How You Can Introduce Others to Christ

You Can Change Your World

Talk about Christ everywhere you go.

“You must bring a lot of happiness into this world,” said the young businessman with tears of joy and gratitude in his eyes. He had just prayed with me and received Christ as his Savior and Lord. He and his wife had been looking for God for some time, he said, and now he was eager to take the Four Spiritual Laws booklet home with him so that he could in turn introduce his wife to Christ. The words of this joyful young Christian have come to my mind again and again: “You must bring a lot of happiness into this world” by sharing the Lord Jesus Christ with tens of thousands of students and lay people around the world. The apostle Paul related this experience to the Colossians, “Everywhere we go we talk about Christ to all who will listen.” You have the privilege of participating with our living Lord in the fulfillment for His Great Commission in our generation. In my opinion, the only way to change the world is to change individuals. Changed people, in sufficient numbers, will produce changed campuses, changed communities, changed cities, states and nations – yes, in a very real sense, a changed world. Jesus Christ is the only One who can change people from within. You can help to change the world by introducing people to Jesus Christ.

Two Reasons Why Christians Don’t Tell Others One of the greatest misconceptions of the centuries is the idea so prevalent among Christians that men and women do not want to know God. Wherever I go around the world, I find ample proof that just the opposite is true. The Holy Spirit has created a hunger for God in the hearts of multitudes. From my experience and through much observation, I am fully convinced that the majority of non-believers throughout the world are ready to receive Christ when properly approached with a clear and simple presentation for the gospel by a Spirit-filled witness. Yet, tragically, most Christians have never introduced a single person to the Lord Jesus. There are two good reasons for this. First, the average Christian is living a defeated, spiritually impotent, fruitless, worldly (carnal) life. He is not walking in the fullness and control of the Holy Spirit – as one Christian leader explained his reluctance to witness, “My kind of Christianity is worth exporting.” If this is true in your life, I encourage you to review my messages on the subjects of How You Can Experience God’s Love and Forgiveness, How You Can Be Filled With the Spirit and How You Can Walk in the Spirit. The second reason is a lack of training. Most Christians have never been trained to communicate their faith in Christ effectively. They have never learned how to begin a conversation about Christ, how to explain the gospel simply and clearly, and how to lead a person to make a decision to receive Christ by faith.

In the coming pages, I want to share with you the reasons Jesus wants you to witness, which relates to your motives; and how you can go about witnessing effectively, which concerns methods.

8 Reasons Jesus Wants You to Witness

Telling others about Christ has many purposes. Permit me to give you, briefly, 8 reasons God desires all believers to share their faith. First, as you witness, you bring glory to God. Jesus says in John 15:8, “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” Second, the love of Christ compels us to share our faith. In Paul’s words, “The love of Christ constrains us.” If you have experienced the love of the Lord Jesus, you will also want to introduce him to others. Third, sharing your faith is a direct command from Jesus Christ. He says, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” And, “You did not choose me, but I chose you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last.” Fourth, people without Christ are lost. Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” The Word of God declares emphatically, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

Fifth, God wants you to witness because of the benefits He offers to those who receive Christ. When you introduce others to Christ, they become children of God; their bodies become temples of God; all their sins are forgiven – past, present and future! They begin to experience the peace and love of God; they receive God’s direction and purpose for their lives; they experience the power of God to change their lives; and they have assurance of eternal life. Sixth, God wants you to witness because of the benefits to those who witness. Witnessing stimulates your spiritual growth. Witnessing leads you to pray and to study God’s Word and encourages you to depend on Christ. As you witness in the power of the Holy Spirit, you sow love and joy and peace. According to the law for sowing and reaping, you always harvest what you sow and even more. For example, if you sow love, you will harvest love. If you sow joy, you will reap joy. If you sow peace, you will reap peace. And always, the harvest is greater than the seed sown. Seventh, God wants you to witness to experience the tremendous privilege and honor of representing Jesus to the world. In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul wrote, “We are Christ’s ambassadors. God is using us to speak to you. We beg you, as though Christ himself were here pleading with you, receive the love he offers you – be reconciled to God.” Most people consider it a high honor to serve as an ambassador for the head of their country – the president or king – but as a believer in Christ, you are an ambassador for the King of kings and the Lord of lords! Eighth, God wants you to witness because the Holy Spirit has been given to provide the power for you to do so. Jesus says, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” To fail to witness for Christ is to deny the Holy Spirit His right to empower and to use you to introduce others to our Savior.

