Well, good evening, and thank you for the invitation to come and to share with you.
Before we start, let me thank you as well for your partnership in the gospel this past year.
Our church, Holyrood Evangelical, has been meeting in your upper hall for our midweek
prayer meetings, and that has been a tremendous blessing to us, and just a really tangible
partnership.
So we are grateful to you.
Let me also apologize in advance.
There's a lot of illness in my house.
My wife and three daughters have a cold.
I appear to have caught man flu at the same time, and so my voice is a bit diminished.
So I pray your forbearance tonight.
Listen to these words of Rico Tice.
I find evangelism hard.
Rico Tice, probably the foremost evangelist in the United Kingdom today, I find evangelism
hard.
We all find evangelism hard.
I find it much easier to be here just now giving a talk on evangelism than I would actually
doing the work of evangelism somewhere in Edinburgh.
So we're going to come together tonight to think about this topic and how we might be encouraged
in our evangelism.
And I was really challenged exactly a year ago when I was on a trip to North India, and I was
walking through a park in Delhi, and I got completely lost.
And I found these two gentlemen, and I said, excuse me, I'm very lost.
Could you help me get to this particular road I was going to?
And they said, well, we'll take you where you want to go, and Max Muller-Marg, and off
we went.
And as we were about to part, out of nowhere, this chap produced a little booklet called
The Meaning of Your Life.
And he said, I'd like you to have this.
And I thought, wow, I'm being evangelized.
And I said, that's great, thank you.
And are you a Christian?
He said, no, I'm a Muslim.
And I run this charity, and we produce resources for children and for the work of mission.
And I thought, isn't that incredible?
Well, here is a man who is so passionate about his faith that he takes every opportunity,
even helping a stranger through a public park, to give him a piece of literature and to try
to talk to him about Islam.
And I thought, do I have the same enthusiasm about the gospel that I would be so willing
to do that with people I meet?
Well, the Apostle Paul had that passion for the gospel.
And if you have a Bible, if you could open it to Titus chapter 3.
Paul writes a letter to Titus, whom he has left on Crete, to put the church into good order.
And as we read Paul's letter to Titus, we see that throughout he is passionate about the gospel.
Paul introduces himself, chapter 1, verse 3, as a preacher of the gospel.
Paul is concerned that the leaders, the elders of the church, are those, chapter 1, verse 9,
who hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught.
People who love the gospel, who can articulate the gospel.
People who can defend the gospel.
And in chapters 2 and 3, there are these sort of lengthy ethical exhortations.
And yet all the way through, Paul is always pointing them back to the gospel.
So in chapter 2, he talks about the need for godliness, for self-control.
And the reason he says, chapter 2, verse 11, is for the grace of God that brings salvation
has appeared to all men.
It teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions,
and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age,
while we wait for the blessed hope, the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,
who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness,
and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
The gospel, the grace of God, teaches us to say no to ungodliness,
and to wait that when Christ appears, we will be holy.
And as we come to chapter 3, I want to look with you at chapter 3, verses 1 to 8.
He's encouraging the people to be rich in good works,
to be model citizens, to be kind to the people around them.
And again, he gives as the reason for this exhortation the gospel.
Let's read chapter 3, verse 1 to verse 8.
Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities,
to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good,
to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate,
and to show true humility towards all men.
At one time, we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived,
and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures.
We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.
But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared,
he saved us not because of righteous things we had done,
but because of his mercy.
He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,
whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior,
so that having been justified by his grace,
we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
This is a trustworthy saying, and I want you to stress these things,
so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good.
These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.
We have in chapter 3, verses 4 to 7,
one of the richest, most concise, most beautiful summaries of the gospel that we have in all of Scripture.
It is so rich.
It is Trinitarian.
We see God the Father taking the initiative,
sending his Son into the world,
God the Son dying for our sins,
being raised to life and exalted to the right hand,
and Jesus sending the Spirit.
And it highlights for us the great benefits of the gospel
in our past, in our present, and in our future.
