Sharing Salvation
(This study has valuable lessons for both mature Christians and new believers!)
Do you share your salvation? Do you let others know about the wonderful friend you've found in Jesus? You are a Christian, but have you helped someone else experience the joy that comes from trusting in Christ? Jesus said "You are the light of the world" (Matthew 5:14), so why don't you let your light shine into the life of your friends and family by sharing the good news of salvation with them? Don't you want to spend eternity in heaven with the ones you know and love? Yes, people need the Lord, and we pray that his study will help and inspire you to share your Savior!
Grasping God’s Love
John
3:16-17
1 John 4:9-10
The amazing love of God should be one of the first things we share. Christ's tender love and compassion has a way of softening hearts and opening the eyes of the lost. It clears up confusion and answers many questions: Why are we here? Because a loving God created us. Why is there sin and suffering in the world? Because a loving God gave the human race the freedom to choose, instead of forcing us to obey. How can I know God is real? Because a loving God gave us His Word and sent His Son to reveal His love. We also experience His love everyday through the gift of life. Why did Jesus have to die? Because a loving God was willing to do anything to save this world from sin, a mess we brought upon ourselves. What is the meaning of life? To serve a loving God and to love Him with all we are.
The entire Gospel is centered around love: God loved us so much that He paid the highest price He could pay, laying down His life and suffering for the sins of all mankind. Jesus accepted our punishment, and now lovingly offers us eternal life filled with happiness, joy, and comfort.
Realizing Our Sinfulness
Romans 3:23 & 6:23
As we sense our own weakness, and learn to depend upon Jesus, His victorious power is able to work in our lives. Unless a person understands that they are a sinner, they won't feel their need for a Savior. We don't want to be the judge and point fingers at people, but we want to point them to Jesus who can take care of their guilt and wash them whiter than snow.
Some people realize that they have fallen short of God's standards, but they try to make up for it by doing good deeds and certain acts of penance. However, all these efforts to make yourself right with the Lord will not work. As humans, we can't compensate or make amends for the sins we have committed. Instead, we need to believe that Jesus can forgive us and to acknowledge that we are unable to save ourselves. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Desiring Forgiveness
1 John 1:9 Mark 2:1-5
God is continually waiting for us to come to Him so that we can be forgiven! (Isaiah 1:18) Praise God that He is so willing to forgive and forget our sins! (Psalm 103:10-12)
Mark chapter 2 tells about the paralyzed man that had a real desire to receive forgiveness from Christ and this moved His friends to action as they brought Him to Jesus. Do you react when people around you need to come to the Lord for forgiveness? Ask God how you can lead others to receive the mercy that Jesus has in store for them.
Accepting the Gift of Salvation
Romans 10:9-11 1 John 5:11-13
1 John 2:6
Becoming a Christian shouldn't be a complicated process: Paul said that a person needs to believe and confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord. Whoever believes in Jesus and receives Him as their Savior has eternal life. (It's not the act of believing that saves us; but when we believe, we acknowledge that Jesus has died for us on the cross and we admit that we need Him to save us. We are accepting His sacrifice for our sins and inviting Him into our heart).
Jesus has gave His life for our sins, and He rose from the grave so that we can also receive victory over death through eternal life. The Bible says that once we have asked Jesus to be the Lord of our life, we are to follow in His steps. Just as He was crucified and raised again to life, we are to leave behind a life of sin and walk in a new way of life: to be born again! (Romans 6:5-11; Colossians 3:1-17). The Lord wants us to live in a way that is pleasing to Him, but we can only do this as He gives us the power to do so. As we come to know Him better, through prayer and the Bible, God enables us to live the life that He wants us to live.