2 Cor 5:1818 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin,* so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
Last week we talked about renewing your love for Jesus so that it isn’t weird to share him and if it is, your love runs so deep you don’t care. Much like this guy….Not ashamed at all.
There is nobody else who can do this because WE are the only ones He can use. People are going to go to hell if they don’t hear the gospel from US. It is MADNESS to not share Jesus with other people! We talked about making this a priority because He told us to and because we love him the most.
I. This directly affects YOUR spiritual development
a. Luke 6:38 - 38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”
b. This scripture refers to WHATEVER IT IS YOU ARE GIVING…NOT JUST MONEY
c. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.
d. Some of you who are wanting to get closer to God or have MORE of God in your life are directly resulted in how much YOU are giving HIM away.
e. If you NEVER give Jesus away to someone else, either in Planting or watering you will be VERY slow in your spiritual development.
f. It is NOT getting people SAVED….It’s spreading the good news that God wants to have a relationship with them and they can have a relationship with Him.
i. MAN moved the finish line when Jesus told us there would be people who WILL reject it.
ii. To receive more of God in your life, you have to sometimes be the planter, sometimes be the waterer and sometimes be the harvester, but what is happening in ALL THREE EQUALLY is you are making MORE ROOM FOR HIM IN YOUR LIFE!
g. The BEST and more effective way to grow in your spiritual life with God is to give Jesus to someone else, frequently because He then gives back to You GOOD MEASURE PRESSED DOWN SHAKEN TOGETHER AND RUNNING OVER MORE OF HIMSELF FREQUENTLY!
This week I want to talk ways that this happens. Immediately when people think to share Jesus, they automatically go to telling someone about Jesus. That is just ONE way.
Colossians 3:17-17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
I. What you say
a. Of course most people want to immediately quote John 3:16 when sharing Jesus
i. John 3:16 For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life
ii. And that is the right way…Many people want to know the Romans road Romans 10:9-10 9 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.
iii. And of course that is the right way, but a lot of people don’t have the confidence in their knowledge of scripture or in the knowledge of God to share Him theologically.
iv. Theologically sharing Jesus is only a PART of over coming the madness.
b. 1 Peter 3:13-1513 Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” 15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. 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,
c. Rev 12:10-11 "It has happened at last — the salvation and power and kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ! For the Accuser has been thrown down to earth — the one who accused our brothers and sisters before our God day and night. 11 And they have defeated him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of their testimony. And they were not afraid to die.
d. Why will people even notice that you have HOPE? Because YOU know and walk in WHAT God has done for you.
e. What is YOUR STORY? You have NO IDEA the power of your story! What God has done for you is the most powerful thing you can tell someone about Christ outside of the word itself.
f. Acts 26 Paul tells King Agrippa his store. Verse 28 8 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.”
g. What has God done for YOU-some have a dramatic testimony and some have a mild testimony but the constant thread that runs through it is this, THE SAME SPIRIT WHO RAISED CHRIST FROM THE DEAD DWELLS IN YOU and in a dramatic testimony of deliverance from a horrible lifestyle or God’s keeping power that lead you to be a good person your whole life, His power is a work THE SAME and SOMEONE CAN BE IMPACTED GREATLY FROM YOUR STORY as much as an alter call from the best evangelist on the planet.
II. What you DO
a. Colossians 3:17-17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
b. Your actions speak louder than your words
c. Now we are going to cover 2 areas of doing something here.
i. Acting like someone who should represent Jesus
ii. 1 Peter 2:1-2 So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. 2 Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, 3 now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.
iii. 1 Peter 2:11-12 11 Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. 12 Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.
d. We need to act HOLY- LIKE JESUS WOULD ACT
i. People who transform their world are people who know about the world they live in and knowledgeable about it but don’t embrace it’s ways and maintain a standard that is based on they way Jesus walked.
ii. What does that mean?
1. John 13:33-34 34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
2. TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER-IT’s THE BEST WAY!
iii. Treating people nice, doing the right thing for others, being different than the other people that come across their path because WE ARE DIFFERENT.
1. We tip more
2. We put our buggies away
3. We smile and wish them a nice day
4. We don’t dog pile when the world is on their back
5. We believe the BEST about them
6. We feed them, we clothe them, we HELP them
e. To give Jesus to someone you have Be someone who walks and acts and lives like He did
f. He didn’t just live in kindness, but He also LIVED IN POWER
i. You need to expect the POWER of God to transfer to others THROUGH YOU
ii. Mark 16:17-20 17 These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. 18 They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.” 19 When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 20 And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs.
iii. You should be able to share Jesus because you walk in POWER. It isn’t a weird thing to experience the power of God
1. You have experienced it in your life whether you realize it OR NOT.
2. Someone else shared it with you which is why you got saved….the power of the good news convicted your heart to become a believer in Jesus, but THAT is JUST a part of the power of God.
3. In word or in deed of kindness is communicating the power of God to save
a. Romans 1:16-17 16 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.17 This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”
b. Saving them from what? Judgment & Hell. Yes but also from ALL the power of evil
i. Colossians 1:13-14 13 For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, 14 who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.
4. Sharing in deed of power is SHOWING the power of God to save, heal, deliver and improve their life
a. Christians ought to share God’s healing power just as much as we share his saving power.
b. Matthew 9:35-38 35 Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. 38 So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”
c. Matthew 10:1 Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness.
d. We ought to expect God’s power to move through our prayers for someone else, when we lay hands on the sick, we should expect them to get better, why, to be weird and make people feel spooky? To build our own television ministry? No! To communicate that God wants to have a relationship WITH THEM.
i. What better way to communicate that than by showing them and having Him confirm what you are saying about Him!
