Greg Laurie - How to Share the Gospel (12/07/2018)
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In John 4, Pastor Greg Laurie shows how Jesus intentionally sought out the Samaritan woman at the well—a broken, outcast sinner—and offered her living water despite cultural barriers. Through personal engagement, tact, and focus, He transformed her life, reminding us to overcome prejudices and share the gospel lovingly as bridges to Christ, just as Jesus did with her and later with Greg's own searching mother.
Introduction
You know Jesus didn't say that the whole world should go to church. He said that the church should go to the whole world. Sometimes Christians want to get away from nonbelievers. Not have any contact with nonbelievers. But listen. Jesus did not call us to isolate. He called us to infiltrate. Even more to permeate. To be salt and light in our culture. I think we need to look for those opportunities to engage people with the message of the Gospel. Because you never know when one of those opportunities is going to come our way.
You know after I became a Christian I had a friend named Gregg. We grew up together. We went to elementary school together. We got into trouble together. We collected reptiles together. Don't ask me why. We were really into snakes and lizards and stuff. After I became a Christian I said to Gregg, "Now don't worry about me, Gregg, because I am not going to turn into one of those crazy Jesus Freaks, that you see out on the streets. I am going to be more conservative. More subdued". I actually said these words, "Gregg," and by the way, he spelled his name with two g's instead of one like I do. I said, "Gregg, the last thing you will ever see is "Greg Laurie walking down the street with a cross Around his neck and a Bible saying things like 'praise the Lord.' That is not going to happen". Greg seemed reassured.
So fast forward about maybe three weeks to a month. I am so excited about my faith that I have actually gone out on the streets and I am engaging strangers in conversations about Jesus Christ. So one day I am walking down the street and who do I see walking toward me but Gregg. And as I get closer we recognize each other. Before I could stop myself, I said, "Praise the Lord" but wait. Around my neck I had a cross. And I was, yes, carrying a Bible. We both laughed because the one thing I said I would never do I was actually doing. It was a classic moment.
It occurred to me. Wow. What if I could lead Gregg to Christ right now? So I started sharing the Gospel with him. He was really listening. I am just praying as I am talking. Lord, just give me the right words for Gregg. I pray he will come to believe in you right now. We are mid conversation. I feel like I am making some progress. Seemingly out of nowhere some guy appears. He has been eavesdropping on our conversation. Now this guy worked in a store nearby. We used to call them in these days head shops. They sell drug paraphernalia. Anyway, he is eavesdropping on our conversation and he says to me, "Wait a second, Christian". Addressing me. "I have a few questions for you". And I turned to him thinking, "Yes. Like I have been a Christian for a few weeks now and I can handle anything". And this guy fires off like five hard questions.
I don't even remember what they were in particular. But I am sure they were: how could a God of love allow suffering? How can you say Jesus Christ is the only way to God? Etc. You have heard them. As he is hitting me with these questions I realize I don't have the answers. Gregg, who is listening to all of this says, "Yeah Laurie, what about that"? I said, "Uh. I don't know". I was humiliated. The whole conversation with Gregg came to a screeching halt. I walked away from that moment thinking, "Man, I really blew it". I realized at that point I needed to start reading the Bible more. I needed to be prepared. Over in 1 Peter 3:15 it says that we are to set the Lord apart in our hearts and be able to give to every man an answer concerning the hope that is inside of us with meekness and fear or reverence. The idea is don't come off as a know-it-all. But you need to know some things. You need to be able to answer the hard questions that are going to be coming your way.
Actually this phrase that is used by Peter when he says "Give to every man an answer" is from a Greek word apologia. We get our English word apologetic from it. It doesn't mean that we apologize for our faith. Rather it is a legal term that speaks of giving a legal defense as in a court of law. Every Christian needs to know what the Bible says. Every Christian needs to be prepared to give answers when people ask them. So I learned a lot from that little experience and I decided to start studying my Bible a whole lot more.
You know in the Bible is an amazing story of Jesus sharing the Gospel with a burned out immoral woman. She is usually called the woman at the well. It is a story of how he had an appointment with her on a hot afternoon at 12:00. Not only was Jesus the Savior of the world. Not only was he God walking among us. But Jesus Christ was the master communicator. He shows us how to build a bridge to a listener. Listen. That is our objective when we are sharing our faith. It is to build the bridge not burn the bridge. It is to win the soul. Not just win the argument. Here is what you need to know when you are talking to people about Jesus Christ. You want to establish contact with them. You want to get a conversation going. This is a dialogue. It is not a monologue. So take time to listen.
