How can I preach/share the Gospel effectively?

[JesusMySavior]

My converts are falling away and are going to hell if they don't repent and surrender to God. In the past some of my "converts" were converted by me leading them in a prayer, as they have said they want to take their belief "a step further". They repeated a prayer after me yet I saw only a very small change in their lifestyle.

I want the converts I bring to Jesus to stand like pillars. How does one make sure the convert goes through with God? Must you consistently present the lake of fire and the torment verses like Revelation 20:15, pressing into them that they are hopeless wretches, and their only hope is Jesus? I'd think so. This is the power of the Gospel.

But my question is, is there an effective way to do it? I don't want to smother them to death, achieving the opposite where they convert out of fear and obligation, rather than out of genuine repentance.

How does one usher in the spirit of repentance? Am I trying to do God's work here? I'm utterly broken that my converts are falling away. I want to minister in power and truth, not in wimpy witnessing. I seem to be failing at the ministry God has given me. Have I no structure?

Lord please strengthen me with Your boldness and Your mercy, In Jesus' Name, Amen.

[PrayerTower]

Hi JesusMysaviour,
I'm not sure where your at, at the moment but many years ago [nearly 30] when I was just saved, I wanted to bring my friends and others to the Lord and it happened in a mighty way. I took them to my new family church and left them with the youth leader to sort out. 3 months later, they all left.

I could'nt believe it. One day I looked at our church youth group and realised that the gap between the church and the world was too hugher gap for any young person coming out of the world. One of my giftings is evangelism and the Lord has used me to led many to the cross of salvation, however, I had to change the way I thought.
Particularly where my responsibilty began and ended.
The Lord showed me that I should not only reap the harvest but also ensure that these souls were being discipled properly.

This is what I did to ensure that babies in the Lord [New christians] were being fed properly [discipled].

1. I found out where the best house groups were that catered for new christians. If I could'nt find one that was suitable, I would teach them myself until I found a reputable housegroupthat taught the basics of christian living... Note: I cared little about denomination but made sure that they were taught from the word, "pure milk" and that the church followed the fundamental principals of christianity.

2. I visited them regularly to ensure that their faith was growing and also invited them to any christian event that I thought they may benefit from.

3. I put them on my prayer list and asked others to pray for them also.

4. Myself and other christians would invite them to their homes for a meal, a prayer night, a games night or a singalong.

5. I would ensure that they are going through a regular bible-study with other mature christians.

I used to just lead people to Christ... now envolve myself in their life.
I make sure that they are being discipled - by mature, reputable christians who have a heart for babies in the Lord and If I can't find those people then I'll do it myself until I can.

I hope this helps...

Blessings!!!

[PrayerTower]

PS: Something to think about:

If christians are going to lead someone to the Lord, they have to be prepared to go down the long road with them.

That's what the Lord has shown me.

He does'nt want one night wonder-evangelists who scoop a harvest of souls then leave the next day[Some tend to take no responsibilty for their converts]

He wants evangelists who are prepared to disciple and look out for new christians. If they can't for whatever reason, they will find someone who can...


Blessings!!!

[Followtheway]

You need disciples not converts, you cant expect someone to say a simple prayer and boom their life is different. You want to see a change start letting them get their hands dirty. Start asking questions, and getting them to ask questions. You could spend all day giving sermons to people and it wont make a lick of a difference.

[HisLeast]

My converts are falling away and are going to hell if they don't repent and surrender to God. In the past some of my "converts" were converted by me leading them in a prayer, as they have said they want to take their belief "a step further". They repeated a prayer after me yet I saw only a very small change in their lifestyle.

I guess the first thing I'd advise is to stop calling them your converts. They aren't yours at all. You may have planted a seed, watered a plant, or weeded the garden, but they are the Lord's and ultimately they'll be accountable for their own decisions. You are the messenger and ambassador, not the puppet master.

I want the converts I bring to Jesus to stand like pillars. How does one make sure the convert goes through with God? Must you consistently present the lake of fire and the torment verses like Revelation 20:15, pressing into them that they are hopeless wretches, and their only hope is Jesus? I'd think so. This is the power of the Gospel.

I'd say the power of the Gospel is hope and salvation, not an unending assault on one's person. Concentrate on ensuring they're perpetually hopeless and they will be. And in that hopelessness they'll look for any outlet that makes them feel happy, content, and good. Don't be surprised if that outlet is sin. And why not? They won't be getting any hope or satisfaction from their "faith" if they're belittled and denigrated every step of the way.

Maybe stop with the fire and brimstone for a bit and help them REFRESH their spirits. There's other fruit of the spirit besides longsuffering... love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, gentleness. When was the last time they heard anything encouraging?

My days are hard enough. I know I'd lose heart very quickly if my mentors wielded the gospel as a blunted cudgel with which to smash my soul into submission.

