Talking About The Gospel

Stop sharing the gospel with the wrong people.

 

Psalms 40:9-10 I have told all Your people about Your justice. I have not been afraid to speak out, as You, O LORD, well know. 10 I have not kept the good news of Your justice hidden in my heart; I have talked about Your faithfulness and saving power. I have told everyone in the great assembly of Your unfailing love and faithfulness.

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It is a shame that we are so busy talking about the gospel with believers that we know and we avoid sharing the good news with people that don't know the good news. Conversations about the good news that Jesus saves are easy to have at church or when you are around other believers but they are not the people that we have been told to share the good news with.

The following quotes are from an article that is very convicting. The post ask the question: "Can we talk about the Gospel without telling it?"

Believers must guard against the temptation of talking about the Gospel to those who know it best without taking the Gospel to those who need to hear it most.

Whatever meaning believers ascribe to being "Gospel-centered" should incorporate an understanding that our conversations with unbelievers should center on the Gospel as much as, if not more than, our conversations with believers.

The true test of our Gospel-centeredness isn’t that we merely talk about the Gospel among sympathetic groups of believers; rather, it encompasses our telling the Gospel to apathetic, even skeptical, unbelieving audiences.

The victims of our failure to evangelize are the souls of unbelieving men, women, boys and girls on a trajectory toward hell. For this reason, we must evaluate whether we spend most of our time talking about the Gospel with believers or telling the Gospel to unbelievers.

It is sad that we talk about the good news in our safe little circle of believing friends and we are completely silent around the people that need it most. We don't like to stand out from the crowd as a radical, most of us live by the old saying "when in Rome, do as the Romans do," blending in is a source of security for us.

Red hot radical Christ followers is what we need to be. Pleasing God is impossible to do if you are lukewarm, Jesus said that he finds the lukewarm church to be repulsive, we must fight against our natural tendency to be safe and blend in.

QUOTED ARTICLE

Can we talk about the Gospel without telling it? (bpnews.net)

The Foolish Church

Living between hot and cold is repulsive to Jesus.

Revelation 3:15-21 "I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! 16 But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth! 17 You say, 'I am rich. I have everything I want. I don't need a thing!' And you don't realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.

18 So I advise you to buy gold from Me--gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from Me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. 19 I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.

20 "Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear My voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. 21 Those who are victorious will sit with Me on My throne, just as I was victorious and sat with My Father on His throne.

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It is easy to be so well blessed that you forget where the blessings come from and you start to depend on the blessings instead of the one who blesses. The church at Laodicea didn't think that they were lacking anything but that is because they were using their physical eyes instead of their spiritual.

"You are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked."

They thought that their gold and their fine garments and the ointment that their city was famous for were signs that God was pleased with them. But Jesus offers us so much more than the riches and pleasures of this world. Just like the Samaritan women at the well who was offered the Living Water, just like the crowd that was offered the Bread of life, Jesus is offering a better gold, better garments and better ointment for their eyes. The things that the world has to offer are never as good as the things that Jesus has for us. (Revelation 3:18)

This church thought that they were doing a good job, they were busy building themselves up, they thought that they were rich but Jesus says that they are poor. This stands in contrast to the church at Smyrna that thought it was poor and Jesus said that they are rich. (Revelation 2:9-10)

This church reminds me of God's children in the Old Testament, most of the time they were proud of the fact that they were not too radical, they thought that they could please God while they embraced the ways of the people around them.

1 Kings 18:21 Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, "How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!" But the people were completely silent.

It seems a lot like the church today in America. We don't like to be offensive but the gospel is offensive. We don't like to be different from the rest of the world but that is exactly the way God's children are called to be. Instead of being offensive we have allowed historic beliefs of the church that have been part of our creeds and part of Biblical teaching to be watered down and contradicted.

So be diligent and turn from your indifference.

Our everyday lives lack passion for the Lord, the message to Laodicea is also to us, get hot for Jesus, be radical instead of ordinary. A zeal for the things of God will cause us to cheerfully work for him and our love for him will help us stand for truth because when we love something strongly then we will hate all that is against it.

Jesus is waiting for us to let him into our church, it sounds a little bit strange, the church has to be willing to have him for him to come in. The thing that made this church so foolish is that they were trying to do church without Jesus. Sounds ridiculous doesn't it? Yet there are plenty of "churches" today that are attempting to do just that.

Jesus has gone to extreme measures to get to the door but he will not open the door and force his way into our congregation. We often use these verses to lead lost people to Christ, but the basic application here is to the church.