I will let you know a little secret. Everybody's favorite subject is themselves. I mean what is the most popular kind of photography today? Selfies. We even have selfie sticks to take pictures of ourselves wherever we are. People love to talk about themselves. So that is what you should do. Engage a person. Ask them a few questions. Get to know them and listen. Then appropriately and specifically bring the message of the Gospel to the person you are speaking with. The bottom line. We want to get them to the greatest story ever told. The greatest story ever told is found right here in the Bible and it is called the Gospel.
You know after I became a Christian I had a friend named Gregg. We grew up together. We went to elementary school together. We got into trouble together. We collected reptiles together. Don't ask me why. We were really into snakes and lizards and stuff. After I became a Christian I said to Gregg, "Now don't worry about me, Gregg, because I am not going to turn into one of those crazy Jesus Freaks, that you see out on the streets. I am going to be more conservative. More subdued". I actually said these words, "Gregg," and by the way, he spelled his name with two g's instead of one like I do. I said, "Gregg, the last thing you will ever see is "Greg Laurie walking down the street with a cross Around his neck and a Bible saying things like 'praise the Lord.' That is not going to happen". Greg seemed reassured.
So fast forward about maybe three weeks to a month. I am so excited about my faith that I have actually gone out on the streets and I am engaging strangers in conversations about Jesus Christ. So one day I am walking down the street and who do I see walking toward me but Gregg. And as I get closer we recognize each other. Before I could stop myself, I said, "Praise the Lord" but wait. Around my neck I had a cross. And I was, yes, carrying a Bible. We both laughed because the one thing I said I would never do I was actually doing. It was a classic moment.
It occurred to me. Wow. What if I could lead Gregg to Christ right now? So I started sharing the Gospel with him. He was really listening. I am just praying as I am talking. Lord, just give me the right words for Gregg. I pray he will come to believe in you right now. We are mid conversation. I feel like I am making some progress. Seemingly out of nowhere some guy appears. He has been eavesdropping on our conversation. Now this guy worked in a store nearby. We used to call them in these days head shops. They sell drug paraphernalia. Anyway, he is eavesdropping on our conversation and he says to me, "Wait a second, Christian". Addressing me. "I have a few questions for you". And I turned to him thinking, "Yes. Like I have been a Christian for a few weeks now and I can handle anything". And this guy fires off like five hard questions.
I don't even remember what they were in particular. But I am sure they were: how could a God of love allow suffering? How can you say Jesus Christ is the only way to God? Etc. You have heard them. As he is hitting me with these questions I realize I don't have the answers. Gregg, who is listening to all of this says, "Yeah Laurie, what about that"? I said, "Uh. I don't know". I was humiliated. The whole conversation with Gregg came to a screeching halt. I walked away from that moment thinking, "Man, I really blew it". I realized at that point I needed to start reading the Bible more. I needed to be prepared. Over in 1 Peter 3:15 it says that we are to set the Lord apart in our hearts and be able to give to every man an answer concerning the hope that is inside of us with meekness and fear or reverence. The idea is don't come off as a know-it-all. But you need to know some things. You need to be able to answer the hard questions that are going to be coming your way.
Actually this phrase that is used by Peter when he says "Give to every man an answer" is from a Greek word apologia. We get our English word apologetic from it. It doesn't mean that we apologize for our faith. Rather it is a legal term that speaks of giving a legal defense as in a court of law. Every Christian needs to know what the Bible says. Every Christian needs to be prepared to give answers when people ask them. So I learned a lot from that little experience and I decided to start studying my Bible a whole lot more.
You know in the Bible is an amazing story of Jesus sharing the Gospel with a burned out immoral woman. She is usually called the woman at the well. It is a story of how he had an appointment with her on a hot afternoon at 12:00. Not only was Jesus the Savior of the world. Not only was he God walking among us. But Jesus Christ was the master communicator. He shows us how to build a bridge to a listener. Listen. That is our objective when we are sharing our faith. It is to build the bridge not burn the bridge. It is to win the soul. Not just win the argument. Here is what you need to know when you are talking to people about Jesus Christ. You want to establish contact with them. You want to get a conversation going. This is a dialogue. It is not a monologue. So take time to listen.
I will let you know a little secret. Everybody's favorite subject is themselves. I mean what is the most popular kind of photography today? Selfies. We even have selfie sticks to take pictures of ourselves wherever we are. People love to talk about themselves. So that is what you should do. Engage a person. Ask them a few questions. Get to know them and listen. Then appropriately and specifically bring the message of the Gospel to the person you are speaking with. The bottom line. We want to get them to the greatest story ever told. The greatest story ever told is found right here in the Bible and it is called the Gospel.
