This is a moment in our history as a nation when people are probably more open to the gospel than maybe they've been in decades. And harvest is at the right place at the right time. We've seen 1,200,000 professions of faith in the history of harvest. 10,000 people baptized through harvest since 2023.
So, this is a really good time to pour some rocket fuel on a burning fire. When you give, you're investing in this revival fire. Just go to harvest.org. Sharing the good news isn't just a good idea. It's a divine directive.
Today, Pastor Greg Laurie quotes the words of Christ. Jesus says, Go into all the world and preach the gospel. Let me personalize that. Go into all of your world. I like to call it frangelism.
It's an acronym F, share it with your friends. R, share it with your relatives. A, share it with your associates. N, share it with your neighbors. Everyone is called to do this.
This is the day we. The lost are found. This is the day for a new beginning. Amazing grace can squeeze us down. But can you hear all the angels are singing?
This is the day, the day will I begin. One of the key words here at Harvest Ministries and a new beginning is just two letters. Go. In fulfilling the Great Commission, that may be the hardest step. Go, get up and get started.
Today on a new beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie helps kindle a fire within us, a fire that won't let us remain silent.
Well see, sharing our faith is a joy and a privilege. We're featuring a message Pastor Greg recently presented at the Bold for Jesus Evangelism Conference in Spokane, Washington. Mm. People are bold for a lot of things today. You know, we're bold for whatever we're excited about.
We find a hamburger or we find a movie and we'll talk to people about it, we'll engage people in conversations about it. Others are bold for politics. Man, when that subject comes up, we fire up. Others are bold for the environment, they drive a Prius. Too slow.
Everyone who drives a Prius drives it too slow. Come on. How many of you own a Prius?
Okay, drive faster. That's all I'm asking. Simple request. But all these things people are born for. Others are bold for sinful lifestyles, but We're here to be bold for Jesus.
There's nothing. More important than that. I want you to turn in your Bible to John chapter 4. John chapter 4. Let's start with a word of prayer.
Father. Your word is true. The world is lost. Jesus is the answer. And the primary way you have chosen to reach people is through people.
People like us. You want to speak through us as Scripture says, he that wins souls is wise.
So Lord, help us to be soul winners. Help us to be your tools. Help us to be bold for Jesus. Speak to us from your word. We ask now in Jesus' name.
Amen. How many of you saw the Jesus Revolution movie?
Well. You know, people have asked me, was that movie all true? Is that really how it happened?
Well, in most movies of that kind, you know, sometimes time is compressed and two people become one person, but the whole arc of the story is true.
Someone asked me, Did you actually say to your wife before you married her, if you ever get in the way of me and my relationship with Christ? Uh it's over. I said, yeah, I actually said that. I can't believe I said that. I mean, that is the worst line to use on a girl.
Or maybe it's the best line because we've been married 50 years, so it worked out pretty well, right? But uh If you saw the film, you have a sense of my life. I'll give you a couple details that are not in the film.
So my mother, a beautiful woman. literally a dead ringer for Marilyn Monroe. And she was married and divorced seven times. And she was a raging alcoholic. And one night she went to Long Beach, California, had a one-night stand with some sailor.
And I was conceived. And I'm so thankful my mom carried me to term. I could have been another abortion statistic. And I was born in 1952. That's a long time ago.
You know, when you sign forms and they ask when you're born and you scroll to your year, I'm like scrolling, scrolling, scrolling, scrolling. Scrolling. 1800s, not that long ago, a little forward 1952. But I don't believe there's any illegitimate children. Illegitimate parents, yes.
Illegitimate children, no. God had a plan for my life. But because of the way I was raised, because in many ways I had to be the parent in the relationship, my mom would get so drunk every night she would pass out.
So I had to take care of her, I had to feed her, I had to help her. And uh so I grew up really fast. Uh I was very hard. I was very jaded. Because every adult I knew was a disappointment at best.
And um So I started searching. And I made my own mistakes, got into drinking and partying in high school, and then I got into drugs. And I was looking for answers, and it almost became like a process of elimination.
Okay, it's not in drugs, clearly. It's not in this party lifestyle. It's not in the adult world that I am at least exposed to. Where is it? And so on my high school campus, there was a group of very outspoken Christians that we call the Jesus freaks.
And I transferred over to this school. It's called Newport Harbor High School in California. And uh My friend's warmie, Greg. Be careful, there's a lot of Jesus freaks on this campus. And I famously said: the last thing you'll ever see is Greg Lori becoming a Jesus freak.
Famous last words, thankfully. And so I came across these Christians meeting on the front lawn singing their songs about God. And I sat down and I was kind of feeling sorry for them. I thought, why would anybody believe this? This is so ridiculous.
