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John Lennon declared he was bigger than him. The Titanic Director James Cameron thinks he’s found his grave. His name may have been said within your earshot today. As a curse word. But who is Jesus really. And how does that affect my life, in 2009?
You may know some of the facts surrounding Jesus’ life and death. Christmas is the celebration of Jesus’ birth in a stable, to a virgin, in Bethlehem. Easter is the celebration of His death, on a cross in Jerusalem. You may know that he worked miracles, and had disciples and enemies, that he preached love and eternal life. But do you know what he really lived and died for?
We’ve all seen the stained glass pictures, or those paintings painted in the Renaissance of Jesus. They depict him as weak, mild, insipid even. In Western culture, all of us have been exposed to the figure of Jesus Christ countless times since infancy. Holiday carols and cliches, TV specials and Bible stories, bumper stickers and slogans, crucifixes and sunrise services – even coarse jokes and curse words. We, too, consciously or subconsciously, have developed our own set of assumptions about this Jesus.
Jesus was a carpenter, used to working with his hands, lifting heavy beams of wood, using his whole body to craft yokes for oxen and furniture for homes. When Jesus walked this earth, He didn’t fit the expectations of the religious community, or even his own disciples. He didn’t demand an ornate tower to preach from, He was born in the dust, His friends were the most controversial fringe elements of society – tax collector’s, prostitutes, lepers… Jesus touched those that were classed as outcasts and untouchables. Equally he called to those that were community leaders, soldiers, the wealthy. Jesus didn’t look at the exterior, he looked at the heart and gave everyone the opportunity to follow Him.
Jesus stood up for real truth, the truth that God was real and loved them and desired to be in relationship with them. He preached real love, real commitment to holy living and real commitment and relationship with God. He talked about eternity and the way to heaven, life and death, choices. This went against the grain of the religious leaders who had made “church” into a series of do this and don?t do that?s.
In his famous book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis makes this statement, “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic–on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg–or he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice. Either this was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us.(emphasis: web author)”
Jesus Christ made a claim that was breathtaking in it’s audacity. Where did He come from? Was He really God in the flesh? Why was the establishment of His day so frightened by His message that He had to die? Who is Jesus to you? Your life on this earth and for all of eternity is affected by your answer to this question.
Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, even making himself the same as God. He said “before Abraham was, I AM”. Abraham is known as the father of faith for both Jews and Christians. I AM is a holy sacred name for God, the name that God himself gave Moses to share with the enslaved Jewish people as a sign of the power and reality of God and his promises. Jesus essentially is saying I AM. He is saying I AM God. To say this he was either telling the truth, deluded and lying, or just plain lying out of a desire for power and fame and self glory, to deceive the people into believing in him.
Because of Jesus we can know God. Jesus reveals to us who God is. Colossians 1 says that Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God. John puts it this way in John 1:14 “The Word became a human being and lived here with us. We saw his true glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father. From him all the kindness and all the truth of God have come down to us.”
Jesus is God. Almighty God. Creator God. The one who breathed the stars into existence and created the zebra, grasshopper, the daffodil, the puffer fisher, the rainbow, the milky way… Jesus is God, sees all, knows all, all powerful… and yet he chose to relinquish that power and might and become a human, so we can know the undeserved kindness of God. John 1:17 Jesus Christ brought us undeserved kindness and truth.
Jesus called himself The Way – the way to God! Because of Jesus we can make peace with God. Romans 5:1-2 “By faith we have been made acceptable to God. And now, because of our Lord Jesus Christ, we live at peace with God. Christ has also introduced us to God’s undeserved kindness on which we take our stand.” Colossians 1:20-22 says “And God was pleased for him to make peace by sacrificing his blood on the cross, so that all beings in heaven and on earth would be brought back to God. You used to be far from God. Your thoughts made you his enemies, and you did evil things. But his Son became a human and died. So God made peace with you, and now he lets you stand in his presence as people who are holy and faultless and innocent.”
Without Jesus there is no way to God. Without Jesus there is no peace with God. Without Jesus there is no redemption. Without Jesus we are guilty.
