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August 18, 2022 3:00 am
There are several groups of people who used to say they’d never become religious, never darken the door of a church building, never be caught carrying a Bible. Today, we call one of those groups “believers” . . . another of those groups “pastors” . . . and another group “evangelists.” Pastor Greg Laurie is a member of all three groups! And today on A NEW BEGINNING, he brings us good encouragement about sharing the Good News with people who need to hear some good news.
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A New Beginning is the daily half-hour program hosted by Greg Laurie, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Southern California. For over 30 years, Pastor Greg and Harvest Ministries have endeavored to know God and make Him known through media and large-scale evangelism. This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners.
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Today's episode of a new beginning is brought to you by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God. Learn more@harness.org and while you're there, browse our library of free e-books designed to help you grow in your faith. No one is savable about what some people just aren't convinced Schaumburg will never read Lori very start praying for them that God will bring the boy because no one is beyond the reach of God to save the religions darkened the door of Richard never be caught.
The Bible today one of those group believers. Another of those group to another group evangelist and you know Pastor Greg Laurie is a memorable hearing the good news with people who need to hear some Bibles and turn to the book of chapter 8 ran a series in the book of acts. As you all know in the title of my messages. No one is beyond the reach of God right no one is beyond the reach of God so I want you to think for a moment of someone that you know that is not a Christian. We all know lots of non-Christians, but I would think of someone that is a very antagonistic non-Christians. Maybe it's a neighbor. Maybe it's a spouse.
Maybe it's apparent.
Maybe it's a coworker maybe had someone else. But there someone you know. Not only are they not a Christian, but they actually give you a hard time they even attack you verbally for your faith. Now I want you to start praying for them by me that God would get a hold of them and bring them into the kingdom boy because no one is beyond the reach of God that something that we need all remember, no one is beyond the reach of God. No one is savable even if they seem that way you know we know people of Ghana made a mess out of their lives. They made a lot of bad decisions and they reap the consequences of it that we think that person will never change that drug. I will never get off drugs that alcoholics will never stop drinking. That person will never stop living that way. Why would you say that with God all things are possible because she was anything happen to my grandson Christopher on the long ago he was out with a friend in the ocean and they were playing. Then mom said it's time to go and so that they came back in and Jonathan noticed that his son had all these little red marks on his face. He said son what happened to your face. Christopher said we were playing with the jellyfish and mom said it was time to go so we kissed it. Goodbye. So I talked to Christopher about this. I said just a jellyfish. Goodbye yes I we thought we were kissing the top of the jellyfish which I don't even know if that's a good idea, but actually we were kissing the bottom of the jellyfish and that so you have these little red marks and does so the moral of the story is never kissed a jellyfish goodbye right okay so God gives us absolutes in the Bible tells us things that are right and wrong things to avoid sort of like when you go to Disneyland. You know that right out Topia you know it has like those little concrete barriers that keep you and so even if you're driving crazy. You're not going to go off the road there there to keep you in place. God gives us certain parameters gives a certain absolutes. And when we leave those parameters that were going to face the consequences.
And we've seen people do that but having said that no one is beyond the reach of God and I were to look at two men in the Bible that are placed side-by-side, Saul of Tarsus and Simon the magician.
One had a real conversion. The other did not.
This is a reminder that time will tell if a person is really a believer.
As I've said before, there will be three surprises only get together some of the people we thought would be there will not be there. Some of the people we never thought would be there will be their third surprise will be there. Time will tell. Time will tell who the real believers are because there are some that have a great big profession of faith that the Republic is very loud and then they just fall away. Jesus talked about them in the parable of the sower, the sea that was sewn on the ground that shot up quickly, but it withered in the heat of the sun because it never got roots.
So we've seen people like that. Then there are some the make a profession of faith. They fall to get up again. They fall to get up again. They fall in. This just goes on and on and on and then in the end they like really rally may come through with flying colors.
Then there are others that look like they will never over come to Christ.
