We’re ok with loving people, with being friends, but we get nervous about the telling part, talking about Jesus, for lots of reasons. But as we’ll talk about, having a gospel conversation is as simple and natural as talking about anything else that you care about.

Transcript

November 9-10, 2019

Pastor Joe Wittwer

You can do this!

Tell what you know

Opening:

ILL: I recently had a meeting with a friend that I love.  I was concerned because the meeting had the potential of going sideways, and I didn’t want that.  So I prayed, and the Lord gave me very specific direction: what to do and not do.  I did exactly that, and the meeting went really well.  Afterwards, I thanked the Lord, and thought, “I would have handled that very differently on my own. The Lord had mercy on me.”

I’ll bet you have a story of God being at work in your life this week.  We’re going to talk about that today.  First, let’s worship the Lord with singing.  God is worthy of our love—so let’s sing with gusto!

Introduction and offering:

This is Veteran’s Day weekend, when we celebrate all those who have served our country in our military.  Would all the vets, and all of you who are serving now our military please stand and let us thank you. 

ILL: When I was doing youth ministry in Eugene, we did a spring break youth conference one year.  We brought it a great speaker and a nationally known band.  The Third Avenue Blues Band was a big deal, and most of the players had recently met Jesus.  Every morning, students met for prayer and teaching; every evening, we did a service at a local high school.  And in between, we hit the streets, accosting strangers and passing out Jesus tracts and invitations to the evening meeting. 

One afternoon, I was on a street corner with no one to talk to.  So I flagged down a passing car.  They pulled over, no doubt concerned for me.  It was a sweet older couple, and she rolled down her window and asked if I was ok.  I said, “Do you know Jesus?  He loves you!”  That was as far as I got before her husband said, “He’s a kook,” gunned it and off they went.  Not one of my finest moments!

We’re not asking you to do that!  But we are talking about how to help people find and follow Jesus.  That’s our mission, and there are better ways—more natural and simple ways—to do that than accosting strangers on the street!  My motivation was good—I wanted people to know Jesus!  But my methods were not just suspect; they were probably harmful.

In this short series, You can do this! We are talking about some simple and natural ways to do the mission Jesus gave us.  You can do this!  In fact, you already do it in some ways and don’t even recognize it.  Let’s start with:

1. A quick review:

What is our mission at Life Center?  Our mission is to help people find and follow Jesus.  Where did we get that?  From Jesus.  After His resurrection, just before He ascended to the Father, Jesus gathered his troops and gave them their marching orders.

Matthew 28:18-20 (p. 857)

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

This is called “The Great Commission.” In these final words to His followers, Jesus gives them and us our mission: to make disciples of all nations.  To help everyone everywhere follow Jesus and do what He says.

How do we do that?  Last weekend I told you our story of trying all kinds of things to help people find Jesus and finally landing on one very simple way that worked.  And not surprisingly, it’s in the Bible.  It’s how the first disciples did it—naturally. 

John 1:40–42 (p. 912)

40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his bro