The Refreshing Power of Sharing Your Faith: Responsibility to Share

Eli, listening to a new beginning with Greg Laurie, a podcast supported by harvest partners for more ways to deepen and challenge your spiritual walk and roll and pastor breaks free online courses sign and harvest.alert is the real reward that I had a paper route with the stingray was to deliver my Job was allowed to be in the news. My job was to deliver you is our job to deliver the good new pastor Greg Laurie says it's imperative to make sure that lifesaving new you simple message to give your job and realm of evangelism is the claw today on the new beginning. Greg Laurie said is privilege and responsibility shared by all in recent days he's been pointing out the tremendous lessons we can learn from Jonah success. It was the most successful evangelistic gathering, six practical lessons we can learn the story. Jonah the book of Jonah is a story of a massive Bible that came about through the efforts of one man and that man was Jonah. He was called to preach to Nineveh, which was a great city. We read and Jonah 12. Jonah said I don't want to go preach to that great city so that we read in Jonah 14 God sent a great win.

And then that when brought a storm and Jonah was ultimately swallowed by a great fish Jonah 117 but the ultimate story of Jonah is about a great God, who showed great love to allow city like Nineveh, God turned around 300,000 people through one man, how was he able to do this. It started with Jonah himself. Of course he was swallowed by. Maybe the whale or whatever that creature was it was in the belly of that whale. The Jonah had a personal revival. It was there that he repented of his sin and recommitted himself to the Lord and was willing to do with the Lord and called them to do number two Jonah went to where the people were Jonah went to where the people were Jonah 33 says John obeyed the word of the Lord went to Nineveh none Nineveh was a very large city it took three days to go through it. Jonah began by going that day's journey into the city, crying 40 more days and Nineveh will be overthrown that we read these words, the Ninevites believed God listen we need to go to unexpected people and unexpected places to share with them what will be an unexpected message and this is the thing is Kristin for not called isolate were called to infiltrate and were called to permeate number three are message.

The message of the gospel must be delivered with urgency and must be delivered with urgency. Notice it says in Jonah 34 as he entered the city, he cried out 40 days and Nineveh will be overthrown. He cried out, this is by the way, not the first time the Jonah crime. He also cried out in the belly of the fish. Jonah 2 we read Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish's belly and he said I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction and he answered me out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice are you in a time of affliction. Are you in a time of difficulty. Are you in a time of trial.

Cry out to the Lord. Jeremiah 33 three says call out to me that I will answer you, says the Lord's house so you great and mighty things that you do not know Jonah took the desperation he felt in the belly of the sea creature and channeled it and what God had called him to do in bringing the message to the people of Nineveh.

Jonah had been transformed in the fishes belly.

Jonah should have died in the fishes belly. He had been saved and preserved by God. Jonah was a resurrection man and people cannot argue with the transformed life. Jonah should have been dead but he was alive and well. Because of this there was an urgency.

There was a passion and what he was saying to you an urgency and a passion and reaching other people. Jonah certainly had it.

There was an authenticity in his voice. He was a changed man. As I pointed out he probably was also a bleached man who smelled of vomit. Perhaps in fish, but he had a mission that he was going to fulfill that mission and the people of Nineveh could see this was a resurrection man. This was a man brought back from the dead is a lot of power in your personal story and I want to talk about that a little bit in our next message from the series that we call refresh and how to tell your personal story you share your faith with others.

Point number four. We are to preach the message he has given us on our own message our own version of the gospel the message she has given us first to hearing Jonah 3 says, go to Nineveh, that great city and preached with the message it I give to you. God is giving you a simple message to give you your job is to deliver the message.

I used to be a paperboy and I had a paper route and I had a really cool bicycle. It was a Schwinn stingray with the handlebars sometimes are called eight hangers at a rollbar, a banana, see, and best of all a stick shift, a stick shift on a bicycle.