Jesus “suffered and endured great pain for us, but we thought his suffering was punishment from God. He was wounded and crushed because of our sins; by taking our punishment, he made us completely well. All of us were like sheep that had wandered off. We had each gone our own way, but the LORD gave him the punishment we deserved. He was painfully abused, but he did not complain. He was silent like a lamb being led to the butcher, as quiet as a sheep having its wool cut off. He was condemned to death without a fair trial. Who could have imagined what would happen to him? His life was taken away because of the sinful things my people had done. He wasn’t dishonest or violent, but he was buried in a tomb of cruel and rich people. The LORD decided his servant would suffer as a sacrifice to take away the sin and guilt of others. Now the servant will live to see his own descendants. He did everything the LORD had planned. By suffering, the servant will learn the true meaning of obeying the LORD. Although he is innocent, he will take the punishment for the sins of others, so that many of them will no longer be guilty. The LORD will reward him with honour and power for sacrificing his life. Others thought he was a sinner, but he suffered for our sins and asked God to forgive us.” Isaiah 53
Jesus said he was the one and only way to God, both for eternity and for this life too. Will you believe what he said?
All of us need to know this Jesus that gave his life for us that we might have peace with God. All of us know people who need to experience the reality of Jesus and his grace. We have a mission and that is to tell the good news about God’s wonderful kindness, expressed in Jesus’ life and in his death. This week I challenge you to remember what Jesus has done in your life and to pass it on – to tell someone else about who Jesus really is…
Colossians 1:13-14 God rescued us from the dark power of Satan and brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son, who forgives our sins and sets us free.
Colossians 1:20-22 And God was pleased for him to make peace by sacrificing his blood on the cross, so that all beings in heaven and on earth would be brought back to God. 21You used to be far from God. Your thoughts made you his enemies, and you did evil things. 22But his Son became a human and died. So God made peace with you, and now he lets you stand in his presence as people who are holy and faultless and innocent.
This week at our housegroup we are looking at how to pray for people. We regularily pray for each other in housegroup and i just wanted to encourage each other that prayer is mighty and that God is mighty! its good to remind ourselves and also to get a bit of teaching on things we “just do”… its also good to despiritualize things sometimes – to make things normal instead of strange and foriegn!
Be eager to have the gifts that come from the Holy Spirit, especially the gift of prophecy.1 Corinthians 14:1
But when you prophesy, you will be understood, and others will be helped. They will be encouraged and made to feel better. 1 Corinthians 14:3
But suppose all of you are prophesying when those unbelievers and outsiders come in. They will realize that they are sinners, and they will want to change their ways because of what you are saying. They will tell what is hidden in their hearts. Then they will kneel down and say to God, “We are certain that you are with these people.” 1 Corinthians 14:24-25
Why do we pray for people?
Prayer is talking to God… praying for someone is joining with them and talking to God about them… it may be for specific things they have asked you to pray for, or more just drawing near to God to hear his voice and encounter his presence.
we can pray for:
healing, direction, deliverance, hope, encouragment, peace, provision, joy… anything!
it is communicating to God and FROM God to a person… it is connecting God and people together…
One of the MAIN THINGS when we pray for someone is to hear from God. Listen to the Holy Spirit within you… you may get a picture, or a sense, or a sentence, an impression, or a verse… step out and go with that. God speaks to us like that – he reveals things we dont know and he gives us messages for people to encourage and inspire them.
There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but they all come from the same Spirit. 5There are different ways to serve the same Lord, 6and we can each do different things. Yet the same God works in all of us and helps us in everything we do.
“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
Hebrews 4:16.
“The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous person avails much.” James 5:16 NKVJ
“The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”
James 5:16 NLT
We pray with Faith!
Faith is trusting that God hears and God does….
Faith is trusting that God speaks….
If you have faith when you pray, you will be given whatever you ask for.” Matthew 21:22
Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you. Everyone who asks will receive. Everyone who searches will find. And the door will be opened for everyone who knocks. Would any of you give your hungry child a stone, if the child asked for some bread? Would you give your child a snake if the child asked for a fish? As bad as you are, you still know how to give good gifts to your children. But your heavenly Father is even more ready to give good things to people who ask. Matthew 7:7-11
A key element for praying for people is to be close to God and to know his voice and who he is…. effective praying for people isnt just our “good ideas” but when we hear from God how to pray and what to pray….
