2. If you discern that he or she has been trusting in things other than a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, share "Steps to Peace with God," page 11.
3. If the inquirer is convinced that he or she has previously made a genuine commitment to Jesus Christ, ask further:
A. "Are you being deliberately sinful or disobedient?" If this is the case,
explain "Restoration," page 17. Emphasize 1 John 1:9.
B. "Have you been indifferent to spiritual things? Not faithful in
attending church? Not reading the Bible? Not praying?" If this is the case, explain "Restoration," page 17. Emphasize 1 John 1:9 and Romans 12:1–2.
C. Encourage the inquirer to step out anew in faith, to believe God
(Acts 27:25), to take a definite stand for Christ, to get into the Word of God, to learn the discipline of prayer, and to get to work for Christ in a local Bible-teaching church. Offer to send Living in Christ.
D. Pray for a stronger relationship with God by faith.
Those Disillusioned by Disappointments:
Disappointment can occur through divorce, a death in the family, a wayward son or daughter, unanswered prayer, or betrayal by another Christian.
1. Offer a word of encouragement. God does love and care for us. He wants the inquirer also to learn to walk with Him by faith.
2. Help identify the source of the doubts, emphasizing that it is not wrong to ask why in life.
3. Remind him or her that God has never promised freedom from adversity in life. It may be that the doubter needs to get the focus off his or her problems and back on God—to see beyond the circumstances of life to what God is trying to teach through those circumstances. God is faithful. The intrusion of doubts doesn't mean that God has ceased to care.
4. The inquirer needs to reflect on God's goodness demonstrated in the past, to remember evidences of God's faithfulness in his or her own life and in the lives of others. This will help to reassure him or her. A renewal of faith is in order. He or she needs to begin to trust God's promises again, to dwell on the Bible, and to believe God. Jesus said, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29).
5. Pray for renewal, asking that the caller confess any doubts to God and pray for a dynamic faith.