Greg Laurie - Evangelism, Jesus Style (07/11/2017)
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Pastor Greg Laurie shares how Jesus evangelized the woman at the well in John 4, showing us a compassionate, tactful way to share the Gospel. He stresses that evangelism isn't optional for believers—it's a command that brings real joy—and uses his own bathroom story plus a powerful testimony to encourage us to be ready anytime God opens a door.
Evangelism Jesus Style – A Command, Not an Option
Good morning. Let's pray together. Lord we are glad to be here. We are looking forward to what You will say to us from Your Word. Because Your Word is alive and it is powerful. And it is sharper than any two-edged sword. And Lord Your Word not only resonates in our heart but it even resonates in the heart of the person that doesn't know You yet. Because it is still Your Word. We want to bring Your Word. We want to bring the Gospel to our culture. Help us to know how to do that more effectively. Speak to us as we open the Scripture. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Alright. You can be seated. Well good morning to everybody. Good morning. Grab your Bible and turn to the Gospel of John chapter 4. We are doing a little three part series on the topic of sharing our faith. This is part 2. Next Sunday is part 3 where we are going to talk about overcoming your fears and having the courage and the power to share the message of the Gospel.
But today the title of my message is Evangelism Jesus Style. You know I don't know if you have ever been to Hawaii. How many of you have been to Hawaii before? I love Hawaii. I had the opportunity to live there when I was a kid in the early 60s. And over in Hawaii they have something called Island Style. And it sort of kicked back. They say, hey man. Do it Island Style. They even have their own language. They call it Pigeon English. They say, hey bro. You know the kind. Do it Island Style. Basically they are all stoned. I think that is what it is. No I am kidding. But you know it is a relaxed approach. Island Style.
Well I want to talk about Evangelism Jesus Style. Because there was not a greater communicator than Jesus Christ. Now that almost seems like a duh statement of course. But here is my point. Sure He is God. Sure He is our Savior. Sure He is the Lord. But He also was a great communicator and gave us a template that we can use when it comes to sharing our faith with others. Hence the title Evangelism Jesus Style.
Why Evangelism Makes Us Nervous – But It's Still a Command
I will tell you what. When you even bring up the word Evangelism it makes a lot of people very nervous. Your mouth goes dry. You are afraid to do it. You know the number one fear that most Americans have above every other fear is public speaking. How many of you have the fear of public speaking? Raise your hand. Okay. I want you to come and give us a speech. Come on. No I can't. No but you know it freaks us out. In fact in studies that are done they find the fear of public speaking is even greater than the fear of death. Always found that interesting. Okay. You can die or speak publicly. Kill me now. But that is how we see it.
So the idea of going to a complete stranger and talking to them about God freaks us out a little bit. And then even going to friends or family maybe even freaks us out a little bit more. But I hate to break this to you. Evangelism is not an option for a follower of Jesus Christ. You and I are commanded by the Lord Himself to go into all the world and preach the gospel. It was never a mere suggestion of Jesus that we, His followers, go and make disciples of all nations. It was and is His command.
Listen to this. If I am His disciple then I am commanded to make disciples of others. And if I am not making disciples of others then I am not being the disciple He wants me to be. For many the great commission as it is called has become the great omission. Some of us can't even remember the last time we engaged someone with the gospel message.
I want to tell you something. If you miss everything else I say hopefully you will catch this. Evangelistic Christians are the happiest believers I know. Let me say it again. Evangelistic Christians, i.e. those that share their faith with others, are the happiest Christians I know. The unhappiest Christians I know are the nitpicky kind. The ones who in the words of Jesus strain at gnats and swallow camels. They are so busy arguing theological minutia they miss the big picture.
They would be like a group of firefighters arguing about what hose to use when the house is on fire and people's lives are in danger. Man just plug in the hose and go to work and put out the fire. And we are living in a time where people's lives are on fire. And to be more biblical they are headed to the lake of fire. And we want to do everything we can to reach them with the gospel.
The Joy That Comes from Sharing the Gospel
But listen. There is a joy in it. There is a joy in telling others about Jesus. I don't know what happens exactly. But when you sort of gather your thoughts and focus yourself and begin to tell a person about who Christ is there is an excitement and a passion that sometimes you are rediscovering truths you have forgotten. As you are describing them to others you are sort of re-getting them yourself if you will.
John wrote in 1 John 1 verse 4 that he derived great personal joy by sharing this message with others. He says, We write to you so our joy may be made complete. You know people thank me for preaching. Greg, thank you for preaching. Thank you for the work you put into it. I am going to tell you a little secret. I like to preach. I enjoy it. I find joy in it. I find joy in taking the message of the Word of God and sharing it with others and seeing others blessed as a result.
And I can tell you there have been many times when I have stepped up to this pulpit and my spiritual fuel gauge is close to empty. Because it has been a busy week. I am a bit depleted. I am a bit tired. Who knows what it is. But whatever it is I am not full of vim and vigor. I don't even know what vim and vigor is. But I am not necessarily full of it. Don't start thinking about other things that you think I am full of. I am full of the Holy Spirit, man.