Chapter 3, verses 4 to 5,
Paul talks about the past,
the kindness and love of God our Savior has appeared,
saving us not because of righteous things we had done,
but because of his mercy.
Verse 7,
having been justified by grace.
Paul talks about the mercy of God shown to us
while we were still sinners,
the love of God while we were still sinners.
And the word mercy is the same word that is used in the parable of the Good Samaritan.
You know, the story of the man who's traveling along the road
and he gets assaulted,
and he's lying, dying, and bleeding by the roadside,
and along come the religious rulers,
and they sort of cross over and ignore him.
And then comes the Samaritan,
and he sees this man unconscious,
puts him on his donkey,
and he takes him to the inn,
and cares for him and pays for his treatment.
And Jesus says,
which one of these men had mercy?
God looks down on us in our sin,
and our shame,
and our weakness,
and he has mercy upon us.
Paul says,
because of his own mercy,
God has saved us.
It's a wonderful picture, isn't it?
The language of Ephesians 2,
not this half-dead man lying on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho,
but us dead in sin and trespass.
He says,
all of us lived at one time gratifying the cravings of our flesh,
following its desires and thoughts.
Like the rest,
we were by nature objects of wrath,
but because of his great love for us,
God, who is rich in mercy,
made us alive with Christ,
even when we were dead in transgressions.
It is by grace you have been saved.
And the people of Crete needed that mercy.
Look at the description of them.
They were foolish,
deceived,
disobedient.
They were enslaved.
They hated one another.
And yet God in his mercy reaches down to them
and forgives them their sin
and wipes away the shame.
It's an incredible thing, isn't it?
The forgiveness of sins.
The psalmist says,
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he separated our sins from us.
If you live in Glasgow,
the east does seem very far away, doesn't it?
But the psalmist says,
it's even further than that.
He's taken it an impossible distance,
casting our sins into the very depths of the sea.
We often take for granted, don't we,
the forgiveness of our sins
and the cleansing of our conscience.
The other day,
I was walking my daughter back
from the bus stop at school
and there was the window cleaner
and he was being swooped by a seagull.
Interestingly, I said to him,
this is like something out of a Hitchcock film
and, you know,
what have you done to this bird?
And there was a nest or something.
And we got talking
and after a while,
we go on to the subject of the gospel.
And just out of the blue,
he said, you know,
I'm really troubled by my conscience
and sometimes I can't sleep at night
thinking of all the things I've done.
Isn't it interesting,
a man who spends his whole life
cleaning things
and yet cannot cleanse his conscience.
And yet here,
Paul says,
God is willing to save us,
not because of righteous things,
but because of his mercy
to cleanse our consciences
from dead works,
to forgive us our sins
and to put a new spirit within us.
Verse 5,
he saved us through the washing of rebirth
and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
One translation has regeneration.
Regeneration.
It's a word we sometimes hear,
isn't it,
if you're a Doctor Who fan?
It's okay.
You're allowed to be a Doctor Who fan.
You can admit that.
But regeneration is what happens,
isn't it?
It's when the doctor sort of dies
and then he's changed.
Externally,
his face changes.
But regeneration in the Bible
is an internal change,
a transformation.
God putting a new spirit within us,
a new heart within us,
making us new people.
Look at the difference it made in Crete.
These people who hated each other,
now loving one another,
these people who were foolish
and deceived,
now walking in the truth of the gospel,
being made wise unto salvation.
The transforming power of God
in their lives.
We had a couple of months ago
a 20th reunion of our class at school.
It's amazing, isn't it?
I mean, time flies.
20 years,
who'd have thought?
But one of the chaps
I was really looking forward to
because at school he'd,
like most of us,
I suppose as teenagers,
been a bit of a troublemaker.
And yet a few years back
a friend of mine was at Akili
and he did the strip,
the willow,
you know,
they ran up the tunnel
and at the end of the tunnel
he met this chap from school
and they got talking
and it transpired
this other fellow
had become a believer.
