Check In

How to Help Someone Take a Step Toward God

Sermon Notes

Big Idea

Following Jesus isn’t only about taking your next step. Eventually, you help someone else take theirs.

Multiplication has been part of God’s plan from the beginning — God creates something good and calls His people to multiply it.

Genesis 1:28 (NLT) — “Then God blessed them and said, ‘Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it.'”

In the New Testament, that same call becomes the Great Commission — not just filling the earth with people, but filling it with disciples.

Matthew 28:19-20 (NLT) — “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.”

Jesus didn’t just call His followers to be disciples — He called them to make disciples. Don’t let it stop with you.

1. Invite Others In

We often make evangelism more complicated than it needs to be. But Scripture shows a simpler pattern: people who encounter Jesus naturally bring the people already in their lives — friends, family, neighbors, coworkers.

John 1:40-42 (NLT) — “Andrew went to find his brother, Simon, and told him, ‘We have found the Messiah’… Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus.”

Andrew didn’t have all the answers — he’d barely started following Jesus himself. He simply said, “Come meet this guy.” That one invitation reached Peter, who would go on to lead the early church.

Matthew 9:9-10 (NLT) — “Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners.”

Matthew used what he already had — his home, his table, his relationships — to bring people toward Jesus. Your invitation carries weight because of the relationship. People are far more likely to take a step because someone they already trust asked them.

Question: Who could you invite in? Don’t think about everybody — think about one person.

2. Raise Others Up

Inviting someone in is the starting line, not the finish line. Multiplication happens when the people we bring along begin bringing others too.

2 Timothy 2:1-2 (NLT) — “You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.”

Paul invested in Timothy over years — time, opportunity, and trust — until Timothy was leading a church himself. That’s four generations of discipleship in one verse: Paul, to Timothy, to trustworthy people, to others.

Ephesians 4:11-12 (NLT) — “Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.”

You don’t need a title or a platform to raise someone up. It can look like mentoring, handing off a responsibility, or simply spending time with someone so they can eventually do what you do.

Question: Who could you raise up? Again, think about one person.

Application

Write down one name for each question:

• Who can I invite into what I’m already doing? A Life Group, a serving team, even just a seat next to you this weekend.
• Who can I start raising up? Someone you could mentor, hand a responsibility to, or simply spend more time with.

God’s mission has never needed perfect people, just obedient ones. It’s not about how far you’ve come — it’s about who’s coming with you.

Application Questions

1. What stood out to you from this message and why?
2. What is one thing God is telling you to START doing because of this message?
3. What is one thing God is telling you to STOP doing because of this message?
4. How will this message change how you act at home, at work, and in your relationships?