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August 8, 2013 6:54 pm
Harvest messages are brought to you by harvest partners to receive free email daily devotions or to become harvest partners, please visit us online@harvest.org what I thought it would talk about how to lead others to Christ. Okay, so grab your Bible inserted John chapter 4 John chapter 4 not told you the story before. And if you've heard it a bear with me, but some of you haven't heard it, and it illustrates my point.
Right after I became a Christian at age 17 I heard that I was supposed to God and share my faith but I was very young in my faith I wasn't raised in the church. Everything I was hearing.
I was gearing up for the first time, but I believe that God wanted to use me to bring others to himself.
I didn't know enough to even have doubts about that.
So I went out on the beach at Newport arm with a copy of the four spiritual laws, everything the little booklet but on my Campus Crusade for Christ. I was so new at this I hadn't even memorized the contents of the booklet so I was looking for someone to talk to and I saw this middle-aged lady probably younger than me now, but our seasons are she was younger than that I am now. That's what I meant to say but does she look about the age of my mom and I thought maybe so be nice to me. You know, and I walked up I pretty long hair and use your imagination. I did hear in my eyes the whole thing so I walked up I was really nervous. I said excuse me because I just talk you a little bit. Then she said okay and so I sat down and I just started reading the booklet to her. I'm I didn't even memorizes the site okay will break page 1 copyright and Institute for chemistry for God loves you and is a wonderful plan for your life which are separated from him by your sin in the head and I just went through this booklet and as I was reading through it. I'm thinking to myself what are you doing do you actually think this is going to work. This is insane, and I look up at her and she was just looking at me. She didn't seem like he was super excited about what it was saying or rejecting what it was saying she was just staring at me like okay and I got to the end of the booklet and little question. Is there is there any good reason why you should not accept Jesus Christ.
So I I read it. Is there any good reason why you should not accept Jesus Christ and looked up and she said no. I said no right is getting ready read the next phrase in the dunamis. This lady wants to accept Christ. Right now, so I looked and I said so you're saying you want to become a Christian. She said yes I do something that spent test and inside I am freaking out like what am I going to do now. I have not plan for success. I have plan for failure. So the most reverent tone I could find. I said let's put our heads toward a prayer for to close their eyes and I'm frantically searching. This booklet for a prayer and I find one, and I leader in the prayer and even design, leaving her in this prayer. I'm thinking to myself this is not going to work. She's not going to really become a Christian.
It couldn't be as simple as as there's no way I finally get to the end of the prayer in Jesus name, amen and she says amen and she looked up at me and she said some just happened to me and I said yes just happened to me too. I thought God can use someone like me know faithfully. She didn't have many hard questions I would've had the answers but I just took a little step of faith. And what do I tell you that story because I only have five stories and that's one of the I tell you that story to show you any Christian can lead someone to Christ, we will you overcomplicate this thing called evangelism and there's a stat that I read that said 95% of all Christians have never led another person to Christ friends. This should not be. I'm telling you, you can and you should be leading people to the Lord. Maybe not thousands, maybe not hundreds, but as the Lord opens up opportunities. I believe God can use you in this way and that's what I want to talk about tonight. So let's let's pray together now. Father, we want to be people that you would work through. We want to see men and women Boys and Girls Club lead in Jesus. So tonight we pray that you will equip us to do just that.
We commit this time a Bible study to you now in Jesus name we pray. They met okay bravely I want to talk you about those girls aware of the what and the why and the how of sharing your faith.
Let's start with those who who was supposed to share their faith. Does anybody have an answer. Your rights, we'll Jesus gave his marching orders to his church that saws going to all the world and preach the gospel and in the original languages I told you before that address to every one that's addressed to those in so-called ministry, but it's addressed to every follower of Jesus were all called to do this.
There are no exemptions number two where are we to preach the gospel where answer everywhere in Mark's gospel there is a variation on the great commission that I just referred to for Matthew 28 pieces going to all the world and preach the gospel to personalize it. We could say going all of your world and preach the gospel with your family, your workplace, your camp is your sphere of influence. I want to do.
Notice it says: preach the gospel. It doesn't say going just be a good example because sometimes I'll hear Chris and say what I believe in lifestyle evangelism. I believe if I just live the life and follow the Lord. Others will see it in the outcome and asked me about my faith won't listen. I believe a lifestyle evangelism to I think you should love it and I think it's a great complement. When a nonbeliever comes up, you'll want to know why you're different. However, that should not take the place of preaching the gospel, the great commission is not go be a good example.
The great commission is going to wall the world and preach the gospel okay so that's a command from God, where we to do it everywhere. Why art really come back to another point. Some would say well I'm not comfortable doing that. I don't want to push anything down anyone's throat. Okay, when the second. Let's just say that you're a scientist and you just discovered a cure for cancer. One pill taken one time immediately kills all cancer in a person's body no what are you going to do with that.
I hope that you go tell people, especially cancer patient but would you say well I don't really know if I should go to a cancer patient push this on them yet. When that be a little too aggressive.
No, I think it would really appreciate that. Don't you in the gospel, even more so don't push it, proclaim it number three where we to do this because it is intelligible for God's primary way of reaching nonbelieving people is through people. First Corinthians 121 and the wisdom of God the world to wisdom did not know God please God through the foolishness of the message preached the same. Those who believe. But there's another reason as well, and that is we don't want to see people go to hell.
How many of you believe there's a literal heaven razor.
Okay, how many of you believe there's a literal hell raiser. Hannah okay now how many of you believe what the Bible says about hell is true razor you okay now if this is the case, what are we doing to keep people out of hiding. If we really believe honestly that of a person rejects the gospel that they will go to hell would not make us want to be praying for them and doing everything we can to see them come to faith, I think so. Number four.
