The Gospel Presentation

A Gospel Presentation “He brought him to Jesus.” (John 1:42) In the previous chapter, we analyzed the Introduction to our evangelistic road map. We learned how to engage a lost person in a conversation with the goal of sharing Jesus with him.

That conversation should begin by asking questions about the person’s Family. After that, we can discuss his various Interests. Then the Lord will open a door for us to discuss his Religious Background. That is when we should look for an opportunity to ask about his involvement in a church. Once we have established the person’s religious background and understand his connection with a church, the dialogue has changed from a secular conversation to an evangelistic one.

We are now able to ask permission to ask two Exploratory Questions. These questions will help us determine: (1) if the person is saved, and (2) what he believes is necessary for someone to be saved and go to Heaven.

After the exploratory questions are asked and answered, it is time to share the Gospel. A great transition statement from the exploratory questions to the beginning of the Gospel presentation is, “If you have just a few minutes, I’d like to share with you how I came to know that I have eternal life and how you can also. Is that alright?”

If he says “No”  then talk with him for a moment and ask him again. If he says “No” again, honor his decision, just as God does. The evangelistic part of the conversation is over. You can talk about something else with the hopes of discussing the Gospel with him again in the future. On the other hand, if he says, “Yes, I’d like to hear more about that,” then proceed to share Jesus using a Gospel presentation. Presenting the Gospel The outline of the Gospel presentation we will use in Share Jesus Like It Matters is given in detail in Appendix A at the end of this book. I advise you to make a copy of it and carry it with you. Keep a copy in your Bible to refer to. In time, you might even be able to memorize it. Hopefully it will be something you use the rest of your life. My mother wrote down an outline like this and used it to win many people to Christ. Let’s analyze this outline (our evangelistic roadmap) and see how it can help us share Jesus. Below, I have given a hypothetical evangelistic conversation so you can see how you can use the outline to share the Gospel. The actual outline as given in Appendix A will appear in bold print in the conversation to help you follow more easily. In the example below, I’ll share Jesus with a lost man named Tom. I will pick up at the point after the two exploratory questions in the Introduction have been asked and answered. Example: Evangelistic Conversation “Tom, after hearing your response to my questions, if you have just a few minutes, I’d like to share with you how I came to know that I have eternal life and how you can also. Is that alright?” (Assuming Tom says “Yes,”

“Tom, the Bible says that God loves you. He created you in His image. He knows everything about you. He says in the Bible, ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love’ (Jer. 31:3). The Bible actually says that God loves everyone. Jesus said, ‘For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life’ (John 3:16). According to Scripture, God loves all people, and God loves you!

“But the same Bible that says that God loves you also says you are a sinner. Sin is simply breaking God’s laws. In fact, the Bible says, ‘Sin is lawlessness’ (1 John 3:4). Every one of us is a sinner. Each of us has broken the laws of God. The Bible confirms that by saying, ‘For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’ (Rom. 3:23). “The Bible goes on to say that God is holy and must punish sin. God loves all of us, but He hates our sin, just as a parent loves his children but hates when they disobey him. God has to punish our sin because He is holy and righteous.

Scripture says, ‘[The Lord] will by no means leave the guilty unpunished’ (Ex. 34:7). “Just as there is a penalty for breaking the laws of man, there is also a penalty for breaking the laws of God. The Bible says, ‘The wages [just penalty] of sin is death’ (Rom. 6:23). All of us are spiritually dead in our sins. We’re separated from a holy God. “So here’s the situation: God loves us and wants to have fellowship with us, but we are all sinners, and this holy God must punish our sins.

“But, I have good news for you, Tom. God has the only solution for your sin problem. He loves you too much to leave you in your state of being dead in sin and spiritually separated from Him. So God sent His Son, Jesus, to save

“Who is Jesus? Jesus is the sinless Son of God. He was born of a virgin. He was born free from a sinful nature like you and I have. The Bible also says that, ‘[Jesus] has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin’ (Heb. 4:15). He was tempted in every manner to sin, but He never yielded to even one temptation.

And although He was sinless, Jesus went to the cross and died as an atoning sacrifice to pay for the sins of all people ever to live. “Jesus died for your sins, Tom. Jesus has already paid your sin debt so you don’t have to. Jesus stayed on the cross until He paid for the sins of everyone so that anyone can be saved. On the cross Jesus cried out, ‘It is finished!’(John 19:30). That means, ‘Paid in full!’ After Jesus died to pay our sin debt, He was buried to prove that He was really dead. Then three days after He died, Jesus rose from the dead! “The Bible affirms both Jesus’ atoning death and His bodily resurrection by saying, ‘Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures… He was buried… and He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:3-4). “Tom, Jesus died for your sins and rose from the dead because He wants to give you eternal life. He wants to save you. Jesus said, ‘He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him’ (John 3:36). “Tom, Jesus is offering you the gift of eternal life right now. The Bible says, ‘Behold, now is “the acceptable time,” behold, now is “the day of salvation”’ (2 Cor. 6:2). “So, what must you do to be saved? The first thing you must do is to repent of your sin. Jesus stressed this when He said, ‘Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish’ (Luke 13:3). To repent means to do a spiritual ‘U-turn,’ a spiritual ‘about-face.’ The Lord helps you turn from your sin and turn to Him for forgiveness. Repentance is a change of heart that results in a change of action. You admit your sin to God, and then ask Him to help you quit

