Set the Hook

It's difficult to talk about God.

The hardest part about fishing isn't talking to God about men. It's talking to men about God. Isn't that true? Ask me to pray for the lost, and it's no problem. Ask me to send a note, an invitation, be a church greeter, or serve on a committee, and it's no problem. Ask me to dig deep and fund a mission trip or an evangelistic initiative at my church, and I'm all in! Ask me to get wet, and I'll jump in the water. Ask me to smell like fish, and it's no problem. I'll hang out with unchurched folks, and be friendly, and listen to their stories. Just name the place and time! But ask me to speak on behalf of Christ, and suddenly the cat's got my tongue!

When it comes to talking about Christ, the mightiest men crumble in fear. It's true. The extrovert becomes the introvert. We grow self-conscious. We fear the worst. We relegate the unpleasant duty of God-talking to the paid propagators of the gospel. "I will do anything for God, but I won't do that!" When the secularists demand our silence, we're more than willing to clam up.

Why do you think Paul wrote these words in Romans 1:16-17 (NIV)? "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: 'The righteous will live by faith.' "

How do we reduce our timidity about talking about God?

Deep down, I don't think we're ashamed of the gospel. But we certainly behave that way! In 2 Timothy 1:7-12 (NIV) Paul has to coach Timothy, who is a young pastor, in this area. "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life-- not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day."

If you ever go fishing with a professional fisherman, like Tony Waters, he certainly is not shy about setting the hook. If a fish is biting, if an opportunity is presenting itself, you cannot just sit there. You have to set the hook! Tony is kind of violent about setting a hook. Sometimes I wonder if he really has a fish, or whether he's just being theatrical! I'm kidding, Tony. In reality, if you are timid, a fish will spit out the bait, and he'll get off the hook.

Let's talk about reducing timidity and reducing fear. But first, could we agree that we need to set the hook? Romans 10:13-15 (NIV) says, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they (that is, you and me) preach unless they (that is, you and me) are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!' "

If done well, it's a beautiful thing to share Christ! To close the deal! This is the result we all long to see. But how does it happen?

But this is where the breakdown occurs. It's not always done well! More often than not, our approach to people is all wrong. And when our approach is wrong, we become utterly offensive, we do damage, and we set back the cause of Christ. This morning I want to give you four tips on sharing Christ, on setting the hook.

Approach people with respect.

1 Peter 3:15-16 (NIV) contains tremendous advice. It says, "But in your hearts set apart 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, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander."

I'm going to say something to you all, because I love you. I know many of you love Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, etc. And I know some of you love Keith Olbermann, Chris Matthews, Maureen Dowd, etc. If you take your cues from these kind of people, I'd rather you not speak at all on behalf of Christ.

These pundits are arrogant, and never wrong. They railroad their opposition. They attack, malign, and impugn the motives of others. They readily, knowingly, distort the truth, and will even violate their consciences, to defend their ideology. When have you once heard these individuals ever apologize, recognize fault, or seek first to understand before being understood? They're bullhorns.

Friends, we're not pundits. We're not bullhorns! And just because we agree with someone doesn't give us license to disrespect him. Let me give you a couple of quick examples of approaching people with respect.

How do we approach people with respect?

Do you remember in Luke 2 when Jesus' parents left him behind in the temple courts? I don't have time to tell that whole story, but remember when Jesus' parents finally found him? What does Luke 2:46-47 (NIV) say he was doing? "After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers."

Did you catch it? Jesus was listening and asking questions! If ever there was someone who didn't need to listen, or who didn't need to ask questions, it was the Son of God. Yet here he is, even as a boy, listening and asking questions. And it wasn't the last time either. Look at the red colored text in your Bible which indicates everything Jesus ever said. You will see more question marks than exclamation points. Why? Because questions demonstrate respect for people.

When you begin with questions, you get dialogue. When you begin with rhetoric, talking points, platitudes, and labels, you get verbal warfare. Jesus crafted powerful questions. "Who do people say I am? Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers? Which one showed mercy? Why do you say..."

Another example is Paul in Acts 17:1-3 (NIV). Check it out! "When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. 'This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ,' he said."

The way I preach on this stage is not the way I evangelize. I wish you heard me evangelizing as much as you heard me preaching. Preaching tends to be more declarative and more presentation-oriented. But when I evangelize I almost exclusively ask questions. "What do you believe? What do you think about that? Will you tell me your story? Can you help me understand how you reached that conclusion? Have you actually studied Christ for yourself, unfiltered?" I love evangelizing. It's not scary if you begin with questions, and approach people with respect.

Invest in the relationship.

I'm going short on this point. John 1:14 (NIV) tells us that Jesus, "...came from the Father, full of grace and truth." People marveled at his graciousness just as much as they marveled about the truth he embodied and spoke.

As I was writing this sermon, I was at Starbucks, where two girls were talking loudly. I was getting frustrated at their lack of sensitivity. But then one of gals became a sermon illustration! She was describing how a long-time acquaintance de-friended her on Facebook because they disagreed on a political issue. Her friend was willing to destroy their relationship for the sake of the truth that she believed.

Church, we're to proclaim truth for the sake of relationships, not at the expense of relationships. The whole truth of the gospel centers on the fact that God is reconciling us to himself. To destroy people for the sake of truth, is to destroy truth itself.

In 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (NIV) Paul makes it pretty clear that we should never sacrifice relationship for truth. "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing."

Jesus was full of grace and truth. In wisdom, he found a way to maximize respect for others, and faithfulness to God. How did he do that? What was his trick? I already told you. He used questions. He fostered dialogue. He approached people graciously and respectfully. He reasoned with people from the scriptures, using stories and parables, and asking well-timed questions. And we should do the same.

Bleed and ooze the resurrection.

When it comes to setting the hook, let's never forget what's at stake if a person doesn't trust Christ. In Romans 1:16 (NIV) Paul says, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile." Romans 6:23 (NIV) says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

God's word declares that apart from Christ, we are all under a death sentence. The pain we feel, the disease and cancer that destroys our bodies, all point to the power of sin. But in Christ, God has redeemed us from the power of sin, and from the power of death. He has given us birth into a resurrection hope!

Ephesians 2:1-10 (NIV) says, "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of the world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-- it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

1 Peter 1:3-5 (NIV) says, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-- kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time."

Isn't that just like our culture? We have an arrow to the chest. Death is imminent. But what's the attitude? "I'm not dead yet. I'm feeling better now, clunk!" It doesn't matter how we feel and it doesn't matter how others feel. This gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. Our message is one of life and death. We have to ooze resurrection hope in every conversation.

Take risks in relationships. It isn't about you. It's about others. Set the hook!