As I mentioned, that's the kind of person that might mock, criticize or embarrass you. But here's something to think about the person that is giving you the hardest time may actually be closer to the kingdom of God than the person who is not. You might talk to someone about your faith. Talk about how Jesus is changed to talk about how much you love to go to church and read the Bible, then you say to them, would you like to come to church of these sometime visit.
I love to come out this Sunday I'm busy, the following city still busy about the Sunday after that busy, but I'm so glad they think that you found religion. You seem like a happier person than you used to be and I think this is great.
So they seem over but they're very warm in their never insulting menu go to someone else and they scream at you and throw you know, the stapler at you or something of this person is crazy. It could be there acting that way because are under the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
That is exactly what we see here in the story of the conversion of Saul of Tarsus.
It's been said, when you throw a rock into a pack of dogs. The one the parts allowed us is the one that got hit this man was striking out against the church. Of course, we already saw how we presided over the death of the first martyr of the church. The courageous young Stephen set of satisfying him. This only seemed to throw more fuel on the fire and then Saul met Jesus on the road to Damascus and he changed overnight. It was the most radical and unexpected conversion church history so unexpected that when the believers were told solid become a Christian. The response was there's no way that could not even possibly have happened but it actually did happen and now this man would previously been dedicated to the destruction of the church was now dedicated to the spread of the church he would been controlled by hate was now motivated by love. His conversion was so notable and significant that the Bible mentions it no less than three times.
It was such an unlikely event that in the last century there was a man who thought it should not be that hard to disprove and in doing so, he felt he could also disprove the rest of the New Testament. His name was George Littleton, and he wrote a book titled observations on the conversion and apostleship of St. Paul and is Littleton sought to disprove the story he became more and more convinced that the story was true, and in the end Littleton himself came to believe in Jesus Christ and his conclusion was quote Paul's conversion and apostleship alone duly considered our demonstration sufficient to prove Christianity to be a divine revelation."
After his encounter with Jesus, Saul, later to become the apostle Paul blazed the trail leaving behind churches and converts.
He preached the philosophers and Pharisees and rulers soldiers and sorcerers and sailors and slaves most likely to Caesar himself. This single man change the world. Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment.
So many listeners have commented on the help they received from the resources we make available at a new beginning like this. Listener Pastor Greg. I was sitting at my grandmother's funeral this weekend, talking to my cousin's father during the conversation, I found out that my uncle was given a copy of your new believers Bible on the last day of his life just before he died from a brain tumor, understand simple faith that you spoke to knew where he was going after this life.
I think God for the hope of the gospel in its power.
Thank you for being told so many happenings to get out the gospel. If you like information about pastor breaks new believers Bible just contact us@harvest.org that's harvest.org will today. Pastor Greg is comparing and contrasting the lives of two men in the Bible in a moment we'll talk about Simon the sorcerer right now is considering Saul of Tarsus solicited a little background on them before we read his story. We call him Saul of Tarsus. That's because that's where he came from what Tarsus was a very important city in the Roman world famous for its university, which ranked among the greatest.
There in the Roman world and he was Roman citizenship which was not a small deal that would later work in his favor. He also was educated in Greek philosophy and he learned Roman law as well and he was very religious. He was schooled under the legendary Emilio who was known as the teachers teacher in this zealous young Pharisee became a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin that was sort of like the Supreme Court of the day. The difference between their version of the Supreme Court was they ruled over spiritual and civic issues and so forth. Saul, being so young to be a member of this court was a very prestigious position. He was a very powerful young man, a very religious young man of famous young man in this very religion turned him from God.
And this brings up a really important point because we will so you know I think I need a little religion, no actually, you don't need a lot of Jesus because religion can literally keep you from God. I know technically speaking, Christianity is what would be described as a religion, but having said that, if you really get down of the biblical definition of it. Christianity is a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
I'm amazed at how religion can blind people and sometimes people who claim to be believers to be filled with hate and sometimes these haters are among us, and they spend their time attacking anyone that is not exactly like them and they spend little to no time trying to reach a lost world, and said they channel their energies and tearing each other down is a great theologian, Taylor Swift noted haters going to hate, hate, hate crime. We met people. The problem with a better person is there never content to keep their bitterness to themselves. They want to spread it around. The only exercise I get is jumping to conclusions and running others down right and I and this makes the Holy Spirit, sat it actually grieves the Holy Spirit. Paul wrote in the Ephesians 431 from the Phillips translation.
