Learning to Share Your Faith | Part 1

Would you be prepared to share your faith the moment someone asks about it? Now we tell people to keep the faith. Not only should you keep it, you ought to give it away.

And if you have no desire to give it away, perhaps you ought to give it up. If you knew the cure to cancer, you'd want to share that, wouldn't you? The best news this world has ever known is the saving gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And I can give you this testimony. From the day that I gave my heart to Jesus Christ to this very moment, there has always been a desire in my heart to share Christ.

Welcome to Love Worth Finding, featuring profound truth simply stated by pastor, teacher, and author, Adrian Rogers. Winning souls is not only a command of God, but a great privilege. God doesn't send angels to win souls. He sends us. In Acts chapter 10, Simon Peter was invited to the home of a Roman officer to share his faith with him and his household. In response, Peter gave a three-fold testimony that reveals how we can share our faith.

If you have your Bible, turn to Acts chapter 10. We'll begin in verse 34, as Adrian Rogers shares part one of learning to share your faith. Imagine a man who is not a Christian, not a member of your race, much less your church or your denomination, but he is inquiring about faith. He wants to know more about the Lord Jesus Christ, so this is what he has done. He has gathered all of his family, his neighbors, and his friends. He has them all over his house, and then he invites you to come and to share your faith and to tell why you believe in Jesus Christ.

Would you be prepared to do that? If not, I hope you'll be prepared at the close of this service, because that's what happened to a man named Simon Peter. There was a man named Cornelius. Cornelius was a Gentile, and he's a Roman army officer. And God had spoken to him, and God said, Cornelius, go send for a man named Peter, and he'll come to your house and tell you how to be saved.

And so Peter, under direct orders and by special invitation also, went to the house of this man Cornelius to share his faith. Now suppose that had been you. Would you have been ready? Would you have been prepared? What would you say?

What would you say to an opportunity that you may have this afternoon or tomorrow? Now my sermon will be a colossal failure, either for me or for you, if you cannot come away from this message saying, you know, I know what I would say, and I believe I know how I would say it. So that's what I want to do is to prepare you for that opportunity that may come, because, precious friend, you are to share your faith. Do you believe in that?

I hope you do. You are to share your faith. As a matter of fact, if you have no desire to share your faith, I wonder if you're really saved. Now we tell people to keep the faith. Not only should you keep it, you ought to give it away.

And if you have no desire to give it away, perhaps you ought to give it up. If you knew the cure to cancer, you'd want to share that, wouldn't you? The best news this world has ever known is the saving gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And I can give you this testimony. From the day that I gave my heart to Jesus Christ to this very moment, there has always been a desire in my heart to share Christ.

That's one of the ways I know it's real. I've not always shared Him as I ought. I've not always been wise.

I've not always been diligent. But there has been down in the recesses of my heart always a desire to share the Lord Jesus Christ. And so here's Cornelius. He has his friends and neighbors over. He has his children there.

He has everybody there. And then walks Simon Peter to give his testimony. Now he gives a three-fold testimony or a three-fold confirmation of the gospel. And I want to lay those three things upon your heart today.

But before we get to those, I want you to get the introduction. Look in verse 34. Peter opened his mouth and said of a truth, I perceive that God is no respecter of persons.

I love that. Now Peter is a Jew. He's come to a Gentile house.

Up until this time, no Jew would enter into a Gentile house like this to have fellowship with them, to share spiritual things with them. But God had to work on Simon Peter and say, Hey, Simon, I love the world. I love all the people of the world.

Red, yellow, black, white, they're all precious in my sight. And whoever you are today, whatever your background, I want to tell you, God loves you. With God, there is no respect of persons. And then notice in verse 35, but in every nation, he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted with him. For the word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ, he is Lord of all. The door to salvation is very wide.

There is no respect of persons. Whosoever will may come. And we're going to see in verse 43, the Bible says that if anyone will believe on him, he'll receive remission of sins. So you say to yourself, I can be saved if I want to be saved. God did not say that some people can be saved and other people cannot be saved, that some are in a select group.

