Greg Laurie - How to Lead Others to Jesus (08/07/2017)
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Pastor Greg Laurie continues the series on sharing faith by diving into John 4 and the woman at the well, showing how Jesus engaged her in conversation and revealed Himself as Messiah. Her simple testimony led many to believe. He stresses being ready for opportunities, telling your authentic story without exaggeration, focusing on what God did for you, using understandable language, and boldly asking people to receive Christ—because you never know when someone is ready to say yes.
The Great Commission – Our Calling to Share the Gospel
Let's grab our Bibles and turn to John chapter 4. John chapter 4. And we're doing a little series that we have one more part to. Next Thursday we're calling it Tell Someone Talks. And we're talking about sharing our faith.
I think we've all gotten the memo. In case you haven't seen it yet. It's in Matthew 28. We call it the Great Commission. To go into all the world and preach the gospel. Then Mark's version says making disciples of all nations. Actually Matthew's version says go into all the world and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And it's Mark's version that says go and preach the gospel.
So put them together. The Great Commission is as follows. Go into all the world and preach the gospel. Seek to lead people to Christ and to the best of your ability. Get them up on their feet spiritually and go repeat the process again. It's like rinse, repeat, rinse, repeat. Keep doing it until life is done here on earth.
Overcoming Fear of Failure in Sharing Faith
Now we're intimidated by this because we're afraid of failure. But I suggest to you opportunities are everywhere. I suggest to you that you may miss opportunities because you're not looking for them. Sometimes I've shared my faith with someone and fully expected them to respond in the affirmative. And they said no. Other times I've shared my faith with someone and fully expected them to respond in the negative. And they said yes. So you never know. So you have to keep your spiritual antenna up.
My Father's Salvation Story – A Surprising Yes
I've told you the story before of years ago when I had the opportunity to share the gospel with my father, Oscar Laurie, who adopted me. I've told you my mom was married and divorced seven times. So I had a full-time ministry sharing the gospel with her husbands. And I was able to share with quite a few of them, as a matter of fact, and lead two of them to Christ.
And so Oscar, who lived in New Jersey, had adopted me. And he was a good dad, but my mom left him one day. And I didn't see him for the rest of my childhood. And I found him later in life as a young adult when I had started pastoring. And it was my desire to tell him about what Christ had done for me. And we had had no communication for years.
And I found him through the Bar Association. There was no Google back then. Can you imagine such a thing? The no Google. Yeah, we had to actually use telephone books and phones and things like that. Well, anyway, so I located him in New Jersey. I called his office and I said, hello, is Oscar Laurie there? And the secretary said, he's out to lunch. Can I ask who's calling? And I said, it's Greg Laurie. She said, okay, Greg Laurie, how do you spell your last name? I said, the same way he spells his last name. L-A-U-R-I-E. This is his son.
So he calls me back quickly. And he was very happy to hear from me. And I told him I was going to be back in New York. And I was going to be speaking. And I would like to have lunch with him. He said, oh, no, come to our house for the weekend. I said, oh, I couldn't do that. Let me just have lunch with you. Oh, no, I want you to meet my wife and my family. He had since remarried and so forth. And so I agreed reluctantly. And I took my wife, Kathy, with me and our son, Christopher, who was just a little guy at that point.
We got off the train coming in from New York, arriving in New Jersey. There he was, looked almost identical to the way I remembered him, obviously older. And so we caught up on old times. And that night his wife, Barbara, made us a wonderful Italian meal. And I didn't mention my dad was a lawyer, a very intelligent man, a very well-read and educated man.
So one night, Barbara and his wife, after this great meal, said, Greg, tell us how you became a Christian. So I began to share my story, my testimony. And of course, my dad lived part of it, but he didn't know the second part, which got kind of crazy. And he was listening. And I talked about how I put my faith in Jesus. And the whole time I was speaking, he just sat at the other end of the table with his hands sort of pressed together like this, just looking at me. I felt like I was in a court of law. He was the judge. And I was dying right there. I thought, this is not going well.
A Life-Changing Walk and Prayer
And so I was all done. And the night had gone pretty late. And he said, Greg, can you walk with me in the morning? One thing I left out was he had had a heart attack. And he had blacked out behind the wheel and driven into a telephone pole and almost died. So now his heart was fragile. And he had to walk and change his diet and so forth.
So he knocks on my door. I'm staying there in his house the next morning. It's six in the morning, East Coast time, three o'clock California time. So I'm very groggy. So we're walking. The brisk New Jersey air is in our face. And my dad says, Greg, I listened very carefully to what you said last night. Right, right. And I want to accept Jesus Christ right now.