Okay listen. You are too. But I have started many a sermon on empty and ended it on full. You know why that is? Because Jesus says, given it shall be given to you, pressed down, shaken together, and running over. And with the same measure you give it will be given back to you. You see there is joy in sharing this message.
Over in Proverbs 11:25 it says, Those who refresh others are themselves refreshed. Put it to the test. Go out there and just start engaging people and you tell me if you don't find joy as a result.
Living the Message Before We Share It
But listen. Before you do this you need to live it. Before you preach it you must live it. Billy Graham made this statement and I quote, We are the Bibles the world is reading. We are the creeds the world is needing. We are the sermons the world is heeding. End quote. People are watching you. They want to make sure that you are really living it.
So we need people today who walk and talk with Jesus Christ. People who before they speak a single word are living a life that gives an evidence that they have truly been with Jesus. But let me add something else. This message we are to bring. There is an urgency about it. The gospel is only good news if it gets there in time. So we need to get it there in time.
In fact the Bible even says, Be instant in season and out of season. That is King James. A modern translation puts it this way and I like this. Be on duty at all times. You never know when God will call.
I am telling you the Lord has opened doors for me to share the gospel in some very unusual environments. In fact here is a story. A true story. Some of you will have a hard time believing this story. But it is true. I have told it before. But if you have never heard it before I want to tell you about the time that God used me in the men's room. In a department store.
God Can Use You Anywhere – Even in a Bathroom Stall
I had to go to the restroom. I hope that doesn't come as a shock to some of you. So I walked in and I took my seat in one of the stalls. You see. And so I am sitting there and please don't get a visual. Don't. Don't. Don't. Oh I am so sorry I have gone down this road already. And I hear someone in the stall next to me clear their throat. I don't talk to people in bathrooms. My objective is to get in and out as quickly as possible.
He clears his throat. Then he speaks and he says, Hi. My response is like, Hey. He says, Were you supposed to meet me here? I thought, Uh oh. I said, No. He seemed disappointed. I said, Oh. Well now I am curious. I said, Well you were going to meet somebody here. And he said, Well someone had something for me.
And I said, I want to know now. What did they have for you? He said, I was going to buy drugs. And then I thought, Could this be an open door of opportunity to share the gospel? And then the other question came to my mind. Is it possible to be used by God in a bathroom stall? I decided the answer was yes.
So I said, Well I don't have drugs for you but I have something better. He said, What? I said, A personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Then I thought, I can't do this in a bathroom. And here is what he says. I am not making any of this up. He says, Oh. I already tried that.
You already tried that? Oh yeah. I tried the whole Christian thing. Well if you don't mind me asking, Where did you go to church? This is what he said. I went to Harvest Christian Fellowship. I thought, This is just funny. I said, Do you know who I am? He said, No.
I said, I am Greg Laurie, the pastor at Harvest Christian Fellowship. Here is what he said. Oh my God. I said, Buddy, God must really love you to send your pastor to stop you from making a drug buy. Okay. So I was done with the bathroom evangelism. I said, Look, I will meet you outside.
So I waited. I did not know what he looked like, but he was easy to spot because he was the guilty looking guy. And so we stopped and talked. In fact it was where the socks were sold. We stood by the socks. And we prayed. And he made a recommitment to Christ. So you never know when God will use you. Be on duty at all times.
Learning from Jesus and the Woman at the Well
So there was never a better communicator than Jesus Christ Himself. And we don't have a better example of it than the story before us here in John 4. This is the story of Christ and the woman at the well. She didn't know the Bible. She was not educated. She made a lot of bad moral decisions in life, including being married and divorced five times. And she was living with a man at the moment.
Now nowadays that is not unusual necessarily. But in these days that was scandalous. So what did Jesus do with her? Well He didn't condemn her. And He didn't blow her out of the water. What He did was He reached out to her showing us that what we want to do is be a stepping stone not a stumbling block.
Let me say that again. Our objective is to be a stepping stone not a stumbling block. Our objective is to be a bridge not a barrier to others coming to Christ. He identified the real issue, that sin, that emptiness in her life that drove her to this immoral lifestyle. He didn't get the cart before the horse. He got to the source of the problem.
No wonder Jesus was called the friend of sinners. You know after Matthew the tax collector came to faith he invited all of his fellow tax collectors over and other notorious sinners. And then it says that Jesus was the friend of sinners. Then the Pharisees got upset. Why do you hang out with these ungodly people?
Well here is the answer. How are you going to help an ungodly person become a godly person if you don't communicate with them? There was something about Jesus that attracted the nonbeliever. There was something about Him that said to the person who didn't believe yet, here is where you can come.
And I want you to notice He met her where she was. There were no preconditions. So let's find out how to do evangelism Jesus style.
John chapter 4 starting in verse 3. He left Judea and departed again to Galilee, but he needed to go through Samaria. Please underline that verse. He needed to go through Samaria.
Starting with a Burden for Lost Souls
So he came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being weary from his journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. That would be 12 noon.
And Jesus said to her, excuse me, verse 7, A woman of Samaria came to draw water. And Jesus said to her, Give me a drink. For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Then the woman of Samaria said, How is it the Jew, being a Jew, would ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman? For the Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.
Jesus answered and said to her, If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that says to you, Give me a drink, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water. We will stop there.