[warrenoff]

thats the problem today ,even many churches do,close yours lift your hand ,say this simple prayer.we cant save God does ,He draws us to the son.remember Jesu saying to the young ruler ,He new and did most of the Law ,but when Jesus said sell evrything and follow me ,what did he do? .its like what sell everything and followtou.his spiritual heart and all his stuff was more important ,than surrendering his life to jesus.we need to be veryclear when presenting the gospel,God wants complete holiness(prov1:7,9:10,15:3,mic6:9,1sam2:2,lev11:44-45people need to realize God hates sinhe wants holinessands it is demanded of in the gospel,so we need to show people there sin,we need to let people know what Goddemands of them,which includesrepentance,turning fromeverything thatdoes not please God,and just notmeremomentary:decision (Ezk18:30-32,lk9:23,62jn 12:26Acts17:3026:201 thes 1:9)an individual who respond to the gospelmust trust in JesusChristas theierLord andSavior.(acts 16:31,rom 10:9)THERE AS WE SHARE THE GOSPELA PERSON SHOULD Alsobe instructed to count the cost seriously of being a discipleof Christ(matt10:34-38,mk 8:35-37,lk 14:26-33,jn12:24-25,rom6:6).there some passagethat its not a works to salvation,the work was completed on the cross (eph2:8-10rom4:10-11phil 3:4-9titus2:14,heb5:9ther are more passage just use a good study bible if you have one.

[RevGwinn]

You my Brother, may lead a horse to water.........................

It is in your life, how you conduct yourself, that your faith and the power and glory of God, will be the most apparent.

I wish you success, and peace.

[warrenoff]

here some more help hope this will help ,just hang in there for friends ,pray fervently,and most importantly keep your armour on(eph 6) be a good witness with when there around if there are struggling use the accountablity partner system it might help ,profeesing or just having a head knowledge of Jesus is not enough,we need to keep testingor examine ourselves paul taught that our faith(2 cor 13:5) a person cannot act on something which hedoes not know or understand we must explain the gospel then draw it out. our job is not complete by following a 6 step program approachto the presentation of the gospel-like the 4 spiritual laws etc. nor is it simple treating the heareras a target either whereby we need to close the deal by the end of our"transaction". the process may take more than on converstation,thus we should be willing to continue to pray for these individulas and all that we do on our sharing the mesage of the gospeland we need to be willing to spend as much time as it takes ,rememeber true genuine believers once called from the God to the son ,the holyspirit comes in to their heart and loves them, teaches them, convictd them of any sin that is not pleasing to our heavenly father, protects, sheiolds ,comforts ,the frits of HIS SPIRIT ,does trhan mean we never sin no we will boom alot its his on going loving grace ,but we do not abuse his grace either .he forgives us ,1john 1:8-10 we need to confess ,that we acknowledge our sin bring it to him he will forgive(2 col2:12=14. hope that helps ,i am still learning to share the gospel to ,you are doing grat for the lord just be clear to who you share the free gift to, Jesus he probed people you can see it in the gospel to see where there hearts are at ,luke 9:23-24 is agood passage ,deny yourself ,take up my cross daily ,follow .God bless keep all in prayer

[JesusMySavior]

I guess the first thing I'd advise is to stop calling them your converts. They aren't yours at all. You may have planted a seed, watered a plant, or weeded the garden, but they are the Lord's and ultimately they'll be accountable for their own decisions. You are the messenger and ambassador, not the puppet master.


I'd say the power of the Gospel is hope and salvation, not an unending assault on one's person. Concentrate on ensuring they're perpetually hopeless and they will be. And in that hopelessness they'll look for any outlet that makes them feel happy, content, and good. Don't be surprised if that outlet is sin. And why not? They won't be getting any hope or satisfaction from their "faith" if they're belittled and denigrated every step of the way.

Maybe stop with the fire and brimstone for a bit and help them REFRESH their spirits. There's other fruit of the spirit besides longsuffering... love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, gentleness. When was the last time they heard anything encouraging?

My days are hard enough. I know I'd lose heart very quickly if my mentors wielded the gospel as a blunted cudgel with which to smash my soul into submission.

interesting reply.

i do want to say right off the bat that I don't smash my friends' hearts and countenances into submission; i encourage and help them. I am a friend and a helper. However I wouldn't be a good friend if I wasn't genuinely concerned for their salvation and when their lives aren't seeming to compare to God's Word, I get concerned. But my main question is, and the point of the post is - is it enough to lead them in a prayer or how can one make sure that this person is going through with God and not just "going along with it".

Sometimes you can't truly know because the person doesn't know themselves.

And by converts I don't mean they are mine. They are obviously the Lord's, as to a faithful Creator, but I do consider myself a soul winner, and winning souls is not a sin, nor is it a sin to view it as such. You are "winning them over" to Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit. I used to feel guilty about saying that but winning souls is the ministry that God has given us; it's called the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-19), by reconciling the lost sheep to the Shepherd, as God reconciled the world to Himself through the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I'm sorry if you misunderstood. God bless.