How You Can Witness Effectively – The Message

What do people need to know in order to receive Christ? What methods will help you communicate effectively? As I have already indicated, many devout Christians fail miserably in their efforts to introduce others to Christ simply because they do not know how to go about it. Knowing how often makes the difference between effective and ineffective witnessing. Before you can introduce others to Christ, you must know:

1. That you are a Christian yourself.
2. The empowering ministry of the Holy Spirit in your life personally.
3. How to present the distilled essence of the gospel so that the one with whom you are sharing will be able to make an intelligent decision for Christ as Savior and Lord.

What is the Message About? For many years in our various evangelism training conferences, we asked those who participated in the training to help us list everything they felt a person should know before he or she could make an intelligent decision for Christ. Usually 25 to 50 different suggestions were made, all for which were written on the chalkboard. The list usually included the following, along with many others:

1. God loves us.
2. People are sinful.
3. People are lost.
4. God loved us so much that He gave His Son.
5. Christ died for our sins.
6. Christ rose from the dead.
7. Christ wants to come into every life.
8. We must repent.
9. We must be born again.
10. We must receive Jesus Christ.
11. To as many as receive Jesus, God gives the right to become His children.
12. By grace you have been saved, through faith.

After all the suggestions were exhausted, we asked each participant to read with us a gospel presentation called the Four Spiritual Laws and to help us eliminate every point listed on the chalkboard that relates to Law One. These points were then removed from the board. We continued to Laws Two, Three and Four, following the same procedure. At this point, the chalkboard was always clean. The distilled essence of the gospel is contained in the Four Spiritual Laws booklet. Origins of the Four Spiritual Laws Booklet Originally, the Four Spiritual Laws was written only for our staff, who were asked to memorize it as a witnessing tool. As a result, the number of people who received Christ increased dramatically. The content of the Four Spiritual Laws began to crystallize in my thinking during the summer staff training in 1956 at a time when our staff numbered less than fifty. One of our speakers for our staff training that year was a Christian layman who was an outstanding sales consultant. He emphasized that to be successful in sales, a person must develop a clear, simple, understandable presentation that can be used over and over again. But then he warned us that when one becomes weary of making the same presentation and develops “presentation fatigue,” one often changes the presentation and inevitably loses effectiveness. He then compared the witnessing Christian to the secular salesperson. To be effective in communicating our faith in Christ, he stresses, we must develop a simple, understandable, reasonable presentation for the gospel which we can share with everyone. The better and more often you communicate this simple presentation, the more fruitful you will be in your witness for Christ. He illustrated his remarks by telling of several well-known Christians who had their own special presentations. Then he zeroed in on me, saying, “Bill Bright thinks he has a special message for each of the different groups of students, prisoners and lay people with whom he works. But, though I have never heard him speak, I would be willing to wager that he has only one message for everyone. Basically, he tells them all the same thing.” To say that I objected to such a suggestion is to put it mildly. The longer he spoke, the more irritated I became. I resented the suggestion that I or anyone else who truly desired to serve the Lord was not led of the Spirit to speak with originality to each individual according to that person’s particular needs. Furthermore, I resented his using me as an example before the rest of the staff. Initial Reaction Gives Way to Inspiration But when it was all over and I was licking my wounds, the most serious of which was my bruised ego, I began to reflect on exactly what I did share with various people. That afternoon I wrote down my basic presentation, and to my amazement I discovered my friend had been right. Without realizing it, I had been sharing basically the same message with some variation with everyone. What I wrote that afternoon and later polished is now known as God’s Plan for Your Life, a twenty-minute presentation for the claims for Christ — who he is, why he came, and how one can know Him personally. I asked each staff member to memorize it, and we all began to use it in our personal witnessing. The next year, as we concentrated on sharing this simple message in dependence on the Holy Spirit and His power, our ministry was multiplied a hundredfold.

