WEBVTT 00:00:01.189 --> 00:00:04.330 Well, I'm so grateful to be here and I'm honored 00:00:04.330 --> 00:00:07.410 that pastor Jon and miss Adriene would allow 00:00:07.410 --> 00:00:09.730 me to feel the pulpit Man, I was just so encouraged 00:00:09.730 --> 00:00:13.390 by your worship Where was that? Where was that 00:00:13.390 --> 00:00:16.070 harmony in the early service? Who you're tearing 00:00:16.070 --> 00:00:19.089 it up some great the worship is awesome So I 00:00:19.089 --> 00:00:21.550 have the privilege of also leading worship at 00:00:21.550 --> 00:00:24.550 the church that we pastor So it's a it's a challenge 00:00:24.550 --> 00:00:26.690 and so sitting back and just listening to the 00:00:26.690 --> 00:00:29.030 drums and you guys do your thing I just blessed 00:00:29.030 --> 00:00:31.429 my heart and then the really cool thing is This 00:00:31.429 --> 00:00:34.070 is all for free. But you guys just singing. I 00:00:34.070 --> 00:00:35.670 mean, I'm sitting there just listening to you 00:00:35.670 --> 00:00:37.509 sing and it's, ah, it just blesses my heart. 00:00:37.770 --> 00:00:40.229 Thank you so much. And so I've been a youth pastor 00:00:40.229 --> 00:00:43.210 for a long time. And so I'm animated, I'm loud, 00:00:43.229 --> 00:00:45.829 I talk fast. And then I say that too. I greet 00:00:45.829 --> 00:00:47.829 the people, good afternoon, or good evening, 00:00:48.130 --> 00:00:50.289 good night, you know, so I'm confused too. So 00:00:50.289 --> 00:00:52.250 don't worry, we're all in good hands together. 00:00:52.450 --> 00:00:54.649 Amen. Now that I pointed out everybody's flaws, 00:00:55.049 --> 00:00:58.070 I'll preach. Again, I'm thankful to be here. 00:00:58.109 --> 00:01:02.090 You know, I was talking to, mostly to Miss Adrienne, 00:01:02.229 --> 00:01:04.250 because John and I, for some reason, can never 00:01:04.250 --> 00:01:05.969 connect. We have to do it through text and all 00:01:05.969 --> 00:01:09.569 that stuff. But through a long voicemail, he 00:01:09.569 --> 00:01:11.769 left me. I was hearing about the vision, so it 00:01:11.769 --> 00:01:13.969 got me excited about checking out, you know, 00:01:14.269 --> 00:01:16.010 Village Church online and seeing all the good 00:01:16.010 --> 00:01:18.349 stuff that's happening. But the moment that I 00:01:18.349 --> 00:01:21.129 had an opportunity to talk to Miss Adrienne about 00:01:21.129 --> 00:01:25.250 preaching today, just this particular verse of 00:01:25.250 --> 00:01:27.489 Scripture that I'm going to share with you was 00:01:27.489 --> 00:01:30.930 really prominent on my heart. And I really just 00:01:30.930 --> 00:01:33.409 felt like I needed to share this. And then I 00:01:33.409 --> 00:01:35.989 heard a lot about the focus for this next month, 00:01:36.049 --> 00:01:38.709 this kickoff thing here at Village. And it just 00:01:38.709 --> 00:01:41.109 really inspired me that this is what I need to 00:01:41.109 --> 00:01:43.569 share. And I feel like God laid this on my heart 00:01:43.569 --> 00:01:45.430 for this particular moment to share with you. 00:01:45.670 --> 00:01:48.829 So today I want to share with you the power of 00:01:48.829 --> 00:01:51.590 the invitation. I'm not great with sermon titles. 00:01:51.629 --> 00:01:53.849 I thought that was pretty catchy for me, because 00:01:53.849 --> 00:01:55.390 I'm not great with that. So if you have your 00:01:55.390 --> 00:01:58.599 Bibles open to... Colossians chapter four, we're 00:01:58.599 --> 00:02:00.680 gonna look at verses two through six, Colossians 00:02:00.680 --> 00:02:05.819 four, two through six. It was in the year 2016 00:02:05.819 --> 00:02:09.280 when the Golden One Center began hosting the 00:02:09.280 --> 00:02:12.080 Sacramento Kings. And it was just a few days 00:02:12.080 --> 00:02:15.340 before my birthday I was invited to the season 00:02:15.340 --> 00:02:18.580 opener where the Sacramento Kings hosted the 00:02:18.580 --> 00:02:22.719 San Antonio Spurs. One of my clients was one 00:02:22.719 --> 00:02:25.560 of the main electricians I know there was many 00:02:25.560 --> 00:02:27.919 people but this particular guy you know he was 00:02:27.919 --> 00:02:30.919 one of the main guys and so they gave him some 00:02:30.919 --> 00:02:33.639 tickets he had two tickets to the Kings game 00:02:33.639 --> 00:02:36.539 and he personally invited me to come he wanted 00:02:36.539 --> 00:02:39.360 me to join him one because it was getting close 00:02:39.360 --> 00:02:42.520 to my birthday and he knew how much I like the 00:02:42.520 --> 00:02:46.810 Kings and so he wanted me to come Also, I had 00:02:46.810 --> 00:02:49.349 been and still am his faithful motorcycle mechanic. 00:02:49.469 --> 00:02:51.069 I've been doing that with his bike and taking 00:02:51.069 --> 00:02:53.750 care of it for years. And so he just wanted to 00:02:53.750 --> 00:02:55.229 celebrate with me. It was going to be a great 00:02:55.229 --> 00:02:59.270 night. Well, sadly, I had to decline. There was 00:02:59.270 --> 00:03:02.349 something on my schedule and I had to attend. 00:03:03.270 --> 00:03:07.229 But worse than that was the fact that that event 00:03:07.229 --> 00:03:11.050 fell through. I could have went. Later on, I 00:03:11.050 --> 00:03:13.849 found out that he took one of our mutual friends 00:03:13.849 --> 00:03:17.120 instead. I also heard how awesome that night 00:03:17.120 --> 00:03:19.620 was. You know, it was the inaugural night for 00:03:19.620 --> 00:03:22.639 the Kings. It was a special night for our city. 00:03:23.479 --> 00:03:25.819 The tradesmen and women who worked so hard on 00:03:25.819 --> 00:03:28.219 that building, I found out, were celebrated that 00:03:28.219 --> 00:03:30.319 evening. That was another reason why he wanted 00:03:30.319 --> 00:03:32.960 me to come. He wanted me to see some of his great 00:03:32.960 --> 00:03:35.099 accomplishments and what he did in that fantastic 00:03:35.099 --> 00:03:38.039 building. And there was a lot of good complimentary 00:03:38.039 --> 00:03:40.759 food. Anytime food is complimentary, it's good. 00:03:41.419 --> 00:03:46.310 I was really bummed out. I missed out on an awesome 00:03:46.310 --> 00:03:51.750 and incredible invitation. You know, invitations, 00:03:51.750 --> 00:03:55.389 they come in all different ways. Some are very 00:03:55.389 --> 00:03:57.250 informal. You know, your friends, they might 00:03:57.250 --> 00:04:00.449 say, hey, come join me for a meal. Come on over, 00:04:00.569 --> 00:04:03.129 or let's go get a cup of coffee. I like those. 00:04:03.370 --> 00:04:05.330 I like it when my friends call me and consider 00:04:05.330 --> 00:04:07.490 me and say, hey, let's go grab a cup of coffee. 00:04:07.490 --> 00:04:10.569 I like that. I feel included. You know, some 00:04:10.569 --> 00:04:13.180 are those Evites. You ever get an Evite? I'm 00:04:13.180 --> 00:04:15.199 not good with computers. I have a saying in my 00:04:15.199 --> 00:04:17.420 house, if it doesn't run on gas, I can't fix 00:04:17.420 --> 00:04:20.100 it. So I have a cell phone, I know how to turn 00:04:20.100 --> 00:04:22.699 it on. Thank you and good night. See, there I 00:04:22.699 --> 00:04:26.399 go again, night time. You know, the e -vites 00:04:26.399 --> 00:04:29.079 are those kind that you get in your email where 00:04:29.079 --> 00:04:31.259 you can see who's gonna go and not go, and then 00:04:31.259 --> 00:04:32.779 you can determine whether or not you're gonna 00:04:32.779 --> 00:04:35.279 go. Yeah, no, none of us do that at this church, 00:04:35.379 --> 00:04:38.230 right? We're holier than that. Bless God. Some 00:04:38.230 --> 00:04:40.790 are super formal you ever get the ones that arrive 00:04:40.790 --> 00:04:43.189 by mail. They're real fancy They're real thick 00:04:43.189 --> 00:04:45.930 and you know, you know, it's fancy You know that 00:04:45.930 --> 00:04:48.970 you're gonna be cordially invited right fancy 00:04:48.970 --> 00:04:52.029 writing calligraphy the writing you can't read 00:04:52.029 --> 00:04:54.230 You've got to try to figure out what time it 00:04:54.230 --> 00:04:57.790 is. Well, regardless of how the invitation comes 00:04:57.790 --> 00:05:01.509 They say this one thing If you're taking notes, 00:05:01.509 --> 00:05:03.810 I want you to write this down one thing an invitation 00:05:03.810 --> 00:05:09.129 always says is that You are wanted An invitation 00:05:09.129 --> 00:05:12.629 indicates that you're welcomed, that you're included. 