1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,900 He's glorious. 2 00:00:06,900 --> 00:00:13,780 Behold the one who has come to life. 3 00:00:13,780 --> 00:00:15,740 Welcome to Hub City Vineyard. 4 00:00:15,740 --> 00:00:17,780 To get connected or to give online, 5 00:00:17,780 --> 00:00:23,680 you can go to connect.hcv.church or give.hcv.church. 6 00:00:23,680 --> 00:00:25,660 If at any time during this message 7 00:00:25,660 --> 00:00:28,300 you feel called to make a change in your life, 8 00:00:28,300 --> 00:00:33,060 text changeme to 970-00. 9 00:00:33,060 --> 00:00:35,000 Thank you and enjoy the message. 10 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:38,000 Good morning Hub City Vineyard. 11 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:40,900 How are you guys doing today? 12 00:00:40,900 --> 00:00:42,040 Happy Valentine's Day. 13 00:00:42,040 --> 00:00:44,340 Listen. 14 00:00:44,340 --> 00:00:46,380 Yeah, I'm a little late. 15 00:00:46,380 --> 00:00:47,320 I'm a little late. 16 00:00:47,320 --> 00:00:49,240 Happy St. Patrick's Day. 17 00:00:49,240 --> 00:00:53,960 If you have a green drink, hold it up. 18 00:00:53,960 --> 00:00:59,960 Cheers. 19 00:00:59,960 --> 00:01:02,320 Whoo. 20 00:01:02,320 --> 00:01:04,800 Whoo. 21 00:01:04,800 --> 00:01:07,160 That's sweet. 22 00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:08,300 St. Valentine's Day. 23 00:01:08,300 --> 00:01:09,400 Wow. 24 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:12,340 That would change the entire message. 25 00:01:12,340 --> 00:01:14,380 The entire message. 26 00:01:14,380 --> 00:01:16,940 Listen, I just want to thank you guys here for coming today. 27 00:01:16,940 --> 00:01:18,300 Just give you all a warm welcome. 28 00:01:18,300 --> 00:01:20,820 If you are watching online, maybe you're at home. 29 00:01:20,820 --> 00:01:23,440 Maybe you're dancing the Cupid Shuffle 30 00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:28,560 underneath a palm tree somewhere in Florida. 31 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:30,980 Thank you for joining us. 32 00:01:30,980 --> 00:01:33,560 We appreciate you tuning in. 33 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:36,600 Yes, our pastor who just celebrated 34 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:38,860 his birthday last Tuesday, Chris, 35 00:01:38,860 --> 00:01:42,040 is resting somewhere on the beach in Florida 36 00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:44,800 after watching his oldest daughter, Trinity, 37 00:01:44,800 --> 00:01:49,180 rack up a bunch of K's inside the pitching circle 38 00:01:49,180 --> 00:01:52,140 for Florida Atlantic University. 39 00:01:52,140 --> 00:01:57,980 So there will be no dancing today. 40 00:01:57,980 --> 00:02:00,960 That's Chris's thing. 41 00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:06,760 But there might be singing. 42 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:09,360 That's foreshadowing. 43 00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:12,460 With that said, let's pray for our lead pastor 44 00:02:12,460 --> 00:02:15,160 who's getting some much needed rest, shall we? 45 00:02:15,160 --> 00:02:18,140 Come, Holy Spirit. 46 00:02:18,140 --> 00:02:19,680 God, we just thank you. 47 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:23,480 We thank you for our leader, our mentor, Chris Slaughterbeck. 48 00:02:23,480 --> 00:02:26,380 We thank you for sending him to us. 49 00:02:26,380 --> 00:02:29,580 We thank you for the prodigal son that he is, 50 00:02:29,580 --> 00:02:35,420 that you had sent him back to us to help us get home. 51 00:02:35,420 --> 00:02:37,360 I just thank you, God, for allowing 52 00:02:37,360 --> 00:02:41,000 him to just have a few days of rest and relaxation. 53 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:44,600 I just ask God that you renew him, you restore his energy, 54 00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:47,000 so when he comes back and gears up for Easter, 55 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:50,880 that he's ready to give us all of what he has, which is 56 00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:53,840 nothing more than a gift from you. 57 00:02:53,840 --> 00:02:55,240 God, I thank you for this morning. 58 00:02:55,240 --> 00:02:56,680 I thank you for the people here. 59 00:02:56,680 --> 00:03:01,580 I ask God that you just take the words that we've agreed upon 60 00:03:01,580 --> 00:03:04,160 and you just let them fall on hearts 61 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:06,080 that are ready to accept them and ears that 62 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:08,280 are ready to listen. 63 00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:13,320 And all God's people said, amen. 64 00:03:13,320 --> 00:03:16,760 Man, that juices. 65 00:03:16,760 --> 00:03:18,640 Is there anything in there besides sugar? 66 00:03:24,720 --> 00:03:26,120 Hey, it's St. Patrick's Day, baby. 67 00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:27,760 Let's go. 68 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:29,640 I love St. Patrick's Day. 69 00:03:29,640 --> 00:03:31,240 I used to be a bartender. 70 00:03:31,240 --> 00:03:34,160 Didn't so much like bartending on St. Patrick's Day. 71 00:03:34,160 --> 00:03:38,040 But I may have drinking an adult beverage or two. 72 00:03:38,040 --> 00:03:42,760 So let's talk about some things about St. Patrick. 73 00:03:42,760 --> 00:03:44,720 Give you some factual information here and maybe 74 00:03:44,720 --> 00:03:46,240 some myth. 75 00:03:46,240 --> 00:03:49,520 St. Patrick was not Irish. 76 00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:51,800 He was probably British. 77 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:55,120 He was some type of Roman Catholic, probably, 78 00:03:55,120 --> 00:03:57,000 if they had it that far back. 79 00:03:57,000 --> 00:04:00,880 His actual name, we believe, was Maywin Sokot. 80 00:04:04,300 --> 00:04:06,620 Listen, these names, I make sure. 81 00:04:06,620 --> 00:04:09,320 A couple years ago, I did a message and a whole bunch 82 00:04:09,320 --> 00:04:11,760 of names in the Bible I could not pronounce. 83 00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:13,960 So if there's a name in here that I pronounce correctly, 84 00:04:13,960 --> 00:04:19,680 it's because I used YouTube pronunciation. 85 00:04:19,680 --> 00:04:22,080 So later, when he went into ministry, 86 00:04:22,080 --> 00:04:27,040 he referred to himself as Patricius, which YouTube 87 00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:28,440 told me how to pronounce. 88 00:04:28,440 --> 00:04:31,440 I'll probably still mispronounce it. 89 00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:34,760 The corned beef and cabbage, the parties, the parades, 90 00:04:34,760 --> 00:04:37,920 these are all mostly American traditions 91 00:04:37,920 --> 00:04:40,200 because that's what we do. 92 00:04:40,200 --> 00:04:42,600 We steal other people's traditions 93 00:04:42,600 --> 00:04:45,840 and we use them to party. 