[JesusMySavior]

Thanks to all of you for your replies.

[tt1106]

You are not a soul winner. I don't know if you mean to, but your posts speak of a certain arrogance. For one thing, they are called by God to conversion, you may be the vessel that he uses to help them embrace God and accept the realization of their brokenness, but I REALLY think you need to consider what you are doing this for if your ministry is going to be filled with I's and me's. We do NOTHING except what God allows us to do and assists us in.
I apologize if I also have misunderstood.

Blessings.


tt1106

[PrayerTower]

Hi JesusMy Saviour,
My apologies if I had misinterpreted your post...
There was very little information to go by.
You said:
"But my main question is, and the point of the post is - is it enough to lead them in a prayer or how can one make sure that this person is going through with God and not just "going along with it".

If they understood clearly, what you were explaining to them regarding sin and their need for a saviour and they have prayed the sinners' prayer with you, then that is all that you can do.
Repeating these steps is not going to change their position. They are already saved by the confession of their mouths.

The rest is up to the Lord. However, please ensure that they are in a cell group, home group for new christians or bible study group so that they can grow in respect to their salvation.

You also said:"Sometimes you can't truly know because the person doesn't know themselves."
If this is the case, then they did not understand your message at all and perhaps they are your friends who just want to make you happy.

If you are concerned about that, my suggestion is that you pass them over to a well respected member in your church to disciple.
PS: [caution] If you are a female and your friends are male [or vice versa], my advice is to pass them onto another christian of the same sex.

Be Blessed!!!

[Firefighter]

Quit selling fire insurance. The Bible say that it is the GOODNESS of God that leads a man unto repentance, NOT the fear of hell. Once someone realizes the gates of hell haven't opened up and swallowed them whole, they tend to fall away if they were "won" by fear.

[Aliosias]

　
After you lead them to Christ you need to disciple them in their spiritual development. This may take some time and commitment on your part. But if you don't do this they are almost sure to backslide as some point. You will not be just discipling them -- you will be equipping them to disciple others. Doing this will put the fire of the Holy Spirit in their Christian walk and give them a hunger to go deeper in Christ and also a hunger for evangelism.

Areas that involve discipling are:

1. Understanding their inheritance in Christ
2. Understanding their Right Standing With God
3. Understanding of how to "Walk in the Spirit"

Having been discipled in these areas they are now ready to go and disciple and equip others for discipleship.

Matthew 28:19 - " Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

Jesus said "Your attitude must be like my own, for I the Messiah, did not come to be served, but to serve and to give my life."

Romans 2:8 - "God will pour out His anger and wrath on those who live for themselves."

Albert Finch

[moonglow]

My converts are falling away and are going to hell if they don't repent and surrender to God. In the past some of my "converts" were converted by me leading them in a prayer, as they have said they want to take their belief "a step further". They repeated a prayer after me yet I saw only a very small change in their lifestyle.

I want the converts I bring to Jesus to stand like pillars. How does one make sure the convert goes through with God? Must you consistently present the lake of fire and the torment verses like Revelation 20:15, pressing into them that they are hopeless wretches, and their only hope is Jesus? I'd think so. This is the power of the Gospel.

But my question is, is there an effective way to do it? I don't want to smother them to death, achieving the opposite where they convert out of fear and obligation, rather than out of genuine repentance.

How does one usher in the spirit of repentance? Am I trying to do God's work here? I'm utterly broken that my converts are falling away. I want to minister in power and truth, not in wimpy witnessing. I seem to be failing at the ministry God has given me. Have I no structure?

Lord please strengthen me with Your boldness and Your mercy, In Jesus' Name, Amen.

I am deeply concerned you think this is the gospel message:

Must you consistently present the lake of fire and the torment verses like Revelation 20:15, pressing into them that they are hopeless wretches, and their only hope is Jesus? I'd think so. This is the power of the Gospel.

Or that gives the message any power. All it does it scare people for a short period of time...it comes off as 'believe or this loving God will torture you forever in hell'...this is no different then a man pointing a gun to your head and saying believe in me or die. Most people will quickly agree...until he takes the gun away that is...

I have found few Christians that started with their faith in terror and it grew to actually knowing and loving God. There is little lasting power in fear.

When I present the gospel message to people I tell them the rest of the story..usually this part first...that God does love them and Christ died for their sins...but He also released us from the power of sin over our lives. THAT is the message that saves lives and souls but often overlooked. The change that happens in us..becoming a new creation in Christ, being born again is not something anyone can will themselves to do...only the Holy Spirit can do that. And only after that has happened can this person be free from sin and change! And God does that in His own timing...not always the second the person prayers the sinners prayer. These people are obviously not saved or they wouldn't be falling away like this. I image it is heart breaking for you. All we can do is lead...and let God do the rest.

God bless you though for trying...