HPFFJ: HELPING PEOPLE FIND JESUS
1 PETER 3:15
#HPFFJ
THREAD: The purpose of Cincinnati Christian Church is to “Help People Find and Follow Jesus.”
ILLUSTRATION 1 (p)
Imagine that you were on a chartered boat out in the open ocean and you went fishing with friends. The whole day of fishing was great. It was great until the boat started having engine problems and began to sink. The boat sank and you were able to swim to a small deserted island. All of you made it. There is no food except for some fruit that won’t last very long. There is not much water. No shelter. No phones. No way off the island. You spend some time on this island and all of you began to be desperate.
One day you are sitting alone on the beach contemplating your demise on this deserted island when you see a boat off in the distance. You stand up and raise your hands. They shine a light in your direction that they see you. A boat is coming. You are saved!
Here is the question: Do you tell the other people on the island that they can be saved?
KEY WORD: EVANGELISM
A key word in what we are talking about today is the word evangelism. “The word ‘evangelism’ comes from a specific Greek word which means ‘to proclaim or share the good news.’ That is an action word... a verb. It involves speaking words, letting others know, getting news out.
Evangelism is what the Apostles do in Acts 5:42 which says, “Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.” I take note in this verse that evangelism is not a one-time thing or a once-a-year thing, but rather a continuous ongoing activity. I also would note from this passage that evangelism is directly tied to good news about Jesus Christ. Someone who evangelizes is someone who is continually sharing news about Jesus Christ.
Evangelism is what Philip does in Acts 8:26-40 when he meets up with an Ethiopian eunuch who is reading from the Book of Isaiah in the Bible. This man has questions about what he is reading. Philip has answers. Acts 8:35 says, “Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.” Evangelism is always a personal activity between people. We often think that evangelism is one person talking to a crowd (and it can be), but it is also one person talking to another person about what they have found true in Jesus Christ.
Evangelism is what Paul and Barnabas do in Acts 14 in city after city they visit and Acts 14:21 tells us, “They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples.” I notice from Acts 14 that the purpose of evangelism is to win someone over to believe in Jesus. Evangelism is not just the presentation of information about Jesus, but rather presenting the information so that the other person understands who Jesus is and wants to place faith in Him. It is much more than just transferring information.
ILLUSTRATION 2 (p)
Imagine you are getting your oil changed at the oil change place and it is taking a while. They didn’t tell you before they started that they had run out of oil. An oil change place without oil! Now you are stuck for a little bit waiting. There are several other people waiting there with you. All of you start milling around the waiting room. You walk up to the vending machine and push a few buttons in your boredom. All of a sudden, a snack pops out of the machine. Huh. You push a new more buttons and another snack drops to the bottom of the machine. You then notice that there are no prices on anything like usual. This is a free snack machine! You hit some more buttons and have all the snackage you need for your ridiculous wait.
Here is the question: Do you share with the other people waiting that there is free food?
THREAD: The purpose of Cincinnati Christian Church is to “Help People Find and Follow Jesus.”
KEY WORD: WITNESS
Another key word that we should make sure that we talk about is the word witness. Witness seems more of a legal word to me. Witness is the word the Bible uses when it comes to sharing faith and telling about Jesus Christ. A witness is simply one that testifies about evidence on what they have seen and heard.
Jesus Christ says in Matthew 10:18-20, “On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” Notice that Jesus encourages His followers to be witnesses about Him to people who do not know Him. Jesus even goes so far as to say that the Holy Spirit helps us in what we should say as witnesses for Him.
The Bible also says in Luke 24:45-48, “Then He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things.” I have always found it a great comfort that one of the hugest witnesses that we have is the written Word of God which outlines God’s plan of salvation for us. We have the Bible and can add our story as witnesses to the story God has already written.
Jesus Christ also says in Acts 1:8, “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." The other part of being a witness for Jesus is that it is not something that is narrow, but we are witnesses for Jesus wherever we happen to go and to whomever we happen to be around. Jesus talked about an ever widening circle of witnessing going on about Him in the world.