God’s Plan was our first written “how-to” material – that is, material which explains simply and specifically how an individual can arrive at a desired goal, and shows how he or she can, in turn, help others arrive at the same goal. The “how-to” approach is one of the most needed and most powerful approaches to the Christian life and witness. Most non-Christians do not need to be convinced that they should become Christians. Rather, they simply need to be shown how to become a Christian. Though God’s Plan was extremely effective, we felt the need for a shorter version. So I prepared a condensed outline, complete with Scripture verses and diagrams, and each member of the staff memorized it. As more and more people became involved in our training program, it became apparent that we needed to make the presentation available in printed form. As a result, the Four Spiritual Laws booklet was born.

How You Can Witness Effectively — The Means

Booklets like the Four Spiritual Laws are useful in a variety of situations. We don’t claim that the Four Spiritual Laws message is the only way to introduce others to Christ or even the best way. But we do know that literally millions of men and women have received Christ through the direct, simple presentation of the gospel contained in this booklet. According to our estimate, more than one billion copies have been distributed in all of the major languages of the world. Misunderstanding Leads to Woman Accepting Christ Many stories have come to my attention of the effectiveness of the Four Spiritual Laws. I’m thinking, for example, of a church whose senior pastor had come to our headquarters for training and was very excited about using the Four Spiritual Laws. He went back to share his enthusiasm with his church and with his assistant minister. The assistant was not impressed by the booklet. He disliked tracts, and this looked like just another tract. He tossed it on his desk, not even bothering to read it. A few days later a city official came by to inspect the church facilities. As she was about to leave after her inspection it suddenly occurred to the assistant minister that he had not talked to her about Christ. He looked around quickly, and the only thing he saw was the Four Spiritual Laws booklet, which he had tossed aside in disgust some days previously. He gave it to her, saying, “Read this,” meaning that she should read it when she got home. She misunderstood, however, and began to read it aloud in his presence. She read every word, and by the time she got to Law Four, tears were streaming down her cheeks. She came to the prayer and prayed aloud, leading herself to Christ. By this time the assistant minister was so impressed that he came to Arrowhead Springs to find out for himself how he could be a more effective witness for Christ through training and the use of Four Spiritual Laws. Booklet Melts Skepticism Another heartwarming experience demonstrates the effectiveness of the booklet. A man, who was greatly admired in his home town, was not a Christian. In fact, he was known as the town skeptic because he never responded positively to the many who witnessed to him personally. He had befriended the parents of a Christian friend who felt especially concerned for his salvation. After obtaining a Four Spiritual Laws booklet, this friend decided to call on the skeptic and read it to him. As he finished reading, he asked, “Does this make sense?” The skeptic replied, “Yes, it does.” “Is there anything that would keep you from receiving Christ?” “No,” he said. The two men then knelt together and prayed, and the “Skeptic” invited Christ into his life as his Savior and Lord. When they arose, the friend was rejoicing with the man, who then stunned him with this question, “Is this what you and all the other Christians have been trying to tell me for years?” “Yes.” “Well,” continued this new brother in Christ, “why didn’t you tell me? Any man would be a fool not to receive Christ if he really understood what is involved.” The gospel as contained in the Four Spiritual Laws booklet had cut right through the barrier of skepticism and indifference so that this man received the Lord Jesus. Suggestions for Evangelism as a Lifestyle Now, permit me to share several simple suggestions that will help you to introduce others to Christ as a way of life. First, begin every day with prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to empower and lead you to those whose hearts He has prepared.

