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November 30, 2020 5:00 am
Have you ever been in a situation where you got a very clear problem from the Holy Spirit that he wanted you to tell the person next to you about Jesus but you just couldn't muster up the courage I struggle with the same thing. Why because we tend to believe lies that keep us from sharing God's love.
Today I'm going to share with you what those lies are and how to overcome statement welcome to this Edition of Living on the Edge with shipping Living on the Edges of international discipleship ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Chip Ingram trip starting a new series called share the love to talk to anyone about God. Over the next couple weeks were to learn how to have conversations about Jesus in a way that's natural door to ongoing dialogue with anyone. The Lord brings our way. So let's jump in and joined your bill for his message why it's hard to share the love from second Corinthians chapter 10 you have learned something I've observed all my life. When you really love someone or if you really love something you just can't wait to share that true you go to a great restaurant you were some French, and we were displacing the night you got go there or you get a new tablet or if you get some new shoes and where you get all you have got in there on sale. Advertisers know the greatest advertisement in all the world is word of truth.
We always share what we love and that's why for me at least. Sometimes it's really hard to understand why I don't share or why it's hard to share the most important love relationship in my life when God saves me for gave me gave me a new life and I find myself in situations where it's hard. It's just hard to get over the hump to share with other people in his infinite grace and love and offer forgiveness many years ago I had one of those experiences that stay stuck in your mind and you get sort of about maybe why you do certain things that you do that a guy named Steve.
He was an All-American swimmer.
I was coaching by day and I were starting a little discipleship ministry on a campus by night, so I would go out and play basketball with guys like Stephen we do Gospel of John studies in if I described Steve to you. He was popular he was a party animal. He was a number one athlete.
He swore profusely.
He was buried in. He was very cool.
He was very un-religious and he was dating a beautiful girl who happened to be living right next door to me. I live in a garage apartment and she lived next door and I knew she lived there and I knew they were girlfriend boyfriend because that's where he spent weekends and so you know, here's a guy that's just like, far from God really arrogant. I'm really insecure.
I'm thinking I'm going to share Christ with but that's the last guy on this campus, there would ever be open to hear about Christ is anybody like that in your life and who's that person you think you know what they sorta got it. They would never need God while he comes out of the like a Saturday morning. One weekend he comes out of her little house like this and my back is killing me casino we play ball together and we were friends, I never said anything to them. Friends like you. That's sort of a very general usage of that word. We were acquaintances in a civil was from commitment back is killing me. I said why sit asleep and on that couch said sleep on the couch. Why, he said all this amazing thing happened last weekend. I said, what's that my girlfriend you know her folks are kind of religious and you know when you go to visit you gotta do whatever they do. So you know she lives out in the country. In West Virginia we end up in this tiny little church and 35 or 50 people and some old gizzard gets up and opens the Bible and I'm rolling my eyes and annually starts talking about stuff and I can't explain it.
Please talk about sin and lack of peace and God's forgiveness and Jesus being God and dying in our place and it was like wow this dude is reading my mail and also I realized I want and need because when it got done. I just walk right up in the front and I prayed to receive Christ and in my life different. Oh really. So the next three or four months. I begin to disciple Stephen we became friends in the very last blank you know II listed him and the part I didn't list was the part I didn't know he was totally open to Christ mean this is the most un-seeker sensitive, uncool presentation of the gospel that God could probably ever put them in front of, but since the powers in the gospel, not the presentation and Steve was open. He trusted Christ change his life and we got to be friends, then real friends and Steve a member. One day, succumbing to something sure to get this right. You knew all about this Jesus and forgiveness and we played basketball and we did the stuff together.
Chip what lighting you tell me if there's ever a time you felt like the spotlight was on you and you just there is like no place to hide. There is no excuse. All I could say was basically because I thought you were closed. I'm desperately insecure and I was really intimidated. How's that for an answer. And what I've learned is the reason I didn't share the love of God with Steve because I believed a lie and I'm to share with you seven specific lies that keep us who love Jesus, who have been saved by Jesus whose lives have been changed by Jesus. There are seven strongholds or lives that we believe in a karma stronghold because at the biblical phrase, but the father of lies is Satan and what he wants to do is get very subtle lies ingrained into your thinking into your mind where there just the glasses that you look at other people with and so overhear if you can imagine, there's this unlimited lake of grace. And over here you have this unlimited need of people and their struggles and and you know what there's conduit and the link of God's grace and love and forgiveness is the conduit of regular people like us and so the enemy has developed different ways to get you and me to believe lies that keep us from taking that love and that grace and introducing these people to what God wants for them seven strongholds we must demolish daily and I put daily in there because they're so ingrained you have to, write these down and pound away and read them over and praying through might save a word. I get that second Corinthians 10 four and five, the apostle Paul is speaking to the Corinthian church, he says the weapons of our warfare are the weapons we fight with are not of this world were a spiritual battle for the souls of these people. On the contrary, the weapons we have have divine power to do what demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that set up against the knowledge of God and we take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ. These lies, the strongholds are raised up against the knowledge of God. These presuppositions and were sincere, but we look through a lens that keep us from loving people.
