Week 11: Calling Someone to Respond

Week 11: Calling Someone to Respond

Key Text: Romans 10:8-13

Question: Should we ever urge people to respond to the Gospel? 

Discuss the twin pitfalls of manipulative Decision-ism (which fails to appreciate that sinners are totally dead in sin and that salvation is the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit) and cold informational evangelism (which fails to appreciate human responsibility, the free offer of the Gospel).

God calls everyone (general call) to respond to the Gospel, and as instruments of the Holy Spirit, we can voice that call. 

A saving response to the Gospel message is described in the Bible by a number of words/phrases. A few prominent ones:

Receive Christ (John 1:12)

Repent and Believe 

Repent (Luke 24:47, Acts 2:38, etc.)

Believe (John 3:15,16; 20:30, etc.)

R & B (Mark 1:15)

Follow Me (John 8:12, 1:43)

Call on the name of the Lord (Joel 2:32, Acts 2:32, Rom 10:13)

There are others – “come”, “look”, etc.

Not different ways to respond, but all describing aspects of one saving response. 

Calling on the name of the Lord – what means

> IMP: prayer doesn’t save you; Jesus does; calling on the Lord is simply the heartfelt cry of repentance and faith

> Simply crying out to God to give what you don’t have, to do what you can’t

> Not “one and done” but it is the daily prayer of repentance & faith

Analogy – water, drowning, boat

Tracing Grace – Does that touch you...? 

Pointed Question: What prevents you…? Call on his name...

Pray: Confess, Profess, Plead

Hopeful Convert – If born again….Baby needs 3 things….

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What if people are not touched? “Doesn’t bother me/I don’t care…” Matt 16:26 (Leaving a stone for the shoe)