WEBVTT 00:00:00.040 --> 00:00:03.165 And what I mean by a word drop is I would like, for all of you, to. 00:00:03.165 --> 00:00:17.362 The word that I like to share this morning is evangelism, evangelism. 00:00:17.362 --> 00:00:30.367 Now take quick note of what is the first emotion or the first thought that came into your mind when you heard the word evangelism. 00:00:30.367 --> 00:00:40.732 Is it the thought of yes, how can I come up with new ideas to evangelize? 00:00:40.732 --> 00:00:50.113 Or is it a thought of guilt that one time 15 years ago where I missed my opportunity? 00:00:50.113 --> 00:00:53.484 Or is it the thought of fear? 00:00:53.484 --> 00:00:56.511 What are people going to say if I talk about Christ? 00:00:56.511 --> 00:01:02.390 Or, like I mentioned first, maybe it gets you totally excited to. 00:01:02.390 --> 00:01:06.748 You're looking for that next opportunity tomorrow when you come to work. 00:01:06.748 --> 00:01:14.268 I imagine there's a range of different emotions going through this crowd right now. 00:01:14.268 --> 00:01:30.209 I'm totally honest For a long time when I heard the word evangelism, for me it was that gut wrenching, that knife stuck into my side as it like. 00:01:30.209 --> 00:01:32.882 Why that word? 00:01:32.882 --> 00:01:40.030 And then the question would come why do I feel that way when I hear the word evangelism? 00:01:41.599 --> 00:01:53.212 Approximately 20 years ago, when I was doing roofing as an occupation, we hauled a lot of shingles into the local landfill here Kimball landfill. 00:01:53.212 --> 00:01:59.051 How many of you have ever been back up on the hill where they dumped the trash at Kimball's. 00:01:59.051 --> 00:02:01.667 How many of you look forward to going there? 00:02:01.667 --> 00:02:04.146 Probably not a whole lot of people. 00:02:04.146 --> 00:02:12.152 Well, first of all, I don't think there's any place in the county that goes as fast from dust to mud or mud to dust than Kimball's does. 00:02:12.152 --> 00:02:40.210 It's always dirty, it seems to be always sloppy and oftentimes it was busy and, with all due respect, the employee base that they have at Kimball's at that time was fairly rough and it's always seemed the guys running the dozers or the characters were a rough character of rough in appearance and you could just kind of feel the almost the darkness. 00:02:40.210 --> 00:02:51.848 When you went into Kimball's the one afternoon I remember taking a load of shingles up and it was towards quitting time and as I came up there it was very unusual. 00:02:51.848 --> 00:02:59.862 I was the only truck up on the hill dumping garbage and it was me and the loader guy. 00:02:59.862 --> 00:03:03.632 And this guy was big, he was rough, he was a rough looking guy. 00:03:03.632 --> 00:03:29.091 After I had dumped my load of shingles and I was closing my doors on the dump truck and just shutting everything up, all of a sudden the motor on the engine stops of the loader beside me and the cab door opens and the guy comes out on the steps of his cab and he was ready to talk. 00:03:29.091 --> 00:03:50.592 He started asking me questions about us, the Mennonites and the Amish, and I was totally taken aback and we chatted there for a few minutes and unfortunately I got in my truck and he got back in his loader and we parted ways. 00:03:50.592 --> 00:03:55.968 This is 20 years later. 00:03:55.968 --> 00:04:03.413 I could still tell you the story in detail and it still haunts me. 00:04:04.221 --> 00:04:09.512 Why did I not have the courage to witness? 00:04:09.512 --> 00:04:14.949 What kept me from him opening? 00:04:14.949 --> 00:04:15.812 He opened the door. 00:04:15.812 --> 00:04:20.170 He asked me questions about my way of life. 00:04:20.170 --> 00:04:26.132 What kept me from the gospel? 00:04:26.132 --> 00:04:32.190 Or at least asking him do you know this man called Jesus? 00:04:32.190 --> 00:04:34.471 I have no idea. 00:04:34.471 --> 00:04:35.279 Was he a Christian? 00:04:35.279 --> 00:04:45.651 I have no idea to this day and in my years of roofing I only have that opportunity once to where it was just him and I. 00:04:45.651 --> 00:04:51.608 So what kept me from sharing my faith that day? 00:04:51.608 --> 00:05:00.682 I've asked myself the question many times since this morning. 00:05:00.822 --> 00:05:10.389 The title to the sermon is Let your Light Shine, and this is a continuation of preaching through our core values. 00:05:10.389 --> 00:05:34.591 Two sermons ago I preached on worship, that daily communion, the personal communion between me and God, and then the collective group connection between us and God and through our worship to our Heavenly Father, comes holy living. 00:05:34.591 --> 00:05:42.163 The last sermon I preached was on holiness, living a set apart life through our worship. 00:05:42.163 --> 00:05:57.749 And as we are living lives of holiness, it should prompt us to testify to those that don't know who God is. 00:05:57.749 --> 00:06:11.331 There are two primary works of the Holy Spirit One is to convict of sin and the other primary work of the Holy Spirit is to prompt us to testify. 00:06:11.331 --> 00:06:31.735 I like to open up this morning and you don't have to turn to this, this is not the text, but I like to open up this morning with just reading the Great Commission and asking us the question why is Jesus commanding us to evangelize? 00:06:32.884 --> 00:06:35.372 Why is Jesus commanding us to evangelize? 00:06:35.372 --> 00:06:41.255 We are not just called to evangelism, but he is commanding us to evangelize. 00:06:41.255 --> 00:06:44.872 Matthew 28, verse 18,. 