Iliff and Saltillo UM Churches
July 27, 2003
“Keys to Winning Your Family and Friends to the Lord”
John 8:31-32
INTRODUCTION: Have you ever wondered why people are not converting to Jesus when there is a church on almost every corner? Do you wonder why your family seems to go on year after year uninterested in the things of God?
You might say, “Yes,” but times have changed. People don’t feel their need for church. They are busy with other things. You could come up with any number of “pat” answers for today’s apathy toward the spiritual side of life, but pat answers don’t accomplish anything toward bringing people to the Lord or seeing them set free from the destructiveness of sin.
In today’s scripture Jesus talks about people being set free from the slavery of sin. He told the people, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” What’s the truth? In John 14:6 Jesus said, “I AM the way and the Truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Jesus told these believers, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” You will be REALLY free. The Message Bible says--”You are free THROUGH and THROUGH.” The Amplified Bible says, “You are UNQUESTIONABLY free. When people’s lives are transformed by Jesus, then they are going to be REALLY free from the power of sin on their lives. But what can we do to help people get to that point?
Let’s see if we can find some keys to winning people to the Lord.
1. Living the Life: One of the biggest things we can do is to make sure that OUR life is really set free from the slavery of sin because we know Jesus and are following Him. Scripture tells us to “Let YOUR light so shine before men that they may see your good deeds and glorify your father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
Today many people are not seeing Jesus for Who He REALLY IS--the Son who sets a person really free--who transforms lives--who REALLY, REALLY changes a person from the destructiveness of sin--because they are judging by what they see in His followers. Jesus was telling these Jewish believers in this chapter, “if you hold to my teachings [then] you are really my disciples...” (John 3:31). Many people call themselves Christians today but their life doesn’t measure up because they don’t live it. Many people call Jesus their Savior but not Lord. Many people just consider their Christianity a fire insurance policy. “Yes,” I’m a Christian--but there is no growth shown--no transformation from their sinful lifestyle. People judge Jesus by what they see in Christians. People say, “Well, if that is what a Christian is, then I don’t WANT to be one.”
Do we show growth in the fruit of the Spirit--Do we have any evidence of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control??? People who are unsaved want to see the GENUINENESS in Christians. Sometimes we have to hang our head in embarrassment and say, “I’m afraid I didn’t act very much like a Christian today--I blew it again.” One of the first keys to seeing our family and friends come to Jesus is for them to see that He has made a difference for us. That we are living overcoming lives--not bogged down by the same sins they are struggling with because the “Son has set us FREE indeed.” If we say we believe something we don’t want to compromise our convictions.
Say, “Lord, am I living the life that you want me to live? Am I free from the destructiveness of sin myself? Am I genuinely walking with You as I should be walking?” If not, it’s time to deal with the sin issue. He’s there to get us back on track.
2. Information: People who are not yet a Christian need information. Jesus was always going from place to place teaching people the truth. Whether on a hillside or in a boat or in an out of the way village--He was out among people teaching. He taught by example, by lessons from life illustrations, by things that people could understand. Some people need BASIC INFORMATION. How does a person go about coming to the Lord? Could you explain it? Could you lead someone in a prayer of salvation? Could you explain to them what it means? Some people just need the BASIC INFORMATION.
Other people have received MIS-INFORMATION.
STORY: A teenager came to his Dad and said,
“Dad, I got saved.”
His Dad said, “Hey, son
that ain’t one of them
snake handlin’ churhes is it?"
His son answered, “No, DAD!”
People hear things about Christians and about churches that are not true. So we have to be able to clarify and correct MIS-INFORMATION for people.
Some people, on the other hand, just LACK INFORMATION like when Nicodemus came to Jesus and asked, “How can a person be born again? I don’t understand this. I just don’t get it.” And Jesus was there to fill in the gap in information. You are in a strategic place to help someone. If you have been in church anytime at all, you should know the plan of salvation, some basic scriptures and where they are found in the Bible so you can:
1. Give Information
2. Correct Mis-Information
3. Fill in the gaps of Lack of Information
Look for ways this week that you can get correct information to people. How can you do this? Casual conversation, seed planting with a story that a person could relate to, an answer to a prayer, a book, a tape, a scripture that helped you--there are all kinds of ways. We have to be the ones who plant the seed. Look for opportunities--and ask God to send opportunities.