your sin! That’s exactly what Peter had in mind when he said, ‘Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord’ (Acts 3:19). “Tom, God wants everyone to repent and be saved. The Bible declares this clearly by saying, ‘God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent’ (Acts 17:30). The fact that God commands ‘all people everywhere’ to repent means that anyone can repent and turn to Him for salvation. If God says you ought to do something, then He implies that you can do it. Tom, God commands all of us to repent; therefore we can and should repent and turn from our sins. “After you repent of your sin, you must believe in Jesus. You must believe that Jesus died for your sins and that He rose from the dead to give you eternal life. The Bible says: ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household’ (Acts 16:31). The Bible also says, ‘If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved’ (Rom. 10:9). “After you repent of your sin and believe in Jesus, you must receive Jesus as Savior and Lord. You must willingly accept Jesus into your life by yielding yourself to Him and inviting Him into your life to save you. God offers you eternal life in Jesus, but you must receive His offer. Salvation is available to all, but only those who receive Jesus will be saved. Scripture tells us, ‘But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name’ (John 1:12). You accept Jesus as Savior and Lord by calling on Him in prayer. The Bible confirms that by saying, ‘Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved’ (Rom. 10:13). “Tom, if this makes sense to you, is there any good reason why you should not receive Jesus as your Savior and Lord right now?” (If Tom answers, “Yes,” then review the Gospel presentation with him. If Tom says, “No,”then proceed. For the sake of brevity, we will assume Tom said, “No, there is no good reason I should not receive Jesus”). “That’s wonderful, Tom. Let me take just a minute to clarify and review what I’ve said about the Gospel to make sure you understand. Do you understand that God loves you? (He answers, ‘Yes’). Do you understand that you are a sinner? (He answers, ‘Yes’). Do you understand that God is holy and must punish your sin? (He answers, ‘Yes’). Do you understand that God sent His Son, Jesus, to save you? (He answers, ‘Yes’). Do you understand that Jesus was sinless, yet He died for your sins and rose from the dead, and He wants to give you eternal life? (He answers, ‘Yes’). “Then Tom, if you understand all of that, you are ready to receive Jesus! I’d like for us to pray. First, I’d like to pray for you to understand what you are doing. You are repenting of your sin, believing in Jesus, and receiving Him as your Savior and Lord. (You will now pray for understanding). “Now, Tom, I’d like to lead you in a prayer of surrender and commitment (use Gospel presentation). Just mindlessly repeating these words will not save you, but if you are sincere about what you are saying to the Lord, He promises to save you! Pray something like this, Tom: (Say a short phrase of this prayer at a time and allow him to pray that part of the prayer. Proceed through the entire prayer). Dear God, thank you that You love me (Tom prays this phrase after you, and so forth through the rest of this prayer). I know that I am a sinner. I cannot save myself. Jesus, I believe that You are the only Savior. God, I have broken Your laws. I am guilty before You. I know that You are holy and that You must punish my sin. Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to save me. Lord, I repent of my sin. Bythe help of Your Spirit, I turn from my sin and I turn to You. I believe that Jesus died as an atoning sacrifice for my sins and rose bodily from the dead to give me eternal life. Lord Jesus, I receive You as my Savior and Lord. I call on Your name—save me right now, Lord Jesus! Wash me and cleanse me from my sins. Fill me with Your Spirit. Help me to live for You for the rest of my life. And when I die, take me to Heaven. In Jesus’ name, amen! After Tom prays to receive Christ, offer a prayer of thanksgiving. After that prayer, share some appropriate verses of Scripture with him, such as John 6:47 and John 10:28, that will give him assurance of salvation. You should also engage in follow-up. Set a follow-up meeting in the next week. Encourage and instruct Tom to begin to read the Bible, pray, fellowship with other believers, and tell someone else about his conversion. Even as a new Christian, Tom needs to learn to share Jesus. Then join the angels and rejoice that someone who was lost has been saved! Challenge: Review the Gospel outline in Appendix A. Make a copy of it, and carry it with you so you can use it to share Jesus with lost people. Seek to memorize the Gospel outline, including the scriptures, so you can extemporaneously share Jesus with people wherever you are.