I don't even think they would allow that today, but I have my bags holding my newspapers cruise around my Schwinn stingray and my objective was to deliver the paper. I got pretty good. Clearing the hedges, and sideways rolled over the top throw the underhanded throw you know a good pretty good at it. So my job was not to write the news. My job is not to be in the news. My job was to deliver the news that still my job. My job is to deliver the good news of the gospel. I don't need to add to it.

I don't need to take away from it and that brings me back to my next point we must declare the gospel Nellis by the luxury of time. I'll take the time to hang out with the person talk with and get to know them enter their world.

I won't hit them immediately with both gospel barracks might be a time of just sowing the seed might be a time of watering the seed that someone else so of the gospel in their heart and might be a time to reap. There have been times in the Lord has directed me to ask a person Pointblank. Would you like to accept Jesus Christ. Right now it doesn't happen all that often, but I think of one time when I was out to lunch with some of the pastors from our church and the server was helping us and she took our order. She said you guys are from the church here in town.

Harvest right yes we are. Yes, she said, I'm thinking of coming out to your church. One year service times because I need to get right with God, and I felt prompted by the Lord, right then and there to ask her a question. I said would you like to get right with God right here right now. She little surprises gutter tray.

You know that here I said yeah you could pray right here and right now and commit your life to Jesus Christ, she set her tray down and said yes I would like to do that. I was able to lead that server to the Lord. Now that's not normally what happens to me, but there are those moments of the Lords is doing now. Other times are just sowing the seed were watering the seed so if you have the luxury of time do that. But let's contrast that to a different scenario figure in a plane and all for the engines were out in the plane was on fire and it was headed to the earth so you know your time is limited. I hope you would've the presence of mind to proclaim the gospel you don't have time to turn your seatmate is safe will tell me a little bit about yourself where you live. I know not telling the gospel.

There's an urgency that was the case with Jonah, he had basically 40 days to reach 300,000 people.

So with this urgency. He went and preached this message. Let me say something about preaching because the Bible says that we should preach the word and be persistent. Whether the time is favorable or not we are to preach the word preaching doesn't mean yell preaching this proclamation.

Maybe you elevate your voice to be heard by a large crowd. Maybe you're talking to people one on one.

I've actually seen Christians like preaching yelling at Pete that's Craig don't do that calm down lower your volume. Listen more and lovingly share in an understandable way that things that they need to hear the primary way that God is chosen to reach nonbelievers is to the verbal articulation of the gospel. You may preach it. You may text it.

You may tweet it. You may share it conversationally, but the idea is I tell people that there is a God in heaven loves them and sent his son Jesus Christ to die in the cross for their sin and Christ rose again from the dead three days later. Listen to this is only two things the Bible tells us have power. It's God himself and the gospel. The gospel in particular because we read over in Romans 116. Paul says I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God on their salvation to everyone who believes.

So the word for power that Paul uses is the Greek word do limits story is told of a man name Alfred Nobel kid invented this material that exploded there never been anything like it before.

What would he call this explosive device.

He talked to a friend who knew Greek and a Nobel ask him what is the Greek word for explosive power, and the man said it would do limits and so he called it dynamite so there is dynamic doing in this explosive power in the simple message of the gospel to Greg Laurie will have the second half of this message in just a moment. Sometimes, we can always make it to church when here's the good news church is coming to you is coming due on your TV screen or on your tablet or your computer or even your phone. We do it every weekend and it's called Harvest at Home.

We were seven. We have a message of the word of God. If you want to find out more, just go to harvest.org enjoy this this weekend for harvest at all. Concentrating on the gospel today.

The good news of God's love, Pastor Greg is basing our studies in Jonah chapter 3 the gospel what is the gospel. We talked about the gospel low. I love the gospel I live by the gospel. We should preach the gospel. Do we know what the gospel is, why do we make the gospel so complex it isn't.

What is a word gospel me literal translation, good news, it's good news.

Why do we make the good news, bad news in the way we deliver it the way we distort it the way we lead parts out of it. No deliver the explosive dynamic dynamite gospel of good news to people know sometimes before we can appreciate the good news we have to first know the bad news heard about two old guys love to play baseball and they wondered whether it be baseball and heaven so they made a deal of one of them went to heaven first. He would somehow communicate with the other and tell him whether or not there was baseball in heaven.