And my friend said,
it was as if he had a new heart,
completely different.
And I said,
well he did have a new heart
because God had washed him,
it caused him to be born again,
he'd renewed him
by the power of the Holy Spirit,
poured out generously on him
through Jesus Christ our Saviour.
wonderful freedom,
being set free from sin,
being set free from walking
according to the flesh
and now walking according
to the Spirit of God,
bringing forth fruit
unto him.
The gospel deals with our past
in giving to us
the forgiveness of our sins.
God deals with our present,
giving us power and strength
for life,
pouring his Holy Spirit
into us,
that the love of God
may dwell in us.
And verse 7,
that we might have hope
for the future,
having been justified
by his grace,
we might become heirs
having the hope
of eternal life.
I've only known one heir
in my life,
university,
the chap across the corridor
from me,
I thought he was a bit posh,
I didn't realise quite
how posh he was.
And I googled him
a few years ago
and found out he's inherited
this massive country house
in England
and I wish we'd spent
more time together
and become firm friends.
He was an heir,
he had something wonderful
that he was to receive
in the future.
And as Christians,
we are heirs,
we have the hope
and the promise
of eternal life,
a glorious inheritance
kept in heaven for us,
being shielded
by the power of God.
Makes all the difference,
doesn't it?
Makes all the difference
between a humanist funeral
and a church funeral.
Made all the difference
a few weeks ago
sitting for the last time
at the bedside
of an old friend of mine.
As he said,
I'm looking forward
to heaven,
having the hope
of eternal life.
The gospel deals
with our past,
it deals with our present,
it deals with our future
and Paul was so excited
by the gospel.
He rejoiced
as people turned
from the worship
of idols
to the worship
of the living God,
as people were freed
from their sins
to know the forgiveness
of them,
as they ceased walking
according to the flesh
and kept in step
with the Spirit of God,
as they moved
from objects of wrath
to children
of blessing
and salvation,
as they went
from darkness
and death
to life.
He was passionate
about it
because he'd experienced
that mercy
in his own life.
First Timothy,
he gives his testimony
and he says,
even though I was once
a blasphemer
and persecutor
and violent man,
I was shown mercy
because I acted
in ignorance
and unbelief
and the grace of God
was poured out
on me abundantly
along with the faith
and love
there in Christ Jesus
who came into the world
to save sinners
of whom I am the worst.
Paul believed the gospel
and he knew it to be true.
He knew its power
in his own life
and he was passionate
and he wanted to share it
with people
that they might know
the power
and the freedom
that comes in Christ.
Why share?
Because the gospel
is true.
Because it's good news.
Because we've come
to know the Lord
and experience
the many benefits
of living by faith
in him
because we have been
forgiven our sins.
We are born again
of the Spirit of God
because we have hope
for the future.
So many reasons
to get excited.
I hope you're all
going to be hanging out
in the meadows tomorrow
looking for lost people.
Giving them literature.
Why share?
But of course
it is hard to share
isn't it?
Rico Tice
finds evangelism difficult.
And I wanted
as our second heading
to ask
well why not share?
Why are we not sharing?
Why am I not sharing
the gospel?
And Rico is very perceptive
in this book
which I commend to you
Honest Evangelism.
And we'll see in a second
that he points out
the hostility
that can come.
Before we do
I want you just to look
at this quote
by Michael Gove.
He's had an interesting year
but last year
he wrote an article
for The Spectator
and he said this
To call yourself
a Christian
in contemporary Britain
is to invite pity,
condescension
or cool dismissal.
In a culture
that prizes
sophistication,
non-judgmentalism,
irony and detachment
it is to declare
yourself intolerant,
naive,
superstitious
and backward.
hurt.
Rico Tice
says it
maybe a bit more
accurately.
He says if you're going
to talk to people
about Jesus
you're going to get hurt.
It is going to sever
some relationships.
It is going to provoke people.
