WEBVTT 00:00:09.960 --> 00:00:12.300 Thank you for listening to this message from 00:00:12.300 --> 00:00:18.379 Lifehouse Church. Good morning, good morning. 00:00:18.480 --> 00:00:20.300 It's good to see each one of you this morning 00:00:20.300 --> 00:00:22.879 at Lifehouse. Hey, we're going to start off this 00:00:22.879 --> 00:00:25.239 message just a little bit different. How many 00:00:25.239 --> 00:00:27.660 know when you come to church, it is not a spectator 00:00:27.660 --> 00:00:30.820 sport? Amen? Some of you are like, yes it is. 00:00:30.899 --> 00:00:32.960 No, it's not. We're coming together. We come 00:00:32.960 --> 00:00:34.780 together to pray. We come together to worship 00:00:34.780 --> 00:00:37.439 God. We come together to get in community, right, 00:00:37.560 --> 00:00:41.880 with one another. And tonight, VBS starts. And 00:00:41.880 --> 00:00:45.420 we don't do VBS just so like another church that 00:00:45.420 --> 00:00:48.380 does VBS. We believe with all our hearts that 00:00:48.380 --> 00:00:50.880 kids are going to get saved. Kids are going to 00:00:50.880 --> 00:00:52.560 come into the kingdom of God. We believe they're 00:00:52.560 --> 00:00:55.140 going to grow spiritually this weekend. We believe 00:00:55.140 --> 00:00:56.520 that there might even be parents that are going 00:00:56.520 --> 00:00:58.770 to be reached this weekend. And I'm here to tell 00:00:58.770 --> 00:01:01.210 you, we need to pray. And I'm going to stop. 00:01:01.329 --> 00:01:02.789 We're going to do this together. We're going 00:01:02.789 --> 00:01:05.650 to join together. We're going to believe God 00:01:05.650 --> 00:01:08.489 for what he's going to do this week at VBS. We're 00:01:08.489 --> 00:01:10.290 going to believe that every plan of the enemy 00:01:10.290 --> 00:01:15.530 is sidetracked. It's pushed away because the 00:01:15.530 --> 00:01:17.189 enemy doesn't want our children moving close 00:01:17.189 --> 00:01:20.109 to God. You know that? He doesn't. But we believe 00:01:20.109 --> 00:01:21.209 that God's going to do that. So I'm going to 00:01:21.209 --> 00:01:23.689 ask you to stand. Come on. This is not spectator 00:01:23.689 --> 00:01:26.450 today. We're going to worship together, right? 00:01:26.569 --> 00:01:28.370 We've done that already. We're going to pray 00:01:28.370 --> 00:01:30.510 together. How many are ready to pray that the 00:01:30.510 --> 00:01:33.170 kingdom comes down to VBS? Amen? Let's do it. 00:01:33.209 --> 00:01:34.969 So, Father, we come to you. If you'd raise your 00:01:34.969 --> 00:01:37.030 hand just with me. Father, we come before you. 00:01:37.090 --> 00:01:40.450 God, we come asking. Lord, believing for VBS. 00:01:40.489 --> 00:01:42.010 God, we're believing that you're going to reach 00:01:42.010 --> 00:01:44.840 lives. You're going to touch souls. God, there 00:01:44.840 --> 00:01:46.640 are going to be young people that come into the 00:01:46.640 --> 00:01:48.739 kingdom of God this week for the very first time. 00:01:48.879 --> 00:01:50.700 God, there are going to be young people who are 00:01:50.700 --> 00:01:52.700 going to feel your presence. And God sent you 00:01:52.700 --> 00:01:55.040 in a way they've never done before. God, I believe 00:01:55.040 --> 00:01:56.819 there are going to be parents. God, there are 00:01:56.819 --> 00:01:58.379 going to be adults that are going to be reached 00:01:58.379 --> 00:02:00.799 this week. So, Lord, I pray that you would just 00:02:00.799 --> 00:02:04.579 use these efforts that have been taken. Lord, 00:02:04.700 --> 00:02:07.019 the preparations that have taken place, God, 00:02:07.120 --> 00:02:08.979 use them for the kingdom of God. And just, Lord, 00:02:09.039 --> 00:02:12.259 anoint it. We ask this in Jesus' name. Everybody 00:02:12.259 --> 00:02:15.210 say it together. Amen. Amen. You may be seated. 00:02:15.490 --> 00:02:17.710 I'm believing God for a couple of things. I'm 00:02:17.710 --> 00:02:19.810 believing for this tank to get filled with invitations 00:02:19.810 --> 00:02:22.210 and this one to get filled with salvations. That's 00:02:22.210 --> 00:02:23.969 what those are all about. Amen. Anybody with 00:02:23.969 --> 00:02:26.569 me on that? All right. All right. Come on. It's 00:02:26.569 --> 00:02:32.430 happening. We need to give God glory. He has 00:02:32.430 --> 00:02:34.979 been doing it all month long. We keep hearing 00:02:34.979 --> 00:02:37.719 stories of invitations and what people are doing 00:02:37.719 --> 00:02:40.580 and reaching people for the gospel. So that's 00:02:40.580 --> 00:02:42.500 what this message series has been all about. 00:02:42.680 --> 00:02:47.340 It's been all about being salty. Say salty. Turn 00:02:47.340 --> 00:02:48.979 to somebody this morning and look at them. Are 00:02:48.979 --> 00:02:51.620 you salty? Ask them, are you salty this morning? 00:02:51.699 --> 00:02:56.060 Come on, are you feeling salty? Right? Are you 00:02:56.060 --> 00:03:03.620 salty? One of Chaney and Associates' recent surveys, 00:03:04.330 --> 00:03:07.949 produced the following finding. And for me, this 00:03:07.949 --> 00:03:11.889 was very intriguing. This was the finding. Confusion 00:03:11.889 --> 00:03:14.969 keeps the unchurched away more than the rules 00:03:14.969 --> 00:03:19.389 of the church. Church rules are not the deterrent 00:03:19.389 --> 00:03:22.250 for the unchurched. This study revealed that 00:03:22.250 --> 00:03:24.310 four out of 10 unchurched people believe churches 00:03:24.310 --> 00:03:28.110 have too many rules. It's not the rules themselves. 00:03:28.270 --> 00:03:31.650 It's the lack of clarity that... surrounds the 00:03:31.650 --> 00:03:35.389 church that keeps people away from church. Over 00:03:35.389 --> 00:03:39.310 60 % of unchurched people agree or strongly agree 00:03:39.310 --> 00:03:43.469 that churches are confusing for outsiders. Surprisingly, 00:03:43.550 --> 00:03:46.710 the same percentage of church attendees hold 00:03:46.710 --> 00:03:50.069 the same view. Both at the church and the unchurched 00:03:50.069 --> 00:03:54.110 agree, right, that it is confusing to those on 00:03:54.110 --> 00:03:57.490 the outside. It's not the rules. It's not what 00:03:57.490 --> 00:03:59.389 we believe at church that keeps the unchurched 00:03:59.389 --> 00:04:03.229 away. Sometimes it's the lack of clarity in our 00:04:03.229 --> 00:04:05.509 message and what we're doing, right? One of the 00:04:05.509 --> 00:04:07.949 major deterrents of somebody who is unchurched, 00:04:07.949 --> 00:04:10.969 who's far from God, for them to come to church 00:04:10.969 --> 00:04:13.949 is the lack of clarity. It's how we do things, 00:04:14.090 --> 00:04:16.629 right? The methods or the processes in churches, 00:04:16.810 --> 00:04:19.490 right? Clarity in the expectations of church 00:04:19.490 --> 00:04:23.389 and clarity in the message of the church. And 00:04:23.389 --> 00:04:25.730 if there's one thing that we should be clear 00:04:25.730 --> 00:04:30.069 on, it is the message of the church, right? Because 00:04:30.069 --> 00:04:32.889 we're here to proclaim that as followers of Jesus 00:04:32.889 --> 00:04:36.430 Christ, the gospel of Jesus Christ, the message 00:04:36.430 --> 00:04:40.509 of Jesus, that's our one message. That's what 00:04:40.509 --> 00:04:42.790 we're trying to proclaim. The church is not about 00:04:42.790 --> 00:04:45.740 a building. It's about the people of God and 00:04:45.740 --> 00:04:48.439 the people of God raising up and reaching others. 00:04:48.579 --> 00:04:53.040 We should have one and only one resounding message 00:04:53.040 --> 00:04:56.040 for somebody who's not currently following Jesus, 00:04:56.220 --> 00:05:00.079 and that is the gospel of Jesus Christ, right? 00:05:00.180 --> 00:05:02.660 We need to be clear with that message. Everything 00:05:02.660 --> 00:05:07.079 that we do, everything that we say should clearly 00:05:07.079 --> 00:05:10.339 declare the message of Jesus Christ. We cannot 00:05:10.339 --> 00:05:14.110 be salty, right, for Jesus. to a world who does 00:05:14.110 --> 00:05:17.910 not know him if we're not telling his story, 00:05:18.230 --> 00:05:22.939 if we're not clear in the telling. All right? 00:05:23.220 --> 00:05:26.100 That's what today's acrostic word is. I've been 00:05:26.100 --> 00:05:28.279 caught up in this acrostic thing all month long, 00:05:28.360 --> 00:05:32.100 right? A salty, S -A -L -T -Y. Now, today is 00:05:32.100 --> 00:05:34.519 a perfect day to take notes, by the way. If you're 00:05:34.519 --> 00:05:37.959 not taking notes at service, you should be on 00:05:37.959 --> 00:05:40.620 your phone, right? We got notebooks out at the 00:05:40.620 --> 00:05:42.279 connection station. You can run out there. Somebody 00:05:42.279 --> 00:05:44.360 will help you get one of those. We sell them, 00:05:44.439 --> 00:05:46.240 I think, for five bucks, something like that. 00:05:46.560 --> 00:05:48.759 You can get two for 10. It's great. All right? 00:05:50.060 --> 00:05:52.699 You'll pick up that later. All right. You know, 00:05:52.759 --> 00:05:57.279 four for 20, special today. All right. But T 00:05:57.279 --> 00:06:03.639 in the acrostic is tell his story. The greatest 00:06:03.639 --> 00:06:06.480 message we ever speak to another human being 00:06:06.480 --> 00:06:10.579 is the message of Jesus Christ. It is his story 00:06:10.579 --> 00:06:14.279 that is greatest message. John 3, 16. If you've 00:06:14.279 --> 00:06:16.579 gone to church as a child, and you'll probably 00:06:16.579 --> 00:06:18.459 hear this at VBS at some point along the way, 00:06:18.560 --> 00:06:20.800 right? For God so loved the world that he gave 00:06:20.800 --> 00:06:23.000 his only begotten son, that whoever believes 00:06:23.000 --> 00:06:24.620 in him should not perish but have everlasting 00:06:24.620 --> 00:06:27.399 life. For God did not send his son in this world 00:06:27.399 --> 00:06:29.540 to condemn the world, but that the world through 00:06:29.540 --> 00:06:33.699 him might be saved. Right? It's the gospel. Our 00:06:33.699 --> 00:06:36.959 message has to be clear. We come together to 00:06:36.959 --> 00:06:39.920 worship. We come together for community, right? 00:06:40.000 --> 00:06:42.860 We come together to share the gospel with others, 00:06:42.980 --> 00:06:46.160 to learn about that. We tell a story. Now, our 00:06:46.160 --> 00:06:48.579 story might get intermixed with that. Our testimony 00:06:48.579 --> 00:06:51.519 might get intermixed, but we come and we tie 00:06:51.519 --> 00:06:55.310 those together so that we're salty. And salty 00:06:55.310 --> 00:06:57.029 is this. I want to give you a reminder because 00:06:57.029 --> 00:06:58.709 I'm going to know you might forget the acrostic 00:06:58.709 --> 00:07:00.250 from week to week. You need to write this down, 00:07:00.389 --> 00:07:02.829 right? Salty S is this. We start a conversation, 00:07:03.089 --> 00:07:06.649 right? A is ask a question. L is we listen to 00:07:06.649 --> 00:07:10.949 understand, right? Not just reply, but T is tell 00:07:10.949 --> 00:07:17.709 his story. To be honest, to be honest, this is 00:07:17.709 --> 00:07:20.750 where a lot of Christians get jammed up. This 00:07:20.750 --> 00:07:22.709 is where a lot of believers kind of cringe a 00:07:22.709 --> 00:07:25.810 little bit. This is where people kind of, you're 00:07:25.810 --> 00:07:30.350 right. It's like, oh man, I don't know. Most 00:07:30.350 --> 00:07:32.769 Jesus followers are really good at starting conversations. 00:07:33.069 --> 00:07:35.189 I witnessed it this morning. There were a bunch 00:07:35.189 --> 00:07:37.629 of you in conversation this morning. When we 00:07:37.629 --> 00:07:39.110 come to church on Sunday mornings, there is no 00:07:39.110 --> 00:07:41.430 issue with conversation. Conversations get started 00:07:41.430 --> 00:07:43.550 all over the house, right? And we're pretty good 00:07:43.550 --> 00:07:45.610 at asking each other questions. And a lot of 00:07:45.610 --> 00:07:47.670 times we're even good at listening to understand 00:07:47.670 --> 00:07:50.350 somebody. But when we get down to sharing the 00:07:50.350 --> 00:07:52.610 gospel and sharing the good news, sometimes we 00:07:52.610 --> 00:07:55.550 just get stuck. And it's not, and here's what 00:07:55.550 --> 00:07:57.370 I believe. It's not because you don't love Jesus. 00:07:57.509 --> 00:07:59.069 And I don't even believe that you're ashamed 00:07:59.069 --> 00:08:01.910 of Jesus. And I'm not here to make you feel lousy 00:08:01.910 --> 00:08:04.149 about yourself today, right? How many know, you 00:08:04.149 --> 00:08:05.649 don't want to come to church and somebody's like, 00:08:05.709 --> 00:08:08.029 you're a big loser, right? Because you're not 00:08:08.029 --> 00:08:09.410 evangelizing enough. Turn to the person beside 00:08:09.410 --> 00:08:11.230 you, do this, or go ahead. Some of you have been 00:08:11.230 --> 00:08:13.209 wanting to do this all day, right? Big loser, 00:08:13.410 --> 00:08:16.050 right? That's not how you come to church. That's 00:08:16.050 --> 00:08:18.189 not what I'm here for. That's not what I'm trying 00:08:18.189 --> 00:08:20.410 to say at all this morning. Most of the time, 00:08:20.410 --> 00:08:22.709 Christians get jammed up in sharing the gospel 00:08:22.709 --> 00:08:25.009 because they just aren't sure how to do it clearly. 00:08:25.720 --> 00:08:28.600 They're just not sure. They're qualified, right? 00:08:28.699 --> 00:08:31.660 They're unsure about the approach. How do I bring 00:08:31.660 --> 00:08:34.179 this up? You know, this is a deep and serious 00:08:34.179 --> 00:08:37.220 subject. This is complicated. This is life -changing. 00:08:37.480 --> 00:08:40.620 You know, this message, and how do I do this? 00:08:40.720 --> 00:08:44.200 There's so much to tell about Jesus. I don't 00:08:44.200 --> 00:08:46.960 even know where to start, right? That's where 00:08:46.960 --> 00:08:50.399 people get. I mean, seriously, how do I explain 00:08:50.399 --> 00:08:52.039 that the creator of the universe came wrapped 00:08:52.039 --> 00:08:54.840 in flesh as a baby 2 ,000 plus years ago in a 00:08:54.840 --> 00:08:57.139 little town called Bethlehem? He had visitors 00:08:57.139 --> 00:08:58.679 that came to see him at his birth, by the way. 00:08:58.759 --> 00:09:01.039 They were led by stars, right? Some angels showed 00:09:01.039 --> 00:09:02.960 up and gave directions to all this. There were 00:09:02.960 --> 00:09:05.200 stables, a census, and farm animals involved, 00:09:05.480 --> 00:09:09.500 right? Then this baby Jesus was in fact God incarnate. 00:09:09.539 --> 00:09:12.480 He was part man or actually all human and all 00:09:12.480 --> 00:09:15.360 God at the same time. He grew up at age 30. He 00:09:15.360 --> 00:09:18.440 launched his first ministry. Right? At age 30, 00:09:18.460 --> 00:09:20.279 he healed the sick. He raised the dead. He preached 00:09:20.279 --> 00:09:22.759 the kingdom of God is at hand. He died on a Roman 00:09:22.759 --> 00:09:25.379 cross as the supreme sacrifice for each one of 00:09:25.379 --> 00:09:26.779 our sins because he was the only one that was 00:09:26.779 --> 00:09:29.259 qualified to do so. Right? So that we could be 00:09:29.259 --> 00:09:32.659 reconciled back to God. Then placed in a tomb 00:09:32.659 --> 00:09:35.039 for three days. He rose from the grave, was seen 00:09:35.039 --> 00:09:37.659 by over 500 witnesses, ascended to the Father, 00:09:37.820 --> 00:09:40.399 sent back the Holy Spirit in his place so that 00:09:40.399 --> 00:09:42.659 we would be empowered as believers. Right? And 00:09:42.659 --> 00:09:45.080 we believe this now as followers of Jesus Christ. 00:09:45.220 --> 00:09:47.220 And because of that, you're saved. Saved, sanctified, 00:09:47.379 --> 00:09:49.559 right? Can be filled with the Spirit, right? 00:09:50.100 --> 00:09:52.379 Regenerated on your way to heaven. And because 00:09:52.379 --> 00:09:54.940 Jesus completed that work on the cross, and God 00:09:54.940 --> 00:09:57.320 has now extended that grace and that mercy that's 00:09:57.320 --> 00:10:00.700 unfit, right, Meredith? By the way, if you are 00:10:00.700 --> 00:10:03.700 saved, you just avoided the flames of hell and 00:10:03.700 --> 00:10:06.279 eternal punishment, and you've got a place now 00:10:06.279 --> 00:10:09.740 in heaven that you can go to, right? And we're 00:10:09.740 --> 00:10:12.740 trying to do all this while we're in an elevator 00:10:12.740 --> 00:10:15.120 going from the first to the 22nd floor, right? 00:10:15.669 --> 00:10:18.789 And so much more. We're trying to tell the gospel. 00:10:19.409 --> 00:10:22.889 No wonder we get intimidated. No wonder, how 00:10:22.889 --> 00:10:25.149 am I going to get all of it in? I don't even 00:10:25.149 --> 00:10:26.929 know how to tell everybody about all this. I'm 00:10:26.929 --> 00:10:28.909 not even sure I know what all that means, right? 00:10:29.990 --> 00:10:33.529 But I'm part of the ministerial credentialing 00:10:33.529 --> 00:10:35.649 process for a denomination. And it's interesting 00:10:35.649 --> 00:10:37.809 as we move them through the credentialing process, 00:10:37.950 --> 00:10:40.090 new ministers and they're getting credentialed. 00:10:40.549 --> 00:10:43.350 and certified and ordained. It's interesting. 00:10:43.429 --> 00:10:45.190 We'll sit down and role play sometimes with them 00:10:45.190 --> 00:10:46.769 in this scenario because they need to be able 00:10:46.769 --> 00:10:48.830 to explain different parts of the doctrine to 00:10:48.830 --> 00:10:51.250 other people. And they even get tied up, right? 00:10:51.370 --> 00:10:53.210 Sometimes they get tongue tied with what they're 00:10:53.210 --> 00:10:55.370 going to talk about and how they're explaining 00:10:55.370 --> 00:10:58.110 clearly. So I'm not here to make you feel guilty. 00:10:58.269 --> 00:11:00.850 I'm not here to make you feel bad. I'm not pointing 00:11:00.850 --> 00:11:03.269 any fingers in any way. Amen. Everybody good? 00:11:03.710 --> 00:11:06.879 Right? All the tensions down, right? Turn to 00:11:06.879 --> 00:11:08.159 somebody and tell them, I'm not here to make 00:11:08.159 --> 00:11:09.860 you feel bad, right? And you're not a loser, 00:11:09.919 --> 00:11:12.100 by the way. Turn to the person you did a loser 00:11:12.100 --> 00:11:14.100 thing to and tell them you're not a loser, right? 00:11:15.379 --> 00:11:18.539 Listen, I know this can seem overwhelming, right? 00:11:19.539 --> 00:11:22.000 This can seem like a lot, telling the gospel. 00:11:22.620 --> 00:11:26.519 Sometimes it seems difficult to explain an all 00:11:26.519 --> 00:11:29.279 -powerful and an all -knowing and an omnipresent 00:11:29.279 --> 00:11:34.129 God. It's a fearful thing to bring the greatest 00:11:34.129 --> 00:11:37.210 message that's ever been told to another human 00:11:37.210 --> 00:11:42.049 being, right? Describing Jesus as Savior. I know 00:11:42.049 --> 00:11:45.029 this can be hard. Sometimes it's the primary 00:11:45.029 --> 00:11:48.970 reason. Many don't tell people about Jesus. We 00:11:48.970 --> 00:11:52.129 end up just deciding to leave it to the professionals, 00:11:52.429 --> 00:11:56.539 right? Leave it to the ministers. I feel guilty. 00:11:56.559 --> 00:11:59.320 I don't want to be like this, but the opportunity 00:11:59.320 --> 00:12:01.659 comes and I'm not quite sure what to do. And 00:12:01.659 --> 00:12:03.840 I stumble over my words and I forget all the 00:12:03.840 --> 00:12:05.679 scriptures that I've memorized and I was supposed 00:12:05.679 --> 00:12:09.600 to tell them, right? I forget. Well, first, let 00:12:09.600 --> 00:12:12.259 me tell you the good news. You can effectively 00:12:12.259 --> 00:12:16.039 share the gospel in a simplistic manner. It does 00:12:16.039 --> 00:12:18.980 not have to be hard. It does not have to be difficult. 00:12:19.399 --> 00:12:21.580 That's the good news. Now, let me give you some 00:12:21.580 --> 00:12:23.399 news that might make you clench up just a little 00:12:23.399 --> 00:12:26.940 bit again. Guess who the ministers are? You are, 00:12:27.340 --> 00:12:31.120 right? Let me read you Ephesians 4, verse 11. 00:12:31.279 --> 00:12:33.379 It says this, and he, and it's talking about 00:12:33.379 --> 00:12:36.039 Jesus, and he himself gave some to be apostles. 00:12:36.200 --> 00:12:39.159 Now, apostles in the church. Vocational apostles, 00:12:39.480 --> 00:12:41.960 they're over different churches. They lead churches 00:12:41.960 --> 00:12:45.179 in different areas. Paul the apostle in scripture 00:12:45.179 --> 00:12:48.639 started and led many churches, right? For some 00:12:48.639 --> 00:12:52.299 are apostles, some are prophets. Those who speak 00:12:52.299 --> 00:12:54.539 for God, those who speak the word of God, speak 00:12:54.539 --> 00:12:57.000 prophetically. Some evangelists, people like 00:12:57.000 --> 00:12:59.360 Billy Graham. I may remember Billy Graham, right? 00:12:59.500 --> 00:13:02.080 Who was one of the greatest evangelists to ever 00:13:02.080 --> 00:13:04.419 walk. They got a special gift as a vocational 00:13:04.419 --> 00:13:06.539 minister to bring people into the kingdom of 00:13:06.539 --> 00:13:10.360 God. pastors and teachers, professional vocational 00:13:10.360 --> 00:13:13.000 ministers, right? The bros. For the equipping 00:13:13.000 --> 00:13:15.820 of the saints, that's you for the work of the 00:13:15.820 --> 00:13:20.740 ministry. The vocational, right? Those who you 00:13:20.740 --> 00:13:23.159 consider professional are here to equip you for 00:13:23.159 --> 00:13:25.340 the work of the ministry and for the edifying 00:13:25.340 --> 00:13:27.440 of the body of Christ. Till we all come to the 00:13:27.440 --> 00:13:29.279 unity of faith and the knowledge of the Son of 00:13:29.279 --> 00:13:31.419 God, to a perfect man, to the measure and the 00:13:31.419 --> 00:13:34.250 stature of the fullness of Christ. My biblical 00:13:34.250 --> 00:13:37.090 job description as a pastor is to equip you to 00:13:37.090 --> 00:13:39.850 minister to other people. That's part of why 00:13:39.850 --> 00:13:42.669 we're doing this series. You're the minister. 00:13:43.309 --> 00:13:46.090 You're the minister. You're the one that's reaching 00:13:46.090 --> 00:13:49.470 the person that's at your job or at your school 00:13:49.470 --> 00:13:51.830 or down the street or at the grocery store where 00:13:51.830 --> 00:13:54.029 you're at. Turn to somebody right now and say, 00:13:54.110 --> 00:13:56.009 look at somebody right now. Do it this time. 00:13:56.070 --> 00:13:57.929 Actually do it. And say, what's up, minister? 00:13:58.190 --> 00:14:01.490 Go ahead. Tell them. What's up, minister? Come 00:14:01.490 --> 00:14:04.240 on. You're it and I'm it, right? What's up, minister? 00:14:05.500 --> 00:14:08.799 We're all called. We're all commissioned to be 00:14:08.799 --> 00:14:13.279 salty. It's not reserved for a few select. It's 00:14:13.279 --> 00:14:15.759 not for a special endowed group of people, right? 00:14:15.820 --> 00:14:18.539 Somewhere where every person who's experienced 00:14:18.539 --> 00:14:22.519 salvation and knows the love and the joy of forgiveness 00:14:22.519 --> 00:14:25.539 of God in their own lives is called to reach 00:14:25.539 --> 00:14:29.580 somebody else. So how do I do it? How do I confidently, 00:14:29.779 --> 00:14:33.340 simplistically share the gospel with Jesus, the 00:14:33.340 --> 00:14:36.179 good news with somebody else? How do I keep it 00:14:36.179 --> 00:14:38.940 clear? How do I keep it simple? How do I keep 00:14:38.940 --> 00:14:42.379 it short, right? How do I know what to remember 00:14:42.379 --> 00:14:44.860 in the moment of time when I'm in a conversation, 00:14:44.919 --> 00:14:48.879 when I'm talking with someone about God? Well, 00:14:48.899 --> 00:14:50.879 I'm going to give you another acrostic. I'm on 00:14:50.879 --> 00:14:52.759 acrostics this month. Remember I said that, right? 00:14:52.960 --> 00:14:54.600 Please forgive me. Next month I'll be something 00:14:54.600 --> 00:14:57.580 else, right? But here's an acrostic that you 00:14:57.580 --> 00:15:00.620 probably all be able to remember. Maybe as easy 00:15:00.620 --> 00:15:03.460 or even easier than salty. Say this with me. 00:15:03.700 --> 00:15:09.679 A, B, C. How many can remember that today? All 00:15:09.679 --> 00:15:12.740 right, thank you. A, B, C, right? How many know 00:15:12.740 --> 00:15:17.279 that's simple, clear, short in nature? A, B, 00:15:17.360 --> 00:15:19.980 C's. We learned that in grade school, right? 00:15:20.299 --> 00:15:23.279 Kindergarten. And honestly, when I first heard 00:15:23.279 --> 00:15:25.919 about this method of remembering the gospel and 00:15:25.919 --> 00:15:28.889 sharing the gospel, I... kind of bulked at it 00:15:28.889 --> 00:15:30.389 a little. I'm going to be honest. I thought, 00:15:30.429 --> 00:15:31.870 well, you know, that's kind of cool, but it's 00:15:31.870 --> 00:15:33.710 a little corny. I thought, you know, there's 00:15:33.710 --> 00:15:35.509 probably not going to be enough information here. 00:15:35.610 --> 00:15:37.669 It's probably an overall simplification of the 00:15:37.669 --> 00:15:40.450 gospel and not a clear presentation. But honestly, 00:15:40.649 --> 00:15:42.570 if you look at this, what we're going to talk 00:15:42.570 --> 00:15:44.690 about today, and you apply it, you can go as 00:15:44.690 --> 00:15:47.009 deep as you want with this, with ABC, and you 00:15:47.009 --> 00:15:49.169 can keep it as simple and quick as you want with 00:15:49.169 --> 00:15:53.049 ABC in presenting the gospel. And A is this. 00:15:53.490 --> 00:15:57.720 A is this. A is admit. Say admit. Right? Do I 00:15:57.720 --> 00:16:00.000 admit that I am far from God and in need of a 00:16:00.000 --> 00:16:03.559 Savior? B is believe. What do I believe about 00:16:03.559 --> 00:16:07.539 Jesus? And C is confess. Do I confess Jesus as 00:16:07.539 --> 00:16:10.080 my Lord? When you get in a discussion with someone 00:16:10.080 --> 00:16:13.360 about the gospel of Jesus Christ, these are the 00:16:13.360 --> 00:16:16.159 questions you want to get answered. You know, 00:16:16.179 --> 00:16:20.360 does somebody admit that they're far from God 00:16:20.360 --> 00:16:22.940 in need of a Savior? What do I believe about 00:16:22.940 --> 00:16:26.120 Jesus? Do I confess Jesus as Lord? It's questions 00:16:26.120 --> 00:16:28.600 you ask yourself and questions that you'll thread 00:16:28.600 --> 00:16:32.460 into a discussion with someone else. So we're 00:16:32.460 --> 00:16:34.740 going to start with A. Do I admit that I'm far 00:16:34.740 --> 00:16:39.200 from God? Effectively sharing the gospel, the 00:16:39.200 --> 00:16:42.399 starting place for sharing the gospel is the 00:16:42.399 --> 00:16:46.399 same for everybody. It really is. The message 00:16:46.399 --> 00:16:49.500 of the gospel has to start with the good news 00:16:49.500 --> 00:16:53.320 of Jesus Christ. But do I admit, do I realize 00:16:53.320 --> 00:16:56.620 that I'm far from God? Why would I talk about 00:16:56.620 --> 00:16:59.120 a savior if I don't need saved from anything, 00:16:59.340 --> 00:17:02.399 right? We talk about Jesus as savior and Lord. 00:17:02.840 --> 00:17:05.460 And that might sound very complicated in nature, 00:17:05.599 --> 00:17:08.519 but actually it's super easy to understand in 00:17:08.519 --> 00:17:11.150 our physical world, right? In our physical world, 00:17:11.289 --> 00:17:15.269 it's a very easy concept to grasp hold of. It's 00:17:15.269 --> 00:17:18.509 very easy for us to understand. If I'm in the 00:17:18.509 --> 00:17:22.349 water and I'm drowning, now, if you ever see 00:17:22.349 --> 00:17:24.529 that happen to me, please listen closely to what 00:17:24.529 --> 00:17:27.130 I'm saying. If I'm drowning, you get to be my 00:17:27.130 --> 00:17:30.819 savior that day. Please do. right? If somebody's 00:17:30.819 --> 00:17:33.819 in the water physically drowning, it isn't hard 00:17:33.819 --> 00:17:35.539 for us to figure out. They're waving their arms 00:17:35.539 --> 00:17:38.099 and saying, I'm going down. I need help, right? 00:17:38.279 --> 00:17:40.720 And we understand they need a savior. They need 00:17:40.720 --> 00:17:42.680 somebody who's going to throw them a life preserver. 00:17:42.799 --> 00:17:45.440 They need somebody who maybe has the skills to 00:17:45.440 --> 00:17:47.980 jump in like a lifeguard and pull them out of 00:17:47.980 --> 00:17:51.339 the water to save them from death. Easy concept. 00:17:51.900 --> 00:17:55.680 Easy thing to understand. If I'm trapped somewhere 00:17:55.680 --> 00:17:58.380 in my home and all of a sudden something catches 00:17:58.380 --> 00:18:01.339 on fire and the room is surrounded and I can't 00:18:01.339 --> 00:18:03.799 get to the stairway, I can't get to the window, 00:18:04.000 --> 00:18:06.720 I can't get out anywhere and I'm just yelling 00:18:06.720 --> 00:18:09.220 for someone, right? It's easy to understand a 00:18:09.220 --> 00:18:11.380 savior. See, it's easy to understand I need a 00:18:11.380 --> 00:18:14.460 fireman to show up. God blessed a volunteer fireman. 00:18:14.700 --> 00:18:17.539 A couple of years ago, I was going by a house 00:18:17.539 --> 00:18:20.440 late in the evening and it was in flames. I stopped, 00:18:20.500 --> 00:18:23.809 I called 911 and I stayed there. because people 00:18:23.809 --> 00:18:26.769 were coming out of the house, I was amazed. These 00:18:26.769 --> 00:18:29.190 volunteer firemen came in and converged on that 00:18:29.190 --> 00:18:32.369 house, and they went into action immediately. 00:18:32.849 --> 00:18:34.589 They were through the windows, they were through 00:18:34.589 --> 00:18:36.930 the doors, and they were making sure that the 00:18:36.930 --> 00:18:39.369 rooms were clear. It was incredible to watch, 00:18:39.609 --> 00:18:41.789 right? They needed, you need, if you're on the 00:18:41.789 --> 00:18:43.750 flames, you need a savior. You need somebody 00:18:43.750 --> 00:18:45.849 to come and get you. You need somebody to pull 00:18:45.849 --> 00:18:48.630 you out. If I'm hanging on the side of a cliff, 00:18:48.710 --> 00:18:50.690 and I'm just hanging there by my fingernails, 00:18:50.690 --> 00:18:53.630 and I don't have a rope, and I got nothing to 00:18:53.630 --> 00:18:56.230 hang on to, just one hand holding on to that, 00:18:56.309 --> 00:18:58.289 I need a Savior. I need somebody with a rope. 00:18:58.509 --> 00:19:00.329 I need somebody to throw a rope down and pull 00:19:00.329 --> 00:19:03.109 me back up or let me down, right, so I don't 00:19:03.109 --> 00:19:06.289 fall to my death. It's not hard to understand. 00:19:06.609 --> 00:19:09.549 It's not a difficult concept to picture in the 00:19:09.549 --> 00:19:12.579 world around us. You know, if you're in one of 00:19:12.579 --> 00:19:14.779 those situations or I'm in one of those situations, 00:19:15.019 --> 00:19:17.400 you have no problem recognizing. How many know 00:19:17.400 --> 00:19:19.299 we will scream our heads off if we get in that 00:19:19.299 --> 00:19:22.299 situation? Your dignity will go right out the 00:19:22.299 --> 00:19:24.839 door, right? You will scream your brains out 00:19:24.839 --> 00:19:26.720 to get somebody's attention because you need 00:19:26.720 --> 00:19:29.359 a savior in your life. Even a child can understand. 00:19:29.519 --> 00:19:32.700 We get it. But how many know it gets a little 00:19:32.700 --> 00:19:36.200 bit tougher with the spiritual side and drowning 00:19:36.200 --> 00:19:39.400 in their sin, right? And the urgency of their 00:19:39.400 --> 00:19:43.390 drowning. The difference between the spiritual 00:19:43.390 --> 00:19:46.509 and the physical is, in the physical world, there's 00:19:46.509 --> 00:19:49.289 an urgency that we see all around us. You can 00:19:49.289 --> 00:19:51.750 feel the heat of the flames. You feel the water 00:19:51.750 --> 00:19:54.369 rushing into your lungs, right? You understand 00:19:54.369 --> 00:19:56.670 that you're going to fall to your death by your 00:19:56.670 --> 00:20:00.549 fingertips. But a person who is in spiritual 00:20:00.549 --> 00:20:03.789 need, right, is spiritually drowning, is spiritually 00:20:03.789 --> 00:20:06.329 in danger of flames and hell, they're not feeling 00:20:06.329 --> 00:20:09.730 it yet. They're walking through life. A person 00:20:09.730 --> 00:20:12.130 is hanging on by their fingertips sometimes that's 00:20:12.130 --> 00:20:15.569 spiritually ready to go down, eternally might 00:20:15.569 --> 00:20:17.509 go down, right? They don't understand sometimes 00:20:17.509 --> 00:20:21.009 the situation they're in. Most people who are 00:20:21.009 --> 00:20:23.509 in need of a savior from the consequences of 00:20:23.509 --> 00:20:26.849 sin really don't even know the position that 00:20:26.849 --> 00:20:28.650 they're in. They don't really know they're drowning. 00:20:28.690 --> 00:20:30.829 They don't really realize that they're burning 00:20:30.829 --> 00:20:32.930 or they're hanging on a cliff, right? In fact, 00:20:32.930 --> 00:20:35.349 some people are kind of clueless of their current 00:20:35.349 --> 00:20:38.740 spiritual situation. It's a little bit like those 00:20:38.740 --> 00:20:40.839 movies. I don't know if you've ever seen those 00:20:40.839 --> 00:20:43.960 movies that they're all about an asteroid speeding 00:20:43.960 --> 00:20:45.640 to Earth. How many know they've made about 500 00:20:45.640 --> 00:20:48.920 of them? Yeah, it's true, right? And there's 00:20:48.920 --> 00:20:51.480 this asteroid out. It always is the same, right? 00:20:51.539 --> 00:20:53.400 There's this scientist. There's like six of them 00:20:53.400 --> 00:20:55.920 in one room. And they're the only ones that realize 00:20:55.920 --> 00:20:58.640 there's a speeding, enormous asteroid heading 00:20:58.640 --> 00:21:01.279 towards Earth. And if people don't get warned, 00:21:01.319 --> 00:21:03.420 they don't find out, it's going to blow the Earth 00:21:03.420 --> 00:21:05.559 to pieces, right? And what do they do? They show 00:21:05.559 --> 00:21:08.809 everybody just going through life. right the 00:21:08.809 --> 00:21:11.230 sun's coming out just like it always does everybody's 00:21:11.230 --> 00:21:12.869 doing what they've done the day before and the 00:21:12.869 --> 00:21:15.130 day before that and the day before that and they're 00:21:15.130 --> 00:21:16.990 just going through and there's side just yelling 00:21:16.990 --> 00:21:19.690 right it's a little bit like that sometimes they 00:21:19.690 --> 00:21:22.660 don't know you know that that there's Death is 00:21:22.660 --> 00:21:25.920 imminent. You see it in movies. They don't know 00:21:25.920 --> 00:21:28.019 that the tornado's approaching because the sirens 00:21:28.019 --> 00:21:29.819 aren't going off, right? They don't know that 00:21:29.819 --> 00:21:33.019 the dam's about to break that's up above the 00:21:33.019 --> 00:21:35.440 city and a wall of water's gonna come down and 00:21:35.440 --> 00:21:37.359 wash everybody away. They're just going through 00:21:37.359 --> 00:21:39.200 life. That's kind of what it's like spiritually, 00:21:39.400 --> 00:21:44.000 right? Until they understand the urgency. See, 00:21:44.059 --> 00:21:46.779 I've gone into the hospital room when somebody's 00:21:46.779 --> 00:21:50.759 got the news that they've only got a few weeks 00:21:50.759 --> 00:21:55.339 to live. And the urgency goes from here to here. 00:21:57.019 --> 00:21:59.319 It's interesting, when you go in and somebody 00:21:59.319 --> 00:22:02.200 knows that they're at the end, everything else 00:22:02.200 --> 00:22:05.640 goes off to the side. And all they want to know 00:22:05.640 --> 00:22:10.319 about is what's next. What's coming next? They 00:22:10.319 --> 00:22:13.980 want to know, do they need a savior? Hebrews 00:22:13.980 --> 00:22:17.500 9 .27 says this. And as it is appointed for men 00:22:17.500 --> 00:22:20.039 to die once, but after this, the judgment. So 00:22:20.039 --> 00:22:23.059 Christ offered once to bear the sins of many. 00:22:23.259 --> 00:22:27.099 To those who eagerly wait for him, he will appear 00:22:27.099 --> 00:22:31.460 a second time apart from sin for salvation. If 00:22:31.460 --> 00:22:34.319 Jesus doesn't return soon and take us out of 00:22:34.319 --> 00:22:37.059 here one day, we will feel the urgency of death, 00:22:37.259 --> 00:22:41.920 right? We don't want to wait for that moment 00:22:41.920 --> 00:22:45.799 in a time, you know, we don't want to think about 00:22:45.799 --> 00:22:48.140 it a lot of times. We don't want to grab a hold 00:22:48.140 --> 00:22:49.819 of it. We don't want to think about the consequences 00:22:49.819 --> 00:22:52.599 of our sin, right? We don't want to really pay 00:22:52.599 --> 00:22:55.259 too much attention or understand it, but we're 00:22:55.259 --> 00:22:58.440 in need of a Savior. And that has to come into 00:22:58.440 --> 00:23:02.180 the conversation. But, you know, people, sometimes 00:23:02.180 --> 00:23:04.299 I have that conversation and they're like, well, 00:23:04.319 --> 00:23:07.720 I want to wait. Don't wait. Don't wait. I mean, 00:23:07.720 --> 00:23:11.039 no, death is not always a patient guest in our 00:23:11.039 --> 00:23:15.440 lives. It's not always a patient guest. A is 00:23:15.440 --> 00:23:18.759 that you get that conversation moving towards 00:23:18.759 --> 00:23:24.299 needing a Savior. Admit. Admit. Help them understand 00:23:24.299 --> 00:23:30.579 the urgency of it. Romans 6 .23 says, For the 00:23:30.579 --> 00:23:32.400 wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is 00:23:32.400 --> 00:23:34.579 eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. James 00:23:34.579 --> 00:23:37.259 1 .12 gives even a better picture. He says, Blessed 00:23:37.259 --> 00:23:39.519 is the man who endures temptation. For when he 00:23:39.519 --> 00:23:41.160 has been approved, he will receive the crown 00:23:41.160 --> 00:23:43.500 of life, which the Lord has promised to those 00:23:43.500 --> 00:23:46.059 who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, 00:23:46.160 --> 00:23:48.539 I am tempted by God, for God cannot be tempted 00:23:48.539 --> 00:23:52.059 by evil, nor does he. himself tempt anyone. But 00:23:52.059 --> 00:23:54.359 each one is tempted when he's drawn away by his 00:23:54.359 --> 00:23:57.359 own desires and enticed. And when desire is conceived, 00:23:57.740 --> 00:24:00.799 it gives birth to sin. And sin, when it's full 00:24:00.799 --> 00:24:06.099 grown, brings forth death. Right? We need a Savior. 00:24:06.920 --> 00:24:10.519 We need a Savior. In a conversation with somebody 00:24:10.519 --> 00:24:14.680 that's far from God, you got to broach this subject. 00:24:14.779 --> 00:24:17.460 You got to approach this subject, right? Don't 00:24:17.460 --> 00:24:19.319 point, now listen, don't point your finger at 00:24:19.319 --> 00:24:21.519 somebody and say, you're a sinner, you need Jesus, 00:24:21.640 --> 00:24:24.000 right? Admit it. How many know that's not a good 00:24:24.000 --> 00:24:27.279 approach? Please don't do that, all right? Please 00:24:27.279 --> 00:24:28.799 don't, I'm asking, please don't do that, right? 00:24:29.440 --> 00:24:33.519 How do you think that's gonna go? Tell the story, 00:24:33.759 --> 00:24:36.779 tell the story. And it might start off you telling 00:24:36.779 --> 00:24:39.539 your story. You know, a good way to conversation 00:24:39.539 --> 00:24:42.960 is, let me tell you why I needed a savior. You 00:24:42.960 --> 00:24:44.640 know, a lot of times we're talking about, I needed 00:24:44.640 --> 00:24:47.819 somebody to save me. And let me tell you, because 00:24:47.819 --> 00:24:50.220 they can't argue your testimony. Just tell them 00:24:50.220 --> 00:24:52.640 your story. Tell them why you needed a Savior 00:24:52.640 --> 00:24:56.240 and how that took place, right? I needed someone 00:24:56.240 --> 00:25:00.440 to save my life. You don't have to approach them 00:25:00.440 --> 00:25:02.619 on theirs. You just start talking about how you 00:25:02.619 --> 00:25:05.380 needed a Savior. Sometimes I even go to Adam 00:25:05.380 --> 00:25:07.660 and Eve. How many know Adam and Eve needed a 00:25:07.660 --> 00:25:11.220 Savior, right? I love telling the story of Adam 00:25:11.220 --> 00:25:13.380 and Eve to other people because I can blame them. 00:25:13.660 --> 00:25:15.799 How many like to blame somebody? I do, right? 00:25:16.559 --> 00:25:18.619 I'm like, yeah, you know, Adam and Eve, they 00:25:18.619 --> 00:25:20.819 started this whole mess, right? We wouldn't be 00:25:20.819 --> 00:25:22.480 in the situation we were in if it wasn't for 00:25:22.480 --> 00:25:26.240 them. You know, they disobeyed God. They rebelled, 00:25:26.440 --> 00:25:29.960 right? They needed a Savior big time. They really 00:25:29.960 --> 00:25:32.119 did. You can just throw them under the bus. They're 00:25:32.119 --> 00:25:35.660 not here to argue with you. Use Adam and Eve. 00:25:36.599 --> 00:25:39.539 But get to the, you know, we need a Savior. We 00:25:39.539 --> 00:25:42.000 got to admit it. This is where the gospel began 00:25:42.000 --> 00:25:45.839 for all of us. Romans 3 .9 says this, what then? 00:25:46.059 --> 00:25:49.339 Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have 00:25:49.339 --> 00:25:51.700 previously charged both Jew and Greek that we 00:25:51.700 --> 00:25:55.839 are all under sin. We all start here. We all 00:25:55.839 --> 00:25:58.680 need a savior. Romans 3 .10 says, as it is written, 00:25:58.759 --> 00:26:00.839 there is none righteous, no, not one. There is 00:26:00.839 --> 00:26:02.539 none who understands. There's none who seeks 00:26:02.539 --> 00:26:05.400 after God. They've all turned aside. They have 00:26:05.400 --> 00:26:07.339 together become unprofitable. There's none who 00:26:07.339 --> 00:26:11.069 does good, no, not one. The throat is an open 00:26:11.069 --> 00:26:14.349 tomb. With their tongue they have practiced deceit. 00:26:14.369 --> 00:26:17.789 The poison of asps is under their lips. Whose 00:26:17.789 --> 00:26:19.970 mouth is full of cursing and bitterness? Their 00:26:19.970 --> 00:26:23.089 feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and 00:26:23.089 --> 00:26:25.009 misery are in their ways in the way of peace 00:26:25.009 --> 00:26:28.210 they've not known. There is no fear of God before 00:26:28.210 --> 00:26:32.609 their eyes. Romans 3 .23 says, For all have sinned 00:26:32.609 --> 00:26:36.269 and fallen short of the glory of God. Every one 00:26:36.269 --> 00:26:40.039 of us are in need of a Savior. This is where 00:26:40.039 --> 00:26:44.539 we all start. This is all of us pre -Jesus. We 00:26:44.539 --> 00:26:49.799 were dead to rights. We were undone. Destruction 00:26:49.799 --> 00:26:54.900 and judgment were our future. We need a savior. 00:26:56.180 --> 00:26:58.440 And can I tell you something that helps make 00:26:58.440 --> 00:27:01.069 this a little easier? As you approach somebody 00:27:01.069 --> 00:27:05.329 and start to talk about this subject of things, 00:27:05.390 --> 00:27:07.349 and you talk about it in your own life even, 00:27:07.569 --> 00:27:10.250 one thing you need to understand about the person 00:27:10.250 --> 00:27:12.950 that's in front of you that you're talking with, 00:27:13.089 --> 00:27:15.829 everybody on the face of the planet has this 00:27:15.829 --> 00:27:19.019 God -sized hole inside of them. Now, I know that 00:27:19.019 --> 00:27:20.680 sounds very cliche if you've been around Christian 00:27:20.680 --> 00:27:23.599 circles, but it's true. Every one of us were 00:27:23.599 --> 00:27:25.920 designed originally to be in relationship with 00:27:25.920 --> 00:27:27.940 God. So there's this thing that's missing, and 00:27:27.940 --> 00:27:30.059 that's why people dive into all these other things, 00:27:30.140 --> 00:27:32.460 right, to fill that hole and to fill that void. 00:27:32.619 --> 00:27:37.579 And that's in each and every one of us. So understand, 00:27:37.960 --> 00:27:40.519 as you start talking about God, how God has come 00:27:40.519 --> 00:27:42.440 into your life, and you needed a Savior, and 00:27:42.440 --> 00:27:44.660 He changed everything in your life, it's going 00:27:44.660 --> 00:27:46.900 to scream out to something that's inside of them. 00:27:47.400 --> 00:27:50.000 because that's true for them as well. They filled 00:27:50.000 --> 00:27:52.119 it with something else that's never gonna measure 00:27:52.119 --> 00:27:54.619 up to Jesus Christ. They put something in that 00:27:54.619 --> 00:27:58.539 hole that is never ever gonna satisfy long -term. 00:27:58.579 --> 00:28:02.099 It won't. So just know that going into the conversation. 00:28:02.420 --> 00:28:05.920 They need a savior, just like you did. And tell 00:28:05.920 --> 00:28:09.119 them your story. Just tell them your story. Help 00:28:09.119 --> 00:28:11.039 them to recognize it in their own life, right? 00:28:11.480 --> 00:28:16.759 That's A. Say admit. Admit. B. What do I believe 00:28:16.759 --> 00:28:20.160 about Jesus? If sin is the urgent problem in 00:28:20.160 --> 00:28:23.079 our lives, and it is, right, then believing in 00:28:23.079 --> 00:28:25.019 Jesus becomes the remedy or the fix for that 00:28:25.019 --> 00:28:28.160 urgent problem. It is believing in Jesus that 00:28:28.160 --> 00:28:32.279 brings the Savior close and personal to us. He 00:28:32.279 --> 00:28:34.799 gets close enough to pull us out, right, of the 00:28:34.799 --> 00:28:37.559 flames, to pull us out of the water. It's when 00:28:37.559 --> 00:28:40.519 I'm believing. truly believing in my heart that 00:28:40.519 --> 00:28:43.519 Jesus is savior, that he's rescued me from the 00:28:43.519 --> 00:28:46.799 flames, that he will pull me out of drowning 00:28:46.799 --> 00:28:49.779 in my sin. When Jesus is the one throwing me 00:28:49.779 --> 00:28:52.160 the rope, right? And I believe in what he can 00:28:52.160 --> 00:28:55.680 do in my life. When he fixes my spiritual dysfunction 00:28:55.680 --> 00:28:59.559 in my life, right? My belief in Jesus is the 00:28:59.559 --> 00:29:02.640 remedy for the sin that's in our lives. Somewhere 00:29:02.640 --> 00:29:04.940 in that conversation, you got to find out what 00:29:04.940 --> 00:29:08.420 do they believe? And not just believe in general, 00:29:08.619 --> 00:29:12.180 but what do they believe about Jesus? What's 00:29:12.180 --> 00:29:15.180 their faith in? What do they believe will save 00:29:15.180 --> 00:29:18.119 their life? And honestly, the easiest way to 00:29:18.119 --> 00:29:22.000 do this is just ask. What do you believe about 00:29:22.000 --> 00:29:25.700 Jesus? Super simple question. Just conversation, 00:29:25.920 --> 00:29:29.000 right? Jesus asked it to his disciples. In Luke 00:29:29.000 --> 00:29:31.740 18, he said, it happened as he was alone praying 00:29:31.740 --> 00:29:34.079 that his disciples joined him. And he asked them 00:29:34.079 --> 00:29:36.779 saying, who did the crowd say that I am? He starts 00:29:36.779 --> 00:29:39.440 the conversation. He asks the question. So they 00:29:39.440 --> 00:29:41.160 answered and said, John the Baptist, some say 00:29:41.160 --> 00:29:43.880 Elijah, others say that one of the old prophets 00:29:43.880 --> 00:29:45.839 has risen again. And he said, but who do you 00:29:45.839 --> 00:29:49.680 say that I am? Peter answered and said, the Christ 00:29:49.680 --> 00:29:54.640 of God. Peter got it right. Just ask the question. 00:29:55.000 --> 00:29:57.799 What do you believe about Jesus? Because you're 00:29:57.799 --> 00:30:00.119 going to get all kinds of answers. If you start 00:30:00.119 --> 00:30:02.079 this conversation about like, what do you think 00:30:02.079 --> 00:30:04.750 about Jesus? Some people are going to say, man, 00:30:04.849 --> 00:30:07.230 he was a really good guy, right? But they're 00:30:07.230 --> 00:30:10.190 not wrong. He's a really good guy, right? Some 00:30:10.190 --> 00:30:11.609 are going to say, well, he was a religious leader 00:30:11.609 --> 00:30:14.400 from way back. a Jewish religious leader. Some 00:30:14.400 --> 00:30:16.440 will say, I don't really know, you know, much 00:30:16.440 --> 00:30:18.619 about Jesus. Some will say, well, he was God 00:30:18.619 --> 00:30:21.140 in flesh, right? Others will say, you know, if 00:30:21.140 --> 00:30:23.259 they're saved, they'll say he is my savior. Some's 00:30:23.259 --> 00:30:25.180 going to say that he's a myth. Others are going 00:30:25.180 --> 00:30:27.000 to say, well, that's just a spiritual crutch 00:30:27.000 --> 00:30:29.079 for everybody, right? To believe in a leader, 00:30:29.299 --> 00:30:31.759 a religious leader of some kind. He's just one 00:30:31.759 --> 00:30:34.500 of many. You can get all kinds of answers, but 00:30:34.500 --> 00:30:36.420 start the conversation and find out what do they 00:30:36.420 --> 00:30:38.920 believe about Jesus? Who do they believe he is? 00:30:39.390 --> 00:30:42.349 It's a legit question. Don't come mean. Just 00:30:42.349 --> 00:30:45.970 come out of curiosity. I want to know. When I 00:30:45.970 --> 00:30:47.670 get in a conversation with somebody, I want to 00:30:47.670 --> 00:30:50.289 know what they think. Anybody with me on that? 00:30:50.910 --> 00:30:53.490 Yeah, that's really listening to somebody. What 00:30:53.490 --> 00:30:57.029 do they believe? And it's not intrusive. Listen, 00:30:57.210 --> 00:30:59.529 to ask somebody what they believe is not an intrusive 00:30:59.529 --> 00:31:02.569 question to ask. Just jump on social media. How 00:31:02.569 --> 00:31:04.809 many know on social media everybody tells you 00:31:04.809 --> 00:31:07.720 what they believe? Right? Doesn't matter what 00:31:07.720 --> 00:31:09.599 you get on. You can get on X. You can get on 00:31:09.599 --> 00:31:11.880 Facebook. You can get on anything, on social 00:31:11.880 --> 00:31:14.039 media. And everybody wants to tell you what they 00:31:14.039 --> 00:31:17.000 believe. They love telling you what they believe. 00:31:17.259 --> 00:31:18.859 You're probably not going to run into the rub 00:31:18.859 --> 00:31:20.880 until you start, you know, talking about what 00:31:20.880 --> 00:31:22.880 they believe or don't believe or how you believe 00:31:22.880 --> 00:31:25.680 different. But everybody wants to tell you what 00:31:25.680 --> 00:31:28.940 they believe. It's a little bit about what we 00:31:28.940 --> 00:31:31.319 talked about last week. I can't get somebody 00:31:31.319 --> 00:31:33.799 to believe street if I don't know how they feel 00:31:33.799 --> 00:31:37.250 about Jesus on Jesus street. Right? I need to 00:31:37.250 --> 00:31:38.690 know if I'm going to get him direction there. 00:31:39.049 --> 00:31:41.890 We got to admit we need a Savior. We got to believe, 00:31:42.109 --> 00:31:45.230 right? What do we believe about Jesus? And then 00:31:45.230 --> 00:31:50.450 C, do I confess Jesus as Lord of my life? I'm 00:31:50.450 --> 00:31:51.670 going to ask if the worship team would come. 00:31:52.529 --> 00:31:55.569 C, if you're writing this down, this is a good 00:31:55.569 --> 00:31:56.829 morning to write. I'm doing a little teaching 00:31:56.829 --> 00:32:00.029 this morning, right? Do I confess Jesus as Lord 00:32:00.029 --> 00:32:03.930 of my life? This is kind of where the rubber 00:32:03.930 --> 00:32:09.089 meets the road, I think. Who or what do you confess 00:32:09.089 --> 00:32:12.130 as Lord in your life? Now, we probably don't 00:32:12.130 --> 00:32:14.089 use those terms, right? When we're talking with 00:32:14.089 --> 00:32:16.369 somebody, generally people don't go around like, 00:32:16.450 --> 00:32:19.250 hey, who's Lord of your life today? You just 00:32:19.250 --> 00:32:20.650 don't normally say that, right? You hear it in 00:32:20.650 --> 00:32:23.750 church. You hear it in other places. So you have 00:32:23.750 --> 00:32:26.329 to just start asking other questions. And what 00:32:26.329 --> 00:32:28.410 you're trying to find out is, you know, what 00:32:28.410 --> 00:32:30.789 do I declare as Lord in my life? What is first 00:32:30.789 --> 00:32:33.529 in my life? What is master in my life, right? 00:32:33.609 --> 00:32:35.490 What kind of controls how I think and what I 00:32:35.490 --> 00:32:37.349 do? What is king in my life? I'm trying to give 00:32:37.349 --> 00:32:39.950 you some synonyms here. Like, you know, what 00:32:39.950 --> 00:32:42.750 is it? Because whoever, whatever is master in 00:32:42.750 --> 00:32:46.539 my life is Lord in my life. It really is. It's 00:32:46.539 --> 00:32:49.200 what I believe in. It's what I believe will save 00:32:49.200 --> 00:32:52.559 me. You know, and do I confess Jesus as master 00:32:52.559 --> 00:32:55.859 of my life or as money master of my life? Jesus 00:32:55.859 --> 00:32:57.519 talked about this, right? You can't serve God 00:32:57.519 --> 00:33:01.420 and money. You can't do both. The word of God 00:33:01.420 --> 00:33:04.490 says it. So what am I confessing? What am I saying? 00:33:04.589 --> 00:33:07.450 Because the longer you talk, you'll confess what 00:33:07.450 --> 00:33:10.190 you believe. You'll confess what you rely in, 00:33:10.269 --> 00:33:13.329 right? Is my confession in the words that I'm 00:33:13.329 --> 00:33:15.470 speaking, and that's what confessing is, is speaking 00:33:15.470 --> 00:33:18.490 something, right? Is my confession self -reliance? 00:33:18.930 --> 00:33:21.289 It could be that the master of my life is self 00:33:21.289 --> 00:33:24.079 -reliance. You know, I don't worry about everything 00:33:24.079 --> 00:33:25.759 else that's around me. I just worry about me. 00:33:25.839 --> 00:33:28.420 I got it covered. I can handle it on my own. 00:33:28.500 --> 00:33:30.380 Anybody ever hear that? Anybody ever say that, 00:33:30.539 --> 00:33:33.900 right? I got it figured out. You know, it could 00:33:33.900 --> 00:33:36.319 be a religious figure of some kind in life. It 00:33:36.319 --> 00:33:39.279 could be a codependency on another person. It 00:33:39.279 --> 00:33:41.779 could be the career that they have, right? This 00:33:41.779 --> 00:33:43.779 is Lord of their life. This is master of their 00:33:43.779 --> 00:33:45.680 life. It could be their accomplishments, their 00:33:45.680 --> 00:33:47.980 education. It could be pleasure. It could be 00:33:47.980 --> 00:33:51.000 all kinds of things. What's their confession? 00:33:52.579 --> 00:33:56.339 What's their confession? What is Lord of their 00:33:56.339 --> 00:34:00.480 life? You can start some really good questions 00:34:00.480 --> 00:34:02.579 with this too, right? You don't have to come 00:34:02.579 --> 00:34:04.759 in with what's Lord of your life. You can ask 00:34:04.759 --> 00:34:06.940 questions like, what makes you feel the most 00:34:06.940 --> 00:34:11.139 secure in life? What is it that makes you feel 00:34:11.139 --> 00:34:15.780 secure? What gives you the sense that everything's 00:34:15.780 --> 00:34:18.840 going to be okay in your life? What is it that 00:34:18.840 --> 00:34:23.550 you lean on? What do you depend on in your thoughts, 00:34:23.650 --> 00:34:27.210 right? When you got a tough day, you've had a 00:34:27.210 --> 00:34:30.570 rough day. What do you depend on to get you through 00:34:30.570 --> 00:34:34.329 the rough day? You'll start finding out what's 00:34:34.329 --> 00:34:38.289 master because they'll start confessing it. And 00:34:38.289 --> 00:34:41.289 you'll find out if Jesus is Lord in their life. 00:34:42.349 --> 00:34:44.329 See, we ask questions to find out where somebody 00:34:44.329 --> 00:34:49.360 really is. And again, you can do all this. You 00:34:49.360 --> 00:34:52.780 can admit that you needed a savior. You can admit 00:34:52.780 --> 00:34:55.199 that you can talk about your belief in Jesus 00:34:55.199 --> 00:34:57.440 because they probably don't believe in Jesus 00:34:57.440 --> 00:34:59.719 or might not believe in Jesus. You can confess 00:34:59.719 --> 00:35:02.260 that he's Lord of your life, master, and this 00:35:02.260 --> 00:35:04.699 is what God's done for me. And this is why I 00:35:04.699 --> 00:35:07.960 believe so deeply in Jesus because he really 00:35:07.960 --> 00:35:11.239 has changed everything in my life. It's a testimony. 00:35:12.139 --> 00:35:15.639 You don't need to know all the Bible. You don't 00:35:15.639 --> 00:35:19.280 need to memorize 45 scriptures. to go lead somebody 00:35:19.280 --> 00:35:23.519 to Christ. You really don't. You can do A, say 00:35:23.519 --> 00:35:30.340 A. A. B. B. And C. C. You really can. And you 00:35:30.340 --> 00:35:32.840 can go as deep with those as you want, or you 00:35:32.840 --> 00:35:37.380 can go as, you know, maybe not so deep or just 00:35:37.380 --> 00:35:41.920 as short as you want. We've got to reach them. 00:35:42.699 --> 00:35:45.699 Jesus therefore answered and said to them, do 00:35:45.699 --> 00:35:48.440 not murmur among yourselves. No one can come 00:35:48.440 --> 00:35:51.139 to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, 00:35:51.260 --> 00:35:55.260 and I will raise him up at the last day. All 00:35:55.260 --> 00:35:58.980 we have to do is begin to speak. It is not you 00:35:58.980 --> 00:36:00.980 that is going to draw them into the kingdom of 00:36:00.980 --> 00:36:04.500 God. The Word of God says that the Father will 00:36:04.500 --> 00:36:08.000 draw them into the kingdom. I remember this. 00:36:08.440 --> 00:36:11.219 When I got saved, I remember when I was young, 00:36:11.280 --> 00:36:13.500 I was around the age of 12 when I got saved. 00:36:13.619 --> 00:36:16.559 And I remember the spirit of God. I remember 00:36:16.559 --> 00:36:19.440 the father drawing me. I remember hearing the 00:36:19.440 --> 00:36:21.659 word of God and I realized I needed a savior. 00:36:21.800 --> 00:36:25.139 Even at 12 years old, realized I needed a savior. 00:36:25.260 --> 00:36:27.880 And I remember in my heart, my heart was just 00:36:27.880 --> 00:36:30.300 ready to explode as I listened to the minister. 00:36:31.000 --> 00:36:33.199 And the pastor preached the word of God and the 00:36:33.199 --> 00:36:35.860 gospel. And I remember that feeling in my life. 00:36:35.940 --> 00:36:39.780 I remember feeling at 12, I need a savior. I 00:36:39.780 --> 00:36:42.300 need to believe in Jesus. He's the one that's 00:36:42.300 --> 00:36:44.539 gonna save my life. I did not know all the scriptures. 00:36:44.820 --> 00:36:46.780 Even though I grew up in church, I probably didn't 00:36:46.780 --> 00:36:48.380 pay attention a lot in Sunday school. I'll just 00:36:48.380 --> 00:36:50.800 confess it right now, all right? I couldn't have 00:36:50.800 --> 00:36:52.699 quoted scripture. I can assure you I couldn't 00:36:52.699 --> 00:36:55.599 have at that age. I couldn't have explained anything 00:36:55.599 --> 00:36:58.920 doctrinally in any way, shape, or form. But all 00:36:58.920 --> 00:37:02.329 I had to do was hear about it. Jesus. And something 00:37:02.329 --> 00:37:05.429 began to shift with inside of me. It is the Father 00:37:05.429 --> 00:37:08.610 who draws them. It is the Spirit of God that 00:37:08.610 --> 00:37:11.030 will go before you. All he's looking for is a 00:37:11.030 --> 00:37:13.469 vessel just to begin to ask the questions and 00:37:13.469 --> 00:37:15.050 start the conversation. I'm going to ask if you'd 00:37:15.050 --> 00:37:26.289 stand. Thank you for tuning in to this message 00:37:26.289 --> 00:37:29.429 from Lifehouse Church. We pray that you were 00:37:29.429 --> 00:37:32.690 impacted powerfully by this message. If you have 00:37:32.690 --> 00:37:35.269 been personally affected by our ministry and 00:37:35.269 --> 00:37:37.570 you would like to partner with us as we love 00:37:37.570 --> 00:37:40.730 God, love people every day, visit our website 00:37:40.730 --> 00:37:45.329 at www .lifehousecog .com.