Turning the Conversation to Christ

How often have you felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit to share the gospel with someone you know but you think, “I just don’t know how to bring it up.” One thing that helps is having some questions ready for the situations you encounter. Being prepared can actually help you be more relaxed and able to listen to the other person rather than worrying about what you are going to say next.

In the book of I Peter, the people were afraid for their lives because they were being persecuted for their faith. In I Peter 3:14-15, Peter challenges them to “not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence…”. So the Lord tells us in His Word to be prepared to share His message. Of course, the best preparation is to be prayerful for opportunities.

AFTER AN OUTREACH EVENT

There are some questions you could ask students immediately after the speaker shares a message at an outreach. Whether the speaker shares the gospel or not, you could ask these questions to gain some understanding of what the person is thinking about God and a relationship with Him.

FOUR QUESTIONS:

What did you think of the speaker/concert/message?
Did it make sense to you?
Have you ever heard how you could know God in a personal way?
Would you like to hear how you can begin a relationship with Him?

Obviously, there may be other questions you ask in between each of these questions to help bring more clarity. Memorize these questions so you have them “in your back pocket” to use easily. After you ask these questions, use a tool like “Connecting with God ” to share the gospel with the student (s).

DURING A CASUAL CONVERSATION

There will be many opportunities to share Jesus with students just simply from having a conversation with them. As you talk to them, prayerfully look for some common ground or a need in their lives where you could bring up the importance of having a relationship with God.

Just by going on campus, I met Sarah at a Coke machine. She and her friend were friendly as I chit chatted with them for a few minutes. As I walked away, I prayed for Sarah and Bethany. Over the next few weeks I would run into Sarah after school in the hallway or at athletic events. I would say “Hi” and catch up with her. After a few times of meeting her, I said “Hey, Sarah, you know I work with Cru High School. I would really like to share with you more of what Student Venture is all about. Would you be interested in meeting with me for coffee and maybe bringing Bethany or another friend with you and we could talk more?” She agreed and we met. (see Follow up article for some guidelines on how to set up an appointment with a student). As we sat in a coffee shop, I asked the girls these questions:

“If you have ever taken a psychology class or read a Seventeen magazine, you know that a person is made up of several dimensions. We have the physical, emotional and the spiritual. (I drew a triangle showing the three parts). Many times we neglect the spiritual side. By that I mean a relationship with God. Do you ever think about God? What do you believe about Him? (I let them respond). Can I share with you what the Bible says about a relationship with God and how we can begin a relationship with Him?”

The girls said yes. They still had a lot of questions as I read through the “Connecting with God” booklet with them because they had never heard the gospel before. So I asked them to meet for four more weeks where we could go over the questions they had.

WHEN STUDENTS SHARE NEEDS OF INTERESTS IN THEIR LIVES

You can begin to share with them about the Lord by asking questions like:

I deal with that a lot myself. Can I tell you how I have been able to handle that situation? I have learned to depend on God.
(When someone expresses insecurities) You are really valuable. No matter what anyone thinks of you, God thinks you are so valuable. Can I share with you what He says about you and how much He loves you from the Bible?
(When someone expresses hurts) Can I share with you where I have found hope (for life)?
Do you feel satisfied? It may feel like these things are satisfying, but I know of something that will meet the deepest needs and longings of your heart.

From there you could transition to sharing the gospel with questions like these:

Would you like to know God in a real and personal way?
Can I share with you something that has changed my life? (Share your 3 minute testimony)
What do you believe about God? Can I share with you what the Bible says about God and how to know Him?
Do you ever think about God or spiritual things?
What do you think it means to be a Christian?
Would you mind if I shared with you what I’ve learned about knowing God personally?

HELPING A PERSON EXAMINE THEIR PERSONAL BELIEFS ABOUT GOD

We can ask them the following questions that were created by the founder of the organization “Evangelism Explosion” to help someone determine where his/her stand.

If you were to die tonight how certain are you that you would go to heaven? (on a scale of 1 to 100%)?
If God asked you “Why should I let you into heaven? What would you say?”Or you could ask, “What makes you ___% sure?” and “On what basis do you think you will go to heaven?”

I have used these questions many times and people are very willing to answer them. From here I simply ask, “Can I share with you what the Bible says about how you can be 100% sure you will go to heaven?” If they agree, then I go through the gospel with them, often using “Connecting with God.”

Finally, just ask the Lord to show you which questions to use in which environment. Choose the questions you feel most confident using and even reword them to fit your style. As we pray for opportunities, step out in faith taking the initiative to care about students and to share the gospel, God will open doors and we will see students know the Lord. He promises to bear much fruit through us as we depend on Him. (John 15). Heaven will be so exciting as we see all those who trusted Christ as He worked through us.

