How to Lead Others to Jesus | Principles of Sharing the Gospel

We're glad you're joining us for A New Beginning with Greg Laurie, a podcast supported by Harvest Partners. Get more encouraging audio content when you subscribe to Pastor Greg's Daily Devos.

Learn more and sign up at harvest.org. 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 people believed because of this woman's testimony. 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 so loved 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 and 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 he 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. And I say 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.

Lower custom wheels. Holding a lavender latte. I don't think they had those back then. 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. So many listeners have commented on the help they receive from Pastor Greg's teachings. God's word ministers to them and it often gets them through some of their darkest hours.

Hi Pastor Greg. I want to send you an enormous thank you. In spite of the unrelenting years worth of storms I've been going through. Jesus has been my rock in large part through your daily podcast messages. Your humor made me laugh on days when I struggled not to cry. And your impactful practical message picked me up on days I felt like I was on the floor.

While the storms in my life have not subsided they no longer make me feel like I'm drowning. God bless you Pastor Greg for your constant support and encouragement. We're so happy that these daily studies are touching and changing lives.

If your life has been impacted would you tell us your story? Email Pastor Greg. Send it to Greg at harvest dot org.

Again that's Greg at harvest dot org. Well Pastor Greg has been pointing out that the commandments weren't given to make us righteous. They reveal that we're 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 and 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. And 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 asked 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. 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 Lorry 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, lead 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. Alright and by the way the title of Pastor Greg's message today is how to lead others to Jesus. And there's more to come in this study. Well Pastor Greg we're excited about a brand new book coming out just in time for the holidays. It's called Heaven's Light Breaking.

A series of 25 Christmas devotions and I got a big kick out of the story you tell inside these devotions about hearing Kathy's voice one day calling out to you at home. But you couldn't find her. Yes. So we have a garage and outside of our garage is where we keep our trash cans. The problem is when you go out there the door will lock and there's no way to get out. So Kathy was out doing something with the trash can and the door locked. And so she thought I'll just climb the tree and get out over the wall.

Well she climbed the tree and she couldn't get to the wall and she was literally stuck. So I hear this disembodied voice calling out my name, Greg, Greg. I'm like yes where are you? I'm in the tree. Where the tree?

Over by the trash cans. I open the door there's my wife in the tree. So thinking I'd be very heroic I said just jump I'll catch you. She said no way. Wait a second when I told the grandkids to jump they jumped.

No I think she was afraid I would drop her. So yeah that's a crazy story. I haven't thought about that one for a while but that's in this brand new book called Heaven's Light Breaking. But you know sometimes we get ourselves in dilemmas. We get up in a tree if you will and the Lord says jump I'll catch you.

And we're reluctant aren't we? But that's what faith is. Faith is believing that God will catch you.

Faith is believing that God will be there for you and he is. And I've written this devotional so you can grow closer to the Lord in this Christmas season. There's actually 25 different devotions one for each day of the month of December. That's why I want you to order one right away. This is beautifully designed. It's a hardcover book you'll keep it on your nightstand maybe on your dining room table. Or maybe somewhere else in your house and you'll return to it again and again. You'll save it for next year maybe you'll pass it on to your kids your grandkids.

But it's something that I think will be a keepsake and a blessing to you. It's brand new. It's not been out before.

It's just been released and it's called Heaven's Light Breaking. And we'll send you this brand new Christmas devotional for your gift of any size. Now let me explain. No matter what you give we'll send you a copy. But I'm asking some of you to give generously.

Because we will take the money you give and put it to good use. So you can be assured that this radio broadcast called A New Beginning will continue to be a part of your life. And bless others as well. So order your copy of Heaven's Light Breaking a brand new Christmas devotional that we have waiting for you. Yeah that's right and we'll be happy to send it your way to thank you for partnering with us as we approach the new year.

A new year and so many more opportunities to share the gospel. So make the arrangements today by calling 1-800-821-3300. We can take your call anytime around the clock 1-800-821-3300. Or write A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514.

Or go online to Harvest.org. 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 death bed 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. 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. And he said 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? Without missing a 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. Let others find hope.