ILLUSTRATION 3 (p)
Imagine you are in your kitchen baking cookies for people in your area. You are baking because all of your neighbors seem to have the flu and are all quite sick. You want to cheer them up. It is your great great great grandmother’s recipe that you only make on certain occasions. You recently re-discovered her recipe and have made several dozen cookies for your sickly neighbors. You plate them up and then drive around giving out plates of these cookies to all your neighbors. It is a joy for them in the midst of the sickness. Only one neighbor said ‘no thank you’ to your gesture. The next day, after all your neighbors have eaten these cookies, all of them report that their fevers have lifted and no one is sick anymore. Somehow all of your neighbors are fine except for the one neighbor who said ‘no thank you’ to these ‘miracle cookies.’ You figure out that it was the cookies from your great great great grandmother that is the cure for the flu!
Here is the question: Do you share this cure for sickness?
THREAD: The purpose of Cincinnati Christian Church is to “Help People Find and Follow Jesus.”
This week we are talking about “finding Jesus” which is why thus far we have talked about evangelism and witnessing. The verse we are about to read also directs us to helping people “find Jesus.” Next week we are looking at “following Jesus.” I would like us to focus on 1 Peter 3:15.
EXPOSITION OF 1 PETER 3:15
READ 1 Peter 3:15
“But in your hearts set apart 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…”
This verse is about evangelism and witnessing. This verse is about helping people find Jesus which is part 1 of our mission as Cincinnati Christian Church.
The verse says: “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.”
The instructions in 1 Peter 3:15 are to those who are believers and call Jesus Lord. The command is not for a casual observer, but rather for anyone who calls Jesus as Lord and is a witness of what Jesus has done for them. If you call Jesus Lord, then this verse is for you.
The verse says: “Always be prepared”
The command sounds a lot like the Boy Scout motto or the US Coast Guard motto, but is a wise command. The Apostle Peter tells us that we should be prepared at all times, in all situations, and perhaps even at the drop of a hat to share about Jesus. I think this readiness is understood from the word evangelism and the nature of being a witness. Evangelism is an ever-ready activity for witnesses.
What should we be prepared for exactly? Peter goes on…
The verse says: “to give an answer”
As believers in Jesus, we are to be ever ready to explain what we believe, why we believe it, and how someone else can believe the same things as us. We are to be ready to answer questions about faith when asked. I think sometimes we get a little afraid of this part of the verse because we feel like we have to know all the answers to every question that anyone could ever ask us. I am not sure it says that. We should always be ready to answer: Why YOU believe what you do?
The verse says: “to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”
This part of the verse shares with us that it doesn’t matter who asks us… the questions could come from family, friends, co-workers, enemies, acquaintances, etc… it doesn’t matter. We are to share with everyone we come across. I think that is part of the nature of being a witness. A witness is a witness no matter who is asking the questions. Tell them what you saw. Tell them what you experienced. Tell them what you heard. The “them” is anyone.
The verse says: “But do this with gentleness and respect…”
Our end goal is the communication of faith, not a verbal ‘beat down’ on how awful the person is or a lecture about how hot Hell is this time of year. It is also not simply the transfer of facts about Jesus or the Bible. Our answers to people around us about faith should be injected with gentleness and respect and should be based on our lives with Christ. It matters why YOU believe what you do and can share that with others.
THREAD: The purpose of Cincinnati Christian Church is to “Help People Find and Follow Jesus.”
READ 1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)
“But in your hearts set apart 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…”
ILLUSTRATION 4 (p)
Imagine you are on a winding road travelling. It is a road you know well. You are just be-bopping along and you notice a person stranded off to the side of the road. You don’t recognize the car so it’s not a neighbor. It isn’t a flat tire or something because all the tires look fine. You notice that the person has a gas can on top of their car. Once you get closer, you clearly see that they are out of gas. The road is winding and has many bushes. As you drive closer, you realize that the person is sitting stranded while barely 50 yards away around the corner is a gas station. They are sitting stranded and yet the place they need to go is literally around a corner.
Here is the question: Do you tell the person there is a gas station around the corner?
SO, WHY DON’T WE?
I believe there are three basic reasons why we don’t share our faith.
Fear
“Fear” is the first reason we do not share our faith. We are afraid of what people will think of us when we talk about God. We are afraid of how people will treat us once we mention God. Fear of being labeled over-religious or over-zealous or some kind of religious nut. Fear of rejection. Fear of failure. Fear of saying the wrong thing and making God look bad. Fear of saying something spiritually stupid and making ourselves look bad. Fear creeps up and makes us say nothing.
No Sense of Urgency
“No Sense of Urgency” is the second reason we do not share our faith. We think that we will always have one more day to say something or make a difference and so there is no sense of urgency. Maybe we don’t really think good people will end up in Hell separated from God so there is no sense of urgency. No urgency so we opt not to say something to our Uncle Bill who dies the next day. We might also think someone else will come along and plant a seed or share the Gospel so we opt not to say anything.
Not Prepared
“Not Prepared” is the third reason we do not share our faith. Most of us have never sat down and wrote out our testimony. Most of us have never put a great deal of thought on how to explain faith, describe Jesus, and share verbally with someone the difference that God makes in our lives. We are not prepared to answer questions about our faith. Some of the questions don’t have answers. Some questions are about moral issues or hypocritical issues in our own lives and are hard to discuss. Most of the time we aren’t prepared.
THREAD: The purpose of Cincinnati Christian Church is to “Help People Find and Follow Jesus.”
READ 1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)
“But in your hearts set apart 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…”
ILLUSTRATION 5 (p)
Imagine that you are at home with family. You are at home having a great evening and then the electricity goes off. It is past sundown so the house is very very dark. There are no lights anywhere. You make your way to the kitchen and open the junk drawer that all of us have in our houses. You pull out a flashlight. Just as you grab the flashlight, on one end of the house you hear a family member stub their toe and cry out in pain. In the next room, you hear a family member trip over a box and stumble into the wall. You also hear someone in the bathroom fumbling around and drop something with a crash.
Here is the question: Do you flip on the flashlight and help your family?
SO, WHAT CAN WE DO?
Always Be Ready
First we can have an attitude that every conversation we have might turn into one about God. We should be willing in all the places we go and with all the people we meet to be about evangelism and be a witness. I challenge you to be ready. Be listening for openings where God gives you the opportunity to speak about Him.
Give Your Life Away
Second, in addition to using words, you can also show Christ by your actions. You can love people, be a good neighbor, serve others, volunteer, and show forgiveness. Notice I said in addition to using words. It is possible if you just love and serve and volunteer that people will think you are just a good person. Your words should point them specifically to the One who makes you good.
Invite Someone to Church
Third, you can make a difference in the lives of the people around you by inviting them to church. You can invite someone to a worship service, a community outreach event, a Wednesday night, or some other event the church is hosting. Church is not Jesus, but Church is the gathering of His people and it is encountering our stories of faith that will make a difference for someone.
Share Your Faith Story
Fourth, you need to take time and energy and effort to write down your story of faith. It is important that you think through how YOU came to know Jesus as Lord and Savior. It is the most important story you will ever tell anyone.
ILLUSTRATIONS 1-5 CONCLUSION
If you were stranded on a deserted island and you see the rescue ship... of course you whoot and holler and get everyone’s attention so that everyone on the island can be saved.
If you find a free snack machine in the waiting room… of course wouldn’t keep that a secret… you would tell everyone else so that they can wait well with you.
If your great great great grandmother’s cookies held the cure for the flu… of course you would share the recipe and relieve sickness of countless people.
If a stranded motorist is right around the corner from a gas station… of course you would share that with them and enable them to fuel up and get on their way.
If you are stuck in the dark with a flashlight… of course you would use the flashlight to help other people.
THREAD: The purpose of Cincinnati Christian Church is to “Help People Find and Follow Jesus.”
READ 1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)
“But in your hearts set apart 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…”
APPLICATION
Sharing the Gospel is just like getting everyone’s attention on the deserted island.
Sharing the Gospel is more important than an announcement about free food.
Sharing the Gospel is just like a cure for sickness.
Sharing the Gospel is more important than pointing to a gas station.
Sharing the Gospel is just like using a flashlight to light the way.
We would obviously do all of these things then let us not shrink back from being witnesses about the amazing grace of God and what He has done for us through Jesus Christ. We can continuously share with everyone we meet about the salvation that comes through Jesus. Of course we would help in all of these situations, how much more then, should we share the Gospel which impacts souls!
CONCLUSION IN PRAYER