Here is point number one if you are taking notes. And the points are on the screen as well if that helps. Point number one. If you want to do evangelism Jesus style, you start with a burden. It starts with a burden. A concern for lost people.
It was Spurgeon that once said, excuse me, Moody actually, who said, Winners of souls must first be weepers of souls. Look at verse 4. He needed to go through Samaria. Now if we don't understand the culture of the time this verse is not all that significant.
But here is what you need to know. Jews and Samaritans didn't get along. They didn't communicate with each other. You could even take it a step further and say they effectively hated each other. No Orthodox Jew would ever go through Samaria for any reason.
Yet verse 4 says he needed to go through Samaria. Why? Because it was a shortcut? No. He needed to go there because there was a woman in need. A burned out immoral woman that needed to hear the gospel. So he needed to go because he cared about her. A divine appointment was waiting.
It was decided in the councils of eternity that Jesus would go to this burned out girl. Now listen. We need to do the same thing. We need to go where people are. Who should we go to? Here is your answer. It is in John 3:16. For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son, that... What is the next word? Whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Who are we to take the gospel to? Here is that word again. Whosoever. Does that mean even... Yeah. Even them. Fill everyone needs to hear the gospel. No one is exempt. Whosoever.
And where do we need to go? Wherever. We need to go wherever to whosoever. And when should we go? Hey whenever. Even in the restroom. We need to go wherever to whosoever whenever God directs us.
Jesus was effectively going into enemy territory and overcoming what could be a personal prejudice. Though Christ did not share this. There is no room for prejudice in the life of the follower of Jesus. God may lead you to share the gospel with someone you are not comfortable with.
They are older than you. They are younger than you. They are in a lifestyle that specifically offends you. Or they are a different race than you. Or from a different social economic background than you. Or another country than you. Or they speak a different language than you. Or whatever it is. There is no room for prejudice or bigotry. Or to go to whoever with the message of the gospel.
I am not better than anybody else. I am just one beggar telling another beggar where to find food. So we need to go with some humility with this message that can change the life of the person we are speaking to.
Using Tact and Turning Conversations into Dialogues
Number two. If we want to evangelize Jesus style we need to use tact. If we want to evangelize Jesus style we need to use tact. Jesus the master evangelist used something many Christians seriously lack. Tact.
What is tact? It has been defined as skill and grace in dealing with others. Other words that are used for tact are diplomacy. Sensitivity. Isaac Newton said quote, Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy. I like that. Making a point without making an enemy. Being tactful about it.
You know some Christians they just start off so badly when they engage people. They will walk up to a nonbeliever. Hey you. Let me ask you a question. Are you saved? And they might even say it like the preacher says it. Are you saved? Friend are you saved? Hallelujah. And they are looking at you thinking I don't want to drink the Kool-Aid. You are drinking. Because you are weird.
I was in a market the other day. And the guy sees me and yells, Pastor Greg! Really loud. Hey. How is it going? You know. How are you doing? Yeah. We talked a little bit. That guy is a little odd. Ok. Whatever. You know he is a Christian. So fine. He is in the family. So I will be nice. But you know. Ok. Whatever.
So I am at the checkout place. Yes. I am getting my groceries. And the girl is checking me out. And this guy walks over to where we are. And really loud he says to the girl, You need a relationship with Jesus Christ and He is going to tell you how to get it. And he walks off.
The girl looks at me and says, Do you know him? I said, No. Not really. I said, You know what. Here is what I said. You might disagree with what I did. I said, Sorry. There are weird people out there. I apologize for it. Because you know he was untactful. And he didn't help me at all. He put me at a disadvantage by being so strange.
And people will do this. I was in a restaurant not long ago. And so I see some people eating two tables away from me. And the guy is eating the burger. You know. And the burger looked really good. I got some lame healthy sandwich. And I am coveting the burger.
So I walked by. And I said, Excuse me sir. Can I ask you is that burger good? And he goes, Yeah. It is really good. I said, Maybe I will get it next time. And the girl says, Wait. Are you Pastor Greg Laurie? I said, Yes I am.
She goes, Oh. I am a Christian. I said, That is fantastic. She says, This is my husband. He is not a Christian. The guy is standing there holding the burger like this. And you want to talk about a deer caught in the headlights. And here I am. The preacher. And I am going to now rain gospel fire on him.
You might be surprised to know that I didn't do it. I said, Well you know it is nice to meet you. Hope you enjoy your burger. You see I think there is a right and a wrong time to do this. And sometimes when it is really confrontive you know you might say, I am not going to do it here. But then the next time I will do it unexpectedly.
But tact man. Both these people lack tact. It is saying the right thing at the right time. In the right way I might add. Be tactful.
Here is another thing. If you want to share the gospel Jesus style. it is a dialogue not a monologue. Now right now this is kind of a monologue. You know you have to sit there and listen. You don't have to. I am glad you came. But mainly I stand here and I talk. You know.
But when I talk to people one on one when I am out and about I don't do it this way. I don't walk up in the pulpit. Hey let's turn in our Bibles to John 3. You know I want to do that. I don't do that. That would be weird wouldn't it. I just talk to them.
