“I am not ashamed of the Gospel … for it is
God’s power working unto salvation … to everyone who believes with a personal
trust and confident surrender.”
– Romans 1: 16. AMP
Mentoring
the Gospel is different than direct witnessing, although the goal of sharing
Christ with non-believers is always the same. In mentoring, the mentor and
mentee develop a relationship based on sharing information, skills, resources,
etc. and on caring about each other. The mentoring relationship should give the
mentee a certain amount of comfort in knowing that she is in a truthful, honest
and sincere relationship that has her best interest at heart. Consequently, the
mentor will have many opportunities to speak into the life of the mentee. Or,
the mentee will feel comfortable enough to ask some hard or uncomfortable
questions of her mentor. At other times, God will direct the conversation by
providing opportunities for the mentor to share Jesus with the un-“Saved”
mentee. Although direct witnessing for Christ can occur without the Christian
even knowing the other person’s name, in active relational Christian mentoring
(ARCM) the mentor gets to know the mentee and gets a feel for the needs of her
mentee. The mentor can then find the best moments to share Christ with her
mentee.
The
mentoring relationship allows the mentor to learn more about the mentee and to
understand her background and why things in her life have developed the way
they have. Moreover, it is within the mentoring relationship that the mentee
can see that her mentor really lives for Christ. The mentee can see the
mentor’s devotion to Christ, as it shows through her attitude, behaviors and
words. Only in seeing the mentor’s true relationship with Christ will the
mentee begin to see the difference between someone who really believes in
Christ and someone who says they believe, but has no truth or actions to exemplify
what they profess.
Our
Christian lives are a representation of what we believe or don’t believe. In active relational Christian mentoring (ARCM), those who are lost (do not know
Christ as their Savior) become aware or learn of Christ through Christians’
lives. Then as we mentor them, no matter the topic, skill, resource or
information shared, our mentees will begin to ask questions or become open to
the mentor sharing her faith. With a positive and caring relationship and
through God-given opportunities mentors can share the Good News with our un-“Saved”
mentees. The sharing can occur early in the mentoring relationship or much
later as the mentee begins to ask questions or as opportunities arise. But
whenever it occurs, mentors need to be prepared to share Christ with their
mentee.
Using the
book of Romans as the mentor’s road map (often called the Roman Road), the
mentor can share the Gospel message of our risen Savior with the mentee. Have
these Scriptures handy in your purse or car so that when the moment arrives you
can share them with your mentee. There is a book, though, that every Christian should
read. It is entitled: Share Jesus Without Fear by William Fay and Linda
Evans Shepherd. These authors have explained how to use those and other Scriptures
to reach the lost without being intimidating or fearful. Christians can use
Scriptures from the books of Romans, John, II Corinthians
and Revelation to share the Good News. These verses can be used in
direct witnessing or in ARCM. In both situations, however, the believer allows
the Bible to speak to the heart of the unbeliever. God’s Word does all the work for us.
Below are Scriptures
you can use to share Christ with your mentee. Just be sure to have your mentee
read them in this order.
Romans 3: 23.
“For
all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Romans 6: 23.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free
gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
John 3: 3. “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Truly,
truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God.’”
John 14:6. “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the
truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through me.’”
Romans 10:
9-11. “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your
heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart
a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses,
resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes in Him will
not be disappointed.’”
II
Corinthians 5: 15. “and He died for all, so that they
who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose
again on their behalf.”
Revelation
3: 20. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and
opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him and he with Me.”
I would add
this last verse, as well:
II
Corinthians 5: 17. “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things
passed away; behold, new things have come.”
Christ
changes a person. We become new beings who have hope, joy, internal peace and
the assurance of an eternity spent with God.
Whether you
use these Scriptures for direct witnessing or during your mentoring of another
woman, you should encourage the woman to read the Scriptures aloud. The authors of Share Jesus without Fear
suggest that after the person reads a verse, that you ask her to explain
what the verse said to her. If she struggles with understanding the verse, just
ask her to read it aloud again more slowly. Why is it important that the
mentee reads the verse aloud? Well, the Bible says in Romans 10: 17 that “So
then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” It
is when we read something aloud that understanding happens. We not only
comprehend what we have read, but its meaning sinks into our hearts when it is
read aloud. That is why Christians should read the Bible aloud every chance
they get, even when we are alone.
I suggest
that all Christians carry a Bible, or at least the Newer Covenant/ Testament in
their car. Women can carry a small New Testament in their purse so they can
have it handy when someone asks a question or when an opportunity arises. I was
riding in the car with one of my mentees when out of the blue we started
talking about Christ and Salvation. At the time, I did not have a New Testament
in my purse, and I was riding in her car. She was not a Christian, so she did
not have a Bible in her car. Fortunately, we were heading back to my house
where I could show her the verses. (I had not yet learned, though, that the
mentee should read the verses aloud.). Although, she did become a Christian at
a later date, I had lost the momentum of the moment, because I did not have a
Bible handy. So, please consider
carrying a Bible with you as the Holy Spirit may decide the moment is right
when you least expect it.
Finally,
once you have helped the mentee through all the above verses, give her an
opportunity to pray the sinner’s prayer and ask Christ into her heart. You may
have to explain the sinner’s prayer. But, in whatever words she chooses to use,
she simply asks for forgiveness of her sins and states that she believes in
Christ as the virgin born Son of God who died on the cross for her sins but
arose three days later overcoming eternal death for us all. The mentee can then
ask Christ to come into her heart. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing
another person accept Christ as her Savior. I hope each Christian woman gets
the chance to experience sharing Christ with another person. Salvation is when
faith and hope come together in certainty. We know that we know that we know
that our eternal life will be spent with God. We know that we are SAVED!
“Let Your mercies come … O Lord –
Your Salvation according to Your Word.”
– Psalm 119: 41 NKJV
“Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly …
with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
– Colossians 3: 16 ESV
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