Well, one of the friends pass than a week later he spoke to his buddy still on the earth through the clouds. He said buddy I've got good news for you. There's baseball in heaven. His friend was so overjoyed, Lisa's brother got some bad news to hear pitching on Friday. That's a joke that never have. But good news and bad to hear the bad news you're a sinner I'm a sinner were all sinners. The Bible says in Romans 323 we've all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We also read in first John 18 if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. Don't assume that your listener will necessarily know what sin is she you may have to help them with this in the Bible is sin can be translated different ways. One word that the Bible uses for sin is translated trespass and that means across the line so using the little signs in the park. No trespassing right so you want to immediately step over it and step on the grass urban says don't touch what you want to touch it, don't you so trespass is to deliberately cross the line but another translation of the word sin from the Greek word hard Mantia means to miss the mark. Let's imagine were having a game of archery together and you go first and you fire all 10 arrows into that target, but none hit the bull's-eye so you missed the mark.

Now let's say that I step up with my 10 arrows and I miss the target altogether hit a cow over in the field, hit a building I had a bird flying over so I missed the mark. No, that I miss the mark more than you missed the mark. Yes, but the goal is to get the bulls in the bull's-eye's perfection. So when the Bible says they sin or miss the mark means I fallen short of God's standard for humanity. What is that perfection so Virgil might fit you well you perfect. Your answer must be no that's her Jesus comes because God knew I could not ship the smart God knew I could not be a perfect person and by the way, someone might say, well, I'm a good person and you might be surprised to hear me say I will necessarily dispute that I would not say no you're not a good person.

You're a bad person not safe.

I'm sure your good person that you know what you're not good enough to get to heaven because you missed the mark with. Here's the good news. Jesus died on the cross for your sin.

Romans 56 as God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us. We were still sinners. Here's the first.

Every Christian should memorize get this in your brain. John 316 for God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have ever lasting life that's the gospel in a nutshell sure that message was somewhat of you know John 316. You are effectively armed and dangerous. One last point, Jonah's message was unapologetic biblical directive from God Almighty and so is the gospel, and so as we proclaim this message of Jesus.

He's not one of many options.

He's the only choice. Another verse you want to memorize. John 14 six Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life and no man comes of the father but through me.

There's only one way to come into this relationship of God because the Bible says there is no other name given under heaven whereby a man can be saved.

The greatest revival in the history of the world came to Nineveh because Jonah proclaim God's message and not what they necessarily wanted to hear, let me close by saying I challenge you to leave your comfort zone. I encourage you to go to your Nineveh, so to speak and engage people in conversations about Jesus of talk about this more next time, let me just close with this. Maybe as you're watching this, you have not believe the gospel. What is the gospel again. It's good news the gospel says God loves you and God has a plan for you and it says God will forgive you of all of your sin but you must admit you're a sinner, you must ask Jesus Christ to come in your life to be your Savior and Lord, and you can do that right here right now. Jesus, who died on the cross and rose again from the dead three days later stands at the door of your life in the not the says if you hear his voice and open the door to come in one day the people came to Jesus and said we want to see America we want to see a sign. Here's what Christ said no sign will be given you, but that of the prophet Jonah that as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the year. In other words, Jesus is you want to sign here it is. I died on the cross for your sin and I rose again from the dead, you might so come on Greg you just do a miracle, something to impress me, then I would believe. Show me and I'll believe Jesus in effect says believe and I'll show you this is the message you been looking for. This is the answer you wanted in life.

It's a relationship with God through Jesus who can come and live in your life and listen forgive you of all of your sin, you can put your past behind you and have a new beginning, a fresh start, but you need Jesus to do that.

So the moment I'm going to pray I'm the lead of prayer, and I would ask any of you that are watching right now who have never asked Jesus to come in your life you don't have the confidence that you go to heaven when you die you have guilt that you carry around with you. I would ask you to pray this prayer with me. You could print out loud if you like you could pray quietly but say this to the Lord. If you want Jesus to come into your life right now.

