The following message from Pastor Greg Laurie is made possible by some special friends of this ministry. Pastor Greg? I wanted to say a special word of thanks to the Harvest Partners who make this ministry possible.
Next time you're online, check out Pastor Greg's personal blog at blog.GregLaurie.com. If you want to burn a bridge, if you want to win some, you must be winsome. In other words, be nice. When we talk to someone about our faith, we can point out that we used to think just like them, and then something changed.
But no one likes to be told they're wrong. How do we point out a better way without wearing out our welcome? Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie helps us learn from one of the Bible's great heroes of the faith. We'll see his witness echoes through the corridors of time and gives inspiration to walk with God and back our witness with our words. We're in a brand new series that we're calling World Changers. And the title of this message is The World Changer That Was Out Of This World Part 2.
Now, world changers do not march lockstep with current culture. World changers are people that follow Christ and affect their surroundings more than their surroundings affect them. World changers, as I pointed out before, are thermostats, not thermometers. A thermometer tells you what the temperature is.
A thermos that controls the temperature. A world changer is that kind of a person. They think for themselves, world changers are true rebels. You know, people say, oh, he's a rebel.
He drinks and he smokes and he, you know, they live a sexually free life. They're a rebel. That's not a rebel. In today's culture, that's a conformist.
Okay? Now you just tell me some of that person reads the Bible, does what God tells them to do, and follows Jesus. That's a rebel in today's culture. That's what a world changer is. They're a real rebel. You don't even have to wear a leather jacket either or sunglasses.
But you can if you like. So a world changer. They control the temperature. They set the pace.
They, well, they change the world. And Hebrews 11 is a collection of world changers. Now some very familiar names make the cut. Names we would expect to see in a hero's hall of faith like Noah and Abraham and Jacob and Moses and Gideon and David. There are some surprising names that make the list as well like Rahab the harlot.
That's Rahab the hooker. How did she get on the list? We will find out later. And then there is a couple of what I would call somewhat obscure biblical characters that surprisingly make the list. We have already looked at one. Abel. We told you why he is in the hall of faith. And we are looking now at Enoch. But if God chose to put them in the hall of faith, if their world changes, we should certainly pay attention. Now remember we are learning about Enoch. We have already identified two principles about why he was a world changer.
Principle number one to review. He walked with God. And remember we looked at Amos 3.3 that says can two walk together unless they be agreed. And I pointed out to you that to be agreed means to be in harmony with. To be in sync with. So the man or the woman that walks with God is in sync with them. I was walking the other day with two of my grandchildren.
They are both quite small. And you know I have to slow my pace down a little bit because they walk a little bit slower. Finally I just carried one of them because they just couldn't keep up and we had to move. And so when we are walking with God you know we have to understand that God sets the pace. But He is going to meet us where we are at and walk with us through life. But then I also learned that walking with God means to keep an appointment.
Because that phrase unless they are agreed means to keep an appointment. So let's say you and I decide we are going to go on a walk together. I say let's go on a walk. Ok. What do you want to meet? Let's meet at seven o'clock in the morning.
Great. What do you want to meet? Let's meet at the church. Ok. You show up at the church. You text me. Where are you? I am at Krispy Kreme. What?
Now you really need to walk. Ok. Hopefully the sign isn't lit up yet. Right.
Meaning the glazed donuts are coming. But my point is I have to be at the place I said I would be at if we are going to keep our appointment. God always keeps His appointment with us. We need to keep ours with Him. Finally we discovered that walking with God means we pool our resources. So He brings everything He has and He puts it on the table and I am supposed to do the same. By the way that is the deal of the century.
Number two. We discovered that Enoch was well pleasing to God. Because Hebrews 11.5 says he had this testimony that he pleased God.
So this is something we all should desire to do in our life. Jesus said, I always do the things that please the Father. So we want to live lives that honor and please God. Now we come to point three about Enoch. And it really connects to point two.
Number three. Enoch was a witness for God. That is what we are going to focus on here. He was a witness for God. Hebrews 11.5. Enoch had this testimony that he pleased God. He had this testimony. Every Christian has a testimony. Everybody has a story to tell. You have a testimony and people are watching you.