Stay joined to me and let my teachings become part of you. Then you can pray for whatever you want, and your prayer will be answered. John 15:7
In certain ways we are weak, but the Spirit is here to help us. For example, when we don’t know what to pray for, the Spirit prays for us in ways that cannot be put into words. All of our thoughts are known to God. He can understand what is in the mind of the Spirit, as the Spirit prays for God’s people. Romans 8:26-27
Its amazing that God chooses to work with us to spread his message of Good News and salvation. I mean if I was God I would have chosen to write it in the sky or have some gloriously bright angel or the things with wheels and eyes that Ezekiel talks about… but when you think about it God chooses us, his children, the people who have received the Good News and salvation, who know all the way through what that is and live it… We are a demonstration of God’s love and grace! The best advertisers! What is being bold when we talk about God? I’ll begin with what it ISNT!
Boldness isn’t a personality style… It comes from trusting God and being obedient.
Boldness isn’t confident at talking to strangers, Its about trusting God and knowing what is really important
Boldness comes from trusting God within you and through you
Mark 13:11 (New King James Version) But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.
Isaiah 55:10-11 “Rain and snow fall from the sky. But they don’t return without watering the earth that produces seeds to plant and grain to eat. That’s how it is with my words. They don’t return to me without doing everything I send them to do.”
Boldness comes from knowing you are right!
As I used to preach on campus “10 out of 10 people will die” – and eternity is all about location location location… it doesn’t matter what someone thinks about God NOW the truth IS that God is real and that you DO need to believe in Jesus. There is no other way to God. And avoiding the issue doesn’t make it go away… example: hide and seek with the kids… just cover their faces and they are hiding…
It’s important to understand that the message you are sharing is not merely an opinion but a fact. That’s why sharing the gospel can’t be called an imposition, any more than a pilot can impose his belief on all his passengers that the runway is here and not there. I heard someone say once that just because you don’t think the law of gravity is real, it doesn’t mean you won’t go down if you jump ! Whether you believe or not, it’s still the truth !
Additionally, the truths of the gospel are not yours, in the sense that they uniquely pertain to you or your perspective or experience, or in the sense that you came up with them. When you evangelize, you are not merely saying, “This is how I like to think of God,” or “This is how I see it.” You’re presenting realities.
“Could a mariner sit idle if he heard the drowning cry? Could a doctor sit in comfort and just let his patients die? Could a fireman sit idle, let men burn and give no hand? Can you sit at ease in Zion with the world around you DAMNED?” Leonard Ravenhill
We are right. God is real. Jesus is real. Jesus is the one way to God. People need to know.
Boldness comes from knowing that God empowers you!
Acts 1:8 But the Holy Spirit will come upon you and give you power. Then you will tell everyone about me in Jerusalem, in all Judea, in Samaria, and everywhere in the world.
” For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes…” Romans 1:16
We have the Holy Spirit all the time – he is not just like lucky socks that we put on for ministry (you know what I mean… I cant because I am not wearing my lucky socks thing) The Holy Spirit does not take control of us like a robot but waits for us to “start it” – and then he empowers THROUGH us. Evangelism is done not with clever arguments or fancy words but with us being obedient and stepping out and God following through. The key word for boldly proclaiming Christ is THROUGH! God THROUGH us!
Boldness comes from knowing WHO God is
God loves us. He loves everyone. He loves us all so much that he gave his only son Jesus to die on the cross so we can know him.
2 Peter 3:9 9The Lord isn’t slow about keeping his promises, as some people think he is. In fact, God is patient, because he wants everyone to turn from sin and no one to be lost.
God’s heart is that everyone comes to know him. Jesus died for ALL.
