Jesus Style Evangelism

Notes: Evangelism, "Jesus Style"

John 4

SPEAKER:

Greg Laurie

Sunday, February 28, 2016 — 10:00 a.m.

Every place has its own style, like Hawaiian Style.

Jesus said we should go into the whole world, but He didn't say the whole world would come to the church.

1. Who is to go into all the world and preach the Gospel? We are!

Matthew 28:19 NLT

[19] Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Mark 16:15 NLT

[15] And then he told them, "Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.

For many, the Great Comission is really the great suggestion or really the great omission.

The sin of omission is not doing what you should be doing. The sin of commission is doing what you shouldn't be doing.

2. Where are we to preach the gospel? Everywhere!

We need to engage in FRANgelism... Friends, Relatives, Associates and Neighbors.

3. Why are we to preach the Gospel? God's primary way to reach people is by using other people.

1 Corinthians 1:21 NLT

[21] Since God in His wisdom saw to it that the world would never know Him through human wisdom, God has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe.

Romans 10:14 NKJV

[14] How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?

3. When are we to share the Gospel?

We share the Gospel all the time.

Pastor Greg is telling the story of when he evangelized while in the restroom.

2 Timothy 4:2 NLT

[2] Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.

1 Peter 3:15 NLT

[15] Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.

5. How do we share the Gospel? That is where it falls apart for many people. The answer is from Jesus Himself. It is showed in John 4 with the woman at the well.

Everyone's favorite subject appears to be themselves. The selfie picture is a testament to that.

Our objective is to build a bridge, not burn one. A stepping stone not a stumbling block.

Christ has not called us to isolate, He calls us to infiltrate and permeate. We are not to win the argument, we are to win a soul!

John 4:3-10 NLT

[3] So he left Judea and returned to Galilee. [4] He had to go through Samaria on the way. [5] Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. [6] Jacob's well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. [7] Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, "Please give me a drink." [8] He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food. [9] The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, "You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?" [10] Jesus replied, "If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water."

1. Sharing starts with caring.

Evangelism Jesus style, starts with a burden. Jesus needed to go through Samaria. 

Jews didn't go through Samaria, but Jesus still went. 

We are to go to all people, even to people we don't like very much. Just like Jonah.

There is no place for prejudice in the life of a believer. We are to share with all people.

2. We are to use tact. Skill and grace with dealing with others. You do not start telling them they are going to hell.  

Tact is the ability to make a point without making an enemy.

You must speak in a language that the nonbeliever understands.

You should engage people in a dialogue, it's not a monologue.

Many Christians don't seem to know how to use tact.

There is not a one way fits all approach to evangelism. We should all know and be able to convey the Gospel in less than three minutes.

John 4:28-29 NKJV

[28] The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, [29] "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?"to 

A great example of tact...

Acts 8:29-38 NLT

[29] The Holy Spirit said to Philip, "Go over and walk along beside the carriage." [30] Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?" [31] The man replied, "How can I, unless someone instructs me?" And he urged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him. [32] The passage of Scripture he had been reading was this: "He was led like a sheep to the slaughter. And as a lamb is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. [33] He was humiliated and received no justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth." [34] The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, was the prophet talking about himself or someone else?" [35] So beginning with this same Scripture, Philip told him the Good News about Jesus. [36-37] As they rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "Look! There's some water! Why can't I be baptized?" [38] He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.

One of the greatest tools we have in our evangelism tool box is our own personal testimony.

1. Don't glorify or exaggerate you past.

2. Never boast of what you gave up to follow Christ, boast of what Jesus did for you.

3. When you tell your story, always take them to His story.

Nonbelievers are looking for someone to show them the way. People have stated they would go to church if someone invited them.

Billy Graham said that in looking back, he would have preached more on the cross and the blood of Jesus Christ because that is where the power is. 

Look for open doors and opportunity. 

Some people are unnecessarily offensive. That burns bridges.

Chumming is a good way to go about it. Start a conversation don't force it. Jesus asked the woman for a drink of water. It showed a vulnerability.

I'm just one beggar telling another beggar where to find some food.

We can be in secondary subjects and missing the opportunities to lead people to Christ right in front of us.

The result of Jesus' conversation was that the lady believed and she went and told others.

Greg's mother reminds him of the woman at the well. She was raised in the church but seemed to reject the Lord. Greg talked to her about the Lord one month before she passed away. Greg gets to see her in Heaven again. We never know when the opportunity will arise, but we need to listen to the nudges from God.