00:05:13.189 --> 00:05:15.149 We've got something that's exciting happening 00:05:15.149 --> 00:05:17.829 and we want you to be a part of it. An invitation 00:05:17.829 --> 00:05:20.250 includes them into something that's happening 00:05:20.250 --> 00:05:22.470 that's great, that's grand, that you should be 00:05:22.470 --> 00:05:25.290 a part of. And so today I wanna talk with you 00:05:25.290 --> 00:05:28.129 about the power of the invitation. So if you 00:05:28.129 --> 00:05:29.790 have your Bibles, look with me at Colossians 00:05:29.790 --> 00:05:34.290 chapter four, starting in verse two. It says, 00:05:34.649 --> 00:05:37.769 devote yourself to prayer. Stay alert in it. 00:05:37.790 --> 00:05:40.829 with thanksgiving at the same time pray also 00:05:40.829 --> 00:05:44.490 for us that God may open a door for us for the 00:05:44.490 --> 00:05:47.129 word to speak the mysteries of Christ for which 00:05:47.129 --> 00:05:50.810 I am in chains so that I may make it known as 00:05:50.810 --> 00:05:54.310 I should act wisely toward outsiders making the 00:05:54.310 --> 00:05:57.850 most of the time let your speech always be gracious 00:05:57.850 --> 00:06:01.110 seasoned with salt so that you may know how you 00:06:01.110 --> 00:06:05.930 should answer each person there was a book I 00:06:05.930 --> 00:06:08.990 recently read and it was entitled, The Simplest 00:06:08.990 --> 00:06:13.029 Way to Change the World. Pastor Dustin Wilson 00:06:13.029 --> 00:06:15.470 and Pastor Brandon Clements wrote this book. 00:06:15.670 --> 00:06:17.930 There was something in there that struck me and 00:06:17.930 --> 00:06:21.569 it said this, the simplest way to change the 00:06:21.569 --> 00:06:26.009 world is to leverage your ordinary life for his 00:06:26.009 --> 00:06:30.889 history sweeping mission of hospitality. What 00:06:30.889 --> 00:06:34.240 does that really mean though? Is it being a good 00:06:34.240 --> 00:06:38.019 neighbor? Maybe it's a gospel neighbor. You see, 00:06:38.120 --> 00:06:42.480 an important part of living an evangelistic life, 00:06:42.980 --> 00:06:46.000 a life that shares Jesus, is really opening your 00:06:46.000 --> 00:06:49.639 heart to others, opening your life up to others, 00:06:49.899 --> 00:06:53.000 letting people see what a Christian looks like, 00:06:53.120 --> 00:06:55.839 what a life transformed by Jesus really looks 00:06:55.839 --> 00:06:58.459 like. It's not perfect. Sometimes it's messy, 00:06:58.959 --> 00:07:02.149 but we're forgiven by God. We have a relationship 00:07:02.149 --> 00:07:04.509 with him that changes things. We have someone 00:07:04.509 --> 00:07:06.389 that's forgiven our sins, someone who's always 00:07:06.389 --> 00:07:10.870 with us. In our efforts to bring the gospel to 00:07:10.870 --> 00:07:14.910 the most distant, unreached corners of the globe, 00:07:15.430 --> 00:07:19.410 we must not overlook the opportunity and the 00:07:19.410 --> 00:07:21.970 responsibility that God has given us to make 00:07:21.970 --> 00:07:25.269 Christ known to the people who live around us. 00:07:25.500 --> 00:07:29.180 to our friends, to our neighbors, to those that 00:07:29.180 --> 00:07:33.439 we work with, to those that we pass by. Now, 00:07:33.519 --> 00:07:36.579 may I share some inroads with you? You may or 00:07:36.579 --> 00:07:39.439 may not already be doing these things, but this 00:07:39.439 --> 00:07:41.199 is something that I want to share with you about 00:07:41.199 --> 00:07:43.920 how we can be effective in sharing the gospel 00:07:43.920 --> 00:07:46.819 with our neighbors. If you're taking notes, I 00:07:46.819 --> 00:07:49.339 want you to write this down. Number one is this, 00:07:49.720 --> 00:07:53.139 pray. Pray. You say, Pastor Tim, that's the simplest 00:07:53.139 --> 00:07:55.459 thing to do. Come on, let's get theologically 00:07:55.459 --> 00:07:58.680 deep here. Well, prayer should be the key for 00:07:58.680 --> 00:08:02.439 everything in our life. Prayer should be a priority. 00:08:03.139 --> 00:08:05.879 It should be the first thing that we do. Prayer 00:08:05.879 --> 00:08:08.360 should be the last thing we do. Before we do 00:08:08.360 --> 00:08:10.819 or go anywhere, we should pray. When making a 00:08:10.819 --> 00:08:13.839 decision, we should pray first, spend more time 00:08:13.839 --> 00:08:17.480 in praying. And it should be continual and ongoing. 00:08:17.680 --> 00:08:19.500 First Thessalonians, you know, tells us to pray 00:08:19.500 --> 00:08:21.860 without ceasing. It's something that we should 00:08:21.860 --> 00:08:27.339 do continuously. And so prayer. Colossians chapter 00:08:27.339 --> 00:08:30.439 four in verse two tells us to devote ourselves 00:08:30.439 --> 00:08:32.940 to prayer. Stay alert in it with Thanksgiving. 00:08:33.639 --> 00:08:36.919 So when you think about inviting someone to church, 00:08:37.220 --> 00:08:39.720 when you're thinking about evangelism or sharing 00:08:39.720 --> 00:08:42.940 the gospel with somebody, pray. You know, we 00:08:42.940 --> 00:08:45.259 like to put these big words on it, evangelism. 00:08:45.440 --> 00:08:47.840 But it's just living your life, sharing Jesus. 00:08:48.100 --> 00:08:50.820 I can't help but talk about Jesus because He's 00:08:50.820 --> 00:08:52.820 my everything. I tell people often, you know, 00:08:52.820 --> 00:08:55.379 I found Jesus and He saved me from a life of 00:08:55.379 --> 00:08:57.759 sin and crime. I was five years old. My feet 00:08:57.759 --> 00:09:00.120 didn't even touch the ground in that little metal 00:09:00.120 --> 00:09:02.279 folding chair in children's church and the Lord 00:09:02.279 --> 00:09:04.559 saved me. My aunt Priscilla was talking about 00:09:04.559 --> 00:09:07.299 Jesus and how sin would separate me from God. 00:09:07.399 --> 00:09:08.919 And I thought, I don't want that. I was five 00:09:08.919 --> 00:09:10.360 years old. I don't want that. I don't want to 00:09:10.360 --> 00:09:13.759 be separated from God. I invited Jesus into my 00:09:13.759 --> 00:09:21.850 heart. pray for their heart, their mind to be 00:09:21.850 --> 00:09:25.669 open. Pray that God would prepare you. Pray that 00:09:25.669 --> 00:09:28.529 God would prepare you with the right words. Pray 00:09:28.529 --> 00:09:30.889 for yourself to be ready when these invitations 00:09:30.889 --> 00:09:33.590 come. Pray that God gives you the opportunity. 00:09:34.169 --> 00:09:37.169 Pray that you remain encouraged and diligent 00:09:37.169 --> 00:09:40.190 even if you come into an encounter with someone 00:09:40.190 --> 00:09:43.929 and they say no. Sometimes we get nervous, we're 00:09:43.929 --> 00:09:46.789 afraid, what they might say. So I'd rather not 00:09:46.789 --> 00:09:51.129 face the rejection than talk about Jesus. I don't 00:09:51.129 --> 00:09:52.710 wanna hear the negative comments. I don't want 00:09:52.710 --> 00:09:56.529 them to stereotype me in some way because I'm 00:09:56.529 --> 00:09:58.769 a Christian or I'm one of those that's shoving 00:09:58.769 --> 00:10:01.830 Jesus down their throat. So I don't, pray that 00:10:01.830 --> 00:10:03.789 you're ready. Pray that you're willing to do 00:10:03.789 --> 00:10:05.889 this. Pray that God gives you a passion for this. 00:10:06.210 --> 00:10:09.769 Pray that you're ready when they say yes. You 00:10:09.769 --> 00:10:13.220 know, sometimes we're so, in our mind that we 00:10:13.220 --> 00:10:15.200 think that when we talk about Jesus, right away, 00:10:15.220 --> 00:10:16.899 they're gonna turn us down. They're not gonna 00:10:16.899 --> 00:10:18.899 want prayer. They're not gonna wanna hear about 00:10:18.899 --> 00:10:21.200 Jesus. And then we're shocked when they say, 00:10:21.379 --> 00:10:25.259 yes, they say, yes, pray for me. Okay, where 00:10:25.259 --> 00:10:29.320 do I start? We need to ask God for a fresh burden 00:10:29.320 --> 00:10:33.059 for soul winning, for inviting people to church. 00:10:33.320 --> 00:10:37.980 And we need to pray for his compassion. Jesus. 00:10:38.240 --> 00:10:40.440 Definitely modeled compassion towards people 00:10:40.440 --> 00:10:43.600 and we should have that same heart Ask God to 00:10:43.600 --> 00:10:48.399 pour out the Holy Spirit To inspire words from 00:10:48.399 --> 00:10:50.720 your heart that are from scripture and grant 00:10:50.720 --> 00:10:54.659 you the confidence to Proclaim the good news. 00:10:55.019 --> 00:10:57.240 You know, we study scripture many of us grew 00:10:57.240 --> 00:11:00.240 up in in Sunday school You know, we have all 00:11:00.240 --> 00:11:02.879 these, as the Bible says, hide his word in your 00:11:02.879 --> 00:11:05.559 heart. So you have it in here and pray that you're 00:11:05.559 --> 00:11:07.879 ready. When the opportunity comes, it just comes 00:11:07.879 --> 00:11:09.879 out naturally. You start talking. Have you ever 00:11:09.879 --> 00:11:11.779 been in that situation where you know it's anointed 00:11:11.779 --> 00:11:14.179 by God? You start talking to somebody and next 00:11:14.179 --> 00:11:16.059 thing you know, you're like preaching and you 00:11:16.059 --> 00:11:17.879 don't mean to, you're just excited. Jeremiah 00:11:17.879 --> 00:11:20.419 said, it's like a fire in your bones. And it 00:11:20.419 --> 00:11:23.419 should be that way, especially when you've experienced 00:11:23.419 --> 00:11:26.019 God firsthand, when you've had that opportunity 00:11:26.019 --> 00:11:28.179 to receive Jesus and He's touched your heart 00:11:28.179 --> 00:11:32.379 in a mighty way. So pray that God uses your words 00:11:32.379 --> 00:11:35.100 to bring healing. Pray that He uses your words 00:11:35.100 --> 00:11:37.639 to bring encouragement, even prophetic words 00:11:37.639 --> 00:11:40.759 that might lift up one who's discouraged, hurt, 00:11:40.879 --> 00:11:45.600 or lost. I'm grateful. for an accident that I 00:11:45.600 --> 00:11:48.779 experienced in 2017, where I was hit by a car 00:11:48.779 --> 00:11:50.919 and I broke my femur and had some head trauma. 00:11:51.679 --> 00:11:53.799 It took me several months to get back on my feet, 00:11:53.840 --> 00:11:57.100 but I went through a time of depression, of discouragement. 00:11:57.340 --> 00:11:59.080 I couldn't walk, I couldn't work, I couldn't 00:11:59.080 --> 00:12:01.759 do much, and I went through it. Had you told 00:12:01.759 --> 00:12:05.360 me before about discouragement or depression, 00:12:05.580 --> 00:12:07.419 I would have snuffed it off, laughed it off. 00:12:07.799 --> 00:12:09.860 You need to suck it up. You need to pray a little 00:12:09.860 --> 00:12:13.299 harder or whatever. I'm grateful for that experience 00:12:13.299 --> 00:12:17.000 because it gave me sympathy and empathy to understand 00:12:17.000 --> 00:12:20.139 that depression is real and what Jesus can do. 00:12:20.860 --> 00:12:23.500 And sometimes we have that testimony, we have 00:12:23.500 --> 00:12:27.000 that story we can share and it becomes so real. 00:12:27.980 --> 00:12:30.639 And so make prayer part of your everyday evangelism 00:12:30.639 --> 00:12:33.399 so you can invite, use your testimony. Number 00:12:33.399 --> 00:12:35.120 two is this, if you're taking notes, write this 00:12:35.120 --> 00:12:39.580 down, be ready. Prayer is the best preparation. 00:12:39.799 --> 00:12:42.759 you can do for evangelism. Prayer is the greatest 00:12:42.759 --> 00:12:45.000 thing you can do to prepare yourself to invite 00:12:45.000 --> 00:12:48.559 someone to church, right? However, being in the 00:12:48.559 --> 00:12:51.000 Word is just as important, that you spend time 00:12:51.000 --> 00:12:54.259 in God's Word. Sometimes we think that we have 00:12:54.259 --> 00:12:57.460 to have this prepared script ahead of time. You 00:12:57.460 --> 00:12:59.580 know, because I work on motorcycles, I come in 00:12:59.580 --> 00:13:01.980 contact with people that don't know Jesus. And 00:13:01.980 --> 00:13:03.799 sometimes they're shocked when they find out 00:13:03.799 --> 00:13:07.299 that their bike mechanic is also a pastor, it 00:13:07.299 --> 00:13:09.279 scares them sometimes. But you know, I would, 00:13:09.379 --> 00:13:11.480 in my early days, I would have a sermon in my 00:13:11.480 --> 00:13:13.860 back pocket. I mean, I was ready. When they say 00:13:13.860 --> 00:13:15.879 this, I'm gonna say that, and I'm gonna steer 00:13:15.879 --> 00:13:19.240 them. I got stories to tell. I like to read stories 00:13:19.240 --> 00:13:21.480 about history and how they relate to Christ. 00:13:21.700 --> 00:13:23.799 So I'll have these great stories to share, and 00:13:23.799 --> 00:13:26.440 I'm ready. And then the opportunity never comes, 00:13:26.460 --> 00:13:28.159 and I'm like, ah, I missed this opportunity. 00:13:28.240 --> 00:13:31.039 I had this great story to tell, and I'm trying 00:13:31.039 --> 00:13:34.179 to have this script. You ever done sales? Anybody 00:13:34.179 --> 00:13:37.159 did phone sales before? Right? You're on the 00:13:37.159 --> 00:13:38.559 phone and you're trying to sell something, right? 00:13:38.879 --> 00:13:41.720 I was the worst sales telemarketer or whatever 00:13:41.720 --> 00:13:43.639 on the planet, right? They would give me this 00:13:43.639 --> 00:13:45.440 little script, and I'm on the phone and I'm calling 00:13:45.440 --> 00:13:49.580 somebody. Hello, is this Mr. Maynard? Yes, it 00:13:49.580 --> 00:13:53.779 is. Hello, this is Tim. Tim, yeah, I'm Tim. I 00:13:53.779 --> 00:13:56.659 was terrible at it. They fired me twice. I was 00:13:56.659 --> 00:14:00.480 bad at it. I felt like I had to have this, and 00:14:00.480 --> 00:14:03.090 sometimes it's the same thing with... Sharing 00:14:03.090 --> 00:14:05.789 Jesus. We feel like we have to have a script. 00:14:06.029 --> 00:14:07.909 Word for word. What am I gonna say? When they 00:14:07.909 --> 00:14:10.409 say this, I'm gonna say this. But you know, the 00:14:10.409 --> 00:14:13.149 best script of all, first, is the Word of God. 00:14:13.649 --> 00:14:15.929 That's the best script. Just have God in your 00:14:15.929 --> 00:14:18.009 heart. Just spend time in the Word. Be ready 00:14:18.009 --> 00:14:19.950 when somebody asks you a question. And then, 00:14:20.169 --> 00:14:23.049 the next greatest thing is your life. It's your 00:14:23.049 --> 00:14:25.649 life. Just live it. Live for Jesus and let it 00:14:25.649 --> 00:14:27.970 show. And then your testimony, because nobody 00:14:27.970 --> 00:14:31.129 can argue your testimony. What Jesus has done 00:14:31.129 --> 00:14:34.600 for you. You know, a couple weeks ago, we were 00:14:34.600 --> 00:14:36.779 talking about evangelism at our church as well. 00:14:37.120 --> 00:14:39.399 And we're talking about sharing Jesus and my 00:14:39.399 --> 00:14:42.799 dad. My dad is 83, he just celebrated his 83rd 00:14:42.799 --> 00:14:44.799 birthday, right? Here's this old booger, right? 00:14:44.940 --> 00:14:46.419 We get done with church, and you know what he 00:14:46.419 --> 00:14:49.279 says? We always open the back doors. Our building 00:14:49.279 --> 00:14:51.639 that we rent is kind of small, but we swing open 00:14:51.639 --> 00:14:53.960 the back doors at the end of service. And my 00:14:53.960 --> 00:14:57.019 pop, he says, now open the doors and let's go 00:14:57.019 --> 00:15:00.289 save the world. He was so excited. Here's my 00:15:00.289 --> 00:15:02.750 dad 83 years old. He could say I've had somebody 00:15:02.750 --> 00:15:05.149 else's job. That's for the young man That's the 00:15:05.149 --> 00:15:07.509 next generation's problem. I'm old. I'm just 00:15:07.509 --> 00:15:10.049 gonna sit in my chair and watch it pass me by 00:15:10.049 --> 00:15:12.529 No, he wanted to get involved. He's still excited. 00:15:12.529 --> 00:15:16.789 He's got 83 years of seeing God do miracles He's 00:15:16.789 --> 00:15:20.889 got 83 years of experience of life of Jesus He 00:15:20.889 --> 00:15:24.309 was excited and he said I know that's not theologically 00:15:24.309 --> 00:15:25.909 correct because we're not going to save the world, 00:15:25.990 --> 00:15:28.230 but we've got a message to share. We've got something 00:15:28.230 --> 00:15:31.070 to share and nobody can argue with your testimony. 00:15:32.370 --> 00:15:36.690 1 Peter chapter 3 and verse 15 says, but in your 00:15:36.690 --> 00:15:40.169 hearts, regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready 00:15:40.169 --> 00:15:43.169 at any time to give defense to anyone who asks 00:15:43.169 --> 00:15:47.909 you for the reason of the hope that is in you. 00:15:48.470 --> 00:15:51.409 So you see, we should set our hearts in a place 00:15:51.409 --> 00:15:56.830 where Christ fully honored as Lord focus intently 00:15:56.830 --> 00:16:01.049 on Christ's role as master as Lord of your life 00:16:01.049 --> 00:16:04.909 and live it as if it were absolutely true live 00:16:04.909 --> 00:16:07.470 your life that you believe Christ is truly Lord 00:16:07.470 --> 00:16:10.789 of your life and if we set Christ as Lord of 00:16:10.789 --> 00:16:14.870 our life things will change you can't stay the 00:16:14.870 --> 00:16:18.429 same when Jesus is now master when Jesus is now 00:16:18.429 --> 00:16:20.850 Lord you can't live the same way things begin 00:16:20.850 --> 00:16:24.289 to change Peter says those who observe your life 00:16:24.289 --> 00:16:26.909 they're going to take notice they're going to 00:16:26.909 --> 00:16:29.210 see that there's something different there's 00:16:29.210 --> 00:16:31.190 he's they're going to see the hope that's in 00:16:31.190 --> 00:16:33.370 you because there is a difference when you live 00:16:33.370 --> 00:16:36.370 a life with hope and in the midst of of this 00:16:36.370 --> 00:16:40.190 life many times there are struggles and hardships 00:16:40.190 --> 00:16:43.250 and difficulties You know, Jesus even said, not 00:16:43.250 --> 00:16:48.269 if trials come, but when trials come. Apparently, 00:16:48.769 --> 00:16:51.049 we're gonna go through things. But even in the 00:16:51.049 --> 00:16:53.929 midst of it, we can still have hope. And so, 00:16:54.009 --> 00:16:56.429 when we do, when we go through things and people 00:16:56.429 --> 00:16:59.250 observe our life and see how we live, be ready 00:16:59.250 --> 00:17:02.830 to answer the question that our life should inspire. 00:17:04.309 --> 00:17:08.210 How can you be so hopeful in such difficult circumstances? 00:17:08.400 --> 00:17:10.660 With all the things that are going on in this 00:17:10.660 --> 00:17:14.140 world, how can you be so hopeful? Well, Peter 00:17:14.140 --> 00:17:18.119 anticipates that people will become curious when 00:17:18.119 --> 00:17:21.180 they see your life. Is your life a reflection 00:17:21.180 --> 00:17:27.359 of Jesus? Hopefulness and joy. It's so different 00:17:27.359 --> 00:17:29.720 from the normal human response. Because when 00:17:29.720 --> 00:17:32.140 things go bad, what do people do? Fall in depression, 00:17:32.440 --> 00:17:34.839 get upset. Sometimes they turn back to their 00:17:34.839 --> 00:17:39.359 old ways, old habits. Our lives should be so 00:17:39.359 --> 00:17:42.039 different that they should want to see something 00:17:42.039 --> 00:17:44.140 different that they do see and then they begin 00:17:44.140 --> 00:17:46.680 to ask us. And what will they say? What will 00:17:46.680 --> 00:17:49.200 they ask about us? And we need to get, be ready 00:17:49.200 --> 00:17:52.039 to give an answer to tell about our faith in 00:17:52.039 --> 00:17:56.240 Christ. Now, sometimes we need to have this thing 00:17:56.240 --> 00:18:01.039 called relational capital. You know, it's time 00:18:01.039 --> 00:18:04.180 that you spend with somebody. You know, sometimes 00:18:04.180 --> 00:18:07.720 there's things I can say to people. in my church 00:18:07.720 --> 00:18:10.619 that I've spent a lot of time with. I know them. 00:18:10.619 --> 00:18:12.859 They know me. They know where I'm coming from. 00:18:12.980 --> 00:18:15.880 They allow me to speak into their life. But then 00:18:15.880 --> 00:18:17.759 there's other people that don't know me at all. 00:18:17.759 --> 00:18:20.160 We've never met. I don't have the right to say 00:18:20.160 --> 00:18:22.900 certain things. Maybe I do, but how are they 00:18:22.900 --> 00:18:24.779 going to perceive it? How are they going to take 00:18:24.779 --> 00:18:26.680 it? They don't know me. They don't know that 00:18:26.680 --> 00:18:28.380 I have their best interest at heart. They don't 00:18:28.380 --> 00:18:30.940 know that. And so sometimes when it comes to 00:18:30.940 --> 00:18:34.799 sharing Jesus, relational capital is important. 00:18:34.880 --> 00:18:38.210 How much time? I have spent with them. I can 00:18:38.210 --> 00:18:41.369 invite Jesus to them or invite them to church. 00:18:41.369 --> 00:18:44.089 I can share Jesus with them and they'll hear 00:18:44.089 --> 00:18:46.569 what I'm saying. I can talk to them about deep 00:18:46.569 --> 00:18:48.450 things of Christ because I have this relationship 00:18:48.450 --> 00:18:51.109 with them. They know my heart. But sometimes 00:18:51.109 --> 00:18:53.190 you don't have to wait for those opportunities. 00:18:53.390 --> 00:18:55.849 You don't have to wait for long periods of time. 00:18:56.089 --> 00:18:58.609 I know stories of people that have come to church 00:18:58.609 --> 00:19:01.250 with a simple invite. I know people that have 00:19:01.250 --> 00:19:03.869 found Jesus because of a simple conversation. 00:19:04.009 --> 00:19:06.960 They didn't even know the person. You know, I'm 00:19:06.960 --> 00:19:09.119 probably the one that keeps the lights on at 00:19:09.119 --> 00:19:12.140 the nearest Walmart by my house. I'm there almost 00:19:12.140 --> 00:19:14.960 every day. And when I go in there, I try to avoid 00:19:14.960 --> 00:19:17.779 the self -checkout thing. One is because I like 00:19:17.779 --> 00:19:22.039 people. I enjoy talking to people. And so I try 00:19:22.039 --> 00:19:24.700 to find a particular aisle. If I can't get in 00:19:24.700 --> 00:19:26.920 the lane where there's somebody that I see on 00:19:26.920 --> 00:19:29.420 a regular basis, I pray, I look, I try to find 00:19:29.420 --> 00:19:31.700 somebody, as I'm going to use that as an opportunity 00:19:31.700 --> 00:19:35.029 to talk about Jesus. And so if I can find the 00:19:35.029 --> 00:19:37.089 same person that's good, I'll get in that line 00:19:37.089 --> 00:19:39.250 and we'll drum up a conversation and we begin 00:19:39.250 --> 00:19:41.470 to talk. And they begin to see something different 00:19:41.470 --> 00:19:43.410 in us. It happens over and over. There's ladies 00:19:43.410 --> 00:19:45.750 at Walmart that now we know them by grandma. 00:19:46.600 --> 00:19:48.559 And we have a relationship with them. I have 00:19:48.559 --> 00:19:51.420 this relational capital. And I can share with 00:19:51.420 --> 00:19:53.960 them. And I've invited them to church. And sometimes, 00:19:54.059 --> 00:19:56.279 you know, she's in a bad mood and she doesn't 00:19:56.279 --> 00:19:58.160 want to hear it. And I know that. And I know 00:19:58.160 --> 00:20:00.019 what to say. And I know how to talk to her. I've 00:20:00.019 --> 00:20:02.099 built this relation. She lets me speak into her 00:20:02.099 --> 00:20:04.380 life. But sometimes I don't know the person there. 00:20:04.599 --> 00:20:07.339 And, you know, there might be a lady. Like one 00:20:07.339 --> 00:20:10.000 time there was this young... a younger lady working 00:20:10.000 --> 00:20:12.940 the register and she was Filipina. And because 00:20:12.940 --> 00:20:15.079 we were missionaries to the Philippines, I was 00:20:15.079 --> 00:20:17.299 able to use my terrible, terrible Tagalog and 00:20:17.299 --> 00:20:20.200 talk to her and use some, and it opened the conversation 00:20:20.200 --> 00:20:23.660 and I was able to talk to her about Jesus. It 00:20:23.660 --> 00:20:25.720 was a one and done kind of thing, but I still 00:20:25.720 --> 00:20:28.200 wanted to take the opportunity. And so I know 00:20:28.200 --> 00:20:30.519 there are people that have come to church just 00:20:30.519 --> 00:20:34.200 simply because they've been invited. Just a simple, 00:20:34.259 --> 00:20:37.900 you don't even know them. But while we don't 00:20:37.900 --> 00:20:40.400 really have to have certain capital relationship, 00:20:40.400 --> 00:20:43.940 maybe it's important, but just be ready Ready 00:20:43.940 --> 00:20:47.940 with what to say how to say it be prepared So 00:20:47.940 --> 00:20:51.819 be ready to have an ongoing relationship And 00:20:51.819 --> 00:20:54.420 here's the other thing whether or not they say 00:20:54.420 --> 00:21:00.880 yes or no Be ready to have a personal relationship 00:21:00.880 --> 00:21:04.130 with this person Sometimes, you know, we invite 00:21:04.130 --> 00:21:06.309 people to church. Our goal is we want to fill 00:21:06.309 --> 00:21:08.390 the pews. So sometimes I struggle as a pastor 00:21:08.390 --> 00:21:11.210 with these alike. One time we were at this church 00:21:11.210 --> 00:21:13.809 as youth pastors and they were trying to get 00:21:13.809 --> 00:21:16.549 over a certain numerical hump. You see me? And 00:21:16.549 --> 00:21:19.730 on the door it would say, push for 500, pull 00:21:19.730 --> 00:21:22.109 for 500. And it was one of those things, you 00:21:22.109 --> 00:21:23.630 know, just this campaign we were trying to... 00:21:23.630 --> 00:21:25.990 And I felt like, are we trying to grow the church 00:21:25.990 --> 00:21:29.109 or are we trying to win souls? Because nobody 00:21:29.109 --> 00:21:32.519 wants to be a target. Nobody wants to be a mission. 00:21:33.019 --> 00:21:35.579 Nobody wants to be a project. How about you see 00:21:35.579 --> 00:21:38.599 me as Tim who's hurting? How about you see me 00:21:38.599 --> 00:21:42.140 as Tim who needs Jesus? How about let's prepare 00:21:42.140 --> 00:21:45.400 ourselves to be ready to care for our neighbors. 00:21:45.839 --> 00:21:48.279 Not just inviting them to church, but to have 00:21:48.279 --> 00:21:50.920 a personal relationship with Jesus. That we can 00:21:50.920 --> 00:21:53.700 be a blessing to our neighbor. Not as a project, 00:21:53.980 --> 00:21:56.259 not because the pastor's. doing this promotion 00:21:56.259 --> 00:21:59.359 thing, but because we love Jesus and we want 00:21:59.359 --> 00:22:02.039 to share Jesus with the lost and hurting world. 00:22:03.500 --> 00:22:06.380 As our text says in Colossians chapter four and 00:22:06.380 --> 00:22:09.380 verse five, it says to act wisely toward outsiders, 00:22:09.920 --> 00:22:14.019 making the most of the time. Some translations 00:22:14.019 --> 00:22:16.980 say making the most of every opportunity. Either 00:22:16.980 --> 00:22:19.539 way, be ready. Number three, if you're taking 00:22:19.539 --> 00:22:23.160 notes, write this down. Carefully choose your 00:22:23.160 --> 00:22:26.309 words. carefully choose your words. For instance, 00:22:26.589 --> 00:22:29.650 you might be saying to somebody, hey, I've been 00:22:29.650 --> 00:22:33.230 enjoying our church a lot recently. I wanted 00:22:33.230 --> 00:22:35.450 to give you the opportunity to come to be a part 00:22:35.450 --> 00:22:37.549 of what we're doing. Are you interested in coming 00:22:37.549 --> 00:22:40.789 with me on Sunday? Or you might say, hey, we're 00:22:40.789 --> 00:22:43.809 talking a lot about hope at our church. It's 00:22:43.809 --> 00:22:45.710 been very encouraging. I thought you'd like to 00:22:45.710 --> 00:22:48.230 hear more about hope, especially if you see them 00:22:48.230 --> 00:22:50.390 going through something. And we specifically 00:22:50.390 --> 00:22:53.839 do certain things. certain activities, certain 00:22:53.839 --> 00:22:56.660 series we'll preach, just so we can invite the 00:22:56.660 --> 00:22:59.099 lost, opportunities for people to invite their 00:22:59.099 --> 00:23:01.680 friends and those that don't know Jesus. I mean, 00:23:01.720 --> 00:23:05.259 we'll invite anybody, friends, enemies, anybody. 00:23:06.200 --> 00:23:10.519 And maybe for us, we have life groups. And sometimes 00:23:10.519 --> 00:23:12.140 people, they're a little intimidated to come 00:23:12.140 --> 00:23:14.299 to church and they don't know what to expect. 00:23:14.779 --> 00:23:16.740 Are they gonna have to stand, sit, kneel, sing, 00:23:16.779 --> 00:23:19.079 what's it gonna be like, you know? And so we 00:23:19.079 --> 00:23:21.390 have these life groups throughout the city. And 00:23:21.390 --> 00:23:23.750 we'll say, hey, why don't you join us on Wednesday? 00:23:24.369 --> 00:23:26.269 One of our groups meets at Round Table Pizza 00:23:26.269 --> 00:23:29.349 on Wednesday nights. Another group meets at Starbucks. 00:23:29.490 --> 00:23:32.049 We have a group that meets at McDonald's. Not 00:23:32.049 --> 00:23:34.150 that we all like food or anything, but we like 00:23:34.150 --> 00:23:38.029 food. And so we have these groups. And they're 00:23:38.029 --> 00:23:40.829 not intimidating. Show up. Just a bunch of friends 00:23:40.829 --> 00:23:42.950 hanging out, talking, chit chat. And you know 00:23:42.950 --> 00:23:45.250 what? We'll see ministry take place. I mean, 00:23:45.349 --> 00:23:48.109 there was a lady that had a car for sale. And 00:23:48.109 --> 00:23:50.230 another young lady needed a car, and they worked 00:23:50.230 --> 00:23:52.769 a deal so this lady who had this car, she sold 00:23:52.769 --> 00:23:54.809 it for dirt cheap to this young lady that needed 00:23:54.809 --> 00:23:57.710 a car. Ministry was happening right there in 00:23:57.710 --> 00:23:59.849 the middle of life through people loving each 00:23:59.849 --> 00:24:02.930 other, caring for each other, acting as the early 00:24:02.930 --> 00:24:05.470 church, doing what we're supposed to do. Colossians 00:24:05.470 --> 00:24:08.549 chapter four, three and four says, at the same 00:24:08.549 --> 00:24:14.509 time pray. Also for us that God may open a door 00:24:14.670 --> 00:24:17.509 to us for the word to speak the mysteries of 00:24:17.509 --> 00:24:20.890 Christ as Paul says for which I'm in chains he's 00:24:20.890 --> 00:24:23.869 in chains over this right so that I may make 00:24:23.869 --> 00:24:29.690 it known as I should are you sharing the gospel 00:24:29.690 --> 00:24:33.109 like you found it you know it's sometimes sharing 00:24:33.109 --> 00:24:36.410 the gospel is like sharing something that you 00:24:36.410 --> 00:24:40.769 found fascinating maybe it's a new grocery store 00:24:41.230 --> 00:24:44.150 a new gym, a restaurant. You know, you're excited 00:24:44.150 --> 00:24:46.109 about this restaurant and you just want people 00:24:46.109 --> 00:24:48.210 to know about it. You want to share, hey, check 00:24:48.210 --> 00:24:51.190 this out. This is a great place to eat. We're 00:24:51.190 --> 00:24:53.750 sharing this thing, considered in the same way 00:24:53.750 --> 00:24:57.430 with Jesus. Obviously, it's much more important. 00:24:57.950 --> 00:25:00.990 It's far more important than a gym or a restaurant 00:25:00.990 --> 00:25:03.609 or a grocery store. However, it's the same type 00:25:03.609 --> 00:25:06.549 of thing. We want to share what we found. It's 00:25:06.549 --> 00:25:10.039 good news. It's something great. But here's the 00:25:10.039 --> 00:25:13.400 thing, we don't want to make people feel as we're 00:25:13.400 --> 00:25:17.039 the righteous and they're the unrighteous. Right? 00:25:18.099 --> 00:25:21.039 First Peter chapter three and verse 16 says, 00:25:21.460 --> 00:25:25.640 yet do this with gentleness and reverence, keeping 00:25:25.640 --> 00:25:28.700 a clear conscience. So whatever words that you 00:25:28.700 --> 00:25:32.720 choose, whatever phrases that you pick, be gentle, 00:25:33.859 --> 00:25:37.589 genuine, and respectful. You know, sometimes 00:25:37.589 --> 00:25:40.049 I hear people share the gospel, and man, they're 00:25:40.049 --> 00:25:41.990 intense. And there's some people that are just 00:25:41.990 --> 00:25:44.029 like that. I mean, they're truly being genuine. 00:25:44.089 --> 00:25:46.609 My mom is a great example. Man, my mom is like 00:25:46.609 --> 00:25:48.690 4 '11", and she'll get right in your face and 00:25:48.690 --> 00:25:50.750 tell you about Jesus. But she does it with a 00:25:50.750 --> 00:25:52.730 loving heart, and she's a little old lady, so 00:25:52.730 --> 00:25:54.990 she can get away with it, right? And so she says 00:25:54.990 --> 00:25:57.190 these things, not the way I would do it, but, 00:25:57.210 --> 00:25:59.730 you know, and people love her. And I'm like, 00:25:59.769 --> 00:26:02.230 mom, that's so intense. How come you talk to... 00:26:02.230 --> 00:26:04.190 And next thing, I know they're hugging on her, 00:26:04.210 --> 00:26:06.880 and she's praying with them. The greatest thing 00:26:06.880 --> 00:26:10.400 about it is she's sharing the love of Jesus and 00:26:10.400 --> 00:26:13.059 she loves on them. She really loves them. She's 00:26:13.059 --> 00:26:15.799 saying it because she cares. I don't know how, 00:26:16.000 --> 00:26:19.099 in my opinion, whatever it's worth, is it really 00:26:19.099 --> 00:26:21.559 respectful? But she's being genuine. She truly 00:26:21.559 --> 00:26:24.119 loves them. I've heard it said it like this. 00:26:24.839 --> 00:26:28.460 We're just one beggar who has found bread, showing 00:26:28.460 --> 00:26:33.380 another beggar where bread can be found. Colossians 00:26:33.380 --> 00:26:35.759 chapter four and verse six says, let your speech 00:26:35.759 --> 00:26:40.539 always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that 00:26:40.539 --> 00:26:44.539 you may know how you should answer each person. 00:26:46.140 --> 00:26:47.680 Number four, if you're taking notes, write this 00:26:47.680 --> 00:26:53.099 down. Watch for opportunities. Watch for opportunities. 00:26:53.200 --> 00:26:55.559 See, when you pray that God will give you an 00:26:55.559 --> 00:26:58.359 opportunity, don't be surprised when he does. 00:26:58.720 --> 00:27:01.769 Look out for them. when you're praying for opportunities 00:27:01.769 --> 00:27:04.950 also pray that you're ready because those opportunities 00:27:04.950 --> 00:27:07.509 will come if you ask for it he'll give them to 00:27:07.509 --> 00:27:10.170 you for instance somebody might say to you hey 00:27:10.170 --> 00:27:12.869 i'm feeling a little discouraged and you could 00:27:12.869 --> 00:27:16.309 say i'm sorry perhaps you felt that way too at 00:27:16.309 --> 00:27:18.609 one point and you can share your story like i 00:27:18.609 --> 00:27:21.430 have i understand what it is to go through discouragement 00:27:21.430 --> 00:27:23.690 and i'm able to follow up with something about 00:27:23.690 --> 00:27:27.670 how i found hope in the scripture i found hope 00:27:27.670 --> 00:27:29.819 with my church I wouldn't have made it through 00:27:29.819 --> 00:27:32.420 that time of discouragement if it wasn't for 00:27:32.420 --> 00:27:34.559 the fact that my church supported me and encouraged 00:27:34.559 --> 00:27:37.259 me and helped me during these hard times. I've 00:27:37.259 --> 00:27:39.839 found church very refreshing recently. Would 00:27:39.839 --> 00:27:42.140 you like to come with me? Come to my life group 00:27:42.140 --> 00:27:45.880 where we can do life together. Colossians chapter 00:27:45.880 --> 00:27:49.000 four and verse three says at the same time, pray 00:27:49.000 --> 00:27:53.220 also for us that God may open a door to us for 00:27:53.220 --> 00:27:57.480 the word to speak the mysteries of Christ. See, 00:27:57.579 --> 00:28:01.880 overall, The model is pray for opportunities, 00:28:02.539 --> 00:28:06.200 take the opportunities, pray for your preaching 00:28:06.200 --> 00:28:09.279 opportunities, pray for your opportunity to share 00:28:09.279 --> 00:28:14.799 God's word clearly, powerfully, be wise in what 00:28:14.799 --> 00:28:18.859 you say and in how you say it. Let me rephrase 00:28:18.859 --> 00:28:26.240 the Nike saying, just say it, just invite. Number 00:28:26.240 --> 00:28:27.880 five, if you're taking notes, write this down. 00:28:27.960 --> 00:28:31.059 Number five is this, invite them to something. 00:28:32.180 --> 00:28:34.779 Invite them to something. Don't just invite somebody 00:28:34.779 --> 00:28:37.839 to church and leave it there. Don't just invite 00:28:37.839 --> 00:28:40.160 somebody to church and then not show up yourself. 00:28:40.619 --> 00:28:43.099 So this is the plug for perfect church attendance. 00:28:43.339 --> 00:28:45.440 Make sure that when you invite somebody, you're 00:28:45.440 --> 00:28:49.660 there too. Show up. Be friendly. Sometimes we 00:28:49.660 --> 00:28:51.599 say, hey, I'm going to church Sunday. Why don't 00:28:51.599 --> 00:28:54.259 you come with me? And afterwards, Here we go 00:28:54.259 --> 00:28:56.700 again. We'll go out to eat. I love to eat. Find 00:28:56.700 --> 00:28:58.960 something you do well and stick with it. I have. 00:28:59.420 --> 00:29:03.200 Join me. We're going to eat. It's a great way 00:29:03.200 --> 00:29:06.839 to show that you're interested in them. They're 00:29:06.839 --> 00:29:08.960 not a project. They're not a number. They're 00:29:08.960 --> 00:29:11.380 not fulfilling some quota that the pastor has 00:29:11.380 --> 00:29:15.059 to push for 500 or to pull for 500. They matter. 00:29:15.779 --> 00:29:18.250 Invite them to one of your special events. Our 00:29:18.250 --> 00:29:20.289 churches, Pastor John does the same thing. He 00:29:20.289 --> 00:29:23.869 specifically has special events designed so you 00:29:23.869 --> 00:29:26.150 can invite your friends so they can see us as 00:29:26.150 --> 00:29:30.609 real people. We're people that have found a savior 00:29:30.609 --> 00:29:33.930 named Jesus. And we want to share this good news 00:29:33.930 --> 00:29:36.829 with you. Come to church. Come find out. Invite 00:29:36.829 --> 00:29:40.509 them. Colossians 4 and verse 5 says to make the 00:29:40.509 --> 00:29:44.589 most of the time or of every opportunity. We 00:29:44.589 --> 00:29:47.309 have several special events planned this year. 00:29:47.500 --> 00:29:50.980 Next year, we've done things like we're preparing 00:29:50.980 --> 00:29:54.180 now in October. We'll start preparing for 2026, 00:29:54.339 --> 00:29:56.099 believe it or not. And so we're gonna sit down 00:29:56.099 --> 00:29:57.759 and map out the schedule. There were several 00:29:57.759 --> 00:29:59.480 events that we did last year that were quite 00:29:59.480 --> 00:30:02.480 successful in getting unbelievers and new people 00:30:02.480 --> 00:30:05.799 to come find Jesus. We're not just about growing 00:30:05.799 --> 00:30:08.140 a church. We're about having people find Jesus. 00:30:08.400 --> 00:30:10.500 We would do things like Super Sunday, Super Bowl 00:30:10.500 --> 00:30:14.400 events. We did Sunday Funday, where we did Church 00:30:14.400 --> 00:30:17.789 in the Park. For us, our church, we rent a building 00:30:17.789 --> 00:30:20.210 every Sunday. And so we're like mobile church. 00:30:20.230 --> 00:30:22.950 We have to set up and tear down that stuff. And 00:30:22.950 --> 00:30:25.789 we got a great team of people that make it happen. 00:30:26.190 --> 00:30:31.230 And so every holiday weekend, we don't have access 00:30:31.230 --> 00:30:33.650 to our building. So we have to be creative. We 00:30:33.650 --> 00:30:35.910 have to find things like we did something called 00:30:35.910 --> 00:30:38.309 Nacho Average Weekend, where we did church and 00:30:38.309 --> 00:30:42.509 nachos in the park. It's kind of a fun way to... 00:30:42.599 --> 00:30:45.119 not have a building and do church outside. We 00:30:45.119 --> 00:30:47.099 would do things like something simple where we 00:30:47.099 --> 00:30:50.519 even did a Valentine's dinner. We did a series 00:30:50.519 --> 00:30:54.000 on hope. We did a month -long series on hope 00:30:54.000 --> 00:30:57.039 targeting mental health and our faith in God. 00:30:57.559 --> 00:30:59.440 And so it was a great opportunity for people 00:30:59.440 --> 00:31:01.380 to invite their friends. You have one coming 00:31:01.380 --> 00:31:04.079 up next week, so take the opportunity. This is 00:31:04.079 --> 00:31:06.140 a great event to invite someone that doesn't 00:31:06.140 --> 00:31:09.799 know Jesus to church. Number six, if you're taking 00:31:09.799 --> 00:31:13.619 notes, write this down. Don't be discouraged 00:31:13.619 --> 00:31:17.180 if they say no. Don't be discouraged by a no. 00:31:17.880 --> 00:31:20.160 You know, people are not always gonna respond 00:31:20.160 --> 00:31:22.940 with you and your excitement about Christ with 00:31:22.940 --> 00:31:25.720 a yes. You know, you invite them to church, they're 00:31:25.720 --> 00:31:28.079 not always gonna say, yeah, I wanna go with you. 00:31:28.319 --> 00:31:29.980 They're not gonna always say, yeah, please, right 00:31:29.980 --> 00:31:32.000 here in the middle of Target, please pray for 00:31:32.000 --> 00:31:35.759 me. They're not gonna always be excited about 00:31:35.759 --> 00:31:38.180 it, but there are some that will respond with 00:31:38.180 --> 00:31:40.480 a yes. And when they do, sometimes, you know, 00:31:40.599 --> 00:31:42.599 you say, hey, can I pray for you? And they're 00:31:42.599 --> 00:31:45.200 thinking, like most of us do, I'll pray for you 00:31:45.200 --> 00:31:47.900 on Thursday at Bible study. You know, how about 00:31:47.900 --> 00:31:50.400 do it right then? They're shocked sometimes when 00:31:50.400 --> 00:31:52.579 you do. Hey, they said yes, take advantage of 00:31:52.579 --> 00:31:57.140 it. But sometimes people may say no first, but 00:31:57.140 --> 00:32:02.039 later they'll say yes. It's worth persevering 00:32:02.039 --> 00:32:04.099 with inviting people to church. You know, there 00:32:04.099 --> 00:32:07.079 are certain times in people's lives when... things 00:32:07.079 --> 00:32:09.259 change. Oh, they're saying, no, I don't want 00:32:09.259 --> 00:32:10.980 to be part of it. No, I don't want to get involved 00:32:10.980 --> 00:32:12.759 in church. I don't want to be here. I don't want 00:32:12.759 --> 00:32:15.259 to hear about that. But then there are these 00:32:15.259 --> 00:32:17.920 moments in time. They say when a baby's born, 00:32:18.619 --> 00:32:20.480 when there's the passing of a family member, 00:32:20.759 --> 00:32:23.180 when there's a change of job, a new job starts 00:32:23.180 --> 00:32:26.319 getting fired, these different events in life, 00:32:26.579 --> 00:32:30.420 it opens us up to the things of God. It's a perfect 00:32:30.420 --> 00:32:32.619 opportunity for you to be there, to pray with 00:32:32.619 --> 00:32:35.119 them, to encourage them, and to talk about Christ 00:32:35.119 --> 00:32:38.759 in these opportunities. So you may find that 00:32:38.759 --> 00:32:42.859 someone says no, but eventually they follow up 00:32:42.859 --> 00:32:46.660 with a yes. So I would say when they say no, 00:32:46.900 --> 00:32:49.799 respect that. Respect their wishes in that regard, 00:32:50.099 --> 00:32:52.160 but know that they may change their mind in the 00:32:52.160 --> 00:32:57.299 future. I would say this, don't ever take a... 00:32:56.990 --> 00:33:00.910 a no as a never. Never take a no as a never. 00:33:01.009 --> 00:33:03.549 Down the road, there may be a change of heart, 00:33:03.990 --> 00:33:07.150 a change of situation. And always conclude it 00:33:07.150 --> 00:33:10.150 with, I'd love it if you'd join me sometime. 00:33:12.309 --> 00:33:14.990 You can tell them about a future event, and you're 00:33:14.990 --> 00:33:17.369 like, hey, if it's cool, I'm gonna circle around 00:33:17.369 --> 00:33:19.230 in March, or I'm gonna talk to you in February. 00:33:19.269 --> 00:33:22.230 We got a Super Bowl event. Maybe we can go check 00:33:22.230 --> 00:33:25.910 it out. I hope you'll consider this with me. 00:33:27.690 --> 00:33:30.430 Why not check it out then? Hebrews chapter 12 00:33:30.430 --> 00:33:33.990 and verse three says, for consider him who endured 00:33:33.990 --> 00:33:38.769 such hostility from sinners against himself so 00:33:38.769 --> 00:33:42.410 that you won't grow weary and give up. You see, 00:33:43.130 --> 00:33:45.369 we should take that same approach that Jesus 00:33:45.369 --> 00:33:48.190 did when we're faced with a no. Now not just 00:33:48.190 --> 00:33:50.710 with a no, but when we're faced with persecution 00:33:50.710 --> 00:33:54.430 or when we're faced with hard times, we should 00:33:54.430 --> 00:33:57.640 think about what Jesus. went through. Jesus endured 00:33:57.640 --> 00:34:00.920 hardships at the hands of his friends and his 00:34:00.920 --> 00:34:02.900 enemies. Those that were supposed to be religious 00:34:02.900 --> 00:34:06.460 leaders even treated him poorly. You know, it 00:34:06.460 --> 00:34:08.300 makes me think about when I was in high school, 00:34:08.659 --> 00:34:11.039 the worst persecution that I faced was being 00:34:11.039 --> 00:34:13.460 laughed at or made fun of because I went to church. 00:34:14.119 --> 00:34:16.820 But nowadays persecution, as this Bible talks 00:34:16.820 --> 00:34:19.239 about, is so much greater. People are losing 00:34:19.239 --> 00:34:21.239 their lives because of their faith and I'm grateful 00:34:21.239 --> 00:34:24.239 that I didn't have to experience that. or even 00:34:24.239 --> 00:34:26.199 didn't even understand that that could we read 00:34:26.199 --> 00:34:27.699 about it we heard about it but that would never 00:34:27.699 --> 00:34:29.719 happen in america that would never happen to 00:34:29.719 --> 00:34:33.559 us in the church today but realize that jesus 00:34:33.559 --> 00:34:36.860 endured terrible hardship and even though he 00:34:36.860 --> 00:34:41.000 was god incarnate he still faced hostility struggles 00:34:41.000 --> 00:34:45.460 he still still faced trials and temptations but 00:34:45.460 --> 00:34:49.619 know this trials in life is not evidence that 00:34:49.619 --> 00:34:54.210 god has abandoned you The scripture says that 00:34:54.210 --> 00:34:57.190 he'll never leave you. He'll never forsake you. 00:34:57.429 --> 00:34:59.989 He's always with you. That means that the same 00:34:59.989 --> 00:35:02.389 power that raised Jesus from the dead lives inside 00:35:02.389 --> 00:35:05.469 of you. That same power, can you believe that? 00:35:05.630 --> 00:35:09.210 That power, Jesus lives with you. I thought of 00:35:09.210 --> 00:35:11.829 it this way. When he says I'll never leave you 00:35:11.829 --> 00:35:14.210 or forsake you, it's like Jesus says I'm like 00:35:14.210 --> 00:35:17.230 your skin. You don't get out of your skin. It's 00:35:17.230 --> 00:35:19.619 always there. Jesus is with you like your skin. 00:35:19.800 --> 00:35:22.539 It's on you. He can't. He's not going to leave 00:35:22.539 --> 00:35:26.699 you. Jesus lived a perfectly sinless life and 00:35:26.699 --> 00:35:30.659 yet he still faced trials and rejection. And 00:35:30.659 --> 00:35:33.059 so when we face those challenges in our life, 00:35:33.239 --> 00:35:35.820 we should look at Jesus. What did Jesus do? How 00:35:35.820 --> 00:35:39.780 did he handle it? He persevered. Remember this, 00:35:40.000 --> 00:35:42.900 when you're sharing the gospel with people, that 00:35:42.900 --> 00:35:46.590 you're part of this great big plan. You might 00:35:46.590 --> 00:35:49.250 be the one that's planting the seed. You might 00:35:49.250 --> 00:35:51.650 be the first person to ever talk to them. Really 00:35:51.650 --> 00:35:54.409 have a conversation with them about Jesus. Oh, 00:35:54.409 --> 00:35:56.769 they probably saw some wacko on YouTube telling 00:35:56.769 --> 00:35:58.829 about Jesus screaming in a mic, asking for money, 00:35:58.929 --> 00:36:00.809 and they had this bad taste in their mouth. Then 00:36:00.809 --> 00:36:03.429 they see you, the real deal, and you might be 00:36:03.429 --> 00:36:05.969 planting a seed. Some of you might water the 00:36:05.969 --> 00:36:08.349 seed. So you never know where you're at in the 00:36:08.349 --> 00:36:11.210 process. That's why sometimes you might get a 00:36:11.210 --> 00:36:13.789 no, but don't be discouraged. And lastly, number 00:36:13.789 --> 00:36:19.050 seven is this. reminder. Whether you send a text, 00:36:19.789 --> 00:36:26.750 a Facebook invite, an Instagram DM, a call, a 00:36:26.750 --> 00:36:30.130 flyer, a text, mail a flyer in the, put it in 00:36:30.130 --> 00:36:32.309 the mail. Does anybody use snail mail anymore? 00:36:33.670 --> 00:36:36.489 But give a reminder to somebody. It can help 00:36:36.489 --> 00:36:39.730 them solidify this invitation. Why? Because it's 00:36:39.730 --> 00:36:42.110 just that important. You're inviting them to 00:36:42.110 --> 00:36:44.849 something that's special. This is a great event. 00:36:45.099 --> 00:36:48.139 I mean, it's because of church that I found Jesus. 00:36:48.380 --> 00:36:50.300 I know as a little boy, I probably didn't have 00:36:50.300 --> 00:36:52.179 a choice. At five years old, I didn't probably 00:36:52.179 --> 00:36:54.239 have the right to back talk to my mom or dad, 00:36:54.360 --> 00:36:57.639 but I still at church, I found Jesus. It's just 00:36:57.639 --> 00:37:01.460 that important. When you invite somebody and 00:37:01.460 --> 00:37:04.719 you give them the reminder, this reminder can 00:37:04.719 --> 00:37:08.760 tell them where the church is, what time to arrive. 00:37:09.099 --> 00:37:11.280 It gives them a sense of what they're coming 00:37:11.280 --> 00:37:14.900 to, what they can expect. And it shows them that 00:37:14.900 --> 00:37:17.000 they're really wanted. They're wanted enough 00:37:17.000 --> 00:37:19.300 that you're reminding them. You really want them 00:37:19.300 --> 00:37:23.039 there. It also allows them to think about this 00:37:23.039 --> 00:37:25.239 invitation when you're no longer there because 00:37:25.239 --> 00:37:27.440 they have some kind of reminder, whether it's 00:37:27.440 --> 00:37:29.980 a text that they see or a voicemail, there's 00:37:29.980 --> 00:37:33.260 some kind of visual or invitation that's beyond 00:37:33.260 --> 00:37:37.619 just that initial conversation. Second Peter, 00:37:37.780 --> 00:37:40.280 chapter one in verse 13 says it like this. Peter's 00:37:40.280 --> 00:37:45.170 writing, he says, I think it's right as long 00:37:45.170 --> 00:37:49.469 as I am in this bodily tent to wake you up with 00:37:49.469 --> 00:37:54.409 a reminder. You see, Peter was writing that his 00:37:54.409 --> 00:37:57.989 mission is to remind us of what we need to do. 00:37:58.469 --> 00:38:00.809 Peter says, it's just that important that I remind 00:38:00.809 --> 00:38:03.429 you what you're called to do, what you're supposed 00:38:03.429 --> 00:38:06.190 to do. Living for Jesus is just this important, 00:38:06.329 --> 00:38:08.250 so because it's so important, I'm gonna remind 00:38:08.250 --> 00:38:15.469 you. He seeks to motivate us to act, to do. Repeated 00:38:15.469 --> 00:38:18.730 reminders of the truth not only keep us on track 00:38:18.730 --> 00:38:22.329 But it helps us to realize that it's just that 00:38:22.329 --> 00:38:24.730 important and so we remind others because we 00:38:24.730 --> 00:38:27.170 want them to realize just how important it is 00:38:27.170 --> 00:38:30.710 Just how important they are that they're important 00:38:30.710 --> 00:38:33.550 Enough that we would invite them to an event 00:38:33.550 --> 00:38:36.610 that we're doing Peter's goal is to keep reminding 00:38:36.610 --> 00:38:40.630 us as long as he lives Because we're not here 00:38:40.630 --> 00:38:44.630 for long His purpose was not to criticize but 00:38:44.630 --> 00:38:48.789 to encourage, to invite them, to remind them 00:38:48.789 --> 00:38:56.150 because it's just that important. A few years 00:38:56.150 --> 00:39:00.110 ago, Sarah and I pastored in a small town outside 00:39:00.110 --> 00:39:03.150 of Oklahoma City. I'll never forget this young 00:39:03.150 --> 00:39:07.110 man named Andrew. Andrew, he came to the U .S. 00:39:07.230 --> 00:39:10.429 to work in the TDK factory that was just north 00:39:10.429 --> 00:39:14.260 of the town that he came to live in. He came 00:39:14.260 --> 00:39:17.199 from Beijing, China and he didn't plan to be 00:39:17.199 --> 00:39:20.840 here very long. You see, Andrew was a single 00:39:20.840 --> 00:39:24.519 young man. He lived in a small little apartment 00:39:24.519 --> 00:39:27.579 and every afternoon he would come and play basketball 00:39:27.579 --> 00:39:30.539 at the court right down the street from me. There 00:39:30.539 --> 00:39:32.679 were times when I would get home and I would 00:39:32.679 --> 00:39:35.380 see him out there or I might hear him bouncing 00:39:35.380 --> 00:39:37.260 the ball and shooting it and hit the old chains 00:39:37.260 --> 00:39:40.280 and you'd hear the sound. Eventually I went over 00:39:40.280 --> 00:39:42.670 there We made friends with him. We'd hung out. 00:39:42.690 --> 00:39:45.809 We played some ball together. We met up for meals, 00:39:46.230 --> 00:39:50.269 went to coffee. Eventually, due to my simple 00:39:50.269 --> 00:39:54.050 invite, he joined the church. Now, you know this 00:39:54.050 --> 00:39:57.030 young man, he had every excuse not to be a good 00:39:57.030 --> 00:40:00.230 neighbor. He had every excuse to distance himself. 00:40:00.969 --> 00:40:05.210 He comes to this small town in the Midwest. He's 00:40:05.210 --> 00:40:08.030 an outsider. I was even treated like an outsider 00:40:08.030 --> 00:40:11.960 because I was from California. He didn't know 00:40:11.960 --> 00:40:15.079 the Midwest culture. He had an accent. He looked 00:40:15.079 --> 00:40:16.860 a little they didn't see people like that in 00:40:16.860 --> 00:40:19.980 this particular town and he wasn't planning on 00:40:19.980 --> 00:40:23.920 being there very long and Yet he was one of the 00:40:23.920 --> 00:40:28.119 most hospitable men I'd ever met He regularly 00:40:28.119 --> 00:40:31.159 welcomed co -workers next -door neighbors and 00:40:31.159 --> 00:40:35.119 friends like me into his home one day we were 00:40:35.119 --> 00:40:37.219 on the court shooting some hoop and we're hanging 00:40:37.219 --> 00:40:42.389 out and His time with TDK was complete and he 00:40:42.389 --> 00:40:46.289 was getting ready to head back home and so we 00:40:46.289 --> 00:40:48.269 decided that on his last Sunday we would prepare 00:40:48.269 --> 00:40:51.369 like a little get -together we would do a departure 00:40:51.369 --> 00:40:53.869 for him and so we decided to do a little party 00:40:53.869 --> 00:40:57.230 that we called a go away party and of course 00:40:57.230 --> 00:40:59.630 there was food and everybody would hang out we 00:40:59.630 --> 00:41:02.309 got in the gym and we had the table set up and 00:41:02.309 --> 00:41:04.550 some cake and people would say their little tributes 00:41:04.550 --> 00:41:09.000 and it was a wonderful afternoon And then as 00:41:09.000 --> 00:41:11.599 things were wrapping up, I had to grab the mic. 00:41:11.699 --> 00:41:14.280 I just had this question I had to ask. And so 00:41:14.280 --> 00:41:17.199 I looked at the crowd and I said, hey, those 00:41:17.199 --> 00:41:20.119 of you that had started attending the church 00:41:20.119 --> 00:41:24.159 within the last year, how many of you are here 00:41:24.159 --> 00:41:28.000 because of an invite or a connection with Andrew? 00:41:29.639 --> 00:41:32.099 And of those that started the church within the 00:41:32.099 --> 00:41:37.909 last year, nearly every hand went up. In a simple 00:41:37.909 --> 00:41:43.210 way, Andrew made a huge impact. He made a huge 00:41:43.210 --> 00:41:45.610 impact in those lives of the hands that went 00:41:45.610 --> 00:41:49.210 up. I mean, not only did he invite them to church, 00:41:50.110 --> 00:41:53.190 but he invited them to come and meet the Savior. 00:41:54.230 --> 00:41:57.489 Simply by opening up his home, by sharing his 00:41:57.489 --> 00:42:03.949 life, he helped so many see the priority of the 00:42:03.949 --> 00:42:07.730 Lord Jesus Christ. His invitation emphasized 00:42:07.730 --> 00:42:14.150 one important thing. They are wanted. With your 00:42:14.150 --> 00:42:17.929 heads bowed, Father God, I thank you for the 00:42:17.929 --> 00:42:20.690 privilege that it is to stand before you. God, 00:42:20.750 --> 00:42:23.530 you're a great God. You've showed me over and 00:42:23.530 --> 00:42:26.690 over your hope, your great mercy. God, that you 00:42:26.690 --> 00:42:29.329 forgave me of my sin. I have so much to be thankful 00:42:29.329 --> 00:42:32.780 for and I have so much to share. Like my friends 00:42:32.780 --> 00:42:34.719 that are here today. We all have a testimony 00:42:34.719 --> 00:42:37.340 of your great goodness and your mighty power 00:42:37.340 --> 00:42:39.579 and Lord I pray that you would help us to be 00:42:39.579 --> 00:42:42.380 as bold and open as Andrew that we would share 00:42:42.380 --> 00:42:45.199 our faith that God we would Because of the time 00:42:45.199 --> 00:42:47.380 spent with you our life is prepared because of 00:42:47.380 --> 00:42:49.599 the time that we spend in scripture It's in our 00:42:49.599 --> 00:42:51.739 hearts and we're ready God I pray that you would 00:42:51.739 --> 00:42:54.500 make it like a fire in our bones that we wouldn't 00:42:54.500 --> 00:42:56.840 keep quiet We want to share with others about 00:42:56.840 --> 00:42:59.360 the goodness of God. You've been so good to us. 00:42:59.360 --> 00:43:01.909 We don't want to keep silent Please help us give 00:43:01.909 --> 00:43:05.250 us strength wisdom. Help us be ready. Give us 00:43:05.250 --> 00:43:08.610 the words to say no excuses God you and nothing 00:43:08.610 --> 00:43:11.010 else and Lord We give you the praise and the 00:43:11.010 --> 00:43:13.389 glory for it in the name of Jesus. Amen