Vision of Fruit

Answers to Top Five Questions Students Would Ask God

Global Missions

Faith Track Bible Studies

Why Use a Tool to Share Your Faith

What they’re saying about Cru

Unbelievable! Several students just received Christ at an outreach. So now what? How do you respond to help a person who has just received Christ? “Follow-Up” is the answer!

What is Follow Up?

Imagine bringing your newborn baby home from the hospital. Suppose you set her in the crib and say, “Okay, Sweetie, milk is in the fridge, the bathroom is over there, and here’s the stereo if you want to hear some tunes.” Absurd! So why should we do the same to a brand new Christian, who is referred to as a “baby” in the Bible? No, it’s our responsibility to help cultivate the faith of that newborn believer.Follow-up is making sure a new Christian understands their new relationship with God. They need to know the first steps in how to grow in their relationship with Christ and multiply their faith to others. It is important to help them establish a habit of meeting with Christ daily and to help them live a new life of faith.

How to Start

So where do you start?

Pray. Begin by praying for them (1 Thessalonians 1:2,3). Remember that God is sovereign, which means that He has total authority in the making of His disciples (followers of Christ).
Remember that God is in charge. Only God can produce growth, and He does that in many ways. The Bible talks about four ways of responding to God’s Word in Matthew 13:3-9, 14-20. Check it out! In the book of Acts, Paul spent special time with new believers, teaching and encouraging them (Acts 17-20). As a result they eventually influenced their entire region. We can help guide and encourage believers to grow, but the bottom line is that God’s the one in charge. What a relief.In 1 Corinthians 3:5-9, the Bible says, “What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, causing the growth. So then neither the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth…For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.”
Don’t Delay Follow-up! It is very important to begin follow-up ASAP! Beware: Satan will be attempting to discourage a student after he has received Christ. The student may have questions or doubts, so it’s good to be available to talk. Give him a call within 24-48 hours after he has received Christ and invite him to meet to talk about how his new faith is a part of everyday life. The Holy Spirit needs your availability to help lead this new believer. You will want to affirm his new relationship with Christ; set up a time to meet to talk further. You may be thinking, “But how do I start meeting with him.”? Suggest a time and place to meet (like Taco Bell, Burger King, in the school courtyard … wherever!) and let the student respond.Be flexible! Explain that you would like to share some things that will help him in his new relationship with Christ. Encourage him to bring several friends along. Meeting with a group of students who know each other is often the best method of follow-up. The students may feel more open to talk and share, and will make up a potential discipleship group for later. Invite other students who have received Christ (through an outreach or one on one ) to join together as a group, especially if they know each other. If something happens and you can’t get together at the scheduled time, reschedule your appointment within 48 hours. Whatever you do, don’t leave that “baby” unattended!

The First Follow-Up Meeting

What do you talk about at your first follow-up meeting? The purpose of your first meeting is to build your relationship, to help these new Christians to understand the assurance of their salvation, and to help them begin to grasp God’s love for them.

Personalize your time. When you get together to talk personalize your time by asking good questions. In other words, don’t talk as much about yourself! Talk about things the students are interested in and things you may have in common, and be sure to listen! (See Turning the Conversation to Christ)
Explain spiritual growth. Use your time together to explain spiritual growth (see below for topics). Show the students that there is much to learn and offer the opportunity to get together weekly, at least for the next four weeks. Asking for a short-term commitment won’t be as overwhelming to a new Christian as an open-ended “let’s meet” might be. After the first four weeks, challenge them to continue to meet for further growth together.
Ask questions to gain understanding. If you are meeting with someone whom you’re not sure is a Christian, ask questions which will help you understand better where they are at spiritually, and be prepared to share the gospel with him if the student is open and willing to listen! For instance, “If you were to die tonight and see God, and he asked you, ‘Why should I let you into heaven?’ What would you answer?” If the person is not 100% sure they are going to heaven, take the time to share the gospel with them to clarify things with them. (Here is an example of a gospel presentation called Knowing God Personally – also found on the God Tools app).
Remember that follow-up is a process. A couple of things to remember … every young Christian will need to continue to learn from the Scriptures. We need to start at the beginning and build. Don’t try to teach everything all at once! Follow-up is a process.

Important Truths for New Christians

Here are some of the most important truths a new Christian needs to know:

Assurance of salvation (Hebrews 13:5)
Knowledge of Jesus Christ (John 20:31, Romans 10:17)
Forgiveness and confession of sins (Romans 5:6-9, 1 John 1:9)
The ministry of the Holy Spirit in his life (John 14:25-26, Ephesians 5:18)
Understanding his new identity in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17)

For free Bible studies you can download go to our Thrive Studies Follow up Bible Studies.. Taking care of a newborn is a lot of work! But if you have done your job well, by God’s grace your newborn friends will soon be walking, talking, and feeding themselves spiritually. They will be on their way to becoming mature disciples of Christ!

THE HIGH SCHOOL MINISTRY OF CRU