When are we to preach the gospel answer all the time. You must always be open to the leading of the Spirit, you never know when the door of opportunity will open. Paul writes to Timothy in second Timothy 42, he says preach the word of God. Be persistent. Whether the time is favorable or not is another translation puts it like this translation be on duty at all times. First Peter 315 says a set Christ apart as Lord in your hearts, and always be prepared to give to everyone an answer.
Always be prepared.
My wife Kathy and her friend Shelley were out writing their road bikes the other day and other clues in the PCH and they see this like what sort of book laying on the ground kind of the sort of a little book that a waitress would you, so they they were a little bit in The government we need to go back in and pick that thing up, belong to someone.
I think during Huntington at this point so they go back to pick it up.
They open it there's $90 cash in and there is a little receipt from an Applebee's restaurant and Kathy realizes this belongs to a waitress who was obviously lost it. So the waitress's name was not on it so they called the Applebee's restaurant that was listed there and the manager said all yeah that's on this girl and all men she's been going through really hard times lately would really be great. You know, if you return return.
Of course my wife and children can return it to this girl that they wanted to do so. They got the girls number they text her and said, will meet you back in Huntington so they look bad down this girl gave her this book back and she said hopefully you so much. I you don't know this is been the worst month ever. All these problems been happening to me and I want to give you guys a reward, and they say no, we don't want to reward you that your money nor were all but I want to do some for you.
My wife and give us five minutes to just talk to you about something that's really important to us because Kathy thought this is a divine appointment and wouldn't take advantage of it. Notice you know she's gonna listen to us as we give it back to us all good right so they share the gospel with this girl. She says it's so amazing you're telling you this because I just cried out and said daughter you even there. And in here. You guys are so they share the gospel told the girl how to accept Christ, and she prayed and gave her life to the Lord right there in the girls now attending our church and so here's my point were always looking for the big sign from heaven like I you know they assign a neon sign an arrow pointing go here now or something and I'll tell you a lot of times it just a little open doors you just look opening in a conversation looking for those opportunities are at with this in mind, let's come to the last question, how are we to do this and here's where the rubber meets the road.
This is work falls apart for many people making that connection with the nonbeliever and having a conversation. There is no better example on how to do evangelism then Jesus Christ himself. Not only was the God human form. Not only was it. He our Savior and our Lord.
But he also was the greatest communicator in the master communicator.
He shows us how to do it right here in John chapter 4. I'm another place. So let's read now this very familiar story of the conversation between Jesus and the woman at the well. He lived today for three and departed again to Galilee, but he needed to go through Samaria so we came to a city of Samaria, which is called psycho taking a drink of water to them and read about water in a meeting Thursday near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph were six. Not Jacob's well was there. I just need you all Thursday the ninth. Sorry Jacob's well was there, and Jesus therefore being wearied from his journey south us by the well.
It was about the sixth hour means 12 o'clock I woman of Samaria came to draw water and Jesus said to her, give me a drink versus I was gone away into the city to buy food. Then the woman of Samaria said to him, how is it that you mean that you would ask a drink for me, a Samaritan woman for Jews have no dealings with Samaritan Jesus answered and said to work if you knew the gift of God and who it is who says do you give me a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water. Okay, let's go back to verse four he needed to go through Samaria.
Now you can very easily miss the significance of that statement so little historical background will help us understand something number one no Orthodox Jew would ever go to Galilee through Samaria.
In fact, he would go out of his way to avoid Samaria. Why because the Jews as this woman said had no dealings with the Samaritans and the Samaritans had no dealings with the Jews using racial prejudice is nothing new. Clear back in these days there was this racial divide among these people but yet we read Jesus needed to go there so I find that interesting that he was willing to overcome a natural boundary. Secondly, this was a woman he was talking to an unexplained why that significant Jewish men of this culture often look down on women.
One of the prayers of that day of a religious Jewish man was. Thank you God.
I'm not a Gentile, but a Jew I'm not a slave but I'm free. I'm not a woman but a man, guys don't ever pray a prayer like that around a girl, you will not live to talk about how clearly this is wrong.
Okay, I'm not rationalizing and I just explaining it. So we overcome this second boundary a misogynist boundary if you will where he's willing to go to this woman and reach out to her and then add another layer to this situation and that is this woman was an outcast, morally, why because as we will see. She had been married and divorced five times and she was living with a man that was before they celebrated this sort of thing. It was scandalous super scandalous with this woman was doing so, Jesus overcomes a moral boundary overcomes the gender boundary overcomes a racial boundary effectively overcomes every boundary because he needed to go to this woman so who should we go to every body. In fact, the category we are to reach out to his so ever. Because the Bible says in John 316. Whosoever believes in him should not perish, EC, Jesus needed to go and we need to go where we need to go whenever to whosoever and when should we do it whenever so we need to go wherever to whosoever, whenever God directs us on the street. We need to go wherever to whosoever whenever God directs a C. Sometimes we only want to talk to people that we relate to man right. I will probably want to talk to certain kinds of people you remember when is a brand-new Christian I was only a few weeks on the Lord, but I felt the Lord was directing me to only share the gospel with cute girls and yeah I just thought I think these two girls need pricing cute girls do need Christ but everybody needs Christ right and I the Lord quickly convicted if this stupidest thing ever but you need to go to people that think you outside of your comfort zone.
Maybe they're older than you. Maybe they're younger than you.
Maybe they're richer than you.
Maybe they're poor than you. Maybe they're a different race and you maybe they're a different culture than you doesn't matter. Whosoever that's our category. So what do we learn from this example of Jesus. Point number one there on the screen.
If you're writing these things down. We have to go to where people are. We have to go to work. People are long before the creation of the world. It'd been settled in eternity that Jesus was going to meet a burned out a moral Samaritan woman that day.
