But there comes a time when we should not just sing and preach about it - we need to get down to the nitty gritty of doing it.
To do this we have to have a plan.
For example:
? The Carolina Gamecocks when they get ready to play a football game have to have a game plan to reach that goal line they seek to reach in each ball game.
? A successful business does not just build a building and hire employees. They have to have a product and they have to know how they are going to sell that product to the American people.
But too often the people who make up God’s church operate without a game plan. They seem to think all they have to do is build a church building and lost people will fill the building. Many are using that system for reaching the lost and that could explain why all over this nation we are not having more sinners saved and more in church growing in the Lord.
Illus: Many Sunday school classes are empty each week because it is not enough for a teacher just to show up in a class each Sunday. Teachers also must have a plan to get the lost to show up. If they do not have a plan and execute that plan the classes will not grow.
God would not command the church to reach the lost world without giving us a plan to reach the lost world.
Let’s look at the scriptures and see what we must do to reach the lost.
I. TALK TO GOD.
That is, the lost will not talk to God on their own behalf so we must talk to God on their behalf.
Look at Romans 10:1-4, “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.”
Everything in the church starts with prayer. If it does not, it should. How can we know what to do unless we talk to God and see what His Word says about it?
Many do not pray. They think too highly of themselves. They think they are so smart they do not need to waste their time talking to God.
Illus: These make me think of us fellows when we buy something that has to be assembled, we consider it a waste of time to read the instructions. We just dive into the job and when the job is finished we have all these left over parts. We discover we are not as smart as we thought we were at the beginning of the project.
Yes, we are not as smart as we think we are sometimes.
Illus: During a patient's two-week follow-up appointment with his cardiologist, he informed the doctor that he was having trouble with one of his medications.
? "Which one?" the doctor asked.
? "The patch," answered the patient.
? The doctor then asked what kind of problem he was having with the patch.
? The man then said, "Well, the directions say to put a new one on every six hours and now I'm running out of places to put one!"
? The doctor had the man undress and discovered what he hoped he wouldn't see, but this particular patient had over fifty patches on his body!
He failed to read where the instructions said to remove the old patch before applying a new one.
Following instructions is important.
We can build a building by the strength and wisdom God gives us.
BUT WHEN IT COMES TO REACHING THE LOST - WE ARE LOST!!!
God has to help us build His work by reaching sinners for Him.
He said in Matthew 16:18, “I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH…”
He knows HOW and we need to consult with Him in prayer and ask Him how we are to reach the lost.
You can tell a great deal about people’s prayers by the words they use.
Paul said that his desire and prayer to God was for the Israelites to be saved.
WHAT IS YOUR PRAYER TO GOD?
? Is it for people?
? For your own family members?
? For your friends and neighbors?
Do you care enough to pray for them?
Listen, if you do not care enough to pray for them you certainly are not going to take the time to talk to them.
Reaching the lost starts with PRAYER.
Illus: A liberal preacher one time said to a Bible-believing, Bible-preaching preacher, “Where in the Bible does it say that we are supposed to pray for people to come to Christ?”
? The Bible-believing, Bible preaching preacher said Romans 10:1 says, “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.”
? Colossians 4:2-4, “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.”
What did Paul mean when he said pray “…that God would open unto us a door…”
When Paul was telling them to pray for an open door. He was saying…
? Pray for an open door to speak to someone and that one would have an open heart and be willing to listen.
? Or maybe praying for an opportunity to share the message of the gospel with that someone who would open his heart to Christ.
HAVE YOU PRAYED THAT WAY?
“Lord, give me an opportunity to speak to my aunt or uncle or brother or cousin or grandchild about Jesus.”
Illus: That great saint of God, George Mueller, said that, in 1844, five friends were laid on his heart. He began to pray for them to come to Christ.
? Eighteen months passed before one of them was converted to Christ.
? He prayed on for five years more, and another was converted.
? At the end of twelve-and-a-half years, a third was converted.
? And forty years later he was still praying for the other two, without missing one single day.
? And it was said that those last two friends came to Christ following his death.
DOES IT PAY TO PRAY FOR THE SALVATION OF OTHERS?
Listen, a church can never be a soul winning church until the people first become so burdened for souls that it will cause them to get on their knees and pray for the salvation of the lost.