There is joy in leading people to Christ, but there is also a responsibility to do it. 

None of us need a little religion, we all need a lot of Jesus.

Who are you needing to talk to now?

The Talk

Notes: The Talk

SPEAKER:

Jeff Lasseigne

WORSHIP TEAM:

Harvest Worship Band

Welcome to Harvest Sunday Morning!

Sunday, December 27, 2015 — 8:00 a.m.

Pastor Jeff wants to speak to us about money today.

Someone once wrote, they say money talks, mine is always saying goodbye.

The Money Talk… about savings and not being foolish. God’s word has given us wisdom to practice with money. There are over 2000 verses in Bible discussing money.

Proverbs 24:3-4 NLT A house is built by wisdom and becomes strong through good sense. Through knowledge its rooms are filled with all sorts of precious riches and valuables.

1- Tithing
Proverbs 3:9 NLT Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce.

Haggai 1:6 NLT You have planted much but harvest little. You eat but are not satisfied. You drink but are still thirsty. You put on clothes but cannot keep warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes!

You can do more with the Lord and 90% then you can do alone with 100%.

Look to discover the blessings of tithing. If you sow sparingly then you will reap sparingly.

2- Stewardship

Nothing truly belongs to us.

Job 1:21 NLT He said, “I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!”

1 Corinthians 4:2 NLT Now, a person who is put in charge as a manager must be faithful.

Honor the Lord and seek Him in every major financial decision. Pray to the Lord about everything. Nothing belongs to you so ask the Lord what He wants to do with His things.

Do not follow the typical American way of living beyond your means.

3- Contentment

1 Timothy 6:6 NLT Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth.

Contentment helps us not to waste time seeking riches.

Ecclesiastes 5:10 NLT Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness!

Proverbs 23:4 NLT Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit.

Do not make the critical mistake in sacrificing the family in order to make more money in order to buy more things. Dinner time, school plays, sports games with you family is not only priceless but also irreplaceable.

4- Low Debt

Romans 13:8 NLT Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law.

Buying a house to build equity can be wise, running up your credit card debt is a really bad idea.

Proverbs 22:7 NLT Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender.

Eliminate or minimize the debt that is in your life.

Financial freedom is not just keeping your debt low, but also living below your means.

Money makes a good servant, but a terrible master.

5-Wisdom

Knowing to live within you means.

6-Savings

Proverbs 21:20 NKJV There is desirable treasure, And oil in the dwelling of the wise, But a foolish man squanders it.

Proverbs 22:3 NKJV A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, But the simple pass on and are punished.

We need to put away for difficult times and retirement.

Proverbs 13:16 NKJV Every prudent man acts with knowledge, But a fool lays open his folly.

2 Peter 3:9 NKJV The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

7-Life Insurance

James 4:13-14 NKJV Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.

When you purchase life insurance, you have the ability to leave a house and income for your family.

8- Will/Living Trust

If you do not decide how to spend your money after your death, then the government will at a very high cost.

Being a good steward calls us to do these things.

Proverbs 13:22 NKJV A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.

Proverbs 30:8-9 NLT First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name.

If you love God then you love His word.

2 Timothy 3:16 NLT All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.

When you read God’s word, you are inhaling what the Holy Spirit exhaled thousands of years ago.

As we spend time reading and studying scripture, we receive huge returns. It will pay huge spiritual dividends in your life.

God’s word, makes us complete in our faith and it equips us for good work.

BASIC TIPS: for improving your devotional time;

1- Foundational - Commit to daily devotions.

We need to be in the word everyday, it is as important as eating food or drinking water.

2- Make a plan

There are so many ways to study God’s word, like reading through the Bible in a year.

The Greatest Story Ever Told!

Notes: The Greatest Story Ever Told!

Luke 2

SPEAKER:

Greg Laurie

MUSICAL GUEST:

Phil Wickham

Sunday, December 20, 2015 — 8:00 a.m.

57% of those that don’t go to church on Christmas surveyed said they would go on Christmas if someone invited them.

So many people focus on Christmas so much that they forget about who we are actually celebrating. While celebrating Christmas we can forget about Christ.

One time when Jesus was a child his parents lost him by leaving him in Jerusalem.

Even when we forget about Jesus, he never forgets about us.

1      When did Jesus come?

a      He came at the perfect time.

i        Galatians 4:4-5 NKJV But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

b      The Jews had not heard from God in 400 years. 

2      The Christmas story is a real story that happened in real time. The Christmas story starts in Heaven and is played out on Earth.

Nazareth was know as a wicked place in the time of Jesus. It would have been like being born in Las Vegas or West Hollywood or somewhere you would never expect.

Luke 1:28-30 NKJV And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God."

The God that flung planets into space, made himself small and came to earth as a baby.

Just as surely that God chose Mary to be the mother, Joseph was chosen by God to be the father. The angel appeared to Joseph and said, you will call his name Jesus. He would save the people from their sins.

Matthew 1:23 NKJV “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

Luke 2:1-7 NKJV And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Augustus and Quirinius were mentioned to really dial the time down so we know the specific time Jesus was born. Caesar Augustus was calling himself a god, ruling over the people. This passage was letting the people know that the only true God was coming.

Jesus went form being sovereign to being a servant, from the glory of Heaven to a stable for animals.

Jesus didn’t spend his life climbing the ladder, he spent his life going down the ladder to us.

Would you be willing to give up your humanity to become an insect to communicate with the insects? God left the glory of Heaven to become one of us.

Proverbs 21:1 NKJV The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.

Caesar Augustus had to decree that all the world be taxed, just so that Mary and Joseph could get to Bethlehem. 

History swings on the hinge of the door of a stable in Bethlehem

2. Where did Jesus come?

            At an inn in Bethlehem

God comes to us in unexpected ways: To Moses in a burning bush, to the wise men through a star...the inn keeper wouldn't let them through the door.

Isn’t it true so many of us are just too busy to have Jesus in our lives. 

Matthew 11:28-30 NKJV Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

These are Jesus’ words to stressed out people. Are you stressed out?

Go to Christ and learn how to take a real rest.

One of the hardest times of the year for people who have lost loved ones is Christmas. When you are mourning, don’t fight it, just cry.

Pray for those that have lost loved ones, particularly the ones who have lost loved ones recently during this holiday season.

The manger was not a nice place for Jesus to be born. He sacrificed to be with us. Jesus took a leap down to be with us. Deity in diapers.

2 Corinthians 8:9 NKJV For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.

Shepherds were the first ones told about Jesus, they were the nobodies back then, yet Jesus went to them. God loves ordinary people.

3. Why did Jesus come on that first Christmas?

To die an agonizing death to ransom us from an eternal death sentence.

The shadow of the cross laid over the birth scene.

The real Christmas tree was a cross covered in blood. That is why the color of Christmas is red.

Jesus was born to die so that we might live.

Uprising

Notes: Uprising

Harvest OC

Pastor Jason Powell

August 20, 2015

Uprising: an act of resistance or rebellion; a revolt.

We have seen uprisings around the world in the last several years.

We are praying that there will be a Gospel Uprising in the Christian church.

There has only been a few Christian uprisings in America. We need to pray there is another one.

Why is the Gospel our cause?

Romans 1:16 NKJV

[16] For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

The world is in a bad place because of sin. We all deserve to be in hell for eternity because of our debt of sin. The good news is that Jesus has paid that debt for us.

We are all drowning in our sins...the good news is that our life guard is Jesus Christ. He has already rescued us.

We are given the hope of Heaven. Hell is not in our future because of Jesus.

Jesus does the supernatural; He goes against all of history. He defeated our two greatest enemies, sin and death.

Romans 1:16 NKJV

[16] For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

He is not ashamed, when we are not ashamed we will tell others. Are you ashamed of the Gospel?

Have you been moved to tell others?

God commands and commissions us to share the Gospel. Are you excited about telling others?

Lightning is hotter than the surface of the sun. One bolt has enough power to power a home for 60 days. All that power is too powerful for our current technology to harness it.

We know that lightning is brewing over Angels Stadium. We need all the people we can to help try to harness that power of the Gospel.

A Line in the Sand

Notes: A Line in the Sand

Matthew 6:33

Pastor Jeff Lasseigne

Sunday, July 19, 2015 — 10:00 a.m.

We have all had the experience of being lost and frustrated.

So many believers are walking around in circles instead of living a fruitful life.

This message has been on Jeff’s mind for over a month now. It’s time for all of us to get serious about our faith.

Matt 6:33 ESV But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

8 Essentials:

1.     Priorities:

Seek first God and His righteousness.

We need to live our lives with eternal values and eternity on our mind.

God not being your first priority can be the source of many struggles.

Get your priorities straight; we need to follow Jesus, not just ask Jesus to follow us.

While God is a part of many lives, He is not the priority in many people’s lives.

Phil 3:13 ESV Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,

2.     Boldness:

Rom 1:16 ESV For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Better to be hated for telling the truth, then to be loved for sharing a lie.

The great commission has become the great omission.

Nothing is politically right when it is morally wrong!

We have churches caving in to unbiblical chaos.

Isa 5:20 NKJV Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

For many, Hell is no longer hot, sin is no longer wrong and the Bible is no longer right.

In the 21^st century we must go forth, and share that the Bible and church is a lifeboat for sinners, not a cruise ship for Christians.

It appears that everybody is worried about offending each other and not worried about offending God.

We need the Gospel everyday as Christians. The truth that God loves you can sustain you. He died for us. The earth is not our home.

3.     Readiness:

Rom 13:11-Rom 13:12 NKJV And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.

It appears very clearly that we are living in the last days.

Ask the Holy Spirit to examine yourself, is their a habitual sin in your life that is damaging your relationship with the Lord?

4.     Scripture

2Tim 3:16 NKJV All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,

The Bible is to us spiritually, as food is to us physically. It is our daily bread, our food for our spirit.

The Bible is worth every minute you spend in it.

Every book, chapter, verse and word is God breathed and good for us.

Doctrine tells and shows us what is right, reproof tells us what is not right, correction shows us how to get right, instruction shows us how to stay right.

Hos 4:6 NKJV My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.

When you feed your faith, your doubts will starve to death.

Main excuses and challenges of reading scripture daily; not enough time, don’t understand, reading makes me sleepy, get distracted, struggle to be consistent.

We make time for what is important; there are several easy to understand translations, read when you wake up. Every excuse has an answer.

We have truths put into the Bible against things and are explained why they are wrong, like abortion and same sex-marriage, yet people today are trying to claw them out of the Bible.

5.     Empowerment!

Eph 5:18 NKJV And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,

A continuous filling of the Holy Spirit is what the Bible describes to us.

We need to pray for a continuous filling of the Holy Spirit.

We have to plug into the power of the Holy Spirit.

3 types of people in regards to the Holy Spirit:

1.     Those who do not have the Spirit, the Unsaved.

2.     Those who do have the Spirit, the Saved.

3.     Those that the Spirit has, Empowered Christ Like Believers.

Gal 3:3 NKJV Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?

We are in desperate need of the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit filled life is not a deluxe version of the Christian, it is part of a Christian’s life.

6.     Prayer

Phil 4:6 NKJV Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

It seems impossible to not worry. Yet this is a command, so it requires the Holy Spirit for us to hold this commandment.

Worry can feel as if we are being strangled or choked, it can actually feel like these things are physically happening to us. So we must pray during these times.

Worry does not empty tomorrow of sorrow, but empties today’s strength.

Paul’s prescription for worry is prayer.

Isa 26:3 NKJV You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.

7.     Assurance

Rom 8:39 NKJV nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Nothing can separate us, when you became a Christian, God wrote your name in the Book of Life and He didn’t use a pencil.

Assurance is not based on what you have done, but what God has done.

Eph 2:8-Eph 2:9 NKJV For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Eph 1:7 NKJV In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace

Our salvation is based on His Blood and Grace.

Eph 1:13 NKJV In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,

As a believer we have the Holy Spirit.

Rom 8:9 NKJV But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.

The Holy Spirit is a guarantee to you that you will receive your inheritance in Heaven.

8.     Perspective

Phil 3:20 NKJV For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,

Eternal perspective. We are to set our hearts and minds on things above.

We are not going to disengage from this world, but we should understand with the right eternal perspective.

This world is passing away and we need to live with that perspective.

We are to be salt and light, and you can’t be that if you disengage.

This life is a drop in the ocean of eternity. Eternity if forever, more than a trillion years!

We chose Christ now and live in Him now to prepare us for eternity.

Eccl 3:11 NKJV He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

God has put eternity in our hearts, we all know there is more, no matter how bad someone wants to deny it.

Be serious about your faith; seek God first above everything else. Be bold in your faith; ready for Christ return. Grounded in His Word. Empowered by His Spirit, always praying, with full assurance and a Heavenly perspective.

No more excuses. We live in a day where there is clear line in the sand. Lets be on the right side of it.

John 3:16 NKJV For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

John 3:16 is how you get on the right side of that line!