00:06:44.872 --> 00:06:50.891 And Jesus came and said to them, the disciples, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 00:06:50.891 --> 00:07:04.048 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. 00:07:04.048 --> 00:07:08.973 And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. 00:07:08.973 --> 00:07:20.968 Why is Jesus commanding his disciples and that would be us. 00:07:20.968 --> 00:07:24.413 If we are a child of God, we are his disciples. 00:07:24.413 --> 00:07:30.173 Why is Jesus commanding us to evangelize to all the earth? 00:07:30.173 --> 00:07:53.990 And when I'm talking about evangelizing and letting our light shine this morning, I am not talking in the context of all of us heading overseas and starting new missions, but I am talking this morning in the context of all of us letting our light shine to where we are planted today. 00:07:53.990 --> 00:08:00.733 Be faithful in the little things and he will bring bigger things. 00:08:00.733 --> 00:08:05.492 Why is Jesus commanding us to evangelize? 00:08:05.492 --> 00:08:09.428 Romans 3, verse 23,. 00:08:09.428 --> 00:08:13.978 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 00:08:13.978 --> 00:08:24.206 Folks, this morning, everyone needs Jesus, no matter what your background is, no matter what your ethnicity is, no matter what your family life was like. 00:08:24.206 --> 00:08:26.651 We all need Jesus. 00:08:32.544 --> 00:08:37.535 What is the number one reason we find it hard to evangelize? 00:08:37.535 --> 00:08:42.816 I would like to open it up and I would like to have some participation from you this morning. 00:08:42.816 --> 00:08:45.592 There's a few questions I'd like to have responses from. 00:08:45.592 --> 00:08:48.711 Why is it hard for you to evangelize? 00:08:48.711 --> 00:08:51.711 For me that day 20 years ago, it was fear. 00:08:51.711 --> 00:08:55.254 Then I asked myself the question what am I fearing? 00:08:55.254 --> 00:09:00.115 Is he going to come off that loader and beat me up? 00:09:00.115 --> 00:09:00.626 Is he going to? 00:09:00.626 --> 00:09:01.168 What's he going to do? 00:09:01.168 --> 00:09:02.687 Is he going to just? 00:09:02.687 --> 00:09:04.273 Is he going to mock at me? 00:09:04.273 --> 00:09:05.749 Is he going to say what? 00:09:05.749 --> 00:09:07.214 Is he going to challenge me on scripture? 00:09:07.214 --> 00:09:15.932 What am I fearing For those of you that it's hard to evangelize? 00:09:15.932 --> 00:09:18.056 Why do you find it difficult? 00:09:18.056 --> 00:09:19.479 I'd like to have some responses. 00:09:19.479 --> 00:09:22.432 You don't need the mic, just speak loudly. 00:09:22.432 --> 00:09:25.172 Fear of rejection. 00:09:25.746 --> 00:09:42.677 Not knowing the scriptures and exactly what you said, the first time I went to a prison in Crusade, for me to go talk to somebody was really hard, but when I later on realized that you're more powerful. 00:09:42.918 --> 00:09:53.445 By just listening, it's much easier to be a preacher in that way, and then the opportunity opens up. 00:09:54.905 --> 00:09:57.548 Okay, anyone else? 00:10:14.407 --> 00:10:14.626 Yeah. 00:10:29.686 --> 00:10:30.027 Thank you. 00:10:47.826 --> 00:10:48.048 Yeah. 00:11:22.221 --> 00:11:22.442 Yeah. 00:11:25.048 --> 00:11:25.307 Yeah. 00:11:39.370 --> 00:11:39.613 Yeah. 00:11:41.966 --> 00:11:42.447 It's very good. 00:11:53.644 --> 00:11:53.904 Okay. 00:12:09.187 --> 00:12:09.366 Yeah. 00:12:13.868 --> 00:12:13.947 Okay. 00:12:15.445 --> 00:12:16.288 Like a self confidence. 00:12:34.975 --> 00:12:40.159 Okay. 00:12:47.168 --> 00:12:47.489 Okay. 00:13:22.528 --> 00:13:22.668 Okay. 00:13:49.780 --> 00:14:03.535 Okay, I love to tell the story and we all have a story and there are very few people that don't enjoy talking about themselves. 00:14:03.535 --> 00:14:11.216 If you start asking them questions about themselves, that leads to deeper discussions. 00:14:11.216 --> 00:14:27.424 Thank you for all those responses and then later on in the sermon I'm going to ask for responses to those of you that have evangelized and what is working for you and what is a good way for you to evangelize. 00:14:27.424 --> 00:14:44.404 And I like to also hear those the positive, of what experiences have you had to where you overcame that fear or you overcame the your busy schedule or you overcame the lack of confidence, and what was helpful for you in overcoming that. 00:14:44.404 --> 00:14:46.445 So thank you for thank you for sharing those. 00:14:46.445 --> 00:14:47.485 I think. 00:14:47.485 --> 00:14:53.131 I think all of us, it seems, are in the same boat at one time or another. 00:14:53.131 --> 00:15:02.541 In in it all, a lot of it boils down to fear of what might happen when we make that first move of evangelism. 00:15:02.541 --> 00:15:18.894 The devil's number one tool in the Christian's life is fear, and the devil's number one weapon in the life of a Christian is lies, and fear and lies go hand in hand. 00:15:18.894 --> 00:15:29.458 Turn in your Bibles to the text that I'd like to use this morning in Matthew 5, verses 13 through 16. 00:15:29.458 --> 00:15:33.293 Matthew 5, verses 13 through 16. 00:15:33.293 --> 00:15:58.277 How can we this morning I hope at the end of the sermon this morning, that we can have talked about a few practical tools to help us overcome the devil's number one tool, that is, a fear of speaking out for his adversary, god, and then his number one weapon, the lies that he uses to convince us that we should fear. 00:16:00.208 --> 00:16:00.871 Matthew 5. 00:16:00.871 --> 00:16:03.445 Like to read verses 13 through 16. 00:16:03.445 --> 00:16:05.424 Matthew 5, verse 13. 00:16:05.424 --> 00:16:11.977 You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall his saltiness be restored? 00:16:11.977 --> 00:16:18.445 It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. 00:16:18.445 --> 00:16:20.424 You are the light of the world. 00:16:20.424 --> 00:16:32.259 A city set on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but only stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 00:16:32.259 --> 00:16:43.404 In the same way, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. 00:16:43.404 --> 00:16:47.975 That is the theme verse for this morning is verse 16. 00:16:47.975 --> 00:16:58.599 In the same way, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father, who is in heaven. 00:17:01.265 --> 00:17:19.897 How many of you primarily looking at the men, because I don't see a lot of ladies doing this, maybe it's because they do the cooking for the most part how many of you men are that guy that as soon as the food is passed, before you even take a bite, you ask for the salt shaker? 00:17:19.897 --> 00:17:26.134 We have at least two honest, three, couple honest people here this morning. 00:17:26.134 --> 00:17:38.710 I'm not necessarily that guy, although I do use salted times, but every time that happens I'm like I say every time there's once in a while when I see that happen. 00:17:38.710 --> 00:17:42.096 I'm like if I were to cook, I would make that guy pay. 00:17:42.096 --> 00:17:49.959 I would salt the food to where he loads it on after without even tasting it, just to add more salt. 00:17:51.068 --> 00:17:53.404 Well, the point of the matter is salt. 00:17:53.404 --> 00:18:00.478 One of the one of the primary reasons we use salt is to enhance the flavor of the food. 00:18:00.478 --> 00:18:09.560 Another primary reason of salt is to preserve for whatever it's used for. 00:18:09.560 --> 00:18:20.319 To preserve food for the most part, salt is obviously one of the most well-known universal spices or seasonings that we know of. 00:18:20.319 --> 00:18:24.794 Salt is of a lot of value. 00:18:24.794 --> 00:18:33.336 Jesus says you, we are the salt of the earth. 00:18:33.336 --> 00:18:44.018 So if we are the salt of the earth and the two primary reasons are uses of salt are to enhance the flavor and to preserve. 00:18:46.768 --> 00:18:50.095 So what is God looking to us to do here on earth? 00:18:50.095 --> 00:19:16.159 Is it not to, in an accurate way, show the unbeliever how good the Lord tastes, to enhance the flavor of a relationship with Jesus Christ and to preserve the gospel and Christianity for the generations to come? 00:19:16.159 --> 00:19:22.386 What are we doing today to preserve that Randy just mentioned? 00:19:22.386 --> 00:19:52.411 And again, randy, I agree with you, with all due respect, some of the reasons we might fear evangelism is maybe because of what we were taught, maybe because of the bad taste that some of us, some of you, might have of the revival meetings that we used to have, because it seems those meetings have, in a sense, kind of run its course and I do believe they're still very effective. 00:19:52.411 --> 00:19:56.378 But there's also probably more effective ways of evangelism. 00:19:56.378 --> 00:20:07.740 But what are we doing to preserve the gospel and our way of Christian living for the generations to come? 00:20:07.740 --> 00:20:13.035 What is your level of salt content in your life this morning? 00:20:13.035 --> 00:20:20.616 Do you have enough salt that enhances the flavor to the unbeliever of who God is? 00:20:20.616 --> 00:20:35.892 Am I living my life to where, if the unbeliever has anything to do with me that he says, ooh, he has something that I want to taste, he has something that I want to be a part of. 00:20:35.892 --> 00:20:41.695 How am I showing the goodness of God? 00:20:41.695 --> 00:20:45.491 Jesus also compares us to light. 00:20:45.491 --> 00:20:49.647 You are the light of the world. 00:20:49.769 --> 00:20:51.693 A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 00:20:51.693 --> 00:21:02.535 So last weekend, my wife and I and our daughter Kate and one of her good friends, we took a short weekend trip out west to San Francisco. 00:21:02.535 --> 00:21:07.444 It was a trip that we had promised Kate after her graduation. 00:21:07.444 --> 00:21:13.097 It was a graduation trip and she chose to go watch a show out in San Francisco. 00:21:13.097 --> 00:21:16.313 Now, how many of you have been out to San Francisco? 00:21:18.527 --> 00:21:24.777 What is unique about the logistically unique about the city of San Francisco? 00:21:24.777 --> 00:21:27.388 Anyone? 00:21:27.388 --> 00:21:29.426 The hills. 00:21:29.426 --> 00:21:32.394 It's literally a city on a hill. 00:21:32.394 --> 00:21:44.316 The first time I had seen San Francisco was last summer and I was totally amazed and almost awestruck of how this city is built literally on hills. 00:21:44.316 --> 00:21:54.671 We did a fun thing of googling the steepest street in San Francisco and I'm serious, they literally parked the cars horizontal. 00:21:54.671 --> 00:21:56.655 They do not vertically park the cars. 00:21:56.655 --> 00:22:15.347 We had a fairly small car and when we went from you come up a street and then you come to a stop sign, you cross and you flatten out and then you go like that again and I, literally, every time we hit one of those streets, I was like is my front bumper going to scrape? 00:22:15.347 --> 00:22:19.532 It is that steep, so it is a city on a hill. 00:22:19.532 --> 00:22:29.692 If you go across the Golden Gate Bridge, there's a lookout point to where you can look back over the bay and you actually see how it is a city on a hill. 00:22:29.692 --> 00:22:33.375 So when I read, when I was studying this, my mind obviously went there. 00:22:33.375 --> 00:22:50.689 Now I do not look at San Francisco as that lighted city on a hill in the context that Jesus is talking to us about this morning, but it is a city on a hill and it's a city that cannot very easily be hidden because of its location. 00:22:50.689 --> 00:23:01.753 We are called to be a light in a dark world that cannot stay hidden. 00:23:09.484 --> 00:23:10.125 I have here a flashlight. 00:23:10.125 --> 00:23:19.451 It's a pretty bright flashlight, or maybe I should power it up first. 00:23:19.451 --> 00:23:30.067 In order for this flashlight to be effective, I need to hit the power button, or else it is of no use. 00:23:30.067 --> 00:23:37.366 What level? 00:23:37.366 --> 00:23:39.132 How is your battery level this morning? 00:23:39.132 --> 00:23:44.833 How is your power level in your life this morning? 00:23:44.833 --> 00:23:53.138 Is the Please Charge Me Light blinking, or are all three? 00:23:53.138 --> 00:24:00.430 Are all three dots totally illuminated and you're powered up, ready for battle? 00:24:06.316 --> 00:24:18.989 Every night, before I go to bed, I put this thing on its charging cord because I don't like waking up the next morning and having a phone that's on 10% battery. 00:24:18.989 --> 00:24:28.868 Probably most of us all charge our phones overnight so that we have a full battery, full battery life, to start the day. 00:24:28.868 --> 00:24:31.682 What about our spiritual lives? 00:24:31.682 --> 00:24:38.115 We rest physically overnight. 00:24:38.115 --> 00:24:57.394 When you go to work Monday morning, is your Battery indicator on full strength or is your battery indicator blinking to where you're trying to attack your day with 10% power left in your life? 00:24:57.394 --> 00:25:02.462 It's a daily charging. 00:25:02.462 --> 00:25:18.670 If we are to be the light of the world and if we are to be an effective evangelistic church Folks, we need to plug into the battery charger and we need to have our lives at full power to be effective. 00:25:21.777 --> 00:25:24.355 Before I can share the gospel with others and this comes to what? 00:25:24.355 --> 00:25:25.701 What? 00:25:25.701 --> 00:25:28.535 One of the reasons Kim said and I think we can identify with that. 00:25:28.535 --> 00:25:36.065 I know I can, if we can, if, before I can share the gospel with others, it needs to be fully alive in me. 00:25:36.065 --> 00:25:37.971 I cannot share what I don't have. 00:25:37.971 --> 00:25:42.749 I Cannot give, I cannot give out more than I have. 00:25:42.749 --> 00:25:48.407 I have a bottle of water here, and if I want to give my inner drink, he cannot drink more than what's in here. 00:25:48.407 --> 00:25:53.367 I Cannot give more than I possess. 00:25:53.367 --> 00:26:05.107 I Would like to this time, I would like to this time, sing the children's song, this little light of mine, and part of it is to just keep the children in tact with what we're talking about here. 00:26:05.107 --> 00:26:12.019 I would like to sing the children's song, this little light of mine, and then also draw some illustrations, illustrations from this. 00:26:12.019 --> 00:26:19.262 Everybody, join me in singing this little light of mine, this little light of mine. 00:26:30.741 --> 00:26:38.115 This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. 00:26:38.115 --> 00:26:44.723 Hide it under a bushel no, I'm gonna let it shine. 00:26:44.723 --> 00:26:47.367 Hide it under a bushel no. 00:26:47.969 --> 00:26:49.611 I'm gonna let it shine. 00:26:51.296 --> 00:26:53.058 Hide it under a bushel. 00:26:53.058 --> 00:26:56.144 No, I'm gonna let it shine. 00:26:56.144 --> 00:27:05.540 Let it shine, let it shine let it shine, let it shine, fill Jesus comes. 00:27:05.681 --> 00:27:09.607 I'm gonna let it shine let it shine. 00:27:09.647 --> 00:27:13.295 Fill Jesus, come I'm gonna let it shine. 00:27:14.518 --> 00:27:17.425 Let it shine, feel Jesus comes. 00:27:17.836 --> 00:27:24.397 I'm going to let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. 00:27:24.397 --> 00:27:29.359 So how's your battery strength this morning? 00:27:29.359 --> 00:27:42.363 Is it just barely shining, to where people can just detect that there's something maybe a little bit different, but they can't really lay a finger on it? 00:27:42.363 --> 00:27:50.096 Or is it a little brighter, to where it might get you through the first two hours of the day? 00:27:50.096 --> 00:28:05.103 Or is it quite a bit brighter to where you can get through the full day and, no matter what God brings, no matter what opportunity God brings, that you're ready for it? 00:28:05.103 --> 00:28:18.819 Or is it on and off, to where some days you're good and other days you just don't feel it, you can get the lights again. 00:28:18.819 --> 00:28:19.536 Thank you for that. 00:28:19.536 --> 00:28:30.839 How is what is your power level this morning? 00:28:30.839 --> 00:28:37.959 Let your light shine. 00:28:37.959 --> 00:28:42.944 The next thing I'd like to look at in this verse is what is the light? 00:28:42.944 --> 00:28:49.464 What is the light that God is asking us to broadcast? 00:28:49.464 --> 00:28:54.561 Is it not the gospel story of Jesus? 00:28:54.561 --> 00:29:00.000 We need evangelism because we have a sin problem. 00:29:00.000 --> 00:29:07.845 We have a sin problem in the world we live in today. 00:29:07.845 --> 00:29:15.448 Psalm 19, verse 7, states this the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. 00:29:15.448 --> 00:29:19.604 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. 