It takes a BURDEN FOR THE LOST TO DRIVE US TO OUR KNEES!
First, we must TALK TO GOD for them. Secondly, we then must.
II. TALK TO THEM.
Look at Romans 13:12-14, “Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.
Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.”
Isn’t it strange that:
? Christians will talk to co-workers about anything and everything, but often will not talk to them about salvation.
? Parents will talk to their children and warn them about all kinds of dangers in this life but never talk to them and warn them about a devil’s hell.
That’s strange!!!
But listen it will do no good to talk to them about salvation unless your life is above reproach.
I believe that one of the reasons that many Christians will not witness to the lost is because they know if they open their mouths about salvation the lost person is going to tell them to get their own life straightened out before they go around telling others to get theirs straight.
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger was visiting with a lost lady one day that he knew. She told him how that some her family members were trying to get her to attend church and get her life straightened out. After weeks of this pleading she said told them. “Get your lives straightened out and then come and ask me to go to church with you and then I will go!!!”
We should TALK LIKE A CHRISTIAN and we must also LIVE LIKE A CHRISTIAN.
We’re supposed to let our light shine, but there is no light for the dark world when all they see is INDECENT behavior. We must live a Godly life.
? Colossians 4:5 “Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.”
? I Peter 3:16 “Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ?”
Illus: There is an article that was on the Internet entitled, “Whose watching you online?” It read: “Don’t look now, but you’re being tracked — some might say stalked — whenever you go online. Information about the sites you visit, the things you buy and the topics you search is used to build a detailed profile about you. In most cases, this is done without your knowledge or consent.”
It’s not JUST happening on the Internet. IT’S ALSO HAPPENING IN THE WORLD EVERY DAY!
? That is, people are watching you all the time!
? They are watching you at work, while you’re shopping at Wal-mart,
? While doing business in the bank,
Wherever you go and whatever you do. Our behavior speaks louder than our words.
BUT WHAT DOES IT SAY? Does it point to Christ?
As we talk to sinners we must, Colossians 4:6, “Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.”
Our speech tells a lot about WHO WE ARE and WHOSE WE ARE!
Has anyone heard you talk about God on the job or the church services that you attended last Sunday?
I Peter 3:15 “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.”
Illus: Preacher D. L. Moody made a covenant with God that he would witness for Christ to at least one person each day. One night, about ten o’clock, he realized that he had not yet witnessed; so he went out in to the street and spoke to a man standing by a lamppost, asking him, "Are you a Christian?"
The man flew into a violent rage and threatened to knock Moody into the gutter.
Three months later Moody was awakened at the YMCA by a man knocking at the door. It was the man he had witnessed to. "I want to talk to you about my soul," he said to Moody.
He apologized for the way he had treated Moody and said that he had had no peace ever since that night on Lake Street when Moody witnessed to him.
Moody led the man to Christ and he became a zealous worker in the Sunday school.
Conclusion:
Listen, God’s plan for us to reach the lost is that:
I. We talk to Him
II. We talk to them.
Illus: Can you imagine a salesman who never talks about the product he is trying to sell?
He sits around scratching his head wondering why he is such a failure as a salesman.
Many have never won one soul to the Lord and the answer is obvious…to reach the lost we have got to go to the lost and talk to them about salvation.
Illus: Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962), the world-famous violinist, earned a fortune with his concerts and compositions, but he generously gave most of it away. So, when he discovered an exquisite violin on one of his trips, he wasn’t able to buy it. Later, having raised enough money to meet the asking price, he returned to the seller, hoping to purchase that beautiful instrument. But to his great dismay it had been sold to a collector. Kreisler made his way to the new owner’s home and offered to buy the violin. The collector said it had become his prized possession and he would not sell it. Keenly disappointed, Kreisler was about to leave when he had an idea.
"Could I play the instrument once more before it is consigned to silence?" he asked. Permission was granted, and the great violinist filled the room with such heart-moving music that the collector’s emotions were deeply stirred.
"I have no right to keep that to myself," he exclaimed. "It’s yours, Mr. Kreisler. Take it into the world, and let people hear it."
Take it to the world - that’s exactly what we need to do with Jesus! TAKE HIM TO THE WORLD! Instead of being selfish with our salvation in Christ, we need to take him to the world and share Him.
We all have family members and friends who need to be saved. This is the job that Jesus passed on to us.