Well, you're talking about a wake up call. It was like three shots of straight Espresso. Boom. I thought, what? I said, Dad, do you understand what I said? Let me go over it again. So I went over it all again. He says, yes, I want to accept Jesus Christ into my life right now. He says, what do I need to do? I said, well, we need to pray. We're walking at this point. I said, we need to pray. He stops and drops to his knees.
I was not going to drop to my knees. This is a very reserved man. This is not an emotional man. And so he's on his knees in this park. So I get down on my knees next to him. I lead him in this prayer to accept Christ. And after we're done praying, he says, Greg, pray for my heart. Pray Jesus heals my heart. I said, sure, let's go for it. You know, so we prayed for his heart.
Then we're done praying. He says, Greg, my doctor's office is near here. Let's go over there. I want to tell him that I just became a Christian and God healed my heart. I said, no, wait, dad. I don't know if God healed your heart. Let's go talk to him. Okay. So we walk into his doctor's office, a nice Jewish gentleman. And he walks in. He says, doc, this is my son, Greg. He's a preacher from California. He might as well said I'm a lunatic. You have to understand how people view us from California and other parts of the country. Not always favorably. Okay. He is my son from California. He's a preacher. And I just asked Jesus into my heart. And I think God's healed my heart as well.
I'm thinking, oy vey. So the doctor says, now Oscar, we have to run some tests on you. And sure enough, he never had another heart problem again. And he lived 15 more years following the Lord. So it's great.
Always Be Ready – You Never Know Who Is Ready
I tell you that story to make this simple point. You never know when someone wants to accept the Lord. So you have to always be ready for those opportunities. That's why the Bible says, be instant in season and out of season. That's King James. A better translation says, be on duty at all times.
I read a story in the newspaper a while ago about a fisherman who was testing an outboard propeller on a lake in Ohio. And in the cove he saw a giant musculunge fish lurking near the surface. Biggest one he had ever seen. Here's a guy holding one of these crazy musculunge fishes. A fish. And so he motored toward it and cast out. And it wouldn't take the bait. And he tried it a few more times. He thought he wouldn't see it again. And then a little time passed. And this fish returns again.
And this guy just has the craziest idea. He puts on a leather glove. And he comes right up on the side of it. And he grabs it under the gills. It starts pulling it onto the boat. Now you have to understand, this thing is gigantic. This thing is over 53 pounds. He manages to get in the boat. Another fisherman sees him, assists him to get it in.
Now if he had used a rod and a reel, it would have been the biggest musculunge, or musky as they call him, ever caught. But because he did it by hand with a leather glove, it didn't count. They interviewed him in the paper and asked him what happened. And he said, well, I was at the right place at the right time. And I was fool enough to grab it.
That's what we need to be. Fool enough to grab it. Crazy enough to ask the question. After we've articulated our faith. Let me ask you something. Would you like to accept Jesus Christ into your life right now? We're so afraid to ask that question. Why? Well, maybe because we're afraid a person will say no.
Jesus and the Woman at the Well – John 4
Well, here in John chapter four, we have Jesus in a very familiar setting. He's with what we call the woman at the well. We don't know her name. Maybe it was Betty. I'm not sure. But we know she was an immoral woman because she had been married and divorced five times and she was living with a guy. And by the way, back then that was very scandalous. And so she was ostracized by the other women in her community.
Thus, she went to draw water at the well, sort of the public gathering place, at 12 noon when no one else would be there. All the other girls went early in the morning, caught up in the town gossip. She was not welcome. So she's going to get water and as she approaches the well, there's a stranger in town. Not only is he a stranger, he's not even a Samaritan. It's a Jewish man. Very unusual. Jewish men didn't hang around in Samaria. And he's just sitting there.
So she's bracing herself for a confrontation. As she goes to get water, it's Jesus who says to her, could I have a drink of water? She says, why would you, a Jew, ask for a drink of water from me, a Samaritan? Don't you know Jews don't have anything to do with Samaritans?
Jesus said, hey, if you knew who I was, you would ask me and I would give you living water. Where are you going to get this water, this living water? And then they begin to dialogue. He enters into a conversation with her, which reminds us that when you're trying to engage someone with the gospel, it's a dialogue, not a monologue.
Engage with Conversation – Not Confrontation
I've seen far too many Christians barrage people, sometimes yelling at them the message of the gospel and wondering why people turn around and walk away. Answer, because you are obnoxious. There's a right and a wrong way to do it. As I pointed out last time, if you want to win some, learn to be winsome. Let me put it another way. Be nice. Be pleasant. Be conversational. Talk to a person. Listen to a person. Ask a person questions. Listen to their answers. Engage them. That's what Jesus was doing.
Hey, Jesus could have said, hey you, immoral woman, come here. I'm God. You aren't. Repent. End of story. Goodbye. He could have said that. Would that have been technically true? Yes. Would that have been the way to win a soul that hot afternoon? No. Instead he engages her. She's curious. And then the conversation shifts. And she is having her heart begin to open.
