THE. S.O.S. FIELDWORK ACTION STEPS
 CONVERSION TOOL: Bible Study

THE WORD AND SALVATION:

PRINCIPLE: The KEY in all our evangelism effort is the sufficient exposure of the unsaved to the WORD of God. Therefore, our effort is to GET THEM TO STUDY THE WORD OF GOD. (See Material `How to Motivate People to Study the Bible).

  1. Read carefully the following passages: 2TI 3:15; JAM 1:21; JOH 5:24; ROM 1:16; JOH 20:30,31 and ROM 10:9,10,13
  2. MODELS:
    1. ACTS 8:27-39. The eunuch's salvation experience started with his reading the Scriptures. The Lord sent Philip to EXPLAIN to him Jesus from the Scriptures.
    2. Paul speaks to remind the Ephesian believers what they were before conversion. How did the Ephesians experience salvation? Read Acts 18: 24-25 for the answer.

THE NATURE OF CONVERSION

  1. CONVERSION - A SPIRITUAL BIRTH - Conversion is a process of spiritual birth. In physical life, birth affects life. A good physical delivery produces healthy babies; but a protracted and complicated one can cause physiological and psychological damage, leading to poor health and slow development. This applies also to spiritual birth. A good conversion experience will ensure a healthy start in the Christian life.

  2. ELEMENTS OF TRUE CONVERSION - (a) Repentance towards God (b) Believing in the Lord Jesus (c) Water Baptism and (d) Receiving the Holy Spirit.
    1. Christians at the beginning of the church - Acts 2:37-41
    2. The Samaritans in Philip's ministry - Acts 8:4-25
    3. At Cornelius' house - Acts 10
    4. Ephesian believers - Acts 19

  3. WRONG CONCEPTS OF CONVERSION
    1. Oversimplification of the procedure - results from wrong interpretations of Joh 1: 12 and Rev. 3:20. Conversion is quickly pronounced after a person makes the typical sinner’s prayer.
    2. Making the process too complicated, scholarly and legalistic: requiring people to complete a list of courses before treating them as converts.

  4. WHAT SHOULD WE DO - lead people through the four doorways of conversion, causing them not just to know lessons but to EXPERIENCE THEM:
    1. That they experience and evidence true repentance
    2. That they are convinced and believe in Jesus as the only Savior
    3. That they are filled with the Holy Spirit with speaking in tongues as the initial physical evidence
    4. That they understand and submit to water baptism
    5. Then, that they start practicing the basic disciplines for spiritual growth such as living in assurance of God’s forgiveness, prayer, Bible reading, fellowship, yielding to the Holy Spirit, victorious Christian living, and witnessing.

THE BIBLE STUDY LESSONS

  1. Lessons to lead people through the doorways of conversion experience:
    DOORWAY OF FAITH: Jesus the Savior, Why We Need A Savior
    DOORWAY OF REPENTANCE: What Is Sin, The Weight Of Sin, Repentance
    DOORWAY OF WATER BAPTISM:: Water Baptism
    DOORWAY OF BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT: Baptism in the Holy Sprit
  2. Lessons to orient new believers in Basics of Christian Life & Growth:
    `Now That I Am A Christian' Series (leaflets available from the Team Scribe).
  3. SUPPLEMENTARY LESSONS: Lesson to cause people to evaluate their beliefs if they are based on God’s Word:
    Belief Based on God’s Word
    Answers to Catholic Questions
    List of Catholic Traditions
    Why I Don’t Pray to Idols
    Knowing God
    The Bible is the Word of God

HOW TO USE THE LESSONS

  1. TEACH PEOPLE to cause them to EXPERIENCE the four elements of conversion. Do not just teach lessons.
  2. Teach these lessons using the most appropriate method: one-on-one, in a small group, or in a large setting such as a New Life Seminar.
  3. Water Baptism and HS baptism - better taught to a group such as in a Discipleship Class by PW or in a Charismatic-Type Seminar.

TEACHING PEOPLE FOR GROWTH

  1. IMPORTANCE OF FOLLOW-UP - It is important that we take care of our new converts (spiritual babes). If we don't, the Devil will send his demon-worker to follow them up. We should not allow our new converts to return to their old thinking and ways nor should we give opportunity for the enemy to sow some bad seeds.
  2. WHEN TO START WITH THE LESSONS FOR GROWTH - Don’t wait for the convert to be baptized in water and in the Holy Spirit. While you are arranging for him/her to complete the four experiences of true conversion, start the series as soon as possible after a person has repented and received the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior.
  3. THE APPROACH: TEACH PEOPLE TO OBEY THE WORD
    1. USE THE WORD - let the person have direct contact with the Word.
    2. USE THE OBSERVATION-INTERPRETATION-APPLICATION method. This simple method will help you not just teach content but also lead the convert to application.
      1. Observation - read the key passage of your lesson over and over again, looking at words, important details, gathering facts.
      2. Interpretation - explain what the passage means. Involve convert by asking him questions that are obviously answerable by the passage itself being studied.
      3. Application - guide convert to think how the truth learned relates to him.

EXAMPLE:
Using 1JO 5:13 for Assurance of Salvation - I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

  1. Observe key words: Believe , know, eternal life,
  2. Important interpretations:
    1. Who is referred to in these two passages?
      Answer: all who believe
    2. What is the purpose of John (the author) for writing?
      Answer: That those who believe may know that he has eternal life.
    3. What does a believer have for sure?
      Answer: Eternal life.
    Summary: God has given us these words to assure us of our salvation. He had it recorded in His Word, the Bible that those who believe in Him, truly has eternal life.
  3. Application: Doubt is one of the first things that a new believer encounters. It comes from the Devil who is a liar (JOH 8:44.) Knowing this, you need to be alert of any attempt of the enemy to cause you to doubt your salvation. If doubt comes, dispel it through the Word of God.