"...Therefore the law was our tutor (schoolmaster) to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith" Gal 3:24
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Almost everybody believes that we are to ‘evangelize’ with our lifestyle. That we are to be examples of what we say we believe and influence people through relationships (Live by example), walk the talk, make Gospel attractive. This is all true, we cannot preach something that we don’t live. However, oftentimes we find ourselves trap in the mask of excuses of ‘silent witnessing’ and we never actually let people know what we believe and what we stand for. We cant be silent witnesses of Jesus Christ if we have not told upfront that we are disciples of Him. Once we tell people the truth of the gospel THEN, we follow that up with t life that confirms our believes.
The motivation in our hearts is not to condemn or judge people, but one of love because we don’t want them to be lost (On earth and eternity).
That moment, in which we actually tell people our story and we tell them what Jesus did (What the Gospel is all about) is perhaps the most difficult part of all. How do I tell to my coworker or roommate about God?, How do I tell it to a stranger at Starbucks? How do I even begin the conversation and how do I bring the conversation to spiritual things?
This is what this message is about. How did the great preachers in history did it? How did Paul and Peter did it? How Jesus did it?
Things to always keep in mind
Before we go into the meat of the message, lets review three things that we always need to keep in mind as we share our faith with someone:
Our role: We need to understand that we are not the ones who save. Only God through the Holy Spirit can bring someone’s heart to repentance and salvation. Our role is just to bring the good news and we may be just one of many people who participate in that process in someone’s’ life.
Using an agricultural analogy, 1 Cor. 3:5-17 tells us that The Lord gave to each one an specific role in the work of saving people. Some plant (By praying for someone’s salvation, by sharing a word of encouragement, by being an example, by sharing the Good News, by inviting people to church). Some others water (Sharing and teaching the word), but God is the one who gives the increase.
The recipient’s role: Even when we do everything we need to do. It comes down to a personal decision that each individual needs to make. Using a similar agricultural analogy (Matt 13: 1-23), Jesus told us that we, as the person who shares the faith are like the sower. The Gospel or Word of God is the seed and the people’s hearts who we speak to are the soil.
The message we bring can fall into the ‘wayside’; when someone hears the Word but does not understand it.
Also, it can fall into ‘stony places’; a heart that receives the Word with joy but because there is no root (Lack of daily growth and study of the Word) when trials and tribulations come, they fall away.
Another condition of the heart is compared to the seed that fell in ‘thorns’. This describes the person who hears the Word but the riches and worries of this world lead them to be unfruitful.
Finally, we have the seed that fell in ‘good ground’. This is the person who hears, understands and bares fruit.
Notice that this may be a long process on and all and the final proof of all based on Jesus’ words is the fruit.
God’s role. He is the one and only one who can draw someone to Himself.
The moment of truth
We want people to come to the knowledge of Jesus and salvation and receive this free gift from God. However, in today’s word there are many who claim to be a ‘Christian’ but deny it with their lifestyle. What do we do to bring people to TRUE conversion?
Someone explained it using the analogy of a blond man walking straight to a cliff. Before he fell, someone else comes along side and gives him this nice mp3 player so that he enjoys the rest of his journey. The blind man puts it on and indeed he enjoys the good music.. as he continues walking down to the precipice.
Another man comes along and tries to wanr him the he is walking straight to death, but the blind man cant hear him, because he has his ears covered with the mp3’s earpiece.
This is what happens to many today. In the 20th and 21st century, the gospel preached is a gospel of ‘life enhancement’ A gospel that talks about a god giving peace and love and comfort and prosperity. A god who doesn’t offend and is acceptant; a god that will solve all of their problems and make their walk nice. Yes, God is all of those things and he promises many blessings on earth. However, that’s not the center of the Gospel. Jesus came to save sinners from everlasting destruction, not just to make people happy. People are presented today with an erroneous idea about salvation, heaven and God and they think they are good enough to go to heaven, -just because they are ‘good people’ but they are walking straight to hell.
We don’t want this type of false conversion. We want to warn of the judgment to come and the severity (and reality) of hell and their sin). We want to bring them right to the edge of the cliff and throw a few rocks so that they can hear how deep and tragic the fall would be so that they turn away and save their lives.
Now, we are not talking about just condemning people and telling them ‘You are a sinner and you are going to hell if you don’t accept Jesus’. That’s not going to make much sense for them and it’s going to even make them to draw away from you. They will feel violated. We don’t want to water down the Word of God, but we want to use it in the right way; the way Jesus did.
Relate, Create, Convict, Reveal.
Now, this is not the only way to share the gospel, nor a rigid structure that you HAVE to follow. It is just a good set of principles based on how Jesus and Paul did it again and again throughout scripture. Your conversations can take many different ways, and therefore, different alternatives and moments to bring key truths will be available.
1. Relate
Take a look at John 4. Here we see how Jesus, first of all began the conversation with the woman at the well relating in the natural realm. He said “Give Me a drink”. He didn’t begin asking if she was going to hell or whether or not she was washed on the blood of the lamb. We can ask questions like: Hi, how are you?, Nice whether!, Nice car, Do you live around here? Etc. You can talk about sports, kids, school, music; any topic that can open up a conversation in a friendly casual way.
