Below is a list of things to consider as you prayerfully seek to discern next steps in helping friends move toward Christ. This list was generated from a question we asked the people of Lifeway, "What did people do for you that helped you warm incrementally to the idea of submitting your life to Christ?" From this question we also discovered what people did not do and who were the most influential people in the lives of those who became Christ-followers. This is what we learned:
Things people
did to help others warm incrementally to the idea of submitting their life to
Christ:
·
Took time to get to know me/showed interest in
me/listed to me/noticed me*
·
Loved me unconditionally while providing a Christ like example*
·
Invited me to church/took me to church/offered
to pick me up for church*
·
Invited me to church outings
·
Invited me to a Bible study
·
A friend answered my questions with Scripture
·
Told me they were praying for me/prayed for me
on the spot
·
Asked questions/asked about my day/asked about
what was happening in my life
·
Let me disagree with them without getting angry
or defensive
·
Spent time with me
·
Believed in me/Believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself
·
Gave me a book to read
·
Shared their story with me/shared their
testimony
·
Taught me about forgiveness/helped me forgive
myself
·
Cared for me in a crisis/gave support
·
Included me
·
Encouraged me
·
Confronted/challenged my behavior
·
Shared the gospel with me/ shared Jesus with me
Things people did not do that helped others warm incrementally to the idea of submitting their life to Christ:
·
Didn’t judge me
·
Didn’t force or push me
·
Didn’t give up on me*
·
Didn’t turn away because of my mistakes/bad
behavior
·
Didn’t treat me like a project
·
Didn’t throw God in my face
·
Didn’t try to change me/make me be good/act like
a Christian
People who helped others warm incrementally to the idea of submitting their life to
Christ:
·
Parents
·
Pastor
·
Friend*
·
Friend’s parents
·
A relative: grandparents/aunt/cousin
·
Coworkers
·
A Stranger
* Most mentioned response(s) in a category.
