OPEN: A grocer put up a sign that read "Eggplants, 25¢ ea. or three for a dollar."
All day long, customers came in complaining, "Are you serious! I should get four for a dollar!"
Confronted by their outrage, the grocer shrugged and packaged four eggplants.
The tailor whose shop was next door had been watching this and finally asked the grocer, "Aren't you going to fix the mistake on your sign?"
"What mistake?" the grocer asked. "Before I put up that sign no one ever bought more than one eggplant."
APPLY: Sometimes what you sell can depend on what you say and how you say it.
Over the next few weeks we’re going to be talking about witnessing and we’ll be using the examples we find out of the book of Acts to help us understand HOW to witness to others God’s way.
Over the next few weeks, we’re going to talking about:
1. Witnessing to people who are actively seeking Christ
2. Witnessing to people who are hurting
3. Witnessing to people actively oppose us.
This morning, we’re going to focus on witnessing as we see to people who are “Religious”
Now, there are all kinds of religious people in our city. Some are very committed to their church. Others may belong to a church… they’re just not very committed to it. And still others don’t go to church at all (but they’re religious).
ILLUS: Back in 2008, a researcher named David Olsen studied some statistics about the church
and came to the conclusion that about 80% of Americans DO NOT regularly attend church anywhere. (“The American Church in Crisis” by David T. Olson)
Of that 80% a vast majority have been to church at some point in their lives. They may have gone as a child, or they may have gone as an adult but have drifted away from church, or have had a bad experience at a church.
A survey by LifeWay Research surveyed the “formerly churched” people and found that…
· 28% say they are presently unlikely to consider regularly attending church
· BUT 58% feel it’s time to return to the church;
· 41% say they’d go if a friend or acquaintance invited them;
· 35% would return if they knew there were people there like them;
· And nearly a third (31%) feel God is calling them to attend church.
(Christian Post 10/19/06)
My point is that there’s a vast number of people out there who are just waiting to be invited to church. And just like that grocer who learned how to sell eggplant to his patrons - sometimes, it’s merely a matter of saying the right thing at the right time.
So now, let’s take a look at how Paul witnessed to some religious people down by the river side.
It’s a Women’s PRAYER Group. And Acts 16:13 says that “On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there.”
Notice, these were all women.
I’ve noticed that women are more receptive than men to the Gospel message. Men have are more prone to wanting to do things themselves and they are less likely to want God’s help. But women generally have a more tender heart to Christ’s love.
Now, these were probably mostly Jewish women. They were gathered for prayer on the “Sabbath”. Now Lydia may have been a Gentile who met with them. The term “worshiper of God” is often a code word to describe Gentiles who were attracted to the Jewish love for God and the stories that they found in the Old Testament. But she and the other ladies were gathered down by the river side.
But why there? Why not in some building in town?
That’s possibly because there was no synagogue in town. According to Jewish tradition, a synagogue could only be formed when there were 10 men to form the foundation of that group. But as you may notice - there don’t seem to be any men around down at the river… only women.
So here is Paul witnessing to a group of religious women down by the riverside. But he doesn’t appear to have been overly successful. As far as we can tell, only one woman seems to have responded to his teaching: Lydia.
Acts 16:14 says “One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshipper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.”
That would seem to be fairly disappointing.
Here Paul and Silas are big-time evangelists who travel all the way to Philippi where they find this prayer group that’s willing to listen to them and only one person is converted.
ONLY ONE PERSON. Now… granted, later her whole family was baptized into Christ, but Lydia was the only person who seems to have responded to their first effort!
But even if she’d been the only person in her family to become a Christian God would still have considered this conversion a success! In fact, it appears that God sent Paul to this specific city, to this specific prayer group for just this specific woman because she seems to have formed the backbone of the church that was established there.
Later in the chapter, we find that Paul and Silas are imprisoned for preaching Jesus. And in Acts 16:40 we’re told that… “AFTER Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and encouraged them…”
After being released from prison, Paul & Silas’ 1st destination was Lydia’s house.
And WHO was there to meet them?
“The Brothers” (men of the new church).
It appears that Lydia’s home was a meeting place for the church and it may have been a natural location for the new Christians to gather and worship.
So, what did Paul SAY that won Lydia to Christ?
Well, we don’t know.
Not one single word of Paul’s teaching is recorded for us.
And that’s probably because it wasn’t Paul words that captured Lydia’s heart.
Notice in Acts 16:14 we’re told that:
“… The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.”
God OPENED Lydia’s heart?
How long had God been working on Lydia’s heart?
We don’t know.
But we do know this is exactly what Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would do. He said: “When he comes, (the Spirit) will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment” John 16:8
ILLUS: Years ago, when I was just a young preacher I was very good at talking people into becoming Christians. I had been in sales before entering the ministry, and I knew how to close “the deal.” I had studied sales techniques and I KNEW how to convince people to make a decision for Christ.
But then, one day I worked with a young couple. I’d shown them the “Jule Miller Video series” (which is an excellent tool to teach people about God’s plan of salvation). At the end, I closed the deal. I talked them into getting baptized… and then I never saw them again.
I was shocked!
How could that happen?
Well, it happened because I relied ONLY upon myself.
I talked them into becoming Christians – I’d done my job. I’d convicted them of their sin and need for Jesus. ut in John 16, Jesus was telling us – that’s NOT my job. And in Acts 16, God is telling us the same thing… it’s NOT all about ME!
There’s a passage out of the Old Testament that says:
“Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain.” Psalm 127:1a
It was God who laid the groundwork for Lydia’s decision.
And I think that groundwork had been laid long before Paul and Silas ever got to Philippi.
In Acts 16:6 & 7 we find that Paul and Silas TRIED to go preach in other areas… but they were “kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.” And “they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.”
Why?
Why were they KEPT from going into certain areas to preach???
I believe it was because God knew that Lydia and others in Philippi were ready to listen to Paul and so God directed Paul and Silas to THAT town, to that prayer meeting and to that specific woman And “… The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.”
The Bible says we are God’s WITNESSES…
The Bible never says we are called to judge or convict people of their sins – we are witnesses.
To give you an idea of how this applies, imagine yourself in a courtroom. There are the judge, the prosecutor and the witnesses:
What does the judge do? (He passes judgment)
What does the prosecutor do? (He convicts men of their wrong-doing)
What do witnesses do? (they witness/ testify about what they know)
I am not called by God to pass judgment on this world.
I am not called by God to convict non-Christians of their sins.
I am called by God to witness/testify about what I know about Jesus.
If I do my job… God will do His.
Another way of looking at this is this:
Jesus called us to be fishers of men. Apparently, God wants you and me to do the fishing, and Spirit of God baits the hook!
Now… that brings me to my next point.
Even though we’re NOT told what Paul and Silas said at this Prayer Meeting we can be pretty sure they weren’t jumping down the throats of those who believed differently than they did.
Like I said, they were witnesses. They were not there to convict or judge.
Many people believe that witnessing is all about being a better arguer.
ILLUS: Dave Barry once said “I argue very well. Ask any of my remaining friends. I can win an argument on any topic, against any opponent. People know this, and steer clear of me at parties. Often, as a sign of their great respect, they don't even invite me.”
But Paul warned Timothy: “Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth”
2 Timothy 2:23-25
If you get into an argument with someone all you end up doing is make them a better arguer. Most of the time you’re not going to say anything that will move them anywhere - except deeper into their own convictions. Farther away from where you want them come to.
Notice what Paul said after warning Paul about not getting into arguments:
“…he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth”
In other words, Paul was telling Timothy to TRUST GOD to convict people of their sins. You do the witnessing (Paul was saying) and God will do the convicting.
You can see this process in the story about another “religious person named Apollos…
Acts 18:24-26 tells us
“Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John.
He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.”
Apollos was preaching about Jesus… but he misunderstood Christian baptism.
What was Christian baptism?
Peter said Christian baptism was not only about repentance (as John’s baptism was), but it was also about being baptized “in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And (when they were baptized) you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38
Two Christians in the area – Priscilla and Aquila – heard Apollos preaching and KNEW he was wrong about baptism. So, how did they respond?
Did they get angry?
Did they stand up in the assembly and challenge him publicly?
Did they embarrass him in front of his audience?
No!
They took him aside privately.
They took him home for cookies and milk.
“They invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.”
Just like Paul told Timothy, Priscilla and Aquila GENTLY instructed him in the hope that God would grant him repentance and lead him to a knowledge of the truth.
We’ve got to trust God for some of this.
It’s not all about us!
We’re part of the kingdom of God.
We’re not some social organization, like the Elks or the Lions.
This is GOD’S kingdom. So it’s vital we remember to include Him in our witnessing.
Now, I’m going to ask again: What did Paul say to Lydia that changed her heart?
Like I said before, we don’t know… but I’ve got a pretty good idea.
And my idea comes from another place in Acts where Paul encountered some other “religious people”
In Acts 19, Paul encounters some religious people who live in Ephesus.
He knows they aren’t Christians.
Just like Apollos, they only knew the baptism of John.
So, how did Paul witness to these folks?
Well, he asked a question:
Acts 19 says that when Paul arrived at Ephesus, “… he found some disciples and asked them,
"Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?"
They answered, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."
Now, I suspect, Paul knew the answer to his question before he asked it.
He knew they didn’t know that God had promised to put His Spirit inside of believers.
But his objective was to take these religious people and ask them a question THEY didn’t know the answer to. And that question led him to be able to teach them something about Jesus they didn’t understand. And that question led them to be baptized into Christ and become Children of God.
CLOSE: So, if you’re going to witness to religious people how are you going to do that?
Well 1st – you and I need to realize the critical importance of getting God involved.
If we want God to open people’s hearts to us…
If we want God’s Spirit to work inside of folks and convict them of their need
Then you need to begin praying RIGHT NOW (pray)
2nd – if you want to please God by witnessing to others it would help to come up with a question that will get them started going to Jesus.
· It might be as simple a question as “would you like to go to church with me? (introduction of our Friend Day invitation cards)
· It might be a harder question: “Do you know how to become a Christian?”
· Or it might be one of the hardest questions:
o “Do you ever think about what will happen after you die?
o Do you believe you’ll go to heaven?
o Do you want to know for sure?”
Questions like that will open the door for you to introduce them to Jesus and His church. But when you ask those questions… you need to know the answers yourself.
Peter wrote: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” I Peter 3:15
So, perhaps the first question you need to ask, is one you ask of yourself:
Do YOU know the reason for the hope that you have????
If not... (give INVITATION)
