How to Lead Others to Jesus | Meeting Hearts with the Gospel

Hey there. Thanks for listening to the Greg Laurie Podcast, a ministry supported by Harvest Partners. I'm Greg Laurie, encouraging you.

If you want to find out more about Harvest Ministries and learn more about how to become a Harvest Partner, just go to harvest.org. The Savior. But the good news is God loves me. The good news is I can be forgiven of all of my sin.

The good news is I can go to heaven. Each day we're surrounded by needy people. Their needs may not be obvious on the outside, but they're glaring on the inside. Pastor Greg Laurie has pointed out that everyone's lonely, everyone carries a load of guilt, and everyone is afraid to die. And as believers, we have something that can address all of those needs. Glad you're along today for a new beginning as we learn practical principles for sharing the good news of eternal life. It's a message called How to Lead Others to Jesus. Let's grab our Bibles and turn to John chapter 4.

John chapter 4. So the woman at the well, she comes to draw water in the middle of the day when Jesus is there and He greets her. And He says, would you give me a drink of water? And she said, why would you ask a drink of water from me?

Don't you know Jews have no dealings with Samaritans? Jesus said if you knew who was speaking with you, you would ask Him and He would give you living water. And then she said, what are you talking about? And then she goes on to say in John chapter 4 verse 25, we know the Messiah is coming who's called Christ and when He comes He will tell us all things. Jesus says, I who speak to you am He. Let me paraphrase it.

Girl, you're talking to Him. I am the Messiah. And it dawns on her. This is the Messiah and she believes right on the spot. And she goes into her town and she shares her story. John 4 28, the woman left her water pot, went her way into the city and said to the men, come see a man who told me all things that I ever did.

Could this be the Christ? So I want to talk to you about how to lead others to Jesus. And here's my first point if you're taking notes. Number one, telling your story that is your personal testimony is a powerful bridge for the gospel message. Telling your story.

This woman only minutes old in her faith immediately goes out and tells others. And listen, you have a story to tell. Now I know some testimonies are more dramatic than other testimonies. Your story's valid.

Everybody's story's valid. Not everyone is a criminal. Not everyone's a gang banger.

Not everyone's a drug user. Some people live nice moral lives. One day they just discovered they were sinners who needed a savior. Everybody has a testimony including you. Here's your testimony in a nutshell without even knowing you. As that one man who was healed by Jesus said, once I was blind but now I see.

That's your story. That story is powerful. And people believed because of this woman's testimony. Look at John 4 39. Many of the Samaritans of that city believed in him because of the word of the woman who testified.

He told me all that I ever did. Your personal testimony. Remember the courageous believers in the book of Revelation. Who overcame the devil. And how did they do it?

Answer. From scripture. They overcame him by the word of their testimony and the blood of the lamb.

And they did not love their lives until the death. Now a big challenge we have in sharing our faith is overcoming the language barrier. People today are largely biblically illiterate.

Very few people know anything about Jesus. So that's the culture we're addressing. But every generation needs to hear the gospel.

The same message that changed the world of the first century is the same message that will change the world of the 21st century. There's power in the message of the gospel. But what is the gospel?

We throw this word around a lot. Preach the gospel. I believe the gospel. Do you actually know what the gospel is? I would suggest to you that most Americans have never heard an accurate presentation of the gospel.

Example. Seven out of ten American adults have no clue what John 3 16 means. In case you don't know what it means of course it's for God's will of the world. He gave his only begotten son.

Whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life. Barely one third of all adults even know the meaning of the expression of the word gospel. So what is the gospel? What elements must be in play for the gospel to be the gospel? It's very important because there are false gospels out there.

So you can't go to the essential gospel message and remove parts of it you might be uncomfortable with then it's no longer the gospel. Like if I'm going to make a chocolate cake and I get the recipe out I can't say well I don't want to use chocolate. I want to use liver instead. People will enjoy a liver cake. No they won't.

Maybe someone would. But to make a chocolate cake you have to follow the recipe. For the gospel to be the gospel you have to follow the biblical recipe which is given to us clearly in scripture. Because there is a false gospel.