No, there's no respect of persons with God, none whatsoever. The Lord is not willing that any should perish. If you go to hell, a brokenhearted God will watch you drop into hell.

It is not God's plan that you die and go to hell. The Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come repentance. But the second thing is if you're going to be saved, you're going to be saved by Jesus or you're not going to be saved at all. That's what that verse says.

He is Lord of all. Jesus is not a good way to go to heaven. Jesus is not the best way to go to heaven. Jesus is the only way to go to heaven, the only way, the only way. And if Jesus is not the only way, He's none of the ways. He's not just one of the ways. He's either the only way or none of the ways.

For what did He say in John 14, verse 6? I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no man cometh unto the Father but by me. Now, it's either true or false, right? If it's true, He's the only way.

If it's false, He's a liar and He's not any of the ways. So, you can't just kind of tip your hat to Jesus. You have to bow your knee to Jesus.

And so the door is very wide, but the way is very narrow. You've come to God the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus alone has the answer, Cornelius, to life's pressing questions. Jesus alone can forgive your sin. Jesus alone can give you a hope that is steadfast and sure. Jesus alone can take the sting out of sin, the pain out of parting, the gloom out of the grave, the dread out of death. Jesus alone is the answer. I believe that with all of my heart. And so the door is very wide.

Oh, but the way is very narrow. He, Jesus, is Lord of all. Well, why should Cornelius believe that?

Why? Well, people used to walk in and say, Look, Cornelius, Christ is Lord of all. He gave three lines of evidence to convict and convince Cornelius. And he wants to use those three lines of evidence through you to bring others to Christ or else to bring you to Christ today. The Bible says a threefold cord is not easily broken. Now I want you to see the first of these things that Peter used when he came to this incredible opportunity.

And by the way, it is such an opportunity. Did you know to win souls is not only a command of God but a great privilege, a wonderful opportunity? An angel had visited Cornelius prior to this. And the angel said to Cornelius, Cornelius, you go and get that man Peter and he will come and tell you how you and your house can be saved. Now wait a minute, there's an angel. There's an angel talking to Cornelius. Question, why didn't the angel just tell Cornelius how to be saved? God never gave the Great Commission to angels. He gave it to human beings. We have a privilege that angels don't have.

Did you know that? No angel can be a soul winner. God never sent an angel to be a soul winner. God has sent you. You have a privilege that angels don't have. Now thank God the angels can clear the way. Thank God the Holy Spirit can go before you. When I played football, every so often I'd get my hands on the football and head toward the goal.

You know what I was always grateful for? Somebody doing some down field blocking. Somebody just clearing the way for me. But friend, no matter how much down field blocking there is, somebody has got to carry the ball. Now God will do the down field blocking for you but you've got to carry the ball. And if somebody's not carrying the ball, no matter how much blocking there is, you're not going to score unless somebody carries the ball.

And what I want you to do today is to do that and not to fumble the ball. God will clear the way. But you have a privilege and an obligation and a joy that even angels don't have.

All right, what is this three-fold cord? First of all, there is what I want to call the personal confidence of the soul winner. The personal confidence of the soul winner. As you listen to Simon Peter here as he shares his faith, he doesn't do it with any stutter. He doesn't do it with any stammer.

He doesn't do it with any trepidation. He has a rock-ribbed personal confidence. I want you to notice how this confidence is shown right here. Look, if you will, in verse 39. Peter says, speaking of himself and the other apostles, and we're witnesses of all things which he did, that's Jesus, which he did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they slew and hanged on a tree. Him, God raised up the third day and showed him openly, not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us. Now notice the confidence Peter has. Peter said, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead, and he commanded us to preach unto the people and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the judge of the living and the dead.

Here he is. Peter said, look, we are witnesses. When he said we're witnesses of these things, he was talking about the apostles. Can you imagine what a jury the apostles would have made had they been put in the jury box and asked to adjudicate whether Jesus Christ is the Son of God or not?

