DECISION COUNSELING GUIDE

DECISION COUNSELING GUIDE

Make the Gospel Clear Most students today are unchurched and even the students that go to church don t understand what the Gospel is and how to articulate it. A lot of the reason is because it s been communicated to them in bits and pieces. I recently polled a group of students I was teaching and asked them what the Gospel is and to tell them to articulate it to me. I heard things like, Jesus died on the Cross, Jesus died so we can go to heaven, Not going to hell but going to heaven, etc. All I heard was just bits and pieces and not the whole message. If you want to see genuine salvation in a student they must understand and digest the Gospel. So what is the Gospel? And what does it mean? The word Gospel means good news but good news about what? Why do we need good news? Where do we begin? Since we now live in an unchurched culture where most teenagers don t have a church background we must start with who God is. Most students are hearing, all gods are the same whether it s the Mormon god, the Muslim god, the Buddhist god, etc. and we know that s far from the truth. We need to go to scripture to find to tell them who He is and what He did and what He is doing. Use Colossians 1:15-23. Walk the student through these verses. Jesus-vs.15-18. Jesus is God the creator of the universe. He created you for His purpose and glory. He reigns as King of Kings and Lord of Lords over the entire universe. He is the most important person in the universe and what He thinks about you is the most important thing in your life. What s wrong with the world? Why is there so much brokenness in the world and in my life? If Jesus rules over everything then why do all these bad things happen?

Sin and Brokenness Starting with Adam and Eve and eventually us, we turned our back on God and decided to do our thing and live life our own way. This is when brokenness entered the world. Its defined as Sin. Romans 1:10, says, There is no righteous, not even one. Romans 3:23 says, For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.. Romans 6:23 says, For the wages of sin is death. This is why there is so much brokenness in our lives and the world but the good news is that Jesus did something to fix that and is fixing that. Before he fixes the world, He must fix us because we are the problem. Jesus s rescue operation vs. 19-23 1. Jesus died on a Cross God stepped down from His throne in heaven, wrapped Himself in a human body and came to earth to rescue and restore us and the entire creation. Vs. 19-20. He came to earth, lived a perfect life, raised the dead, healed diseases, forgave sin, and was executed on a cross. Why did He do this? It says to reconcile(to make a bad relationship right) all things to Himself and make peace. In that moment on the cross, He took all of humanity s sin, pain, and brokenness and beat it on the cross. 2. Jesus was buried and three days later He rose from the dead 1 Corinthians 15:4-8. Jesus was buried in a borrowed tomb and His body was guarded by the best military in the world but a miracle happened and 3 days later He arose out of the tomb and He appeared to His disciples and 500 other people but the story doesn t stop there. 3. Jesus ascended back to Heaven and sat back down on His throne Hebrews 10:12. Jesus is the glorious, exalted King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

4. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit into the world as a gift for those that confess Him as Lord and Savior Acts 1:8-10, Ephesians 1: 18-23. Romans 10: 9-10, If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Tell the student, that he or she must cry out to Jesus with their mouth, asking for forgiveness for their sin, and confessing Him as Savior and Lord. Repentance and Faith are necessary for salvation. Repentance is completely turning your back on a life of sin and darkness. Faith is entrusting your whole life to Jesus Christ. If possible let them say their own prayer. If you help them, make sure they know that the prayer isn t magical but it s about what s going on in their heart. Let them tell you the decision they are making! Tell them that when they confess Jesus, God the Holy Spirit comes to live in their life and it s the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, and He s there to stay! Make sure they understand that this is an eternal commitment and not just a one day thing, and that there is a cost in this life of following Jesus. This isn t a one night thing! Teenagers are great at compartmentalizing their lives and they need to understand that Jesus wants to invade every area of their life 24/7, 7 days a week! 5. Jesus now wants you to be Baptized! Baptism is an outward symbol to the entire world of what He has done in your heart. Jesus commands us to be baptized after we give our lives to Him! Baptism is testifying and showing the whole world that we are committed to Jesus and His Kingdom and we are no longer going to live for sin, darkness, Satan, and this present world.

