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The Power of Four: A Simple Plan for Winning Someone to Jesus
By David Kuhtenia
September 20, 2004

Let’s face it, when it comes to personally obeying Jesus’ command to “Go ye therefore…” many of us get nervous.  In fact, some of us feel overwhelmed and inadequate to meet this challenge, and simply never quite get around to trying very hard.

So what to do?  What if there is a simple approach that, if taken during your four (or so) years of college, will likely result in someone becoming a disciple of Jesus?  Would you commit to it?

Consider the Sower
The Parable of the Sower that uses the analogy of the word of God being like seed is found in all three of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 13:3-9, Mark 4:3-9, Luke 8:5-8).  In each case, after presenting the parable, Jesus then explained the meaning of each of the four types of ground that the seed fell on:

■  Way side—Seed falls with no result beyond being the word being heard.

■  Stony ground/rock—Seed sprouts, but has no root.

■  Thorny ground—Seed sprouts and grows, but eventually gets choked out.

■  Good ground—Seed sprouts and grows to maturity.

If you are a rational sower, then it appears that, on average, about four times as many seeds should be spread as you hope to harvest, right?

Batting .250
If we are rational Christians, then it appears that, on average, about one out of four people that truly hear the word of God will believe and grow to maturity, right?

One per Year
So let’s see where we are at.  We know that, on the average, one out of four “hearers” of the word will grow to maturity.  That being the case, if we present the Gospel to four people, then we should have every expectation that at least one of these will become a disciple of Jesus.

Now apply all the intellectual powers that all those years of education have empowered you with, and do the math:

(4 people to present the Gospel to) / (4 years of college) = 1 presentation/year

The conclusion of this high-powered calculation is that if you present the Gospel to just one person during each of your four years of college, you will very likely be a successful soul winner!  Really.

Teaching the Gospel
If nothing else, college is about teaching.  There is probably no better way to “present” the Gospel to someone during your time at college that to teach a personal Bible study.

Again, the idea being presented here is to teach just one per year.  Even with classes, church, jobs, and goofing around (this is college after all), everyone can squeeze in one Bible study per year.

An Easy Challenge
Think about it.  If someone says, “You must win a soul during your college years” many of us would break into a cold sweat and wilt into the pew.  If, on the other hand, someone says, “Would you be able to teach one Bible study per year to someone on campus?” the answer is probably “sure.”

Let’s Do It
Should we reach others with the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ?  Yes.

Can you teach one Bible study a year for the next four years?  Of course.

Will everyone that you teach be saved?  Probably not.

But will you find good ground?  Yes.

This academic year is just beginning; let’s go find someone that will listen and teach the first of four.

ninetyandnine.com

© 2004, David Kuhtenia

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David Kuhtenia is the North American Coordinator for Campus Ministry International and resides in the Columbus, Ohio area with the ever fabulous Michelle, Justus (the three year-old monkey) and David Henry (the one year-old monkey).