Stronghold number one, we've already hit, it's that people aren't open. It's a lot wheat we believe now it might not be a a swimmer and may not be an athlete might be someone with a PhD. It might be someone who drives a very nice car might be someone who seems very beautiful might be someone that you think has it all together and might be someone who intimidates you might be someone who swears profusely who makes fun of Christians.
It might be something, but there's you think they're not open and because ascents are not open. Why talk to him right. That was my theory.
Jesus said this, do you not say, for much more than comes the harvest, I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields, the riper white for harvest. Even now, the reaper draws his wages and now he harvest the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together that's in John chapter 4 Jesus has just shared Christ with a woman who's had five husbands. She's a Samaritan so I made a they're all theologically there and there half breeds. The Jews think they are not open for moral pass. She couldn't be open. Jesus shares Christ. She goes back into the villages. As I met the Messiah, the whole village is walking out hundreds of people. The disciples come back. They did take out they got lunch and brought him to Jesus, and their luck and good luck you guys don't think these people would ever be open there open. We did some research recently an organization. This is a most recent research on the attitudes of the unchurched ahead of very broad population of people, and this was of people that have not been to any kind of religious service in the last six months, not to a church, a synagogue or a mosque. We found that 62% of those surveyed said they believe in God or a higher supreme being. So three or four people already say believe in God. Of those, 61% believe that the God of the Bible was no different from the gods of other religions. So I believe in God. I have no idea who he is and I assume they're all the same. What what what is that whoever told him differently, 66% of adults ages 18 to 29 agree that Jesus died and came back to life. The generation coming up two out of three people. Like in their 20s like teens you believe Jesus died, you came back to life. The two out of three people ready to talk about this. The problem however is a trip over the church two thirds or 64% of respondents think the Christian religion is relevant and viable religion for the day.
It's not that they think it's antiquated or is not a good message or doesn't make sense.
The problem is 72% said they think the church is full.
Hypocrites. Is there ever a day when people are more open and all they're looking for is Christians to live like Christians will have have it all together just live like Christians and they want to hear their open most are you ready for this are most open to their friends.
8/10 or 78% surveyed said they would be willing to listen to someone who wanted to talk about their Christian beliefs, but IDs of the people that are in your neighborhood where you work now if you happen to be in that younger audience 18 to 29. It pumps up to 89 or 90% of that age group is open to talk about your beliefs and yet down deep. What most of us think they're not open. They just work at Google were they work. Overhear they do that innew generation July stronghold. Finally, they summarize the findings. 89% of the unchurched people said they have a close friend who's a Christian think that these are people. They surveyed you work with that are in your neighborhood there on the soccer team and they know your Christian some of you there close friends what they're saying is we don't even have to go out and find a brand-new group of people to share the love God with we need to share the love of God.
The people at the concert he put in her life, but we just need to start some of the spiritual conversations. Are you ready for this. The research and Jesus would say people are way more open and want to hear about his love than we are willing to tell is that crazy stronghold stronghold number two sharing Jesus love is reserved for spiritual superstars and people with outgoing personalities. You believe that one you have a few friends and I've had a few experiences like this but you know you hear someone maybe it's in a message or a CD and the story goes something like this.
I was on a plane coming back from so-and-so and I talked briefly with the woman in next to me and after 35 minutes, tears rolling down her face.
She prayed to receive Christ.
Afterwards, she stepped up from the first class went to the back and said I have to share my testimony. She shared her testimony with the rest of the place people were coming out of the files on the plane.
They were nearly everyone on the plane trusted Christ. The pilot then stop the plane in midair to write and honestly, haven't you heard the stories, I mean I exaggerated a little right but but when we hear stories of sort of like oh wow, these over-the-top amazing true stories. What it does is we started the enemy takes even good things happen and it's like all see you be a superstar.
You have great people skills, outgoing personality have to be able to read people need to understand this bill answer all these questions is not what the Bible says the apostle Paul would say in Romans 116 for not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it. The gospel is the power of God for salvation to the Jew first and also to the Gentile see the faulty assumption you know what we we believe. Down deep in terms of her behavior, but the powers and the messenger. And since you're not a very big strong messenger will you know you're not going shares will be results. The Bible says just the opposite. The Bible says the power is in the message. Not messenger. I learned this from my friend John Savo member the story about John who gave me the checkbook and taught me about generosity. John was an introvert and he he he called himself a bean counter.