Second, relate to people in a loving, natural, personal way. Avoid being mechanical. Everyone responds to love. As you walk in love, the Spirit of God will confirm to those with whom you are sharing Christ that you are genuine; that you are not simply trying to win an argument or promote a cause; and that you have taken time to talk to them because you truly love them with God’s love. Not everyone will be prepared to receive Christ or even be positive in his response. Some may even be antagonistic. God may want you to sow the seed to use you as an instrument of harvest. Whatever the case, relax and let Him do what He wants to do through you. Remember, just as all fruit in an orchard is not ripe at the same time, so some individuals will be ripe for harvest and others will still be green – not yet ready to respond to the gospel. Consider every gospel conversation a great privilege and opportunity, not a legalistic responsibility. Think of God’s great love, of what knowing Him has meant to you and what it will mean to others when they receive Christ. Make sharing your faith in Christ a way of life. Third, use a clear, simple presentation of the gospel. There are many benefits which result from using a tool such as the Four Spiritual Laws. Let me list some of them:

1. It enables you to open your conversation easily and naturally.
2. It begins with a positive statement – “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.”
3. It presents the gospel and the claims of Christ clearly and simply.
4. It gives you confidence in your witnessing because you know what you are going to say and how you are going to say it.
5. It enables you to be prepared at all times and to stick to the subject without getting off on tangents.
6. It makes it possible for you to be brief and to the point.
7. It enables you to lead others to a personal decision through a suggested prayer.
8. It offers suggestions for growth, including the importance of involvement in the church.
9. And, of special importance, it is a “transferable tool” whereby those whom you introduce to Christ can be encouraged and trained to lead others to Christ also.

How You Can Witness Effectively – Starting Well

Keep it simple and to the point. Paul exhorted Timothy, his young son in the faith, “The things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.” The Four Spiritual Laws is such a simple, transferable tool that it enables those who receive Christ to go immediately to friends and loved ones and tell them of their new-found faith in Christ. It also enables them to show those friends and loved ones how they, too, can make their own commitment to Christ. Making the Complicated Understandable A well-known Christian leader, highly gifted as a theologian, shared with me his frustration with me over his lack of effectiveness and fruitfulness in witnessing for Christ. I asked him, “What do you say when you seek to introduce a person to Christ?” He explained his presentation, which was very long and complicated. The large number of Bible verses he used would confuse most people and prevent them from making an intelligent decision. I challenged him to use the Four Spiritual Laws presentation daily for the next thirty days and report his progress to me at the end of that time. When I saw him two weeks later, he was overflowing with joy and excitement. He said, “By simply reading the booklet to others, I have seen more people come to Christ during the last two weeks than I had previously seen in many months. It’s hard to believe!” I could quote countless letters and reports from people who have benefited from receiving training in how to use this simple presentation. A woman who had served with her husband as a missionary in Africa for many years wrote, “You should have seen the transformation in my husband when he returned from one of your training seminars. He wanted to share the Four Spiritual Laws booklet with everyone. He even shared in the swimming pool with water up to his neck! And the best part of all is that he keeps on doing it.” Another shared, “I was afraid at first, but the Lord has changed my attitude, and now I want to go out witnessing. I thank God with all my heart for this change.” Getting Started is First Obstacle But even a Spirit-controlled person with a tested and trusted tool in his hands can expect barriers of resistance in sharing Christ with others. One of the most difficult barriers to overcome in witnessing is just getting started. No matter who you are or where you are, opportunities are always available. Assume that whenever you are alone with another person for more than just a few moments, it is a divine appointment and as answer to your prayer. In addition to sharing Christ with students, executives and lay people individually and in groups large and small, I witness regularly to porters, elevator operators, maids in the hotels, taxicab drivers, filling station attendants and people in numerous other types of work, on a plane, it is often easy to engage the stewardess or a seatmate in conversation by having in hand either a Bible, a Four Spiritual Laws booklet, or some other piece of Christian literature. Following a group meeting, whether a church service, a Bible study, a student outreach meeting or some similar gathering, you may wish to introduce yourself to different individuals. Then, after a warm greeting, proceed with the following questions in whatever way is natural for you: “What did you think of the message?” “Did it make sense to you?” “Have you made the wonderful discovery of knowing Christ personally?” “You would like to, wouldn’t you?” Then ask, “Have you ever heard of the Four Spiritual Laws?” and proceed to read them to them. If the individuals indicate they have already heard of the Four Laws, ask their opinion, review the booklet, and give them the opportunity to pray and receive Christ, if they have not already done so. Simple Conversations Starters There are many effective ways of establishing contact with another person. After a cordial, friendly greeting, you can say: “This booklet is one of the most widely read booklets in history – more than one billion copies have been distributed in every major language. Have you ever heard of the Four Spiritual Laws?” Or you might say: “A friend of mine recently gave me this little booklet which really makes sense to me. I would like to share it with you. Have you ever heard of the Four Spiritual Laws?” Here is another approach: “The content of this booklet has been used to change the lives of millions of people. It contains truths that I believe will be of great interest to you. Would you read it and give me your impression?” You could try this one: “If you died today, do you know for sure that you will go to heaven?” If the answer is yes, ask: “On what basis do you know for sure that you are going to heaven? This little booklet, the Four Spiritual Laws, will help you to know for sure that you will go to heaven when you die.” This direct approach can best be employed when you have only a few moments with an individual. If you have a more unhurried opportunity, you may find it helpful to take a few minutes to establish rapport by sharing a few things of personal interest about yourself and asking the other person about himself, his business, profession or family. Then you can explain that you are a Christian and that you have discovered a remarkable booklet that has been a great help to you and that you would like to share with him. Then ask, “Have you ever heard of theFour Spiritual Laws?” Other Helpful Suggestions In making the presentation, show love. Be casual, friendly, warm, and speak with confidence. You don’t need to impress people with your brilliance, but neither should you use a half-hearted, hesitant, negative approach that suggests, “I don’t suppose you would like to become a Christian, would you?” When you share the Four Spiritual Laws, you can simply read through the booklet. Generally, you should read aloud from the booklet, holding it so that the person can read along with you. It is also helpful to use a pencil or something similar to point to the lines and words being read to insure better concentration. At times, the Holy Spirit will lead you to stop and explain something that may be unclear or add a personal illustration. Normally, however, it is usually more effective to read through the booklet before stopping to explain or answer questions. If the person raises questions, you can say, “Let’s remember that question and come back to it in a moment after we have finished reading the booklet.” Of course, be sure to answer the question later!

