The Gospel is Only Good News If It Gets There on Time: Everybody Needs Jesus

You are listening to a new beginning with Greg Laurie, a podcast made possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God. Visit our website and learn more about harvest partners@harvest.org, where should we sure were over. There is no right place the wrong place to share the good news is read Maurice's we just need to get the message out to your circle of influence.

This way we call it dualism rental is an FRA for your friends are your relatives a go to your associate and go to your neighbors friends Alyssa go to all of your world reach the gospel with Greg Laurie, Richard, speakers of the harvest people are brought face-to-face with the whole Christ today as Pastor Rick continues his practical series called someone who gets it easy to follow instruction on sharing the hope of Christ more effectively you ever felt you needed some help in this area is on the way today.

Your Bible is open, ready to join. I was probably about two weeks old, and the Lord just put my faith in Jesus Christ. Like the pastor say we should go out and share our faith with others what I got that I two weeks. The Bible knowledge of my head I'm ready for anything so I went out on the beach of Newport 10 I was a young kid I was around 17 at the time.

I have long hair and I was looking for someone to talk to and I fight from the middle-aged woman about the age of my mother about you might be nice to me. Somehow, so I walked up to her and is very nervous knowing your boy started shakes and you can't control it when you're nervous so I walked up that I having a nervous breakdown click go.

I talk to you like about God and stuff. She says okay so I sat down and I was so new at this I hadn't even memorized the contents of the little booklet I was carrying around with me so I pull up this little booklet that I literally started reading it verbatim for spiritual laws.

Copyright 1964. While one God loves you and is a wonderful plan for your life law to you're a sinner and I'm just reading through this booklet at this point I'm thinking almost like I stepped outside of myself and I said Greg what are you doing are you crazy this woman living in a listen to you when you shouldn't even be here nothing of this is just a train wreck. This is horrible and I just kept reading because I wanted to get it over with and be able to at least say I shared my faith today so I went and I get to toward the end of the booklet. I'm relieved because Rome is that identity will want to make eye contact with this woman, knowing that she would surely be rolling her eyes. Not at all. She was actually listening.

I got to the end of the booklet. There's a question you should ask is a really good reason why you should not accept Jesus Christ right now as I read that. Then realize over the question is are oh is a really good reason why he should not accept Jesus Christ right now. She looked at me and said no electric no way, no descending, ma'am you want to accept Jesus Christ right now I'd like a great plan for success so I said Lord Bauer had for a word of pride for the pastor do that to close rise. I'm frantically searching. This booklet what do I do now and I find a little prayer in a letter in the prayer to show you how I was still liking the bait. As I'm leaving her in the spreadsheet, praying it out loud after me. I'm thinking this isn't going to work. But as I was done with the prayer we said amen. We both open her eyes and she said something just happened to me. I looked at her nice and some just happen to me to not she would challenge me with one heart question. Hoda crashed and burned on the spot. But here's the reason I bring this story up to show that here.

I was very naïve young kid who just took a little step of faith that said Lord hears me and I saw how God could work through my life.

And if God could do that there's someone who knew as little as I knew at that point. Surely God can work through some of you who know the Lord. Five, 10, 15 years you've attended countless Bible studies. You read the Bible for all these years, you have more inside your head than you think you do and we are told in Scripture.

Of course the going to all the world and preach the gospel but another thing we need to understand this is a blessing in this Proverbs 1130 says the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he did win souls is why God would not have said that if you were not able, by the power of the Holy Spirit to win souls that over in Daniel 12. Three. It says those who are wise will shine as bright as this guy. Those who turn many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever.

Someone to talk to you about the who is and who should be sharing their faith and then the who should we be sharing our faith with in the where we should be sharing our faith and finally the where and as and when should we be doing it number one who who should be telling others about Jesus. Real simple answer. You and me were all called to do that. So we already covered that. Now here's the next question. Who should we share the gospel with every one everyone needs to hear the gospel.

There are no exceptions. I don't care if the person is affluent or impoverished, or if there handsome or not as attractive or younger of their old of the remand of the woman. It really doesn't matter doesn't matter what race they are with social economic background the art. Everybody needs Jesus, we agreed on that. Everybody needs Jesus tell you something about every person walking this earth right now without even knowing them.