Now here is the question. Do you have a good or a bad testimony? And by that I don't mean dramatic or undramatic. You know someone asked me the other day if a person's testimony is that they never had any major problems in life still valid. In other words if someone was a drug addict or if they served time in prison or if they lived some notorious life and they came to Christ we say, now that is a great testimony. But maybe there is someone else who was relatively moral and they tried to play by the rules but they discovered that they needed God. They realized they were a sinner and they needed a Savior.
Listen. Both testimonies are valid because there are a lot of different kinds of people out there in the world. Not everyone relates to a criminal. Not everyone relates to a former drug addict or alcoholic.
Some people might relate to someone who was more moral and maybe even attended church. But here is your testimony in a nutshell. You once were lost and now you are found. You were blind but now you see. You once were headed to hell.
Now you are going to heaven. That is your testimony and it is a good one. So use your testimony as a bridge to share your faith.
Enoch had this testimony that he pleased God. One of the greatest compliments that can be paid to a Christian is people will observe you and they will come to you and say, I have been watching you and I want to know why you are the way that you are. I have noticed your joy. I have noticed your sense of purpose. I have noticed how hard you work. I have noticed how you are such a nice person. You are an honest person. Why are you this way?
Here is the wrong answer. Well my parents just raised me to. No. No.
Don't. I mean that is nice. Thank you for wrenching your parents. But they will say, well let me tell you it is because of my faith in Jesus Christ. Remember the story of Paul and Silas who were thrown into a jail for preaching the gospel. And we read at midnight they began to sing praises to God, which I don't think anyone had ever heard in that jail. And the guy who had whipped them before he put them in chains was listening.
An earthquake came. The jail effectively fell apart. The jailer thought he was going to die. He even pulled his sword out because he knew if he was found responsible for losing prisoners he would be executed. So he is going to kill himself. And Paul stops him and says, don't kill yourself. We are all here still. Next thing the jailer says is, sirs what must I do to be saved? See they earned the right to share the gospel with them by the life that they lived.
And we can do the same. And that is when you tell them and share what God has done for you. And Enoch was someone who spoke out for his faith. Jude 1 verses 14 to 15 says this about Enoch. He lived in the seventh generation after Adam and he prophesied about these people. He said, listen the Lord is coming with thousands of His saints to execute judgment on the world. He will convict every person of the ungodly things they have done and all the insults that ungodly sinners have spoken against Him. So he was a fearless proclaimer of God's truth.
So yes live it. Yes be an example. But please don't say, I don't believe that I am called to be an evangelist. I am just trying to be a good example. Good examples don't bring people to Christ. Good examples open the door to articulate your faith so you can bring people to Christ. Good examples are what we need to be so we will have that opportunity to verbally articulate our faith. Because 1 Peter 3.15 says, always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you the reason for the hope that you have in you.
But do it with gentleness and respect. That is very important. Because this phrase give an answer is from the Greek word apologia. We get our English word apologetic from it. So it is sort of like giving a defense in a court of law. But when you think of that don't think of yourself as a prosecuting attorney. You are a witness. In other words you are not there to prosecute or embarrass or to humiliate your listener. You are there to be a witness to them.
Notice it says that we are to do this with gentleness and respect. I think for some Christians when they share their faith they just want to win the argument. Yeah I blew them out of the water. Exposed their lame questions. Showed them what a loser they are.
Yeah well you didn't do anything effectively there. Because the objective is not to win the argument. The objective is to win the soul. The objective is to build a bridge. Not burn a bridge.
If you want to win some you must be winsome. In other words be nice. You know I see some Christians sharing their faith and they just seem angry. The way that they are doing it.
Or mechanical or robotic in the way that they do it. Can you just stop that and just be half normal. And be friendly. And engage a person in a conversation and tell them about Jesus.
You never know when opportunities will come. I had a guy bring water to our house. We get bottled water. So he came into my garage and we have two rabbits there. They just had bunnies. So there are bunnies there and he saw them and he said, Jesus look at all these bunnies. And then he is put in the water and he said something.
