Do you realize that there are organized attempts in our community to discredit our Christian faith? These past few weeks, I've become aware of an organization called the Clergy Letter Project. It is a network of someten thousand pluspastors who have signed their names denouncing creationism, rejecting the notion of intelligent design, and affirming evolution as the cornerstone of all knowledge. They reject the Bible as a source of literal, historial or absolute moral truth. Instead, they affirm that scripture is merely symbolic and that one must use his or her intellect to discern what is timelessly true.
Of great interest, the Clergy Letter Project has established a network of scientists and experts to defend their views. They regularly write to newspapers on evolution. Sunday, there was a letter in the "State Journal Register"editorialpage promoting their views. To say the least, these pastors are creating confusion and disillusionment among believers and non-believers alike. Under the leadership of these cultural Christians, we are gradually becoming an atheistic nation.
With these cultural Christians undermining the gospel, the average church-going Christian cannot remain passive. We must get serious about telling the good news of Jesus Christ to others and about promoting the word of God. Toward this end, I want to suggest five levels of action for speaking out and being faithful to Christ. I have chosen to speak of five levels, because all of us are at different places in our spiritual pilgrimage and ability to share Christ. The idea is that you would identify where you are but strive to attain the next level of telling.
Levelnumber one:speak without words.
Levelnumber oneinolves speaking without words. In the first message of this series we talked about going and praying for those who do not know Jesus Christ. For example, Colossians 4:2-6 (NIV) instructs to pray this way."Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."
You may not be at a point where you are comfortable sharing Christ verbally. However, you can devote yourself to prayer. You can ask God to begin opening doors for the gospel to spread. You can pray that the gospel of Christ will be proclaimed clearly. This is the starting point whereby God changes our hearts toward those who don't know Christ.
But then the second week of the series we talked about going and intentionally loving the unbeliever. Matthew 5:16 (NIV) says, "In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." John 13:35 (NIV) says, "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
The goal at level one is to feel compassion for people's circustamces apart from Jesus Christ and then love them in such a genuine way that it raises their interest in Christ.
Level number two:speaking to the relationship.
I like to call level number two speaking to the relationship. In the third sermon in this series, I challenged you to extend an invitation to a non-believer. In other words, offerhim an authentic, redemptive relationship in Christ. First of all, you might considerapproaching your friends and those closest to you.
In John 1:40-45 (NIV), we read how after meeting Christ, Andrew goes immediately to Simon to tell him about Christ. Then Phillip finds Nathaniel. These men illustrate the power of inviting.
"Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus.The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, 'We have found the Messiah' (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, 'You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas' (which, when translated, is Peter).The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, 'Follow me.'Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. Philip found Nathanael and told him, 'We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.' "
Someone might say, "I don't have any friends in my circle that I could invite to come and know Christ." In Luke 14:15-24 Jesus tells the story of a master who thows a great banquet. All the master's guests come up with excuses and decline the master's invitation. At the end of the parable, the master instructs his servants to go out and bring in whomever they could gather.
"When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, 'Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.'Jesus replied: 'A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.'But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, 'I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.'Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.'Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.'The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.''Sir,' the servant said, 'what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.'Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.' "
If you are at the inviting level, I have a few suggestions for you. First, do more than invite someone to know Christ. Every Sunday we have dozens of guests. Many of them come once, never to return to our church again. Find one guest, and instead of treatingher like a visitor, you welcomeher as if she was a guest to your home. Think of yourself as a host. Think of the great measures you go to in order to welcome a guest into your home. You clear your driveway. You help them with their coats. You walk them into your home. You don't just say, "The fridge is in the kitchen. Help yourself. You can go downstairs and watch TV."
At church you don't just say, "The nursery is over there. The sanctuary is in there. You can take your children to the back part of the building and leave them with complete strangers. Have a great visit. Bye now!" No, you walk them to the nursery, then you introduce them to the workers. You offer them a tour. You sit near them during worship explaining the service.You invite them back. You personally engage with them.
A second idea is to go beyond being a host to being a tour guide. Why not walk alongside your friend asshebeginsher spiritual journey? Instead of tellingher about a class, why not attend the class with her? Or attend a small group with her? Or be the person who helpsher discover the answers she needs?
Level number three: speak to the obvious.
Level three, speaking to the obvious, means offering a testimony about your experience in Christ to others. In 1 John 1:1-4 (NIV), the apostle John says, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.We write this to make our joy complete."
What has been your experience in Christ? Who were you before you met Christ? How did you meet him? What has changed about your life since the day you met him? A testimony is powerful because no onecan argue with a changed life. People really do pay attention to what is going on in your life, and they notice when real, lasting change take place.
One of my favorite stories is of the blind man in John 9:1-31 (NIV). Jesus heals a blind man and sends the whole city of Jerusalem into an uproar. The blind man cannot answer all the questions thrown at him, but simply repeats the refrain, "I was blind but now I see." This is the essence of giving your personal testimony. "This is what God has done in my life!"
