Helping someone trust Jesus for salvation is one of the most exciting things a Christian can do, and lessons 4, 5, and 6 in our flagship Pursuit series are designed to help you do it. To guide someone to saving faith, you need to walk them through the reality of personal sin (Lesson 4), point them to the life-giving sacrifice of Jesus on the cross (Lesson 5), and invite them to make a personal decision to receive God’s grace (Lesson 6). As a mentor, your goal is not to force a decision, but to serve as a clear guide on their spiritual journey.
Start by Defining the Real Problem of Sin
Before someone can appreciate the good news of the gospel, they have to understand the bad news of our spiritual condition. In lesson 4 of The Pursuit, we focus on the reality of sin. Many people in our culture view sin as just a list of mistakes or minor slip-ups. But the Bible describes sin as a deep-seated attitude of independence from God. It’s a relational rebellion where we try to run our own lives instead of letting God lead.
Romans 3:23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
We can compare sin to a single drop of poison in a clean glass of water. It doesn’t take much to ruin the whole glass. Our sin completely separates us from a holy God, and we can’t bridge that gap on our own. Helping your friend see this truth isn’t about making them feel guilty or condemned. Instead, it’s about helping them see their honest need for a Savior.
Point Them to Jesus and His Finished Work
Once your friend understands the problem of sin, you can point them to the perfect solution in lesson 5. Christianity isn’t a self-help program or a list of rules to make us better people. It is a rescue mission. Jesus is the Son of God who became human, lived a perfect life, and died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins.
Romans 5:8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
Think of Jesus as a bridge over a massive, deep canyon. We could never jump across that canyon by trying harder, being religious, or doing good deeds. Jesus became the bridge by taking our punishment upon Himself and rising from the dead to defeat death. When we share this, we want to emphasize that salvation is a free gift of God’s grace, not something we can earn.
Invite Them to Make a Personal Response of Faith
Knowing the facts about Jesus is a great start, but intellectual agreement isn’t the same as saving faith. Lesson 6 of The Pursuit is where we invite our friends to make a personal response of faith. This is the moment where they decide to trust Jesus for salvation.
Romans 10:9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
To explain this, you can use the analogy of an airplane. You can look at an airplane, read the safety statistics, and fully believe it can fly. But you haven’t actually trusted the plane until you step inside and sit down. In the same way, saving faith means making a conscious decision to stop trusting in your own goodness and start trusting in Jesus alone to save you. You can invite your friend to express this trust through a simple, heartfelt prayer.
Pray for Your Mentee and Trust the Holy Spirit
As you guide someone through these lessons, remember that the pressure is off your shoulders. You can’t force someone to place their trust in Jesus, and you can’t pursue God for them. Your role is simply to be a faithful witness and a loving guide.
Make sure to pray consistently for your mentee before and after your conversations. Ask the Holy Spirit to open their eyes, soften their heart, and give them the courage to respond to the gospel. God loves your friend even more than you do, and He is already at work in their life.
The Takeaway
Helping someone trust Jesus for salvation is a beautiful journey of guiding them through their need for a Savior, the truth of the cross, and the invitation of faith. By using lessons 4, 5, and 6 in The Pursuit, you can confidently walk alongside your friend as they take their very first steps in a lifelong relationship with God.
