Evangelism # 3

Staying ‘on message’

TEXT - Acts 1.8 Just before the Lord Jesus returned to the Presence of the Father, he made the statement found in our text –

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in

Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8, NIV)

It is important to note that he did not commissioning to engage in an action called ‘witnessing.’

He used a noun form of the word and said, ‘you will be witnesses.’ We are to carry the message about Jesus Christ into our world as part of who we are and what we do everyday, not just on special occasions or during spiritual outreach week at our church.

Believer, if you have identified yourself as a follower of Jesus, even in the most casual way, whether you realize it or not, you are being a witness to your friends and family. They are watching you, listening to you, and from what they observe, they are forming an opinion of Christ!

Paul, in his 2^nd letter to the Corinthians, has an interesting way of expressing this. He says that wherever Believers go, they are spreading a fragrance! To some, they stink! To some, they are a perfume.

ill.- Do you one of the first things I noticed about the girl who became my wife 32 years ago?

Her fragrance! She wore WindSong. To this day, if I smell that scent, the image of the beautiful girl

that captivated me comes to mind!

You are spreading the fragrance of Christ Jesus as you move through life.

• What kind of Jesus do your neighbors think of when they interact with you?

• What kind of Jesus does your extended family know through you?

• What kind of Jesus are your kids coming to know in you?

When Believers mistakenly attempt to make witnessing a distinct activity from being a witness, they risk creating barriers to the Gospel in those that they would like to bring to Jesus. If you hear these sermons that I’m preaching about sharing Christ and decide that this afternoon, when you’re sitting at dinner with your adult kids that they must be converted, right now, they may listen politely, but most likely they will also be resistant to your words.

Why? Because the work of bringing about a relationship with Christ is a partnership with God. We are his representatives, but He must draw a person to Himself by the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus reminds us that “no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me.” (John 6:44, NLT)

People who are most effective in sharing Christ with others are those who are in tune with what God is doing all around them, to the spiritual state of others, and to the Spirit’s leading in those situations.

However, when we sense that God has created an opening in the life of another, we must not get so excited that we attack them like an enthusiastic puppy!

I’ve met more than a few Believers who ‘attack’ others with that kind of overwhelming, but well-meant response.

When someone has taken note of God’s Presence in your life, or has told you about some painful situation in their life, or asked you about your faith – proceed to be a good witness - but stay on message!

The goal as we represent Jesus Christ goes beyond forming a life-long friendship, even beyond relieving the problems of another person. We are not called to provide instant happiness or to show others the road to riches! The goals of those who are witnesses for Christ are

to shine the light on Him,

to make others aware of Him, and when appropriate,

to show them the way that they can become a child of God!

TEXT - John 3: 1-8, 16-18

In this passage makes us aware of the core need that exists in the life of every person - to be born anew spiritually. Believers are often deal with symptoms rather than the terminal sickness that grips people who have not come to faith in God.

• We see a family disintegrating under the weight of infidelity, or alcoholism, or materialism and we offer help with the symptom out of a sense of compassion. OK, I know you’re mind is objecting, “But, Pastor, aren’t we supposed to help others?” Yes, of course we are. But let’s use our hypothetical family as a study. What is the ultimate need? Those persons need to come to God through Christ, to start the process of being transformed from the inside out.

• If we counsel a couple through the storm of infidelity, but never finish God’s work by introducing them Jesus who will give them strength over temptation in the future, we have not done what God calls us to do.

• If we help an alcoholic find an AA group and gain sobriety, but never tell them about the Person who can take away their desire to be intoxicated, we have missed the most important thing.

• That family that believes that their happiness can be bought is helped if we show them a new way to seek satisfaction through knowing the One who promised to provide for all of our needs.

When Nicodemus came to meet Jesus, the Lord could have talked to him about the frustrations of leadership, about the political crisis that existed in the nation, about a lot of things – but He focused on the message that was the key, that answered the greatest need in Nicodemus’ life, to become a child of God.

