Don't Be Fooled By Appearances Series

(I called the servers to the front and handed them offering plates filled with calling cards and brochures. We handed out about 400 calling cards that day).

I want you take these and put a couple or three in your wallet or purse. And then when you meet someone you’d like to invite to church… hand them one. It could be your neighbor, your fellow worker, a relative, or a stranger you at Wal-Mart. And I’ll make as many of these as you need. But we need to plant seeds so that we can reap the harvest.

Lastly – we need to pray.

Don’t forget, we are workers in God’s field.. We’re not inviting people to come to a social gathering… we are inviting them to come with us into God’s presence. We can’t truly work for God’s kingdom until we pray.

PRAY

CLOSE: Bill Bright told about talking to a man about sharing his faith. The man replied

“I don’t wear my religion on my sleeve. My religion is personal and I don’t want to talk about it”

The man who made this statement was one of America’s leading statesmen. He was a professing Christian with whom I was visiting just off the campus of Harvard University, where he was a guest speaker.

Bright had just asked him to become involved with a thousand key Christian leaders in a great worldwide effort to help fulfill the Great Commission.

Bright said “His statement startled me. So I asked him, ‘You are a Christian aren’t you?’

He said ‘Yes, but I’m not a religious fanatic.’

So Bright prodded the man ‘Did it ever occur to you that it cost Jesus Christ His life so you could call yourself a Christian? It cost the disciples their lives too, and millions of Christian throughout the centuries have suffered or died as martyrs in order to get the message of God’s love and forgiveness to you. Now do you really believe that your faith in Christ is personal and private and that shouldn’t talk about it?’

As quick as a flash he replied, ‘No sir, I’m wrong. Tell me what I can do about it.’”

(In Pulpit Helps Oct. 05 p. 8)