94 00:04:45,840 --> 00:04:48,640 Yes. 95 00:04:48,640 --> 00:04:51,960 Even the color green was only adopted 96 00:04:51,960 --> 00:04:54,640 within the last couple hundred years 97 00:04:54,640 --> 00:04:58,160 as St. Patrick's traditional color would probably 98 00:04:58,160 --> 00:05:00,560 have been blue. 99 00:05:00,560 --> 00:05:02,520 Orange. 100 00:05:02,520 --> 00:05:05,080 All right. 101 00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:08,560 Obviously, I needed to watch Veggie Tales, St. Patrick's Day 102 00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:14,360 special a little bit closer. 103 00:05:14,360 --> 00:05:17,280 Based on Patricius's own writing, 104 00:05:17,280 --> 00:05:19,320 these are the facts that we for sure know. 105 00:05:19,320 --> 00:05:24,240 St. Patrick was actually kidnapped by Irish raiders 106 00:05:24,240 --> 00:05:27,480 when he was 16 years old and sold as a slave in, 107 00:05:27,480 --> 00:05:31,120 guess where, Northern Ireland. 108 00:05:31,120 --> 00:05:32,880 After spending six years as a shepherd, 109 00:05:32,880 --> 00:05:35,200 he escapes back to England. 110 00:05:35,200 --> 00:05:37,760 After coming home, Patrick became a cleric 111 00:05:37,760 --> 00:05:39,080 in a Catholic faith. 112 00:05:39,080 --> 00:05:42,200 He studied in England and abroad. 113 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:45,880 And at one point, Patric had a vision or dream. 114 00:05:45,880 --> 00:05:49,040 And in that dream, he felt that God spoke to him 115 00:05:49,040 --> 00:05:51,440 and told him to go where? 116 00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:53,960 Back to the people that enslaved him 117 00:05:53,960 --> 00:05:56,600 and tell them about Jesus. 118 00:05:56,600 --> 00:06:02,040 He ended up baptizing over 100,000 people 119 00:06:02,040 --> 00:06:05,480 back in the land that enslaved him. 120 00:06:05,480 --> 00:06:08,000 More foreshadowing. 121 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:10,440 So when Chris gave me this message a couple of months ago, 122 00:06:10,440 --> 00:06:13,800 I immediately felt God calling me to speak today 123 00:06:13,800 --> 00:06:16,960 about the heart of evangelism. 124 00:06:16,960 --> 00:06:18,720 The past two weeks, Chris has shared 125 00:06:18,720 --> 00:06:20,760 the story of the prodigal son. 126 00:06:20,760 --> 00:06:25,840 A prodigal is a person who leaves home and behaves 127 00:06:25,840 --> 00:06:31,520 recklessly, but later makes a repentant return. 128 00:06:31,520 --> 00:06:35,880 Sound like anyone you know? 129 00:06:35,880 --> 00:06:39,280 When I think about the prodigal son, like most of you, 130 00:06:39,280 --> 00:06:41,880 I see myself. 131 00:06:41,880 --> 00:06:47,200 I see the grace, the mercy, the forgiveness, the patience 132 00:06:47,200 --> 00:06:52,080 that the father shows the son in that story. 133 00:06:52,080 --> 00:06:57,440 And I know it is all about how much grace and mercy 134 00:06:57,440 --> 00:07:04,160 and forgiveness and patience the father has shown me. 135 00:07:04,160 --> 00:07:08,680 All of us, every one of you, is a prodigal son 136 00:07:08,680 --> 00:07:11,360 or a prodigal daughter. 137 00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:18,280 My heart says, if God is willing to leave the 99 to find me, 138 00:07:18,280 --> 00:07:24,640 then I want to go help God find the next sheep. 139 00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:26,680 St. Patrick understood this. 140 00:07:26,680 --> 00:07:29,520 He understood this to the point that when God called him 141 00:07:29,520 --> 00:07:32,600 into missionary work, he went where? 142 00:07:32,600 --> 00:07:37,200 Back to the people that enslaved him. 143 00:07:37,200 --> 00:07:42,160 And I believe that the reason he sent him back there 144 00:07:42,160 --> 00:07:46,240 is because of what Patricius knew. 145 00:07:46,240 --> 00:07:48,920 He knew sheep herding. 146 00:07:48,920 --> 00:07:55,760 So who better to tell the story to than a bunch of sheep herders? 147 00:07:55,760 --> 00:08:00,520 He'd spent years practicing. 148 00:08:00,520 --> 00:08:05,520 See, what we tend to do when we think of the word evangelism 149 00:08:05,520 --> 00:08:07,080 is to shy away. 150 00:08:07,080 --> 00:08:09,480 We don't like the word. 151 00:08:09,480 --> 00:08:12,600 Most of us don't like any isms. 152 00:08:12,600 --> 00:08:16,400 Most of us don't like feeling sold to. 153 00:08:16,400 --> 00:08:19,840 See, when I was growing up in high school, 154 00:08:19,840 --> 00:08:21,680 I was Southern Baptist. 155 00:08:21,680 --> 00:08:24,160 I remember two instances when we went into neighborhoods 156 00:08:24,160 --> 00:08:27,920 close to my church and went door to door asking people 157 00:08:27,920 --> 00:08:30,400 if they knew Jesus. 158 00:08:30,400 --> 00:08:34,520 I abhorred the experience. 159 00:08:34,520 --> 00:08:37,240 I probably hated it more than the people 160 00:08:37,240 --> 00:08:41,000 hiding in the back of the house not answering their door. 161 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:47,080 But today, I want to change our mindset on what 162 00:08:47,080 --> 00:08:49,800 it means to evangelize. 163 00:08:49,800 --> 00:08:52,520 Today, I want to spend some time in the Old Testament. 164 00:08:52,520 --> 00:08:54,720 See, when I hear the story of the prodigal son, 165 00:08:54,720 --> 00:08:57,600 my mind immediately goes back to Jacob 166 00:08:57,600 --> 00:09:01,480 and how he tricks his father Isaac and his brother Esau 167 00:09:01,480 --> 00:09:04,520 into his brother's inheritance and his father's blessing. 168 00:09:07,160 --> 00:09:09,040 But the more I dig in, the more I 169 00:09:09,040 --> 00:09:13,400 realize Jesus was pulling this story from many, if not 170 00:09:13,400 --> 00:09:16,880 every one of the Old Testament figures 171 00:09:16,880 --> 00:09:20,120 as he talks about the prodigal son. 172 00:09:20,120 --> 00:09:23,920 And today, God is going to use those Old Testament examples 173 00:09:23,920 --> 00:09:28,120 as we discuss having a heart of evangelism. 174 00:09:28,120 --> 00:09:31,200 Are you ready? 175 00:09:31,200 --> 00:09:33,680 That leads us to our first point. 176 00:09:33,680 --> 00:09:37,480 Jesus calls us all to evangelism. 177 00:09:37,480 --> 00:09:42,440 And I want to go all the way back to Abraham or Abram, 178 00:09:42,440 --> 00:09:44,280 as he was initially called. 179 00:09:44,280 --> 00:09:47,720 Abraham had a beautiful wife. 180 00:09:47,720 --> 00:09:51,160 So attractive that when Abraham and Sarah 181 00:09:51,160 --> 00:09:54,200 would go into a new land, Abraham 182 00:09:54,200 --> 00:09:58,720 would tell everyone that Sarah was his sister 183 00:09:58,720 --> 00:10:01,240 because he feared the men would be jealous 184 00:10:01,240 --> 00:10:06,080 and that they either might kill Abraham or do bad things 185 00:10:06,080 --> 00:10:09,640 to his beautiful wife. 186 00:10:09,640 --> 00:10:15,160 I guess he didn't trust God to keep him safe. 187 00:10:15,160 --> 00:10:18,400 But God also made a promise to Abraham. 188 00:10:18,400 --> 00:10:20,840 He told Abraham that he would have a child 189 00:10:20,840 --> 00:10:24,280 and that his offspring would be numerous. 