Not every time
and depending on our circumstances,
friendship groups,
workplaces and so on
our experiences will vary
but we will face rejection
enough of the time
to give us second thoughts.
everyone who wants
to live a godly life
in Christ Jesus
will be persecuted.
Rico says
there is hostility.
Some people
will take exception.
They will take offense
at you sharing
the gospel with them.
But with the hostility
there is also hunger.
And he goes on to say
something else
is going on too.
There is increased hunger.
The same rising tide
of secularism
and materialism
is proving to be
an empty and hollow way
to live.
And that means excitingly
you're more and more likely
to find people
quietly hungering
for the content
of the gospel.
So we live in a situation
where there is hostility
to the gospel.
Maybe you've experienced that.
But there is also hunger.
And the difficulty is
we never know quite
what we're going to meet.
Evangelism is a risky business.
And whenever we seek
to say a word about the Lord
there is always a risk
isn't there?
It may go badly.
Someone may be hostile.
But there's the risk
the person may be hungry.
And we might be given
a tremendous opportunity.
We don't know.
We can't second guess.
And therefore the Lord
calls us to step out
of the comfort zone
into what one writer
describes as the zone
of the unknown.
And to take a risk.
It's a risky business.
But it's an exciting business.
Normally at this time
of night on a Sunday
or just before
I usually stand on the street
outside Portobello Town Hall
and try and sort of
bring people into the service.
And a couple of weeks ago
this chap walked past
in a huge black cape.
And I thought,
well this is interesting.
He's either a Jedi Knight
or is Harry Potter
going to the beach
or something.
I wasn't quite sure.
And I said,
would you like to come in?
It turns out he does
the ghost tours
on the Royal Mile.
And he was very interested.
And he said,
who are you?
What do you do?
And we began to talk
about theology.
And he'd done a few modules
at Edinburgh University.
And who'd have known
that this chap
dressed all in black
wandering around
was actually asking
deep and philosophical questions.
It's a risk, wasn't it?
A risk to strike up
a conversation with him.
It is a risky business.
Rico says,
you will get hurt.
You will face ridicule.
You will face rejection.
Painful rejection.
From friends.
Perhaps from family.
You may face difficulty
in the workplace,
particularly in the public sector.
But it is a risk worth taking.
What I want to do next
is have a little think,
maybe a bit more practically,
about how we can
take these risks.
Maybe think through
in our own minds
how individually
and corporately
we can think about
sharing the gospel.
This is something
we've been working through
as, God willing,
we hope to be in a new building
in a few weeks.
And we've been wondering
how we're going to
share the gospel
with people in that area
of Edinburgh.
And I've got
really three headings for you.
I have the four G's,
the four S's,
the four C's.
And what I've done,
you can see why I
dropped standard grade art
at a very early stage
in school.
Here's some graphic design
that I put together.
And this is what I call
the four G's.
And you've got up there
glorifying God.
This is what I think
Paul is teaching in Titus.
What is the purpose
of the church?
At one level,
we are to glorify God.
How?
Well, by living godly lives,
being holy,
as God is holy,
by being rich in good works,
as we adorn the gospel
and silence the criticism
of a cynical world.
And as we proclaim the gospel,
that others might turn
from idols to worship
and to glorify God.
I've put it in a sort of circle.
It makes it quite hard to read.
So that's it in bullet points.
Paul wanted the church in Crete
to glorify God
by sharing the gospel,
by being holy,
being godly,
and doing good works.
And I think that's quite
a handy grid
as we think about
what we're doing each day.
God wants us to be holy.
He wants us to adorn the gospel
by our lips,
our conversation,
and our lives,
by our conduct.
He wants us to do good to people
and to seize the opportunities
as and when they come.
And you say,
well, who can I share with?
Well, to help you,
I've got another indecipherable picture,
and this is what I call
the four C's.
I'll just put it there.
And who do I know?
Who am I in contact with?
Well, we all have,
I trust,
close friends and family.
There's people we know regularly
and have known for many years
and often very hard, in fact,
to share with close friends and family,
but there are opportunities.