The inscription on the cathedral in Lubeck, Germany:

"Ye call Me Master and obey me not,
Ye call Me Light and see Me not,
Ye call Me Way and walk not,
Ye call Me Life and desire Me not,
Ye call Me wise and follow Me not,
Ye call Me fair and love Me not,
Ye call Me rich and ask Me not,
Ye call Me eternal and seek Me not,
Ye call Me gracious and trust Me not,
Ye call Me noble and serve Me not,
Ye call Me mighty and honor Me not,
Ye call Me just and fear Me not,
If I condemn you, blame me not".

We have a tendency to stay in the lukewarm zone, very few people like to be overly hot or cold, it is natural for us to seek a comfortable temperature. As a follower of Jesus we don't get to stay comfortable if we want to please God.

I think there are few churches today that have a zealous desire for Jesus, not very many are wanting to experience the red hot church of the Book of Acts, most of us want just enough Jesus to keep us out of Hell.

It is very difficult for us to see ourselves as God sees us and view our sins as being as offensive as he does. If I agree with God about my condition, if I agree with him that I am a wretched man without him, if I view my sins as being offensive to him then I will not try to live in between hot and cold.

We should learn from the church of Laodicea:

• Seek our riches from God and reject the counterfeit riches of the world. 
• Hold onto sound doctrine despite the views of the world.
• Serve God with passion and reject halfhearted devotion to him. 
• Be sure that Jesus is welcome inside our church so we can fellowship with him.

SCRIPTURE ON ZEAL

Psalm 69:9/ John 2:17/ Romans 12:11/ 2 Corinthians 7:11/ Galatians 4:18/ Titus 2:14

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To Be A Zealous Christian (challies.com)

Transformed to Serve

God has changed me and I can't go back to the way it used to be.

John 21:3-6 Simon Peter said, "I'm going fishing." "We'll come, too," they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night. 4 At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn't see who He was.

5 He called out, "Fellows, have you caught any fish?" "No," they replied. 6 Then He said, "Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you'll get some!" So they did, and they couldn't haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.

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What do you do when you are so excited and you are anxious to share the good news? Probably you don't go fishing. It must have been an unusual time from the resurrection of Jesus until the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit empowered the disciples to go and make disciples.

They were so excited to learn that Jesus was alive again, one day they are defeated and discouraged, the next day they are probably ready to tell everybody, but it wasn't time for them to start their ministry.

Luke 24:49 And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as My Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.

Throughout the Bible you will find God telling people to wait. It seems like any major event on God's timetable is preceded by a period of waiting. I remember Abraham, Joseph, King Saul, Job and Simeon all having to wait on God, some of them being good examples and others showing us the hazards of not waiting. (Lamentations 3:25-26)

Peter didn't do a good job of waiting, he was going back to fishing for fish instead of waiting for men, and he also influenced his fishing buddies to go with him. Maybe Peter was tempted to go back to the way it used to be.

Seven professional fisherman spent the night catching nothing, maybe God is teaching them a lesson about waiting, fishing all night without catching anything is certainly a long and miserable night. It is just about an impossible occurrence for a fisherman that uses a net, catching nothing at all would take an act of God, it makes me wonder if Peter thought about the previous time when this happened. (Luke 5:1-9)

Peter had a surprise appointment with Jesus this morning, an appointment that is just as surprising as the first one that he had after an unsuccessful night of fishing, this meeting would change everything even more that the first one did.

Jesus came to the seashore that morning to restore broken relationships and to teach these men about their responsibilities as witnesses of the good news.

Even though the conversation recorded in scripture is between Jesus and Peter, all of the disciples had failed Jesus, the truth of the lessons that Jesus taught were for all of them and they apply to all of us as believers today.

My Responsibility As A Believer:

Obey Jesus 

Cast your net when and where Jesus tells you. (John 21:1-8)

These guys spent the night working very hard, doing work they were not supposed to be doing, and they probably complained about the results. Catching men is their new job that Jesus has been training them to do for the past three years. After the Holy Spirit comes they won't have time to bother with fishing for fish anymore.

Allowing Jesus to be in control is the best way to avoid wasting your life. This reminder for them is for us as well. I will accomplish what really matters when I am depending on Jesus and submitting to his timing and authority. (John 15:5)

Love Jesus 

Check your love for Jesus and his family often. (John 21:9-18)

Fixing relationships is what Jesus is all about, he asked Peter to confess his love, something he had already boasted about but failed to live out during Jesus' trial. Jesus made the connection between truly loving him and showing it in obedience and service to him.