Paul writes about it in Galatians 1 16. He says I'm amazed that you guys are deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and you're turning to a different gospel. Which is really no gospel at all. If anyone comes and perverts this gospel I don't care if it's an angel from heaven let them be eternally condemned.

Listen to this. Any gospel presentation that promises forgiveness without asking for repentance is not the gospel. Any gospel presentation that offers the hope of heaven without warning of the reality of hell is not the gospel. Any gospel presentation that tells you that God loves you but does not tell you that you need to change is not really the gospel.

See. See we like the good news part but we don't like the bad news part. But for the gospel to be appreciated you got to give the whole message. Sort of like when the jeweler takes the beautiful ring or whatever it is they're offering. They put it on black velvet.

Why? To display its beauty. For us to fully appreciate the beauty of the gospel I have to see the dark backdrop of my sin and realize what God has done for me. Now we all know that the word gospel means good news. It's good news.

Before I can fully appreciate the good news I have to first know the bad news. I heard about two old guys that love baseball. Love to watch baseball games. And one of them said to the other, man I hope there's baseball in heaven. Do you think there is? I don't know he said but I sure hope there is.

Hell I'll make you a deal. If one of us dies before the other when you get to heaven if there's baseball let the other guy know. Well as it turns out one of them died shortly after that. And his buddy was walking along missing him and suddenly heard a voice from the clouds saying, Hey man I'm here and guess what there's a baseball team in heaven. That's so exciting. I'm so happy. Yeah that's the good news. There's baseball in heaven. Oh and then he said but there's some bad news.

The guy said what? You're pitching Friday. Oh not so good.

Not so good. The good news is God loves me. The good news is I can go to heaven. The good news is I can be forgiven of all of my sin but the bad news is I am a sinner.

Who have broken the commandments of God and I desperately need the Savior. The Bible says all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Verse John 1a that says if we say we have no sin we deceive ourself and the truth is not in us. Now if you tell a non-believer they're a sinner they're going to say I'm not a sinner.

So you're probably going to have to define it. The Bible uses multiple words to define sin. But over in Ephesians 2 when it says you were dead in your trespass in sin. Two words. Trespass in sin.

The first word is pretty obvious. Trespass. You see someone's property. You have a fence up. No trespassing.

Yeah go over that fence. You're trespassing. So when I trespass it means I cross a line. So God has given me the Ten Commandments.

I know what right and wrong are. If I cross that line. If I break that commandment I have committed a trespass. But then there is the other word for sin.

Harmatia is the word in the Greek. It means to miss the mark. To miss the mark. So let's say you and I were having an archery contest and the goal was to hit the target. So let's say that you went first and all of your arrows hit the target but none hit the bullseye.

Ok then it was my turn and none of my arrows hit the target. In fact one went in a tree. One went into a cow nearby.

One went somewhere else. Ok now did you do better than me? Yes. But did you hit the mark?

No. And even though you did better than I did we all fell short. So God has set a mark for all of humanity.

And what is that mark? Perfection. Jesus said be perfect as my Father in Heaven is perfect. Well how can I live that way? No one is perfect.

No. That is where Jesus comes in. That is why I need Jesus. Because I fell short of God's glory.

Because I intentionally crossed that line and fell short of His standards. I need a Savior. And a person will say well I don't think I have sinned. And I might ask them well have you ever broken any of the Ten Commandments? No. You are breaking one right now. Thou shall not lie.

Right? In fact this is exactly what Jesus did with someone that we call the rich young ruler in the Bible. So he came up to Jesus. He is wealthy. He is young. He is successful. He has a super cool customized chariot.

Lowered custom wheels. Holding a lavender latte. I don't think they had those back then. But what does he do with lavender and lattes now?

With oat milk. Ok so anyway. No it was matcha. He had matcha. Right. Even better. Matcha.

So he is standing there. I had a matcha earlier. I actually like it quite a bit. I am not mocking it. But anyway. He says teacher.

Good teacher. What must I do to inherit eternal life? You think Jesus would say hey buddy I need you on the team. Instead he says you know the commandments and he lists some of the commandments.

And the guy says all of these I have kept since I have been a young man. And we read Jesus loved him. He looked at him and loved him. It would have made more sense if we read that Jesus looked at him and smacked him. Because this young man had not kept the commandments from his youth.

That was a lie. Why did Jesus quote the commandments to him? Because by keeping the ten commandments and living a good life I can get to heaven.

No. He quoted the commandments to show this man he fell short. The commandments are not given to make me righteous.

They are given to show me I am not righteous. Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. We hear from so many people who find Christ through these studies.

Some in person and even some on the road. I came to Christ listening to Pastor Greg but I didn't understand how to surrender to Christ. One day Pastor Greg was talking while I was driving for my work. After I heard him give the gospel presentation I stopped and then got down on my knees confessing my sins to God. Allowing the Lord to take over my life.

That was the day I finally felt complete. God is so amazing. If you have a comment or story to share would you send Pastor Greg an email?

Send it to Greg at Harvest dot org. That's Greg at Harvest dot o-r-g. Well Pastor Greg has been pointing out that the commandments weren't given to make us righteous. They reveal that we are not righteous.

Let's continue the message how to lead others to Jesus. The commandments are like a moral mirror. You ever look in the mirror and not like what you see? I have a magnifying mirror at home. So I shaved this morning. And I thought I'm good.

I'm clean shaven. Then I looked in the magnifying mirror. I missed spots. What is that all about? That's an old man thing right? See an old man why did you miss that spot? Because he needs a magnifying mirror. So I look in God's magnifying mirror and I see myself as I really am. And I say oh man I fall miserably short of God's standards.

The commandments show me I need Christ. They open my eyes and they shut my mouth. A person will say but I'm a good person. And you know there are good people. I've met good people who are not Christians.

Let me say something that might surprise you. I've met non-Christians that I think are better people than some Christians I know. And when I say better I mean they're kinder. They're more considerate. They're the kind of a person who if your tire was flat they'd help you change your tire. While the Christian would say I'll be praying about it.

Bye. They'll actually help you. I've met non-believers who are moral. They have integrity.

They live an upright life and I'm very impressed by that. So they're good people in a broad sense. So it's not a question of if you're a good person or not. The issue is are you good enough? Are you good enough to get to heaven?

And the answer is absolutely not. No one is because heaven is not for good people. Heaven is for forgiven people.

And one sin is enough to keep you out of heaven. So we need to share this news with people. And then we also need to tell them the whole story. There is the promise of heaven.

Here's a problem. We'll say to someone listen. Jesus can come into your life and forgive you of all of your sin. And fill that void deep inside of you.

And give you purpose and meaning. Is that true? Yes. Is that the whole gospel?

No. It's an important part but it's not all of it. It's the same thing Jesus said to the woman at the well. Drink of the water I give you'll never thirst again.

He's appealing to her inner thirst. But there's also an afterlife. There's also a future judgment. And just as surely as there is the promise of heaven the Bible warns of hell. In fact Jesus spoke more about hell than all the other preachers of the Bible put together. You say if I bring that up man that'll kill the conversation.

Yeah but that's still the gospel. Because you might be sharing with someone well Jesus has changed my life and he's given me joy and purpose and peace. And the person says I'm good man. I don't need that. I'm pretty happy with my life. So the non-believer asks you so what happens to me when I die?

Um do you like warm climates? Wait. Tell them. I'll tell you what happens. You reject the promise of Jesus Christ you'll face judgment in a place called hell.

Oh really? How could a God of love send someone to hell? That's the question isn't it? But the simple answer is God doesn't send anyone to hell. Hell was not created for people.

According to Jesus it was prepared for the devil and his angels. The last thing Christ wants is for any man or woman made in his image to spend eternity separated from him in hell. That is why Jesus died on the cross for our sin you see. And so we have to tell him that listen to this. Jude 1 23 says rescue some by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Listen some people need the hell scared out of them.

