Discipleship Pathway is a 6-part blog series that walks through the entire discipleship process; from someone who is far from God (the skeptic, the curious, the cynic) to someone who is close to God (the convinced, the sold-out, the on fire). We’ll be looking at each of the steps of a discipleship pathway.
Discipleship Pathway Part 3
Present The Gospel and Invite People To Respond
If you’ve grown up in “the church” like me, you’ll mostly remember that a gospel presentation only happened at special events or on special days – Easter, Christmas, maybe a certain outreach or a guest speaker. Other than that, it was a prayer and at the end, “God bless you. See you next week.” No matter what service (children, youth, adults) there was rarely a gospel presentation and invitation.
Even in Bible College, I was never taught how to do a salvation invitation and whether I should do one. The most important item on the agenda of a preacher was to “preach the Word.” This seemed right, but I always wondered how someone sitting in church, who didn’t know God, would actually make a commitment to follow Jesus. Would it be at home? Would it be in six months when Easter came?
Think about your own ministry? When was the last time you preached the gospel and invited people to respond? I know when I preach, even now, I sometimes forgo this part and figure, “Everyone here is saved anyway.” If I’m honest, I don’t want the embarrassment of anyone not responding.
Have I touched a nerve?
Always Preach The Gospel Message
No matter what you’re preaching about, take three minutes and preach the gospel. Simply say, “You may be here and you’re not following Jesus in the way we’ve been talking about today. Let me tell you …” and then just go for it. Let them know (a) God loves them, (b) He sent His son, Jesus, to pay the penalty for their mess-ups, (c) so that they could be back in the right relationship with Him, and (d) how they need to stop going their own way and make a U-turn (repent) and follow Jesus with every breath of their life so that, (e) He can give them a new heart, new purpose, new destiny in Christ, and their life can begin again.
Preach. The. Gospel. Every. Message.
Call For A Decision
After you preach, call for a moment of decision. Usually, it’s a prayer, but we know that it’s not a magic prayer. It’s just a moment where we say, “Yes, I have decided to follow Jesus.” Praying that prayer is the first of a thousand steps in following Jesus. When you’re done, ask them to identify themselves if they’ve made that commitment. You don’t have to make it awkward, and you don’t have to call people to stand or come to the front. Have them raise their hand or text. Make sure you have people watching and ready to respond. I find that if you say, “come talk to me after the service”, people don’t come. But if you ask them to raise their hand or text, they will do it. Give them time. Make sure you follow up with them and begin the journey with them.
Follow Up with a Next Step
This is so important. Make sure you identify those folks who have made that commitment and follow them up with a next step – meet with the Pastor, join Alpha, or get a Bible. Whatever you decide, make sure you follow up with them right up until that step. Don’t let them flap in the wind. No matter their age, have a next step designed for them so that they can take in their newfound walk with Jesus.
If I come into your church and I don’t hear this, I will say this is a missed opportunity. If someone is there (or online) they could be deciding to follow Jesus. If a believer is there, they will learn how to present the gospel. It’s really a win-win. Whatever you’re preaching on, get in the habit of preaching the gospel and giving an invitation every week.
Need further help? Watch this training video with John Albiston.
Jeremiah works as an Effectiveness Coach with the ABNWT District of the PAOC. He is a passionate and creative leader who believes that the church is the hope of the world. He uses collaboration, innovation, and inspiration to challenge churches and their leadership to engage in the only mission Jesus ever sent his church on: making disciples.