Do you love Jesus? If you do it should show in the way that you live. We should be fishers of men and we should also help tend the flock. If you love Jesus then you will want to be near the flock and you will be concerned about the health, protection and guidance of the other believers in the flock. (Philippians 2:3-6)

Follow Jesus 

Consider the cost that may be required of a believer. (John 21:19-25)

A repaired relationship with Jesus must have been an amazing blessing for Peter, in Peter's mind that would have been a great place to end this conversation, but Jesus continues to share important information that isn't so easy to hear.

Jesus takes the conversation from Peter's life and ministry to his death as a martyr, Jesus never dodged the issues so that he would have more followers, he was always upfront about the trouble and hardship that his disciples would face in this evil world.

Following without turning away and staying focused on Jesus despite the circumstances are some of the greatest daily challenges for a follower of Jesus. It is a struggle which must be dealt with constantly if we are going to die to self and become a living sacrifice. (Romans 12:1-2)

Following without meddling in what Jesus is doing in another believers life is another challenge. It is easy to look at what God is doing with somebody else and allow that to change our focus and our direction. (John 21:21)

The lives of the disciples were radically changed from the moment that Jesus called them to follow him but the transformation was just getting started. They still needed the helper that Jesus promised to send after he is gone.

The Holy Spirit's power in their lives would change these ordinary men, men that failed so often, men that didn't understand Jesus teaching, men that walked away when the going got tough. They would be powerful and they would speak with wisdom that is unheard of from a group of unschooled fishermen. (Acts 4:13)

2 Corinthians 5:15 He died for everyone so that those who receive His new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

Jesus Christ is transforming lives today, he is changing us from our old carnal state into a people that will represent him well and serve his purpose on earth. The easy life is not my goal, pleasure and riches are no longer the main desire to be fulfilled.

God has changed me and I can't go back to the way it used to be! I will live for Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. I will set aside the evil desires and the pride that drives men to live for self. I will live to honor my Lord and fulfill his desire and plan for my life.

Stirred But Not Changed

Lord, give me a burden that's so strong, that it will last when my tears are gone.

Matthew 9:36-38 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. 38 So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”

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Just wanted to share a song, I have never heard this song, I just heard about it last night at choir practice when my minister of music spoke about his trip to Africa.

This song by Lanny Wolfe says a lot about the way that we live and the attitude that we have toward the work that Jesus gave us to do. We hear about the work that the believer is to be doing and we vow to do more but then life gets in the way.

Our main work is the continuation of Jesus Christ’s mission while he was here on earth. His people are empowered by the Holy Spirit  to give a  witness for him, to preach, teach, baptize and make disciples of all peoples.

Stirred But Not Changed

Often times my heart has been stirred by the things that I have heard,
About so many who have never heard God's word,
And though tears would fill my eyes all to soon
I'd realize though my hearts been stirred my life has not been changed.

Chorus:
I'm so tired of being stirred about the lost who need to hear.
I'm so tired of being stirred that His coming is so near;
I'm so tired of being stirred till I cry bitter tears.
I'm so tired of being stirred but not being changed.

Have I heard it for so long that He's just another song?
Has the story lost its thrill that I once knew?
Lord, give me a burden that's so strong,
That it will last when my tears are gone.
I'm tired of what I've been. Lord, make me over again.

Chorus

But this time Lord change me let the work begin just now,
This time Lord change me please change me some how,
This time Lord change me let my life be rearranged,
For I'm so tired of being stirred but not being changed

Each time that I return from a mission trip I feel very strange going about the normal routines of life, the stuff that seems to get in the way of the really important work that needs to be done, there appears to be no time to follow your heart.

Lord change me so that I live mission minded everyday; keep me from being calloused to the needs around me.

Top Ten Songs Of The Lukewarm Christian

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have in my hands a copy of today's top ten list."

"Today's list is the top ten songs of the lukewarm church."

1. Blest Be The Tie That Doesn't Cramp My Style
2. Pillow of Ages, Fluffed for Me
3. I Surrender Some
4. I'm Fairly Certain That My Redeemer Lives
5. Sit Up, Sit Up For Jesus
6. What An Acquaintance We Have In Jesus
7. Where He Leads Me, I Will Consider Following
8. He's Quite a Bit To Me
9. Oh, How I Like Jesus
10. It Is My Secret What God Can Do

Let's be fired up this Sunday when we sing. Our Savior was passionate for us and we need to be equally as passionate for him.

Taken from "Way of the Master"

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The Foolish Church (diggingtheword.blogspot.com)