Over the last few days, we talked about sharing the gospel with friends and relatives. What truths are we to share? When I get an opportunity to share Christ, if the person will allow me to, I go over six essential topics with them: 1. Salvation is a Gift. 2. All Have Sinned. 3. The Wages of Sin. 4. The Substitutionary Death of Christ. Now we come to the fifth topic, receiving the atoning death of Christ for ourselves. 5. Repent and Receive Christ.
Repentance is from the Greek word metanoia; it comprises two words: meta and nous. Meta means "change," and nous is the Greek word for "mind." It means to change your mind, and therefore a change of direction towards God. If we say we change our mind about something and then do not alter our actions accordingly, do we believe? If you believe the good news, it will change your life. “I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds” (Acts 26:20). There must be a willingness to believe and to turn to the Lord.
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord (Acts 3:19).
"The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!" (Mark 1:15).
This turn of the direction of your life is toward Christ and away from serving self and Satan. When you believe and place your trust in Christ, the Spirit of God comes to live at the very core of your being. When we believe the gospel, we become a child of God:
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God(John 1:12).
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 that person, and they with me (Revelation 3:20).
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved (Romans 10:9-10).
After sharing these Scriptures, you can then ask the person, "do these thoughts make sense to you?" Listen to him or her to see if they have grasped the truth about what Christ has done for them and are open to receive the gift of life. You could then ask them,
Would you like to receive the gift of eternal life, which Christ is offering to you? Tell them that there is no better time than the present.
For he says, "In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2).
You could ask them the question, "Is there any reason as to why you should not place your trust in Christ now?" At this point, you do not want to push them, but you should also realize that the enemy is more than likely giving them a hard time, and a spiritual battle is taking place inside the person's mind. You might want to ask if that is what is going on. Bring it into the light by telling them that this is a decision the person must make, either to reject or to place their trust in Christ's work on the cross for them. Ask them as to whom they are going to listen to. Encourage them to take the step of faith. I often will ask them to pray words that I lead them in.
A Typical Prayer of Salvation
Dear God in heaven, I come to you in the name of Jesus. I am a sinner, and I am sorry for my sins and the life that I have lived; I need your forgiveness. I believe that Jesus shed His precious blood on the cross at Calvary and died in full payment for my sins, and I am now willing to turn from my sin. You said in Your Holy Word, Romans 10:9, that if we confess the Lord our God and believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, we shall be saved. Right now, I confess Jesus as the Lord of my life. With my heart, I believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. This very moment I accept the gift of God and invite Jesus Christ to come and live in me according to His Word. Thank you, Jesus, for your unlimited grace which has saved me from my sins. Lord Jesus, transform my life so that I may live for you and bring glory and honor to you. Thank you, Lord, for dying for me and giving me eternal life. Amen. After the person has prayed with me, I then go into the last of the six topics, let's look at this tomorrow. Keith Thomas
If you want to explore these thoughts now, the link to the full study follows: What is the gospel?