HOW TO LEAD SOMEONE TO THE LORD
“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”
Matthew 28:18,19
The verses above, The Great Commission, are Jesus’ words to the disciples shortly before His Ascension into heaven. He challenges believers to reach out and allow the lost the same chance the believers had for redemption from sin. The highest priority of a Christian should be to lead sinners into grace and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
To bring mankind salvation is the sole reason Jesus came to earth – He came to restore the broken relationship with our heavenly Father. If Jesus died on the cross for our salvation, should we not endeavor to introduce others to Him for their salvation? This is our commission.
You will find below a basic method for leading others to Jesus: scriptures, teaching and a prayer for salvation that will unlock the door to the Kingdom of God for sinners. Use this as a guideline for helping others experience the joy of a relationship with our Savior, Jesus.
Scriptures:
1. Romans 5:12
2. John 3:16
3. Ephesians 2:8,9
4. John 1:12
5. Romans 10:9
Unbelievers do not realize that they have a need for salvation. They must first understand that if they do not commit themselves to Jesus Christ, they will spend eternity in hell.
“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”
Romans 5:12
When Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, sin fell upon all mankind, even future generations, “and so death passed upon all men.” It is this inherent sin that keeps men separated from God and spiritually dead. Once a man makes a commitment to Jesus, he has a new relationship with God and becomes spiritually alive. Every man is a sinner not because of his acts, but because of his birth into a fallen world. Becoming a child of God through Jesus Christ restores man to right relationship with God.
An unbeliever is not surrendering the bad things he is doing – he is destroying his broken and separated condition from God which will make him want to do away with previous habits. He is giving up the isolation of sin for the relationship and unity of salvation through Jesus Christ.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
John 3:16
God gave His Son to whosoever (anyone who) believes in Him, Jesus Christ! It does not cost anything – it is a gift. Your age, your social standing or the color of your skin doesn’t matter. Anyone can be born again.
“But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become sons of God, even to them that believe on His Name.”
John 1:12
Nor does it matter what good deeds you have done. Salvation comes through grace, not works. Unbelievers who have not murdered or stolen are still sinners; they do not have salvation.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Ephesians 2:8,9
How does a sinner receive this gift of salvation?
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
Romans 10:9
The sinner must confess with his mouth and believe in his heart. As a believer, you can help the unbeliever find a personal relationship with Jesus. The prayer below fulfills both parts of Romans 10:9 and allows the sinner to confess Jesus as Lord of his life.
Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus, Your Son Who died for me. You raised Him from the dead for me. I accept Him as my Savior and confess Him as my Lord. I renounce the devil and all the host of hell. Therefore, I am a new creation alive unto You. I lift my hands and worship You. In the Name of Jesus, amen.
RECEIVING THE
INFILLING OF THE
HOLY SPIRIT
“And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”
Our Father has sent Someone to us, Someone Who will always be with us as Comforter and Guide. He has sent the Holy Spirit.
As a Christian, you have made a choice to follow God and commit yourself to His ways. He has given you the Holy Spirit to be with you as your direct link to Him. But you must receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit.
The Word of God sets only two requirements for the infilling of the Holy Spirit: 1) experiencing the new birth through Jesus Christ and 2) asking to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
“And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?”
Luke 11:9-13
If you have been born again as a Christian, accepting that Jesus became sin for your sins to be removed, then why should you, and how could you, cleanse yourself of any sin? You cannot cleanse yourself from sin; salvation is a free gift from God. In the same way, when you ask the Father for the Holy Spirit, He gives Him to you immediately. There is no certain manner of praying or crying that you must perform; you just ask Him.
The Holy Spirit is a gift from the Father much like your salvation is a gift. He has given the Holy Spirit to you to draw you closer to Him for a more intimate relationship. He has also given the Holy Spirit to empower you with authority in this world.
“And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
Acts 2:4
This clearly demonstrates what happens when you receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. Tongues is the Holy Spirit praying through you; not vocalizing for you, but giving you the words to speak. The language you speak is not your native language and is commonly referred to as tongues. There are wonderful benefits for praying daily in the Spirit. Praying in tongues stimulates your faith, enables you to pray for the unknown, edifies you and helps you pray in line with God’s perfect will.
Below is a prayer for you to receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit.
Heavenly Father, I come to You in the Name of Jesus to thank You because I am Your child. By faith I receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. I have Him now; therefore I expect to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gives me utterance right now. In the Name of Jesus, amen.
Realize that the Holy Spirit will give you words, but He is not going to pray for you. You will be doing the speaking with your tongue, your voice and your mouth. The Holy Spirit will bring the prompting, desire, or urge to speak. At first, it may be only a few syllables, but the more you pray, the more your language will develop.
If you did not speak in other tongues immediately, there are basically two things to check up on.
1) Did you sense an urging deep inside? That was the Holy Spirit prompting you. You just need to cooperate and respond by giving place to it. By faith, let the words form on your tongue.
2) If you did not sense the urging of the Holy Spirit inside you, then do not be concerned. We receive all things from God by faith, so you can educate yourself in faith by reading about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. (We recommend Seven Vital Steps to Receiving the Holy Spirit by Kenneth E. Hagin.) This will help you to renew your mind and release any conscious or unconscious fear you may have had. The Bible says, “…faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Rom 10:17).