We have colleagues and acquaintances,
people in the badminton club
or the crochet society,
whatever we do in our spare time.
There are those people
we're always encountering
day by day,
week by week.
There are opportunities
to get involved,
to engage with the community.
You could join the community council
or join a club.
And there is, of course,
cold contact,
that is,
complete strangers,
people in parks,
knocking on doors,
giving out leaflets
at bus stops,
all sorts of ways
in which to come into people.
So we have the four G's.
We know what God wants us
to do in our lives day to day.
We have the four C's.
We have all these people
we're sort of encountering
and rubbing up against,
but how can we communicate
the gospel to them?
Well, we have the four S's.
And actually,
it's really one S,
but I've repeated it four times.
And it's all about sharing.
And how can we share?
Well, in theory,
it's quite simple.
We can share a resource
with somebody.
Somebody could read
the message of the gospel
or the text of scripture.
Somebody could watch something
that communicates visually
the eye gate.
Somebody could hear or listen
to an MP3 or a CD
or a tape.
Remember them?
We can communicate the gospel
through the eye gate,
through the ear gate.
We can share.
Give somebody something
to take away,
like the man in the park.
We can share one-to-one.
And hasn't it been encouraging
to see the growth
of the Uncover project
in UCCF,
where they've had
the gospel of Luke,
they've had the gospel of John,
and their vision is
you invite a friend
to sit down
and have a coffee with you
and you read a short episode
in the gospel
and discuss it
and you lead them
to a presentation of Christ
and who he is.
You can share one-to-one,
sitting down with people
that's borne tremendous fruit
in recent years.
We can share in a small group.
Christian Explored,
Life Explored,
exciting new resource,
house group,
youth group,
student group.
Wonderful to invite people along,
informal setting,
just be able to talk about
the things of the Lord.
And of course,
we can share
in a service,
guest service,
or week by week
as the word
is systematically expounded.
expounded.
And we pray that God's spirit
will take that word
and apply it to the hearts
of the hearers,
awakening them
to new life.
Four S's.
How can we share
getting the Bible
into people's hands,
getting it into their ears
and their eyes,
getting it into their minds,
and ultimately
into their hearts?
Well, that's the theory,
isn't it?
And the practice is,
of course,
much more difficult
as Rico Tice
and all of us know.
I think I spoke here
a few years ago
just about
conversational evangelism
and there were nine points
and John remembers all nine,
so if you want to know
what they are,
you can speak to John afterwards.
But I think, really,
I've only got two points
to say
about conversational evangelism now.
And I'm no expert,
but I've learned some lessons
over the years.
And really,
my first heading here
is simply to speak
in a way people will listen
and listen in a way
people will speak.
And I have found it
just a tremendous help,
a lesson I learned
from an older Christian
that if we genuinely
take an interest
in other people
and inquire
as to their interests
and their work and so on
and ask them questions,
there comes a point
where they stop wanting
to answer questions
and start asking questions.
Instead,
you can ask a window cleaner
about a seagull
and end up talking
about the cleansing
of one's conscience.
I think as Christians,
we have to be
outward looking,
we have to be
engaging people
in conversation,
talking to natural people
about natural things
in order to move
the conversation
onto spiritual things,
listening in a way
that people will speak
and speaking in a way
people will listen.
And I think listening
is very important
because,
as I've said,
we can't second guess.
And everybody
has a story,
don't they?
Everybody has
some kind of understanding
of the gospel.
And it's interesting
to try and get at
what people are thinking.
We're speaking to somebody
and we discover
they're not a Christian.
Well, we have to ask,
well, why is that?
There must be a reason.
Is it simply
that this person
has never heard
or understood the gospel?
And that's very likely,
actually, in Scotland
as in many other parts
of the world.
They've simply never
held a Bible in their hands,
never met a Christian,
never had somebody
talk to them.
Is it that they
have questions
about the gospel
like my Jedi Knight friend
the other day,
obviously a deep thinker,
and yet just looking
for somebody
who could discuss
these things with?
