Posts
Pastor Greg Laurie
Harvest July 20, 2014
John 4
Jesus was the greatest speaker.
Public speaking is the greatest
fear among Americans. So evangelism scares most people.
Evangelism is not an option for
the follower of Christ.
Evangelistic Christians are the
happiest Christians that Greg knows.
Nit picky Christians are the most
miserable people Greg says he knows.
There is a joy in telling people
about Jesus.
We are commanded to preach the
Gospel by Jesus Christ.
If I am His disciple, then I am
commanded to go and make disciples of others.
The happiest Christians are
evangelistic ones.
1 John 1:4 NIV
[4] We write this to make our joy
complete.
Greg likes to preach, yet we
thank him for it. It fills him when he preaches, it fills him with joy.
“Those who refresh others will
themselves be refreshed.”
(Proverbs 11:25)
"We are the Bibles the world
is reading."
We are to be a stepping stone,
not a stumbling block for others coming to Christ.
How do you help an ungodly person
become a Godly person if you don't talk to them.
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. Evangelism, Jesus style,
begins with a burden.
Winners of souls must first be
weepers of souls.
A note about the text, Samaritans
and Jews did not like each other. Yet Jesus went there because there was a
woman in need.
John 3:16 NLT
[16] "For God loved the
world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes
in him will not perish but have eternal life.
We need to go wherever, to
whosoever, whenever God directs us.
Jesus went into enemy territory
to share the gospel.
There is no room for prejudice or
bigotry when sharing the gospel, we are to go wherever.
2. If we want to evangelize Jesus
style, we need to use tact!
Tact is the art of making a point
without making an enemy.
There is a right time and a wrong
time to share things. We do not need to be evangelism machines.
It not about winning an argument,
it's about winning a soul.
John 4:13-14 NLT
[13] Jesus replied, "Anyone
who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. [14] But those who drink
the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling
spring within them, giving them eternal life."
Jesus gave her just a little
truth, it's not always the right time to pour on all the info. The Lord of
glory shows vulnerability when sharing.
John 4:13 NLT
[13] Jesus replied, "Anyone
who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again.
3. To share the gospel Jesus
style, we must adapt to the situation.
John 4:16-19 NLT
[16] "Go and get your
husband," Jesus told her. [17] "I don't have a husband," the
woman replied. Jesus said, "You're right! You don't have a husband- [18]
for you have had five husbands, and you aren't even married to the man you're
living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!" [19] "Sir," the
woman said, "you must be a prophet.
To get her attention, Jesus
showed a little bit of His power by telling her about herself.
Acts 3:19 NLT
[19] Now repent of your sins and
turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.
If you fess up to your mess up,
God will clean up.
4. If you want to evangelize the
Jesus way, don’t deal with everyone the same way.
In John 3 and John 4 there are
two different people and Jesus handles them both differently.
A great way to start the conversation
is to start "chumming" a little bit.
How do we chum? You make small
statements referencing your faith.
1 Corinthians 9:19-23 NLT
[19] Even though I am a free man
with no master, I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ. [20]
When I was with the Jews, I lived like a Jew to bring the Jews to Christ. When
I was with those who follow the Jewish law, I too lived under that law. Even
though I am not subject to the law, I did this so I could bring to Christ those
who are under the law. [21] When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the
Jewish law, I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ. But I
do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ. [22] When I am with
those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to
Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can
to save some. [23] I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its
blessings.
5. Evangelism, Jesus style, means
we stay focused.
John 4:20 NLT
[20] So tell me, why is it that
you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we
Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors
worshiped?"
Talk about the person you are
talking to, don't let them change the subject. Address what they say and go
back to the subject.
Your best subject and tool is
your own testimony.
We all don't have an amazing
story to our conversion, but your story may relate perfectly to the person you
are talking to. How you were before Christ and how you are now, maybe all you
need to share.
Paul the Apostle always started
with his testimony.
John 4:25-26 NLT
[25] The woman said, "I know
the Messiah is coming-the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will
explain everything to us." [26] Then Jesus told her, "I Am the
Messiah!"
John 4:28-29 NLT
[28] The woman left her water jar
beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, [29] "Come
and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the
Messiah?"
John 4:39 NLT
[39] Many Samaritans from the
village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, "He told me
everything I ever did!"
Don’t glorify or exaggerate your
past.
Don’t boast about what you gave
up for Him, but what He gave up for you.
When you tell your story, it’s
not about you, but Him!
6. Telling your story is a
powerful bridge for the gospel message.
Romans 3:23 NLT
[23] For everyone has sinned; we
all fall short of God's glorious standard.
1 John 1:8 NLT
[8] If we claim we have no sin,
we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.
James 2:10 NLT
[10] For the person who keeps all
of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God's
laws.
Romans 5:6-8 NLT
[6] When we were utterly helpless,
Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. [7] Now, most
people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might
perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. [8] But God
showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were
still sinners.
John 3:16 NLT
[16] "For God loved the
world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes
in him will not perish but have eternal life.
Acts 5:41-42 NLT
[41] The apostles left the high
council rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the
name of Jesus. [42] And every day, in the Temple and from house to house, they
continued to teach and preach this message: "Jesus is the Messiah."
Jesus died for me! That is the
message.
If you were arrested for being a
Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?