Oh Jesus. He said like Jesus three times. You know I am thinking, what are you saying Jesus for? I was a little irritated. And they said, no that is a good opportunity to talk to them. I said, you know what I heard you talking a lot about Jesus today.
He looked shocked. Yeah I heard you say Jesus three times. You obviously have a great interest in Jesus don't you? See you know there is always a way to build a bridge with a person. And so try that. So we want to give that answer. We want to share this truth with humility and kindness.
Not a sledge hammer. 2 Timothy 2 says, The Lord's servants must not quarrel but be kind to everyone and gently teach those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change their heart and they will believe the truth and they will come to their senses.
Don't miss this. Be kind to everyone. Do it with kindness as you share your faith. Jesus modeled this. And if anyone could have been well a know it all it was Jesus.
I mean who knows more than God. But He was so patient with people. Like the woman at the well who effectively was arguing with Him. Or like Zacchaeus who was ostracized by his entire community and Jesus effectively invited Himself over to Zacchaeus' house for lunch. And so what we want to do is enter into this kind of communication with people and as Paul said, become all things to all men. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9, I become a servant of everyone so I can bring them to Christ. When I'm with the Jews I become one of them so I can bring them to Christ. When I'm with those who are oppressed I share their oppression so I can bring them to Christ.
Listen to this. I try to find common ground with everyone then I bring them to Christ. Pastor Greg says there are two subjects that cause church congregations to get very quiet.
Do you know what they are? He'll explain in just a moment. Many listeners write or call us to share how Pastor Greg's lessons are helping them minister to people in their own lives. Dear Greg, thank you for all your wonderful teachings. I listen to you on the radio in northern New York and have passed on your messages to all my friends and family. God has put me in an arena of influence because He knows that I'm not ashamed of the gospel or of the name of Jesus Christ. Your messages have given me great insight on how to speak the truth in such an interesting way that people begin to ask me questions. How fun and how wonderful is our Savior? I've ordered 20 of your books to place in my healthcare professional's libraries and also as an encouragement for folks who are scared in this season.
God bless you. It really is a privilege to bring these studies your way. Do you have a story that you'd like to share with Pastor Greg? If so, would you take a moment to write us? Email him at gregatharvest.org.
That's gregatharvest.org. Well, we're talking about the privilege of sharing our faith today, considering the example of Enoch and Pastor Greg's series, World Changers. Let's continue. I know, I know, when I talk about this, you think, I want to tell you a little secret. There's two subjects. When I talk about them, it gets real quiet. You want to know what they are? Evangelism and giving. Quiet like it is right now.
Why is that? Why is it when we bring up the subject of sharing our faith or giving of our finances, it gets quiet? Mind you, the story of a preacher who was talking to his congregation. They had one of those congregations that gave him constant feedback. And he said to the folks, Church, we're just like that crippled man and we need to learn how to walk. And the people yelled back, Let us walk, preacher.
Let us walk. And he said, And church, we need to get to the next level. And we need to, like Elijah on Mount Carmel, learn how to run. They said, Let us run, preacher.
Let us run. Then he said, In fact, we need to mount up with wings like eagles and we need to fly. They said, Preacher, let us fly. Let us fly. And then he said, But if the church is going to fly, it is going to take money. It got kind of quiet. And the people said back more quietly, Let us walk, preacher.
Let us walk. This is interesting to me. Why are these subjects awkward?
I think they are awkward because, well, maybe we are not doing it. I mean I think if you are sharing your faith all the time and you hear a message about evangelism your response is, Well, amen. And if you are giving faithful of your finances and you hear about giving you say, Well, of course. I know that. That is such a blessing.
And if there is a discomfort is that because those are two areas of your life that you are struggling with? I mean here is what is so strange and what we don't get about giving in particular is God promises to bless us when we do it. There is such a specific promise about tithing in the Bible in Malachi 3.10 where God says, Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there will be enough food in My temple. God says, Listen, if you do this I will open up the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing so great you won't have room enough to take it in. Then God says this, and this is amazing to me, He says, Put me to the test. Just try it. Try me on this thing. And you say, Well, what does it mean to tithe?
It is not rocket science. Tithe means a tenth. It means you take your income and you give a tenth of it to the Lord.
A grosser net. Who cares? Whatever.
Just start somewhere. Just know this. Everything you have belongs to God. It doesn't belong to you. And that includes you. But I think sometimes you think, Well, well, that is true of some things. But this money, this is mine and I will give God, you know, what I don't really want. You know.
And here is the problem. We need to get God's money out of our house back into His house. So we can get on with what God has called us to do. Now whenever you raise the topic of tithing it is almost over. That is in the Old Testament. I am a New Testament Christian. Ok. You are a New Testament. Yeah. I don't live in the Old Testament. That is the Old Testament you quoted.
Malachi. I know that. Very good. I am a New Testament Christian. Ok. How much do you give? Absolutely nothing.
News flash. You are not a New Testament Christian or an Old Testament Christian. You are a disobedient Christian. See because tithing is where you start. The Bible talks about bringing your tithes and offerings to the Lord. Like every New Testament example of giving goes beyond what the Old Testament said. For instance Jesus said, you have heard that it has been said, don't kill.
But I say to you don't even have hatred toward your brother. You have heard that it has been said Old Testament. You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you if you look in a woman with lust in your heart you have committed adultery. So the point is the New Testament never falls short of the standard of the Old Testament. It actually goes beyond it.
So really it comes down to this. We start there and we move forward. Yet studies indicate that two to three percent of Christians give of their income regularly to the Lord. And yet the Bible tells us we are supposed to do this. 1 Corinthians 16 one Paul says, on the first day of each week each one of you should set aside a portion of the money you have earned.
Each one of you. And then in 2 Corinthians 9 Paul says, remember a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide how much to give for God loves a cheerful giver. So you might say, well what if I can't give cheerfully?
Then ask God to change your heart. Because you should give cheerfully. Because it is a joy. And God wants to bless you when you do it. And I think one of the reasons that we struggle with this is because the devil attacks us in this area.
It is sort of the last little citadel of our life that we haven't given over. I think it was Martin Luther who said there are three conversions necessary for the Christian. The conversion of the mind. The conversion of the heart.
And the conversion of the wallet. And it hasn't been converted yet. We are holding it back and we are missing out on a blessing. So the devil wants to keep us from being blessed in this way. And number two that comes back to evangelism again. He doesn't want us to share our faith.
Why? Well talk about a direct threat to his kingdom. Do you think he wants you to go out and be pulling people out of the flames of hell and having them change your eternal address?
He will do everything he can to keep you from sharing your faith. So I don't know about you but I want to redouble my efforts to do what the devil doesn't want me to do. So go there.
Start there. And we know of course the stats tell us a Barna poll recently came out. People were asked. Christians were asked I might add. If they felt they have a responsibility to share their faith with others. 73 percent said yes. But then 52 percent said they never did.
What? So are you responsible to share your faith? I don't know. 24 percent. 25 percent said no. What do you mean no? It is commanded in Scripture.
Of course you are supposed to. But only half of us do this. And stats always tell us 90 percent of us have never led another person to Christ.
And I will tell you what. You can lead people to Christ. You can do it. It is just that we haven't taken that step. Listen. Every Christian should be able to share their faith in three minutes or less. If I had the luxury of time I would call on a few of you and give you an opportunity. How many of you feel you could share your faith. You could share the gospel in three minutes or less. Raise your hand.
Ok. That is not all of you. But let me tell you. You can do it. Let's just say you were on a plane. And you found out the plane was going down because all the engines were out. And you had three minutes to talk to your seat mate or the rest of the occupants on the plane. Do you think you could actually give them the gospel in that period of time?
I guarantee you could do it. You just get to the essential message. And if we would do that more I believe that we could be leading more people to Christ because there is great joy in giving. There is great joy in sharing your finances.
So make a change in those two areas of your life if you need to. And next time I bring the topic up I want to hear you say, Let us fly preacher. Let us fly.
I do not want any discomfort. Pastor Greg Laurie with a couple of uncomfortable topics today here on A New Beginning. And there is more to come in his message called, The World Changer Who Was Out of This World, Part 2. If you missed any part of Pastor Greg's insight today you can get a replay by going to harvest.org. Just look for that message title, The World Changer Who Was Out of This World, Part 2. Or to get a permanent copy on CD call 1-800-821-3300. You can reach us anytime 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
That is 1-800-821-3300. And then we are so happy to make available Pastor Greg's new book called World Changers. It picks up where this series leaves off. You know Pastor Greg, I read something the other day that said, When is the last time you did something for the first time? And I thought, you know that talks about comfort zones. We all like to stay in our comfort zones. It is comfortable. But then I have also heard it said that comfort zones are where dreams go to die. And you have a new book that shows us how God can do something great through us if we step outside of the comfortable. Isn't that right?
Yeah, that is very true. You know, and I think that when you are younger, you are more willing to try new things. You know, when you get older, you go to the same restaurant, you sit in the same booth if possible, you order the same thing off the menu, there is routine. And time seems to pass very quickly. I read something, an article that pointed out the reason that time seems to go so quickly is because you don't change your routine. Go back to your childhood. It seemed like you were in the fifth grade forever.
Why? You were having constant new experiences. So it is very important for us as believers to not live in the past or rest on our laurels, but to press on. You know, Hebrews 11 is a record of great men and women of faith that change their world. And then immediately following Hebrews 11 is Hebrews 12.
Brilliant insight, that I have to say. And it tells us what in Hebrews 12, to lay aside the weight that so easily besets us and run the race that is set before us. But what does it say before that? It says, seen were surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses. So the idea is, in light of the fact that these great men and women of God, who are very ordinary, did extraordinary things, in light of the fact that they ran their race well and changed their world, now you should do the same as you're running your race following Jesus Christ.
So I take these characters from the Bible, I explore their lives, and I show how they applied faith and how it made such a dramatic difference. And look, the Bible says God has given to every one of us a measure of faith. It's up to us what we do with that faith. Are we going to develop it? Are we going to cultivate it?
Or are we going to neglect it? I liken it to the popularity of SUVs and 4x4s right now. You know, people that get a car, they'll jack it up, put massive wheels and tires on it. It's just ready to go four-wheeling, and they basically drive it from car wash to car wash. You know, that vehicle was made to do great four-wheeling, but they never used it for what it was designed for. And that's how a lot of people are with faith.
It's something they talk about, but it's not something they use. So my word of encouragement in this book is step out as an act of faith. Do something that you've never done before. Be willing to take a risk for the kingdom of God. These great men and women recorded in Hebrews 11 did that, and you can do that too.
So instead of being changed by the world, why don't you go and change your world? Yeah, and we hope you'll take advantage of Pastor Greg's help in that regard by way of this brand-new book called World Changers. We are eager to put a copy of this in your hands. It's our thank you gift for those who can help these daily studies continue with a generous donation.
The amount is between you and the Lord, but please know that your investment helps us change the world. So send your contribution today to A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, California 92514, or call 1-800-821-3300. We can take your call anytime 24-7 at 1-800-821-3300, or go online to harvest.org. Hey everybody, Greg Laurie here, inviting you to join me every weekend for what we call Harvest at Home. It's a church service, it's a worship service, it's a Bible study, and it's wherever you want it to be. In your home, in your car, sitting on a beach, walking down the street, watching it on your phone, wherever you are, you can take it with you and be ministered to every weekend. Join us for Harvest at Home at harvest.org. Next time, more from the example of Enoch, one of the Bible's great world changers. Hope you'll join us here on A New Beginning with Pastor Greg Laurie. The preceding message from Greg Laurie was made possible by Harvest Partners, helping people everywhere know God. Sign up for Pastor Greg's free daily email devotions at harvest.org.
Whisper: medium.en / 2024-03-14 03:29:18 / 2024-03-14 03:41:08 / 12