From 1974-1979, a young upstart Presbyterian youth pastor named Ron invaded local high schools in my home town of Jackson, Mississippi boldly sharing the gospel one-on-one with anyone who would listen, and with some who wouldn’t.
Over the years, countless teenagers heard and understood God’s plan of salvation for the first time. Hundreds responded. Many went on to serve the Lord in full-time ministry as church planters, youth ministers, pastors, and missionaries.
I’m one of those who heard the gospel for the first time through Ron back in the mid-seventies. However, my first response to Ron and his gospel was not to repent, but to run.
I ran from Ron, from his disciples, and from God. I ran for about six months, avoiding Ron the best I could. It was a difficult task as he seemed to show up everywhere.
He was at every football and basketball game. He was in the school halls, in the cafeteria, in the parking lot. He and his band of disciples were always inviting me to another retreat, another Bible study, another prayer meeting, another youth night at the church.
Finally, in November of 1975, I responded to the gospel. I repented and put my faith in Christ alone.
Fortunately, it didn’t end there. Ron wasn’t content just to carve a notch in his well-worn Bible to represent yet another soul saved.
Since he was not out to save souls, but to make disciples, his work with me was just beginning. He added me to one of his famous “action groups” where about eight of us met together weekly and learned to walk with God.
I believe in one-to-one evangelism, one-to-one follow-up, and one-to-one discipleship.
Here’s why. Ron shared the gospel with me. I didn’t respond. I ran. Ron ran after me.
For six months he ran after me, preaching to me and praying for me. He just wouldn’t go away. That’s one-to-one follow-up.
After I responded to the gospel, Ron began to disciple me in a small group. He taught me how to study and live the Bible.
He taught me how to pray. He taught me how to share my faith and how to make disciples. That’s one-to-one discipleship.
Personal follow-up and discipleship. That’s the Great Commission. That’s what this little book is all about.
ONE 2 ONE was written as a simple tool to aid in personal follow-up and discipleship. It’s a guide. It cannot make a disciple, but it can help you make one.
Most importantly, it helps a new disciple get the right start.
Steve Murrell
Manila, Philippines, 1996
THE RIGHT START
GETTING STARTED
And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” MARK 1:17 These five steps will get you off to the right START, as you follow Christ. Stop trusting in yourself and your own good works and start trusting in Christ alone for salvation. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. EPHESIANS 2:8,9 Turn away from everything the Bible calls sin. But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.” 2 TIMOTHY 2:19 Attend a small group for personal discipleship and weekly worship services. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. HEBREWS 10:24,25 Read and obey your Bible every day. “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” JOSHUA 1:8 Tell others about your new relationship with Christ. And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled. MARK 5:19,20
SALVATION
A New Start Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 CORINTHIANS 5:17 A new creation. A fresh start. For all of us who have ever wished we could start over, this is good news. However, before we can really appreciate this good news, we need to understand exactly why we need to start over. Why do we need to become a new creation? Why do we need salvation? The Problem: Separation Because of Our Sin There is an immeasurable gap separating God and man. The cause of this eternal separation between God and man is sin. Have you ever felt distant from God? We all have. Feeling far from God is very common. Many who sense this vast separation suppose that if they meditate harder, learn more about their religion, or just step into a religious sanctuary, they would be closer to God. But since our separation from God is not physical or intellectual, neither meditation nor knowledge can bring us any closer to God. What causes the separation between God and man? Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. Isaiah 59:1,2 The separation between God and man is a moral separation. God is holy; man is not. God is good; man is not. God is just; man is not. All men have sinned; therefore, all are eternally separated from God. All will suffer the consequences of sin, which is eternal death. . . . for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God . . . Romans 3:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 The Solution: God's Sacrifice and Substitution The justice of God demands a sacrifice for man's sin. Jesus Christ became that sacrifice and paid the penalty for our sin at the cross. Since God is holy, righteous, and just, He could not allow sin to go unpunished. Since He is loving and compassionate, He did not want all of mankind to be eternally separated from Him. The divine solution to this problem was for Jesus, God's only Son, to become the sacrifice for sin. . . . for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. Hebrews 9:26-28 What exactly happened on the cross? Through His death on the cross, Jesus took our place and our punishment. He exchanged His righteousness for our sin. He took our curse and gave us His blessings. Because of His sinless life, Jesus was the only one qualified to pay the penalty for man's sin and to bridge the gap between God and man. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree" . . . Galatians 3:13 The Result: Our Salvation and Reconciliation Christ died on the cross so that we could receive forgiveness of our sins, be reconciled to God, and have eternal life. We have all sinned against a holy and righteous God. The penalty for sin is eternal separation from God in hell. God is just and must punish sin. He is also loving and does not want us to go to hell forever. Therefore, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty for sin by dying on the cross. Because of His sinless life, death could not hold Jesus. He was raised from the dead on the third day. In Christ, we experience forgiveness for our sins and eternal life. In Him we are restored to right standing before God and given a new life as His children. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace . . . Ephesians 1:7 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. Ephesians 2:13 The Response: Receive God's Gift by Faith We receive salvation when we stop trusting in ourselves and put our trust in what Christ did for us. Our salvation is a result of God's grace. It is based on what Jesus did for us on the cross. It has nothing to do with what we do for Him. We cannot save ourselves or earn God's approval through the good works we do. We are saved by God's grace when we realize our need for a Savior, turn from sin, and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, putting our trust in Him alone for salvation. . . . if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. Romans 10:9,10 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8,9 APPLICATION Have you stopped trusting in yourself and started trusting in Christ alone for salvation? Have you turned away from all known sin? Have you confessed Jesus as the Lord and Master of your life? Are you willing to follow and obey Him for the rest of your life? Prayer for Salvation Heavenly Father, I acknowledge that the separation between us is because of my sin. I confess that I have sinned and have fallen far short of Your glory. I thank You that You sent Your Son, Jesus to pay the penalty for my sin. I believe that He died on the cross for me. I believe that You raised Him from the dead. I am sorry for my sins and I ask You to forgive and cleanse me. I want to turn away from everything the Bible calls sin and receive Jesus as my Lord, Master, and Savior. Help me to love, serve, and obey You for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name . . . Amen! A New Life If you have sincerely prayed that prayer, the Bible promises that the old has gone and the new has come! The next six lessons will introduce you to some of the new things that have come.
LORDSHIP
A NEW MASTER Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified. ACTS 2:36 Lordship is one of the central messages of the Bible. Jesus is referred to as Lord 100 times in the book of Acts and 622 times in the whole New Testament, while being referred to as Savior only twice in Acts and twenty-four times in the New Testament. The biblical emphasis is overwhelmingly on the concept of Lordship. Lord means master, the one who calls the shots, the one who makes the decisions. LORDSHIP AND SALVATION The starting point of salvation is the acknowledgment of the Lordship of Christ. Confessing Jesus is Lord implies a submission to His Lordship in every area of life. If Jesus is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all. We do not have the option of receiving Him as Savior and not as Lord. Salvation is an all-or-nothing proposal. . . . if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ROMANS 10:9 LORDSHIP DEMANDS OBEDIENCE Anyone who claims Christ as their Lord is expected to do what He says. Intellectual faith and empty confession are not enough. If we say Christ is our Lord, our lifestyle should back up our claim. Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? LUKE 6:46 Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. MATTHEW 7:21 LORDSHIP BEGINS IN THE HEART Submitting to Christ as Lord is not about following a set of religious rules and traditions. Rather, Lordship is a matter of the heart. Lordship begins as an internal submission of the heart. If it is genuine, it will eventually manifest itself in outward obedience. . . . but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy . . . 1 PETER 3:15 LORDSHIP IS A CONTINUOUS WALK We begin our Christian life by acknowledging that Jesus is Lord. We must continue to walk under His Lordship for the rest of our lives. Lordship is not having a one-time experience with God, but developing a lifetime walk with God. The more we know Him, the more we submit to Him. Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him . . . COLOSSIANS 2:6 Personal Application Are there areas in your life that you have not yet submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ? Are your relationships under His Lordship? Are your finances under His Lordship? Is your time submitted to His Lordship?