6. Jesus has now made you apart of His Church: Colossians 1: 18, Ephesians 2:11-22 The Church isn t a building but a movement of people that have confessed Him as Savior and Lord! God has given you a spiritual gift to serve in His church and take part in changing the World! 7. Jesus has now made you apart of His Kingdom: Colossians 1: 13, Ephesians 3:1-13, Hebrews 12:28-29. God s Kingdom is His overall rule and reign. The Church is an extension of His Kingdom. One day God s Kingdom will be the only Kingdom standing when He comes to make all things new! You are now a citizen in His Kingdom and are to be a representative of that Kingdom here on earth. Jesus and His Kingdom rules over every other Kingdom! 8. Jesus gives you a new identity: Ephesians 1:1-14 You are no longer defined by your past mistakes, who the culture says you are, who people say you are, your circumstances, or even your parents. You are defined by Jesus! He gives you an identity that people, the world, and your circumstances can t change.

Mobilize Our goal should be not only to see students become converts but world-changing disciples! When we look at a student, we shouldn t just see them as someone who can be in our student ministry but as someone that can change the world! We know that the only thing that can change the world is the Gospel! Jesus not only envisioned his disciples becoming a part of His Kingdom but he envisioned them taking His message to the world and we know from the book of Acts that they did! A student can immediately learn how to share their testimony and the Gospel message after he or she comes to Christ! There are two things you need to immediately do with them: 1. Teach them how to articulate the Gospel message Go through the Gospel presentation with them and have them share it back to you and each other. 2. Teach them how to share their testimony- Revelation 12:11, Acts 26: 12-23 Help them understand who they were before they were saved and how God has changed them! 3. Challenge them to begin sharing with their friends and circles of influence Teenagers run in packs more than anyone else. They are locked in everyday in the biggest mission field in the world and that is the public school! If they begin to share and live the Gospel, they will influence many of their peers for Christ.

Resources to help with this: **The Gameplan from SBTC- This helps teenagers identify their friends who don t know Jesus and develop strategy to reach them with the Gospel. **The Gospel Napkin by Richard and Clayton Ross- Helps them with a clear Gospel presentation and how to develop their testimony in one resource. **The One Cross App- SBTC resource that shares the Gospel in multiple languages. Free download on any smart phone. **3 Circles: Life Conversation Guide App- resource from NAMB that helps people present the Gospel in a clear but simple way using a smart phone app. Free download on any smart phone.

Mentor They went to the event, they ve given their lives to Christ, now what? What s going to happen when they go back home? This is the age old question in student ministry. Teenagers today are dealing with a lot of hurts, habits, hang ups, and brokenness. Most teenagers today are growing up without a mom and dad at home that aren t Christ followers. They are dealing with divorce, pornography addiction, gender issues, absent fathers, and a world that doesn t cater to the Christian worldview. When a student comes to Christ, you will need to spend a lot of time discipling them through these issues. True discipleship has to happen outside of the Sunday school or small group. We must live life on life with these students. Plug the students in with a Spirit-filled adult mentor who can walk with them through the hurts of life. Here are some resources that can help with mentoring: Mentoring 101, Ron and Della Proctor. Disciple, Dr. Allen Jackson. www.joshproctor.com- Ministry devoted to discipling students out of pornography addiction. What can I take a student through after camp? Ephesians 1:1-14- What is my new identity in Christ? Ephesians 1:15-23- How do I pray and connect with God? Ephesins 2:1-10-What is real salvation? Ephesians 2: 11-22- What is the Church? Ephesians 3:1-13- Being a part of something Bigger than myself. Ephesians 3:14-21- Another way of praying and connecting with God. Ephesians 4: 1-16- Spiritual gifts Ephesians 4: 17-32-The New life=no compartmentalization Ephesians 5: 1-22- How to make an Impact Ephesians 5:22-6:9-Godly families, marriages, and relationships. Ephesians 5:10-24-Spiritual Warfare.