Are there questions
people have?
Genuine,
intellectual questions
that they want
to explore?
I don't know
if you heard
Tom Devine
on the radio
a couple of weeks ago.
Sir Tom Devine,
the historian,
in a fascinating interview
on the Sunday morning
programme,
and he said
his biggest stumbling
block to faith,
though he is himself
a Roman Catholic,
was why there is
only life on earth
when the galaxy
is so big.
That isn't a particular
issue for many people
I meet,
but a genuine
intellectual question.
Has God got a purpose
for this universe
beyond this one planet?
Or are there issues,
moral, ethical,
lifestyle issues,
that stop people
believing the gospel?
They might understand it,
they might know it
to be true,
but something is
holding them back
like the rich young man.
One thing they lack,
something they're not
willing to give up
in their lives.
And as I mentioned,
I really only have
two tips in terms
of conversational evangelism,
and it's both to
wait to be asked questions,
and then to ask questions.
And as John
would remind you,
I've got two headings
for these,
both borrowed
from other people,
of course.
And the first is really
to shake the tree.
And that is in the course
of conversation,
simply to throw things
out there that identify
you as a Christian.
So tomorrow at work,
when folks say,
what did you do
at half past six last night?
You say,
well, I went to church.
Or we're going to have
a prayer meeting this week,
or one of my children's
getting baptized,
just to put things out there.
And it's amazing
how often people
will come back to you.
I was pushing my daughter
in a swing in Portobello,
and this other lady
appeared next to us,
a sort of middle-aged
American lady,
and she was pushing
her granddaughter,
and we got talking
about swings or something,
and she asked me,
I can't remember what it is,
I mentioned I'm a minister
in a church or something,
and she immediately
began talking about
a book she'd be reading
by an Episcopalian
in America,
and the questions
that she had
from reading this book,
this Christian book.
Just throwing things
out there
and waiting
to be asked questions.
But of course,
sometimes we need
to be a bit more proactive
and to take the initiative,
and sometimes we need
to ask the question.
Enrico Tice,
again,
this tremendous book
calls that crossing
the pain line.
Don't know about you,
but I find it incredibly hard
to ask people
personal questions.
I used to work
as a doctor,
and I used to ask people
incredibly personal questions,
and yet,
I find it very difficult
outside of that
professional bubble
to ask people
personal questions
about their lives.
And yet,
sometimes we just need
to say,
do you have a faith yourself?
Do you get any
church connections?
You ever read the Bible?
As I walked to get
my daughter from school
last week,
there was a chap
waiting in a taxi.
He was the driver
just waiting for a fare.
He had his window down.
He obviously
enjoys the cold.
And he was just sitting there,
and I had a sort of
evangelistic newspaper,
and as I walked past,
I said,
would you like a paper, mate?
And he said,
what's this?
And I said,
well,
it's a Christian newspaper.
And he was a kind of
tough-looking guy.
And he said,
oh,
it's really interesting.
Oh yeah,
my brother's a Baptist
pastor in Manchester.
I said,
oh.
And he said,
and my wife goes
to the local church.
And I said,
what about yourself?
Do you have a faith?
And he said,
oh,
no,
but I'm really interested.
Crossing the pain line,
just asking that
personal question.
Shake the tree,
cross the pain line,
two points,
and it's incredible
what the Lord can do
with those two little questions.
What and when to share.
So how do we put
this all together?
Well,
the four G's,
the four C's,
and the four S's,
the four G's,
we want to glorify God,
we want to be godly,
we want to do good works,
we want to share the gospel.
Who are we going to share it with?
Well,
we want to share it with
close friends and family.
We want to share it
with our colleagues,
we want to share it
with people in the community
we sort of have
some connection with.
We want to share it
with complete strangers.
How do we share it?
Well,
you can give somebody
something to read
or listen to
or watch.
You can invite them
to sit down with you
and have a discussion
over a coffee.
