Gospel Opportunities in the New Year!

This is Robbie Dilmore from The Christian Car Guy and Kingdom Pursuit, where we hear how God takes your passion and uses it to build a kingdom. Your chosen Truth Network Podcast is starting in just a few seconds. Enjoy it and share it. But most of all, thank you for listening and for choosing the Truth Podcast Network.

The noise, the clamor all around us. There's Caleb at the fountain drink machine, but this man of God, his name is John Priest. We all call him Priest, and I've got to qualify that sometimes to explain to people that's his name, and not necessarily he's not a member of an organization or church like that in that capacity. But Priest, you are looking to share Jesus everywhere, and you had some inspiring things happen to you recently. I'd love for you to share with our listeners just how God's been working and how you try to follow the Lord's leading for divine opportunities, really trying to encourage people to look and seize those divine opportunities in the New Year to witness for Christ. So this morning I want to say, the first thing is this scripture verse I put out, Even to your old age I am he, and even to your gray hairs I will carry you.

I have made and I will bear, even I will carry and will deliver you. So through this verse, God has said in the prophet Isaiah that regardless of where you are in life, not only is he going to meet our needs and take care of us, but he also wants us to recognize that our time in life right now has to be spent sharing the gospel and using the gospel for Christ's glory. We, this past couple of weeks, had some very anointed appointments just to do that. Again, 12 men received Jesus as Lord and Savior in the jail. We hadn't been allowed in for two years, and then we went in for the first week in December right before Christmas, and 11 men in the worst situation accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior. Down in the hole, a dark dang smelly place, and they were not only ready, but each one pleaded with us, can I please accept Jesus as Savior? One by one accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior. And then a 12th man outside of the jail, outside of the magistrate's office, accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior. This is not only through our jail ministry, but it's also the fact that God is saying to us, be ready at every moment. Regardless, I'm getting some years on me now, and I recognize that God is not through. In fact, through this verse he's getting me ready for this next third of life that we're going to live through.

So gray hair is not an impediment to sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, is that right? And the Lord just opens these doors, but you've got to be ready with an answer. So, after working out last week, I noticed that I went to Starbucks, and I noticed there's this man, and he's sitting there, and he's poorly dressed, and it's about 12 degrees outside. He's got a t-shirt, and long pants, and sneakers, and that's it. And he's sitting on the ground, and I looked and I thought, gee, I'm in here comfortable. I got to go out and talk to this guy. And I looked, and he's eating ice cream and drinking coffee in about 12 degree weather.

And I thought, this guy is really struggling. I said, hey, my name is John. What's your name? He said, my name is Kevin. And all of a sudden there's a tear in my eye, and I thought, Kevin, I know you. I know you from three years ago in the jail. He said, yeah. He told me what he was arrested for, and I remembered. He said, as we talked, he said, Kevin, where are you now? And he said, well, I'm still struggling, but I've reconciled with my wife. But we're homeless, and we're living up north of the city. I hitchhiked down here to blow leaves and make some money right now, and he said, the guy didn't show up.

He ghosted me. I said, well, how can I meet your needs? And he told me, I said, but most importantly, let's take care of something first. Let's remember that you were bought by a price, and this Christmas that we're celebrating you, the holiest of holies came and was born in the worst of situations. And although you're not where you want to be right now, Christ placed himself in the same boat that you're experiencing right now so that I would have a heart, and you would have a heart, not just for the gospel. So Kevin prayed to repent of his sins, and we were able to meet some of the needs. But this was no accident.

This was absolutely no accident at this moment. And divine appointments are happening everywhere. You're listening to this program right now by a divine appointment. God just wanted you to hear this crazy talk show host named Stu Everson on Truth Talk and my buddy Priest and Jeff Hoover. You hear about Christ working through him in those random appointments. You've been all over the world through basketball, through soccer, sports, ministry, sharing Christ.

You're taking care of your dad now. You're at Wednesday the Word every week. Jeff Hoover, what hits your heart when you hear that? What's your challenge to everyone about sharing the gospel, seizing every moment?

It's all about relationship. And for each person who is a believer, my challenge is to always listen to the Lord. And that's what Priest was saying is that he was open to hearing God speak to him about the needs of others.

And that's where, you know, Jesus laid aside all of his deity things to become a man like us. But he did great things through the Holy Spirit that he also gave us so that we could do the things and even greater things, you know, for his glory and to draw people to him himself. And so as we listen and ask God and talk to him, he will give us ideas.