190 00:10:24,280 --> 00:10:29,360 But Sarah was old and infertile. 191 00:10:29,360 --> 00:10:32,080 So she decided Abraham should have 192 00:10:32,080 --> 00:10:35,880 a baby with another woman. 193 00:10:35,880 --> 00:10:39,360 And he agrees to it. 194 00:10:39,360 --> 00:10:39,840 Scandalous. 195 00:10:39,840 --> 00:10:42,360 Let me pause here for a minute. 196 00:10:42,360 --> 00:10:45,640 If you're a reader, whatever your favorite genre is, 197 00:10:45,640 --> 00:10:48,200 whatever the thing you'd like to read the most, 198 00:10:48,200 --> 00:10:51,800 I suggest reading the Bible. 199 00:10:51,800 --> 00:10:56,400 If you like spice, ladies, it's in there. 200 00:10:56,400 --> 00:10:59,520 If you like mystery, it's in there. 201 00:10:59,520 --> 00:11:03,720 If you like dystopia, it's in there. 202 00:11:03,720 --> 00:11:07,400 Like Revelation, dystopia, the Hunger Games. 203 00:11:07,400 --> 00:11:10,080 The world ends and people are living. 204 00:11:10,080 --> 00:11:10,880 The Book of Eli. 205 00:11:10,880 --> 00:11:14,080 We'll watch the movies this week, Gary. 206 00:11:14,080 --> 00:11:18,280 If you like action, if you like romance, if you like poetry, 207 00:11:18,280 --> 00:11:21,000 all that is in there. 208 00:11:21,000 --> 00:11:25,680 Read your Bible. 209 00:11:25,680 --> 00:11:32,880 At any rate, Abraham was broken and God used him anyway. 210 00:11:32,880 --> 00:11:37,560 And God used him anyway. 211 00:11:37,560 --> 00:11:41,880 Some of you may remember this song from childhood. 212 00:11:41,880 --> 00:11:44,280 I warned you. 213 00:11:44,280 --> 00:11:50,280 Father Abraham had many sons and many sons had father Abraham 214 00:11:50,280 --> 00:11:53,480 and I am one of them and so are you. 215 00:11:53,480 --> 00:11:56,480 So let's just praise the Lord. 216 00:11:56,480 --> 00:12:00,280 We're not going to do right arm wrestling. 217 00:12:00,280 --> 00:12:03,280 Listen, I warned you I was going to sing. 218 00:12:03,280 --> 00:12:05,280 Chris can dance. 219 00:12:05,280 --> 00:12:10,280 I know what my gifts are. 220 00:12:10,280 --> 00:12:16,280 This song now that we sang as babies is rich in biblical truth 221 00:12:16,280 --> 00:12:19,280 and I think it speaks to evangelism. 222 00:12:19,280 --> 00:12:23,280 All the way back in Genesis 13 and verse 14, this is what we read. 223 00:12:23,280 --> 00:12:26,280 The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, 224 00:12:26,280 --> 00:12:30,280 look around from where you are to the north and to the south, 225 00:12:30,280 --> 00:12:32,280 to the east and to the west. 226 00:12:32,280 --> 00:12:38,280 All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. 227 00:12:38,280 --> 00:12:42,280 I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth 228 00:12:42,280 --> 00:12:45,280 so that if anyone could count the dust, 229 00:12:45,280 --> 00:12:50,280 only then could your offspring be counted. 230 00:12:50,280 --> 00:12:55,280 See, God makes a pact with Abraham that his offspring would be uncountable. 231 00:12:55,280 --> 00:13:00,280 Paul adds in the New Testament that anyone who comes into relationship with Jesus 232 00:13:00,280 --> 00:13:04,280 is adopted into God's family. 233 00:13:04,280 --> 00:13:12,280 That makes us one of Abraham's descendants and a child of God. 234 00:13:12,280 --> 00:13:13,280 And guess what? 235 00:13:13,280 --> 00:13:19,280 Once we are in a family, we are commissioned by Jesus to evangelize. 236 00:13:19,280 --> 00:13:23,280 Yes, Jesus gives us the great commission 237 00:13:23,280 --> 00:13:27,280 which is found in Matthew 28 down near the bottom. 238 00:13:27,280 --> 00:13:30,280 Then Jesus came to them, to the apostles, and he said, 239 00:13:30,280 --> 00:13:35,280 all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 240 00:13:35,280 --> 00:13:38,280 Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, 241 00:13:38,280 --> 00:13:41,280 baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 242 00:13:41,280 --> 00:13:44,280 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded, 243 00:13:44,280 --> 00:13:49,280 and surely I am with you even to the very end of the age. 244 00:13:49,280 --> 00:13:53,280 Now, there's a little bit of religious talk in here. 245 00:13:53,280 --> 00:13:55,280 Let's break a couple things down. 246 00:13:55,280 --> 00:13:58,280 This is called the great commission. 247 00:13:58,280 --> 00:14:02,280 If you haven't heard that, here's what it is. 248 00:14:02,280 --> 00:14:08,280 It's called the great commission because it is the biggest task that Jesus gave us 249 00:14:08,280 --> 00:14:13,280 to evangelize to everyone everywhere. 250 00:14:13,280 --> 00:14:18,280 Now, let's go a step further because I also keep saying the word evangelize. 251 00:14:18,280 --> 00:14:23,280 I don't want to take for granted that we all know what that word is. 252 00:14:23,280 --> 00:14:28,280 What does evangelism entail? 253 00:14:28,280 --> 00:14:32,280 And I want you to know this because it's a word that turned me off 254 00:14:32,280 --> 00:14:36,280 from speaking Jesus for many years because I misused the word. 255 00:14:36,280 --> 00:14:39,280 Evangelism simply means this, 256 00:14:39,280 --> 00:14:44,280 spreading the gospel of Jesus through personal witness. 257 00:14:44,280 --> 00:14:47,280 There is no better way to spread the gospel. 258 00:14:47,280 --> 00:14:55,280 There is no better way to spread the good news than to tell your personal story. 259 00:14:55,280 --> 00:15:03,280 Your story of Jesus is the story you know the best. 260 00:15:03,280 --> 00:15:09,280 You've been practicing it your whole life. 261 00:15:09,280 --> 00:15:11,280 The great commission is basically this. 262 00:15:11,280 --> 00:15:14,280 If you like quotes, write this down. 263 00:15:14,280 --> 00:15:18,280 The whole world doesn't have to go to church. 264 00:15:18,280 --> 00:15:24,280 The church has to go to the whole world. 265 00:15:24,280 --> 00:15:27,280 Every one of us is called. 266 00:15:27,280 --> 00:15:29,280 And I'm going to tell you at the end of this day's message, 267 00:15:29,280 --> 00:15:34,280 get your butt out of the seat and go do the thing. 268 00:15:34,280 --> 00:15:36,280 This leads us to point two. 269 00:15:36,280 --> 00:15:42,280 While Jesus calls us to serve and to love the enemy, 270 00:15:42,280 --> 00:15:50,280 the liar, the deceiver, he tries to distract us from evangelism. 271 00:15:50,280 --> 00:15:54,280 Now, this isn't in my notes, but I think it's important. 272 00:15:54,280 --> 00:15:58,280 Sometimes we Christians like to blame our actions on the enemy. 273 00:15:58,280 --> 00:16:01,280 The enemy is really good at what he does. 274 00:16:01,280 --> 00:16:03,280 He's a really good distractor, but guess what? 275 00:16:03,280 --> 00:16:07,280 Every time I screwed up, whose fault was it? 276 00:16:07,280 --> 00:16:12,280 Yours. Say yours, but maybe say mine. 277 00:16:12,280 --> 00:16:17,280 Now, maybe I'm going to learn on this. 278 00:16:17,280 --> 00:16:20,280 Anyone else here have negative self-talk? 279 00:16:20,280 --> 00:16:23,280 I'm probably the only one, right? 280 00:16:23,280 --> 00:16:26,280 Like, I'm an encourager. 