Greg Laurie - Evangelism Isn't As Hard As You Think

TOPICS: Evangelism

Hey everybody, Greg Laurie here, welcoming you to my podcast. I want to talk about a topic that some people are uncomfortable with. Are you ready for it? I want to talk about hair loss! Not really; that would be an interesting topic, wouldn’t it? No, I want to talk about sharing our faith, evangelism, preaching the gospel. You know, it’s been said there’s one thing that believers and non-believers have in common: they’re both uptight about the gospel. I think believers are uptight about sharing it, and I think a lot of non-believers are uptight about hearing it. But why is that? I mean, I get why a non-believer would not want to hear a message, but why is it that we’re so uncomfortable sharing it?

Example: let’s say that you had cancer and you were a scientist, and through your careful research, you discovered the cure for cancer-a single pill that, if taken once, would eradicate your cancer. You took it, and your cancer was gone. Would you not want to share that with other people? Years ago, I went to Disneyland. Someone gave me four free tickets, and so my wife and I went in, and our son went in, but we weren’t able to take the other person that was going to come, and I had an extra ticket. I said, «Kathy, I can’t go to Disneyland with a free ticket; someone should have it.» She goes, «Oh, let’s just go in.» «No, no, I have to give the ticket away,» I said. «This would be the easiest thing I ever did! How long will it take to get rid of a Disneyland ticket?» Well, actually, it took me a really long time because I walked out of the park. I just walked up to some people and said, «Hey, I have a free ticket to Disneyland. Would you like it?» They were all looking at me like, «Yeah, what’s the catch? What’s the angle?» And nobody would take this ticket. It took me a half hour to get rid of this ticket.

So, people are suspicious often about the message we’re sharing. They think maybe it’s too good to be true that there’s a God in heaven who loves them and will forgive them of all of their sins. But we should never be apprehensive or reluctant to talk about Jesus Christ. I mean, think about it this way: when we’re in a place we’ve never been before, maybe it’s a state or another country, and we want to get a meal, what do we do? We go to Yelp and see how a restaurant is rated. And if it is a high rating, we go, «What is that rating based on?» Frankly, it’s based on the opinions of people you don’t even know, but they took the time to sample the fare and give a recommendation.

So, when I say to you, «Go into all the world and preach the gospel,» as Jesus told us to do, we’re reluctant. Okay, let’s put it another way: «Go into all the world and recommend the gospel.» I mean, if you’re like me and you find the greatest burger of all time, you’ll tell people about it. If you see a movie you really like, you’ll tell others to go see it. If you hear a song you think is awesome, you’ll play it for people on your phone. «Listen to this song!» But yet, we’ll make recommendations for burgers, movies, and songs, but we’re not going to talk about Jesus. Listen, it’s not as hard as you think.

So, when I was a brand-new Christian at age 17, I heard the pastor say, «Go out and share your faith.» I thought, «Well, okay, I’m going to take a stab at it.» I was armed with a little booklet called «The Four Spiritual Laws,» put out by Campus Crusade for Christ. I was so new in my faith; I hadn’t even memorized the contents of it yet. So, I’m looking for someone I could talk to. I found this middle-aged lady, and I walked up. My voice was kind of shaking-you know how that happens when you’re nervous? I said, «Hi, could I talk to you about God?» And she says, «Yeah, go ahead.» So, I sat down, and I literally began to read this booklet to her, «The Four Spiritual Laws,» copyright 1954, Campus Crusade for Christ. Law one: God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. Law two: you’re separated from Him by sin.

So, I’m working my way through the book, and as I’m doing it, I’m thinking, «This is not going to work. Why am I even doing this?» And then I came to a page where this question is asked: «Is there any good reason why you should not accept Jesus Christ right now?» And I realized it was a question. I looked up; she said, «No.» Does that mean you want to accept Jesus Christ right now? She nodded her head and said, «Yes.» And I had not planned for success, and so I was really concerned. I said, «Close your eyes, and let’s just pray for a moment.» I heard the pastor do that. I’m frantically flipping through this booklet like, «What do I do now?» I found a little prayer; I led her in this prayer, and after she was done praying, she opened her eyes and said, «Something just happened to me.» And I realized something just happened to me too. I realized that God could use me-someone as unqualified as me. And I knew so little about my faith at that moment. So, I’m feeling pretty good about myself.