I will ask them a lot of questions. I will get to know them. I will draw them out before I say anything to them. I want to engage them. And so it is a dialogue not a monologue. And that is how we need to engage in one on one evangelism for the most part.
There are exceptions to it where the Lord may just have you go for it. But there are other times where you just engage a person. I want to tell you something. Everybody's favorite subject is themself. Everybody loves to talk about themselves.
What is the most popular form of photography today? Selfie. Right. What is a selfie? It is you. Here I am doing this. Here I am doing that. You are holding your phone out. Taking a picture of yourself. That is just the way we are. Ok.
So people love to talk about themselves. So ask them about themselves. Tell me about yourself. What do you think about this. What do you think about that. Then after they talk for a while you start sharing what you believe.
I think sometimes we are like evangelism machines. We are like little robots. You need to believe in God right now. And you know stop doing that. Be a real person. Be caring. Be loving. Engage a person. Meet them on their level. Start the conversation by listening.
This is not about winning an argument but winning a soul. I have seen people that have brushed up in their apologetics. They know their verses. A person comes up with a question. They fire back. They blow them out of the water and walk away feeling very happy with what just happened.
That is not effective communication. Yeah you won the argument man. You won. But you did not win that soul. I would rather take the time and win the soul. That is evangelism Jesus style. We need a tactful engaging approach.
Jesus Met Her Where She Was – Showing Vulnerability
So he engages her. Look at what he says. He asks her for a drink of water. Now you have to almost put yourself in the mind of the woman. Okay. Here she is. Probably a very attractive girl. She has been married and divorced five times. Right. And she is probably getting on in years. Because sometimes time has elapsed here. She is probably not quite the beauty she used to be.
In fact the guy she is with now he won't even marry her. He is just living with her. Right. So she has this kind of thing with men. She is thinking men are going to meet the need of her life. There are girls like that. A man is going to rescue her. A man is going to do everything for her. And apparently this didn't work out.
So she has gone to the well if you will of marriage. The well of sexual pleasure. The well of fulfillment. Five times and found nothing. So that is why she goes to this well in this city at twelve noon. Because you see normally the girls would go to the well early in the morning to draw their water. And you would catch up on the latest town gossip. Hang out for a little while and go back home.
But she wasn't welcome there. She was an outcast. She was immoral. So she went to the well alone at twelve. There was usually no one there because it was really hot. So she has got her water pot. She is carrying it there. Maybe it is on her head, on her shoulder. She is making her way to the well and she sees a stranger.
And it is a man. There is a man by the well. And even more he is a Jewish man. Oh this is going to be a confrontation. I know it. And so she has got her armor on and she is ready. And she walks up to Him and is kind of looking at Him.
And Jesus totally disarms her. Look at what He does. Verse 13. He tells her, He says to her, Can I have a drink? And then He says, Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again. But whoever drinks of the water I give him will never thirst. But the water I give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.
Hey. He could have just cut to the chase and said, Hey girl what is up? I am God. You are not. You are sinful. And I am holy. Here is what you need to do to change. Would that have been technically accurate? Yes. Would that have been tactful? No.
He doesn't do that. He just gives her a little truth. You know people are not always ready for the full open fire hose. Sometimes just a little. Just a little taste. He is sort of trying to get her attention. You know. Draw her in. Hey. If you drink of this water you will thirst again.
He is entering her world. And I might also add He was showing a vulnerability. He is revealing His humanity. Showing a vulnerability. Yes. Jesus got hungry. Jesus got tired. And Jesus got thirsty. Bottom line He was thirsty.
Now could He have gotten water for Himself? Sure. But by asking for a drink from her He was sort of offering an accessibility. I don't think it is a good thing when we come off like know-it-alls. And whatever a person says to Jesus, that is so stupid. Let me give you a biblical response now.
You know have a little humility. I mean here is the Lord of glory showing a vulnerability as He talks with this girl.
Adapting to the Person and Telling the Whole Truth
That brings me to point number three. To share the gospel Jesus style we must adapt to this situation. We must adapt to this situation. Look at verse 15. Other woman says, Give me this water that I may not thirst nor come here to draw.
So she is being flippant. He says, Hey if you drink of this water you will thirst again. But if you drink of the water I give you will never thirst again. Being now sarcastic. She says, Oh give me this water that I may drink and never thirst again or ever have to come here again to draw more.
Verse 16 Jesus says, Why don't you go call your husband and come here. Jesus says, Well I have no husband. He says, You got that right. You have had five husbands and the guy you are with right now you are not even married to. Bingo. Got her attention.
And she says, Sir I perceive that you are a prophet. You see sometimes before a person can fully appreciate the good news they have to first know the bad. And one of my concerns about some people's version of the gospel is they leave all the bad bits out and only put in the positive things.
They will say something along the lines of, Hey believe in Jesus and He will fill the void in your life and make you a happier person. And there will be a, you know, a spring in your step and your teeth will even be wider. And you will always find a parking space.
Now they don't literally say that. But the gist of it is this very positive, happy, uplifting kind of a message. And there are certain things about that message that are true. He will fill the void in their life. He will give them personal peace.
But what if you talk to somebody who is pretty happy at the moment. And they are saying, Well you know what I don't really think I have a void in my life as you say. And I don't really think I need this relationship with God. What are you going to do then? Oh well sorry. Bye.