Think of the apostles. First of all, there was the apostle John. He was young, philosophical, and very observant. Secondly, there was Peter. He was a brash, loud-mouthed fisherman. Next, there was Simon Zelotes.

He was a right-wing political zealot. And then there was Nathaniel and Thomas. They were inclined to be doubters.

We call them doubting Thomas. And then there was Matthew. Matthew was a tax collector, kind of a hard-bitten businessman. Then there was Andrew, who was shy and gentle, got along well with little children. Then there was Philip, who was kind of shrewd and calculating. And then there was James, who was very straightforward and had a no-nonsense disposition.

Here they are, all 11 of them. They're so very different. But there was one thing they were all unanimous about, and that's that Jesus is Lord. That's very interesting. We're so different. You come from different backgrounds. You have different accents. You have different educations. You have different tastes.

You have different political ideas. You like different kind of entertainment. You even like different kinds of worship services.

We're not all exactly alike on any service. Some people would rather have more hymns. Others would rather have more choruses. Some think we ought to clap more, and some think we ought to clap less. Some think we ought not to clap at all. Some think the services ought to be longer.

Some think they ought to be shorter. Some think that we ought to meet at a different time. What holds us together? The same thing that held these 11 apostles together. His name is Jesus.

We would not come here and be the kind of people we are, have the love that we have and the joy that we have apart from Jesus. Is not that true? These 11 men are bonded together, welded together, one in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, let me tell you what they were all three completely sold on.

Are you ready? What did they all have the same confidence about? First of all, the virtuous life of Jesus.

Look, if you will, in verse 38. Peter begins to talk about how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power who went about doing good. They saw him. They saw his life. They saw that he was infinite goodness. And he did miracles. Look, who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil. For God was with him. They saw both his character and his works.

They were eyewitnesses of these things. I can just hear Peter saying, look, yes, I know he changed water into wine. I drank some of it. I know he walked on water because I got out of the boat and walked on water with him. I know he raised the dead. I saw with my own eyes. I know he healed lepers. I saw the transformation with my own eyes.

I know he was transfigured. I was with him on the mountain. I was an eyewitness of his majesty. I heard the voice from heaven. So, they, first of all, were unanimous on the virtuous life of Jesus. But not only were they unanimous on the virtuous life of Jesus, they were also unanimous on the vicarious death of Jesus.

Look in verse 39. And we're witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews and Jerusalem, whom they slew and hanged on a tree. Peter said, I saw him dying in agony and blood. I saw when they took his lifeless body down from the cross. I saw him wrapped in linen grave clothes. I saw him placed in the tomb. We were eyewitnesses of his death.

His death is an historical fact. And they were all convinced of a third thing, not only his virtuous life and his vicarious death, but his victorious resurrection. Look in verse 40. Him, God, raised up the third day and showed him openly, not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before God, even to us who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead. Well, Peter, where do you get this confidence? Are you sure that you're not hallucinating? Peter, are you sure he wasn't a ghost? A ghost? Man, we ate and drank with him.

We touched him. Well, Peter, are you sure it was not an hallucination? Are you kidding me, an hallucination?

He was seen of more than 500 people at one time. Well, Peter, how can we be sure that you haven't just cooked up this whole story? How can we be sure that you're not telling a lie? A lie?

Man, I would die for what I'm telling you. And later on, Peter did. Men may live for a lie, but no man will willingly, knowingly die for a lie.

Friend, people tell lies to get out of trouble, not to get into trouble. They were convinced of his virtuous life. They were convinced of his vicarious death. They were convinced of his victorious resurrection.

And so here is the soul winner. The soul winner has this confidence. Do you have that confidence? Do you have a confidence concerning the life, the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ?

If not, you're not going to make a very good soul winner. You're going to witness with stutter and stammer and apology. But, oh, what a bold witness when you say, I know that I know that these things are true.