He will give us the words to say to other people that will draw them closer to him. Even if it's not complete, it will be a step, a seed that is planted in their heart at that particular time that God can continue to work in their lives. You know, sometimes, especially with Muslim ministries, it's not necessarily that you hit and you just, you know, you give them the gospel and boom, that's it. No, sometimes the discipleship starts before even salvation, you know, so you start, you know, listening and praying and saying, God, how do you want to touch this person?

How, what do you want to say to them at this particular time? And that relationship, like we talked about today about being the temple, it's in that relationship. That's how, that's what's different. The temple of the living God is different than temples of idols because that has nothing to do with relationship. Well, that's powerful.

And speaking of relationship, David Jeffries, you and your wife, Erin, are doing a lot of relationship, helping folks find Christ healing in marriage through fitness. Talk about that a little bit and how this hits you when you hear about these testimonies. Well, one of the things that I'm reminded of is that scripture teaches and it promises us that Jesus changes things, right? And so when Jesus is in our life and when we are our believers, that we're to be different.

Not only are we the temple of God, but, you know, we are the hands and feet of God. And so we're to be different. And if I, as a believer, truly believe that, that I am created with purpose and divinely created before the beginning of time, I was thought of that, and I'm only given this one body. I'm only given this one chance. I get this one shot at life.

Shouldn't I treat it as like, this is my shot. This is, this is my one time and I'm going to, I'm going to treat my body. I'm going to fill it with the things that are going to allow it to, to move and to function the best that I can so that I can serve God the best that I can. Because if Jesus changes things, then that means when Jesus indwelt me, I should be different. And if I'm going to draw people to Christ, then I need to be different. My marriage needs to look different. My health needs to look different. The way that I treat my body should look different than the way that an unbeliever treats their body. My marriage should look different than the way that an unequally yoked marriage or an unbelieving marriage should look. My family my family should look different. The way that we serve should look different because Jesus changes things.

And I can draw people unto Jesus through the picture of my marriage and through the picture of my health because it's different. I love that. Priest, we're out of time.

I mean so many things. We haven't got a spurly yet, but we'll get you, we'll get you for sure. You're a quick challenge all of this. What do you say?

Yeah, I think today, Stu, you hit on something about this question you asked. Why such stern warnings against adultery? And I know you and I are both, sports are a big part of our life, but as you shared, so many times parents have their kids playing on different teams are all over the place and they're not going to church. And I think that they need to stop going all that and go to church first and have Wednesday, you know, studies and understand that that system doesn't work of just going all around and playing on these sports teams that I've been involved with many, many athletes. And if you parents out there think that that's really the system that's going to help your son or daughter get to high school and college and play sports, it's bringing them to Jesus and bringing them to church and bringing them to read the scripture. That I think was a big thing that Stu talked about today in this second Corinthians was not to idol worship sports. It's great to have that outlet, but God and Jesus should be first. So this morning we read in Corinthians, second Corinthians, six, 11 and 12, oh Corinthians, we have spoken openly to you.

Our heart is wide open. Well, who was Paul when he said this? Paul said, I am an ambassador for Christ. I know what it is to abound. And I know what it is to be a based. Paul was the persecutor of persecutors, the Pharisee of Pharisees, who's now a preacher.

And he's also a man. He says, you are not restricted by us, but you are restricted by your own affections. So Paul is saying, look, I know I had a rotten, disgusting, despicable past, but I have been made whole and I am of use for the gospel. And one of the things that we dwelled on this morning with every one of these testimonies is that I moan at the test when I'm going through the testimony, but now put a little age on the mess and it becomes the message. And so God just takes these words and he says, look, whatever's standing in front of you, whatever is bearing you down, whatever wears heavy on your heart, take it as a motivation and go and look for somebody else. I have to step aside from me and the rotten sin that could infest my mind and look for the opportunity to say, look, I know where you've been, but I want you to go forward. And oftentimes by putting feet to the gospel by me going out and looking for someone to help, whatever I've been through becomes minute. When I recognize the fact that that cross is so powerful, we heard it this morning. I'm looking at the truth network pin on your lapel right now. And I'm recognizing there's a whole world that needs to be covered with the cross.

And until we go one-on-one looking for those opportunities, there's still work to be done. And it starts with Kevin at Starbucks. You're in a hurry. You could have been rushing out of there. You could have been upset.

They didn't put the right stopper inside your coffee. They could have had the, you know, wasn't hot enough, but it said, you looked out and you saw this young man who needed someone to love him into Christ and to put their arms around him. You did that. Be available. Be ready. Ask God right now, Lord, bring one person into my life today before my head hits the pillow that I can share Jesus with through this amazing avenue of fitness and marriage.

It's all a tool to share Jesus through sports, through relationships, through coaching, to bring people to Jesus. Truthtalk.com. Meet these guys there and spread this message, this podcast. We make it a podcast with everyone you know.