He suffered and endured great pain for us, but we thought his suffering was punishment from God. He was wounded and crushed because of our sins; by taking our punishment, he made us completely well. All of us were like sheep that had wandered off. We had each gone our own way, but the LORD gave him the punishment we deserved. He was painfully abused, but he did not complain. He was silent like a lamb being led to the butcher, as quiet as a sheep having its wool cut off. He was condemned to death without a fair trial. Who could have imagined what would happen to him? His life was taken away because of the sinful things my people had done. He wasn’t dishonest or violent, but he was buried in a tomb of cruel and rich people. The LORD decided his servant would suffer as a sacrifice to take away the sin and guilt of others. Now the servant will live to see his own descendants. He did everything the LORD had planned. By suffering, the servant will learn the true meaning of obeying the LORD. Although he is innocent, he will take the punishment for the sins of others, so that many of them will no longer be guilty. The LORD will reward him with honor and power for sacrificing his life. Others thought he was a sinner, but he suffered for our sins and asked God to forgive us. Isaiah 53
Lets put it another way…
And God was pleased for him to make peace by sacrificing his blood on the cross, so that all beings in heaven and on earth would be brought back to God. You used to be far from God. Your thoughts made you his enemies, and you did evil things. But his Son became a human and died. So God made peace with you, and now he lets you stand in his presence as people who are holy and faultless and innocent. Colossians 1:20-22
Boldness comes from living this and knowing you’re forgiven and wanting other people to experience the love and grace that God has given us so freely. How can we be quiet? How can we stay silent? How can we hide away the truth of what God has done? Do we really believe it is real? Then tell someone! Do we really want people to live in the darkness not knowing God’s love and mercy? For eternity????Boldness comes from knowing God loves us and gave his life for us personally.
Boldness comes from:
o Trusting God within you
o Having confidence in the truth
o Knowing you’re empowered
o Experiencing Who God is
Okay – lets now look at some practical things we can do to get ourselves going. Evangelism is really just us stepping out and beginning to have conversations about God – and God works through us. There are some things that i do that i have found work for me that make “my flesh” feel more comfortable and confident when talking to others about God. This list is for both talking to our friends and workmates and also to strangers in a more “organised evangelism outreach” – like handing out invites to five on the beach….
List of Do’s
DO be yourself
DO look for conversation transitions
DO pray
for opportunities
for God’s heart
for the people you talk with
DO practice and allow for practicing
DO talk – We can witness by osmosis… NOT!
Don’t’s
Don’t worry about what the person thinks about God NOW or what they’ll say
Don’t worry about changing their mind, having all the answers or proving God – it is God that changes hearts!
Don’t worry about saying “I don’t know” Example: sitting down to talk to the guy on the beach
We don’t fail in our evangelism if we faithfully tell the gospel to someone who is not converted; we fail only if we don’t faithfully tell the gospel at all.
“Evangelism is not salesmanship It is not urging people, pressing them, coercing them, overwhelming them, or subduing them. Evangelism is telling a message. Evangelism is reporting good news.” – Richard C. Halverson
I have but one passion: It is He, it is He alone. The world is the field and the field is the world; and henceforth that country shall be my home where I can be most used in winning souls for Christ. — Count Nicolaus Ludwn Zinzendorf
These are my preaching notes for preaching at our young adults service this sunday…
“But to mean it when I say that I want my life to count for His glory is to drive a stake through the heart of self – a painful and determined dying to me that must be a part of every day I live.” — Louie Giglio
If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world…. Probably earthly pleasures were never made to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing. If that is so, I must take care, on the one hand, never to despise, or be unthankful for, these blessings, and on the other, never to mistake them for something else of which they are only a kind of copy, or echo, or mirage. I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and to help others do the same. — C. S. Lewis from Mere Christianity
i read this quote and thought wow. that so says it, better than i ever could. we’re made for eternity and we’re made to know God. without him we’re looking and with him we’re satisfied, but disatisfied, knowing there is more to come… we have hope for eternity.
but the thing that strikes me so awesome about life, and knowing God is that knowing him isnt just about salvation for eternity – but it is about RELATIONSHIP right NOW! its for living, for life, not just life after death.
a few weeks ago at housegroup we got talking about some of the big questions we as chrsitians can have. one of the girls at university was really challenged in her own life by her not perfect life – as in she was really convicted and challenged by that she still sins and all that.
which i think is a good attitude to have, you want to have a soft heart towards God and be desiring in our heart to be more holy and righteous and pleasing to God, instead of not caring and not thinking about that which i think is more an attitude of living for ourselves instead of surrendered to God as Lord of our lives. we are living lives of transformation. we are saved and made righteous by the death of Jesus on the cross. I have his righteousness. but then my life is a process of transformation and of that righteousness filling my heart and thus fililng how i live.
it then led on to talking about one saved, always saved? and most of the group fall on the you can lose your salvation camp…. but i think, for ME, me as a person, me who i am, i think for me i (me – claire) am saved for always. this may not be a universal theological right thing or even for every person, but for my life and spiritual experience i am always saved.