We cant initiate the conversation with heavy spiritual things without even having a ‘short’ relationship or conversation. Besides, 1 Corinthians 2:14 says that “the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
2. Create an opportunity
This is the turning point. This is where most of us have difficulty with. However, it may not be as difficult as it seems. In our text, after a conversation had began, Jesus answers “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again". He began introducing things of spiritual nature. We can do the same. Ask simple questions that can direct the conversation twards spiritual things. Questions like: “How was your weekend?.. Fine and yours?.. Mine was great, I went to church and… What about you? DO you go to church?
Also you can ask “what do you thing about God?” or “Do you have a Christian background?”
The conversation can either come to an end if they don’t want to talk about it or spread in a variety of ways in religious issues.
If the person is cooperating with you, soon you can find your way into asking them if they believe in heaven and whether or not they think they are going there when they die.
Most people will say that they are going to heaven because they are a ‘good person’
It is at this point where you can ask in a very polite, nice and even humorous way if you could ask a few questions to see weather or not this is true. I have done it and at this point people accept the challenge.
3. Convict
Following our text in John, we see how Jesus confronted the woman with the law. He faced her with the 7th commandment ‘thou shall not commit adultery’ by telling her that she had five husbands and the one she was living with at that point was not her husband. That’s when she replied: “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.” Jesus also did it with the rich young ruler and a few others.
So this is what we can do. Once the person agreed to have this little ‘Good person test', we ask some questions based on the law, the 10 commandments to show whether or not they are good people –under God’s standard.
Now, before we see those questions, we need to remember that we are not doing something rude or judgmental here. This is what the law is for. The law is not a set of regulation that we need to do to be saved, nor is it something that saves us. The law simply shows us that we are sinners in need of a saveior., The law brings us to the cross.
Romans 3:19-20 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Rom 7:7 I would not have known sin except through the law.
Gal 3:24 Therefore the law was our tutor (schoolmaster) to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
Psalm 19:7The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;
Romans 2:15 who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them)
1 Timothy 1:8 But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully,
People may know that they have done wrong thigs t others. But tru repentance comes when we realized that we sinned against God and His law. (David, Joseph, Prodigal son etc), Godly sorrow leads to repentance
So these are some questions you can ask. You don’t need to ask them oll, just three or four will do:
- Do you consider yourself a good person?
- Do you think you’ve kept the ten commandments?
o Have you ever told a lie?
o Have you ever stole something?
o Have you ever lusted?
o Have you ever used God’s name in vain? *&^%$
o Have you ever wanted someone’s possession?
o Have you hated someone?
After you had a few affirmative answers, you can tell the person that by their own admission they are (a liar, thief, adulterer, murderer at heart etc)
Notice you didn’t ‘judge them’ you just helped them to come to their own conclusion based on their truthful statements
The next question would be something like: Based on that, if you die today, do you go to heaven or hell?. Remind them that Hebrews 9:27 says “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,..”
(Click here for some Bible verses that deal with the issue of everyone’s sin.)
If the answer is hell, then you inquire if this concerns them at all and if they want to do something about it.
Often times their answer will be”: ‘I will go to heaven’. People think that because God is love and good, therefore they will be forgiven at the moment of judgment. At this point, you explain that God is a just God and, because he is just, He cannot leave sin unpunished.
The Bible has many many passages that talk about hell and eternal fire for those who practice sin.
Now if the conversation is going somehow the way we are describing. You are right at the moment you wanted them to be. They are at the edge of the cliff. You are helping them to understand what hell is and what they deserve. They may be ready to hear the GOOD NEWS!!
4. REVEAL (Give the answer)
- 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”. When a person has come to a place in their hear of humility and brokenness, they are ready to hear what Jesus did for them. That he received in Himself the punishment they deserve, that He paid the price, the fine, so that God’s wrath and justice can be fulfilled.
They are not just running free and forgiven and the moment of judgment. God is a just judge and will execute justice, but if your fine, your penalty was the one paid by Jesus, God the judge will see this a closed case because Jesus paid it all for you (I meant them too)
You explain also, how to receive this gift: By repenting (Change of mind; turn away), confessing and believing (being born again)
(Click here for some Bible verses that explain God's plan for salvation)
1 Timothy 2:4-5 ”[God], who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus”
Romans 5:8, "God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us!"
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
John 1:12-13 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
Acts 4:12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
At this point, it would be up to them to receive or reject and up the The Holy Spirit to work in their hearts for salvation. You can lead them in a prayer or just ask them to consider these things and encourage them to set aside a few moments sometime that day to reflect on this.
Summary
As I said before, this is not a rigid structure everyone needs to follow every time, it is just a useful guideline to preach to Good News in a Biblical way.
We can see similar examples in Matt9:2Jesus & the paralytic, Matthew 9:13, With Matthew… , Mark 10:18, The young ruler, Luke 13:1-5, Luke 19:1-10 Zacheus, John 3:14-20, John 5:14 and in Acts (Paul)
Challenge: Try this approach with 5 people. Give it a try and see how it works. Not only may God use you to bring the message to someone but you will find yourself more and more at ease and desiring to do it more. Also, you will be encouraged to learn more, find Biblical answers and be better prepared as you face new questions and things you may not have thought of before.
Good hunting!!
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