00:29:19.604 --> 00:29:41.105 I did not read the book I'm about to mention, but I heard a speaker speak about this book and he says that in Ray Comfort's book Hell's Best Kept Secret, ray says that Hell's Best Kept Secret is the preaching of the law. 00:29:41.105 --> 00:30:01.723 To go along with what Chris said this morning in the introduction to Hebrews I know we live in the new dispensation and we have such a privilege of living in the new dispensation to where we don't have to go back and do the ceremonial laws that the Israelites did and that were done in the Old Testament to atone for sin. 00:30:01.723 --> 00:30:14.019 But God does still have the 10 commandments for us to live by and then elevates it in the new dispensation. 00:30:14.019 --> 00:30:23.847 Thou shall not kill no longer only means thou shall not take life, but it means thou shall not hate your brother. 00:30:23.847 --> 00:30:25.538 I'm just giving that as an example. 00:30:25.538 --> 00:30:31.325 So when we evangelize, what should our message be? 00:30:31.325 --> 00:30:35.578 What is David saying when he says the law of the Lord is perfect? 00:30:35.578 --> 00:30:38.323 Converting the soul. 00:30:45.174 --> 00:30:55.722 I find it interesting when you read through the Gospels, if you study Jesus' life and how he addresses different groups and sects of people. 00:30:55.722 --> 00:31:13.007 Every time he addresses the proud, he approached them with the law and every time he addressed somebody with humility, he approached them with grace. 00:31:13.007 --> 00:31:18.880 A few examples the scribes and the Pharisees. 00:31:18.880 --> 00:31:23.585 We often look at them as one of the more proud sects of people. 00:31:23.585 --> 00:31:30.025 Jesus, when he argued with them and when he debated with them, he often used the law. 00:31:30.025 --> 00:31:37.305 What did Jesus do when Nicodemus came and asked Lord, what does this mean? 00:31:37.305 --> 00:31:43.038 He extended grace and said just be born again, you can be my child. 00:31:43.038 --> 00:31:50.406 What did Jesus say when he met the woman at the well, a humble person asking questions? 00:31:50.406 --> 00:31:52.498 He extended grace. 00:31:52.498 --> 00:32:01.059 The woman that came with the accusers go and sin no more, never mentioned the law. 00:32:01.059 --> 00:32:06.781 So what should we use when we approach somebody with the gospel? 00:32:06.781 --> 00:32:26.946 Let's remember, as we approach somebody with the gospel, it doesn't have to be in the first conversation or the second conversation or even the third conversation, because there needs to be a relationship built in order to lead them to Christ eventually. 00:32:26.946 --> 00:32:35.925 But let's not forsake the use of the gospel, and sometimes that takes the law to expose the sin that they're living in. 00:32:35.925 --> 00:32:41.923 The bottom line of evangelism is to take care of the sin problem, because we all need Jesus. 00:32:44.454 --> 00:32:50.027 I'm not going to go into Galatians 3, but I encourage you to read the last part of Galatians 3. 00:32:50.027 --> 00:32:54.784 We're going to bring out one point that might bring it to focus. 00:32:54.784 --> 00:33:00.924 What are we talking about when we talk about the law and sin? 00:33:00.924 --> 00:33:08.666 In Galatians 3, verse 24, paul says like this the law was our guardian. 00:33:08.666 --> 00:33:15.763 That's the ESV version and in some translations it says the law was our schoolmaster. 00:33:15.763 --> 00:33:19.843 So Christ came in order that we might be justified by faith. 00:33:21.375 --> 00:33:34.277 Now, if you look up the word guardian or schoolmaster, the Greek meaning of this word in this context, if I can pronounce the word, is pedagogu, pedagogu, and what that Greek word means. 00:33:34.277 --> 00:33:49.258 It is referring to a servant that was in charge of children and that servant took the children to school and then that servant again took the children home from school. 00:33:49.258 --> 00:33:53.241 Outside of school, they were in the care of that servant. 00:33:53.241 --> 00:33:57.182 In school they were no longer in his care. 00:33:57.182 --> 00:34:09.561 He was not the teacher, he was only the person that brought them to school, handed them over to the teacher, took them back home again after school. 00:34:11.114 --> 00:34:47.173 So let's read that verse again the law was our pedagogu or schoolmaster until Christ came in order that we might be justified, sometimes in evangelism, in order for the person that we're evangelizing to, in order to not just feed them a feel-good gospel, a gospel that just promises happiness from here on out, peace and comfort all your life, fulfillment in whatever you do, and grace covers everything. 00:34:47.173 --> 00:35:03.454 Although the gospel includes all of those things, when we evangelize to someone, the bottom line is to take care of the sin problem in order for that person to know what it is to have a relationship with God. 00:35:03.454 --> 00:35:11.284 And sometimes it takes the law to lead a person, to show that person this is where you've gone wrong. 00:35:11.284 --> 00:35:20.896 Have you stolen, have you lied, have you lived in adultery, have you killed to expose a sin. 00:35:20.896 --> 00:35:22.889 And then Christ. 00:35:22.889 --> 00:35:31.255 The law does not eradicate the sin, but Christ takes over Guardian, hands us over to Christ. 