I know this is true. Number one, everyone walking this earth is empty. There were empty inside. The Bible teaches that God effectively created us with a boy in our life. It tells us that the creation was made subject to emptiness. Pascal had a right when he said, quote the God see document and every life that only God can fill." Number to everyone's lonely unit with the top words are that are Google late at night, the top words that are entered into Google late at night are this porn lonely suicide.

Selah porn pornography, lonely suicide see people are searching for answers right now. I read about a retail chain I just commissioned a survey by a team of psychologists because the chain wanted to know how to reach their key customer demographic generation Y, that's everyone born after 1981 the interviewed 800 people. The results were so startling they went back and re-interviewed another 800 people, and these results provided an alarming picture of an increasingly lonely and lost generation. They said the average Facebook use it for generation Y is 6 1/2 hours a day. They concluded that this is a large group of people that a number of friends, but an increasing sense of loneliness by friends I mean Facebook friends. By the way most people in your Facebook page. They are not your friends.

Number three.

Everyone feels guilt. Now they may deny the existence of guilt and they say I don't feel guilty but they do feel guilty because they were made in the image of God or you can harden your heart to a point right.

Suppose you don't feel it, but initially there is guilt and is because our conscience is working in the Bible says the reason we feel guilt is very simple were guilty. We've sinned against God, but were told in Romans 215. They demonstrate the God's law is written within the by their own consciences, telling them that what they're doing is right or not right. Number four. There's a universal fear of death. Everyone has at all. Some of a lot of outward bravado in this am not afraid to die. They are the Bible speaks of those who are held by slavery by the fear of death. Death is the fear of the unknown. It's been said, there are two unchallengeable each true things of every person we all want to be happy were all going to die. So let's order summit up. Here's what I know about every person, no matter how wealthy, powerful, beautiful, famous for. We ordinary they're all empty or all lonely they all feel guilt and they're all afraid to die.

So I am called to bring the gospel to those people whom I called to bring it to whosoever Jesus said in John 316 for God so loved the world that say that together for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have ever lasting you guys know John 316.

Well, I'm impressed you know what you're armed and dangerous. Already you got John 316 memorized you can do some serious damage to the kingdom of darkness, for the kingdom of God. We need to be prepared to share the gospel with everyone. But what if the person who needs Jesus the most is not really a friend more of an enemy with pastor Greg answers that question in just a moment, everybody Greg Laurie here. You know my uncle Fred Jordan that one of the first Christian TV programs out there. It was called church in the home. I remember watching it as a little boy when I was living with my grandparents we have church in the home for you every weekend. It's called harvest that you can find it@harvest.org we have worship in a message of God's word. So join us this weekend for harvested home harvest.will today. Pastor Greg is passing along practical insight on how we can share the hope of Christ most effectively and he continues his counsel now number three.

Where should we share the gospel. Where should we share the gospel.

Simple answer wherever wherever going to all the world and preach the gospel.

That's what Christ said, let's personalize it going to all of your world and preach the gospel going to your family and preach the gospel going your workplace and preach the gospel going to your neighborhood and preach the gospel go to your campus and preach the gospel going to all of your world.

Think of it this way, we call it friend Julissa friend Julissa to simple way to remember for Angela's and FRA NF is for go to your friends are. Go to your relatives a go to your associates and go to your neighbors friend Julissa you know someone named Fran out there right take the gospel to them.

That's were called to do know maybe you have a neighbor that really irritates you, and you don't want to take the gospel to them that there might be someone you're thinking of right now that you sort of think of is an enemy. Why don't want to share Jesus with them. When the second would not be the perfect person to share with did not Jesus tell us to love our enemies would that not be an amazing way to turn an enemy into a potential friend was Abraham Lincoln. That said, quote the best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend." Matt's trip. Listen if you want to take the gospel to someone you dislike, you're not alone. The prophet Jonah comes to mind for him. God told him to go to the nation of Nineveh and to preach to them and Jonah flat out refused.

Why will the Ninevites with the enemies of Israel and they happen to be known for their exceptional cruelty. There were almost like the precursors to the Nazis. In some ways even worse, they would not only kill the people that they conquered but they would skin them alive and they would take their schools and stacked them up as monuments to their horrid accomplishments. This is a city that was so wicked, God said that psycho and overflowing trash can. They stink to high heaven. So God says the Jonah go to Nineveh and preach to them. Jonah didn't want to do because he was a patriotic Israelite and the Ninevites were the enemies of Israel, and he reason.

If I go to them, they might repent and God will spare them, but if I don't go to them, they won't repent and God will destroy them.

That's one less enemy. We have two deal with. So we got about going to the opposite direction set up going to Nineveh as God commanded he went to a place called harshest. He chickened out. Jonah was the original chicken of the Sea. Here's what happened. God said go Jonah said no. God said oh Kenny swallowed by this sea creature in their inside of the valley of this piece he saw Pinocchio note run start that so for three days and three nights. He defied God seaweed wrapped around him for smacking them in the face humiliated like you to believe he refused to break polysilicon ticket anymore. All right. Lord, I'll do what you want me to do the Lord directed the great fish to regurgitate Jonah on the shores of Nineveh, talk about having a dramatic entrance. You know you some Ninevites down at the beach, catching some rays chicken officer if it's really nice. All of a sudden what what is that boat but whale thing is huge and he comes up. Hope it is not helpful everybody Jonah here 40 days and Nineveh will be overthrown.

Whatever dude you stink so bad.

Just keep your distance. So Jonah began his little ministry, warning the people. So Jonah was repentant in the regurgitate he believed now he was barf he was righteous and Jesse was Ralph. That's right right at the place he did not want to go to is my question to you is there someone that the Lord is been nudging you to share the gospel with and you have been saying no. One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the story of Hadas. She was the great beauty queen as it turns out in the nation of Persia. The Queen was thrown out so the king wanted a new queen about a best way to do it.

Let's find the prettiest girls in the kingdom and I'll pick one of those and so all the beautiful young ladies were brought into the palace there and some were selected to be sorted presented to the king and they went get out of the hole treatment and got all the beauty treatments and so forth then and there.

Finally brought out and the one that shined above all the others, was the Jewish girl Hadas. I think it wasn't just her outward beauty. I think it was that inner quality to and we know her better is Queen Esther, so she became the cleanup.

This is a fairytale. I would've ended with these words, and they lived happily ever after I might've been a couple of talking animals or something, but this is the fairytale.

This is a true story of the nation of Israel suddenly of Dylan emerges more sinister than any child story would produce. He has applied to exterminate the Jews. His name was Heyman. He gets the king to unwittingly sign the decree that if you are Jewish you will be put to death not realizing as he find out that the king was effectively sentencing his own pitiful Queen Esther to death as well. Lester didn't know about a man she's living in the lap of luxury.

She's being pampered she's up there in the palace had sore uncle Mordecai wants to bring it to her attention and eat goes and stands outside of the policies governing sackcloth and ashes like hello Esther, things are not so good out here for us in your people and summits is your uncle Mordecai's out there and he's all dirty will here send them some clean clothes. Talk about missing the point.

So Mordecai send her a message and here's what he says if you keep quiet at a time like this.

Deliverance and relief of the Jews will arise from some other place but you and your relatives will die. Listen.

Who knows, or perhaps you were made queen for such a time as this is paraphrase Esther this is your wake up call. You're in a position to potentially save your people love you don't do it, God will find someone else. Seasonal grid that's nice. What does that have to do with evangelism.

Did you ever stop and think that you are where you are right now because God to their because maybe you don't like your circumstances, you know, like the people that are around you know like your neighbors. You know like the people you have to work next to I you have trouble with that. Did it ever occur to you that maybe God is put you where you are at this moment for such a time this Greg Lord pivotal question about where we are and how God might want to use us. God is a plan for each one of us pastor Greg will have a final comment from today's message.

Today's addition of a new beginning. Concludes our current studies are part of Pastor Greg series called tell someone because of the importance of this information. Pastor Greg has developed an online training course that corresponds with the series.

It's a six week course that comes to you a lesson per week via email and it's absolutely free at the end of six weeks.

You can be fully equipped and ready to share your faith, just as Jesus has commanded us all to do. Learn more about the free tell someone training course by going to harvest.org will investigate when we hear objections to the faith.

