Don't Win Arguments. Win Hearts.

We are to be witnesses.  Not judges or prosecutors not even defenders, but witnesses.  We are to share what we have experienced.   

Share how you realized that you needed Jesus.  Share how you surrendered your life to Him.  Share the difference Jesus has made in your life since you made Him your Lord.   

 

1 Peter 3:15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect...

Pray for people to know Jesus.  Ask Him to open their eyes.  Add value to their lives.  Ask yourself what can I give them that they don't currently have?  Invite them to your church.  

People have a problem that God is Holy, but we are sinful.  

 

Romans 3:23 ...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...

 

Hell is a place for people who have chosen to pay for their own sin.  

 

Romans 5:8

 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

John 14:6    Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

 

Acts 4:12

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

 

Romans 10:9-10

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

 

Quotes from New International Version

  

 

Patient Zero

Jesus read this passage from the Book of Isaiah Chapter 61 in the synagogue in Nazareth. 

 

Luke 4:18-19 (ESV)

¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me (Jesus),
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
    and recovering of sight to the blind,
    to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
¹⁹ to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”

Jesus saved us, so everything else is a bonus.  We must not live our lives for God's blessings.

  

Luke 19:10 (ESV)

10 For the Son of Man (Jesus) came to seek and to save the lost.”

Since we are saved, we must seek the lost to be like Jesus.   Jesus left the 99 sheep to find the 1 lost sheep (Matthew 18:12).  

Jesus changed His environment and not the other way around (Matthew 19:10).  You cannot build God's reputation if you're not willing to risk yours. 

We are supposed to love people, but to hate sin.  

Matthew 28:18-20  (ESV)

18 And Jesus came and said to them, 

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 

20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.

 And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” 

God has assigned us to reach the world, so they will follow Him. 

2 Timothy 2:15 (ESV)

15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

Acts 1:8 (ESV)

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my (Jesus's) witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

We are to witness to what we have seen.  Jesus didn't make us theologians.  

No one with an experience will ever be at the mercy of someone with an argument.  

We are to spend time with Jesus, and talk about it.  

Acts 4:13  (ESV)

13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. 

And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.

We are called to catch and carry.  We're all contagious with something.  Are you a carrier of Jesus or sin?  

You caught whatever you're carrying by a person that you're around. Where did you get your attitude?  

Nehemiah 8:10  (ESV)

...for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”    

Where is your joy?  When and where did it depart?

We must be under authority to be in authority (Luke 8:8).  

You will have the health, attitude, and the income of the 5 people that you hang out around the most.  

Jesus had 12 disciples.  Then, Jesus had Peter, James, and John.  Be around the right people. 

You're catching something from people you're around. Paul was a carrier of Jesus in prison.

  

Philippians 1:12-13 (ESV)

12 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel,

 

13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.

Our purpose is to change the environment of those around us.  We must choose to be patient zero.  It's up to you. 

Matthew 5:14 (ESV)

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

You are divinely set where you are for a purpose.  

  

The early church had to convince people that they weren't gods (Acts 14:12).

It's not about growing our church.  It's about growing the Church.  

John 3:16-17 (ESV)

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son (Jesus), that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

 

17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Jesus,  please forgive my past.  Take my life and be my Lord and Savior. 

75% of the people you invite on Easter to church will come. 




Jeremy Foster, Hope City Church
https://hopecity.com/sermons/patient-zero-pastor-jeremy-foster/

When Life Falls Apart.

Whatever we put our hand on.  We put our heart in. 

Life is what happens to you when you have something else planned.  

We aren't called to make a living.  We are called to make a difference. 

Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)

10 For we are his (God's) workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

God is working in us, so God can work through us.  

Before we were ever born, God knew us, and had a divine purpose for us.   

God is expressing Himself through us.  God's heart beat for humanity is to save the lost. 

2 Peter 3:9 (CEV)

9 ... God is patient, because he wants everyone to turn from sin and no one to be lost.

Luke 19:10(ESV)

10 For the Son of Man (Jesus) came to seek and to save the lost.”

Jesus isn't here today, but you are.  His purpose has not changed.  Our assignment in the earth is for us to make a difference.

  

Do you work where people are lost?  It's a tough environment.  How will God reach your lost co-workers?  You are God's plan.  God has you at that job to reach them. 

Ephesians 4:11-12  (ESV)

11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 

12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

It's your Pastor's job to equip you to reach your co-workers.  

Matthew 5:13-16 (ESV)

13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? 

It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 

16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. 

Matthew 4:19 (ESV)

19 And he (Jesus) said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

We are here to drop bait.  In fact, we are the bait. 

1. Focus on your mission, and don't get hung up on yourself.

The enemy of our souls wants us to hide behind our excuses.  

Pray for opportunities and look for opportunities.  

Opportunities are usually small windows and not large gates.  

We can't lose sight of eternity.  Hell is real and so is heaven.  Eternity is a long time to be wrong.

  

Your faith may be personal, but it is never private. Jesus never encouraged anyone to follow him privately.  

Matthew 16:24 (ESV)

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

A. Avoid being pushy. 

Pushy people push people away.  

B. Avoid be judgey. 

Don't judge a book by it's cover.

1 Samuel 16:7 (ESV)

...For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

C. Avoid being a know it all.  

If you have all the answers, no one wants to be around you.  

D. Avoid talking exclusively about hell.  

If you talk about hell, always have a tear in your eye.

E. Avoid arguments. 

Arguments never save anyone.  Arguments create heat and not light.  Don't block their view of God with your opinions. 

F. Avoid being super spiritual and using Christian jargon. 

Jesus was God in the flesh, but sinners liked Him. 

People may hate you because of Jesus, but never make people hate Jesus because of you.  

The way you live your life should make Jesus attracted. 

2.  Earn the right to be heard.  

Before we open our mouths, check the credibility of our lives.  

If we speak for God, we must listen to God.  

We must walk in honesty, humility, and compassion.

When we serve, serving shows compassion and shows we care.  

This builds trust. 

If they trust you, they will open the door of their heart to you.  

Integrity and compassion opens the door on their journey to God.  

Nobody can keep you from shining your light.  

When life falls apart, they will come to those they trust. 

1 Peter 3:15(ESV)

15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

3. Never underestimate the power of an invite.  

You don't have to be the Billy Graham of every moment.  

Help people to find their way by inviting people to an environment to experience God.   

There are two kinds of people those who know Jesus, and those who don't know Jesus yet.  

God wants people to move from not knowing Jesus to being someone who knows Jesus.  

We can love people into the kingdom.  You may not know Jesus, yet.  Here's your invitation.  

Revelation 3:20 (ESV)

20 Behold, I (Jesus)stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

Mike Haman, Healing Place Church
https://healingplacechurch.org/media/god-co/