How You Can Witness Effectively — Finishing Well

A personal choice is the most important part. Some time ago I was speaking to a group of pastors in Dallas. Skeptical that such a simple approach as the Four Spiritual Laws would communicate with college students, a university chaplain asked if I would go with him to the nearby university campus to demonstrate how to use the Four Spiritual Laws booklet with non-Christian students. He gathered about a dozen students, most of whom were Christians. I gave them each a copy of the Four Spiritual Laws booklet and asked them to follow along silently as I read the booklet aloud. Although I have shared Christ with thousands of students and lay people in individual counseling sessions through the years, I am a rather reserved person and do not always find it easy to witness. As I sat there reading the booklet aloud to the students, I began to receive all kinds of negative impression from the devil who was trying to discourage me and put doubts into my mind such as, “These students will laugh at you. They are too intelligent to be responsive to such a simple presentation. You need a more intellectual approach. Don’t go too far; don’t be a fanatic. These students will be turned off. They will think you are crazy.” But knowing that I am free from Satan’s power as I obey and simply trust the Lord, I could say, “Greater is He (Christ) who is in me than he who is in the world (Satan).” So I kept on reading, knowing from experience that God would honor this presentation as He has on thousands of other occasions, for He has promised to honor His Word. When I came to the prayer, it suddenly seemed that a chorus of voices was saying to me, “You are not going to read this prayer and make a fool of yourself before these intelligent students, are you?” But I read the prayer, and then I said, “If this prayer expresses the desire of your heart, pray it with me silently. Make it your own prayer.” Then I read the prayer aloud a second time. When I finished the prayer, I looked up and saw tears running down the cheeks of one of the young women. She came up to say that she had prayed that prayer and knew that the Lord Jesus had come to live in her heart. Later a young man came to receive Christ. Before I left, the chaplain introduced me to a young woman who had just received Christ, too. As far as I know, all the rest except one were Christians. The remaining one had been reared as an atheist, but was sobered by what he had heard and was also on the verge of receiving Christ. Through the simple reading of the gospel as contained in the Four Spiritual Laws booklet, the Spirit of God worked in the hearts of these young men and women in a marvelous way. Often this is the experience of any Spirit-controlled person who shares this presentation. Transitioning to the Point of Personal Decision Generally, you will find that most people agree with the first three laws and are not likely to ask many, if any, questions. Thus, you can proceed to Law Four with confidence.