00:35:31.255 --> 00:35:33.092 Christ takes care of the sin. 00:35:36.349 --> 00:36:05.873 I listened to a sermon preached by Rick Rhodes and I love listening to his sermons on evangelism, and he just made the point of if we only go with what today has become a fairly familiar modern day evangelism message is just kind of skimming over the top to where come to Christ, everything will be good from their own out. 00:36:05.873 --> 00:36:09.974 Those relationships with Christ do not last. 00:36:09.974 --> 00:36:11.931 It takes counting the cost. 00:36:11.931 --> 00:36:16.795 It takes repenting of our sin. 00:36:16.795 --> 00:36:29.177 It takes recognizing our sin, repenting of our sin, turning from our sin, being baptized and making Jesus Lord of one's life. 00:36:29.177 --> 00:36:44.159 Now, it won't all happen the first time you meet a person, and it's not our job to take it from start to finish. 00:36:46.373 --> 00:36:49.304 We are not the only Christian living on this earth. 00:36:49.304 --> 00:36:52.934 We are a team of Christians. 00:36:52.934 --> 00:37:22.617 Although a relationship with Christ includes all the things that I mentioned, all the good things, it starts with recognizing sin and then grows from there that they may see your good works. 00:37:22.617 --> 00:37:28.295 Let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works. 00:37:28.295 --> 00:37:38.177 God's people don't do good works because of finding favor with God, but we do good works because of the Holy Spirit living within us. 00:37:38.177 --> 00:37:42.304 We're the only religion that that is flipped around. 00:37:42.304 --> 00:37:45.284 Most religions do good works to find favor with God. 00:37:45.284 --> 00:37:50.277 The Christian does good works because of Christ living in us. 00:37:51.590 --> 00:37:54.304 So how should we go about doing our good works? 00:37:54.304 --> 00:37:57.304 How should we go about evangelizing? 00:37:57.304 --> 00:38:01.304 How should we go about spreading the good news of Christ? 00:38:01.304 --> 00:38:28.612 And this is a section in the sermon that I like to get really practical, and I want your help in talking about ideas on what are some practical ways that we can overcome the fears that we've talked about, that we can, in a real way approach somebody or talk to somebody about Christ, eventually, about their sin problem, and help lead them to Christ. 00:38:28.612 --> 00:38:30.409 What are some practical ways? 00:38:30.409 --> 00:38:47.304 Obviously, the ones that we all know are preaching, and we've all been a part of passing out tracts, and I know all of us have opinions on how effective are those methods. 00:38:47.865 --> 00:38:53.257 I think it goes far and beyond handing a person a piece of paper. 00:38:53.257 --> 00:38:58.894 There's very few people that turn away food. 00:38:58.894 --> 00:39:03.755 There's very few people that turn away a good deed. 00:39:03.755 --> 00:39:15.452 There's very few people that, no matter how hard they are, that they see that I have genuine interest in them, that they don't want to engage to some sort of level. 00:39:15.452 --> 00:39:21.434 Practical ways of connecting with people. 00:39:21.434 --> 00:39:38.431 I know for myself one of the things that has kept me from evangelizing more was thinking that I have to take it from start to finish, and that is so not true. 00:39:38.431 --> 00:39:43.536 That is a lie that the devil brings to me. 00:39:43.536 --> 00:40:04.635 In God's kingdom there is one person that might prepare the soil, there's another person that might come along and plant the seed, there's another person that might do the watering to that seed and there's another person that might have the opportunity of seeing the harvest. 00:40:05.806 --> 00:40:08.494 How many of you have heard the name John Thomas. 00:40:08.494 --> 00:40:11.954 Most of us in here. 00:40:11.954 --> 00:40:14.791 I know it's, hmm, probably good. 00:40:14.791 --> 00:40:19.574 You guys can't see a clock because it is a little bit past 11.30, but I'll wrap up here just soon. 00:40:19.574 --> 00:40:26.137 I'd like to take just a brief moment and recount the story of John Thomas. 00:40:26.137 --> 00:40:38.896 So, john Thomas, I go back probably well, I married 26 years and I go back 26 years to the first time I met John Thomas. 00:40:38.896 --> 00:40:49.757 Marnita and I have bought a house in Baltic and it was the first house we lived in and it so happened to be right next door to this guy named John Thomas. 00:40:50.304 --> 00:40:53.094 We had heard horror stories of this John Thomas guy. 00:40:53.094 --> 00:40:54.971 He's a hermit in town. 00:40:54.971 --> 00:41:03.264 He's not unusual for the neighbors to wake up in the middle of the night and he's breaking all his windows. 00:41:03.264 --> 00:41:11.594 He took his stairway out and he hung a rope from the upstairs and he just, I guess, goes up and down the rope instead of using a stairway. 00:41:11.594 --> 00:41:15.014 In other words, this guy is weird. 00:41:15.014 --> 00:41:20.230 Well, we ended up right beside him the first few months. 00:41:20.230 --> 00:41:22.655 We saw him only a few times. 00:41:22.655 --> 00:41:27.755 He would literally come out and mow his yard, maybe once every three months. 00:41:27.755 --> 00:41:40.835 When he'd be mowing his yard, he'd have a cat pulled down, tied over his head, sunglasses, long straggly hair and he would not look at you. 00:41:40.835 --> 00:41:58.934 You had to basically be right beside him, or be right beside him, or when he'd come around and make a turn in the yard with his lawn mower, kind of be in his line of sight before he'd even recognize you, and we'd wave and say hi and he would literally maybe nod his head. 00:41:58.934 --> 00:42:01.811 That went on for probably a year. 00:42:05.086 --> 00:42:09.155 One evening after dark we hear a knock on our door. 00:42:09.155 --> 00:42:13.614 I walk up to the door and would you believe it? 00:42:13.614 --> 00:42:17.231 Here stands none other than John Thomas. 00:42:17.231 --> 00:42:20.751 This guy was a security freak. 00:42:20.751 --> 00:42:22.751 This was in the town of Baltic. 00:42:22.751 --> 00:42:30.014 You guys remember that club that was popular at one time to put on your steering wheel to make sure your van doesn't get stolen or your car doesn't get stolen. 00:42:30.014 --> 00:42:33.893 He parked his van in Baltic with the club across his steering wheel. 00:42:33.893 --> 00:42:38.074 So he was all about security. 00:42:38.425 --> 00:42:45.090 Well, that night he comes to our door and he says I locked myself out of my house. 00:42:45.090 --> 00:42:57.914 Could you come and bring a hammer along, and I'm going to break a window in my basement and I need you to crawl in into my basement and go upstairs and unlock the front door. 00:42:57.914 --> 00:43:00.304 Now I've heard horror stories about this house. 00:43:00.304 --> 00:43:07.994 I've never been in his house, I've never talked face to face with this guy, and it's after dark and there's not a light on in his house. 00:43:07.994 --> 00:43:17.550 So I said, sure, I'll do that, crawled in through his basement window, went up, unlocked his house and I went home. 00:43:17.550 --> 00:43:19.375 And that was that. 00:43:19.375 --> 00:43:27.117 That instant broke the ice between him and Monita and I. 00:43:28.344 --> 00:43:30.304 A few months later he did a lot of art shows. 00:43:30.304 --> 00:43:37.193 A few months later he comes over to our door and says I'm going to leave for a few days. 00:43:37.193 --> 00:43:41.996 Can you guys watch out for a UPS parcel that's about to end up on my porch. 00:43:41.996 --> 00:43:44.391 I don't want it sitting outside, I don't want anybody to steal it. 00:43:44.391 --> 00:43:47.251 Can you come over and get it and just hold it for me until I come back? 00:43:47.251 --> 00:43:51.650 A few months later we had him for a meal. 00:43:51.650 --> 00:44:01.869 We had him for a meal in our house and then we moved away about. 00:44:02.028 --> 00:44:04.414 We lived there for two years and we moved away. 00:44:04.414 --> 00:44:08.934 And you would have thought, well, that's maybe the end of John Thomas. 00:44:08.934 --> 00:44:22.257 No, he figured out where we live and kept stopping in, just visited, got into some scripture. 00:44:22.257 --> 00:44:24.873 He was a very, very bitter man. 00:44:24.873 --> 00:44:26.869 He knew the Bible better than I did. 00:44:26.869 --> 00:44:38.128 Very bitter man because of some things that had happened with him, to him by some plain people Over the years. 00:44:38.128 --> 00:44:42.952 Conrad's moved into Baltic, kim's moved into Baltic, tim Ars moved into Baltic. 00:44:42.952 --> 00:44:45.893 Mark was very influential in Baltic. 00:44:45.893 --> 00:44:48.143 My dad has an apartment in Baltic. 00:44:48.746 --> 00:44:56.309 He became good friends with John For 24 years. 00:44:56.309 --> 00:45:06.900 Different people just kept stopping in, just visiting. 00:45:06.900 --> 00:45:11.574 He had made the comment I don't want any tracks unless there's food involved. 00:45:11.574 --> 00:45:13.887 He loved food. 00:45:13.887 --> 00:45:32.518 He became sick probably three years ago and in the spring of 22, he came to the Lord. 00:45:32.518 --> 00:45:37.972 He totally changed man. 00:45:37.972 --> 00:45:46.148 I mean, it was like flipping a switch Totally changed man. 00:45:46.148 --> 00:46:17.434 I don't know how many different people prepared the soil, plant the seed, watered and we all rejoice, we all reap the harvest, but he had the biggest harvest. 00:46:17.434 --> 00:46:29.235 He was converted in 2022, in the spring, and then he passed away in the fall of 22,. 00:46:29.295 --> 00:46:35.108 I think it was and this is a byproduct and this is not why we evangelize. 00:46:35.108 --> 00:46:51.844 But I think it would be interesting Because, or the remodel that we did here, a lot of that was possible because of the inheritance, that part of it he designated to Grace Point. 00:46:51.844 --> 00:46:58.545 None of us had a clue through that whole process. 00:46:58.545 --> 00:47:00.740 Why am I telling this story? 00:47:00.740 --> 00:47:20.983 We never know what might happen when we plant the seed, or water the plant, or maybe we'll be there for the harvest. 00:47:20.983 --> 00:47:23.460 That's not our job. 00:47:23.460 --> 00:47:33.922 Our job is to be faithful when God prompts us to speak and to testify what has worked for you. 00:47:34.434 --> 00:47:39.041 I know there are some of you in here that evangelism you've put evangelism to practice. 00:47:39.041 --> 00:47:43.925 Jonathan, I know you talk to many strangers. 00:47:43.925 --> 00:47:51.400 Toby, I know you go play basketball with people at the park and build relationships. 00:47:51.400 --> 00:48:02.119 I'd love to hear from both of you there's others of you that reach out, those of you living in Dover what is working for you? 00:48:02.119 --> 00:48:07.802 How do you overcome that first step of fear To step out and reach out to somebody? 00:48:07.802 --> 00:48:11.885 I'd love for you to just take a quick moment and share it with us. 00:48:11.885 --> 00:48:22.010 One thing I can say is now, as I'm here, my mom used to sing a little rhyme song about jail life. 00:48:22.835 --> 00:48:27.548 She'd express herself to others and herself. 00:48:29.800 --> 00:48:30.623 That stuck to me. 00:48:30.623 --> 00:48:41.349 I always think of this as listening to the other people's is the first thing to me. 00:48:41.349 --> 00:48:44.900 You don't share yourself, it's always the other people. 00:48:44.900 --> 00:48:49.324 That's where I found in talking. 