She didn't realize it but she had an appointment with God and in the same way. We need to be praying for the Lord leaving so we will know when those appointments are coming and we want to infiltrate not isolate that your mission field. That grumpy neighbor and inquisitive coworker those unreceptive kids that mom and dad who do not yet know Jesus reminding ourselves that it wasn't. Not long ago did we were a person separated from God. So we want to go to these people. Number two. We need to use tact TA ECT tack Jesus the master of evangelist use something many Christians seriously lack What is tack well another word for this diplomacy sensitivity attacked is defined as skill and grace in dealing with others. I like the definition of tact from Isaac Newton. He said quote tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy okay so what is. I mean it means when I engage a nonbeliever.
My objective is to build a bridge not burn one and a lot of times evangelism ends before even get started because we on necessarily of any people always say really obnoxious things like dare you say and what is it even be I don't mean to you but to a nonbeliever thick, but you say, and I will even say were like are you signed anything. Are you saying I don't know what you mean, I like to be saved from you right now or something really loving like hey did you know you're going to hell now is that true technically will if they're not a Christian. It is, but is that a good way to start a conversation no.
I want you to notice that Jesus engaged in a dialogue with her, not a model see when I get up here. Sorry to break this to you. This is a monologue I talk you listen were not talking back and forth but when I engage a nonbeliever it's a dialogue on the model AI nine. I just I don't look open wheels and I want you sit there and listen is not that I'm talking when the males are going to me a little bit about yourself where you from you and Woody think about this Woody thing about that and you have to actually listen to a person cannot say one of the ones best ways are to get a conversation going is to ask a person about themselves because everyone's favorite subject is themselves. It's true. People love to talk about themselves so as I listen to a person I will like Them all I can believe you just said that no illicit is what I'm doing is I'm learning about this person. I'm getting to know this person because my objective is to appropriately apply the message of the gospel in their life, but I need to get to know them a little bit first. Sometimes want to go on their one of you will blow them out of the water with our gospel gun. That's not the object.
The objective is not to win the argument is to win the soul, then repeat that is to win the soul, not the argument there's a place or point and counterpoint obviously were going to defend our beliefs but no one is ever been argued into the kingdom of God. We need a tactful, friendly, engaging approach, like when Philip I was called to preach to a man from Ethiopia.
Kind of funny because the Lord is the development go to the desert eating to many other information, go to the desert so in others. Philip to stand around the desert. Okay, what now, and he sees a cloud of dust's entourage is moving toward women and here's obviously a foreign dignitary. I happen to be that a man from Ethiopia who was the treasurer. Sort of like state official, probably a little yellow flags on his chariot guys run alongside of it wearing sunglasses like Secret Service right okay baby was an important guy. He was a VIP and also some of the standing there and the guy from Ethiopia is reading out loud from Isaiah 53 and so Philip sees us all saying any walked up and says excuse me you understand what you're reading. Isaiah 53 is about the death of Jesus and the man said how can I unless someone shows me the way and he invited Philip to talk to them and Philip walked into that step in their chariot and share the gospel with the men from Ethiopia and the men believe that was a great way to start.
Excuse me to understand what you're reading. He starts with an engaging question and makes a connection with this man. So many are lacking top member I was in why years ago.
Walking down collar, Boulevard which is kind of the main drag in Waikiki and there's a guy standing with this big sign and it says the wages of sin are death and he's telling everyone they're going to hell and screaming and yelling and watching this kind of thing and this guy is really bad job of sharing the gospel and I walked up to my said excuse me why he sighed still yelling that you know you're saying the wages of sin are dead. I said, you know, why don't you like. On the other side but the rest of the verse it says the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Initial bad news, good news delivered and then he told me I was going to hell you so mad, so I beat him up.
He deserved it cited someone should know never what you know sometimes will take a really aggressive antagonistic approach people will laugh out as Vermonters or get mad at us was a full praise God and persecuted for righteousness sake know you're persecuted because you're a jerk and you don't know the basics of communication.
Why don't you learn from Jesus. If anyone could have ever stood in a soapbox that said, you're going to go. It was Jesus. If anybody could've said I'm God and you're not. It was Jesus. If anyone could've ever blown someone else out of the water. It was Jesus because he was God in human form and get we see him taking this approach, a humble approach in engaging approach, but he gets direct to see that the moment so we can like once again, her curiosity going in the schism like a drink of water and she's like why would you out for a drink of water from you do, don't you know that Jews have no dealings with Samaritans and then Jesus says in John 413 hey whoever drinks of this water will thirst again but if you drink of the water.
I give you'll never thirst in the water.
I give will become in him a fountain of water springing up in the everlasting life. I love to see saying what. What were you talking about he's drawing her out. Jesus was using the well, and its water is a metaphor for see the reason she was drawing water at 12 noon. The hottest part of the day was because she was an outcast. The well in the city and the village wasn't meeting place for women. They would get together set their pots down talk with one another catch up on the latest gossip. She couldn't join them they would have nothing to do Thursday Woody got up and walked to where she dared to walk in their direction to see waited when all the women were gone and the heat of the day, and when the drew her water isolated and Jesus is waiting there for her and he shows his humanity, even of vulnerability in effect, appealing to her inner spiritual thirst. He doesn't come off superior, but humble, not as a know it all, he was entering her world and lovingly establishing contact. He's in essence saying lady listen you're looking to men to fill a void you have in your life that your problem you trigger this water will thirst again.