Let there be no more resentment no more anger or temper, no more violence. Self assertiveness no more slander no more malicious remarks. Be kind to each other be understanding. Be ready to forgive others for God or Christ sake is forgiven you.
Listen what every jerk because it be a doctrinal being something else if it makes you mean argumentative malicious person you've missed the point. Our primary mission is crying in the gospel that is where our energies should be primarily challenged the culture today might disagree with you.
Hello, you need not for me, as I think you might hurt me. Don't be surprised to find that the person who whines and complains the most. It is critical of the most minute things in the lives of others is often guilty of something far worse when I see a person constantly lashing out whatever their cause. I think there's something wrong with that person spiritually and they need to get reconnected to the Lord. Need to get their priorities in order and they need to return to their first love was again a Bible actually verse 14 backdrop of the story. Now, new living translation is what I'm reading from Saul was one of the witnesses and this of course is a witness to the death of Stephen and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen a great wave of persecution began the day sweeping over the church in Jerusalem that all the believers except the apostles were scattered the regions of Judea and Samaria, some development team and buried Stephen with great morning, but Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church.
He went from house to house Dragon up both men and women to throw them in the prison, but the believers were scattered, preach the good news about Jesus wherever they went awry without their butts at the scene. So Stevens been martyred in the church is spreading out fast and in a way Saul of Tarsus even before he was converted with helping the work of the kingdom of God. How by attacking the church he caused them to spread out. You see, the believers would have been content to have a nice little holy huddle in Jerusalem and just hang out together.
Christians love to hang out together. That's a good thing and so we should. But Jesus did say going all the world and preach the gospel and he did tell them that they would receive power of the Holy Spirit came upon them to be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judaica Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth, and frankly they were doing that long.
Come Saul persecuting them. Now there doing it and so why was Saul so angry at Kristin's will. As I said he was under the conviction of the Holy Spirit. And I think he was under the conviction of the spirit. After he saw the courageous death of Steve Stephen preach to that Sanhedrin and then as they began to stone him. The Bible says his face shined like an angel. If ever seen someone's face shone like an angel.
Years ago I was with Billy and Ruth Graham when they were both alive, still and their life that would have course, when they were still alive on earth in their home and then a second.
Jeannie was there and does so Billy asked Dennis to play a song of his guitar and Dennis started to play the hallelujah chorus from Handel's Messiah and Ruth was very ill at this point. She proceeded Billy to covenants very ill, very frail, but her face just lit up literally. She was glowing. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it.
I just noticed this and I look over the billing he was looking at Ruth and smiling and then after Dennis finished the song Billy said that's the song they played on our first date and so apparently Billy took Ruth to go see Handel's Messiah on their first date and up but I saw her face shined like an angel and I think of that when I read of Stephen just said radiance in that glow coming from inside and then he said, Lord, don't hold this sin against surcharge and of course he died and went into the Lords present so as I pointed out earlier, Stephen did not live a long life, but he lived a very full one.
Stephen did not reach thousands, but he reached one of the one he reach was a whopper. He was a whopper, because I think Stephen played a direct role in the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, later to become the great apostle Paul. Now think about this for a moment. How many of you have ever heard of Mordechai Notman. Sounds like the immune order in a deli designate all of the Mordechai on this in turn, Mordechai Hamm was an evangelist. I went to Charlotte, North Carolina, and held some meeting and most of us don't know much about him but one of the young men. The walk for it was a dairy farmer, young boy named Billy Frank, later to become Billy Graham, so we don't know Mordechai Gann but we do know Billy Graham. How many of you have ever heard of Edward Kimball Edward Kimball hurt him either.