A few weeks later, I’m walking down the street and run into an old friend. Now let me give you a little background. His name was Greg as well, but he spelled his name with two G’s: G-R-E-G. So, we used to hang out together. We went to elementary school together. Frankly, we did a lot of drugs together. And after I became a Christian, I said to my friend Greg, «Greg, mark my words: Greg Laurie is never going to be a fanatic.» After I’d committed my life to Christ, I said, «You’ll never see me walking down the street with a cross hanging around my neck and a big Bible talking to people about God. I’m going to be, you know, kind of a modified Christian.» So here I am walking down the street; I haven’t seen Greg for maybe a month or two. Around my neck is a cross; in my hand is a big Bible. And I saw Greg, and he saw me, and we both burst out laughing. It was just a funny moment because I’d become the very person I said I would not become. I said, «Greg, I know what you’re thinking: Lori’s become a fanatic.» But Greg, I got to tell you what Jesus has done for me. «All right, Lori,» he said. «Tell me.» So I’m telling him about Jesus as much as I know at that point, and there’s some guy eavesdropping on our conversation. He was a little bit older, and he interrupts us mid-conversation and says, «I have a few questions for you, Christian.» I’m like, «Yes, what are they?» I’m ready; I’ve been a Christian for four weeks; I know everything. And he hits me with four or five pretty hard questions. I don’t remember what they were-probably something along the lines of, «How could a God of love allow suffering? How could a God of love send people to hell?» You know, things that people say to get us to go away, frankly. And I didn’t have the answers to those questions. And my friend Greg said, «Yeah, Lori, what about those questions?» And I was dumbfounded, and I went away embarrassed, ashamed, but I determined I was going to study the Bible and have answers to those questions for the future.

The Bible tells us that as Christians we need to study to show ourselves approved unto God, a workman that does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. We’re also told in Scripture we should be able to give to every man an answer concerning the faith that we have. So, we have to be prepared to share this message. But the reason I started with that first story is to say I knew so little, but I knew as much as that blind man who had been healed when he said, «Once I was lost, and now I’m found.» And I bet you know that much as well. Listen to me: you can share the gospel! Not only that, I’m telling you, you can lead people to Christ. Let’s talk about that together.

So, we’ve got our marching orders from Christ and what we call the Great Commission. It’s found in Matthew 28 and Mark 16. Here it is, sort of pulled together from both sources: Jesus says, and by the way, these are His final words-His final words before He ascends to heaven. So, final words are important, right? Here are the final words of Christ to us before He goes into heaven. He says, «Go into all the world and preach the gospel and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you even to the end of the age.» So, what is the so-called Great Commission? It is to go into all the world and preach the gospel. Now, I know we choke on the word preach. We usually use it in a negative way. We’ll say, «Hey man, don’t preach to me. I don’t need to hear a sermon.» That’s not said in a positive way. So, we don’t want to preach. Well, let me just put another word in: «Go into all the world and recommend the gospel,» like I said earlier, or go into all the world and just share the gospel or say the gospel. You don’t have to project it, though sometimes you do. If you’re standing in front of a group of people, you need to elevate your voice so you can be heard. But the idea is to simply proclaim it, right? Go into all the world and preach the gospel.

But here’s the other part we often forget. Making disciples of all people, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. So, what this means is the Great Commission is to share the gospel, hopefully, God willing, with the work of the Spirit taking place, leading them to Christ, and then discipling them. What does it mean to make a disciple? To make a disciple means you get a person up on their feet spiritually because some things are caught and some things are taught. A new believer needs to see what a Christian is like. They need to see how a Christian lives. They need to see how a Christian drives. They need to see how a Christian functions in the real world. Take them under your wing. Now, this was done for me, thank God! A guy named Mark, who I didn’t know from Adam’s house cat (and I don’t know if Adam has a cat), came up to me and said, «Hey, I saw that you prayed and accepted Christ the other day at high school.» I said, «Yeah, that I did.» He goes, «Well, I want to take you to church.» And I said, «That’s okay.» And he goes, «No, no, I want to take you to church with me.» And I said, «No, that’s all right.» This guy was persistent in the best way possible. He says, «No, you’re coming to church with me.» This guy wouldn’t take no for an answer. Before I knew it, I’d given him my home address. He was picking me up, and he took me to a church called Calvary Chapel that was in the middle of a spiritual awakening. Now, if you saw the Jesus Revolution movie, you remember some of those scenes in Calvary Chapel and the electricity in the air and what God was doing. I walked smack dab into a revival, and I was a little bit overwhelmed. But in a very good way, I realized I’d found my new home. But Mark wasn’t done. He took me home; I had meals with his family. They did Bible studies with me. In short, Mark was discipling me. He did something that was essential. And frankly, if he had not done this for me, I could have easily fallen through the cracks, as many people do.