00:48:49.324 --> 00:48:56.061 If you put yourself first, that does not spell joy. 00:48:56.061 --> 00:49:01.365 That does not bring joy to God or peace. 00:49:01.365 --> 00:49:10.175 So that's what I can say is just everybody else is first Showing interest in that person yeah, that's my yeah. 00:49:14.346 --> 00:49:14.806 Anyone else. 00:49:14.806 --> 00:49:17.623 You're not boasting when you talk about. 00:49:17.623 --> 00:49:27.260 We want practical helps so that all of us together can let our light shine not just through action, but through word as well. 00:49:30.695 --> 00:49:33.018 I mean, this is kind of twofold, I think. 00:49:33.018 --> 00:49:36.681 When I don't, it's because I'm not really convinced myself. 00:49:36.681 --> 00:49:48.182 You know, like, if I, if you want to talk to me about fresh ground flower, I will tell you where I stand on that, because I'm very convinced and it's a everyday thing. 00:49:48.182 --> 00:50:02.074 And the other thing is I think dogs and children and taking walks are a wonderful way to meet your neighbors and it just breaks down barriers. 00:50:02.074 --> 00:50:06.826 I think the best evangelist in our family is on my lap right now. 00:50:08.137 --> 00:50:08.338 Yeah. 00:50:08.835 --> 00:50:22.967 Or at least partially on my lap, and it's just amazing how children influence your neighborhood and the relationships there. 00:50:22.967 --> 00:50:29.465 It just breaks down barriers like no other, and so I think that's a good way. 00:50:29.465 --> 00:50:36.260 And then food, you know, just having people in to grab a bite or whatever, it's always, always great. 00:50:37.175 --> 00:50:51.650 Thank you, anyone else, all right, yes. 00:50:55.456 --> 00:51:01.307 Mine's kind of a unique one, coming from the perspective of what I do for work. 00:51:01.307 --> 00:51:14.125 But this one night I had an older lady that was uncomfortable, restless, blood pressure was through the roof high. 00:51:14.125 --> 00:51:26.407 We gave her about everything under the sun, blood pressure just would not come down and she was anxious in there, just not settling down at all. 00:51:26.407 --> 00:51:40.181 And finally, after a bunch of things that happened, I felt the prompting to go in and sat down beside her bed and ask her what's going on in life. 00:51:40.181 --> 00:52:11.144 And that simple question, just it's almost like a dam broke and she just poured out so much of life that was going wrong, a whole lot of family issues, and then she ends it with saying my husband's cancer just came back and it is all throughout his entire body. 00:52:11.144 --> 00:52:12.800 They're saying there's nothing. 00:52:14.978 --> 00:52:19.099 And I felt prompted and I asked her do you want me to pray for you? 00:52:19.099 --> 00:52:34.085 I prayed a short prayer with her and about five minutes later I came in and she was sleeping, woke her up for blood pressure and it was beautiful. 00:52:34.085 --> 00:52:43.224 The next night I came in and she looks at me and says, oh, it's you again and falls asleep right off the bat. 00:52:43.224 --> 00:52:45.621 No issues. 00:52:45.621 --> 00:53:21.885 But then how often do I skip opportunities, because I fear in the overall realm of things there's times when I could easily get into trouble for saying the wrong thing, and I've also been in rooms where they very distinctly made it clear that they believe in the devil and Halloween's his time trying to cast a spell over the sick person. 00:53:21.885 --> 00:53:25.342 So where do we go with this? 00:53:25.342 --> 00:53:25.965 Sometimes? 00:53:25.965 --> 00:53:30.206 I'm glad we serve a more powerful God than what the devil is. 00:53:34.563 --> 00:53:35.465 Alright, anyone else. 00:53:41.717 --> 00:53:43.494 Yeah, I thought of two quick things. 00:53:43.494 --> 00:54:00.494 One that's been repeated over and over again and that's sharing from a place of passion and enthusiasm, something that's been healed in yourself. 00:54:00.494 --> 00:54:10.927 I think often in evangelism, when we talk about evangelism, we end up slapping band-aids on the places that really need a deeper cure. 00:54:10.927 --> 00:54:27.724 So going out and forcing yourself to share with someone, or fighting fear in these ways where you don't really want to, but you push through anyway because you think it's good or you know you should. 00:54:30.275 --> 00:54:50.440 In the Bible, when I look at the prophets and the apostles being controlled by God's spirit, it's more about having to hold in God's love and less about forcing it, and it's just this picture of I can't hold in what God has done and so it's just going to flow out wherever I am. 00:54:50.440 --> 00:54:59.585 And I think so when we think about evangelism, there's something at a more basic level in us. 00:54:59.585 --> 00:55:03.583 I think that needs to change before we just go forth something. 00:55:03.583 --> 00:55:10.887 And the second thing, very practical, is I think a lot of it is simply about proximity. 00:55:10.887 --> 00:55:22.025 We don't surround ourselves with people in a lot of spiritual need and darkness, and if we would, I think we would see that need a lot more. 00:55:22.025 --> 00:55:26.625 So I think a lot of it is about simply just surrounding yourself with people like that. 00:55:27.514 --> 00:55:30.916 Thank you All right. 00:55:30.916 --> 00:55:37.467 Thank you for those testimonies and giving us some practical tips of. 00:55:37.467 --> 00:55:42.418 Sorry, I didn't see the hand yes, Andy, up here. 00:55:50.916 --> 00:56:02.567 So something that I've been learning just in the classes that have been taken the past nine weeks has been just simply, first off it's been mentioned just being a listening ear. 00:56:02.567 --> 00:56:18.820