No, no. Wait a second. You are missing the main issue. The main issue is not that Jesus can fill a void in their life. The main issue is they are on their way to hell to be separated from God for all eternity. And you have got to tell them that.
Before they can appreciate the good news they need to know the bad news. And the bad news is they are a sinner in need of a Savior. And Jesus does that. This girl is kind of blowing them off. Saying, Hey man you are living with a guy right now. She says, Whoa. How did you know that?
Sometimes we are afraid to tell the truth to someone. They might ask, Well okay. You know if I become a Christian let me ask you this. Do I have to stop sleeping with my boyfriend or girlfriend? And we are thinking, Oh I don't want to get into that. But I tell them they do. They will walk away.
Well no. Just tell them the truth. Yeah. If you become a Christian you would have to stop doing that. Well if I become a Christian I would love to go out and party on the weekend to get drunk. Would I have to stop that? Yeah.
You know what. If you become a Christian you would need to stop that. Just say it to them. It is the truth. But then I might add, But what God will give you in the place of those things will be so much better you won't miss. You know. So take them to that positive aspect of the gospel.
There is an element in coming to Christ called repentance. Peter preached of the multitudes there in the day of Pentecost. And he said in Acts 3:19, Repent and be converted that your sins may be blotted out. As my friend James Merritt says, quote, if you fess up to your mess up, Jesus will clean your mess up. Fess up. Confess it. Admit it.
No One-Size-Fits-All – Tailor Your Approach
Point number four. If you evangelize the Jesus way, you won't deal with any two people in exactly the same way. Again, if you evangelize the Jesus way, we will not deal with any two people in exactly the same way.
Listen. There is not a one size fits all approach to evangelism. Everyone is different. I mean check it out. Read John 3. Then read John 4. Here is Jesus engaging people. But a great contrast. John 3. It is a man. John 4. It is a woman.
John 3. It is a moral religious man. John 4. It is an immoral woman. It is not exactly the same. The way he approaches them is not exactly the same. But the result is the same. And the result is they both came to believe.
The woman pretty much on the spot. And the man, Nicodemus, a little bit later because we see him appearing in the narrative of the Gospels claiming the body of Jesus along with Joseph of Arimathea.
This is the idea of becoming all things to all men. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9, I become a servant of everyone so I can bring them to Christ. I try to fit in with them as much as I can. I try to find common ground with everyone so I can bring them to Christ.
A great way to start your conversation is by chumming a little bit. Do you know what chumming is? Do you remember this guy who was swimming somewhere off the coast in L.A. and he was bit by a great white shark. And do you know why he was bit by a great white shark? Because some guy was chumming off the pier.
A guy was trying to attract great whites. And he was throwing blood and guts into the water. So the great white is like, mmm, breakfast. And he comes and hears this poor guy just swimming along. Boom. Shark hits him. Didn't kill him thankfully. But the guy was chumming.
That is what attracted the shark. You know it is putting something in the water that attracts the fish. My wife hates this story but I will tell it. We were in Mexico years ago on a little anniversary trip. And so I rented a boat to take us out for a few hours to go fishing.
And I am not a great fisherman. But I thought we might catch something. And so we are out there and just cruising along. We just had our lines on the water. And we didn't get a single bite. And the guy even said, you know what, we always get fish. I don't know whether or not biting.
And so we are cruising. Still nothing is happening. Well Kathy gets seasick. She doesn't like to be on boats. So she leans over the side and throws up. And the fish start biting. I am not kidding. We are getting hit. Hit. Boom. Pulling him in. Pulling him in.
I said, keep doing that. It is like you are chumming. This is amazing. You see why she doesn't like that story. I will do another message on how to have a good marriage. And point number one is, don't tell stories that embarrass your wife.
So how do we chum? Well instead of just hitting him with both barrels of the gospel gun up front, we just say, hey, you know what, man? God really blessed me the other day. What? Oh you know what? The Lord just answered a prayer. He just answered a prayer. It was so amazing.
Or wow, you know what, as I look at what is going on in the world right now, crazy things happening, I am telling you what, Bible prophecy is being fulfilled before our eyes. That is called chumming.
Now a person may say, I am not responding to that. But another person might say, well what do you mean God blessed you? What do you mean your prayer was answered? Well what in particular are you talking about when you say it is a fulfillment of Bible prophecy? Say I am just beating the hook a little bit. I am trying to pull him in.
I am just like Jesus at the well saying, hey give me a drink of water. Hey if you drink of this water you will thirst again. I am just trying to start the conversation. That is the idea. And then you take him to the next level.
Number five. Evangelism Jesus style means we stay focused. Evangelism Jesus style means we stay focused.
Now she is getting uncomfortable as this conversation progresses. And she wants to change the subject. And so she says in verse 20 of John 4, well our fathers worshiped on this mountain. And you Jews say that in Jerusalem. That is a place where one ought to worship.
A little historical background. There was an ongoing debate between the Jews and the Samaritans as to where God should be worshipped. The Jews believed God was to be worshipped in the temple in Jerusalem. The Samaritans had their own temple that they worshipped in.