I'm not sure what that is, the owned CPA firm the like numbers. He wasn't overly relational. He didn't have a lot of people skills, but he came to Christ late and had the sense of urgency. He really loved people outside of Christ, and he said Chip if you can read you can love people as a warning, John, and he goes look and he would pull out something similar to this, like the four spiritual laws are a little booklet and because I'm not great talking with people but I just bring up the conversation, I ask, and then I pray and then that I just read this. I'm thinking John you know some areas not really how it works. Go to you and John knew the powers in the gospel he loves them. It's a stronghold stronghold number three is it witnessing is something I do versus something that I am you to some of our backgrounds and we come from a background work you need to witnessing us like you need to pray. You need to revive.
We need to witness that something you do so, get with the program and most of us fill either mildly guilty or really guilty that we don't do it enough so I need to do that some what the Bible teaches Jesus before he ascended in acts chapter 1 verse eight he said but you my followers will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses. We underline be in your notes didn't say, do, and you will be my witnesses where first of all right regret Jerusalem made for some of us that's our home or neighborhood in all Judea. That's a broader circle and Samaria, and to other was parts of the world. He says you can be a witness so it's not do you do it or not do it. It boils down to our week good witnesses or bad witnesses as we are. We represent him. I mean, the fact of the matter is this ocean of God's love and forgiveness that's available for everyone. It just it's pushing up against the conduit inside of you and me and you want to come through us to them and so were either doing that well or poorly the false premise here is that you know if I just live a good life. If I'm kind of fun fair upon the person of integrity. If I help people out. That's the witness. None of that's half of the witness part of it is, there certainly has to be a lifestyle that demonstrates Christ likeness. But people are knocking to look at you and go wow you're really kind of work you tell the truth you come on time.
You seem to care about people all my lands.
A light bulb went off my head. People don't know unless they hear they need to see the message of your life.
They need to hear the message of the gospel through your words it's those things together but as long as I in my mind say well you know I'm undone, outgoing person. People aren't really open the powers in the messenger and I'm not a very good messenger and witnessing is all try to do good, and live the life you what it ends up in about 8.529 people who are sincere, genuine followers of Christ never share the love of Christ verbally the gospel with anyone with anyone. It's like we got a big stopper in the PVC conduit pipe from the grace and love of God to people in the stopper is us in the stopper as we believe some lies. We are witnesses. Stronghold number four sharing the good news is an event versus a process it's an event. By the way, there are wonderful good events, but what's happened is we start thinking that what we want to do is to somehow figure out how to get people to an event instead of realizing to process all the time or for some of us it's not just that we think the only thing we need to do is get them to an event, but we think. When that event comes when there's this moment people can open up spiritually there. Some of us that have come from backgrounds on one of these people and they didn't.
I'm sure they didn't mean to teach it this way. I just took it this way. I got this overwhelming pressure that whenever anyone was even mildly open to talk about Christ. I thought okay here we go. I can assure all the four laws of the entire bridge illustration asking the parade you want to pray. If not, why not answer the top three questions and we pray right now, they become a Christian. If that happens we get in a anything lesson that I can if and so on.
And if you've ever met one of the sorta young zealous Christians that think it's an event I was one of those. I actually member in college coming out of my my dorm room and seeing someone walk toward me and turn around and go down the stairs.
I couldn't figure out why they want to be around me. Now that's the exception, but my mindset was, I'm a total failure unless I dumped the whole spiritual truck on everybody every moment, every opportunity as to what the Bible teaches how God works. That's not how things grow.
Look what it says. First Corinthians 3, six and seven.
The apostle Paul speaking to the church as I planted the seed of the gospel. Apollo's watered it, but God made it grow, so neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who makes it grow seat were all in this together. We don't need to be pushy, we don't need to be preachy.
We need to live with her life and love with their lips and so he asked someone if you ever considered this know if John if that lady and elevator as anyone ever told you about Jesus at that lady said no and I'm very interested in.
I think John would say you know what I can certainly understand that would with an eye washing, could I just pray for today's or anything that I could pray for you today, he wouldn't push sometimes another going through divorce and you just listen or sometimes another having to struggle with one of the kids and you're just available to all.
Babysit what you go to counseling it in some, it begins with just an invitation to church work. It's a book that you've read or are you know what you do you plan to see wildly.
But some people plant the seed and we water the relationships but God is orchestrating all of this. I have been that person. II do have an outgoing personality. I don't have the gift of evangelism but I have an evangelistic heart.