Will Edward Kimball working shoe store and he had a coworker named Dwight, and Edward was sharing the gospel with the white begin sharing with the wind. Finally Dwight came to Christ. Dwight went on to become the great evangelist DL Moody, so we haven't heard of Edward Kimball. We haven't heard of Mordechai Hamm but we have are to Billy Graham. We have heard of DL Moody right so here's my question who's your one. Everyone should at least have a one so when you can point to and say, by God's grace, I played a role in that person coming to Christ. Every one of us should have one 234-1020.
However, many of the Lord gives you in your lifetime, but there should be someone you can point to and say I played a role in that. Maybe it was just praying. Maybe it was sowing the seed well Stevens one ended up being the apostle Paul looked there were times when you're sharing the gospel and people don't seem to be listening but I want you to know that when you quote the word of God. It is alive and powerful and it will not return void.
It won't.
That's why I love you just always quote Scripture in my messages, and especially if it's an evangelistic message quoting the Bible.
Why because there's power in the word of God and sometimes it's like a time bomb it detonates.
Later right so that I care about that. I believe that the home and wake up at three in the morning. Then all of a sudden something you said comes back to that Scripture comes back to them so have confidence in the word of God, the need to share the message of the gospel with those around us pastor Greg Laurie's message today here on a new beginning called no one is beyond the reach of God pastor Greg we are all called to share the gospel. You made that point many times is not just the job of the pastor or the evangelist by and if we work together we can reach so many more people and that's why you're inviting our listeners to be teammates with us. Yes I would say I would use another analogy I would say co-builders, you know, one of my favorite stories in the Bible is a story of the Amaya who was in the position of great authority annexed to the king. He was called the Kings cupbearer, which meant that he tried the food before the king, aided, or drink what was served to the king before the king drank a budgie he would end up being a counselor to the king. But one day he heard about the plight of his fellow Jews and how the walls of Jerusalem were lying in charred rubble. So he leveraged his opportunity in this place of influence to help his fellow Jews, and he went back and let a building program to put the walls back up again everybody participated everybody had a part to play and everyone built that part of the wall that was near their own house so they would be extra concerned about it because obviously they needed that wall around them everybody matters, and so will we reach out to people and say become a harvest partner were asking you to build the wall do know that the foundations of our nation are crumbling. This is why we have this violence on the street. This is why we have these shootings in schools. This is why we have all of the problems in our culture. It's the breakdown of the family. It's the breakdown of our value system and ultimately it's because we've turned from God. It's time to build the wall back up again and every stone matters in every gift matters and everything you can do to help us here at harvest ministries to rebuild the foundation of the United States matters as well. So I would ask you to join our team and become a part of our building crew and help us reach out to our nation, with the only hope that can change the human heart.
It's not a political answer.
It's a spiritual answer were calling people to Christ. Join us and you can do your part, along with others in together we can change the world.
Yeah that's right it's it's a privilege to impact our world and in fact is not just a privilege but a responsibility we hope you will partner with us to make an impact for good pastor Greg is extending an invitation for a thousand new harvest partners to help with what God has called us to do in the coming months. Given the size of our network that's really just a handful of new friends in each area who would step forward and say yeah count me in. So can we count you in harvest partner support is each month and the amount is up to you. We have some special ways to thank our new harvest partners this month would like to say thanks for the copy of Casterbridge book, Steve McQueen, the salvation of an American icon, so contact us today is call 1-800-821-3300 call anytime 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org/partner.
We hope you let us hear from you today everybody what are you doing this weekend. I like to hang out with you at harvest and home service at home.
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Join us this weekend Saturday and Sunday for Harvest at Home@harvest.org one pastor Greg continues his insights from the book of action. The message no one is beyond the reach of God join us here on a new beginning. Pastor and Bible Greg Laurie thanks for letting beginning Greg Laurie podcast made possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God sign up for daily devotions and learn how to become a harvest partner harvest.org