You can go back to that well don't that well of of sex that well of men. All of the sky is going to be the guy and it hasn't worked out for you have understand that I'm telling you, I can satisfy your deepest spiritual thirst, which is kind of sarcastic you know to this achievement blown off by Lotta guy she's been taken off advantage of by a lot of got hurt by a lot of men, so she's thinking who's this guy saying this to me. Who does he think he is and so she says sarcastically. Verse 15 John 40 sir, give me this water that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw Jesus says I want to go, call your husband and come here. She says I have no husband. That's true when you say you have no husband you had five husbands and the guy you're with is in your husband. She says Sir I perceive your profit. See now that now the sarcasms God he broke through his and I know all about you because she's thinking.
How does he know that about me. He knows details about my life. Why did Jesus do this well.
He had to break through and before we can fully appreciate the good news. We need to know the bad news in the same girl you're a sinner and you need help. You know sometimes if you're sharing the gospel with someone they might ask you a question like, well, if I become a Christian to have to stop getting drunk and partying and sleeping around and in some would say you will know don't don't tell them the answer. You don't get to that later. Just think so just believe in Jesus Tell You That's Not Right That's a Question Here's the Answer. Yeah You Needs… Stuff Is Not to Sin Gel That Would Offend Them. No Listen They Need to Know the True and Jesus Is Calling around under Sin but Is Not Get a Lever in Condemnation, but He's Identifying This Sin in Our Life and Now He's Going to Apply the Gospel Because Part of Believing Is Repenting. The Bible Says Repent and Be Converted in Times of Refreshment Will Come from the Presence of the Lord Believing in Repenting Alike to Wings on a Plane.
One Means to Take Hold to Believe the Hold on Repentance Means to Let Go.
So When I Become a Christian. I'm Taking Hold of Christ. But I'm Letting Go of Sin and There Are Some People That Say They Believe in Jesus There Still Dragon Absent around. We Are Not Really Believing, Then, Are You Because You Have Not yet Let Go. You've Not yet Repented, the Story of the Rich Young Ruler Is a Good Master Good Teacher, What Must I Do, Do It Inherit Eternal Life in Jesus Told Him That Keep the Commandments the Guises I Kept All of These for My Youth up. And Jesus Is Uptight.
What If You Want Treasure in Heaven Sell Everything That You Had Give the Money to the Poor, and Follow Me. And Here's the Point. He Was Asking That Men to Turn His Back on Those Things.
And He Never Said That to Anybody Else. By the Way, That Sometimes People Say That That's the Message of Jesus to Every Person to Give up All Their Possessions Know It Was the Message of Jesus to That Man and the Reason It Was a Message of Jesus to That Man Was Because He Was Possessed by His Possession. This Stop Was His God and the Only Way He Could Know the True God Was Let Go of His Faith in God's Material God so Here He Is Now at This Woman Be Straightforward with Her, yet He Is Loving Listen I Can Satisfy Your Deepest Spiritual Thirst. She's Now Uncomfortable so She's Going to Try to Change the Subject and This Will Often Happen When You're Sharing the Gospel Is Getting a Little Too Close for Comfort and They're Going to Start Bringing up Their Objections. Here's Her Object Responding Well.
Our Fathers Worshiped on This Mountain and You Jews Say That in Jerusalem Is the Place Where One Ought to Worship. This Was an Ongoing Debate between the Jews and the Samaritans about the Right Place to Worship God. Of Course the Jews Believe You Were to Worship God in Jerusalem and the Temple There and the Samaritans Have Their Own Alternate Temple and by the Way, the Correct Answer to This Little Debate Was the Jews Had It Right.
God Was to Be Worshiped in the Temple in Jerusalem, but I Find It Interesting. Jesus Doesn't Even Get into That.
He Says He Know What Conscious Spirit Knows It Worship Him Must Worship Him in Spirit and in Truth, He Could've Got off on This Little Rabbit Trail and Debated This All Day Long Was a Legitimate Debate Sure, but Was It Essential to the Main Thing Here. Absolutely Not. So He Just Says It Goes to Back to the Main Subject Does a Metal to the Building You Worship in God Is a Spirit, We Must Worship Him in Spirit and the Truth so You Will Be Talking to Someone about Safe Well Will Wait Wait Why There Are so Many Denominations You Know Chris, Did You Ball These Denominations Are No Ones at All about Her Away. Wait, Why Does God Allow Suffering. If He Is a God of Love.
Why Would He Allow Suffering. 00. How Can a God of Love.
Send Someone to Help You.
I Got One for You.
What about the Person Was Never Heard the Gospel Case.
Should You Went to These Questions.
Yes, Let Me Add This Dude As Quickly As Possible. Keep the Ball Rolling so Sick and Let Me Just Address out for a Moment and Sometimes I'll Ask a Question to a Question. So Instead of Merely Going to Defense Mode on Candidature and It around and I Want You to Notice Jesus Would Do That He Would Sometimes Answer a Question with a Question, They Came to Him and Said Was Unlawful to Pay Taxes to Caesar or Not Now Be Said It Was Lawful to Pay Taxes People Would Get Mad Because They Were Overtaxed.
Then like We Are Now, but If He Said It's Not Lawful If He Said It Was Not Lawful to Pay Taxes.
He Could Be Accused of Insurrection against Wrong I Love the Way That He Response. Well, I Need a Calling. Calling Cemeteries Going to See Here, Whose Face Is on That: Both Caesar and I Wanted to Give to Caesar That Which Belongs to Caesar Give to God That Which Belongs to God. He Totally Moved Back to the Main Message Okay so Summonses May Be What about the Person Who's Never Heard the Gospel Will They Be Sent to Help While by Asking the Question Then Makes Me Think That You Believe There Is a Hell Do You Believe That What Goldfarb Loses. Just Know What I Mean You Said You Let Me Ask You This If You Think Anyone Deserves to Go to Hell. Rodeos Really Who Well You Know of Adolf Hitler. Okay, so Some People Deserve to Go to Help Not You Deserve No Not Me Know When the Safe.