So to disciple a person, preach the gospel, making disciples of them, teaching them to observe all things that He has commanded us. And by the way, He says, «Lo, I am with you to the end of the age.» Now that’s an interesting verse because in context, Jesus is saying, «I will be with you in a special way when you do this.» That’s not to say Christ isn’t with us all the time, because He did say, «I’ll never leave you or forsake you.» But in context, in that statement there in Matthew 28, Jesus is saying, «I’ll be with you in a special way when you do this.»

So, there’s something very life-giving about sharing your faith. We think it’s depleting; it’s hard. It can be hard, but overall it replenishes you. The Bible says, «Given, it shall be given unto you; pressed down, shaken together, running over.» With the same measure you give, it shall be given back to you. Listen to this: you were blessed to be a blessing! Don’t be a hoarder! My wife accused me of being a hoarder the other day. We’re cleaning out my office, and I save everything. She goes, «You have to get rid of this!» I said, «But you never know, I might need it in the future!» She says, «You’re becoming a hoarder.» You know, we can be a hoarder with the gospel. «Oh, I only want it for myself.» How selfish is that?

Another thing about the Great Commission in the original language is it’s a command. So if you allow me to paraphrase (and I’ll do it even if you don’t allow me), Jesus says, «I command you as your Savior, Lord, and Master: go into all the world and preach the gospel.» He’s giving us an order. But then also implied in the original language, it’s given to everyone. This is not just directed to preachers, pastors, evangelists, and missionaries. It’s directed to businessmen and students and housewives, and you name it. If you’re a Christian, it’s directed to you. But let me personalize it: «Go into all of your world and preach the gospel.» You see, you have a sphere of influence. You have a community that you can go to. You have, in effect, a pulpit, and you need to leverage those opportunities to go into all of your world and preach the gospel.

I like to call it frangelism. Frangelism! That doesn’t mean only evangelize people named Fran, but it’s an acronym: F.R.A.N. F for friends -evangelize your friends. R for relatives-evangelize your relatives. A for associates-evangelize your associates. And finally, N for neighbors-evangelize your neighbors. Go into all of your world and preach the gospel. I know it’s a daunting task, but it’s like that old saying, «How do you eat an elephant?» The answer: one bite at a time. Let’s get going and fulfill the Great Commission.

All right, so how do we do this? There’s no greater model on doing evangelism than Jesus Christ Himself. Oh yes, He’s our Savior; He’s our Lord who died on the cross and paid for our sins and rose again from the dead. But He’s also the ultimate communicator, and He shows us how to do it. I would use two examples in particular found in John 3 and John 4. So, John 3 is a story of the religious leader Nicodemus. John 4 is a story of the lady we call the woman at the well that was known for her multiple marriages and immoral lifestyle. So we have a moral man and an immoral woman. How did Jesus enter their worlds? He sat down with Nicodemus. Let’s say He just cut to the chase. They’re having a discussion, and Jesus said, «Truly, truly I say to you, you must be born again.» And Nicodemus was trying to wrap his mind around it. «How can you be born when you’re old? Do you go back into your mother’s womb again?» Jesus was like, «Give me a break.» Okay, look: that which is born of flesh is flesh. That which is born of spirit is spirit. You know the wind; you don’t know where it’s coming from; you don’t know where it’s going. That’s how it is with the Spirit. «You must be born again,» or literally «born from above.»