When you come to the two circles, one representing the self-controlled life, the other the Christ-controlled life, ask the question contained in the booklet: “Which circle represents your life?” Then ask: “Which circle would you like to have represent your life?” In most cases the one with whom you are sharing will answer the first question, “The circle on the left,” and the second question, “The circle on the right.” The Holy Spirit’s work of producing a repentant attitude in a non-believer is a necessary preparation of receiving Christ. This change of attitude will result in a change of action. However, it should be clearly understood that you do not become a Christian because you repent but by the simple act of receiving Christ by faith as explained in John 1:12 and Ephesians 2:8, 9. To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. It is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. The next crucial point in sharing Christ is to help those who want to receive him as their Savior to know exactly what to do. As you continue to read from the booklet, explain how to receive Christ. Read the prayer aloud and then ask, “Does this prayer express the desire of your heart?” If the answer is “Yes,” say, “You can pray this prayer right now if you really mean it, and Christ will come into your life as He promised. Then pause for prayer, and suggest that if the individual will pray aloud, you can pray with him or her. If there is a long silence, you may suggest that the person pray after you phrase by phrase. Be sensitive, however. Don’t offend by “forcing” the prayer. Some people wish to pray their own prayer rather than the suggested one. Should someone wish to pray silently, suggest he or she say “Amen” when finished. When he says, “Amen,” you pray aloud for the new believer. If the individual makes no commitment after you have read the booklet through the first time to this point, avoid offending the person. Don’t try to argue or high-pressure anyone into making a “decision” for Christ. Jesus says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” Remember the Role of the Holy Spirit The important thing is not what you do, but what the Holy Spirit does through you. You and I do not have the ability to introduce anyone to Christ by our own power. Remember, success in witnessing is simply taking the initiative to share Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God. However, you can do several additional things to help the individual who does not pray and receive Christ when you have reached the prayer in the booklet:

1. Always maintain a positive and loving attitude. You may wish to say, “Quite likely you will want to receive Jesus Christ as your Savior one day. Let me show you what will happen when you do invite Christ to come into your life.”
2. Proceed to explain how one can have assurance of salvation by reading the rest of the booklet.
3. If the person responds positively, give him or her another opportunity to receive Christ by inviting the individual to pray with you. You will find that many will be ready to pray by the time you have read the entire booklet.

Some will want to pray then, while others may wish to pray at a later time after they better understand what is involved in receiving Christ. In this event:

1. Suggest that the person reread the booklet later that day and decide to receive Christ at that time.
2. Ask the person to call you as soon as he or she does so. Many people receive the Savior alone after your time together is over.

On one occasion I shared the Four Spiritual Laws booklet with a famous general who agreed with the content of the booklet but had never received Christ. He wanted to but had not done so. I agreed to pray with him, but he said that he would prefer to receive Christ when alone. I promised to pray for him and said good-bye. The next morning I called him to inquire, “Did you pray that prayer?” “I certainly did,” he responded warmly and enthusiastically, “just as I promised I would.” Let me suggest two other methods that you might find helpful. One is to share your own personal testimony and, as the Holy Spirit leads you, give another opportunity for the individual with whom you are sharing to receive Christ. Another is to simply review the booklet, explaining it clearly one law at a time and asking after each law, “Does this make sense?”

