There are a number of different frameworks or
methods that churches and organisations use in order to explain the Gospel. In a
previous blog I have gone through the “Roman Road” method which is extremely
effective. It helps to keep a person on track and ensures that all of the
important areas are covered.
Recently the Southern Baptist Church in America
launched a new evangelism program that uses the acronym F.A.I.T.H. to help a person share and explain
the gospel. Here are the points and the scriptures they link to them. It is
very simple to follow.
F – Forgiveness: We cannot have a relationship with God
without receiving forgiveness from Him. We have all sinned and there is nothing
that we can do to earn or merit our entry into heaven. As the scripture below
states, it is all about the grace of God. Where would we be without it? The
shedding of His blood makes a way for anyone who wants to receive Him as Lord
and Saviour. Put simply - if there was no cross and no blood sacrifice, we
would all be finished.
“In him we have redemption through
his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s
grace.” Ephesians 1:7
A – Available: Forgiveness is available for all who call on the Name of Jesus. It is
not saying His Name like someone who says a prayer religiously, just repeating
words – it’s about believing, trusting, accepting and having faith in Him and Him
alone to save a person from a lost eternity. He gave up His own life to save
us; we must ask for forgiveness, then believe we receive it and accept it in
our hearts. When that happens a miracle takes place –we go from being dead in
sin to alive in Christ.
“For God so loved the world that
he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but
have eternal life.” John 3:16
I – Impossible: It is impossible for God to allow sin into heaven; being the Holy God
that He is makes Him unable to look upon sin. When the sin of the world (our
sin) was placed upon Jesus, who was the spotless Lamb of God, He had to look
away (my own words). It must have been awful for God to do that for us. It is
what makes the message of the cross so incredible. God let His son pay the
death of a common criminal by laying our sin upon Him.
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might
become the righteousness of God.”
2 Corinthians 5: 21
God allowed all of that to happen to pay the price
for us to have eternal life. Incredible, isn’t it? That is why we should be
witnessing for Him. It really is the least we can do!
“For all
have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans
3:23
T -
Turn: A person must turn away and repent from sin and
follow God. This is fundamental. We must repent of our sin and wrong-doings. I
know that some people like to cover this at a later date hoping to bring a
person to the realisation that they need to repent later. However, the Bible
says:
“I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
Luke 13:3
Key
Point: Don’t gloss over repentance, it’s a fundamental
I always include repentance in a prayer when I lead
someone to Christ. I read this statement the other day. “Repentance is when
we agree with God about our sinfulness”. What a terrific description!
When a person repents it means they are sorry for
their sin and turn away from it and then start living their life in a way that
pleases God. They stop doing stuff that is wrong and try to do the right thing.
Like not lying, stealing, lusting and so on. We must repent and turn away from
sin!
H –
Heaven: Heaven is the gift of eternal life now and then in
the hereafter. That means that we can have a blessed life now and an incredible
time when we finally end up in Glory with the Lord. After being in heaven for a
while we will one day return with Him when He comes to rule and reign.
He made a way for us go to heaven, a place which
will be more wonderful than we can ever imagine! It is all about His
sacrificial death on the cross. We need to explain it in a way that is simple
and easy to understand.
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10: 10
“Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under His power, and that
he had come from God and was returning to God.” John 13: 3
I like this method because it revolves entirely
around scripture, which is truth. It is the word of God that convicts hearts,
the gospel’s power that leads to a person’s heart being convicted of sin.
Once you have led someone through these points, you
can use the acronym F.A.I.T.H. to help someone give his or her life
to Christ.
Forsaking
All I Trust in Him
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