John 9:1-31 (NIV) says, "As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?''Neither this man nor his parents sinned,' said Jesus, 'but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.' "
"Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. 'Go,' he told him, 'wash in the Pool of Siloam' (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, 'Isn't this the same man who used to sit and beg?' Some claimed that he was.Others said, 'No, he only looks like him.'But he himself insisted, 'I am the man.' "
" 'How then were your eyes opened?' they demanded.He replied, 'The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.''Where is this man?' they asked him.'I don't know,' he said."
"They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man's eyes was a Sabbath. Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. 'He put mud on my eyes,' the man replied, 'and I washed, and now I see.'Some of the Pharisees said, 'This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.'But others asked, 'How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?' So they were divided."
"Finally they turned again to the blind man, 'What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.'The man replied, 'He is a prophet.'The Jews still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man's parents. 'Is this your son?' they asked. 'Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?''We know he is our son,' the parents answered, 'and we know he was born blind. But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don't know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.' His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for already the Jews had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ would be put out of the synagogue. That was why his parents said, 'He is of age; ask him.' "
"A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. 'Give glory to God,' they said. 'We know this man is a sinner.' He replied, 'Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!'Then they asked him, 'What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?'He answered, 'I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?' "
"Then they hurled insults at him and said, 'You are this fellow's disciple! We are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don't even know where he comes from.'The man answered, 'Now that is remarkable! You don't know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will.' "
If you are at level three, I encourage to square up your story, write out your personal testimony, and practice sharing it with other people.
Level number four: speak to the mind.
Levelnumber fourof telling is when we begin to engage the mind of an unbeliever, providing a reasonable defense of our faith. Many Christians have never taken the time to lay an adequate foundation for their faith. Instead they are merely Christian because, "Igrew up that way." There is nothing wrong with growing up Christian, but unbelievers need deeper answers before they can trust Christ for salvation.
In 2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV) Paul says, "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." In 1 Peter 3:15 (NIV) Peter challenges us, "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..."
A great example of this level of sharing is through the apostle Paul in Acts 17:16-34 (NIV). As he travels about in Athens, he takes time to understand the beliefs and spiritual pilgrimage of the people of Athens. As he shares his faith, he appeals to their reason. Their response is that they ridicule Paul, mock him, and belittle his thoughts. In the end, however, some people are persuaded to the Christian faith.
"While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, 'What is this babbler trying to say?' Others remarked, 'He seems to be advocating foreign gods.' They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, 'May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.' (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)"
"Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: 'Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.' "
"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.' "
"Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man's design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead."
"When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, 'We want to hear you again on this subject.' At that, Paul left the Council. Afew men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others."
My challenge for those seeking this stage is to think through your faith! Engage secular thinkers, engage intellectuals, or engage college or university professors. Take time to undertand their positions and where they are in their spiritual pilgrimage. Take time to carefully respond to their questions and assertions. Don't get ruffled. Welcome their questions as a challenge to grow deeper in your faith.
Level number five: speak to the conscience.
The final level is showing a personhis need for salvation by speaking tohis conscience. God has givenhim an inner knowledge ofhis sin. Often, the unbeliverthinks up objections to suppress this inner truth and remain inhis sin. It takes courage to move beyond the intellect and to address the sensitive matters of the heart. However, this was Jesus' method.
A great example is Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman in John 4:1-26 (NIV). You will notice that he shows love by breaking cultural barriers to speak to an immoral woman about matters of faith. Then he addresses her intellectual objections related to faith and worship. Jesus offers testimony about his own identity as living water that wells up to eternal life. But notice that Jesus speaks to her conscience by calling her attention to her sin and need for cleansing. The next we hear about her, she's told the whole city about Christ!
"The Pharisees heard that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John, although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. When the Lord learned of this, he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour."
"When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, 'Will you give me a drink?' (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)The Samaritan woman said to him, 'You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?' (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)Jesus answered her, 'If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.' "
" 'Sir,' the woman said, 'you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?'Jesus answered, 'Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.'The woman said to him, 'Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.'"
"He told her, 'Go, call your husband and come back.''I have no husband,' she replied.Jesus said to her, 'You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.''Sir,' the woman said, 'I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.'Jesus declared, 'Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.' "
"The woman said, 'I know that Messiah' (called Christ) is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.'Then Jesus declared, 'I who speak to you am he.' "
John 4:39-42 (NIV) concludes this story. "Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, 'He told me everything I ever did.'So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers.
They said to the woman, 'We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.' "
The way of the master.
A couple of guys, Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron, have been pioneering a way of sharing Christ that appeals to the conscience. They call it The Way of the Master. They use a series of questions to help a person seehis sin, understandhis offense against a holy God, and find forgiveness in Christ. They askthe followingseries of questions.
Would you consider yourself a good person?
Would God consider you to be a good person?
Do you think you have kept the ten commandments?
If God were to judge you by the ten commandments, do you think you would be innocent or guilty?
Do you think you would go to heaven or hell?
Does that concern you?
(Note to reader- The congregation viewed a video clip of this method of sharing one's faith.)