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III. COMMITMENT III.A. COMPREHENSION 2 TIMOTHY 2:7 Do you understand all this? (Yes) God's Word says that you are to "reflect on what He is saying, for He will give you insight..." III.B. INVITATION MATTHEW 7:7,8 Would you like to receive the gift of eternal life right now? (I am not sure I am ready.) You know, the Scriptures say, "Ask, and you shall receive; seek and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened unto you." III.B. THE STALLED CAR You cannot receive the gift of eternal life unless you ask for it personally. I understand your wanting a little time before making this important decision. And I will respect your will in the matter. Nevertheless, allow me to encourage you to not wait any longer if you really understand God's plan of salvation. There are situations in life where we have a choice between two options, and while we are thinking over which we prefer, we are already in one of the two situations. I'll give you an example: Imagine that your car stalls on the railroad tracks. The train is a few hundred meters away, and it will hit you in a few seconds if you stay there. You have two options: You can try to start your car one more time with the hope of saving both the car and yourself; or, you can abandon the vehicule to at least assure your own personal security. But while you are thinking about it, you are in one of the situations: You are in the car, and the train is fast approaching. What will you do? (Abandon the car and save my life) Let the car represent your body, and the person inside represent your soul. You have two options: forsake your ego to follow Jesus, or not receive Him to concentrate on your earthly priorities. What will you do? While you are taking the time to consider the two options, you are already in one of the two situations: You have not yet received the Savior, and the moment of your death is unknown. Will death hit you before you yield your self-confidence to trust in Him? III.B. 2 CORINTHIANS 6:2 The Bible says that "Now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation. III.B. 2nd INVITATION Knowing that God does not want you to wait, allow me to repeat my question: Would you like to receive the gift of eternal life right now? (Yes) III.C. CLARIFICATION Because this is the most important decision you can make, may I explain again what this will mean to you? III.C.1.a. TRANSFER TRUST First, you must transfer your trust from yourself to Jesus Christ. III.C.1.b. LOG IN RIVER Imagine you are going down a river in a boat when something happens and you fall into the river. Somehow, you manage to hold onto a log which keeps you afloat. But without your knowing it, further down the river, there is a waterfall. If you go over, you will die. Someone on the river bank sees you and throws out a rope to you. You would need to decide whether to take your chances with the log and the waterfall, or let go of the log and hold onto the rope. That is similar to the choice we all face. We are all washed down the river of life, and we hold onto what we think will keep us afloat, usually our own good deeds. But further down the river is the waterfall we all face. Jesus sees us, and He stands on the bank and throws out His rope: His salvation. We need to make a choice. We can continue to trust in the log (ourselves), or we can let that go and hold onto the rope (His salvation). Do you want to transfer your trust and receive Christ? (Yes) III.C.2.a.b.c. RECEIVE CHRIST AS RESSURRECTED, SAVIOR, AND LORD REVELATION 3:20 Jesus said to all those who wanted to receive Him: “Behold, I stand at the door, and I knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him, and sup with him, and he with Me.” Do you believe that Jesus really rose from the dead? (Yes) Do you receive Him as your Saviour? (Yes) And you must also receive Him as your Lord. This means that Jesus becomes the owner of your life; it is He who will control the rest of your life. III.C.2. STEERING WHEEL Let's say you have a car, and one day you are driving with a friend as your passenger. At a given point, you realize you are lost, but that your friend knows the way home. So, you ask him to help you find the way back. And he answers, "No, I don't want to explain to you how to get back; rather, let me take the wheel, and I will drive us home." That is how Jesus wants to be in our lives. Too many of us want Him to a passenger, while we direct our lives as we see fit. And He is saying, "Let me guide you and show you the way home." Do you want Jesus to be Lord of your life? (Yes) III.C.3. REPENT III.C.3.a. LUKE 15:21 If so, you must repent, as the prodigal son was sorry for the wrong he had done to his father:"Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I am no longer fit to be called your son." Repentance is accomplished by God's spirit working in us. Are you truly sorry for the wrong you have done against God in the past? (Yes) III.D. PRAYER If you are sure this is what you want to do, may I lead us in a prayer, and we can tell God what you have just told me? (Yes) First, I will pray for you, then I would like you to repeat sentence by sentence what I say if you agree with the words in your heart. I will tell you when to start. And at the end of the prayer, I will again pray for you, just a brief word of thanks to God. III.D.1. FOR HIM Let's begin: "Father, help (name) to understand what he has heard and said today. May he also repent of the wrong things he has done against you, never returning to do them again. And finally, I ask that he believe in his heart all that we have discussed." III.D.2. WITH HIM (Name), please join me and repeat these words in prayer: "Father in heaven / Loving and Holy God / I thank You for Your revelation to me today / I thank you for the gift of eternal life / I admit that I am a sinner and don't deserve it / I confess my sins to you today and promise not to return to them / I now understand you must punish my sins by death / So I ask that Jesus take them from me / I believe He is your Son, God in the flesh / I receive Him as my Saviour and Lord today / and I humbly accept His sacrifice for my wrong deeds towards You / Thank you for your gift of eternal life to me / I want to spend the rest of my life thanking you / In Jesus' name, Amen." III.D.3. FOR HIM "Father, thank you for hearing our prayers. I pray that (name) claim Your promises to him. May he be sure of his salvation in You. We exalt You for all that has happened here today. In Jesus name, Amen." III.E. PROMISE III.E.1. JOHN 6:47 (Name), could we read a Bible verse that talks about what you have just done? Please read this verse for me. ("If you believe in me, you have eternal life.") According to these words, what do you now have? (Eternal life) III.E.2. QUESTION 1 In closing, may I ask you the two questions I asked you in the beginning? (Yes) "Have you come to a place in your life where you know for certain that if your were to die today, you would go to heaven? (Yes) III.E.3. QUESTION 2 And if you were to die today and stand before God and He were to ask you, 'Why should I let you into my heaven,' what would you say?" (I believe in Jesus, and He promised me eternal life and a place in heaven if I trusted Him.) |