For the record the Jews were right. The place to worship prior to the death and resurrection of Christ was the temple. So Jesus could have got into this. He could have argued this point. And this is sort of like when you are talking to someone and this subject suddenly turns to politics.
Well who did you vote for? And what do you think about this? Or do you think about that? And all of a sudden it is a political discussion. I am not there to talk politics with a person.
Or they start throwing those questions at you like, how could a God of love send someone to hell? What about the person who has never heard the gospel? Why is there suffering in the world? Okay. Those are legit questions.
But I am going to tell you something. Sometimes there is smoke screen to get you off the subject. So here is what I do. I try to answer the question as quickly as I can. Okay. Here is the answer. Boom. But let's come back to you.
What about the person who has never heard the gospel? Hey guess what? God loves the whole world. And that is his job to reach those people. And God will hold them accountable to the light they have received.
But listen. I am telling you right now about Jesus. So let's talk about your soul. You know so I bring it back. And that is what she was trying to do. Get him off topic. Always bring it back to the main topic.
Again this is a dialogue not a monologue. He is drawing her close. He is getting to the main thing.
Your Personal Testimony – A Powerful Tool
And here is another thing to consider. One of the most effective tools in your evangelistic toolbox is your personal testimony. What is that? Your testimony is your story of how you came to Christ.
Now some of us might feel like our testimony isn't all that exciting. I mean we can't all be Michael Franzese now can we? I mean is that not an amazing story. The guy is a made member of the mob. And he is in that whole culture. And he comes to Christ.
And we don't have a story like that. You know some of us were not gang bangers. We weren't alcoholics. We weren't drug addicts. We weren't criminals. And so we think our testimony isn't all that dramatic.
Wait a second. There is probably someone out there just like you. You might say, well actually instead of messing around in school I worked very hard. In fact I graduated with honors. And I earned these degrees. And I was very successful. But then I saw my need for Jesus Christ.
Even though I tried to be a moral person I realized morality wasn't enough. That is a testimony man. That will preach. Because there is going to be someone who isn't going to relate to the Michael Franzese. They are not going to relate to the drug addict.
They are going to say, well that is good. They found religion. But I am not that person. I am moral. I am good. And you come along and you say, hey I was that person, moral and good. But I needed Jesus too. Every testimony is valid. So use it.
Because listen. They can argue with things you say. They can argue with verses you quote. But no one can argue with your personal story. They can say, that is not true. Because it is true. It is your story.
A lot of times I start with a personal testimony. Before I even get going I begin there. Because by sharing my testimony it gives me a way to sort of preach to them without preaching at them. See.
So in other words instead of me saying you need to do this. Here is what Jesus says. I just say hey I went to a service and I heard the pastor say or however you came to faith. I needed to turn my life over to Christ. And I didn't believe it at first. And I didn't think it would work for me.
Then you share your story. Then I believed and here is what took place. See you are kind of taking them on the journey with you. And they are sort of seeing it through your eyes. Very effective.
Paul the apostle was a great orator. He was a brilliant intellect. Yet in most occasions when Paul spoke publicly he started with his testimony. And he had an amazing testimony as he was converted there on the Damascus road. Use your testimony.
But here is a couple of tips about using it. Number one. Don't glorify or exaggerate your past. Don't glorify or exaggerate your past. I have heard some people's testimonies that get more dramatic with the passing of time.
Maybe I heard it ten years ago and it went one way and now I am hearing it today. And it is wow. A lot of stuff I hadn't heard. Is that stuff you just left out or did you just make it up.
And another thing when you are sharing that testimony don't talk about what you gave up for him. Talk about what he gave up for you. I have heard testimonies where people make the past sound better than the present.
Yeah man I was into all this stuff and there were like women and there is money and there are cars and it was amazing. And then I came to Jesus and took up the old rugged cross. Hallelujah. And now I just go to church. Go out and eat. Go to sleep. Go to church some more.
You are not telling your story right. You are making your past sound better than your present. Don't tell me what you gave up for God. You gave up nothing. You gave up garbage. Jesus gave His life up for you.
That brings me to my third point about sharing your story. Your story is merely a bridge to the greatest story ever told. And that is the story of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Paul said, I don't want to hear anything else among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Let's be careful that in our attempts to cross over we don't end up not bringing the cross over. It is the cross. It is His death. It is His life. It is His resurrection. That is the message.
Give Him the good news. But also you will need to give Him the bad news. Then tell Him how to come into this relationship with God.
Someone asked the great British preacher C.H. Spurgeon if he could put in a few words his Christian faith. And I love this because Spurgeon was such a great orator. But he said this. Yeah. I can put it in four words. Jesus died for me.
You know that much. Hey you know John 3.16 right. Let's say it together. Great. Listen. You are armed and dangerous. I don't know that much. You know John 3.16. That is the beginning. You know more than you think you know.
And I think if you were put under pressure you would even be surprised by what you might find yourself saying and doing.
A Modern Example of Bold Faith – Naghme Abedini
Now I am going to close with a story. This last week we had an amazing woman whose name is Naghme Abedini out for my wife's series that she is doing called Girl Talk. Naghme's husband is Saeed Abedini. And they are both from Iran. And they both came to faith in Jesus Christ.