Jesus' Divine Appointment at the Well
Here in John 4, we see Jesus with a woman. Now we call her the woman at the well. We don't know her name. I'm sure she had one. But this woman really messed up her life. She was not an educated woman. I don't think she had any understanding of scripture. She made a lot of bad decisions. And most of them were involving men. In fact, this girl was married and divorced five times. Now that's pretty radical for back then. Nowadays, eh, not so radical. And that day, scandalous. And that's why she came to the well at 12 in the afternoon, when the sun was at its hottest. It's because no one wanted to hang out with this woman who went to the well.
So she encounters Jesus here. And I love the way He engaged her. Frankly, this woman at the well reminds me of my own mother. Except my mom beat her. My mom was married and divorced seven times. But she was searching, just like the woman at the well. I want you to see how Jesus reached out to her, so we can learn how to be a bridge instead of a barrier to people coming to Christ. How to be a stepping stone instead of a stumbling block.
The Journey Jesus "Needed" to Make
And here's Jesus engaging this woman. Let's read about it. John 4, starting in verse 3: He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. But He needed to go through Samaria. You might want to underline that statement. He needed to go through Samaria. 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. And Jesus, therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat by the well. It was about the sixth hour. That's 12 noon.
And a woman of Samaria came to draw water. 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 to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, would ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman? For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans."
Jesus answered and said, "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."
Evangelism Jesus Style: Starting with a Burden
Evangelism, Jesus style—doing it the way Christ did it—starts with a burden. We've already alluded to this. Verse 4 says He needed to go through Samaria. A little background: Jews and Samaritans, they didn't like each other. In fact, they actually hated each other. That's why the Samaritan woman said, "Why would you, a Jew, ask for a drink of water from me, a Samaritan? Don't you know we don't deal with each other?"
There was a strong hatred and a cultural prejudice between these peoples, but Jesus needed to go. By the way, this was not the shortest route to His destination. He effectively went out of His way to meet this woman. Why? Because in the councils of eternity, it was decided that a burned-out, immoral woman was gonna meet Jesus on that day. She had an appointment with God.
And you know that there are times when you will be out and about your business, and you're gonna walk smack dab into the middle of God's will. And you're gonna come across a person that has an appointment with God, and God wants to reach that person through you.
Overcoming Prejudice to Reach the Lost
So here's Jesus. He sees her sitting there at the well. And it's a good reminder to us that we need to overcome our prejudices and our bias. Sometimes God may lead us to go to someone that's different than us. They're older. They're younger. They're a different race. They're a different social economic background. Who cares? If God leads you to go to that person, go to that person.
I remember shortly after I was converted, I felt very strong that the Lord was leading me to only share the gospel with really cute girls. I was convinced this was right. It was a great way to meet girls. Well, that didn't last long. The Lord said, "What are you doing?" You know, that was obviously not from Him, but we need to go to people that are different than us. Leave our comfort zone.
The Power of Tact in Sharing Faith
If we want to evangelize Jesus style, we need to use tact. T-A-C-T, tact. Jesus, the master evangelist, used something that many Christians seriously lack, and that is tact. Other words for tact are diplomacy, sensitivity. One person defined tact as skill and grace in dealing with others. Isaac Newton said, "Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy." I like that. Making a point without making an enemy.
I can state truth in a loving way, even if the truth is rather harsh at times. We'll deal with this more when we get to our essential message, but you can do it in a friendly way. But a lot of times we'll come up to a person and say crazy stuff to them like, "Hey, did you know you're going to hell?" Wow, what a great conversation starter. Way to build a wall instead of a bridge.
I've seen that that was not Jesus' style, and that should not be ours either. You know, when I present the gospel in a service or in a crusade, it's a monologue, effectively. I'm standing behind a pulpit, and I'm proclaiming the truth of God's word to people. It's a monologue.
From Monologue to Meaningful Dialogue
But when I engage people one-on-one, it's a dialogue. I don't project like this. Hey, you know, I just talk to them like a regular person. It's a dialogue. And in most cases, when we share our faith, it's going to be more of a dialogue, not a monologue. We're not supposed to be evangelism machines. We're supposed to have give and take and listen to the person we're speaking with.
Evangelism, Jesus style, means we stay focused. We stay focused. Now, this woman tried to get Jesus off of the subject. She says in John 4:20, "Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship."
Now, that's interesting. Because there's almost a little bit of inflammatory rhetoric here. The Samaritan saying, "and you Jews." Jesus could say, "What did you say? Hey, what you talking about, Willis?" You know what? He wouldn't go there with her. She's getting into some debate—a debate that's been going on for years. Where should God be worshipped? In Samaria, in their temple, or in Jerusalem, and the temple God established?
Staying on Track with the Core Message
Well, to the point, the correct answer was Jerusalem. Jesus could have debated that with her. But it's interesting how He sidesteps the issue, and He says to her, "Listen, God is a Spirit, and those that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth." You know, interesting topic. I don't want to get into that. And He gets back to the core issue.