They really do. Now I know we've heard oh I don't like all these hell fire and brimstone preachers out there. Really I haven't heard one in a long time. Have you? I'm not saying we should only talk about hell.

Like here at harvest it's all hell all the time. But I'm not going to back away from it. And when I speak in a crusade I'm not going to delete hell. Because I might offend someone because if I don't give them the whole counsel of God I'll be held accountable for that you see. So I have to tell them.

But I don't say it with a smile on my face. I warn them of it. That's the gospel message. But here's the heartbeat of the gospel. It's the cross of Jesus Christ.

That's where the power is. Sometimes in our attempts to cross over we don't bring the cross over. And a crossless message is not the gospel. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2 when I came to you brothers I didn't come with eloquence or superior wisdom. For I am resolved to know nothing else among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And then Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1 17 Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel. Listen not with words of human wisdom lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. If I don't give this message as God gives it in scripture you have a powerless message.

Paul said the message of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness but to us who believe it is the power of God. Listen to what I'm saying to you right now. What I've shared with you in this message and I'm sure you've heard these things before. But what I've shared with you if you will take these truths and implement them you are already armed and dangerous.

In a good way. To use these truths to share with others. Someone once asked the great British preacher C.H. Spurgeon if he could sum up the gospel he says yes I can sum it up in four words. Christ died for me. That's it. Can you remember that?

Of course you can. Christ died for me. That's the essential gospel message. Pastor Greg Laurie with practical insight on sharing the gospel today on a new beginning.

We can all remember Spurgeon's summary Christ died for me. Pastor Greg has a closing comment in just a moment. Now to take a step back maybe your greatest need isn't learning how to share the gospel. Maybe your greatest need is to understand how that message applies to you. Pastor Greg what would you say to someone like that?

Well they just need to hear more. They need to hear what the essential gospel message is and I've got a great resource for you. We've set up a web page that's called knowgod.org. You go there I have a video presentation of how you accept Christ leads you in a prayer. And then it links to other spiritual resources that will help you grow spiritually. So just go to knowgod.org. Do it right now. And then thank you for partnering with us to help these daily studies continue.

Your investments have eternal benefits. Why not make this a part of your personal ministry to partner in an effort that's making a real difference with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank you for your prayers and for prayerfully considering how God might lead you to help tangibly. Online you'll find us at harvest.org. And there you'll see the way we'd like to thank you for your donation right now. That's harvest.org. Or write us at A New Beginning Box 4000 Riverside California 92514. Or call us at 1-800-821-3300. We're here around the clock to take your call again at 1-800-821-3300. Hey everybody you can watch our Sunday services on a special broadcast that we call Harvest at Home. It's streaming on the Harvest Plus platform.

So download that app right away, Harvest Plus, and you can enjoy being a part of our extended church family every Sunday. Well next time, more insights on sharing our faith most effectively from the new series called Timeless. But before we go for today, Pastor Greg closes this way.

I watched a video this last week. Gigi, one of the daughters of Billy Graham, was talking about her last moments with her father. He wasn't long for this world. He was on his deathbed and she was spending time with him, holding his hand, and he would fall asleep. Then he would wake up for a moment and fall back asleep. So when he was sleeping she carefully slipped her hand out from under his and was walking toward the door. She had her hand on the doorknob and she heard her father say, Gigi. She said, yes Daddy? He said, there's something I want you to focus on.

She said, what do you want me to focus on? And Billy said, I want you to continue to focus on the person of Christ and on the cross of Christ. Wow, that's Billy Graham for you. There was something like that to me years ago when I was in his home in Montreat, North Carolina. We had had lunch and I turned to him and said, Billy, if an older Billy could speak to a younger Billy, what would you say to yourself? What would you tell a younger version of you what you should speak on more?

But I'm missing the beat. Says I would preach more on the cross and the blood of Christ because that's where the power is. I never forgot that. And you shouldn't forget it either. If I'm preaching to a lot of people, if I'm talking to one person, I know there's power in the message of the cross.