Let's pray together for these words. Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner but I know you are the Savior who died on the cross for my sin and rose again from the dead. I turn from my sin. Now I choose to follow you from this moment forward as my Savior and my Lord my God, my friend.

Thank you for hearing this prayer in answering this Jesus name I pray for Greg Lord important prayer for those making a decision for the Lord on today's addition of a new beginning. And if you just pray that prayer and meant those words.

Sincerely, the Lord has heard you and forgiven you of your sin. The Bible tells us he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness and we want to help you get started in your newfound face want to send you pastor Greg's new believers growth packet. It'll help answer the questions you might have and help you build a solid foundation for your face will send it without any charge. Just ask for it as you write a new beginning.

Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call us anytime at 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org pastor Greg back when I was a young Christian contemporary Christian music, or as we called it. Then Jesus music was sort of a soundtrack for my life and that I remember the very first Christian band I saw. I believe it was mustard seed faith audience at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa right do you remember the first Christian band you so yeah I would say it was probably love song, but I became friends of all the guys a love song just saw them recently course load and fun for mustard seed faith.

A Louis McVeigh Pedro Buford than the other individuals work in the bent of the years but the great little band.

I did a lot of ministry with them.

Traveled a lot of places with them and I was amazed Dave had and how music kid open a crowd up. You know you get a crowd of people just ending around the bend gets up starts playing. What I would call anointed music music that God had his hand on you know you think of the story of Saul, the king of Israel who is being tormented by demons in the Bible tells us that David not yet the king still is shepherd boy would come in the play.

The stringed instrument. Today we might call it an electric guitar and he would play his guitar and sing songs of praise to God, and it would bring temporary comfort to King Saul and to me that is the power of music that God has his hand on it can open the heart of a person is is one of the reasons why, in our events and of course in our church.

We we put a focus on really well done Christian music because I believe it's a great way to reach people and to build a bridge to people so I thought and its origins to the present day, and I would say this, Dave. I think Christian music is come so far that in many ways it surpasses secular music.

I don't mean lyrically, I mean in the melodies in the production.

It's at least as good if not better. A lot of the secular stuff you're hearing out there right now, so maybe you've wondered how did this all start I have a book for you. It's called the Jesus music. It's brand-new and it's written by my friend Marshall Terrell Marshall and I have co-written three books together and were working on a Fort Marshall is a great researcher, an excellent writer. So he takes us back to the very origins of Jesus music to the present day of what we call contemporary Christian music to get to get a little history on this music we listen to and you're going to learn more about some of the artists you've come to love.

These are not perfect people. These are flawed people that God is used. People like you and me. You get to be fascinated by this book called the Jesus music hardbound glossy pages.

Lots of photographs interesting stories in history about this music that we have all come to love and will send you your own copy for your gift of any size and let me just say the reason we offer these quality resources is so we can just help you encourage you and bless you, but also it's a way for you to support our ministry because as you can imagine, it takes money to be on the radio and we want to continue to reach you in your area and going to new areas were not on yet. So when you order one of these resources like the Jesus music and you send a gift to us. We put that gift to work, but as a way of saying thanks we send you something of value like this book were sending this time called the Jesus music.

So for your gift of any size, you'll get your own copy, and I know it will be a blessing to you, really well. So get in touch today with your donation and be sure to ask for the Jesus music is the kind of book you will be able to put down and you might want to give a copy to a friend. Maybe you're looking for a good Christmas gift for a family member again is called the Jesus music that were only able to mention this. A short time longer ask for it when you send your contribution today to a new beginning. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call us anytime 24 hours a day at 1-800-821-3300.

That's 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest God for the next time more insights on doing our part sharing the gospel series called refresh continue join us here on a new beginning.

Pastor and Bible teacher Greg Moore and a new beginning as a podcast, made possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God if this show has impacted your life. Share your story leverage you on your favorite podcast and help others find help