Leading the New Christian to Full Assurance

The Bible offers a believer confidence in salvation. Another important consideration in sharing Christ with others is the necessity of leading the new Christian to full assurance of faith in Christ. All of the material in the booklet following the prayer is specifically designed to aid you in helping the new Christian to be sure that he or she is a Christian. Using Questions to Offer Assurance After an individual has prayed, ask the following questions contained on page 11 of the booklet. “Did you receive Christ into your life? According to His promise contained in Revelation 3:20, where is He right now in relation toyou?” If the reply is, “Well, he is in the world,” or “he is in heaven,” ask the question again, emphasizing “…but where is He in relation to you?” Explain that, according to Revelation 3:20, Christ said He would come into our lives. 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 him, and he with me. Then ask, “Would He mislead you? On what authority do you know that God has answered your prayer?” Then explain that our only authority is the trustworthiness of God Himself and His Word. Together read 1 John 5:11-13. This is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. Emphasize that we can know we have eternal life on the basis of these promises from God’s divinely inspired Word. Rely on Fact, not Feeling Recently I shared the gospel as explained in the Four Laws with a man who received Christ but had no assurance of salvation. After reading this particular passage to him, I asked, “What would happen if you died today?” He replied, “I’m afraid that I would go to hell.” But as I reread the 1 John passage several times, I saw strength come to his eyes and radiance to his face. The Holy Spirit had broken through the resistance that he had built up for fifty years, and this man finally saw God’s truth and received Christ into his life by faith. Always explain the importance of faith. Review and explain the meaning of Ephesians 2:8, 9. Warn against the danger of depending upon feelings. One of Satan’s great lies is that you must have had some kind of an emotional experience when you received Christ. But the Word of God says you are to receive Christ by faith, and you are to live by faith. This doesn’t exclude the importance of emotions. But, according to John 14:21, you are not to seek an emotional experience. You are to live by faith and obey God’s commands. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.

Explain the train diagram on page 12 of the booklet and the truth that the Christian life is not lived according to feelings but according to faith in God and His Word. Study this information carefully, and always make it clear to the person with whom you are sharing Christ. Also read and explain briefly and clearly the four wonderful things that have happened to the new Christian, as listed on page 13 of the booklet. When the individual is assured, on the basis of God’s Word, that Christ is in his or her life, suggest that each of you pray aloud, thanking God for what He has done. The very act of thanking God demonstrates faith and often contributes to the assurance of salvation. Suggestions for Growth also Offer Assurance Continue with suggestions for Christian growth and the importance of becoming active in a local church, as explained on page 14 and 15. I cannot over-emphasize the importance of proper follow-up of the new Christian. You should secure the name and address of each individual with whom you pray. This can be done tactfully and without offense if you give the person your name and address first. Then arrange to meet with the new Christian for spiritual counsel and follow-up the very next day, if possible, and certainly not more than forty-eight hours later. Many receive the assurance of their salvation just by reading and studying the materials that we send them. I recall a new staff member who dropped by to thank me for sending her a series of twelve follow-up letters. “After receiving Christ,” she said, “I was plagued with serious doubts. I decided that I didn’t want to be a Christian after all. I even became resentful about you and your letters to me. Then God used your letters to answer my questions and to help me surrender my life to Christ. Now I have made application for staff with Campus Crusade for Christ and have just been accepted. I am so happy, and I want to thank you again for writing those follow-up letters. I wouldn’t be here today had it not been for them.” In addition to the use of the follow-up letters, you also have a responsibility to follow up the individual – personally, wherever possible. If you can’t meet personally, it will be helpful to the new Christian to receive a personal letter of encouragement from you. You can help encourage new Christians to grow and to begin to win and build others through personal follow-up, small groups, home Bible studies, Cru conferences, Sunday school and church. Other Available Materials Cru wants to serve you and the entire body of Christ, not only by helping to train you to share your faith more effectively, but also by helping to train and build up those whom you introduce to Christ. In addition to the Four Spiritual Laws booklet, other materials are available to assist you in your Christian growth and witness for Christ. Witnessing as a way of life requires training as a way of life. If the secular world depends upon a continuous training program to promote greater effectiveness in various job skills, how much more important it is that Christians participate in a continuous training program through the local church. We want to help you. Training in the most effective use of these practical tools is available at our head quarters and in hundreds of student, lay, pastor, and military training conferences across America and in most major countries of the world.