Well, ultimately that conversation resulted in the conversion of Nicodemus-not at that particular conversation, but later in the gospel story we see Nicodemus show up in the narrative, helping a man named Joseph of Arimathea claim the body of Jesus after He had been crucified. But then you go over to chapter 4. Boy, you couldn’t find someone more opposite than Nicodemus. Here’s the religious moral man; here is this woman who’s been married and divorced five times, and she’s living with some dude at the time. And Jesus engages her in the most interesting way. He goes to her well, and she goes to draw water at 12 in the afternoon. It’s very hot at that time. Why did she go to the public well at that hour? Because she was ostracized from her community; no one wanted anything to do with her. So, she goes to draw water. And what did she see but a man sitting at the well, and not only a man but a Jewish man. And there was a lot of conflict between the Samaritans and the Jews. And she’s bracing herself for some kind of a conflict with this man. And she sits there and starts drawing the water, and He says, «Can I have a drink of water?» She’s like, «Who is this guy? Why are you asking for a drink of water from me? Don’t you know that Jews have nothing to do with Samaritans?» If you knew who was asking you, said the Lord, you would ask Him, and He would give you living water.

What’s that about? That’s called starting a conversation! I’ll put it another way: that’s called throwing out the bait, right? Sometimes when you fish, you’ll chum the water. You’ll put some things in the water to attract the fish. This is a way to get the ball rolling. You know, you don’t have to just come with a full gospel attack when you start talking with someone. Say something to arrest their attention. It’s been said if you want to win some, you must be winsome. So, it’s a way to just get the conversation started, and it worked. «Well, what are you talking about?» And she starts going on about this well and the history of it, and Jesus keeps pressing in, and ultimately she opens her heart to what He has to say. This is called building a bridge.

I feel a lot of times in evangelism Christians burn the bridge instead of build it. To start with, they use what I call Christianese. Christianese is just that cryptic language that only we Christians understand. In other words, you walk up to a non-believer and say, «Hey, you non-believer Philistine, let me say something to you: Have you been washed in the blood? Have you repented of your sin? Have you been justified? And have you become part of the body of Christ?» Well, what does that mean to that person? First of all, you just told them to get washed in blood and become part of some body. It makes no sense to them. Now, I’m not saying we shouldn’t use biblical terminology, but I’m saying we should not assume that our listener understands it. This is probably the most biblically illiterate generation of all time, and you have to explain your terms and explain your verbiage. So I like to try to speak in a language that people understand and build that bridge and get the conversation going.

So, let’s just say you have a little evangelistic toolbox. I want to talk to you about the tool that is the best to pull out first. In fact, I might pull this tool out of my box before I pull any other out. Can you guess what it is? It’s called your personal testimony. What is that? Your personal testimony is your story of how you came to Christ. In the book of Revelation, we read about those believers that overcame the devil, and it says they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives to the death. The word of your testimony. You have a testimony. Now, some testimonies are more dramatic than others. In my podcast, I’ve interviewed Michael Franzese, former member of the Colombo crime family- a good fella, a mafioso-and God got hold of him in solitary confinement, and he came to Christ. Now that is a radical and very impressive testimony. I’ve talked to Alice Cooper, rockstar extraordinaire, at one point the top rock star in all of the world, also a drug addict and an alcoholic, and God got a hold of him. You say, «Well, my story isn’t that dramatic. I was never addicted to drugs; I never broke the law.» I did have an addiction when I was four years old to Hostess Ding — Dongs, but it didn’t last that long.

Listen, everybody has a testimony. Let me tell you your testimony in a nutshell. Here it is, ready for it? Once you were blind, but now you see. See, going back to the story of the woman at the well and Nicodemus: God saves immoral people, and He also saves moral people. If we were going to elect someone to represent humanity to God, we couldn’t pick a better rep than Nicodemus. He was just perfect. He was a religious man, an educated man, but he was an empty man, and he was a man who needed Christ. So, your testimony could be, «You know what? I tried to live a moral life, and I went to church on Christmas and Easter, and I tried to keep all the rules, but I realized I didn’t have a relationship with God. I was separated from Him by sin.» That’ll preach! Okay, that’s as much of a testimony as a person who was in the throes of drug addiction. Again, it’s that Christ saved you!

