The curriculum published by A.C.E. provides character and wisdom training and a knowledge of God and His Word. Your students will be introduced to the Gospel and may have questions related to salvation. Are you prepared to answer these questions? There are many methods for presenting the Gospel. Below you will find the basic format for presenting the Gospel through the memorization method. Your church or pastor may use another method. The important thing is that you have a method whereby, in a few minutes, you can clearly, confidently, and thoroughly present God’s plan of salvation to your students. Learn to follow the method, and practice using it until it becomes natural and easy for you.
The Memorization Method
The memorization method includes memorizing verses and the aspect of the Gospel that is presented in each of the verses. This will help you explain the significance of each verse as you present the plan of salvation to your student. Although there are many Bible verses that could be used, the eight suggested verses in the memory verse graphic cover aspects of the Gospel.
In your Bible, you may want to write the next reference after each verse. Even though you have them memorized, be sure to turn to each verse in your Bible and point to it as you go through the plan of salvation. By doing this, your student can read along with you and see that the truth you are sharing is directly from God’s Word. Also, this keeps the student’s focus on God’s Word and minimizes distractions.
Sample Gospel Presentation
Observe the sample conversation between Mr. Friendson and his student. His student has just read the text in Social Studies 1049 about Heaven and is wondering if he will go to Heaven to be with God after he dies. Mr. Friendson opens his Bible and points to Romans 3:10.
“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.” God’s Word makes it very clear there are none righteous.
Mr. Friendson turns a page in his Bible and points to Romans 3:23. (From this point on, assume that Mr. Friendson turns to each passage in his Bible and has his student follow along as he reads.)
God’s Word states in Romans 3:23 that we all have sinned. Listen as I read this verse, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” There are no exceptions; all have sinned and our sin separates us from a holy God. Do you understand what this means?
Yes. It means I am a sinner.
If the student is hesitant to acknowledge he has sinned, you may want to turn to I John 1:8 and 10 to show him that either he is not being truthful or he is calling God a liar.
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
“If we say that we have not sinned, we make him [God] a liar, and his word is not in us.”
Our sin has earned something for us. Let’s look at the first part of Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death . . . .” The wage our sin earns is death. The death spoken of here is more than physical death; it is separation from God forever.
So far, this has all been bad news. Let’s look at some good news. Notice the last part of Romans 6:23, “. . . the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” What does this verse say the gift of God is?
It is eternal life with God.
That’s right, and how do we get a gift?
Someone gives it to us and we receive it.
Yes. We do not earn a gift; we simply receive it. However, someone did pay for this gift of eternal life. Notice what God’s Word says in Romans 5:8, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” God loves us, but He is holy and cannot accept our sin. Our sin has to be taken care of on the cross before we can go to Heaven. That is why God sent His Son to die. Jesus died in our place and shed His blood to pay the wages for our sin so that we can have eternal life. Who died for us and gives us the gift of eternal life?
Jesus Christ died for us.
Romans 10:9, 10 shows us how to receive the gift of eternal life. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Notice, the Lord Jesus is no longer dead. Three days after Jesus died, God raised Him from the dead. This victory over death shows that the debt for our sin has been paid once and for all.
To receive the gift of eternal life, you need to believe in your heart that Jesus, God’s Son, died for your sin and that God has raised Him from the dead. If you ask Jesus to forgive your sin and be your personal Saviour, you will receive God's gift of eternal life. Would you like to receive this gift right now?
Yes, but how do I do that?
At this point, you may want to review the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the free gift of salvation to ensure the student fully understands all aspects of the Gospel. Then if the student understands and sincerely wants to be saved, encourage the student to pray in his own words a prayer similar to this.
Dear Jesus, I know I have sinned. I believe You died for me to save me from my sin, and I believe You are alive. Please forgive my sin and be my Saviour.
Assurance of Salvation
After the student has received Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour, it is essential to guide him into assurance of salvation. Use Romans 10:13 and John 3:36 to show the student that God promises “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” and “he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.” Encourage your student to base his salvation on the promises found in God’s Word rather than on his own feelings. Feelings can change from day to day and can lead to doubt, but God’s promises do not change!
Prepare Now
The decision to call upon the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation is the most important decision a student can make. PACEs often plant seeds of the Gospel in the hearts of students. Who will water those seeds and see their fruit? The time to prepare is now! You may be the tool that God chooses to lead many of your students to Christ.