So You Use It to Dialogue to Engage Them and Answer Their Question with Other Way I Would Turn around His Lips and the Person Was Never Heard the Gospel Will Not Be Held Accountable for What They Don't Know What We Know This God Will Judge Righteously and Fairly. No One Wants a Person to Believe in Jesus More Than God Pictures Your Issue. You Have Heard the Gospel, Whether Heard It on the Talk to Right Now, so Don't Worry so Much about That Person Is Never Heard of Him Talking to You Right Now Who Is Hearing It and You Will Be Held Accountable for What You Are Hearing, but My Point Is Simply This. We Must Engage Them and Get Back to the Main Subject and That's What's Happening Here Were Going to the Next Level. Her Initial Cynicism Is Given Way to Curiosity and Now It's Becoming Believe She Says in John Four Verse 25.
Well, I Know Messiah Is Coming Is Called Christ When He Comes, He Will Tell Us All Things Jesus Said I Speak to You Am He Is Paraphrase Rope You're Talking to. He's Here on Him and She Believes This, You See.
His Compassion Is Insight.
This Patient His Words All Moved Her You Know You Can Have A Lot Of Compassion and No Works As I Can Help Anyone and You Can Have All the Right Words and No Compassion and No One Want to Listen to You, but If You Have the Right Words with a Compassionate Heart.
God Can Use You in a Powerful Way and Certainly the Lord Did That with This Woman That Brings Us to Point Number Four Telling Your Story Is a Powerful Bridge for the Gospel Message Telling Your Story. I'm Referring to What Is Often Called the Personal Testimony Is One of the Most Effective Tools You Have in Your Evangelistic Toolbox. He a Person Can Argue the Facts about Who Jesus Is, but They Can't Argue with You about What God Has Done for You and Sharing Your Testimony Is a Great Way to Preach without Preaching Hereby Safe.
Listen, to Tell You Right up. Here's What You Know I Don't Hear Your Preaching and Don't Preach to Me. Here's Another Way to Do Was Let Me Tell You about What God Did for Me and I Tell You My Story Here Is Where I Used To Be Here, so I Used To Think, Here's the Way I Was in. Here's What Happened to Me and Then As I Take Them through My Testimony. I Take It through in a Way Were I'm Sort of Putting Them in My Shoes and When I First Started I Wasn't Sure That He Could Be True, but I Didn't Know If I Could Believe It but Then Something Happened. I Tell It to Them That Way in Real Time, Sort of. As It Happened, and I Try to Avoid Religious Verbiage Because A Lot Of Times Will Use This When I Would Call Christian the Christian Needs. When I Was Just I Was Lost in Sin and I Heard about the Blood of Jesus and It Became a Part of the Body of Christ and Christ Justified Me and I'm Living in a Sanctified Life That You Are Speaking Another Language. Now Use Language They Understand Your Freaking Amount. In Fact, You Washed in Blood and Urine Somewhere Body Was What God so You Speak in an Understandable Way. You Know It's Interesting Paul the Apostle Formally Saul of Tarsus, the Christian Killer Was One of the Greatest Orators Ever, but yet When He Would Appear before Various Officials and Others in so Many Instances He Started with This Personal Testimony. Hey, I Was on the Damascus Road. I Was Hunting down Christian I Thought It Was Doing God's Work and Suddenly Voice Spoke to Me and Said Saul Saw Why Are You Persecuting Me This Is Saul Paul. You Know, He Listened to the Finest Orators He Had Been Schooled in the Ways of the Greeks and the Romans in and He Could've Logically Made a Great Case and He Certainly Didn't Use Logic in His Presentation, but My Point Is, He so Often Started with the Testimony Cassettes the Bridge Builder Because of That Scissors. See, I Wasn't Always This Way.
I Wasn't Always a Believer.
Something Happened to Change Me. So When You Share Your Personal Testimony.
Just A Few Little Tips Don't Glorify or Exaggerate Your past Don't Glorify or Exaggerate Your past Accuracy Is Important, so His Truthfulness. I Say This Because I Heard Some Testimonies That Seem to Change with Time and I Herded like 10 Years Ago It Was One Thing about after Sometimes That's Why It's A Lot More Dramatic Than It Used To Be. Are We Exaggerating a Little Bit Here and There Is Another Thing. Don't Make Your past Your past Son More Appealing Than Your Present I Were Some Testimonies That Make Me Want to Be a Nonbeliever More Than a Christian It All the Talk about the Life They Are Now Imparting Amazing Car That All the Money That All the Women That Drives in It and Then Then Then I Became a Christian and Believe in God and No I Carry the Old Wooden Cross Holiday Your Presence Better Than Your Present You're an Idiot Is If You Think That Way You Don't Understand What God Did for You Need to See That Other Stuff or What It Was. I Love the Way the Paul Described His past Is in the Philippian Tell Those Things I Used To Think Were Important or Gone from My Life Compared to the High Privilege of Knowing Christ Firsthand Everything I Thought That Was Going for Me Was Significant. Now I See It for What It Was Dog Dung. I Dumped It All in the Trash so I Didn't Phrase Embrace Christ and Be Embraced by Him That the Modern Translation, but It's Accurate Because You Know Rethinking Those Things. I Counted His Gait. I Now Count As Loss of the Excellency of the Knowledge of Jesus Christ Our Lord, You Know, but We Don't Understand the Words of Paul Use to Describe It Was Poop Okay so That's Pretty Graphic I Mean, You Think All Those Accomplishments It's like You Know Nothing Garbage Thrown in the Trash. So Don't Make Your past Some Better Than the Present Is Another Thought. You Tell Your Story. It's All about Getting to His Story Now. Tell My Story. Here's What Happened to Me. Here's Why Was My Story Is Not the Greatest Story Ever Told His Trauma to Get to the Big Story. What's the Big Story. The Big Story Is a Life Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. So I Want to Make a Beeline to That Story Got Here's What Happened to Me and This Is the Message That I Heard and This Is What Jesus Says and Then You Start Turning It toward That Person and Use Your Testimony Because Everyone Has One. I Don't Know What Your Testimony yet You Might Have Been an up and Our You Might've Been a down and out Her but You Have a Testimony Received an Email from Amanda Came to Christ in Our Crusade. In 1991. Here's What He Says and I Quote on That Divine Thursday Evening in 1991 God Took This Law Suicidal Harden 15-year-old Member of the Crips and Radically Transforming My Life Was Instantly Revolutionized and I've Never Been the Same since. Next Month I'll Celebrate 23 Years in the Lord by God's Grace of the Privilege of Ministering His Work All around the World and I'm Not Going to the Harvest Crusade That Evening. I'm Confident I Would Know Either Be Dead or in Prison."
Now That's a Testimony Is a Habit. I Wasn't Ever a Member of the Crips. I Never Served Time in Prison. Okay, but You Have the Testimony Because Not Everyone Is like That. See I Garlic I Would Read Certain People but Another Person Went to Law That Doesn't Relate to Me. No Successful Business Present Will I'm Educated 4° and I Never Did Any of Those Things and I'm Glad He Found God, Because Now He Won't Be a Threat to Me so Long Comes a Successful Business Beneficiary.
You Know What I Reached All My Goal Goals and I Surpass Them and I Was Living the Life.
And Guess What My Life Started Unraveling. I Was Even Suicidal at Times I Found Christ. Here's Our Change Me That Sabella Testimony. There's a Young Person Who Shares Their Version and Then There's a Lady That Shares Her. We All Have a Testimony. Every Testimony Is Valid Because Guess What, There's Someone out There like You Someone That Will Relate to You.
But Here, All of Our Testimony Summed up No Matter What Your Story Is Once I Was Blind but Now I See Tollison. We All Are Sinners Saved by Christ. That's Our Testimony, so Let's Not Forget That Element. Every Story Is Legit Now You Gotta Close the Deal. And This Is Where It Falls Apart from Most Christians. Let Me Maybe They Get All the Stuff down and They Build the Bridge and They Communicate the Answer the Questions and They Get to the End and They Don't Close the Deal or Pull in Yours Ago I Was Fishing in Alaska like Probably One of the Four Times I've Been Fishing and Not a Great Fisherman, Unless You Count Trapping the Tropical Fish with a Net Fishing but We Were in Alaska Fishing for King Salmon and I Was There within the Second Janie and Then Some Other Friends and Dennis Typically Was Getting out.
I Got to Get Gotta Get Never Did Get a Bite, but I Was Sitting There, You Know, Wondering If I Would Know It When I Got Hit or a Bite, but I Knew It.
Some Grab My Pole in It Was Turned like This Well and I Started a Real Bad Thing in It. He Came around the Side of the Boat That Took A While.
I Almost Lost the Real and Rod That They Get a Puller Right into the Water and Coming Out Of the Side Note Was I'm Not Exaggerating.
I Know People Exaggerating Things I'm Talking 3040 Pounds Monster – and the Guy Was and That Was Tenant Improvement Broke the Little Line and Slam off and Went Gaining Any Even Do That. But in His Heart. I Think You Did Got Away Not so Works of Evangelism. Sometimes You Get Them Right up and Do It. Maybe We Freak out. Well I'll Talk to You Later Mike Know It's Time to Ask the Question What's the Question Here Is Ready Would You like to Accept Jesus Christ Right Now Were Reluctant Ask That Why Because They Might Say No Maybe Were Really More Afraid yet. You're like Me on the Beach.
Years Ago When the Lady Wanted to Accept Christ. I Didn't Know What to Do. Sort of like a Marriage Proposal Number Years Ago We Were in Israel Nine Years Ago. A Few Years Ago Actually, We're Leaving It toward Israel and Working to Do That Again Next Year If You like to Join Us.
By the Way, Quick Commercial for Israel. Anyway, I Wear on This Little Tour There Was a Young Man There Named Aaron and His Girlfriend Whose Name Was Michelle and It Was Her Birthday and so Were at the Mount of Beatitudes Are Having a Bible Study Comes up to Me and Says Pastor Greg, I Want to Propose to Michelle in Front of Everybody. Would You like to Set It up and I Said Yeah, Let's Do It Again I Would Be Fun. I Hope She Says Yes of Course. But I Think She's Gonna Say Yes I Know She'll Say Yes.
Okay.
So We Ended Our Service and I Said No Michelle It's Your Birthday Today Right. She Says Yes and She Said Something. Things Are Going to Sing Happy Birthday and along Comes Aaron Who Gets down on One Knee, and Proposes to Her like Standing Right There Watching the Whole Thing Was Great. She Said Yes and Is a Great Moment. Everyone with All My Wife Tells Me I Never Properly Proposed. She Said You Never Actually Asked Me to Marry You. I Said Well What Happened. She Said Were Sitting around Having Dinner and You Said Something like Well I Guess Were Going to Get Married. Is It Really She Said Yes, but I've Always Been Quite the Romantic Kevin I Well I Guess They Didn't Do Too Good of a Job, but I Did Some Right Were to Be Married 40 Years Next Year so That's Good. So Here's a Form I Don't Care If You Write It in the Sky Don't Care If It's Awkward or Uncomfortable Pop the Question. Maybe Your Voice Is Shaking Doesn't Matter to Say Would You like to Accept Christ All They Can Do Is Say No What They Say No I Say We Know This.
