The Leading

The memory verse in my Gospels classes last Friday was 1 Peter 3:15 which reads:
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect...
After we were done with the recitation on paper, I had the kids get out another sheet to do some writing. We discussed the meaning of the verse and I made some points. They were instructed to answer the following question:
 How do you lead someone to Christ? 
Here is a sampling of the responses. all used by permission. Boys are in blue and girls are in pink.

There are many ways to lead someone to Jesus. The things people might get mixed up is that leading someone to Jesus means more than just going through the whole process of accepting Christ into your heart, and being baptized and everything. But you don’t have to do all of that even though it is good if you do. Being a good example is the first step. Now, if someone asks you about your faith, you will give an answer and they will go away, and you might not know what happens. But leading someone might not be all the way to acceptance. All you have to do is plant the seed- it is all the same in the kingdom of Heaven. Also, back to being a good example. Ghandi once said that he read the Bible and loved everything in it, but when he saw how some Christians acted, he didn’t want to be one, so being a good example is the most important thing.

                                    -Jake Bedevian

I think leading a non-believer to Christ means always showing happiness in life. When times get tough for us, because we have our God, we shall not give up because we know that there is light at the end of our tunnel. On the other hand, when non-believers come across trouble and hard times in their life, they sadly  are in a very dark place. They’ll wonder how we can still be so happy during our own tough times. Their hearts will long for what we have:  joy, peace, comfort, and blessings. And if (hopefully when) we do bring them to our Savior, God will be proud.

                                    -Amber Kuykendall

I think you have to love people, so that through that love, others can see Christ. By love, I mean being kind, and respectful towards others, not condescending or looking down on them for believing something else. Generally, I think actions speak louder than words. Sometimes, encouraging a person when they are sad is the best way to show them Jesus. We must be doers of the word, and not only hearers of the Word. However, sometimes there comes a point where we have to lay out our beliefs to others, and let them decide whether or not to believe what we are saying.

                                    -Nathan Monteith

I think the best way to lead someone to Jesus is just being a good friend to people; being helpful and being there for them. Be someone they can talk to and tell their problems to. People have to come to Jesus on their own. No matter how much we talk about Jesus or force them to read the Bible or go to church,  it’s not going to help. They have the curiosity of knowing more about our God. They will come to know and see Jesus through the actions of what you do and how you do and how you treat or handle difficult situations. During times like those,  you could reference the Bible to them so they’d know what Jesus would do, too. I know for myself- I had to come to Christ in my own time when I had no one else to turn to. I also had questions that lead me to the Bible so I could try to find answers to those questions.

                                    -Diamond T. Morgan

I think that first you must be living a Godly life yourself, obeying His word with a joyful attitude. Then, you need to show love and compassion for people, whether you know them or not. First, you need to tell them that Jesus died for us and loves us, not all of the rules and laws. Once they become better Christians, then the rules would follow. If you tell them they can’t do this or that, then they won’t want to become a Christian. But it all starts with you. If you are bitter and always complaining or belittling others, no

one would want to hang out with you, much less become a Christian with you.

                                    -Robert Trevino

I think leading people to Jesus means that you show them the way to true salvation and happiness. I think the best way to do this is just to get to know someone. Get to know them and become their friend, someone they can talk to, and someone they can depend on. When they have troubles, pray with them and show them the way out. Show them that Jesus can get you through and help you with anything that you need. When they get used to the idea of this and after they experience Jesus working in their life, they will want to learn more about Christianity and they will eventually make the life changing decision and come to Christ.

                                    -Simone Edwards

Applicable quote of the day:

“We should be more concerned with reaching the lost than pampering the saved.”
David McGee

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com