And they were living in the United States in all places in Boise, Idaho. And they had a great life. They had become American citizens. But Saeed her husband who is a pastor here wanted to go back to his home country. He wanted to share the gospel with other Iranians.
So he worked it out with the government. They gave him permission to come. He was going to be involved in some kind of relief work. But things turned sour. And as you probably know Saeed is in an Iranian prison right now. He has been treated horribly. He has been beaten without mercy. And he keeps preaching the gospel.
Nagme told me that she has heard back from other wives of prisoners in the same place that talk about how Saeed is sharing Jesus with everyone. In fact she has heard it said if Saeed would stop talking about Jesus it would let him out of the prison. But Saeed won't stop. Ok. So that is an amazing thing.
Now Nagme is not a pastor. She is not a preacher. She is a mother. She is a housewife. And on an earlier trip before Saeed was arrested, they were going to visit a house church leader. And they were grabbed by the Revolutionary Guard.
So in this story she talks about what happened on that day and the choice they were forced to make. So turn your attention to the screen for this interview with Naghme Abedini.
Well early on around our marriage Saeed and I got a phone call around noon from a house church leader and he was very scared. He said, I feel like I've been followed all day. Something bad is about to happen to me. Can you come over? I need prayer.
So Saeed said, we'll come around midnight. We went to his house around midnight, knocked at his door. And so as soon as we knocked at his door and he came out, we were attacked by these Revolutionary Guards.
And I'm thinking, this is a dream. This can't be real. And just shoved us into these cars. Took us down these alleys and to this, I guess, interrogation place where there was a lot of rooms and in the middle was a courtyard. And you could, there was windows where you could see into the courtyard.
We were handed out from door to, you know, room to room, questioned, told to deny our faith. And finally, the big interrogator, like around 3 A.M., like three hours later, came and he was the boss of that place.
And he said, your final chance. And I'm sitting here. Saeed's next to me and the house church leader is next to him. And we have people pointing guns at us, to my head. And the interrogator's sitting in front of me and he says, you say you're a Muslim, you go free right now. You go home with your husband. You say you're a Christian, you will go to women's... And he said, you will die.
And I was kind of thinking, I don't know. And so he kind of expanded on that. He, like, I feel like the fear. He said, and he's talking very angry and he's saying, and it won't be an easy death. You're going to go to women's prison. You're going to be tortured, raped, and you will die. It's not going to be pretty. And you will be separated from him.
And so I'm thinking, well, I've been going to church for a long time, but how real is Jesus? This guy right here with the gun is real. And this guy in front of me is real. And for a second, and it was only a few seconds, I was really like, how real is Jesus? I don't know if...
I think as Christians, a lot of times we know he's real, but then there's a time where it's life and death. And you think, okay, how real is my faith? How real is it? Would I be willing to, you know, die for it?
And I felt I didn't have the faith, but I felt God telling me, don't deny me and I won't deny you. I will deliver you. And so it just opened my mouth. It was, I did, I didn't even want the words to come out. And it just came out and said, I'm a Christian.
And the guy said, okay, your testimony is your conviction. It's like your crime, you're giving testimony about your crime. And so my testimony of how I became a Christian, he wrote it down. He was very mad. He said, you were brainwashed in by America. You were nine years old. Your brain wasn't fully developed and blah, blah. And he was just mad and mad.
And, and so I'm thinking, God, he's, how am I being delivered? This guy's getting angry. And then Saeed's turn came in later on. He said, I was thinking, what am I going to say? What am I going to say? And I saw you say I'm a Christian. I said, okay, I can say I'm a Christian.
He said, I got courage from you saying that. So, so he, his turn came and he said, I'm a Christian. And then he had to give his testimony. And the guy got really mad. Almost like I could see the people stoning Stephen. Yeah. I feel like he's going to stone us right now because Saeed grew up there. He became a Christian at a mature age in Islam. There's a certain age of maturity.
And the guy just couldn't, he just was angry. I could just see, see anger. He closed our case and said, you're done. And he had the guards take us. And as they were taking us, there was a battle inside of him. And he just said, stop. I need to talk to this guy.
He took Saeed to the courtyard and now, now, or the guards put us back and we're sitting back in our chairs and we're seeing into the courtyard. The house church leader tells me, let's just pray. And so we're praying and he's saying, Lord Jesus, we pray that you would give Saeed wisdom and shut his mouth so he's not sharing the gospel.
And just like, you know, just, I thought it was funny because he's praying that, that Saeed would not act, you know, dumb and share and that God would give him wisdom to stop. But I could see Saeed from the window that he's talking. And this guy's praying that he would stop, not talk.
About half an hour, 45 minutes later, they come out and here's the guards waiting to take us. And the guy just cannot hold back his tears. He's just like taking deep breaths. And he says, he rips up our folder and he says, just go.
He calls actually Saeed's parents to come pick us up. And as we're leaving, he said, he whispered into our ear. I said, can I have a Bible? Nagme said, the Revolutionary Guard said to her, your testimony is your conviction.
What a statement. If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? See, Nagme, she stepped up to the plate. This is not a preacher. This is a Christian who was bold enough to give the right answer.