Look at the stupid smiles on their face. Look, look at. They actually look pretty happy. And so I began to try a new thought on first eyes. What if it's all true?
And what if God can be known? And I immediately dismissed it. There's no way because of my cynicism, because of my childhood. But then I tried the thought on first eyes again. But what if it's true?
And then a guy stood up to speak. His name was Lonnie Frisbee, beard, long hair. I thought, whoa, he's like Jesus, you know? And I don't remember most of what he said, but I remember one statement when he said, Jesus said, You're either for me or against me. And that was like a lightning bolt from heaven.
Boom, it hit me on my heart. And that was the day I believed in Jesus.
Sorry, it didn't happen right before my baptism. That was one of the things changed for the film. But it actually happened on my high school campus. And I began to go to church and I began to hear the word of God taught and I began to grow spiritually. And the pastor, Pastor Chuck Smith, played by Kelsey Grammer in the film.
Said that we should go out and share our faith.
So I'm two weeks old in the Lord. I've got a copy of a little booklet called The Four Spiritual Laws. It was put up by Campus Crusade for Christ. I hadn't even memorized the contents of it yet. But I thought I should engage someone.
So I saw this older woman about the age of my mom sitting on the beach, and I thought I'll walk up to her.
So I'm a 17-year-old kid, I've got my hair hanging in my eyes. Use your imagination. And um And my voice was shaking. You know how when you get nervous and your voice starts shaking, hi, can I talk to you for a second about. God And stuff.
She says sure. I sat down and I just started to read it. The Four Spiritual Laws, Copyright 1958 Campus Gruce. Law one, God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. And I'm reading through it.
And I couldn't wait to be done because I thought this is not going well. I don't even know what I'm doing. Why am I even doing this? I would look up at her periodically. She's just looking at me.
I'm almost to the end of the little booklet. And there's a question in the booklet, which is: Is there any good reason why you should not accept Jesus Christ right now? And I realized: oh, that's a question.
So I looked up. She said no. No. Wait. Does that mean you want to accept Jesus Christ right now?
She said yes. I had not planned for success.
So I said in the most reverent tone I could muster, Let's bow our head for a word of prayer and... She closes her eyes. I'm frantically flipping through this booklet. What do I do now? And I found this simple prayer to lead a person in.
And I led her in this prayer. And she opened her eyes and she said, something just happened to me. And I said, wow, something just happened to me too. I got a taste of being used by God. And so I've been preaching the gospel now for...
Well, 52 years. But it's my joy, it's my passion, and I want to share some things I've learned. about evangelism. And I want to show you how to do evangelism Jesus style. The way the Lord Himself did it.
But first, let me identify the who, where, why, when, and how of evangelism. Let's start with the who. Who is called to share the gospel? Simple answer. Everyone.
There's no exception. Jesus said in Matthew 28: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations. Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, and lo, I am with you even to the end of the age. By the way. Contextually, When Jesus says, Lo, I am with you to the end of the age.
It's actually speaking of how God will be with us in a special way when we share the gospel. That's not to say he's not with you all the time because Christ said, I'll never leave you or forsake you. But it is to say when you step forward and say, Lord, speak through me and tell others about Jesus, he's saying, I will be with you when you do that.
So who is called to do it? Everyone in the original language. The implication is it's a command. That's why we call it the great commission, not the great suggestion. But for many the great commission has become the great omission.
We're not doing it. And let me say something that might seem controversial, but I think it's true. To not share the gospel can actually be a sin. Let me explain. The Bible says, To him that knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.
Let's say I'm walking down the street and there's a house on fire.
Someone says there's There's a child in that house.
Now, I hope at the very least I would call 911. Maybe I would Be a hero and run in and try to save the child. But if I took a picture to post on Instagram and kept walking, that's irresponsible. And in the same way, if I don't tell others about Jesus, that can actually be a sin.
So, who's called to do it? All of us are called to do it. Uh Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. Hey everyone, I want you to know about our app called Harvest Plus. Think of it as a harvest version of Netflix.
We have all of our resources in one place. We have our movies like Steve McQueen, The Salvation of an American Icon, Johnny Casher Redemption of an American Icon, A Rush of Hope, and much more. Then we have our television program, daily devotions, and much more.
So go and download the Harvest Plus app.
Well, today, Pastor Greg is pointing out we are all called to share the hope of Christ with the people around us. He continues his message now, presented at a Spokane Evangelism Conference. Where are we called to do it? Answer everywhere. Everywhere.
In Mark 16, we have another variation of the Great Commission where Jesus says, Go into all the world and preach the gospel. Let me personalize that: go into all of your world. I know the world's a big place, so let's just talk about your world. your spirit of influence, your family. your neighborhood, your friends.