I Want You to Just Pray and See the God God A Few Real Make Yourself Real to Me and Let Me Tell You How to Accept Christ If You Decide to Do It Now. Maybe Go through It with Them and Explain What It Is to Believe in Jesus but the What You Do If a Person Wants Her to Cry. So Let's Go Back to That Sermon of Peter's and I Mentioned Some the Day of Pentecost to Give a Powerful Message. The Bible Says That When He Said These Things, They Were Cut to the Heart Is an Interesting Word. It Needs to Be Stabbed in the Heart so They Were under Intense Conviction from the Spirit, Peter's Words Convicted Them Deeply.
They Said What Should We Do Peter Said Everyone of You Must Turn from Your Sin and Turn to God, Be Baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ for the Forgiveness of Your Sins and You Will Receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit.
Scripture Tells Us 3000 Believe in That Day Clearly Means It Was Acted on, Because They Counted How Many Get It. Sometimes People Criticize Us. Why Do You Count the People to Come Forth Because God.God Keeps Records and We Keep Records and We Count Every Person That Comes Forward and Do Everything We Can to Follow up on but Anyway You Say Are Right Will. Let's Pray Right Now. No, What Is This Thing Called the Sinners Prayer. Well, It Just Leading a Person in a Prayer by the Way, You Can Become a Christian without Praying the Sinners Prayer. Quite Frankly, the Only Technical Sinners Prayer in the Bible Is That Man That Said God Be Merciful to Me As Soon so I Lead People in a Prayer with Her Asking Christ in the Life Don't Think That Is Necessarily the Moment When They're Becoming a Christian.
It May Be Possible, Yes, but Actually It May Have Happened Earlier It Could Be Happening to Some of You Right Now before I Even Got to the End of My Message What You're Hoping I'll Get to Sit.
I'm Almost There, but It Could Be Possible That You're Just Sitting There and Suddenly You Just Believe Useless. Even I Believe This, I Didn't Believe It When I Came in, but I Believe It Right and I Believe It Just like That Now Will Help You Understand What That Means but There's a Moment of Your Heart toward God. We Are Taking Hold of Christ, but Only People in the Simple Praying for Me. Many Times in out the Guy Need to Go over It Again, but It Just Seemed Pray This Prayer after Me and Sometimes Only the Person in the Print off Bacillus Free Right Now Right Here but Here in the Restaurant Here in the Street. Yeah Right Here Just for You for This Upcoming Melding Them a Little Prayer and Emma Were Done All All Law Pray for Them and Then I'll Tell Them What They Need to Do Next.
I'll Get a Bible to Them All Do Everything I Can Then Follow up on Them and so Forth. But That's What You Need to Do That to My Wife and Shelley Did They Let That Girl of the Lord May Followed up on Her Face Label That Said Right Know Now That's Just the Beginning. Now Your Job Is to Disciple Them Go Back to the Great Commission. Matthew 28. Go Therefore and Make Disciples of All Nations, Baptizing Them in the Name of the Father, the Son of the Holy Spirit, Teaching Them to Observe All Things That I Commanded You, Hello, I Am with You, Even to the End of the Age. Many Times We Got the Preach the Gospel Part down but We Missed the Make Disciples Aspect of It.
What Is It Mean to Make a Disciple Lesson in Being so Effectively Reproduce Yourself. It Means That You, As a Follower of Jesus Are Going to Help Them Get up on Their Feet and Also Become a Follower of Jesus, Sort of like the Directions on Your Shampoo Bottle.
I Do You Shampoo. Believe It or Not. Not A Lot One Bottle Last Me a Decade. This Is Shampoo, Rinse, Repeat. Right. That's What You're Doing You Shampoo, Rinse, Repeat. You Proclaim the Gospel Lead People to Christ. Do It Again Share the Gospel Lead People to Christ. Do It Again Share the Gospel Lead People to Christ. Do It Again.
Wash, Rinse, Repeat.
Is Keep Doing It over and over Again. Paul Writes in Colossians 128 We Warn Everyone We Meet and Teach Everyone We Can All That We Know about Him so Possible We Can Bring Every Man to His Full Maturity in Christ.
I Think One of the Reasons We Don't Want to Lead People to the Lord As We Don't Want to Get Stuck with This Responsibility. Let Me Tell You Something You Want This Responsibility. And I'll Tell You Why. One of the Greatest Things They Have in Your Life Is in You Know We Have Five Grandchildren. As You Know, Four Granddaughters and One Grandson Little Christopher Just Turned One and He Starting to Walk Now and It's Just Amazing, How Walk around of Telephone Get up Again.
It's so Wonderful to Watch a Child Grow and Learn Every Day It Seems like They Learn Something New and It's so Wonderful to See a Young Believer Grow before Your Very Eyes Play a Part in That. I Think A Lot Of Christians Have Known the Lord for Many Years and They've Never Taken What God's Given Them and Use It in the Lives of Others and Are Actually Starting to Stagnate. God Doesn't Want You to Be a Hoarder in Order Hoarder Is a Little Bit. I'm a Mini Hoarder. My Wife Is the Opposite of a Hoarder Sees a Throw out or I Whatever I Just Thought out.
What Were the Back Door. I Got through It on. I Thought You Didn't Want It but I Wanted That I Can. I Keep Things, You Know, I May Need That Later, but I'm Not like Crazy Will Okay We Have People That Have Room Just Filled with Stuff and and You Know and I Think Some Christians Are like Hoarder All I Went to This Bible Study Alertness on a Good Look at All the Stuff I Have Been Put That Stuff to Use It in the Stagnate.
It Isn't All about You. It's about Sharing It with Others You Know When to Reach out Will I Don't Know If I Can Answer All the Questions so Please, You Probably Can Answer Most of Them Already in the Ones You Can Answer.