Those to whom we are witnesses share a common need - that of being restored to God through Jesus Christ. We need not be ‘in their face’ about it. In this age, most people are not too receptive to the blunt statement - “you are lost!” And to say, “You’re going to Hell,” is both offensive and judgmental in a way that way beyond what God has called you and me to do. It is not up to us to judge others. That is God’s job!

We are to live in a way that bears witness to the Truth and that creates hunger in others for it. When a person is prepared by the Spirit, when we have had the opportunity of preparing the soil for the seed, we then must stay on message.

What is that message?

# 1 - We must tell others that God loves them!

Jesus assured Nicodemus that God loved him! Never assume that others know this. The guilt, fear, and even religious training has convinced most people that God is at best sort of kind, but mostly like either indifferent to, or even outwardly hostile towards them. When I have the opening to share the Good News, I often re-tell the story of the runaway son and the waiting father which Jesus told. When I describe how the father stood looking down the road, hoping to see the return of his lost son, longing for the boy to come home - I’ve seen grown men cry in response to the realization that God loves them!

# 2 - We must explain the need for the new Birth of the Spirit.

As Jesus told Nicodemus, a person cannot enjoy God’s love to full, living under His protection and with the privileges of being His child, unless they are given the life of the Spirit. When we are born, we are marked by a fallen nature and separated from God. That is a hard fact for people to accept, but it is the consistent truth of the Bible. Many people think it is their sins, the acts of disobedience that cuts them off from God. Believing this, they are able to find a false comfort by comparing themselves to others who do worse things.

We are born with a greater problem than the sins of dishonesty, lust, greed, or hatred! We are born with a sinful nature, which alienates us from God, which produces death in us.

The saying is - Born once, die twice! Born twice, die once!

#3 - We point out that restoration of our relationship with God is already fully accomplished!

(3.16) Many people who really want to know God are often feeling guilty about things they are doing, or have done, that they know are wrong. As they feel the Holy Spirit active in their lives, they know they need to change. But here’s the mistake that many make – they try to get themselves cleaned up before they approach God.

Sometimes we Believers add to their angst by pointing our their sins and flaws and demanding that they ‘get it right!’

The Good News is that Jesus Christ died to set us right with God! When we receive His sacrifice for our sins, believing that He has fully forgiven us and cleansed us from our guilt, the Spirit comes to live in us, which empowers us to deal with our sins and flaws in a much more effective way. So don’t try to reform someone before you introduce them to the Savior.

Finally - We must hold out the promise of NEW LIFE which Jesus promises to those who come to Him.

TEXT- John 10: 9- 12 Pew Bible page 1666

Is Christ’s goodness evident in your life?

Does His peace sustain you in the storms?

Does a sense of purpose keep you on track from day to day so that you live with meaning?

Does hope cause you to find joy in each new day?

Are you filled with faith, taking each need, every trial, the tests of life, to Him?

This is the abundant life of which the Lord speaks. We must not imply to those that we share the Good News that knowing Jesus is a “Sunday morning” feeling that has no real connection to daily life. That is religion, mostly worthless!

Our faith is robust, strong, and woven into every part of our lives. ________________

Our message is Christ Jesus! Make Him the focus of sharing with those who hunger for God.

Tell the Good News --

• That God loves the world and showed it by sending Christ Jesus into the world,

• That Christ Jesus came to bridge the gap that sin created between God and His creation,

• That the restoration of our relationship is complete in Christ Jesus, and

• That a full life of faith can be experienced right now through Christ, who gives us the Holy Spirit!

"In the Messiah, in Christ, God leads us .... Through us, he brings knowledge of Christ. Everywhere we go, people breathe in the exquisite fragrance. Because of Christ, we give off a sweet scent rising to God, which is recognized by those on the way of salvation—an aroma redolent with life. But those on the way to destruction treat us more like the stench from a rotting corpse. This is a terrific responsibility. Is anyone competent to take it on?

No—but at least we don’t take God’s Word, water it down, and then take it to the streets to sell it cheap. We stand in Christ’s presence when we speak; God looks us in the face. We get what we say straight from God and say it as honestly as we can." (2 Corinthians 2:14-18, The Message)

Amen.