30-Day Experiment

Take the challenge to apply what you’ve learned. I challenge you to perform an experiment for the next 30 days. Begin each day on your knees asking God to lead you to someone whose heart has been prepared for your witness. Go prayerfully and in the power of the Holy Spirit, and in the spirit of the apostle Paul, “talk about Christ to everyone who will listen.” Present the gospel as contained in the Four Spiritual Laws. Expect God to use you. At the end of 30 days, I am sure that you will be convinced, as multitudes of others have been before you, that there is no greater adventure in life than introducing others to our Savior. Remember, “you can bring a lot of happiness into this world” by sharing Christ with others. If the following prayer expresses the desire of you heart, make it your own. “Lord Jesus, I thank you for Your love for me. I thank You that through Your death and resurrection I have been forgiven of my sins and am able to live a fruitful life for You each day. As an expression of my love for You and for all men, and in obedience to Your command, I want to give daily priority to introducing others to you. Thank You for Your promise to make me fruitful if I follow You. Amen.” Remember, How You Can Introduce Others to Christ is a transferable concept. You can master it by reading it six times; then pass it on to others as our Lord commands us in Matthew 28:20: “Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.” The apostle Paul encouraged us to do the same: “The things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Timothy 2:2).

Study Guides

Learn more about introducing others to Christ with these study guides. Self-Study Guide

1. Explain briefly why you should witness.
2. How could you begin a conversation about Christ?
3. How can you be personally involved in the Great Commission? (See Matthew 28:18-20)
4. From these verses, how would you define fruit in a Christian’s life?
   • Galatians 5:22, 23
   • John 15:16
   • Matthew 7:15-20
   • Matthew 13:18-23
5. Why do some Christians not demonstrate character qualities that Jesus would have us show?
6. How does one become a Christian?
   • John 1:12
   • Ephesians 2:8, 9
   • John 5:24
7. What benefits result from having a personal relationship with Christ?
   • John 1:12
   • 1 Corinthians 6:19
   • Colossians 1:14
   • John 14:27
   • 2 Corinthians 5:17
8. What does God set aside for all who accept His Son?
   • Peter 1:3, 4
   • Ephesians 1:13, 14
9. Why did Jesus Christ come to earth?
   • Luke 19:10
   • John 10:9, 10
10. How would you present Christ to a non-believer? Write out the references of the verses you would use and why.
11. What does it mean to show God’s love to someone?
12. What role does the Holy Spirit play in evangelism?
    • John 6:63
    • Romans 8:16
    • Romans 8:26
    • 2 Corinthians 3:17
    • 1 Peter 3:18
13. Explain John 3:16. Why could it also be called the whole gospel in a nutshell?
14. What is repentance?
15. What does 1 John 2:1-5 tell you about how you can know you are a Christian?
16. What promises do you find in 1 John 5:11-13? Why are they important?
17. List at least five people with whom you will talk personally about Jesus Christ in the next month. What steps will you take to introduce them to Christ?

Group Discussion Questions

1. What does it mean to “talk about Christ to all who will listen?” (See Colossians 1:28) Share briefly some places it is difficult for you to talk about the Lord.
2. People are hungry for God. Think of some experience you have had that substantiate this. Discuss these incidents with your group.
3. As an ambassador for Christ, you have a tremendous opportunity to serve Him. Reflect on the duties of an ambassador. Share with your group how these relate to the Christian life and to witnessing about your faith in Christ. (See 2 Corinthians 5:18-21)
4. How should you handle an antagonistic response when sharing the Four Spiritual Laws? Discuss how God’s love can be shown thorough such difficult situations.
5. Discuss practical things you can do to overcome the problem of getting started in witnessing.
6. Turn to the train diagram on page twelve of the Four Spiritual Laws booklet. Explain why it is so important to make this concept clear to the new believer. Share ways to encourage the new Christian in his or her faith.
7. Discuss practical plans for following up on a new Christian with your group. Make a list of different suggestions by other group members that you could use.

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Adapted from the Transferable Concept: How You Can Introduce Others To Christ, by Dr. Bill Bright, co-founder of Campus Crusade for Christ. © Campus Crusade for Christ. All rights reserved.