I like to call it frangelism. Frangelism. You say, what does that mean? Only share the gospel with people named Fran? Frangelism, it's an acronym, F, share it with your friends, R, share it with your relatives, A, share it with your associates, N, share it with your neighbors.
Everyone. is called to do this. you know, we think about maybe doing it as a ministry. One day I'd like to be a missionary. I would like to cross the sea for Christ.
Hey, why don't you start by crossing the street for Christ, okay? To start where you are. Number three, why should we do this? Why do it? Because God's primary way of reaching people is through people.
And Romans 10:14 says, How will they hear unless someone tells them? 1 Corinthians 1:21 says, Since in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God listened, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.
So it's the verbal. articulation of the gospel. Number four, when are we to share the gospel? Answer all the time. Always be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
The Bible says. Be instant, in season, and out of season, or as another translation puts it, be on duty at all times.
So one day, I was in the department store. And I had to go to the restroom. Yes, preachers use restrooms too. And I walked in and try not to visualize this, I took a seat.
Okay.
So I'm in the stall. And uh I hear there's someone in the stall next to me. They hear them clear their throat. Yeah. And then I hear this.
Hi. First of all, Men don't like to talk to men in restrooms, okay? We don't care what's going on with you girls when you say, I'm going to the restroom, who wants to go with me? If a guy sees another guy in the restaurant and say, hey, what's up? Let's get out of here, right?
So I don't talk to people in restrooms. Hi, he says.
So in the most Aggressive way I could respond. I said, I Like Don't talk to me. Moment passes, he says, are you supposed to meet me here? I said no. He said, Oh.
And I thought, what is going on with this guy? I said, what do you mean? And I'm thinking, what am I doing? I don't want to talk to this guy. Who are you supposed to meet here?
What's going on? He says, oh, I was going to. Do a drug buy. Oh. I said, I used to d do drugs.
Really? Oh yeah. But I found something much better. He said, what? I said a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Then I thought, wait. I can't share the gospel in a bathroom. The Holy Spirit won't even come in this place. It's just And this is what the guy says: I tried that. Oh really?
Yes, I tried that. I said, well, did you ever go to church? He said, yes, I did. I said, where did you go to church? He said, a church called Harvest Christian Fellowship.
I said, do you know who I am? He said, no, he said, I'm Greg Laurie, the pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship. Moment of silence passes, and he says, Oh my god. I said, buddy, God must really love you to send your pastor to you when you're trying to make a drug bot, okay?
So, you need to get right with God, and I'm done with this bathroom of evangelism. I'll wait for you outside.
So, I stood outside. He was easy to spot. He was the guilty-looking guy. Yeah. So we prayed and I was able to lead him.
and a recommitment to Christ, all right?
So, when the Bible says, be on duty at all times, it takes on a whole new meaning.
So, how are we to share the gospel? How? That's where Jesus comes in because not only is Jesus Christ. God incarnate, not only as Jesus Christ our Savior. But Jesus Christ was the master communicator.
He shows us how to do it. And I think a thing that I would begin with is when you're engaging someone with the gospel, the objective is to build a bridge, not burn the bridge. And far too often, we stop the conversation before it even begins.
So engage a person. Check this out. Everyone's favorite subject is themselves. People love to talk about themselves.
So ask a person, tell me about yourself. Where are you from? Oh, what do you do? Oh, just ask them questions. Oh, they're so happy to talk about themselves.
I mean, think about what is the most popular form of photography in the world today? Selfies, right? People love to talk about themselves.
So you begin to build a bridge. You begin to engage them. See, here's the problem: we put people off so quickly, starting with Christianese. Do you know what Christianese is? It's our own cryptic language that only we understand.
So we see a non-believer when we say, hey you, Philistine, come here. I have a question for you. Have you been washed in the blood? Have you been redeemed? Have you repented?
Have you been justified? And are you part of the body of Christ? You're freaking this person out. You just ask them if they've been washed in blood and are part of some body. I mean,.
Here's my point. I'm not suggesting you don't use biblical terminology, but what I am suggesting is that you not assume your listener knows what you're saying. You have to speak their language. You need to engage them in a way that they understand. And here before us in John chapter 4 is a perfect illustration of that.
We have Jesus engaging. A lady, we don't know her name, but we call her the woman at the well. She was married and divorced five times and was living with a man. But here is a woman. Who obviously was trying to fill a void in her life with a man?
Oh, if I meet the right man. I will find fulfillment. And Jesus used this as a metaphor. Telling her, if she drinks of this water, she'll thirst again.
So let's read it, John 4, verse 3. Jesus left Judea, departed again to Galilee, but he needed to go through Samaria. You might want to underline that phrase in your Bible. He needed to go.
So he came to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus, therefore, weary from his journey, sat by the well. It was about the sixth hour. That's 12 o'clock noon. A woman of Samaria came to draw water.
Jesus said, Give me a drink. For its disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Then the woman of Samaria said, How is it that you, being a Jew, would ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman? For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered her and said, If you knew the gift of God and who it is that says to you, give me a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.
stop there. And so If you want to share the gospel Jesus style, Sharing starts with caring. People can tell when you care. People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. Let me say that again.
People don't care how much you know. Until they know how much you care. He needed to go through Samaria. Fact of the matter is, Jesus didn't have to pass through Samaria at all, it was way out of his way. But in another way, he had to go because he had an appointment with this woman.
that was said in the councils of eternity. And she didn't know. that an appointment was waiting for her to meet God, but indeed it was there. Normally, the Jews and the Samaritans had nothing to do with each other. There was this huge barrier between them.
They didn't communicate, and she even brings that up to Jesus. Why are you even talking to me? Don't you know we don't talk to each other? We have nothing to do with each other. But Jesus left his comfort zone and went to someone with the gospel, and we need to do the same.
Don't miss those divine appointments.
Well, I'm not comfortable.
Well, I don't really like them.
Well, I don't really want to talk to them. It's not about you. It's about a lost soul that's loved by the Lord. Uh Pastor Greg Laurie, with important encouragement about sharing the gospel with others, even when it's outside our comfort zone. And there's more to come from this message here on a new beginning.
Do you know how to share the gospel? Do you know what the gospel is? Have you ever responded to the gospel yourself? Do you have a personal relationship with the Lord? Pastor Greg, someone can enter into that kind of relationship right now, can't they?
They can, and it's so simple. And I think because it's so simple, people think, oh, it can't be that easy.
Well, look, Jesus did all the heavy lifting. He carried the cross for you. He died on that cross that he carried. This isn't about what you do, it's about what he's done. But here's what the Bible says: Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.
So let's just say that you're caught in a riptide out in the ocean and you need help and there's a lifeguard at the stand and they see you. You've got to call out to them and let them know you need saving. And the same is true when it comes to eternal life. Jesus is ready to save you. Will you call out to Him?
You say, Well, okay, how do I do that? You do it through prayer. And prayer is just talking to God.
So, listen, I'd like to lead you in a simple prayer. And if you pray this prayer after me. I believe God will hear it and answer it, and Christ will come to live inside of you. Thousands of people have prayed a prayer like this over the years that we've been doing this radio broadcast and have seen their life change. There's no power or magic in a prayer, it's all about your commitment to Christ.
But this is a way to call on the name of the Lord in this prayer.
So, if you want Jesus to come into your life and forgive you of your sin, if you want to know that you'll go to heaven when you die, if you want to fill that big hole in your heart, Just pray this prayer after me. You could pray it out loud if you like. Pray it in the quietness of your heart, but pray these words if you would. Lord Jesus I know that I'm a sinner. But I know that you're the Saviour.
who died on the cross for my sin, I am sorry for my sin, and I turn from it now. and I choose to follow you from this moment forward. Be my Saviour and my Lord. Be my God and my friend. Thanks for hearing this prayer.
in answering this prayer. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Listen, if you just prayed that prayer. I want you to know that God has heard you and has answered it.
The Bible says, These things we write to you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, that you may know. It's yours now. God has given it to you because it's the gift of eternal life. through Jesus Christ our Lord. Congratulations And welcome to the family of God.
Amen. And listen, we want to help you get started in this new relationship with the Lord. Would you let us send you something? It's free of charge. It's Pastor Greg's New Believer's Bible.
Millions have read this edition of God's Word. New Believers love the study helps written just for them, and they appreciate that it's an easy-to-understand translation. We'll be glad to send it to you today. Just ask for the New Believer's Bible when you call 1-800-821-3300. You can call any time, 1-800-821-3300.
or go online to harvest.org. And then let us say a word of thanks to those who support us financially. Those who make it possible for us to bring you these studies each day. We are definitely a listener-supported ministry. It's the generosity of listeners that help us be here with these programs.
So if you've partnered with us, thank you. And if you have yet to partner with us, well, I hope you'll get in touch today and let us know that you're standing with us. Even a small investment would help. It's actually an investment in changing lives. Thank you for partnering with us.
You can donate securely online at harvest.org. or write a new beginning box 4000. Riverside, California, nine two five one four. or call us at 1-800-821-3300. Again, that's 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 insight from Pastor Gregg's message called Evangelism Jesus Style. Join us here on A New Beginning with Pastor and Bible teacher Greg Laurie. Take a day, the day when life begins.