And you know, God has opened up doors for her. She has appeared before some amazing groups of people. She has spoken to Congress. She has spoken to the United Nations. And she told me the story of how she was asked to speak because her husband is in prison right now.
And after she was done giving her talk about that, the Lord directed her to share the gospel. And she told them all, you will never find peace in this world until you first find peace with God. I love that. That boldness for Christ that she has.
So the next time you are feeling you have it hard as an American because someone laughs in your face, please get perspective. Do they have a gun up to your head saying, if you say you are a Christian you will be tortured and killed? Not usually. No.
The worst that usually happens is the walk away. I mean sure it can get physical. It rarely does. My point is you step up to the plate if Naghme Abedini can do it. Which she did. You can do this. Look for those opportunities. Be on duty at all times.
Invitation to Receive Christ Today
Well let us end this message and let me just say it would be absurd for me to talk about telling others about Jesus without giving people that are here right now an opportunity to come to Jesus. I mean we have basically shared the gospel with you.
Here it is. You are a sinner. You have broken God's laws. You have fallen short of His standards. But God loved you so much He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for you. And if you will turn from your sin and ask Jesus to come into your heart to be your Savior and Lord God will forgive you.
And you can go to heaven when you die and find a life worth living. Let me take it a step further. You will have a belief that is even worth dying for if necessary. That is what you are looking for. You are looking for purpose. You are looking for meaning in this life. You will find it all in Christ who stands at the door of your life right now and He knocks.
And if you will hear His voice and open the door He will come in. And I want to extend this invitation to you. If you have never asked Jesus into your life respond to this prayer invitation that I am now going to give.
So let us all bow our heads. And Father I pray for every person listening. Every person watching. I pray that Your Holy Spirit will show them their need for Jesus and help them to come to You. We pray.
Now when our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed and we are praying together. How many of you would say today, Greg pray for me. I want Jesus Christ to come into my life. I want Him to forgive me of my sin. I want to know that when I die I will go to heaven. I want Jesus. Pray for me.
If that is your desire wherever you are sitting. If you want Christ to come into your life. If you want your sin forgiven. If you want to go to heaven when you die. Would you lift your hand up wherever you are. And I will pray for you.
God bless you. Lift your hand up where I can see it please. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you everywhere. Now I can't see all of you. Maybe you feel a little funny raising your hand up with a screen. It doesn't matter if I see you. God sees you.
See raising your hand is a little step of faith. They are saying, I want this for myself. So wherever you are, wherever you are hearing this, just raise your hand up. God bless all of you that are doing it because I know some of you are.
Maybe there are some of you that have fallen away from the Lord. You know it is right and you haven't been living it. You need to come back to Jesus. Would you raise your hand up and let me pray for you please. You need to come back to Christ. Raise your hand up. God bless you. Anybody else? Raise your hand now. God bless you.
Now I am going to ask all of you that have raised your hand if you would please stand to your feet and I am going to lead you in a prayer. Just stand up right there at your seat. Stand up wherever you are.
If you are watching the screen stand up because we are going to pray together. Anybody else? Stand now. God bless you that are standing. One more moment. If you are going to stand, stand now. Maybe you did not Now raise your hand. You want to make this commitment or recommitment to Jesus. Stand up now and we will pray. Anybody else? God bless you. One final moment. Stand now. God bless you.
All right. You that are standing I want you to pray this prayer out loud after me. Again as I pray, pray this out loud right where you stand. Pray this now if you would.
Lord Jesus, Jesus, I know I am a sinner. But I know you are a Savior. And you love me. And you died on the cross for me. You gave your life for me. Now I give my life to you. I choose to follow you Jesus. Be my Savior. Be my Lord. Be my God. And be my friend. Thank you for calling me and accepting me. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
Amen. God bless you guys. God bless. Praise the Lord. God bless you.
Hey listen. You that just stood and prayed that prayer. I have a gift for you. It is called the Start Bible. Why do we call it this? Well it is about starting. It is sort of like the race. You are at the beginning of the race. Pistols fired. Start. So this is the new race you are in.
We want you to get started on the right foot. So we have a copy of this New Testament with notes that I wrote waiting for you. The Start Bible. I am going to ask all of you here that just prayed that prayer if you would please.
I want you to go to this room over here in the corner. We are going to be here for a few more moments. So if you just pray that prayer. Get up out of your seat. And if you look where I am pointing right now. There is a room there in the corner. That is our little chapel. Our counseling room.
We are going to talk with you for a few moments and give you the Start Bible. So you that prayed that prayer. Get up out of your seat. Go on over to the room. Right over there.
If you are outside in the amphitheater come around to the back of the sanctuary. Go to the same room. If you are up in the court building go to the front of the room where the screen is and we will give you the same Bible. So go ahead on over there and God bless all of you.
Well listen. We are going to continue our worship right now as we receive our morning tithes and offerings. Let's pray.
Lord we are so thankful for the gospel. It has changed our life. And it will change others. And we recognize that when we give to you we share in the fruit of what you are doing. We have skin in the game and we also have treasure in heaven when we give.
So I am praying for everyone that gives today. And I am praying for the gift that they bring. Be it large or small. Use it for your glory. Multiply it so more will come to hear the gospel. Because it is our world's only hope. We ask this in Jesus name. Amen.