You Can Get Answers to Later but Just Go out There and Take a Step of Faith and Watch What God Will Do Listen, You Need the Outlet As Much As the New Believer Needs the Input They the New Believer Needs Are Wisdom, Knowledge and Experience As Mature Believers We Need Their Childlike Simplicity of Faith, They Re-Engage Us Reinvigorate and We Stabilize Them. We Need Each Other. So Listen with a Crusade Approaching. Think of It As a Catalyst for an Event We Work toward, but Don't Wait to the Crusade to Share Your Faith, Sharon Now Look for Opportunities Now to Lead People to Christ. I'm Telling You to Get Happen before the Week Is over. You Actually Say Lord I'm Open, I'm on Duty. Whatever Show Me Lead Me Got Me That's a Dangerous Prayer Because God Answered More Quickly Than You Think You Would Tell You What. It's a Great Blessing. Daniel 12 Three Says Those Who Are Wise Will Shine like the Sky and Those Who Turn Many to Righteousness Will Shine like the Stars for UBS*a Real Star on a Movie Star, Rockstar You Be One Who Was Shining As a Radiant Light for Jesus Christ in This Dark World. Let Him Use You in This Way Many Close at This Question for Some of You That May Be Visiting. Would You like to Accept Jesus Christ Right Now.
Maybe You've Come Here As a Guest May Be This Is Your First Time at Church.
Maybe You've Been before.
But Here's My Question. Has There Been a Moment in Your Life. We Have Said That God You're Sorry for Your Sin in You Turn from It and You've Asked Jesus to Be Your Savior and Lord. If Not You Can Do That Right Now. I Know I Been Talking about How to Do This for Others, but If You Haven't Done It. I Want to Help You Take This Step As Well.
You Can Believe in You Can Know That You Go to Heaven When You Die Because Folks All the Stuff We Shared and I Is True.
I Know It's True. I've Stake My Life on the Fact That It's True and I Want You to Come of This Relationship with God and He's Only a Prayer Away on a Moment Were Going to Pray and I Meant to Give You an Opportunity to Ask God to Forgive You an Opportunity to Believe in Jesus and Also an Opportunity for Some of You If You Fallen Away from the Lord to Come Back to Him Again. So If You Need to Make This Commitment or Recommitment Do It Now. As We Pray Let's All Bow Our Heads. Father, Thank You for Your Word to Us Now.
I Pray Lord for Those Who Are Here Who Do Not yet Know You, Lord, Help Them See Their Need for Jesus. There's Nothing I Can Say to Convince Them but Your Holy Spirit Can Show Them This and I Pray You Will, and Bring Them to Yourself Now That They Would Be Forgiven of Their Sin.
When a Heads up about Her Eyes Are Closed or Praying Together. How Many of You Would Say That I Greg I'm Ready to Say Yes to Jesus Christ. I Want Him to Forgive Me of My Sin.
I Want to Know That When I Die I Will Go to Heaven. Pray for Me Right Now Is That Your Desire.
If You Want Jesus Christ to Come in Your Life If You Want Him to Forgive You of Your Sin If You Want to Go to Heaven When You Die You Lift Your Hand up Wherever You Are and All the Juniper Lift Your Head up or I Can See It Now Pray for You.
God Bless You with Your Hand up If You Would Come, Bless You.
Anybody Else but Your Hand Now You're Saying I Want Christ in My Life Is Your Hand God Bless Anybody Else Raise Your Hand They Are Praying for You You Want Is Forgiveness, Bless You. God Bless You Anybody Else. Maybe You're in the Overflow. I Can See You over There but Raise Your Hand, Is an Act of Faith As Well. If You Would Let Me Pray for You Wherever You Are Forgiven, Raised Your Hand yet That You Want Christ to Come in Your Life Raise It Now Pray for You While Heads Are Still Valid.
Maybe Some of You Would Say Hey I'm a Prodigal Son or Daughter.
And I Want to Come Back Tonight to the Lord. I Want to Return to Jesus You Pray for Me That Your Desire. If You Want to Come Back to Christ. Raise Your Hand up and Let Me Pray for You Right Now Wherever You're Sitting Publish, Publish, See 20 All Right Now. I Want All of You That of Raise Your Hand If You Would Please Just Stand Your Feet, Lead You in a Prayer, a Sinner's Prayer Our Prayer. We Are Asking Christ to Come in Your Life You the Razor Handstand Your Feet Right Now You the One Jesus Christ in Your Life to Stand up.
That's Right, You Heard Me Right.
Stand up, Others Are Standing You Will Be the Only One to Stand up, Lead You in This Prayer Blush.
Even If You Did Not Raise Your Hand but You Want to Make This Commitment to Jesus Stand up Wherever You Are, Blush, Stand up Anybody Else Stand Now Want to Make the Recommitment to Christ, You Stand As Well Will Pray Together Stand Publish One Final Moment of You Going to Stand Stand Now, and We Pray for You Accomplish Anybody Else.
One Final Moment Publish on the Back Might Be A Few More Stand Now and Will Pray Together You Will Not Regret Making This Commitment to Christ Anybody Else. Question All Right You That Are Standing on Lead You in This Prayer and I Want You to Pray This out Loud after Me. This Is Where You Are Committing Your Life to Jesus Again As I Pray Pray This out Loud after Me for This after Me Now Lord Jesus, I Know I'm a Sinner, but She Died on the Cross for Me and Then You Rose Again from the Dead.
Now Come in the My Life. I Turned from My Sin. Now I Ask You to Be My Savior and My Lord and My God I Choose to Follow You, Jesus, from This Night Forward. Thank You for Calling Me and Accepting and Forgiving in Jesus Name I Pray He Met