So, one of the best ways to start a conversation is to tell your story. Listen, people can argue with your theology. They can argue with the Bible, but they can’t argue with your story. The greatest expert on you is you. So tell them about what Christ did for you. Coming back to the woman at the well, after she believed in Jesus, we read she went and told the people in the city, «Come see a man who told me everything I ever said or did.» So, they listened to her; she had a testimony, and so do you. So go and preach the gospel. But a great way to start is with your story. Case in point: the Apostle Paul, schooled under the great Gamaliel-a highly educated man, a great orator-yet it’s interesting to note that Paul, when he would stand before various Roman governors and other people, almost always started with his testimony. «You see, let me tell you my story. So I’m walking down this Damascus road with orders to hunt down and arrest Christians, and all of a sudden Jesus comes to me.» He started that way because it’s a way to arrest the interest of your listener and show them you weren’t always the way that you are-that God did something amazing in your life. That’s a good place to start.

Now let me talk to you about the nuts and bolts of what the gospel actually is. So before I break the gospel message down for you, let me talk to you about starting the conversation. Right? I was in a restaurant some time ago on the island of Maui, and they happen to have amazing hamburgers. And so we were ordering our food, and some lady recognized me. «Greg! Is that Greg Laurie? Is that you?» «Yes, hello.» She goes, «Greg, this is my husband. He is a heathen!» She actually calls him a heathen! He doesn’t believe in Jesus Christ! «Can you talk to him right now?» And this poor guy has his burger; he just got it; he’s getting ready to take his first bite. And I looked at him, and I looked at his frankly obnoxious wife, and I said, «Hey man, enjoy the burger. God bless you.» I thought, «This poor guy, that’s not the way to start a conversation.»

Try to do it in a natural way. So I remember I caught a cab, and this also was on the island of Maui. And we’re driving along, and we’re chitchatting. «Hey, what’s your name?» «I’m Tom.» «Oh, I’m Greg.» Okay? So we drive by what is called a ghost bike. You know what that is? So there’s a lot of road cyclists-bikers-who tragically have died on the highway there on the big island of Hawaii. And when someone dies, they will take a bike, spray paint it white, and just sort of put it up as a tribute. Sometimes there’ll be flowers around them. They call them ghost bikes. I didn’t know that. So we drive by one of these white bicycles. I said, «What is that?» Tom says, «That’s a ghost bike.» And I said, «Why is it there?» And he told me why. And then I just said, «So what do you think happens after we die, Tom?»

So Tom, the cab driver, gave me his philosophy. It was basically reincarnation. «I believe that we go, and we come back as another life form.» I didn’t interrupt him; I didn’t contradict him; I obviously didn’t agree with it. I waited until Tom, the cab driver, was done telling me what he thought about life after death. And when he was done talking, he said, «Well, tell me, what do you think happens after we die?» That’s called an open door! See, that’s what I’m looking for-a natural opportunity in a conversation to share the gospel. Well, then I went on to tell Tom what the Bible says. «Well, I believe if we put our faith in Christ, we go into God’s presence.» I just shared a little bit of the gospel. And Tom said, «I like your version of the afterlife better than mine!» I said, «Well Tom, it’s not my version of the afterlife; this is what Jesus said.» But I love to look for those natural opportunities.

Okay, so it’s good to start with your personal testimony, but the power is not in your testimony; it’s not in your story; it’s in His story. Let me come back to the testimony for a moment before I get into the gospel. When you share your testimony, make sure you don’t make your past sound more interesting than your present. I’ve heard some people share the story of how they were before they were Christians and what they used to do, and frankly their old life sounds better than their new life. So don’t glorify your past. I mean, look at it in perspective and explain what God did for you. Another thing is don’t exaggerate. It’s funny; I’ve heard some people give their testimonies and it comes out one way, and then maybe three years later I hear them giving it, and it’s a little more dramatic, and there’s new details added, and I wonder, «Are you exaggerating?» Don’t exaggerate your testimony. A third thing is: your testimony is just a bridge to His story. The power is in His story. But your story is a good way to get started.