i was thinking about this as i lay in bed last night. you see my righteousness comes because of the finished work of Christ on the cross and his free gift of salvation.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast.”Ephesians 2:8,9
my righteousness that i then live and express is a refelction of his work in my life and is an expression of my surrender and worship of Him. because i say He is Lord of my life i surrender to Him and deny what i want to do and do the right thing instead.
i would say most of my sins are ones i am unaware of – because i am sinning by omission. am i as fully “fired up” as i can be? no. do i pray without ceasing? no. am i critical and judgemental? yes. am i serving in full capacity? no. am i loving everyone as i should? no. these are things that i am aware and unaware of at the same time. i am not aware of how FAR i am falling short. i also think that my most holyness doesnt even measure up. it tries and might get a gold star here on earth…. but compared to the glorious holiness of God…. yeah… i dont think anyone measures up and is the chrsitian they are ment to. esp here in teh west…. apathy and slackerness is more our expression than devotion and surrender… becasue of that, because i dont know how much i sin, how much more do i need jesus and his victory over my sin.
he has finished the work of grace and salvation. he died for my sins and it is paid for. the sins of my past and the sins of my future are paid for by the blood of Jesus.
i think working out our salvation in fear and trembling is not that we are having to work to keep our salvation but rather that we live out our salvation, not taking it for granted, but expressing our salvation and surrender in obedience. Gods grace and compassion and mercy are so much bigger and immense than i can comprehend. and i am glad. because that is the grace i live in and stand in. that Jesus has paid the price for all my sin and that i am now acceptable to God and God’s child. i am part of his family. i think the losing salvation doesnt take that into the box… well in my weak understanding… and i also have big questions about how you get “unborn again” (“Being BORN AGAIN, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” 1 Peter 1:23) and at wwhat point you would cross the line for that. so for me, i am always saved…. or perhaps i should say, i am confident in the grace and salvation of God…. i get the warning aspect – none of us should take the grace of God and his salvation for granted – we should surrender to him and obey Him – but that is so progressive – it is a growing thing. i get that our heart is all tied up into it and that people can harden their hearts to God and turn away from him… but if sin is sin and all sin is equally bad in the eyes of God then surely that is as bad as ME telling a lie, or lusting after Josh Halloway or snapping at my kids or not obeying God to talk to my neighbour about his gospel…. i bet i have opened a can of worms here! here is a few links and things… http://www.av1611.org/etern.html
Imagine with me. It is a hot dusty day in a hot dusty land. The wind rises, blowing hair into the eyes of a young man. All around him are the noises and smells of the market and temple. The air is filled with the bleating of sheep, the lowing of oxen and the shouting of people. Each step he takes he is bustled and pushed by those around him. They all are heading to the same destination. The temple.
The young man presents his lamb to the levite priest before him.
The priest examines the lamb thoroughly. He opens his mouth. Checks the lambs hooves. Runs his hands up and down each leg. He checks for flaws, defects.
The priest nods solemnly. Relief floods the young man’s heart. His offering was perfect. Acceptable. A weight lifts off his shoulders. He is forgiven.
Did you notice?
Did you see?
The priest didn’t look the young man up and down. He didn’t glance his shoes, look in his eyes, or ask for a record of how he spent his time in the last week. There is no third degree or scrutiny of the mans heart and character. The young man did not have to be perfect or acceptable to be forgiven.
The sacrifice needed to be perfect and acceptable. The sacrifice needed to be blemish free.
The Bible says “you must bring to the Lord as the penalty for your sin a female from the flock, either a sheep or a goat. This is a sin offering with which the priest will purify you from your sin, making you right with the Lord.” Leviticus 5:6
The Old Testament sacrificial code is a shadow and a foreshadowing. It shows us how we are forgiven. It shows us how we become acceptable with God.
Just as the young man had his sin covered by the blood of the acceptable lamb so too we come before God covered and made acceptable by an offering. The offering of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.
1 Peter 1:1-19 And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.
And just as the priest didn’t examine the young man to see if he was blemish free God doesn’t look at us, he only looks at the Lamb of God who takes away our sins. The blood of Jesus, the Lamb, covers us and makes us acceptable.