281 00:16:26,280 --> 00:16:31,280 I like to be positive, unless you're here at 7 a.m. 282 00:16:31,280 --> 00:16:35,280 But I try my best to lift up everyone around me, 283 00:16:35,280 --> 00:16:38,280 except me. 284 00:16:38,280 --> 00:16:40,280 So I'm not alone. 285 00:16:40,280 --> 00:16:42,280 You guys are with me. Okay, good. 286 00:16:42,280 --> 00:16:45,280 I was worried I might be the only one. 287 00:16:45,280 --> 00:16:49,280 All this negative self-talk helps talk me out of 288 00:16:49,280 --> 00:16:55,280 sharing the story of Jesus all the time. 289 00:16:55,280 --> 00:16:57,280 Don't think I'm weird. 290 00:16:57,280 --> 00:16:59,280 Don't think I'm crazy. 291 00:16:59,280 --> 00:17:01,280 Don't laugh at me. 292 00:17:01,280 --> 00:17:06,280 They probably are doing all those things anyway. 293 00:17:06,280 --> 00:17:11,280 And they probably wouldn't be wrong. 294 00:17:11,280 --> 00:17:14,280 You know who else questioned himself? 295 00:17:14,280 --> 00:17:17,280 Moses. 296 00:17:17,280 --> 00:17:21,280 Yes, Moses, another prodigal son. 297 00:17:21,280 --> 00:17:23,280 He killed a man. 298 00:17:23,280 --> 00:17:28,280 He fled to the backside of the wilderness for 40 years. 299 00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:37,280 And then God meets him in a burning bush. 300 00:17:37,280 --> 00:17:42,280 If God takes the time to show off and speak to you from a 301 00:17:42,280 --> 00:17:49,280 burning bush, maybe listen to what he says. 302 00:17:49,280 --> 00:17:54,280 But Moses questions him. 303 00:17:54,280 --> 00:17:58,280 Moses forced self-talk. 304 00:17:58,280 --> 00:18:02,280 From that bush, God tells Moses that Moses will return to 305 00:18:02,280 --> 00:18:08,280 Egypt and lead his people back to the promised land. 306 00:18:08,280 --> 00:18:13,280 And in Exodus 3, down in verse 11, says Moses says to God, 307 00:18:13,280 --> 00:18:15,280 who am I? 308 00:18:15,280 --> 00:18:20,280 Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites 309 00:18:20,280 --> 00:18:23,280 out of Egypt? 310 00:18:23,280 --> 00:18:28,280 Negative self-talk. 311 00:18:28,280 --> 00:18:29,280 God kind of ignores it. 312 00:18:29,280 --> 00:18:30,280 He continues on. 313 00:18:30,280 --> 00:18:32,280 He starts to give Moses instruction. 314 00:18:32,280 --> 00:18:36,280 And we further down in Exodus 4, verse 11, Moses answers him 315 00:18:36,280 --> 00:18:40,280 now, what if they don't believe me? 316 00:18:40,280 --> 00:18:42,280 What if they don't listen to me? 317 00:18:42,280 --> 00:18:47,280 What if they say the Lord didn't appear to you? 318 00:18:47,280 --> 00:18:51,280 Negative self-talk. 319 00:18:51,280 --> 00:18:55,280 Then God gives Moses tools, two signs. 320 00:18:55,280 --> 00:18:58,280 He doesn't just tell him the tools. 321 00:18:58,280 --> 00:19:02,280 He literally turns his staff into a snake. 322 00:19:02,280 --> 00:19:06,280 There's two garter snakes in my front yard right now. 323 00:19:06,280 --> 00:19:08,280 And Carrie is laughing at me yesterday. 324 00:19:08,280 --> 00:19:10,280 They're like this big. 325 00:19:10,280 --> 00:19:14,280 And I can't go out in the front yard. 326 00:19:14,280 --> 00:19:15,280 I can't. 327 00:19:15,280 --> 00:19:16,280 I can't. 328 00:19:16,280 --> 00:19:18,280 That was not in my notes. 329 00:19:18,280 --> 00:19:24,280 But God forgive me for snapping at my wife because she laughed 330 00:19:24,280 --> 00:19:28,280 at me. 331 00:19:28,280 --> 00:19:31,280 He throws his staff down and it turns into a snake. 332 00:19:31,280 --> 00:19:34,280 Now, I probably wouldn't have picked it back up. 333 00:19:34,280 --> 00:19:36,280 Then he tells you to put his hand in his pocket. 334 00:19:36,280 --> 00:19:37,280 He pulls it out. 335 00:19:37,280 --> 00:19:39,280 It's full of leprosy. 336 00:19:39,280 --> 00:19:45,280 Now, thankfully, God turns those things back normal. 337 00:19:45,280 --> 00:19:48,280 Now, obviously, both of those signs probably would have 338 00:19:48,280 --> 00:19:52,280 scared the living out of me. 339 00:19:52,280 --> 00:19:54,280 And probably scare me into saying, all right, God, let's 340 00:19:54,280 --> 00:19:55,280 go. 341 00:19:55,280 --> 00:19:57,280 But what does Moses do? 342 00:19:57,280 --> 00:20:00,280 Negative self-talk. 343 00:20:00,280 --> 00:20:03,280 In verse 11, pardon your servant, Lord, but I have never 344 00:20:03,280 --> 00:20:06,280 been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken 345 00:20:06,280 --> 00:20:07,280 to your servant. 346 00:20:07,280 --> 00:20:10,280 I am slow of speech and tongue. 347 00:20:10,280 --> 00:20:14,280 This sounds like an excuse I've heard most of y'all use. 348 00:20:14,280 --> 00:20:21,280 I don't talk good. 349 00:20:21,280 --> 00:20:24,280 But Timothy tells us, or sorry, Paul tells us in the second 350 00:20:24,280 --> 00:20:30,280 book of Timothy, chapter 1, for God has not given us a spirit 351 00:20:30,280 --> 00:20:34,280 of fear and timidity, but a spirit of power, love, and 352 00:20:34,280 --> 00:20:35,280 self-discipline. 353 00:20:35,280 --> 00:20:40,280 Man, God has been giving you these tools all along. 354 00:20:40,280 --> 00:20:43,280 The experiences you've had, the life you've lived, the 355 00:20:43,280 --> 00:20:47,280 things that you have learned, you've been practicing this 356 00:20:47,280 --> 00:20:51,280 your whole life. 357 00:20:51,280 --> 00:20:55,280 A couple weeks ago, in one of our morning sessions, Kelsey 358 00:20:55,280 --> 00:20:57,280 Palmer told the group this about me. 359 00:20:57,280 --> 00:21:01,280 You know, I love that Rudy uses metaphors and pictures to 360 00:21:01,280 --> 00:21:04,280 illustrate a point. 361 00:21:04,280 --> 00:21:09,280 I downplayed it until I realized, yeah, I am good at 362 00:21:09,280 --> 00:21:14,280 that, not that it's mine to brag about, it's a gift from 363 00:21:14,280 --> 00:21:17,280 God. 364 00:21:17,280 --> 00:21:21,280 He gave that gift to me as a way that I'm going to use to 365 00:21:21,280 --> 00:21:23,280 illustrate the next point. 366 00:21:23,280 --> 00:21:27,280 And listen, I've been practicing to be a storyteller my 367 00:21:27,280 --> 00:21:30,280 whole life. 368 00:21:30,280 --> 00:21:32,280 Give me 45 minutes with a microphone and you're going to 369 00:21:32,280 --> 00:21:33,280 be here three hours. 370 00:21:33,280 --> 00:21:36,280 Let's go. 371 00:21:36,280 --> 00:21:41,280 St. Patty's cup. 372 00:21:41,280 --> 00:21:44,280 Come on. 373 00:21:44,280 --> 00:21:48,280 What I want you to know is that God has already begun his 374 00:21:48,280 --> 00:21:51,280 work in you. 375 00:21:51,280 --> 00:21:54,280 I would say he has probably already used you, whether you 376 00:21:54,280 --> 00:21:56,280 know it or not. 377 00:21:56,280 --> 00:21:57,280 And guess what? 378 00:21:57,280 --> 00:22:03,280 You've been practicing your whole life for this. 379 00:22:03,280 --> 00:22:07,280 But the problem is, again, the enemy wants to distract us 380 00:22:07,280 --> 00:22:11,280 from evangelism, which leads us to point three, we hesitate 381 00:22:11,280 --> 00:22:17,280 to share with people who are different. 382 00:22:17,280 --> 00:22:21,280 So here's my metaphor. 383 00:22:21,280 --> 00:22:24,280 Who here likes chicken wings? 384 00:22:24,280 --> 00:22:25,280 Let's go. 385 00:22:25,280 --> 00:22:28,280 My wife and I, every Thursday night, we go down to Frederick, 386 00:22:28,280 --> 00:22:30,280 we take Fred Kingston down for a little activity. 387 00:22:30,280 --> 00:22:32,280 We go to the anchor bar and have date night. 388 00:22:32,280 --> 00:22:35,280 And most times we order chicken wings. 389 00:22:35,280 --> 00:22:37,280 Chicken wings. 390 00:22:37,280 --> 00:22:40,280 Chicken wings. 391 00:22:40,280 --> 00:22:43,280 Now listen, there's two kinds of wing eaters. 392 00:22:43,280 --> 00:22:45,280 Now some of you might argue that there's more categories, but 393 00:22:45,280 --> 00:22:48,280 there are only two. 394 00:22:48,280 --> 00:22:52,280 How many of you like the drums, the drumettes, the legs? 395 00:22:52,280 --> 00:22:53,280 Let's go. 396 00:22:53,280 --> 00:22:55,280 You're my people. 397 00:22:55,280 --> 00:23:00,280 How many of you like the flats, the wingettes? 398 00:23:00,280 --> 00:23:04,280 Well, you're wrong. 399 00:23:04,280 --> 00:23:08,280 Now, now listen, some of you say, I have no preference. 400 00:23:08,280 --> 00:23:10,280 I like them all. 401 00:23:10,280 --> 00:23:12,280 To that I say, you are lukewarm. 402 00:23:12,280 --> 00:23:15,280 I spit you out. 403 00:23:15,280 --> 00:23:21,280 Cheers aside. 404 00:23:21,280 --> 00:23:28,280 Now others of you say, I just prefer boneless wings. 405 00:23:28,280 --> 00:23:32,280 Sorry, that's a chicken nugget. 406 00:23:32,280 --> 00:23:35,280 Not a wing. 407 00:23:35,280 --> 00:23:38,280 You don't eat wings with a fork. 408 00:23:38,280 --> 00:23:42,280 You get messy. 409 00:23:42,280 --> 00:23:44,280 So again, I ask, which side are you on? 410 00:23:44,280 --> 00:23:52,280 Drums or flats? 411 00:23:52,280 --> 00:23:53,280 All right. 412 00:23:53,280 --> 00:23:56,280 So now here's the illustration. 413 00:23:56,280 --> 00:23:59,280 Mary and I do not agree on the best wing. 414 00:23:59,280 --> 00:24:02,280 Guess which one she likes. 415 00:24:02,280 --> 00:24:04,280 See, I prefer the drums. 416 00:24:04,280 --> 00:24:08,280 I don't mind being messy, but I need one clean hand. 417 00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:15,280 I need one clean hand because I have super sweet sugary Kool-Aid 418 00:24:15,280 --> 00:24:18,280 to drink. 419 00:24:18,280 --> 00:24:22,280 I need to grab my beverage with something, right? 420 00:24:22,280 --> 00:24:27,280 Also, I just like to eat around the outside of the bone. 421 00:24:27,280 --> 00:24:36,280 Carrie, she prefers the audience participation. 422 00:24:36,280 --> 00:24:39,280 Carrie feels like there's more meat on the bone. 423 00:24:39,280 --> 00:24:46,280 She's wrong. 424 00:24:46,280 --> 00:24:49,280 She also thinks that the meat is easier to get out if you just 425 00:24:49,280 --> 00:24:52,280 separate the bones. 426 00:24:52,280 --> 00:24:54,280 I don't like to have to separate the bones. 427 00:24:54,280 --> 00:24:57,280 Why? 428 00:24:57,280 --> 00:25:00,280 I need one clean hand. 429 00:25:00,280 --> 00:25:03,280 St. Patrick's Day, baby. 430 00:25:03,280 --> 00:25:06,280 She thinks there's too much cartilage on the drum, 431 00:25:06,280 --> 00:25:10,280 too much gristle. 432 00:25:10,280 --> 00:25:13,280 You guys with me? 433 00:25:13,280 --> 00:25:16,280 Now, Carrie and I, we can sit around all night and argue about 434 00:25:16,280 --> 00:25:22,280 who's right and who's wrong, and I would win. 435 00:25:22,280 --> 00:25:24,280 Actually, no. 436 00:25:24,280 --> 00:25:29,280 If you're a husband, you don't win. 437 00:25:29,280 --> 00:25:32,280 Thank goodness you win in God's kingdom. 438 00:25:32,280 --> 00:25:34,280 But listen, check this out. 439 00:25:34,280 --> 00:25:40,280 The fact that we don't agree is actually more beneficial to us 440 00:25:40,280 --> 00:25:43,280 eating wings. 441 00:25:43,280 --> 00:25:49,280 If we both like the same kind of wing, we'd fight over them. 442 00:25:49,280 --> 00:25:52,280 Or we'd have to pay extra to get all the same kind. 443 00:25:52,280 --> 00:25:55,280 It would be trumps. 444 00:25:55,280 --> 00:26:00,280 Or we would end up with half a plate of uneaten wings. 445 00:26:00,280 --> 00:26:05,280 But because we disagree, because we are not on the same page, 446 00:26:05,280 --> 00:26:09,280 that is actually better for us. 447 00:26:09,280 --> 00:26:13,280 I used to tell my students all the time, you'll know you found 448 00:26:13,280 --> 00:26:21,280 your soul mate if you find the ultimate wing-eating partner. 449 00:26:21,280 --> 00:26:23,280 And I found mine. 450 00:26:23,280 --> 00:26:26,280 You're supposed to say, oh. 451 00:26:26,280 --> 00:26:28,280 Listen, great story, right? 452 00:26:28,280 --> 00:26:29,280 I was practicing. 453 00:26:29,280 --> 00:26:32,280 I've been practicing that with my students my whole life. 454 00:26:32,280 --> 00:26:37,280 But listen, I love my wife because of our differences. 455 00:26:37,280 --> 00:26:43,280 Put yourself around more people that are different. 456 00:26:43,280 --> 00:26:45,280 And then evangelize to them. 457 00:26:45,280 --> 00:26:49,280 Listen to their story and tell them yours. 458 00:26:49,280 --> 00:26:52,280 You might just learn something from them. 459 00:26:52,280 --> 00:26:58,280 And hopefully they hear Jesus from you. 460 00:26:58,280 --> 00:27:00,280 See, I mentioned Jacob earlier. 461 00:27:00,280 --> 00:27:03,280 Jacob didn't get along with his brother. 462 00:27:03,280 --> 00:27:05,280 They were different in almost every way. 463 00:27:05,280 --> 00:27:08,280 In fact, this is one of the reasons I love stories in the Bible. 464 00:27:08,280 --> 00:27:11,280 Esau was a hairy dude. 465 00:27:11,280 --> 00:27:14,280 Jacob was like me. 466 00:27:14,280 --> 00:27:17,280 No hair. 467 00:27:17,280 --> 00:27:24,280 Jacob gorilla glues sheepskin to his body to trick his blind father 468 00:27:24,280 --> 00:27:27,280 into his brother's inheritance. 469 00:27:27,280 --> 00:27:30,280 That said, let's take a look at this prodigal son Jacob and his 470 00:27:30,280 --> 00:27:34,280 brother Esau when God calls Jacob home. 471 00:27:34,280 --> 00:27:39,280 Jacob is so scared of Esau that when he's going home, 472 00:27:39,280 --> 00:27:43,280 he separates his large family into two groups. 473 00:27:43,280 --> 00:27:44,280 Kind of cool. 474 00:27:44,280 --> 00:27:48,280 He's coming home and he's bringing a lot of people with him. 475 00:27:48,280 --> 00:27:51,280 I'm going to come back to that one. 476 00:27:51,280 --> 00:27:53,280 Again, Jacob is scared. 477 00:27:53,280 --> 00:27:56,280 He offers Esau flocks of cattle and donkeys, 478 00:27:56,280 --> 00:27:57,280 sheeps and goats. 479 00:27:57,280 --> 00:28:02,280 He even offers a number of male and female servants to Esau. 480 00:28:02,280 --> 00:28:07,280 All this fear, and what do we read in Genesis 33? 481 00:28:07,280 --> 00:28:08,280 Start in verse 3. 482 00:28:08,280 --> 00:28:13,280 He, Jacob, went on ahead and bowed down on the ground seven times as 483 00:28:13,280 --> 00:28:16,280 he approached his brother. 484 00:28:16,280 --> 00:28:19,280 But what did Esau do? 485 00:28:19,280 --> 00:28:23,280 But Esau ran to meet him and did what? 486 00:28:23,280 --> 00:28:24,280 Embrace him. 487 00:28:24,280 --> 00:28:30,280 He threw his arms around him and kissed him and they wept. 488 00:28:30,280 --> 00:28:36,280 Side note, this might be for me, maybe you and someone in your life are 489 00:28:36,280 --> 00:28:40,280 far away from each other and you think they will shut you down or maybe 490 00:28:40,280 --> 00:28:41,280 even try to kill you. 491 00:28:41,280 --> 00:28:47,280 Maybe, just maybe, if you head home, they'll surprise you like Esau did 492 00:28:47,280 --> 00:28:49,280 with Jacob. 493 00:28:49,280 --> 00:28:51,280 They had differences. 494 00:28:51,280 --> 00:28:54,280 They embraced each other through their differences. 495 00:28:54,280 --> 00:28:58,280 Let's take a look at John 13. 496 00:28:58,280 --> 00:29:03,280 A new command I give you, love one another as I loved you. 497 00:29:03,280 --> 00:29:05,280 So you must love one another. 498 00:29:05,280 --> 00:29:07,280 Check this out. 499 00:29:07,280 --> 00:29:16,280 This is how they will know you are my disciples if and only if you love one 500 00:29:16,280 --> 00:29:19,280 another. 501 00:29:19,280 --> 00:29:22,280 We're not killed to condemn one another. 502 00:29:22,280 --> 00:29:28,280 We're not called to point out everyone else's differences in negative light. 503 00:29:28,280 --> 00:29:34,280 Everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another. 504 00:29:34,280 --> 00:29:35,280 Thank you. 505 00:29:35,280 --> 00:29:40,280 I guarantee you without Jesus in our lives, I probably wouldn't hang out 506 00:29:40,280 --> 00:29:42,280 with some of y'all. 507 00:29:42,280 --> 00:29:46,280 Heck, I know most of you wouldn't hang out with my loud over the top obnoxious 508 00:29:46,280 --> 00:29:48,280 self. 509 00:29:48,280 --> 00:29:53,280 I'm a gooseball, but we love each other anyway. 510 00:29:53,280 --> 00:29:56,280 Which leads us to our fourth and final point. 511 00:29:56,280 --> 00:30:00,280 Evangelism is messy. 512 00:30:00,280 --> 00:30:06,280 Evangelism is messy because relationships are messy. 513 00:30:06,280 --> 00:30:11,280 It's easier to not get involved in someone else's life. 514 00:30:11,280 --> 00:30:15,280 People are unreasonable and irrational. 515 00:30:15,280 --> 00:30:19,280 Love them anyway. 516 00:30:19,280 --> 00:30:23,280 At no point did Jesus say, oh, this is going to be easy to love your 517 00:30:23,280 --> 00:30:25,280 neighbor. 518 00:30:25,280 --> 00:30:29,280 What he did tell us was he loves us. 519 00:30:29,280 --> 00:30:33,280 Therefore, we should love others. 520 00:30:33,280 --> 00:30:37,280 Remember the woman caught in adultery? 521 00:30:37,280 --> 00:30:39,280 It was messy. 522 00:30:39,280 --> 00:30:41,280 The woman was a mess. 523 00:30:41,280 --> 00:30:43,280 The crowd was a mess. 524 00:30:43,280 --> 00:30:47,280 Jesus fought through the messiness. 525 00:30:47,280 --> 00:30:51,280 He found a prodigal daughter and he loved her. 526 00:30:51,280 --> 00:30:55,280 He showed her love and compassion when no one else would. 527 00:30:55,280 --> 00:31:00,280 And because of who Jesus was, the crowd threw their rocks down instead of 528 00:31:00,280 --> 00:31:02,280 that her. 529 00:31:02,280 --> 00:31:08,280 Or how about that other prodigal daughter, the woman at the well? 530 00:31:08,280 --> 00:31:10,280 I love her. 531 00:31:10,280 --> 00:31:25,280 What if, just what if, Jesus decided that when he met the woman at the 532 00:31:25,280 --> 00:31:32,280 well, he would just stand 15 feet away from the well? 533 00:31:32,280 --> 00:31:40,280 This is sterile. 534 00:31:40,280 --> 00:31:42,280 This isn't messy. 535 00:31:42,280 --> 00:31:44,280 This is easy. 536 00:31:44,280 --> 00:31:47,280 It's easy, but what's it going to do? 537 00:31:47,280 --> 00:31:50,280 It's going to cause bad things, right? 538 00:31:50,280 --> 00:31:52,280 What does Jesus do? 539 00:31:52,280 --> 00:31:54,280 He got messy. 540 00:31:54,280 --> 00:31:57,280 He got down and sat with her. 541 00:31:57,280 --> 00:32:00,280 He hung out with her for a while. 542 00:32:00,280 --> 00:32:04,280 He drank water with this woman that he never should have been with. 543 00:32:04,280 --> 00:32:08,280 Hanging out in a place he never should have been. 544 00:32:08,280 --> 00:32:10,280 He spent time with her. 545 00:32:10,280 --> 00:32:12,280 He listened to her. 546 00:32:12,280 --> 00:32:14,280 He chatted with her. 547 00:32:14,280 --> 00:32:18,280 He knew all there was about this ridiculous woman. 548 00:32:18,280 --> 00:32:23,280 And he loved her anyway. 549 00:32:23,280 --> 00:32:29,280 If I haven't stepped on any toes yet, I'm sure this next statement will. 550 00:32:29,280 --> 00:32:34,280 I am not a fan of religious tracts. 551 00:32:34,280 --> 00:32:37,280 Religious tracts are a numbers game. 552 00:32:37,280 --> 00:32:39,280 If you've used them, I'm not judging you. 553 00:32:39,280 --> 00:32:43,280 But they're a shortcut. 554 00:32:43,280 --> 00:32:47,280 See, people used to bring these things into the restaurant on a Sunday 555 00:32:47,280 --> 00:32:50,280 afternoon when I was a server. 556 00:32:50,280 --> 00:32:52,280 Basically, they'd do two things with them. 557 00:32:52,280 --> 00:32:55,280 The first thing they would do is they would just place them in the bathroom. 558 00:32:55,280 --> 00:33:02,280 Like I want to pick up a little folded piece of paper off the back of a urinal. 559 00:33:02,280 --> 00:33:06,280 Talk about messy evangelism. 560 00:33:06,280 --> 00:33:14,280 Or, or, they weren't the easiest to take care of. 561 00:33:14,280 --> 00:33:21,280 And at the end, they handed me a $2 tip and a religious tract. 562 00:33:21,280 --> 00:33:27,280 If you're going to take a shortcut like this, you better be throwing me a $20 bill. 563 00:33:27,280 --> 00:33:35,280 Now listen, a tract is just a little folded piece of paper with a cool, 564 00:33:35,280 --> 00:33:39,280 anecdotal story that's supposed to tell someone about Jesus. 565 00:33:39,280 --> 00:33:43,280 You want to know what's better? 566 00:33:43,280 --> 00:33:47,280 Your cool little story. 567 00:33:47,280 --> 00:33:53,280 That's the real shortcut to telling someone about Jesus. 568 00:33:53,280 --> 00:33:57,280 You are the tract. 569 00:33:57,280 --> 00:34:00,280 It's not a story printed on a piece of paper. 570 00:34:00,280 --> 00:34:04,280 It's the story you've been practicing your whole life. 571 00:34:04,280 --> 00:34:08,280 When Jesus found me, I was a train wreck. 572 00:34:08,280 --> 00:34:12,280 I'm still maybe not back on the tract. 573 00:34:12,280 --> 00:34:18,280 Man, you've got a story. 574 00:34:18,280 --> 00:34:21,280 That's how you evangelize. 575 00:34:21,280 --> 00:34:27,280 The first time Jesus speaks publicly in the synagogue, they hand him a scroll from Isaiah. 576 00:34:27,280 --> 00:34:34,280 And in Luke 4 verse 8, Jesus is actually reading from Isaiah 61.1. 577 00:34:34,280 --> 00:34:38,280 So in your notes, this is the same verbiage. 578 00:34:38,280 --> 00:34:43,280 The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. 579 00:34:43,280 --> 00:34:48,280 He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, 580 00:34:48,280 --> 00:34:56,280 to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. 581 00:34:56,280 --> 00:34:59,280 In reading this, Jesus is doing two things. 582 00:34:59,280 --> 00:35:03,280 He is fulfilling a prophecy spoken over himself. 583 00:35:03,280 --> 00:35:08,280 And he has given you and me directions. 584 00:35:08,280 --> 00:35:11,280 It is our job to proclaim the good news. 585 00:35:11,280 --> 00:35:17,280 It is our job to proclaim freedom and to help the blind see. 586 00:35:17,280 --> 00:35:25,280 Once we are found, it is our job to find the next person. 587 00:35:25,280 --> 00:35:32,280 Changed people, changed people. 588 00:35:32,280 --> 00:35:42,280 The bravery of telling your story is usually all it takes to start a chain-like reaction of positivity, 589 00:35:42,280 --> 00:35:47,280 moving the kingdom one step further. 590 00:35:47,280 --> 00:35:55,280 Brendan Manning, an American author and priest, writes this in his book, The Ragamuffin Gospel. 591 00:35:55,280 --> 00:35:58,280 Hopefully I can make it through this without crying. 592 00:35:58,280 --> 00:36:01,280 Because salvation is by grace through faith. 593 00:36:01,280 --> 00:36:06,280 I believe that among the countless number of people standing in front of the throne, 594 00:36:06,280 --> 00:36:14,280 in front of the Lamb, Jesus, dressed in white robes and holding palms in their hands, 595 00:36:14,280 --> 00:36:18,280 I shall see the prostitute from the Kit Kat Ranch in Carson, Nevada, 596 00:36:18,280 --> 00:36:24,280 who tearfully told me that she could find no other employment to support her two-year-old son. 597 00:36:24,280 --> 00:36:27,280 I shall see the prostitute from, sorry, where am I? 598 00:36:27,280 --> 00:36:33,280 I shall see the woman, the woman who had an abortion and is haunted by guilt and remorse, 599 00:36:33,280 --> 00:36:38,280 but did the best she could, faced grueling alternatives. 600 00:36:38,280 --> 00:36:46,280 The businessman be seized in debt who sold his integrity in a series of desperate transactions. 601 00:36:46,280 --> 00:36:50,280 The insecure clergyman addicted to being liked, 602 00:36:50,280 --> 00:36:59,280 who never challenged his people from the pulpit and who longed for unconditional love. 603 00:36:59,280 --> 00:37:05,280 The sexually abused teen, molested by his father, now selling his body on the street, 604 00:37:05,280 --> 00:37:09,280 who, as he falls asleep each night after his last trick, 605 00:37:09,280 --> 00:37:16,280 whispers the name of the unknown God he learned about in Sunday school. 606 00:37:16,280 --> 00:37:20,280 How, we ask? Then the voice says, 607 00:37:20,280 --> 00:37:29,280 they have been washed of their robes and have been made white in the blood of the Lamb. 608 00:37:29,280 --> 00:37:34,280 There they are, there we are, the multitude who so wanted to be faithful, 609 00:37:34,280 --> 00:37:38,280 who at times got defeated, soiled by life, bested by trials, 610 00:37:38,280 --> 00:37:47,280 wearing the bloody garments of life's tribulations, but through it all clung to faith. 611 00:37:47,280 --> 00:37:55,280 My friends, if this is not good news to you, you have never understood the gospel of grace. 612 00:37:55,280 --> 00:38:02,280 That's powerful. I'll post it on Facebook later so you can read it. 613 00:38:02,280 --> 00:38:08,280 Who is supposed to find these people and share the gospel? We are. 614 00:38:08,280 --> 00:38:13,280 And we have to keep showing up no matter how messy it gets. 615 00:38:13,280 --> 00:38:17,280 Check this out, remember a couple weeks ago Chris did the lost and found thing? 616 00:38:17,280 --> 00:38:22,280 I've been reading my Bible since, Chris. 617 00:38:22,280 --> 00:38:29,280 My 11-year-old son here was here the day that I made that sign and brought it down for Chris. 618 00:38:29,280 --> 00:38:33,280 That was about two weeks ago. As we carried it down to the main building, 619 00:38:33,280 --> 00:38:36,280 we walked through the first time guest door and Kingston said, 620 00:38:36,280 --> 00:38:41,280 Daddy, we should hang this sign on the front door of the church. 621 00:38:41,280 --> 00:38:49,280 The people here are lost but found. My man. 622 00:38:49,280 --> 00:38:57,280 Those of us who are found need to now look for the lost. 623 00:38:57,280 --> 00:39:04,280 So let's look at four simple ways to be evangelastic. 624 00:39:04,280 --> 00:39:07,280 What's evangelastic mean Rudy? 625 00:39:07,280 --> 00:39:14,280 It's God's way of stretching you outside your comfort zone to share your story. 626 00:39:14,280 --> 00:39:18,280 So let's see if you can guess the first action step in Exodus 35. 627 00:39:18,280 --> 00:39:23,280 Our prodigal Moses is giving instructions on what supplies need to be gathered. 628 00:39:23,280 --> 00:39:27,280 They're going to build a tabernacle, the tent of meeting. 629 00:39:27,280 --> 00:39:31,280 It was about to ready to be built. In verse 5, Moses tells Israel this. 630 00:39:31,280 --> 00:39:34,280 From what you have, take an offering for the Lord. 631 00:39:34,280 --> 00:39:40,280 Everyone who is willing is to bring to the Lord an offering of gold, silver, and bronze 632 00:39:40,280 --> 00:39:43,280 and a whole bunch of other very specific stuff. 633 00:39:43,280 --> 00:39:46,280 This is Exodus, this is Old Testament. 634 00:39:46,280 --> 00:39:51,280 And then in verse 20, the people start prepping. 635 00:39:51,280 --> 00:39:55,280 And then we read, the whole Israel community withdrew from Moses' presence. 636 00:39:55,280 --> 00:40:00,280 And everyone who was willing and whose heart moved them 637 00:40:00,280 --> 00:40:04,280 and who had brought an offering for the Lord for the work of the tent of meeting. 638 00:40:04,280 --> 00:40:11,280 And then finally in Exodus 36, verse 2, they begin to work. 639 00:40:11,280 --> 00:40:18,280 And it says, Moses summoned, I even looked these words up. 640 00:40:18,280 --> 00:40:24,280 Moses summoned Bezalel and Ohelon. 641 00:40:24,280 --> 00:40:28,280 I don't speak good. 642 00:40:28,280 --> 00:40:33,280 These two dudes and every skilled person to whom the Lord had given ability 643 00:40:33,280 --> 00:40:36,280 and who was willing to come do the work. 644 00:40:36,280 --> 00:40:39,280 Action step one, be willing. 645 00:40:39,280 --> 00:40:42,280 Listen, pull your toes back. 646 00:40:42,280 --> 00:40:48,280 If you aren't willing, God don't want you. 647 00:40:48,280 --> 00:40:52,280 Sorry, he wants a willing heart. 648 00:40:52,280 --> 00:40:56,280 I'm willing to share my story because I want others to know how much he changed me 649 00:40:56,280 --> 00:40:59,280 so that he can do the same for them. 650 00:40:59,280 --> 00:41:03,280 But we need to make sure our willingness matches God's calling. 651 00:41:03,280 --> 00:41:10,280 And most of us are called to serve right where we are, at work, at the restaurant, 652 00:41:10,280 --> 00:41:14,280 on the canal, at the gym. 653 00:41:14,280 --> 00:41:20,280 Sorry, I'm channeling my inner Chris with the workout stuff. 654 00:41:20,280 --> 00:41:27,280 But if we are going to walk out God's calling, step two, we need to rest. 655 00:41:27,280 --> 00:41:32,280 This is important and I'm glad that Chris is able to get away for a couple days. 656 00:41:32,280 --> 00:41:36,280 Rest is both a gift and a commandment from God. 657 00:41:36,280 --> 00:41:41,280 Let's go back to Exodus 35 because before he even tells them what to do, 658 00:41:41,280 --> 00:41:45,280 to be willing, what to offer, et cetera, at the beginning, 659 00:41:45,280 --> 00:41:49,280 before all that of chapter 35 and verse 1, this is what we hear. 660 00:41:49,280 --> 00:41:52,280 He reiterates a commandment. 661 00:41:52,280 --> 00:41:55,280 Moses assembled a whole Israelite community and said to them, 662 00:41:55,280 --> 00:41:58,280 These are the things the Lord has commanded to you. 663 00:41:58,280 --> 00:42:03,280 For six days work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, 664 00:42:03,280 --> 00:42:07,280 a day of Sabbath rest to the Lord. 665 00:42:07,280 --> 00:42:13,280 Whoever does any work on that day will be put to death. 666 00:42:13,280 --> 00:42:16,280 Man, that sounds harsh, doesn't it? 667 00:42:16,280 --> 00:42:20,280 I'm working right now. 668 00:42:20,280 --> 00:42:25,280 I'll get to rest tomorrow. 669 00:42:25,280 --> 00:42:32,280 I read that and I wonder what it means to be put to death. 670 00:42:32,280 --> 00:42:38,280 What happens to our physical bodies when we aren't getting enough rest? 671 00:42:38,280 --> 00:42:45,280 Our blood pressure goes up, our heart rate spikes, we get fatigued. 672 00:42:45,280 --> 00:42:48,280 Maybe it's not God or man that will put us to death, 673 00:42:48,280 --> 00:42:54,280 but maybe we overwork ourselves to death. 674 00:42:54,280 --> 00:43:01,280 This afternoon, have a beverage and then rest. 675 00:43:01,280 --> 00:43:04,280 Evangelism can and will be exhaustive. 676 00:43:04,280 --> 00:43:09,280 If you don't get rest, you won't notice things around you, 677 00:43:09,280 --> 00:43:14,280 and you'll never be able to do the next step in becoming evangelistic. 678 00:43:14,280 --> 00:43:21,280 You won't be able to listen, and we definitely need to listen. 679 00:43:21,280 --> 00:43:25,280 Another thing people like to tell me all the time, 680 00:43:25,280 --> 00:43:27,280 Rudy, I don't know enough. 681 00:43:27,280 --> 00:43:30,280 I just wouldn't know what to say. 682 00:43:30,280 --> 00:43:34,280 Good. Shut up. 683 00:43:34,280 --> 00:43:38,280 And listen. 684 00:43:38,280 --> 00:43:42,280 American theologian, Pastor Francis Schaeffer tells us this. 685 00:43:42,280 --> 00:43:45,280 Man, I love this quote. 686 00:43:45,280 --> 00:43:51,280 When it comes to evangelism, if I have only an hour with someone, 687 00:43:51,280 --> 00:43:56,280 I will spend the first 55 minutes asking questions 688 00:43:56,280 --> 00:44:00,280 and finding out what is troubling their heart and mind. 689 00:44:00,280 --> 00:44:07,280 And in their last five minutes, I will share something of the truth. 690 00:44:07,280 --> 00:44:09,280 James 1, 19. 691 00:44:09,280 --> 00:44:11,280 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this. 692 00:44:11,280 --> 00:44:18,280 Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. 693 00:44:18,280 --> 00:44:28,280 You have two ears and one mouth. Use them accordingly. 694 00:44:28,280 --> 00:44:35,280 Also, don't get angry or upset if they don't hear God's word. 695 00:44:35,280 --> 00:44:40,280 The Holy Spirit will convict them in His time. 696 00:44:40,280 --> 00:44:44,280 See, while you're using that 55 minutes to listen to that person, 697 00:44:44,280 --> 00:44:48,280 also maybe listen to the Holy Spirit. 698 00:44:48,280 --> 00:44:52,280 And I bet you He'll give you something to say. 699 00:44:52,280 --> 00:44:58,280 And probably that something that you say will be something that you pull from your past. 700 00:44:58,280 --> 00:45:00,280 It'll just all of a sudden be in your head. 701 00:45:00,280 --> 00:45:02,280 That's how the Holy Spirit works. 702 00:45:02,280 --> 00:45:08,280 Maybe it'll be a song lyric or maybe a verse that you learned when you learned Father Abraham. 703 00:45:08,280 --> 00:45:17,280 Or maybe it's just part of your own story that will relate to them and to what they need to hear. 704 00:45:17,280 --> 00:45:24,280 Can you do that? Can you listen? Can you relate? 705 00:45:24,280 --> 00:45:33,280 Can you tell a story about your own life? 706 00:45:33,280 --> 00:45:38,280 Good. Because we just have one more step, but before we get there, 707 00:45:38,280 --> 00:45:42,280 I think there's one more thing that you need to know. 708 00:45:42,280 --> 00:45:46,280 I believe that God has told me that I need to tell you something today. 709 00:45:46,280 --> 00:45:50,280 Before you go out and evangelize, you need to hear this. 710 00:45:50,280 --> 00:45:54,280 So this is what I want you to do. I want to listen to God right now. 711 00:45:54,280 --> 00:46:01,280 So I want everyone who is willing, just put your hands out like this. 712 00:46:01,280 --> 00:46:09,280 And worship team, I would like for you to fall out and accept this too. 713 00:46:09,280 --> 00:46:13,280 God has a word for you and you need to receive it. 714 00:46:13,280 --> 00:46:19,280 So just listen to God and receive this. 715 00:46:19,280 --> 00:46:28,280 Because that negative self-talk that we talked about earlier will keep you from evangelizing. 716 00:46:28,280 --> 00:46:34,280 This is what God wants you to know. Receive this. 717 00:46:34,280 --> 00:46:45,280 I am proud of you. I am proud of you. 718 00:46:45,280 --> 00:46:52,280 And some of you may be thinking, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. But last night I, 719 00:46:52,280 --> 00:47:03,280 I am proud of you. God, no, you're not. Way back then, no, God, you're not proud. 720 00:47:03,280 --> 00:47:13,280 I am proud of you. I am proud of you. 721 00:47:13,280 --> 00:47:22,280 I am proud of where you've been. I am proud of where you are. I am proud of where you're going. 722 00:47:22,280 --> 00:47:31,280 I have never left you. I have never forsaken you. 723 00:47:31,280 --> 00:47:39,280 I am proud of you. 724 00:47:39,280 --> 00:47:44,280 Now, I believe some of you need to make a decision in your life. 725 00:47:44,280 --> 00:47:48,280 Maybe you've been coming for a while and you're like, man, Chris is such a good speaker. 726 00:47:48,280 --> 00:47:55,280 But also, I feel God's presence. He doesn't want you to feel His presence just here. 727 00:47:55,280 --> 00:47:59,280 He wants it to take it with you. So I encourage you, if you've never said this prayer, 728 00:47:59,280 --> 00:48:04,280 I encourage you to say this prayer. Accept Jesus into your life. 729 00:48:04,280 --> 00:48:11,280 And some of you need to make a recommitment to your Father right now, 730 00:48:11,280 --> 00:48:19,280 because you've forgotten just how proud He is of you. He's given you a story and He wants you to use it. 731 00:48:19,280 --> 00:48:28,280 So if everyone together would just repeat after me, Jesus, thank you. 732 00:48:28,280 --> 00:48:37,280 I thought I was lost, but you knew just where to find me. 733 00:48:37,280 --> 00:48:49,280 Jesus, I believe that you're God's son. Jesus, I believe that you died on the cross for me. 734 00:48:49,280 --> 00:48:59,280 Jesus, make me new. Jesus, take my story and allow me to use it for someone else.