. In addition to the Four Spiritual Laws booklet, other materials are available to assist you in your Christian growth and witness for Christ.
Witnessing as a way of life requires training as a way of life. If the secular world depends on a continuous training program to promote greater effectiveness in various job skills, how much more important it is that Christians participate in a continuous training program through the local church. We want to help you. Training in the most effective use of these practical tools is available at our headquarters and in hundreds of student, lay, pastor and military training conferences across America and in most major countries of the world.
Thirty-Day Experiment
A well-known Christian leader, who is a highly gifted theologian, shared with me his frustration over his lack of fruitfulness in witnessing for Christ.
I asked him:
“What do you say when you seek to introduce a person to Christ?”
He explained his presentation, which was very long and complicated. The large number of Bible verses he used would confuse most people and prevent them from making an intelligent decision.
I challenged him to use the Four Spiritual Laws presentation daily for the next thirty days and inform me of his experiences at the end of that time. When I saw him two weeks later, he was overflowing with joy and excitement:
“By simply reading the booklet to others,” he said, “I have seen more people come to Christ during the last two weeks than I had previously seen in many months. It’s hard to believe!”
I challenge you to perform that same experiment for the next thirty days. Begin each day on your knees asking God to lead you to someone whose heart has been prepared for your witness. Go prayerfully and in the power of the Holy Spirit, and in the spirit of the apostle Paul:
“talk about Christ to everyone who will listen” (Colossians 1:28, TLB).
Present the gospel as contained in the Four Spiritual Laws and expect God to use you.
At the end of thirty days, I am sure that you will be convinced, as multitudes of others have been before you, that there is no greater adventure in life than introducing others to our Savior.
Remember, you can “bring a lot of happiness into this world” by sharing Christ with others.
If the following prayer expresses the desire of your heart, make it your own:
Lord Jesus, I thank You for Your love for me. I thank You that through Your death and resurrection I have been forgiven of my sins and am able to live a fruitful life for You each day. As an expression of my love for You and for all people, and in obedience to Your command, I want to give daily priority to introducing others to You. Thank You for Your promise to make me fruitful if I follow You. Amen.
The Lord will bless you as you obey His command to be fruitful by spreading His message of the free gift of salvation.
Part 5 - Personal & interactive study
Group Discussion Questions