Did you see that?
Did you feel that?
We don’t need to be perfect to come to God. The perfect sacrifice was given in Jesus. When we first come to God (pre-Christian) we are totally blemished and defective because of sin. The Bible says we are dead to God. We are made acceptable by trusting in the sacrifice of Jesus. This is what faith is.
“Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.” Romans 5:1
Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence. Ephesians 3:12
Our life as Christians and right standing with God continues to depend upon this sacrifice. It is not by our own effort or goodness that we can know God. We can never measure up or become unblemished by working for it. When God looks at us He sees the righteous record of His Son. We are right now acceptable to God.
“He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.” Ephesians 1:7
We are instructed and encouraged to walk out our faith by living lives that are pleasing to God but this is a process that takes a lifetime. As we “clean our lives up” though we don’t need to feel far away from God or not good enough to know Him. . If we are a Christian there is no limitation or separation between God and us. Jesus gave His life so that we can know God and be called a child of God. We can know God.
This should give us freedom and joy and gratitude and a sense of awe – the WOW response. Let’s live like this. Let’s live in this freedom and forgiveness. Lets live responding to the grace of God.
The sacrifice has been paid. We are forgiven.
this is a fantastic site with stories of real people meeting with a very real God and how he changed their lives. go to I AM SECOND.com
beautifully crafted and designed it satisfys on so many levels.
speaking on it are famous people like the korn guy, and stephen baldwin and jason castro (american idol contestant)
as well as plenty of “ordinary” people and our extraordinary God.
go check it out.
go get encouraged.
go get drawn to God more.
Boldness comes from trusting God within you and through you
Mark 13:11 (New King James Version) But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.
Isaiah 55:10-11 “Rain and snow fall from the sky. But they don’t return without watering the earth that produces seeds to plant and grain to eat. That’s how it is with my words. They don’t return to me without doing everything I send them to do.”
Examples: Street preaching on campus – my words would echo around the building, chasing people… one guy said I always seemed to be there when he was there… came back to God because of it…
Tag preaching on campus – you would have a message semi prepared but find that you are directed along a different tangent…
Tag preaching – heckling…
Boldness comes from knowing you are right!
As I used to preach on campus “10 out of 10 people will die” – and eternity is all about location location location… it doesn’t matter what someone thinks about God NOW the truth IS that God is real and that you DO need to believe in Jesus. There is no other way to God. And avoiding the issue doesn’t make it go away…
example: hide and seek with the kids… just cover their faces and they are hiding…
“Could a mariner sit idle if he heard the drowning cry? Could a doctor sit in comfort and just let his patients die? Could a fireman sit idle, let men burn and give no hand? Can you sit at ease in Zion with the world around you DAMNED?” Leonard Ravenhill
We are right. God is real. Jesus is real. Jesus is the one way to God. People need to know.
Boldness comes from knowing that God empowers you!
Acts 1:8 But the Holy Spirit will come upon you and give you power. Then you will tell everyone about me in Jerusalem, in all Judea, in Samaria, and everywhere in the world.”
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes… Romans 1:16
We have the Holy Spirit all the time – he is not just like lucky socks that we put on for ministry (you know what I mean… I cant because I am not wearing my lucky socks thing) The Holy Spirit does not take control of us like a robot but waits for us to “start it” – and then he empowers THROUGH us. Evangelism is done not with clever arguments or fancy words but with us being obedient and stepping out and God following through. The key word for boldly proclaiming Christ is THROUGH! God THROUGH us!
List of Do’s
DO be yourself
DO look for conversation transitions
DO pray
for opportunities
for God’s heart
for the people you talk with
DO practice and allow for practicing
Don’t’s
Don’t worry about what the person thinks about God NOW or what they’ll say
Don’t worry about changing their mind, having all the answers or proving God – it is God that changes hearts!
“Evangelism is not salesmanship It is not urging people, pressing them, coercing them, overwhelming them, or subduing them. Evangelism is telling a message. Evangelism is reporting good news.” – Richard C. Halverson
I have but one passion: It is He, it is He alone. The world is the field and the field is the world; and henceforth that country shall be my home where I can be most used in winning souls for Christ. — Count Nicolaus Ludwn Zinzendorf
this is priceless. challenging… very very good!
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