I want to love lost people and I like to talk with him because I didn't grow up in the church and had such a bad church experience I have. I have great compassion for people that are turned off by religion and I've sat next to people and share the gospel and 35 or 40 minutes later, with tears running down their eyes, have them pray in the seat receive Christ in early on I thought you know what I am pretty amazed and I need a like the next 30 minutes before we land. His what I learned well her husband's been praying for the last 14 years, the pastors been at the house seven times her bosses you know like to have the greatest Christian she's ever known. She's read three Christian books. I just happened near the fruit was so right.
It was ready to fall off the tree. I just I just caught it and what I want you know there's people that you're sharing with. There's people that you're praying for there's people that you can water you so you water just so you reap.
But take away the pressure we need to miraculously with abandon. Just love people with her deeds in her words because sharing the good news is a process. It's not just an event to be back with his application, but just a quick reminder this message why it's hard to share the load is from his series, share the love, how to talk to anyone about God for lots of reasons we can be hesitant to talk about her faith. That's what you taught this four-part series to boost your confidence and hope you have spontaneous conversations about your relationship with Jesus.
If you'd like to hear this message again the chipping remap is perfect for free access or one tab sharing of these powerful messages. If you prefer CDs take advantage of our on-air discounts.
Remember, the MP3s are always free. Just visit us online at http://livingontheedge.org or give us a call at triple late. 333-6003 well chip today officially begins our year end match now for regular listeners is the time we look forward to because we watched God guide and bless the ministry year after year after year sold new listeners know this whole month you'll be sharing testimonies. So talking about some of the amazing things the Lord's done through Living on the Edge this year and what you believe God's put in front of us for 2021. So with that in mind, you got an important reminder for listeners understand about something that's happening tomorrow December 1 yeah Dave.
I want to take just a quick minute to remind you that tomorrow is giving Tuesday. This is become a real phenomena all across the country and were a part of this when you give on giving Tuesday to Living on the Edge something very special happens every dollar you give will be doubled and so please prayerfully ask how could you be a part of the ministry of Living on the Edge and what were doing to help Christians live like Christians. That's tomorrow. Don't miss it.
What a great way to kick off the match. If you'd like to participate in giving Tuesday tomorrow's the day. Not only will you help us get our match. Off to a great start.
But whatever the Lord puts on your heart to give will be doubled to take advantage of that. Just go to LivingontheEdge.org Donate on the up or give us a call at AAA 333-6003, let me thank you in advance for whatever the Lord leads you to do okay chip let's get your thoughts about today's message you know sometimes I think when we talk about sharing God's love, especially verbally sharing the gospel. We get so either paralyzed or up tirade or you know we go so into I can't do that and that's for special group of people and if you believe a lie, it actually will frame your behavior and so just the first one was people are not opening and you heard all the statistics that I gave so. But here's the here's the emotional side want people to hear that person at work, do you think you know they would never ever listen is just like my swimmer friend okay there's and he's too cool he's too popular he's got it together.
There is no way he wants to hear the gospel and he heard it, as you learned from probably the most unlikely source in the world and so I want you know people are open.
Jesus said the fields are white for harvest.
The second one was sharing Jesus love is reserved for like spiritual superstars and in people with outgoing personalities and nothing could be farther from the truth. But if you believe that why you will unconsciously give yourself a pass. You well in I don't have that kind of personality and let it up superstar and here's what I gotta tell you is like what that swimmer told me why didn't you tell me how could you know this. Why won't you tell me can you picture in your mind you know your your neighbors or coworker, or when your close friends, and I mean you know in sort of CS Lewis fashion as he he shares in the great divorce you know someone turning to you and saying so all of our time together. You knew the reality of eternity, you knew that God had forgiven me. You knew that it was a gift and you never told me you never told me because you thought I might respond badly year you never told me because you are afraid or you didn't tell me because you thought I might think less of you.
You know what we would gotta realize God is going to use all of us, but we have to demonstrate with our life and open her mouth and in the third was you witnessing is something I do, instead of something I am and for me that that was a game changer is to I just realized isolate under this pressure that I'm supposed to have a conversation a go through some sort of presentation and if they don't pray at the end of my presentation whether I know him five years or five minutes. I'm a total failure. Nothing could be farther from the truth you're in a relay race.
We pass this on. So here's I'm gonna tell you this entire series is going to be super practical and it's gonna break these strongholds and were gonna teach you very specific ways to share the notes are available on the website absolutely free. We long to see people share God's love and we will do everything we can to put this in your hands over message notes trip just mention containers outline scripture verses and more will help you get the most out of every program. Best of all chips notes are completely free. Whether there for a personal study while you listen or for a small group will help you dig deeper and gain new levels of understanding. Just go to LivingontheEdge.org and click the broadcasts tab app listeners Fill in notes in your set will be sure to join us next time. Chip continues a series. Share the love Tobin this is Dave Drewry saying thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge