The Next Step - Read this if you're a Christian. More importantly...read it if you're not.

Okay, I just finished that last post on presenting God's plan.  So, what is "The Plan"?  If direct sales people have national conferences and meetings with each other all year long to learn how to present "the plan" so that they can adequately explain it to people in a way they can understand and make an informed decision, shouldn't I (every Christian) have a plan ready?!?!

Alright then!  Here's a sample plan that I'm putting together as I go along.  Please understanding that I've been a Christian a long time and have read and heard much about this topic so none of this is in any way my original ideas.  After all, there's nothing new under the sun, right Solomon?

I guess I would base my conversation around the evangelical classic, "Romans Road".  I'm going to assume here that every Evangelical and Baptist has heard of this, and most likely been taught it several times.  However, any good sales educational tool is going to lay out the plan step by step.

1. You're my friend and I love you, and I want you to know about the most important thing that I could ever tell you.
    
2. Most Americans I've encountered have grown up in the church, or at the very least have been to church once or twice, so I don't mean to insult you by telling you things you already know.  But I have also known many who grew up in the church, but never truly understood God's plan for salvation from eternal death that results from each of our sins, or that they even need salvation, or that Jesus was and is a real person while also being God and He wants us to follow Him and have a relationship with Him.
   
3. I'm going to take for granted that you'll at least consider that the Bible is God's word and tell you that in a book the Apostle Paul wrote to people in Rome he says (Rom 3:10)  "There is no one righteous, not even one."  and he continues shortly after that by telling them that, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
   
4. Paul also tells us that the price of our sin is death (Romans 6:23).  And he doesn't just mean that you'll die someday.  He means you'll live in eternal death and separation from God.  Rather than eternal life with God in Heaven.  He says specifically, "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
   
5. This sounds a little 'Old Testament', but God demands a sacrifice of blood for our sins and Jesus' blood that was shed on the cross can be the payment for your sins rather than eternal death...if you want it to be.  Paul says (Romans 5:8) that, "God showed his great love for us in this:  While we were still sinners, Jesus Christ died for us."  Do you know much about Jesus?  Do you know the story of Jesus and how he died and was raised back from the dead?
   
6. Now, here's the big, important news!!!  The bible says (Romans 10:9-10, 13) that, "If you confess with you mouth, 'Jesus is Lord', and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord (Jesus) with be saved."  Isn't that great news!!!?
   
7. If the most powerful king on Earth were coming your way to kill you, your family and everyone you know, and you took the chance to make peace with him, that would be a pretty great thing wouldn't it?  The bible says (Romans 5:1) "Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."  What a great thing to have made peace with the God of the universe who decides your eternal destiny!  AND, "Now there is no condemnation" the bible goes on to say!  Who wants condemnation!?  You don't even have to know what it means and it sounds bad!
   
8. God loves you so much.  The Apostle Paul says in the bible (Romans 8:38-39) that "I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

That's really exciting to me!  What do you think of all of that!?

I suppose there are lots of spots along the way to engage in conversation as things come up, but I feel like that's a pretty good game plan to let someone know about the most important thing you could ever want to tell them.

If you're reading this right now and decided for the first time that you need God's forgiveness and salvation from sin and death please tell me and I'd love to talk more!  Contact me through any email, social media or number you have for me!

I pray that reading this has mattered to you.

"May the Lord bless you and keep you.  May he make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you.  May he turn his face toward you and give you peace."  Numbers 6:24-26