3 Ways To Bring A Friend To Jesus

Text taken from Mark 2:1-12 and Romans 5:6

3 Ways to Bring a Friend to Jesus

1. Intercession - Matthew 7:7 Plow the ground
2. Conversations - Plant the seed the word of God
3. Invitation - Believe Mark 9:23 and Mark 11:24

Do all three in faith. Don't be afraid to pick others up in prayer.

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Transcript

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SPEAKER_00 0:00

Different ones on the team were able to to share the gospel after we had presented the water filters. First of all, I want to thank you for praying for us. Because I know you think your prayers were were while we were successful. Amen. And I wasn't afraid, I wasn't uh anxious about anything, and I'm telling you, prayers make the difference in that. Because in all actuality, I probably should have been at least a little anxious. But it was a good trip. We uh I told Brother Blake, I said, I thought we landed on a gravel road in Honduras when the plane came down. It was a pretty uh loud uh landing, not like you would land in the United States on concrete, you know, on solid pavement. But that sounded like we landed on a gravel road. But uh I'm thankful for good pilots and people to be prayed and and for your prayers because I think we had success. And that song that we sang, I was able to share. They asked me if I would share the gospel. And since we were giving water filters to people for clean water, I just used this analogy to this story about the woman at the well. How she came to draw the water, and but the Bible d just gives us insight into her life that she was broken. We don't understand her relationships why she had been married five times. We don't know if that determined her failure or her husband's failure, but we know that if you'd been through five divorces, you probably got a degree of brokenness, right? And so whether it was divorces or she had lost her husband's through death, we don't know. But we do know that she was broken. And the story was that Jesus asked her for a drink. And she was amazed because he would ask her for a drink. And he said, if you knew who was asking you for a drink, you would have asked me and I would have given you living water. And that was my message to those people. And it was a small church, probably the building wasn't quite as wide as this, neither as big, but it was probably between 35 or more people in there. And after we had given the water filters, and I gave the message, five people received Christ because I just made a statement that if you're broken, if you're lost, you're undone, if you'll ask Jesus for this water, he'll give you a drink, and you'll never be thirsty again spiritually. And there were three men and two women that came forward and received Christ. So as you prayed for us, I'm telling you that you have uh a part in those souls coming to Christ because it's not just one person that is working, it is God working through the church. And I'm thankful for your prayers for me and that uh I didn't have any bad experiences. I came home feeling a little bit queasy. They fed us just about every place we stopped. If it was lunchtime, they brought out whatever they were eating and and they watched you to see if you were going to eat it. And I I prayed over it and ate it, but apparently I had some bad experience from something. I don't know what it was. It might have been airport food, but it was a good experience that I got to go, and I think I'll I'll never be uh quite the same to see those little kids. And I'm gonna have to learn some Spanish because they were talking to me. Brother Cooper, those little kids came up to me and talk to me just like I understood what they were saying, and I just looked at them like a calf looking at a new gate. I didn't know what they were saying. But I did know that one little boy told me his name was Eric. So when they introduced us, they they introduced me as Brother Eric, and he came up, he was so proud that there was a gringo named Eric, I guess. But anyway, it was a good experience. And then I came back Friday night and was able to go to Adult and Teen Challenge of Rust and to preach, share the gospel with them. And one young man came up to me after service and wanted prayer, and I felt the Holy Spirit just moved in his life and helped him. And I'm thankful for God opening doors that we can share the gospel. Amen. Because it is the gospel that is the power of God unto salvation to all who believe. And I know I'm with believers today. I know you're not here, lost and undone. I know that you're you're a believer in Jesus and his power is working in your life. And in that vein, I wanted to share with you something today out of Scripture that I believe is going to help us to be able to be more aware of how God wants to use us because it's not all about us. Amen. Sometimes we make it more about us than it is, but and God blesses us, but we are the hands and feet of Jesus. And what we do, it does matter. And I don't I don't know, maybe you never deal with this, but I think sometimes we just feel that we're inadequate as disciples for Jesus, and that is not true. God has made you effective wherever you are, and especially with those who you call friends. You probably are like me, you have friends that are not followers of Jesus. And we should have friends that are not Christians. Jesus ate with sinners. Amen. But we don't want to leave them where they are. We want to pray for them. And we want to see them come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. I'm going to be in Mark chapter 2 today. I like the gospel of Mark. Somebody said if you like action movies, Mark is the action movie of the Bible. It just cuts straight to the power of Jesus to heal and to save and to deliver. And it seems it's a short gospel, but it is powerful. Mark chapter 2, verse 1. And it says, and again, speaking of Jesus, he entered into Capernaum after some days, and it was noise that he was in the house. And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door. And he preached the word unto them. And they came unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was born of four. And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was, and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed where the sick of the palsy lay. And when Jesus saw their fate, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. But there were certain of the scribes sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, Why doth this man thus speak blasphemings? Who can forgive sins but God only? And immediately Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, and he said unto them, Why reason ye this things in your heart? Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee, or to say, Arise and take up thy bed and walk. But that ye may know that the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins, he says unto the sick of the palsy, I say unto thee, Arise and take up thy bed and go thy way into thine house. And immediately he rose, took up his bed, and went forth before them all, insomuch that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion. Father, I thank you for the word, and I thank you for your people in this church, and I pray today, God, that you would just speak to our hearts. That God, you will make us aware, Lord, of your spirit working in our lives and help us, Lord, to be they that bring others to you. God, we thank you for this. We give you all the praise for your help in Jesus' name. Amen and amen. As I was studying and going through commentaries and notes on this scripture, God put it on my heart today. This is a word I just couldn't get away from. So I know that God wants to speak to us and that he wants us to be available to bring others to Jesus. And I don't want you to be one that writes or paints a picture of what it's going to look like. I want as a minister to be able to help you to understand it won't always look the way we think it should look. It won't always be in the timetable that we think it should be or the fashion that we hope it would be. We're just simply available for God in order to affect someone for Jesus Christ. And I don't know what that looks like for you. I know sometimes it's as simple as praying for people in private. Sometimes it may be a word of encouragement or exhorting someone that God cares about them. I remember once I was working with a girl and I didn't realize it at the time, but her dad was a minister, but she was running from God. And I didn't know how my life was being an example to her, but there must have been something that she saw that that dealt with her heart without me saying a lot about Jesus, just being a person that honored Christ, being a person that tried to do the right thing. And she knew that I was a Christian and she was watching me. And later on she made a turn to go back to God. And when she she left work, she went, was married, and she she just went home to be a housewife. And I remember one of my last conversations with her was, I hope that something I said was useful for Jesus for you. And she said it was. Now I'm not saying that to lift myself up, I'm just saying that to encourage you today, that whether they ever admit it or not, whether they ever acknowledge that your life is a light, the Bible says that you're the light of the world. The Bible says that we're the salt of the earth. The Bible says that we make a difference wherever we are. Not everyone's going to be standing behind pulpits, not everyone's going to be public speaking, but whatever you do for Christ, I want you to know today it can be and it will be effective in someone's life to help them come to know Jesus Christ. This man who's paralyzed here in this account is a picture actually of the helplessness and hopelessness of people that don't have Jesus. See, this man is unable to get himself to Jesus. He's unable on his own ability to find himself before Christ, but because of his friends, what he cannot do, they can do for him. Amen. Every prayer that you prayed has an effect. Dad says it like this. I've heard him say it more than one occasion. He says, our prayers are continually before God. It's every prayer that you pray is in heaven right now. The Bible says that he bottles up your tears. Have you ever cried over someone or something? The Bible says that God, those tears, God keeps in heaven. And there's coming a day when the Bible says the angel of the Lord is going to throw down that bottle of tears into the earth and it's going to be released. Thunders and lightnings. Read it. It's in Revelation. That's there's power in your prayers, and there's power in your tears for other people. And God keeps those things. And he couldn't get himself to Jesus without someone coming to his aid. And I'm just thankful today that God allows us to aid people who don't have any strength. Romans 5, 6 says that for while we were still weak, the New Lenin translation says utterly helpless, that Christ came at the right time and he died to save sinners. When we were without help, God helped us. When your friends are without help, God is helping them through us. Amen. And we're the greatest asset to bring others to Christ. Listen, the church of Jesus Christ is still powerful in the earth. When we are here in this place, just the few that we are, our prayers can affect our community. Our prayers will affect our family. And we may not well, we can't save them, but we can bring them before the one who can save them. Amen. We are the vehicle to get them to Jesus. When their sin disease has got them unable to move, we can bring them to introduce them to the one who can wash them whiter than snow. And like these friends, it's important that we bring people to Jesus. See, there are three ways that we can help our friends come to Jesus. Number one is through intercession, and that means we just simply are praying for them and lifting them up to Jesus on a regular basis. I don't always know what to pray. I don't know always the needs that people may have. And I was sharing with a friend who was questioning how do we witness to people? There was a man in Honduras who was definitely intoxicated by something. I mean, he was well, he was in another rim. And he came up, the lady said he's he's trying to talk to us, and he sat on the park bench watching us, and it wasn't long before he made his way over to me, and he started speaking to me in Spanish, and I honestly didn't know what he was saying. Even if I spoke Spanish, I don't think I would have understood him. And so, but she was concerned for his soul. She had been addicted in her past life to alcohol and drugs, and she was moved with compassion on him. And I said, Well, you know, right now he's not in a frame of mind where you can witness to him and he could coherently understand you, even if you spoke Spanish. But I find in my life that you can always pray for someone when you can't talk to them. And I said, You can pray for him right now without laying hands on them, without coming face to face with him, and you can ask God to put someone in his path. God, protect him from leaving an eternity lost and undone without you. Lord, I pray for him that you would save his soul. And what you're doing is making an effect for God to work in that man's life. What we do when we pray and intercede for people is that we bring God into the equation. We bring God into the place where he can work. You see, we're inviting God into this situation, and you are the greatest asset to bring others to Jesus Christ. You can pray about anything. And God will answer your prayers when it lines up with his word. We can't save them, but we can bring them to God through intercession. Matthew 7 7 says that prayer is the vehicle to get people to God when he says, ask and it shall be given unto you. Seek and you shall find. Knock and it shall be open to you. That's what Jesus is telling us to do. He's saying, keep on asking, you're going to receive an answer. Keep on seeking, you're going to find that that's going to come to pass what you're seeking for. And when you knock, he said, I'll open the door for you to come through that door. Or the door's going to be open for salvation. The door's going to be open for miracles. Our job is not to cause it to happen. Our job is to keep asking, to keep seeking, and to keep knocking. Doesn't that take the weight off of your shoulders? God's not calling us to perform. He's not calling us to do something great. He's just simply do what you can do in intercession to ask God, to seek after God, and to keep knocking on that door for God to reach people. Then he says in Mark chapter 11, 24, and whatever things that you ask. Notice he said, whatever things you ask. Is there someone that you're concerned about today? Is there something that you're concerned about today? Then this falls under the category of whatever. And Jesus says, Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you'll receive them and you will have them. We often struggle with our believing. I I just put myself in that category. We struggle. Well, God, they're going deeper into sin. They're walking further away from you. Lord, they're bound up by so many things that God's like, that's not a that's not an issue with God. There's no one so lost that they can't be saved. There's no one so deep into sin that God can't deliver them. There's no one in such a predicament that God is far away from them. He is there and he's willing to work, but we must intercede for these friends. And I thought about this. They wouldn't have carried their friend all that way if they didn't believe that God could help them once they got there. Amen. Do you believe God can help in any circumstance today? Why would we bring someone to God in prayer and say, Well, God, I know you couldn't do this. I know it's probably too difficult. No, we don't even entertain those thoughts. We know that God can do it. And our unbelief is something we deal with personally. Remember the man, I think it was Mark chapter 9, that his son was having seizures and convulsions, and he said, I brought him to your disciples to help him, and they could not help him. Can you help him? And Jesus said, If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes. And he said, Lord, I believe, but I'm struggling with unbelief. Lord, I believe, help my unbelief, is what he said. And that means that he believes that God can do it, but yet there's an obstacle in his way that he's having difficulty getting around. I I don't condemn him for that. Because there are some instances in our life that are just so heavy, they're so profound that we we believe God, but it looks like God, it looks impossible for me. But I want to encourage you today that whatever things you pray for, don't look at the impossibilities, look at the possibilities. Don't look at God, they're getting they're getting further away from you, they're getting more unbearable. Have you ever prayed for someone and it seemed like instead of getting better, it got worse? Absolutely. Because we have an adversary that is working contrary, he's trying to bring about a weight on them that it seems like they get mean, right? Well, just keep praying. That's the effect of your prayers. That's an effect. When it looks like it's getting worse, look through eyes of faith and believe my intercession is actually working. Something God is dealing with them, and it won't be long before this is brought to fruition. We can win, we can bring them to Christ through intercessions. We can also bring them to Christ through conversations. Now, I've got a knack that I like to talk. Angela says, you could probably get a lot more accomplished at work if you didn't talk as much as you. And that's that's probably true. But I find that in conversations, if you listen, how many understand that conversations is a two-way street? It's not just talking, it's actually listening to others and what they're saying. And I find in conversations sometimes that God will drop hints of what people are going through. They'll just tell you. And that's not normal, that's a Holy Spirit setup. But in conversations, we can lead others to Christ. Here's the problem. Out of a hundred people surveyed, 41% of the people told that they were afraid to speak publicly. They only out of a hundred, only seven percent fear death. I mean, that's quite a difference. They're they're afraid to stand before someone and talk, but they they're not that afraid to die. And that tells me that usually the person just doesn't. Feel adequate. Right? I won't say the right thing. I don't know what to say. I don't know how to talk. It's simply conversation and trusting God that what He has you to say, that He can make it effective for that person. These men had to have a conversation with their friend. I don't think they just took him by, you know, took him hostage. You know, he's not laying there on his bed, and all of a sudden you get four guys coming here and they pick him up and he's like, where are we going? Don't worry about it. They had to have a conversation with him. Someone had to know that Jesus was in the house and they came to their friend and they began to talk to him and influenced him that if we can just get you to the house, we believe that he is powerful enough that he is able to help you and to heal you. And that conversation, he agreed to let them take in. I want to encourage you today that you don't have to take people hostage. You just simply have to talk with them and tell them about what God can do for their life. If they're struggling, you just have to be the one who tells them, He helped me, I believe he can help you. Amen. It feels odd sometimes. But in conversation, God can make available a place where we can share Jesus with people. And it'll have an effect on their faith. Here's what conversation is it's like it's like plowing the ground to plant the seed. Right? If you're going to plant a seed, you want the ground to be open because if you don't open the ground, what's going to happen? The seed's not going to have root. It's not going to be embedded to where it can grow. It needs the ground. When we pray and intercede, I think that plow has gotten out of the closet and we're beginning to work the ground. And then we have the conversation that is actually opening up the ground to plant the seed also. And through that, I believe God's going to utilize our words. So I just want to encourage you today. I believe this church is going to have people that's going to come to it, but they're not going to come because they hear that Brother Eric McBride's standing up here behind the pulpit every week preaching. I believe it's going to be through relationships, you affecting the people around you. Now that doesn't mean that you're taking them hostage. I want to make that point clear. I'm not going to hold you hostage here today. We're going to have a time that we're going to come to a close, and you're going to take the word of God that God drops in your heart, and you're going to begin to utilize that. And I believe that there are going to be people in your life in the days and weeks to come that you're going to see this message fulfilled in their life where you're going to, in conversation, you've been praying for that person, and then God gives you an opportunity to tell them how Jesus can help them. Thirdly, we bring Jesus people to Jesus through invitation. I said this at one of the first services I think I ministered here. That a large majority of people will come simply because you invite them. There was an opportunity that we had to go into the schools. The way that came about was the legal process of starting a bilingual school there. We found that we weren't doing everything or the leaders weren't doing everything that they should be, so they were reprimanded. They were really rebuked, and and the pastor told me, he said, it was, he said, man, I wanted to do everything right. And to find out that I'd done something that wasn't exactly what should have been, he said, it hurt me. I didn't want to be a man that was not following the rules. And so, but God uses everything. And he said, they really, he used this terminology. He said, they walked along with me. Have you ever heard that? They went on one side and down the other. They raked him over the coals, and they said they had never really seen an American that was humble like he was. He didn't fight with them, he didn't argue with them. He just simply corrected what needed to be corrected. And what happened was when they saw that, Holy Spirit used it. And then they invited him and asked him, Would you help our other schools with water filters? And when we were there, the first school we that we went to, I didn't know it until after we had distributed the water filters and shared the gospel. When we went to the next school, this woman who was there followed us. And she got out and went in to the school. We found out later that she was a government official that they had sent in proxy, that she was observing what we were doing. She's just strictly business. That she was there to see us distribute the water filters. But let me tell you, when I'm talking about the invitation that we gave to those students, God was drawing this woman to him. And I could see it. We went to a little coffee shop, our interpreter was sitting there, and the lady sitting at the table with us, and some of the girls asked, Is she a Christian? And here's what he said. He said, Look into her eyes. I thought, look into her eyes. I knew what he was saying. He said, look into her eyes. You'll know if she's a Christian or not. And he looked at me and he said, I said to him, I said, she's not a Christian, but she's a believer. She believes in God, but she hasn't acted upon God. She was hungry for God because the invitation's been made, and now she's with us at a coffee shop when she should have just gone back to work. There is the light of God is drawing people to you. The salt of God in your life is drawing people to you. And there will be an opportunity that you can give an invitation to that person and they will either accept it or reject it. But I believe if they're being drawn to God, they're going to accept that. And it reminded me of a story where a man was saved and he worked at a paper in Chicago. And he said one day, he said God impressed upon his heart to go and invite his boss to an Easter service. Easter was coming up. And he said, I wrestled with that because I knew he was an atheist. And he said, I'm a young Christian. I haven't been saved long. But he said he went because he felt such a leading to go and invite him. And he said, I went into his office and he looked up at me and I said, You know I'm a Christian, don't you? He said, Yes. He said, Well, Easter Sunday's coming up, and he says, I just wanted to invite you to come to church with me. And he said, he cut into him so quickly, told him, he said, Don't you know I'm an atheist? I don't believe that Jesus is real. I don't believe that he died and rose from the grave. And he says, Well, actually, he says, there's plenty of evidence that Jesus was real and that Jesus did rise from the grave. There were all these eyewitnesses, and he says, I just left discouraged. He said, until about 10 years later, he said he'd answer the call to preach. And he says, one Sunday after church, he says, I came down from the pulpit and a man met me in the back with his family, and he says, I'm here because of you. He said, I've never met this man. I didn't know who he was. And he said, Remember about 10 years ago when you were in this office inviting your boss to church and he was an atheist and he really cut into you? He said, Yeah. He said, Well, I'm electrician and I was up under that desk working on an outlet. You didn't know I was there, but he said, I heard everything that went on. And he says, when you got through and walked out, he said, my heart was beating out of my chest. And he said, I went down and called my wife and said, I don't know why, but he says, We're going to church this Sunday. And he said, I went to church that Sunday, and he said, I gave my heart to Jesus, and my wife and my two teenage children gave their heart to Jesus. And he said, I'm here because you gave an invitation to a man who rejected that invitation, but I accepted it and God saved my life. Why are you telling me this? I'm saying because through invitations, not everyone will accept, but God will still utilize that invitation to reach those that you don't even know may be watching your life. And just like these four men in this scripture, when Jesus looked at them after they went through all the trouble to take the tiles off of the roof and let him down. He said, What an amazing faith they had. I'm looking at people today that have amazing faith. That when you pray, you're praying in faith. When you communicate, you're communicating through faith. And when you give an invitation, the faith that causes us to trust Jesus, that he can save to the uttermost, is the faith that God sees in your life. And he will commend you for that faith every time. No pressure. Have you ever felt pressure like you're not doing enough? You just simply need to be available. I always say, pray before you go, right? Pray before you speak. We'll even bring it to social media. Pray before you post. Right? Because the prayers are making everything effective for Christ. And I want you to know today, God is watching you. God is thankful for your openness about your faith and your willingness to share Jesus with other people. And just as in this story, there are going to be opportunity for us to be discouraged. I mean, you get people to Jesus, and it looks like I got them here, and they can't, they can't even get through. I brought them to church and I brought them to lunch. I brought them to my house. Things aren't working. But I'm here to tell you today, just like that government official, she didn't pray a prayer, but I promise you, just like she's been on my mind that God was dealing with her, I think Holy Ghost is still on her mind. I think Jesus is still on her mind. And here's the story. She has a sister. She's shared with us a sister named Victoria. Well, victory. Victoria. I think that that's not just happenstance. I think that God's saying there's going to be victory in this family. Amen. Can I say that today? There is victory in your family, in your prayers, in your obedience. Don't be afraid to pick others up in prayer. Because God is still saving today. Amen. Father, I thank you for this church. I thank you for the power in prayer, in intercession. I thank you for the ability to communicate with those that, Lord, you're seeking to save, those that are around us, God. I thank you for the ability to communicate with our family. You may not be following you, Jesus, but God, you are pursuing them. And God, I thank you, Father, for the opportunity that you will give us to give invitation to people to come unto you, all that are weary, and that they can find rest. God, it's my prayer today, Lord, that you will just burn this in our hearts today that, Lord, you are making us the light of the world. You said we are. We're the salt of the earth, God. And I declare, Lord, that families in this community, they're going to come to know Jesus. And God, we're going to be so grateful for all that you're doing in our lives and their lives also. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen and amen. I'm going to share one last thought that I shared with the men at Teen Challenge this weekend. It's simple. Right decisions will bless the rest of your life. Do you believe that? Right decisions are going to bless the rest of your life. And I believe that God is going to help you to see what decisions He wants you to make. Amen? Amen. Don't be afraid. Nobody can do what you can do. Amen. Sister Jennifer, there are going to be people in your life that if I came up to them and tried to say something to you, they would look at me like, who are you? But you have an access into their life, that they have confidence in what you're saying and trust, and you're going to minister to them in a special way. Every one of us. Amen. Amen. Are all hearts clear? Does anybody need prayer before we leave? Personal prayer specific for anything. I know we've called out names before Jesus. Can I just pray that God would make us effective ministers together? Would you stand with me as we close? Father, I thank you, Lord, that you've led us, Lord, to be ministers, Lord, for your kingdom. Every one of us. God, we have been called, Lord, in a special way, Lord, in a unique way. To be your hands and your feet. And God, I pray that you would make us aware of those around us, Lord, that we can help. And I pray, Father, that you would help us, first of all, to be sensitive to your voice. And God, that we would hear what you're saying to us, and that we would not be discouraged as we pray, God, that we would be believing, Lord, that you're working in their life, and God, that you would give us the right words to say and the right moments, Lord, that we could speak and invite them to know Jesus. I pray also, Lord, that you would guard our hearts. And Lord, help us to be overcomers in every obstacle, Lord, help us to even take the roof off if we need to, to be able, Lord, to help others get to you. I pray, God, for this week. I thank you, Lord, that you're with us and that you'll you'll be with us, Lord. I ask you, Lord, to just watch over us, Lord, and keep your hand upon us. Help us to remember, Lord, that if you're for us, who could be against us? We'll give you all the praise for these things in Jesus' mighty name. Amen. And amen. Well, God bless you. We hope you all have a wonderful week. And we will see you back here Sunday and be praying for you throughout the week.