In light of our blog posts on Jesus being “the way, the truth, and the life,” I want you to have confidence that you can lead someone to salvation and baptism of the Holy Spirit. This is a very simple, scriptural approach to these life-changing decisions.
How to Lead a Person to Christ
- Open a Bible to Romans 10. Have the person you’re speaking with read aloud verses 9-10.
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. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. (Romans 10:9-10 NIV)
- Explain to them that because these Scriptures say that “it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved,” you are going to lead them in a short prayer, and they should repeat after you as you pray.
- Allow the Holy Spirit to guide your prayer so that the candidate will be sure to:
- Acknowledge that they are a sinner.
- Ask the Father to cleanse him by the blood of Jesus for every sin they have committed—from the day they were born to this very moment.
- Invite Jesus to come into their heart and be master and Lord of their life.
- Thank God for saving their soul.
- Ask them to read Romans 10:13 out loud: “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
- Now, ask them to read it again, but this time them substitute their own name for “whoever” in this verse (some versions might say “everyone” or “whosoever”). Through doing this, they will realize that they have fulfilled the simple requirements of being saved according to God’s Word—whether or not they feel differently!
How to Pray with Someone to Receive the Holy Spirit Baptism
The candidate for Holy Spirit baptism is someone who is a born-again child of God. The work of the Holy Spirit is essential for Christian growth. Through this baptism, God empowers the believer to develop and express their new life in Jesus Christ.
Many people desire to be baptized with the Holy Spirit, but they don’t know how to do so. Frequently, I open the conversation by saying, “I would love to pray with you to receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit.” Then proceed to:
- Open a Bible to Luke 11:10-13 and ask the candidate to read this passage out loud.
“For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (NIV)
These verses establish the way to receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit. We simply ask in faith because we know that our loving heavenly Father would never give us a “counterfeit.”
- Ask them candidate to read Acts 2:4 out loud: “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Assure them that just as Jesus’s disciples spoke in tongues when the Holy Spirit came on them, they will also speak in tongues when they are baptized by the Holy Spirit.
- Ask the candidate to read Romans 8:26-28 out loud. This will confirm the purpose and benefits of praying in tongues.
Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
- Lead the candidate in a short prayer, during which they ask the Father to baptize them with the Holy Spirit. Now, tell the candidate that, by faith, you are going to pray in the Spirit together. Encourage them to speak freely as the Holy Spirit directs regardless of how it may sound to the natural ear.
- You should begin to pray out loud in tongues. After you have prayed awhile, you may want to sing in the Spirit (1 Corinthians 14:15).
Although the baptism with the Holy Spirit is a one-time event, the infilling of the Spirit goes on and on and never stops. Encourage them to pray in the Spirit every day and expect a new richness in their Christian experience.