So what is His story? What is the gospel? Let’s just start with the word gospel. The gospel means good news. Before I can fully appreciate the good news, I have to know the bad news. Here’s the bad news: we’re all sinners. The Bible says, «All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.» There is not one righteous, no, not one. What does it mean to sin? It means to break a commandment, to cross a line. You know, like when you see a sign in a park where they planted fresh grass: no trespassing. You’ve broken God’s laws; you’ve committed a trespass or a sin. You’ve broken one of the commandments of God. And then it also means to fall short, to not hit the mark. It’s actually a term used in archery. So the idea is you have to hit the bullseye.

So let’s say you and I have a contest, and we get our bows and arrows out. And so let’s say you go first, and you get all of your arrows into the target, but none of them hit the bullseye. Let’s say I go up, and I don’t get one arrow in the target. In fact, I hit a tree and a cow grazing in a field. Okay? Now did you do better than I did? Yes! But you didn’t hit the mark! You see, one sin is enough to keep you out of heaven. The Bible says if you offend on one point of the law, you’re guilty of all of it. So we’ve all sinned; that’s the bad news. But the good news is, while we were yet sinners, the Bible says Christ died for us. For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son. And whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

So the problem is sin; the solution is Christ. He died for our sin and rose again from the dead. If I will turn from my sin, God will forgive me. Okay, so I think a lot of times we’re apprehensive about telling people they’re sinners. But we need to tell them the truth. It’d be like a doctor who did a thorough examination on you, and he has to deliver the bad news. It’s got to be hard to be a doctor and have to tell people the truth about their condition. «Well, I have some bad news.» He might say, «You have this problem, but the good news is if you take this course of antibiotics or if you have this particular surgery, I believe you can make a full recovery.» So he tells you what the problem is; he tells you what the solution is.

You can’t just talk about the solution; you have to identify the problem. Here’s why: you might say to someone, «You know, Jesus has given me joy and purpose and peace, and I want you to have that too.» And the person says, «Well, actually, I’m feeling pretty good. I’m a pretty happy person. I don’t think I need that. I can see religion has helped you, but I don’t think I need that religion.» Well, it’s more than that. The things you just mentioned are good, but let’s just say that they’re fringe benefits. Here’s the big thing: when you become a Christian, the big thing God did for you is He forgave your sin, and you’re not going to hell; you’re going to heaven. That brings up another topic: hell. We don’t want to mention hell; we’re afraid it might offend a person. Check this out: Jesus spoke more about hell than all the other preachers of the Bible put together.

You say, «But how could a God of love send someone to hell?» Simple answer: God does not send anyone to hell. We effectively send ourselves there by rejecting His offer of forgiveness. The Bible says, «How can you escape if you neglect so great a salvation?» It was C.S. Lewis who said, «The gates of hell are locked from the inside.» The last thing that a God of love wants is for any man or woman-uniquely created in His image — to go and spend eternity in hell. That’s why He sent Jesus to die on the cross, so we don’t have to go to hell. But we can’t neglect telling people about it because that too is part of the gospel message. So go into all the world and preach the gospel. I honestly don’t think most non-believers have heard an accurate presentation of the gospel.

Okay, so the problem: you’re a sinner. The solution: Christ died for you. The power of the gospel is in this, and I’m going to reveal it to you now. This is the golden key of gospel proclamation. Okay? When you share the gospel, you’ve got to make a beeline to the cross. Here’s the problem: sometimes in our attempts to cross over, we don’t bring the cross over. We give a what I would call a watered-down version of the gospel. Listen to this: any so-called gospel presentation that talks about heaven but doesn’t mention hell, that offers forgiveness but does not mention repentance, is not an accurate gospel presentation. We need to tell them about the death of Jesus on the cross.

Some years ago, I was in Billy Graham’s home having lunch with him, his wife Ruth, and his son Franklin. And after lunch was done, I turned to Billy and I said, «Billy, if an older Billy could speak to a younger Billy, what would you say to yourself?» And without missing a beat, he said, «Why are you in my home and who invited you here?» And he picked me up and threw me out. It was kind of embarrassing. No, not really! Okay? So Billy, with those piercing blue eyes, said, «I would preach more on the cross and the blood of Christ because that’s where the power is.» I never forgot that: «More on the cross and the blood of Christ.»