3. Praying for People: How do you pray for people? Do you just pray, “Lord, touch my family?” If so, what does that mean? Do you want the Lord to touch them on the arm? To pat them on the back? What kind of a prayer is that? I think one of our problems in prayer is that we pray in too general a way. We need to be SPECIFIC. What is really keeping a person from the Lord? What is the hindrance or root problem? People come up with all kinds of excuses why they are not a Christian.
offenses--got hurt once
hypocrites--too many hypocrites
counterfeits--not genuine
no need for salvation--can save myself
simply like to sin
Some people are BITTER at God. Why did God let something happen? For some it is an addiction or alcohol problem that is keeping them from God. What is the ROOT problem? Pray against the specific hindrance that may be standing in their way. Focus on specific things. Don’t just say, “Lord, touch them.”
Pray, “Lord, I come against the alcohol problem that is the root cause or the bitterness. I take authority over it in the Name of Jesus. I bind it and rebuke it and command it to be dealt with and go. Free this person from the slavery of sin.”
How do you pray?--SPECIFICALLY
How often do you pray--not just once in awhile. Do you have a BURDEN to pray for someone? An urgency to pray? You might say, “Not really.” Ask the Lord to lay someone on your heart.
How often do you plant a seed--consistency makes a tremendous difference.
Prayer begins to change a person from the inside out. It breaks up the hardness of heart, it brings the conviction of a need to get right with God, it brings a confrontation for a person to make a decision. Don’t just bug people about coming to church all the time. As a sinner, there is probably nothing that interests them. People think that church is the only place a person can get saved.
Peter came to the Lord on a fishing trip. Nathaniel was under a tree, Zaccheaus was up a tree, Nicodemus on a one-to-one visit with Jesus at night. People can come to the Lord outside the four walls of the sanctuary. You are there to assist them--build a relationship with people who don’t know the Lord yet. Listen to them--learn how to pray for them--learn how to be there. You can win people to the Lord right where they are. Don’t BUG them. RELATE to them in ordinary language. People who haven’t been in church don’t understand CHRISTIAN LINGO. Just talk to them in down to earth language. Relate to people with what they are familiar with. What interests them? What are their hobbies? What do they like to talk about? Are you willing to be a friend of people even if they don’t ever choose to come to the Lord? Think about it. What do you do if they say, “I don’t want to be a Christian? Do you drop them like a hot potato? People don’t want you to treat them like they are a MISSION PROJECT. I’ll be your friend if I think you are making progress toward being a Christian. If not, I’m not going to waste my time. I don’t think Jesus would have said that.
Sometimes we feel we have to close the case immediately by saying in a super spiritual way, “Have you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior?” And the person is overwhelmed and is thinking, “I don’t know what he’s talking about. Let me get out of here. If feel trapped.”
STORY: Several years ago I went to a church with someone and went forward to receive communion. It was a big church with a lot of people and I was unfamiliar with their ways. When I got back to my seat, I found I was in the wrong row and the people made me move. I prayed, “Lord get me out of here.” I was embarrassed and felt like I was trapped. Church can be very intimidating for people if they don’t know the order of worship or the songs and don’t feel comfortable there in the first place.
The Lord will give you some time to prepare the way. We don’t want to trick people into receiving the Lord. We want to see the genuine transformation take place. We need to use wisdom.
Story: The story is told of a man being invited to church time after time.
Finally one Sunday morning he showed up for church.
Someone said, “My God, man, what are you doing here? The roof is going to fall in!”
Sometimes we use a lack of wisdom in what we say to people especially if they are not comfortable in the first place.
CONCLUSION: I am sure there are many other keys to seeing our family and friends come to the Lord. See what you can do with these three this week. As you go into a new week
1. Make sure you are living the life before people
2. Be available to give information, correct mis-information, fill in the gaps for lack of information. That means you will need to study “to show yourself a workman that needeth not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth” (II Timothy 2:15).
3. Pray SPECIFICALLY and fervently for people. James says,“the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous [person] availeth much”(James 5:16)
Let us Pray:
