Invitation to Adventure
Adventuring with others is better than alone. So invite others to go with you. If you don’t have many saved friends, win some over! This is a big part of the great adventure God has for you.
Through the years, people have come up with varied and simple ways to tell others about Jesus. Don’t get hung up on using the method perfectly. They are just guides; the Holy Spirit is the Ultimate Guide. Rely on Him, not the method. He will help you tell your friends about Christ.
Here are three great ways to help you lead someone to Christ. If you want to make a difference in your friends’ lives, commit one of these to memory and begin to use it.
The ABCs of Salvation
This is a method that is commonly used to clearly present the gospel. ABC is an acronym for the following (the “C” can represent one of two things):
| A—Admit | Admit you are a sinner in need of a Savior. |
| B—Believe | Believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that God raised Him from the dead. |
| C—Confess or C—Commit |
Confess your sins and that Jesus Christ is Lord. Commit your life to following Jesus. |
The Romans Road
Some people prefer to use the Scriptures to explain the plan of salvation. In doing so, they use a method called, “The Romans Road.” It comes from two verses: Romans 3:23 and 6:23.
The Salvation Poem
The Salvation Poem was written by Matt and Sherry McPherson. Matt grew up in the church and in Royal Rangers. Today, he is a successful entrepreneur and inventor. His greatest passion is guiding people to become followers of Christ. He and his wife arranged salvation Scriptures into a poem that is as easy to remember as a nursery rhyme.
Visit www.thesalvationpoem.com where you will find the poem has also been turned into a song and a music video.
Telling your friends what Jesus has done for them is quite an adventure—it requires that your words and actions match. They don’t want to just hear about adventures in following God, they need to see yours. You have to do your part, but it is ultimately the Holy Spirit who is doing the supernatural job and changing their heart from the inside out.
| The Salvation poem | Selected Scriptures |
| Jesus, You died upon a cross | Romans 5:8—But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. |
| And rose again to save the lost | John 3:16—For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. |
| Forgive me now of all my sin | 1 John 1:9—If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. |
| Come be my Savior, Lord, and Friend | Romans 10:9—If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. |
| Change my life and make it new | 2 Corinthians 5:17—If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! |
| And help me, Lord, to live for You. | Colossians 2:6—Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him. |
Ready yourself by becoming acquainted with a method you are comfortable with. Then memorize key Scriptures. God’s Word builds faith in Christ. Also, reflect on what God’s grace has accomplished in your life. Walk the walk and then talk the talk by telling your own story, weaving in key verses. Then, as you tell your friends about Jesus in word and deed, pray for them, that the Holy Spirit will perform the miracle of salvation as He convinces them to put their trust in God through Jesus.
There is no greater adventure than inviting your friends to faith in Christ. Help your friends start their own adventure with God.
Bow, Guitar, and Poem: Matt McPherson
When Matt McPherson was a young man, God set him on an adventure to reach people who weren’t in relationship with Jesus Christ. However, the talents and skills Matt embodied led him to pursue this passion for the lost in a very different way, a custom adventure for sure.
Early on, Matt realized the crucial role finances play in the success of a ministry. Many times ministry concepts and ideas fail due to inadequate financial support. In 1992, Matt started his own bow manufacturing company, Mathews, Inc., with a core objective of supporting the work of ministry. He committed to honor God in all he did, and God blessed his business. It became one of the fastest growing companies in America, earned the distinction of Inc. Magazine’s top 500 companies two years in a row, and received over twenty patents.
With all of his business accomplishments, Matt continues to consider his personal relationship with Christ his highest priority. “I came to Christ at a very early age,” Matt declares. “My father was a pastor, and my mother would have devotions every night with us kids. She would pray with us. I realized at a very early age that Christ and the Bible made sense to me, and I began to ask God to help me to find ways to reach others for Him.”
With all of his business accomplishments, Matt McPherson considers his personal relationship with Christ his highest priority.
Matt credits his success at Mathews, Inc. completely to God. “I learned early to depend on God for everything and that keeping God in the center of my business would be my first priority. I have to admit there were times when things got tough and we were nervous. We would have hundreds of thousands of dollars in invoices coming due, and it wasn’t clear how we were going to pay them. But time and again, we would pray for God’s wisdom, asking Him for help with our finances and for guidance in making a better product to better serve our customers. He always came through for us.”
After the success of Mathews, Inc., Matt turned his attention to his long-standing love for music and started making his own unique style of guitar. “I started redesigning a guitar in the late 1990s. Again, I got on my knees and began to ask God for wisdom and direction to make a better guitar, something really unique.”
The McPherson guitar is indeed unique in both sound and style. Now, this finely crafted instrument has become a hit with music professionals like Steven Curtis Chapman, Tim Hawkins, and Chris Tomlin.
Matt’s success in bow- and guitar-making has enabled him to provide substantial support to ministries across the nation and around the world. “We’re typically involved with ministries that focus on evangelism and give people the opportunity to come to Christ. I believe that’s ultimately the most important role of any ministry, and it’s the role I’m most passionate about.”
One of Matt’s favorite accomplishments is the creation of the Salvation Poem. This simple, easy-to-remember poem represents an individual’s personal commitment to Christ. The poem has also been recorded as a song and is publicly broadcast in both English and Spanish.
Through it all, Matt continues to give God the credit for all his successes. “It’s clear to me that God has been part of this adventure from the beginning. There is simply no way I could have accomplished all these things without His direction.”
Matt also acknowledges the influence of godly mentors in a boys program for shaping his faith and commitment to God. “Royal Rangers was a bright spot in my life. I remember the awesome feeling of being a part of something big, something greater than ourselves or our small group,” says Matt. The time his mentor, Dennis, invested in his life helped him learn to pray, share Christ, and become a strong Christian man. “It was really a pivotal time in my life.”
Matt McPherson is an excellent example of a young man who learned from mentors to accept God’s every call, to adventure with Him. To this day Matt continues to follow the Lord, invest in others, and influence his world with his unique gifts.