And if you're not solid on these things, I can tell you that you're not going to be the kind of a witness that you ought to be. I'm so grateful that we serve a risen Savior. Joyce and I, we're in Moscow, Russia. Right after the Soviet communist system disintegrated and fell apart, I was invited to go to the city of Moscow to preach in Red Square on Easter morning on nationwide television.

Can you imagine an opportunity like that? Easter morning, there in Red Square, what Ronald Reagan had called the evil empire, and there on nationwide television to share the Lord Jesus Christ. And we saw so many come to Christ on that wonderful Sunday. Easter was spitting snow there in Moscow. We're there in Red Square where Lenin's tomb is. I said to Joyce, we're going to see Lenin's tomb on Easter because the tomb of our Savior is empty. We're just going to go to Lenin's tomb, and we walk there into Lenin's tomb, and there are the words concerning Lenin.

Listen to it. He was the greatest leader of all peoples, of all countries, of all time. He was the Lord of a new humanity. He was the Savior of the world.

Did you catch that little word, was? He was the greatest leader. He was the Lord of the new humanity. He was the Savior of the world. Now let me put Jesus in the equation. He is the greatest leader of all peoples. He is the Lord of a new humanity. He is the Savior of the world because he died and he has risen again.

Thank God for our dear Savior. Now, do you have that confidence? There is the personal confidence of the soul winner. If you don't have that confidence today, you need to get it, and you can have it, and I'm going to tell you how in just a moment. But now secondly, there's not only the personal confidence of the soul winner, but there's the powerful confirmation of the Scriptures.

You see, it's not enough for you to say, well, I know this or I feel that, even if you're an eyewitness because someone may say you misinterpreted what you saw or maybe you made it up or maybe it's out of suggestion. So God gives us something else. Not only does he give us this personal confidence, but he gives us a powerful confirmation, and that is through Holy Scripture. Look in verse 43. Now, Peter's talking to Cornelius in his household. He's speaking of Jesus, and then he says this, to him give all the prophets witness that through his name whosoever believeth in him should have remission of sins.

Now listen to it. To him give all the prophets witness. What was Peter talking about here? He's talking about the Old Testament, and he's saying all of the prophets in the Old Testament are unanimous about Jesus. Not some of the prophets, but to Jesus. All the prophets give witness.

Now Peter says, look, we all are unanimous. We're witnesses, but now not only is there the witness of the soul winner, there's the witness of the Scriptures. The Scriptures give witness.

Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament. And coming up tomorrow, we'll hear part two of this important message. But today, if you have questions about who Jesus is or what he means to you, how to begin a relationship with God through Christ, go to our Find God's Love page at lwf.org slash radio. There you'll find resources and materials that will answer questions you may have about your faith. Again, go to lwf.org slash radio and click the tab at the top that says Find God's Love. Now if you'd like a copy of today's message in its entirety, you can call us at 1-877-LOVEGOD. Mention the title, Learning to Share Your Faith.

This lesson's also part of the insightful series, Living Supernaturally. For the complete collection, all 13 powerful messages, call that number 1-877-LOVEGOD. Or you can order online at lwf.org slash radio.

Or write us at Love Worth Finding, Box 38600, Memphis, Tennessee 38183. You can also purchase our new Bible studies, much like this message, in our online store. For information, go to lwf.org slash radio. Well, thanks for joining us for today's program. If you'd like to start receiving daily devotions and links to this broadcast, make sure you sign up for our daily heartbeat emails at lwf.org slash radio. And join us tomorrow for the powerful conclusion of Learning to Share Your Faith, right here on Love Worth Finding. Here's a testimony from a Facebook friend who reached out recently. 20 years ago, I was flipping through channels and caught the last few minutes of Pastor Rogers' message.

I still remember the day. It was life-changing. My husband and I and our two kids got saved sitting under his preaching. Pastor Rogers holds a special place in our hearts.

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