Well, you asked for it! I’m excited about this first week because if Jesus was standing here, He would say it’s the most important thing He could teach His kids about. One of the major goals of Christianity is that we reach people who are far from God. Luke 19:10 (NLT) says, “For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”
We've always wanted to build a place where people that are far from God could come and experience not only God, but His people. We want them to be comfortable and feel accepted. The Bible says that when one person gets saved, all the angels in heaven rejoice.
I believe people are hungry for God based on the salvation numbers we have seen since starting Motor City Church, and I've asked the Lord for a harvest of souls this fall. So, today, I want to start by giving you four reasons why you should tell people about Jesus.
1. It is your calling in life. You're on the planet for Jesus. Before you find Jesus, your whole life is about finding Jesus. After you find Jesus, your whole life is about sharing Jesus. Young people ask me all the time, “What's God's will for my life?” It’s very simple. Matthew 5:13-16 (MSG) is my reference, “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth…Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.”
You're here to be salt-seasoning to bring out the God-flavors of this earth. Salt makes things taste better. Then he says there's another way to say it, “You're to be light.” The light doesn't do much when there's already light present but it really shows up in the darkness. God is not a secret to be kept so SHINE! We’re supposed to go public. It's our calling.
2. We share our faith because people need the Lord. “Jesus told him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me'” (John 14:6 NLT). I think sometimes we forget the fact that heaven and hell are real places. We don't grow our church to have a bigger church. We grow because heaven and hell exist and everybody matters. This is not a game. We're not playing church. People's lives are in the balance.
John 3:17-18 MSG makes it very clear, “God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted [so everything you ever did goes to a zero balance]; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.”
3. People want the Lord. The third reason we share our faith is because people want the Lord. Without God, people are miserable. Even an atheist has a piece of God on the inside of them because God created them in His image. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says “He has planted eternity in the human heart” so whether they like it or not, they’re thinking about it and they can't get away from it.
Everything the devil has to offer, everything that's not of God, will eventually lead people to a life of misery. There's going to be a moment when they realize they don’t want to live like they are anymore. When they do, be right there with the light on. Only Jesus can offer what they’re looking for, abundant eternal life, that ultimate life, that He promised in John 10. Life goes better when you put God first.
4. Somebody shared their faith with you when you were lost. I was always aware of God and church but I didn't know God. In my 20s, I went to a church and saw people worship God in a way that made me realize that I needed what they had. They were in love with God. That’s when I really found Jesus and I was on fire. I wanted everyone to have what I had experienced, this new joy and love. It compelled me to tell others because I was convinced that He didn't just die for me, but He died for all. I want everybody to have what I have in Christ.
Recent studies are showing that people are less interested in Christianity, church and God than ever before. But I believe that if they meet a Christian who is like Christ, who literally has a quality about them that looks like Jesus, those people who are far from God will receive Jesus because of that person who looks like Jesus. The greatest factor in the determination of someone finding or not finding God is us. That's why the Bible talks so much about us not just being Christians, but being transformed or regenerated. Regenerated Christians are people who have been transformed because they know God. God starts doing work on the inside of us. As He does, people take notice and are drawn to us. We exhibit the fruit of the Spirit and our life becomes attractive to others. We are God’s ambassadors and He is making His appeal to humanity through us.
So how do you share your faith? Let me give you three things that will help.
- Recognize the moments that God gives you. If you'll allow Him to use you, He will create an intersection with people along your path and give you the opportunity to be the mouth, hands and feet of Jesus. God establishes your steps. Look for them.
- Focus on your manners. Our manner makes a difference. If people meet a Christian who really has the joy, the peace, the love and all the fruit that makes others want God, people will find Jesus. Ask God, “Help me with my manners.” Paul said he became all things to all people, so that by all possible means he might get the chance to tell them about Jesus.
- Love unconditionally. Love doesn't have to approve. It just accepts. You don't have to be like them, You just have to like them. “If someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ” (1 Peter 3:15-16 NLT).
Share your story. Invite people to church. Love God. We're going to go after people who are far from God. Ask God for a harvest of souls, for many people to come to know Him.
“When you enter the beautiful city [heaven] and the saved all around you appear. What joy when someone will tell you it was you who invited me here.”