I bring this up because sometimes you're sharing your faith, and a person will interrupt you and say, "Yeah, but wait a second. How could a God of love send somebody to hell? Wait, wait, wait. What about the person who's never heard the gospel? Will God send them to hell? Wait, wait. There's so many contradictions in the Bible."
Okay, what do you do? Okay, to the best of your ability, answer the question. One thing I like to say to a person who says there's contradictions in the Bible is if I have a Bible, say, "Well, I've got a Bible right here. Why don't you show me one?" They don't know a contradiction in the Bible. Those are just defense mechanisms. They've learned to make you go away.
But maybe they'll bring up something, answer it, if you can. If you don't, tell them you'll get back to them. But then get it back to the main subject again. And that's what Jesus does. He brings it back to the main subject so she will not get off track.
A Life Transformed by Christ's Love
Now, this woman did believe this day. This woman had her life transformed by Jesus Christ because He entered her world. He built a bridge to her. He lovingly and clearly gave her the answers she had been searching for.
I mentioned a few moments ago that she reminded me a lot of my own mother, where my mom, Charlene, was married and divorced seven times, as I pointed out. Now, she was raised in a Christian home by my grandparents, Charles and Stella McDaniel. And they went to church three times a week. So my mom kind of had a drug problem. Her parents drug her to church—Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night. And then they would invite people from the church over for Sunday dinner.
So my mom was around this her whole time. And she was a beautiful young girl. And she wanted to get out of that house. She was a rebel in her heart. And so she couldn't wait. And one day she found some young man who was willing to marry her. And my Aunt Willie, her sister, helped her pack her suitcase. And my mom ran off with this young guy and eloped and she never looked back.
My Mother's Rebellious Path and Final Redemption
And that marriage quickly ended. Then she moved on to her next marriage and to her next one. And so she was already on the trajectory. She was a major alcoholic. But because of her major beauty, she was never at a shortage for men.
Well, somewhere in her escapade, she had a fling with some sailor in Long Beach. And Greg Laurie was conceived. I wasn't planned. I'm so glad she didn't go down to Planned Parenthood and listen to them. That's another subject for another day. But she brought me to term. Obviously, I was born, but she didn't really want to raise me. She was too busy living her crazy life.
And so I lived for a time with my grandparents. I went to military school. I would live with an aunt over here and back with my mom for a while. So now fast forward. And her story is reaching a predictable end. And all that drinking has taken its toll.
One night, she got in her '65 Mustang and was cruising down Jamboree Boulevard in Newport Beach and jumped over the divider and had a head-on collision with another car. It almost killed her. Her beautiful face was now somewhat disfigured. You would have thought that would have been the wake-up call and she would have stopped drinking. No, she continued to drink and carry on.
The Final Conversation That Changed Eternity
Now fast forward and my mom is 70 years old. And she looks like she's 90. She's having kidney failure. She's having to get dialysis three times a week and she was miserable. So the Lord spoke to my heart one day and to go share with her.
Now trust me, I'd shared with my mom so many times. And whenever we would talk about the gospel, here's what she would say: "I don't want to talk about it. I don't want to talk about it." She'd just terminate the conversation. "I don't want to talk about it."
But one night, some years earlier, she had called me like two in the morning. I answer the phone. She says, "Greg, it's your mother." She was drunk, obviously. She said, "If I commit my life to Jesus Christ, will you sing 'Just As I Am'?" I said, "Mom, I will sing anything you want if you will commit your life to Jesus Christ."
See, she's hearkening back to her days in the Baptist church because that's a song they would sing when invitations were extended. But we would never have this conversation. So one day, the Lord placed it on my heart to go have the conversation with her again.
Again, I told my wife, Kathy, "I've got to go see my mom now." She agreed. We prayed. I went over. I sat down at the table. I said, "Mom, I want to talk to you now about your soul." She says, "I don't want to talk about it." I said, "Today we're going to talk about it. Okay, we're going to finish this conversation."
I just laid it out. And again, told her what it meant to follow Christ. And much to my shock, she responded and ultimately made a recommitment to Jesus Christ. That's the good news. We're thankful for that.
How was I to know that one month later she would die? I had such hope. I thought, oh, my mom has finally come to the Lord. It's going to be so great having her in the church and watching her grow spiritually. No, the Lord spoke to my heart because she was right at the edge of eternity.
Sometimes God will speak to you. "Go out of that conversation." Oh, I don't want to. It's so awkward. It's so hard. Especially with family members. Am I right? They're the hardest to reach. But you need to do it. You don't know when you're going to die. And you don't know when the person that God is leading you to speak to is going to die. So these are things that need to be done. And we need to listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit.