This is the Chip Ingram Sermon Podcast. Brought to you by Living on the Edge. In this podcast, you'll hear Chip's teaching unedited and from beginning to end. Here's Chip Ingram with How to Overcome Feelings of Futility. What we're going to talk about today is the difference.
Between success and significance. To use an old cliche, There's a very subtle thing that can happen in every life, and here it is. You can climb a ladder and work and be very, very, very productive only to find out. That the ladder that you've climbed is what? Leaning against The wrong law.
Turn with me if you will, I put it.
Some study notes together. And I think I'd like to begin by asking and answering the question: what's the difference between a life of futility? and a life of fruitfulness. And then I want together with you to think through out loud. What kind of life are you going to have?
What kind of life am I going to have? Is it going to be one of futility? Are we going to look back in the rearview mirror of our lives and say, I worked. I prayed even. I thought that once I arrived here, It would be full, but instead it's empty.
Webster defines futility Yeah. as that which easily pours out, hence untrustworthy. It's interesting thought, isn't it? That which fails completely of desired end or incapable of producing any result is something trifling or unimportant. Futility simply means that you give yourself to it, but then it comes up empty.
Never forget the uh Illustration: a guy shared with me. I was a young Christian just a couple years. I can't remember where I was, but I still have the picture in my mind of the napkin. And the guy pulls out a napkin, and you know, my dream then was: you know, I wanted to be a star basketball player, and then I wanted to be a famous coach, and then I was gonna teach in grad school, and then I was gonna get married, and then I was gonna have some great kids. And all in the name of God, of course.
And I think he saw through all that. And he pulled out a napkin. Yeah. He drew about six different buckets with the picture from a source, My Life: rainbows. Rainbows going into these six different buckets.
He said, You know, Chip, everyone has a dream in their life, whether they verbalize it or not. And they're following the rainbow into the pot or the bucket of gold. And he said, We all believe there are certain buckets that are going to come through for us. And he was real calm and he pulled out that pen and he said, You know, some people follow the dream. And then he drew the little bucket and he wrote the word fame.
And see, they believe if they're ever famous. Then someday, some way, there'll be a someone. And then he told me the story of James Dean. Jimi Hendrix and He said, other people, it's not fame, it's popularity or looks. And you know, they work real hard and they do everything they can to look a certain way so people will like them.
And he wrote the word in that bucket with his pen on the napkin. popularity slash looks. And then he told me how Marilyn Monroe Yeah. And I knew how she looked. And then he Made another rainbow and he drew a little bucket and he put a dollar sign on it.
And he said, You know, some people think if they just get enough money and can own enough things and impress enough people, then life will come through for them. And then he quickly told me the tragic story of Howard Hughes. Of some of the last words of John Paul Getty, that it only takes one more million. And then he drew another rainbow and he put a bucket, and it said success. And he told me about the lives of people who were very, very successful only to come to the end and feel empty.
And then he drew one to surprise me. He said family. There's some people that secretly believe that everything's going to change once they get married. Or once they get married, and that doesn't happen when they have kids, and then. The heartache and the suffering and the tragedy.
And then he drew two more buckets. He said, Chip, we could draw buckets where people follow rainbows, and every bucket in life is empty except two. There's only two buckets that if you give your life to these. They'll always come through for you. And I'll tell you about those a little later.
Gotcha, don't. At least you'll pay attention for the next ten minutes. What bucket, if someone asks you? Are you pouring your life into it? Whether you decided willfully to do it or just unconsciously drifting that direction.
What's the rainbow that you're following that you think if I ever get there and look down inside of it? It'll be filled. with what'll satisfy him. See, futility is something which easily pours out. It's not trustworthy.
It won't come through. Yeah. Has the idea of vain, fruitless, ineffective, or useless. I don't know about you, I don't want to end my life that way. By contrast, notice the word fruitful, Webster's, the Latin root.
This really surprised me. Yeah, but The Latin root word is fructus, which means enjoyment. Did you ever think of that? When you live a fruitful life, there's enjoyment. It's means of enjoyment.
He means something that's profitable, productive, producing results or desired ends. It's that sense of whatever, it's giving your life to something that when you look at it, it counts, it matters. It's not what other people think. It's following the rainbow, following the dream, and then looking into the bucket, and the mirror in the bucket looking back says, You made it. You've done well.
You matter. Your life counted. You are significant.
Now, the reason that these two things are in such contention is there is usually a very high price tag to be significant. and a very high price tag to be successful. And the world tells us that we need to be successful. And God says, you may or may not be successful in the world's eyes, but significance. Is what will fill your soul.
One young man. Wrestling with this issue. decided to become a missionary. And as he was wrestling through the issue, he was a Wheaton grad. And the price tag of giving up success for significance.
just seemed overwhelming. And in Jim Elliott's journal, he was later killed by the Alca Indians, I believe, in South America. In his journal as he was wrestling with the situation. He wrote these words. He is no fool.
to give up. what he cannot keep. to gain. what he cannot lose. Boy, that's a prospective giver, isn't it?
In fact, look down, look down with me, read it again. He is. She is. No fool to give up. What you cannot keep.
To gain What you cannot lose. Question. How in the world? Mm-hmm. Can we avoid futility?
in our lives. How do you end up finishing your life, looking in the mirror, then looking at God and saying, you know, I had a lot of ups and downs, but I finish well.
Now, what I'm going to warn you is that the answer is very simple. I mean simple to understand. But it It's pretty tough to do. Jesus is going to give us a very clear cut answer. Here's what he says.
You want to avoid a life of futility? Resolve To refuse to confuse success. with significance. It's basically what he taught. Refuse.
See, that's an act of the will. It's a choice. Refuse to confuse success with significance. Luke chapter 9 verses 25 and 26, Jesus is speaking. He says, What good is it for a man to gain the whole world?
That's success. And yet lose or forfeit his very self. Literally, the word in Greek is psyche. It has the idea of all your mental capabilities, it's used in general reference for your spiritual life for what really matters. What good is it?
Rhetorical question. What good is it going to do if you got the fame, you got the popularity, you got the success, you got the money, you've got it all. You got the house, you got the condo, you can ski, you can fly, you can do it all. You got the body. What good does it do?
If you gain the world yet. Lose and the word for lose here is used In this language, for a ship full of precious cargo. that is shipwrecked. That's the picture. What good is it?
If you have all that, and you lose or you shipwreck your life. and you lose you. In fact, he pushes it to the next level because he understands that to be successful. You will have to shrink back from your relationship. To really be successful in the world by their standards, You'll have to shrink back from your relationship with Christ.
Notice verse 26. He says, If anyone is ashamed of me, if anyone shrinks back from relationship with me, if anyone shrinks back from identifying with me, if anyone shrinks back or is ashamed with friends and workers and neighbors and in-laws and people that are significant, powerful people, prestigious people, other quote, successful people. If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, Notice his words, his teaching, his truth. Notice what he says. The Son of Man will be ashamed or shrink back of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the Holy Angels.
See what we're talking about is a big issue. Big, big issue. It is not politically correct. To walk with God, to be open about your faith. And by the way, around here, we know that doesn't mean having a seven-inch black Bible on your desk, hitting people over the head with it, being narrow, bigoted.
No, we're talking about a winsome. Loving, servant, gracious, relationally open. radical Christian. Who communicates the love and the power of Christ by your words, who's not ashamed of Jesus, not ashamed of his word, openly identifies and understands it'll bring flack, understands it might mean losing an account, understands there's some people that won't understand. See, the price tag of being significant.
Is going through life God's way? Augustine, the great theologian. And the early church wrote, God is always trying to give us good things. But our hands are too full to receive them. I just sat down, literally, put my feet up and began to pray.
And I said, Lord, what's the real difference?
So I look at your word. What's the difference between Success and significance. And there's probably many more, but the random thoughts that came to me as I prayed: success is about productivity. Significance is about satisfaction. A lot of people are productive, not satisfied.
Success is about climbing the ladder. You know, I'm going to make it. significance is about which wall the ladder is on. Success is about what you do, your performance. Significance is about who you are.
Success is about applause, what other people think. Significance is about peace. Are you even vaguely aware that all these people that look so good on the outside? that we pass in the grocery stores. But buy gourmet coffee like we do.
You know? That have nice stuff, that go on great vacations, that when you walk and see them arm in arm, they look like such happy couples, you are aware. that they're desperately hurting. That there's major strife. that they don't know how to be a parent.
That they have dysfunctional relationships, and people are abusing alcohol, and there's all kinds of hurt, and there's all kinds of struggles, and they don't relate very well to their parents. And a lot of what they drive banks own, and they have incredible pressure, and they're spending about 25% more a month than they bring in. And it's a facade? And instead of being intimidated by him, we need to love and care. and move into their life.
Because see we can have peace. It's a lot better than applause. Success is about stuff. Significance is about people. Success is about taking off.
Man, I'm going to make it. Significance is about landing.
Well Success is about the now. Man, I gotta do it now. I gotta do it now. I gotta have it now. In fact, if I can't get it now, I'll charge it.
And if I can't charge it, I'll refinance and they say that 20% over above what my house is worth, and then I'll pay that off, and then I can start charging it again. And I gotta have the right person now. I gotta have the right stuff now. I gotta move up now, and I'll mortgage my future now. See all the stuff that you can get right now.
can bring you quick short-term success. But most of us aren't willing to pay the price, the kind of stuff that it takes day after day after day of discipline. of commitment of riding out the hard times. Those things produce something called Character. Endurance.
And those are the kind of things that make you Significant. To be significant, there is always short-term pain and loss. in order for long-term Game. Significance is about forever. Let me give you a couple resources.
Number one, Half-time by a guy named Bob Buford. He's a multi-millionaire. Who has shifted his focus from the first half of his life of being successful to being significant and he tracks his journey? It's excellent material. Very committed believer who's launched and sponsored a number of Christian organizations.
And he shoots it straight and he's very open and honest. Second book is by a non-Christian author. But if you find yourself under pressure, you find yourself on the fast track, Excellent reading. It's called The Paradox of Success by John R. O'Neill.
Subtitle. When winning at work. means losing at life. He became extremely successful. He lost his wife.
He lost his family. He lost all that mattered. And he traces the lies and the misbeliefs. Here's a secular guy. As far as I know.
who has incredible insight. about how to live a life that'll matter.
Well I think we've diagnosed the problem. I know your heart and I know mine. And I know it's hard, okay? This is one of those sermons where we are the salmon of God seeking to swim upstream, and you know what? The current's coming at us.
But in your heart of heart, you want to be significant, and I want to be significant.
Now we've identified the problem. Final question. How Can you move and how can I move? From a success orientation, to significance. How can we line our thinking and our lives and our priorities and our time and our resources in such a way that we land well?
I did a funeral. And I buried a significant Woman. Um she didn't have a lot of money. She didn't win any beauty contest. She isn't well known, wasn't visible.
She came to Christ in this church about four years ago. And she was a house mother. For abused kids, kids that are taken out of their homes because of abuse and tragedy and drugs. And I mean, the kind of kids that no one gives a rip of. I mean, they've had more problems.
Some of these kids have experienced more in the first six, eight, ten years of life than any adult should ever, ever experience ever. And I heard six-year-olds and eight-year-olds and ten-year-olds say, Donna made me feel special. When I didn't think there was any hope in life. She cared about me. She loved me.
Donna was always there. She has marked. Do you talk about significance? She doesn't have any big retirement program. She hasn't written a book.
There are lives that will be marked with the imprint of Donna Mead for all eternity. Because she took what she had and she focused it on the things that matter most. Let me give you three clear ways from Scripture to move. from a life of success. To a life of significance.
Number one, Clarify your mission. Clarify your mission. Answer the basic question: why are you here? Have you ever thought of that? Do you realize how important that is?
Why are you here? until we start and say, why am I on this planet? You will never have a significant life. Notice, there's two things that last forever. I told you, the two buckets.
There's two things that as you follow them and you get to the bucket and look down inside, instead of it being empty, you can always know they're full. Number one, it's God's Word, because it's eternal. God says his word will never return void. And he says that it's eternal. Every time you invest in God's Word, anytime you take it in, read it, apply it, pass it on, share it with anyone else, you're investing in something that will never, never fail.
It counts and it lasts. The second bucket. That will always be full. are the souls of men and the souls of women. Every human being on the face of this planet eternally matters to God.
Anytime you invest in a relationship, anytime you love a person, pray for a person, care for a person, provide the needs of a person, encourage a person. You're Marking into something that's eternal. And by the way, remember, there is a resurrection coming. And everyone gets resurrected. You're aware of that.
Scripture says some to be with the Lord forever.
some to be separated for all eternity. You need to know your mission. Jesus made it very clear in Matthew 28. As you go or go, therefore, Make disciples. Of all ethnos, all people, all people groups, all nations, make disciples, make followers of me.
Baptism, identification in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and all the things that I've taught you, pass on to them in order that they could not just learn them, but obey them, put them into practice. And by the way, I'll be with you. I know you can't do it on your own. I'll be with you always. See, in a nutshell, here's your mission in life.
If you're a housewife, this is your mission. If you're a carpenter, this is your mission. If you're a businessman, this is your mission. If you're a musician, this is your mission. If you're a student, it's your mission.
If you're a woman, it's your mission. If you're a man, it's your mission. Your mission is to know Christ and to make Him known. That's why you were placed on this planet. Period.
That will come through your personality, your desires, your backgrounds. And you can do it in San Jose? Or you can do it in San Juan. And you can do it in Brazil, or you can do it in New York. And you can do it by working with your hands, and you can do it by working with your head.
Your mission, your reason for existence is to know Him. And then. out of the overflow of your relationship to make him know. Your mission is not to own a home. Your mission is not to be comfortable.
Your mission is not as important as is all your kids turn out right. Your mission is not You being happy. Your mission is not to save up enough money as though you know the future so that your retirement years will be secure. That's not your mission. Your mission is not to put up relational walls to make sure no one gets inside or gets too close so you don't get hurt again.
That's not your mission. That's a dead end. Your mission is to know Christ. And to make him known. Knowing Christ, the word, prayer, God's people.
Make him known. Every person you walk by, believers to be encouraged, unbelievers, the average unbeliever grew up like me. I never met a real Christian until I was 18. Seventy. I mean, I met church people and I saw a bunch of junk that happened in churches.
I never met a real one. I mean, one that lives out, one whose life and words matched up and told the same story, one who would listen instead of talk at me, one who cared, one who lived it out, one who had a radical lifestyle, one who said, I'll give up two weeks of vacation and go to El Salvador. Or to Mexico. Or would stop in the middle of their busy day and say, I've got time to talk to you. And I know it's not politically correct, but let me tell you what Jesus has done in my life.
without judging where you're at in your life. See, you want to be significant instead of successful? One. First and foremost. Clarify your mission.
Secondly, embrace your mission field. You need to know where you're going, but you need to know where God wants you to know Christ and to make Him known. We get this idea that your mission field has got to be in Africa. I'm telling you. I hope some of you go, but I'm going to tell you, 99% of you probably will never go to Africa.
But we think, well, well, that's the mission field, and since you're not going there, If you're like me, you unconsciously slide into fulfilling the agenda. and buying the commercials. And looking to be happy, comfortable, prosperous, well off, with a dash of Jesus on the side. Don't know. Embrace your mission field.
Where are your greatest spheres of influence? Jesus said not become salt, become light. What did he say? You are salt. You are light.
You're going to reveal. You're going to flavor. You're going to challenge. You're going to change. You're going to have an impact.
Unless you're under a bushel. Unless you've lost your saltiness. Let me give you the three areas where it is clear. That you need to sprinkle the salt of Christ. The love of Christ and the holiness of God.
First, your home. That's your first mission field. Deuteronomy 6, 4 to 9 says, Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength. These commandments I give you today are to be upon your hearts.
Now get this. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands, buy them on your foreheads, write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Do your kids, your family network, see that your number one concern and mission field is them?
Spend time in the scriptures in your home? Do they catch you praying sometimes? Oh, sorry, mom.
Sorry, Dad. Do they see the integrity that you talk about and This stuff about God lived out. In your life? That's your mission field. If it doesn't work there, don't export it.
Some of us are thinking, God, what do you want me to do with my life? Start right where you are. Love your wife. Love your husband. Care about your kids.
Turn the stupid TV off and spend some time together. Find out who their friends are. Ask them questions. Go on walks. Put your arms around them.
Don't assume everything's really okay. Face the hard issues. Be God's man. Becott's woman. Second field that God wants you to make an impact in, your sphere of influence.
Second mission field is your work. Do you ever realize that the great majority of your time is spent not at home, not at church, not praying and not reading the Bible? Do you realize that what most of us do is we get up every day and we put in, I don't know anybody who works a 40-hour week, but God bless you if you figured out how to do that. Yeah, I see. Right?
Most of us it's about 55 or 60 then you're getting kind of revved up And if you're under some pressure, some of us do the 70 or 80 hours. Don't do much of that. But it's life.
Now think about multiply that out over all the years that you live Where do you spend the great bulk of your entire world? It's working, whether that's at home or whether that's at an office or a job site. That's where you spend the great bulk of your life. Do you think that God has a plan for your life, for your family, for church, for the spiritual little wedge or window? And over here, your work life is like, well, you're on your own.
You know, like God in the morning says, well, hey, have a good day. I'll catch you later.
Okay. We live that way. Notice what the scripture says, Colossians chapter 3, verses 22 to 25. The application there is to slaves in this culture. I think we can make it to ours.
Slaves, obey your earthly masters and everything.
Now, Basically, they had some terrible earthly masters. This is a tough command. And do it not only when their eye is upon you to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and. Reverence for the Lord. Oh.
Now, is the Bible actually saying that I go to work and I do my job as though I'm doing it for God? As an act of worship? With a good attitude? On time? With excellence?
You know, everyone's wearing these little bands, W, W, J, D. What would Jesus do? I got one for you. Put that band on your wrist and get up on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and if you work on Saturday, Saturday morning, and say, if Jesus was inside your body going to your job, how would he do your job? When would he leave?
And what kind of work would he do? And you know what?
Some of us feel like God could never use me. You start working like that with that kind of attitude, you will have people lined up at your desk saying, One, could you work, come work for me? Or two, what is with you? And by the way, you will take flack. Because the work culture is what?
The work culture is: how can you do as little as possible and get as much as possible? The Christian culture is: how much do you get to do and do it unto God? Notice Colossians 3:23, whatever you do, Work at it with all your heart. As working for the Lord, not for men. Can you imagine walking in, someone say, hey, knock it off here?
No, I'm doing this for God. I don't work for IBM. I don't work for Hewlett Pattaker. I don't work for Plantronics. You know, I'm doing these dishes, I'm changing these diapers, I'm landscaping this lawn.
I'm going to do it in such a way that it honors God. Can you fathom? the impact the body of Christ would have. If we work that way. See, too many of us have bought a car from someone out of the paper, and it has a little fish on it.
And what do we immediately think? Uh oh. Are they really telling the truth about this? See, a lot of people put a Bible on their desk or they want to tell everyone to come to a Bible study. They don't show up on time.
They don't do their homework. They're not prepared. You know what they're doing? They're disgracing the name of Christ. Martin Luther put it well.
He said, When a milkmaid goes out and milks a cow and does it as an act of worship unto the Lord. She is in a more holy state and holy ground than when a priest or a pastor. Does not take care of the Word of God and doing that job in a way that honors Him. I get news for you. There aren't two sets of scales.
See, people sometimes, especially if I travel some, they always get around to what do you do? And I'm always a little uncomfortable. In my mind's eye, I still don't think of myself as a minister, you know? or like clergy or even pastor. See, I didn't grow up around people like that.
The bricklayer helped me. You know what I knew? He was a bricklayer that was going to make disciples. I think of myself as a coach. It's just a different team.
I am just a coach. And when I stand before God, He doesn't say, Oh, this is what I expect of Chip. And then all these lay people, baloney. I'll tell you what he says.
Now, the ruler is going to be a little different because I teach the word, James tells me. But he's going to evaluate what I do is no more spiritual than what you do, and most of you don't believe that. But you need to believe it. Because what you do at work That's your sphere of influence. Can you imagine the impact?
And some of you are making it.
Some of you are my heroes. As I put this point down, you know, a number of people just came to my mind. I thought, wow. Third, sphere of influence is your network. Colossians 4, verses 5 and 6, notice what it says: be wise in the way you act toward non-believers.
Making good use of how many opportunities, every opportunity you have. Your speech should always be pleasant and interesting, and you should know how to give the right answer to everyone. See, you have a network, and probably in our day, it's not your neighborhood. It's probably the other moms or dads on the little league team or the soccer team. It's probably the person that, you know, every week some of you go to the dry cleaners.
Are you building a relationship with that person?
Some of us pick up coffee at the same place almost every morning, right? Have you ever thought that this relationship could begin from where you are and you could love them and build a relationship into the kingdom?
Some of you have your cars repaired the same place. Did you realize God has brought that mechanic into your life for a reason?
Some of you play bridge, some of you have hobbies, some of you crochet, some of you play softball. Don't here's what's your network? We always are thinking, who am I going to share with Christ and build this evangelistic relationship with? Here's the secret. How about all the people you already know.
I mean, I've been sharing the Lord with a guy at the coffee shop for. Close to seven years. I just made a major breakthrough after about a year with the lady at 7-Eleven, and she saw my Bible, asked what I did, found out her son's a Christian, is sharing Christ with her, and now we have 30 to 2-minute conversations about the scripture. I have a neighbor that I've been praying for for eight years, and one day I just had an impulse from God. He brought a verse to my mind.
Let your light so shine before men that they can see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. And just as an impulse, I went over and cut her grass. She's a single mom. And I'm thinking, no big deal. I mean, yards here.
Where I grew up when you cut grass, it was an hour. You know, here it's 12 minutes, you're done. And I mean, you would think I was passing out bags of gold to this lady. She's a sweet lady, she's a great lady. And I don't know really where she's at spiritually, but I live close to her, but I've never really connected.
I came home last night and there were two cartons of eggs and two things of jam on our front door from her saying thanks. What's your network? It's not some way, someday, somehow when you, it's right now where you're at. Let me give you number three. Because you need to know how to do this.
There's six steps, I call it everybody evangelism. You move from success to significance by one, clarifying your mission. Why am I here? Two, embrace your mission field. Where are my spheres of influence?
The home, work, my network. Three, engage in the harvesting process. First Corinthians 3 says that we can't make anything grow, only God can do it. But some water and some plant. And we all work together.
I know I have only a handful of relationships where I build a relationship, I water, I do this, I do this, I do this, and six months or two years later, I lead that person to Christ. There's people I meet that people have been working on for 20 years, and I get to lead them to Christ. There's other people that I build a relationship with, and I, you know what? Boy, I sure hope God does something because I haven't seen anything. But I'm not discouraged about that anymore.