You need to tell a person that Jesus died on the cross for their sin. As I’ve often said, it wasn’t nails that held Jesus to the cross; it was love, and He shed His blood for us. And then you pop the question. What does that mean? It means to say, «Would you like to accept Jesus Christ into your life right now?» You know, people tell me when they watch a Jesus Revolution film their favorite scene is when Greg finally goes to Kathy and asks her to marry him. It’s a beautiful scene toward the end of the film. People say, «What was that like when that happened?» And I have to tell them, «Well, it didn’t actually happen that way. It wasn’t as romantic as that.» What really happened was we were just having a meal, and I said to Kathy, «Well, I guess we’re going to get married, huh?» That was it! Is that not the most romantic thing you’ve ever heard? «I guess we’re going to get married, huh?»

I mean, I’ve heard all these stories of the way people propose. You know, they have a plane fly by with a banner: «Will you marry me?» I have a friend that proposed to his wife underwater. They went scuba diving; he got one of those underwater tablets, and he wrote down the words, «Will you marry me?» Or it probably sounded more like «Wull.» And thankfully she said yes! Well, I just said, «I guess we’re going to get married, huh?» Thankfully she said yes. We’ve been married over 50 years, so maybe it was a good idea; I don’t know.

But you know, we’re really apprehensive to say this to a person, and I don’t think we should be. And we’re reluctant to say, «Would you like to accept Jesus Christ right now?» Sometimes they’re waiting for you to pop the question. I remember once I was in a restaurant with some friends from our church, and we’re ordering our meal, and the server comes up, and she goes, «Your pastor’s from that church, Harvest, right?» «Yes, we are!» «Yeah, I need to come to that church. I need to come to one of your service times!» So we were telling her. And it just occurred to me, and I believe I was prompted by the Holy Spirit: «This girl wants to accept Christ right now!» So I turned to her and I said, «Look, you don’t have to wait to come to church to get right with God. You can do it right here, right now.»

She’s holding the tray! I said, «Absolutely! I could lead you in a prayer, and you could ask Christ to come into your life.» And literally, this lady prayed with me and asked Christ to come into her life. Thankfully I know the guy who owns the restaurant; I knew he’d be cool with this. In fact, when I told him the story, he knew who she was and was delighted to hear about it. But she prayed right there, and I think a lot of times people are ready. They’re just waiting for someone to say, «Would you like to do this?»

Remember the story in the book of Acts when the Lord directed the evangelist Philip to engage a man who had come from Ethiopia searching for God and happened to be reading aloud from Isaiah 53 from a scroll of the scripture he’d been given? And Philip said to him, «Do you understand what you’re reading?» And the man said, «How can I unless someone shows me the way?» Honestly, I think a lot of people are just waiting for someone like you to show them the way. Go! «Well, I’m not an evangelist.» Well, maybe you aren’t, but you’ve been called to evangelize, and someone’s just waiting for someone like you to say, «Would you like to accept Jesus Christ right now?»

Now, what if they say no? Then I would just say, «Okay, well you can do it at any time, and I’ll pray for you.» I don’t pressure them and try to force them to pray that prayer. And by the way, there’s no magical prayer to pray. I’ve had people say, «Greg, tell me the sinner’s prayer.» Again, there’s really no official prayer to pray, and the prayer I often lead people in that we call the sinner’s prayer is just based on biblical principles, but it goes along these lines: I’ll just have a person pray, «Lord Jesus, I know that I’m a sinner. I know that You’re the Savior who died on the cross for my sin. I’m sorry for my sin. I repent of my sin. I ask You to come into my life to be my Savior and Lord. In Jesus' name I pray.»

So you can lead a person in a prayer like that. And going back to my first story: when I prayed with that lady and saw what happened to her, I knew that this was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. It’s life-giving to share the gospel. And I think a lot of us are missing the blessing of doing so. You know, they’ve identified certain things that one can do that will release endorphins. There’s something called the runner’s high, where after you’ve run for a certain time, you feel the release of endorphins; you feel really good. I’ve never experienced that. I don’t know if there’s an eater’s high-maybe I’ve experienced that.

But did you know there’s something literally called the giver’s high? And by that, I mean that experts have determined that when you do something sacrificial-something for another person-it actually makes you feel