And she says in John 4:25, I know Messiah is coming, who's called Christ. When he comes, he'll tell us all things. Jesus says to her, I who speak to you am he. Loose prayer phrase, girl. You are talking to the Messiah. And she believes right there on the spot.
You know how long it takes to believe in Jesus Christ? It can happen so quickly, I don't even know that you could measure it in time. It doesn't take months. It doesn't take weeks. It doesn't take hours. It can happen in a flash, in a moment, as it did for her.
Her Testimony Sparks Revival in the City
What does she do? She immediately goes into town and shares her story. Look at John 4:28. She left her water pot, went into the city, and said to the men, come see a man who told me all things I ever did. Could this be the Christ?
Listen. These people knew, knew her story. They knew who she was. She had what we call a reputation. But she goes and tells them, and they've seen the change in her countenance. The change in her manner, that hard shell, that meanness is gone, and this woman is full of joy and excitement.
And that brings me to point number one, if you're taking notes. And that is simply telling your story is a powerful bridge for the gospel message. Telling your story, also known as your testimony, is a powerful bridge for the gospel message. In fact, it's one of the most powerful tools in your evangelistic toolbox. Because a person cannot argue with what God has done for you.
Key Principles for Sharing Your Testimony
Now, last time we talked about apologetics. And we had some answers to those hard questions. And there's a place for apologetics. But a person can argue all day with you about certain things. But they can't argue with the fact that your life has been changed by Jesus Christ. It's a great way to share the gospel without getting in someone's face.
See, if I say to a person, you need to do this, and you need to do that, I'm kind of preaching at them. And there's a place for that. But when I say, let me tell you what God did for me. Let me tell you how I used to view Christians and the Bible. Let me tell you how I used to think. And let me tell you about what happened. And then one day I went to a Harvest Crusade. I went to church. Or someone came up to me and engaged me in a conversation. And I gave my life to Jesus. And here's what happened in my life as a result of that.
As I tell them the story of what God did for me, I'm really prepping the ground to tell them what God can do for them. How effective was her testimony? Look at John 4:39. Many of the Samaritans of the city believed in him because of the word of the woman who testified, he told me all I ever did. The power of a changed life.
Number two, when you share your testimony, never glorify or exaggerate your past. Never glorify or exaggerate your past. Accuracy is important. I bring this up because I've heard some people share their story. And it gets more dramatic with the telling. Maybe I heard it five years ago and now I hear it again. It's like, wow, I don't remember that part. And I'm almost wondering if they're like adding stuff to it. To make it a little more dramatic. No, just tell the truth.
Everyone Has a Valid Testimony
Look, everybody has a testimony. Now granted, some testimonies are more radical than others. You know, some people were delivered from drugs. Other people delivered from booze. Other people delivered from immorality. And maybe you were a nice person that paid your bills and recycled and you never really crossed the line. And your biggest addiction was that Oreo binge when you were nine. You still have a testimony.
Here's your testimony. Once you were blind, now you see. Once you were lost, now you're found. Once you were going to hell, now you're going to heaven. That's your testimony. And everyone has one. And it's all valid. You might say, well, Greg, you know, I was a pretty moral person. And I even went to church on occasion. But I didn't know God. That's not as effective as someone who was a gangbanger or a criminal. No, actually, it's just as effective in its way.
Because not everyone's going to relate to a gangbanger. Not everyone's going to relate to a criminal. Not everyone's going to relate to a drug addict. There might be some person who's worked very hard and achieved a lot of their goals and tried to do everything the right way. But there's this big hole in their heart. And you come along with your story and they relate to you, you see. So there's someone out there just like you that you can relate to. But the main thing in sharing your testimony is don't exaggerate your past.
Number three, when you share your story, don't boast about what you gave up for God, but what God gave up for you. Don't boast about what you gave up for God. Boast about what God gave up for you. I've heard some people share their testimony and their past sounds better than their present. Oh man, we used to go and we were doing drugs and we were doing this and it was amazing. And then, and then I came to Jesus. Even the way you say it's just weird. Obviously, Jesus, you know. And now, now we don't party anymore. We just go to church and eat and go to bed and get up and do it again. And that, my friend, is Christianity. Well, that sounds boring. And that's not accurate, you see.
Don't make your past sound better than your present. You need to understand what your past really was. Oh, I'm sure you had some fun times. We all did. But don't forget that misery. Don't forget that emptiness. Don't forget that time you contemplated suicide. Don't forget the time you tried it. Don't forget those days where you're wondering what the meaning of your life was.
Paul’s View of His Past – Dog Dung
I love the way Paul summed up his past. He says, All things that I used to think were important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ as my master, everything I thought I had going for me before is insignificant. It's dog dung. Now, that's actually an accurate translation. King James, it's all rubbish. That's very British. Oh, that's just rubbish. Rubbish, you know. The word actually speaks of excrement. Paul is saying that stuff I used to be into. It's like dog poop to me now. That's what he's saying. And I think that's really perfect. In that, this is stuff... Look, no one carries around dog poop for long, right? You drop it in the trash. It's offensive. It smells bad.
Paul says, Those are my greatest accomplishments. Nothing. Meaningless. For what I found in Christ. Everything I had going for me is insignificant. Dog dung. I've dumped it in the trash so I can embrace Christ and be embraced by Him. Listen, your story is a destination to His story. The power is in the message of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Yes, I can use my story to build a bridge. But ultimately, it's about what Christ did.
Speak in Language People Understand
Point number five. We must speak in a language people understand. We must speak in a language people understand. You know, I call it Christianese. We use terms only Christians understand. And non-believers don't even know what we're talking about. We sound like we came from another planet. But you cannot think that the people you're speaking to today understand what biblical terms mean. Our country has never been more biblically illiterate. We have a culture today more familiar with pop culture than biblical truth.
Okay. So when I speak, especially in our crusades, I try to break everything down. Never assuming my listener knows what I mean. When I say things like, have faith in God, or accept Christ into your life, or be saved, or any of these terms that we take for granted as Christians, I define them for people because they don't necessarily understand what I mean. And we've got to bring this gospel to people.
And by the way, the word gospel. Who knows what the word gospel means? Say it. Oh, you guys are good. Try good news. We're living in a time of a lot of fake news. And we need some good news in a bad world right now. And we've got that message. News that is true. News that is not spun. News that is from God himself. The gospel. We use that term a lot. What is it?
What Is the Gospel? – A Clear Explanation
Let me just give it to you in a nutshell. Well, let me ask you. Who thinks they can tell me what the gospel is in two minutes or less? Who can tell me what the gospel is in two minutes or less? Raise your hand up. Oh, yeah? Okay, you got in the gray shirt. Come on up here. Come on, man. Okay. All right. So, come on right here. Come here.
Son, you should be a preacher. That's good. Never met this kid before. He owned it. That was very good. Dominic, very well done. Very well done. I liked your, you know, I liked your outline. That's good. Kind of help you remember your points. You're moving toward your point. Exactly right.
Let me just kind of take what he was saying and kind of finish it. So you're establishing with a person, they're a sinner. People say, "I'm not a sinner. I'm a good person". So the Ten Commandments show that they have sinned. Well, "maybe I've sinned once or twice", but the Bible says, if you offend in one point of the law, you're guilty of all of it. So we establish that. That's the bad news. You're a sinner separated from God. God's the judge, as Dominic was saying.
But then the good news is: God came to this earth as a man, was born in the manger, lived a perfect life, died on the cross, rose from the dead. And as he said also, now Jesus Christ, who died and rose, stands at the door of the heart. And he knocks, and if we'll hear his voice and open the door, he'll come in. So that's it. That's the gospel. Everybody can do that.
Now listen, here's just the most important verse every Christian needs to memorize. I bet you know it, but I'll just start saying it. And if you know it, say it out loud with me. I'm talking about Lamentations 4:12. Well, no, I'm talking about John 3:16. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, and whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life". You're armed and dangerous with that verse alone.
Closing the Deal – Asking the Question
All right. Okay, final point, and then I'm going to sit here with Jason, who's here, but he's invisible. No, he'll be out in a moment. We're going to talk about this more in depth, but closing the deal. This is where it breaks down for a lot of people. You know, they'll share the gospel, they'll share their testimony, they'll do all those things, but they have a hard time closing the deal.
You've got to be fool enough to reach down and grab it, like the crazy fisherman with the musky, okay? It's a little bit like popping the question. For those of you that are married, you guys especially, you remember when maybe you popped the question to your wife. My wife says, I never properly proposed. Now, we've been married for 43 years, so I think I did okay. But she says, you never actually proposed. I said, well, what did I do? She said, well, I guess we're going to get married, huh? Man, I was the romantic, wasn't I? I guess we're going to get married, comma, huh? Somehow she went for it.
But this is where we're apprehensive. Why? Well, because we're afraid they'll say no. We don't want to say, would you like to accept Jesus Christ? Because they might say no. Is that possible? Of course it is. Would you like to accept Jesus Christ right now? No. Okay. You don't die from hearing that. But what if they say yes?
Maybe you were thinking they'll never respond. Like my dad, I thought, you know, he didn't even like what I said. I bombed. That was horrible. And he says, I want to know how to become a Christian. He was waiting for me to show him the way. So they may say yes. And that's where you close the deal. Okay?