In fact, I took the gun away from my head. I don't have to do one. See, I am not, and you are not a prosecuting attorney. You know what we are? Witnesses.
You know what witnesses do? Witnesses step up on the plate and say, This is what's true of me, this is what Jesus did in my life.
Now let me give you a way to get involved in this. Notice the little chart. I took this out of a book called The High Impact Church. Linus Morris did this, and he ministers in Europe. Notice there's about six steps.
First, look at your network. Make contact with the unchurched is your goal. Action step, establish visibility in the community. Identify and pray for and contact people and social networks. It's like helping out with a little league team.
Two, after the network, befriend people. The goal? build trusting relationships, like really care about them. The action, build bridges socially, show love and care, look for divine appointments, just start serving people. Step three.
Identify. Look for a felt need. You know, it took me eight years. I mean, I must be like slow of speech, slow of tongue, and way low on brains. Took me eight years to figure out a felt need in my neighbor's life was cutting the lawn, so simple.
What are the felt needs of the people? Going through divorce. Have financial problems? Struggle with aging parents. Pressure in their marriage?
Here's the action step. Listen attentively, show concern. You don't have to jam Jesus down their throat and give them five Bible verses. Just listen. You will be a minority.
Just listen. Network, befriend, identify, then share. Share your story. Action step, look for receptivity and sensitively share your story. This takes most of you off the hook.
You don't have to have all the answers. Just, this is what Jesus did in my life. This is what Jesus did in my marriage. This is what Jesus did in that relationship, and I'm still struggling with it. Just share your story.
And then, when they ask that real hard question that's so hard, and the reason why we don't share, here's the answer: I'm going to tell you in advance. They asked us, what about da da da da da, right? The real hard question. Here's your answer: I don't know. I don't know.
Here's what I know he did for me. But uh You know what? The way I've learned is through the New Testament, and I'd like to give you one. If you want to start reading it, as you have questions, I'd be glad to talk with you. And that's a good question.
I don't know that one, but I'll go do some study. Would you like to get a cup of coffee and talk about it later? You're not under pressure. You don't have to have all the answers. Just share your story.
Fifth, invite. The goal is to expose them to the gospel. Action step: bring an unbelieving friend or a contact to a weekend service or to a small group. Invite them. Finally, harvest.
Encourage commitment to Christ and assimilate them in the life of the church. There's a point in time where people get ready and you need to cross over the line and say, Would you like to receive Jesus as your Savior? Would you like to have your sins forgiven? And I'm always amazed because I have this unbelieving mind. How many times people would say, look at me right.
Yes, I would. And you know what kept them from it? No one's ever has. Bye. This is Living on the Edge Chip Ingramram.
As we continue this series on experiencing breakthrough, you might be realizing you need to build a stronger spiritual foundation.
Well, that's exactly why we're offering Chip's free online devotional Psalms of Hope. Here's what makes this resource different. Chip doesn't just explain the Psalms to you, he teaches you how to study them for yourself. Each day for 10 days, you'll spend 10 minutes learning from Chip, then 10 minutes applying what you've learned through prayer and meditation. You'll journey through Psalm 1, Psalm 15, and Psalm 23, passages that speak directly to finding stability, experiencing God's presence, and building authentic relationships.
This isn't about adding another obligation to your schedule, it's about creating a daily rhythm of connecting with God that can transform your entire life. And it's completely free online at livingonthege.org. Just search for Psalms of Hope.
Now, creating resources like this takes financial investment. When you give to Living on the Edge, you're not just supporting a radio program, you're helping people around the world discover what it means to truly walk with God. If this ministry is making a difference in your life, please consider giving today. Visit livingonthege.org to give or write to LivingOnTheEdge P.O. Box 3007 Atlanta, Georgia, 30024.
You can also call 888-333-6003. Join us again next time for another insightful Bible lesson here on the Chip Ingram Sermon Podcast. Today's program is produced and sponsored by Living on the Edge. Mm.