How do we know if they really are stuck on a particular factor idea and there in search of an explanation, or if they really don't even want to talk about religion, then there just in search of an exit from the conversation we know that's a hard question to answer because sometimes people will hide behind so-called intellectual arguments, but they really want you to talk to them, use myself as an illustration when I was a kid I used to hang around by the pier in Newport Beach. I was going the wrong direction in life. I was on drugs. I was empty and I saw these Christians walking around handing out little booklets and I really wanted one of them to engage me, but I had this tough guy façade that they apparently went for and they would walk by me and just look at me for a moment, just give me this little booklet and walk off.

No one would talk to me. I was literally saying would someone please talk to me so I never threw any of these things away. I went home and I had a drawer that was sort of like Mike God drawer if you will. Every piece of religious literature I was given one in the store so it gospel tracts information from the watchtower Society things that Mormons Rd., Hare Krishna writings, you name it.

It was in there and every now and then I would pull this little drawer out dump it on my bed and I would try to make sense of it and really I wanted answers but I needed someone to engage me and tell me listen, I've got a resource for you that's going to help you tell people more about your faith and engage them in a way that will answer those intellectual questions but also point them to Jesus Christ. It's called person of interest written by J Warner Wallace. What I love about this book. Jim is you've illustrated that your graphic designer in almost every page has an illustration of some kind. So it really breaks it down in an understandable way is called person of interest why Jesus still matters in a world that rejects the Bible and you described it to me as a kids book for an adult elaborate on that you have the ideas that we become such a visual learners and such visual concerns of media that all of us trying to figure out ways that how do we and kids books. I love them because they are about 50-50 text to illustration sovereign a few kids books now so now think I was writing this book. I just no longer satisfied even as an adult would not been able to see the case like I can make this visual yeah I tried table, 82% of of these are scientists in the 15th century were Christians. What I showed you every one of them in the election year ago that's that's really that sorrowful night journey to see it, so the numbers don't mean as much as actually seeing that they areas are assigned to. So we want to be able to provide something that I can kid, I grew again were doing and like you I say sometimes just the Bible's heart there places in the Bible that needs someone to translate them guys are going to make them accessible to us. That's what you do so well were trying to submit similar hear difficult concepts.

How do we throw them in a way that people can catch them, well if you want to get a copy of this we can send it to you for your gift of any size whatever you send will use to continue our ministry here in the radio through a new beginning and the title of this book again is person of interest, written by former detective J. Warner Wallace you get so much out of this book personally but also what a powerful tool in helping you share the Lord with others through the convincing text and the practical illustrations will begin to see the uniqueness of Christ and his plan of salvation and will send you this brand-new book person of interest to thank you for partnering with us, so new beginning can continue coming your way each day. It's only through listener support that's possible. So please contact us today at a new beginning. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call 1-800-821-3300. That's a 24 hour phone number 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org will, as we close, we return to the story of Queen Esther, who was put in the king's palace for such a time as this. Here's Pastor Greg see we can be like Queen Esther, sort of living in a Christian Bible and were out of touch with people that don't know the Lord, you know, we could have in the morning and we made our devotions and we listen to Christian radio and you know we all go to church and and then we fellowship with other believers and we go need in a restaurant that owned and run by Christians, we Christian food and then wait you know, put on our Christian close. I'm not put these things down, but maybe our goal is to have no contact whatsoever with the nonbeliever and talk about missing what God wants us to do and were isolated from reality. That's where Esther was and she needed that. Wake up call so we all need that wake-up call and I wonder if there's somebody right now God is telling us to speak to religious stop for a moment right here I'm looking to print out this because I believe that we stop and pray that the Lord will speak to our hearts and someone will come to mind that we need to be thinking about and we need to be engaging with the gospel and might be your mother or your father might be your son or your daughter about your cousin might be your neighbor might be a coworker might be someone you come into contact with on a semi regular basis. Let's pray right now about who the Lord would have us to go to spray father you've called us to go out into our world sometimes were isolated and insulated and we are not permeating the culture as we ought to Lord, there might be someone right.

Nothing you want us to speak to.

Maybe it's a server in the restaurant may be it's a person that we see every other day.

Maybe it's a person we not even met yet, but you're going to put it on our heart Lord help us to be obedient and responsive to your we want to respond to opportunities that, for such a time to stop complaining about our circumstances. Instead, take advantage of them and reach people the gospel. We ask this in Jesus name and cast with meat by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God learn how to become harvest partner sign up for daily devotions and find resources to help you grow in your faith harvest.org