You can invite them
into a small group.
You can say,
come along on a Sunday evening,
there's some tremendous
biscuits and coffee
and we'll listen for an hour
and then we'll have
a conversation.
Simple in theory,
very difficult in practice.
But friends,
my prayer is that
we would all be passionate
about the gospel,
that we would be patient
and persistent in prayer
and of course
that we would apprehend
the tremendous power
of the gospel.
Think of the difference
it's made to your life,
knowing the Lord.
Think of the difference
it made in Paul's life.
Think of the difference
it's made in your family's life.
At the end of my trip,
I ended up in Bangalore
and I had a friend
from Bangalore
who I knew from church
in Glasgow
and I texted him
and said,
we'd love to come
and see you
and he said,
that's fine,
come and visit
after church on Sunday
and we got there,
it transpires,
he actually was on holiday
and he lives in London
and I thought,
well,
it would have been cheaper
to go and visit you
in London
but here we are
and he was there,
he was having
a family gathering,
Christian family,
Indian Christian family
and we sat
and we had tea
and sort of cakes
and things
and I said,
you know,
you're Christians,
you're India,
how did all this happen?
And the father said
that in the 19th century,
an evangelist
had shared the gospel
with one of their
distant ancestors,
some kind of
great,
great grandfather
and he'd believed,
been baptized
and made a profession
of faith in Christ
and that changed
the entire direction
of that family
such that over
a hundred years later
instead of worshipping
idols
and being held captive
by the fear
of spirits,
generations of that family
had come to faith
in Christ
and had been brought up
in Christian homes
and had served
in their local churches.
Think of the remarkable
things that can happen
when you share the gospel
with an individual,
fruit being born
hundreds of years
from now,
perhaps in faraway lands.
God is glorified
when people are godly,
when they believe
the gospel
and when they share
the gospel.
Well, friends,
I trust that you and I
will still find evangelism
difficult tomorrow morning.
But I pray
and I suppose
this is my prayer
that the Lord
will give us opportunities
just to pray,
Lord,
somebody this week,
let me just share
something of the gospel
with somebody this week.
maybe carry
in your pocket
a little booklet
like that chap in the park,
just something you can
give to somebody
and be willing
to take the risk
and to say,
I don't know what's
going to happen here,
maybe I'm going to be ridiculed,
maybe I'm going to face rejection,
but maybe the Lord
is going to give me
an opportunity
and maybe in a hundred years' time
there will be people
worshipping God
because I was willing
to step out of my comfort zone,
into the zone of the unknown
and to say a word for Christ.
What a privilege.
May we be passionate
about that privilege.
Let's pray together.
Father, we thank you
for your mercy
and your grace
that in Christ
you have forgiven us
all our sins.
You have
renewed us
by your Holy Spirit
you have given to us
hope and a future.
Lord, that we have in him
every spiritual blessing
and we do not forget
all your benefits.
We think of the blessings
it is to be part
of this church family.
For many of us
we think of the great benefits
of being raised
in Christian homes,
having Christian parents
or grandparents,
Christian friendships,
and how grateful
we are for all these things
and yet we find it
so hard
to share that blessing
and to risk
our reputations
and our comfort
in order
that others might come
to know every spiritual
blessing in Christ.
Forgive us, we pray,
when our hearts
grow cold
and yet, Lord,
may your power
be made perfect
in our weakness
though we might go out
in fear
and trembling
that we will hear
your voice
saying to us,
you know,
keep on speaking
for I am with you.
We pray, Lord,
that this week
each of us
will have the great pleasure
of speaking
to a friend
or a colleague
or somebody
at a bus stop
about you
that there might
be rejoicing
in heaven
even if
only one sinner
repents.
and, Lord,
that you would give us
a holy boldness
and a humble love
to say a word
for Christ.
So we thank you
for this time.
We pray that we would
encourage one another now
and that you would
go with us
as we continue on
into the evening.
But we thank you
for this time together
in Jesus' name.
Amen.