Word by Mail

ROM 217 - Ambassadors For Christ - PT 2 - Rom 10:14-15
 
This is PT 2 of the "Ambassadors For Christ" msg - & really
these 2 msg's started with previous msg - "How To Be Saved"
 
So - this is actually a 3-part msg - & I hope you'll listen to them all
 
Much of what I'll say to you today comes from (or is influenced by)
this book by Greg Laurie "Making God Known"
 
I'd like to put this book on the MUST READ list - for every Christian
 
Because IF you are a Christian today (Jesus is your Lord)
Then He has given you a Command - Marching Orders
 
He has called you to be His Ambassador
to bring His Good News of Salvation
 
to a World that is LOST - on the SCRATCH
 
Remember - last Msg we talked a lot about the SCRATCH
 
The SCRATCH is that place God has
Sovereignly placed you - on the Great Eternal Timeline
 
He's Saved you - He's Raised you up as a Disciple (Minister)
 
Then - He has Sovereignly placed you
RIGHT where you find yourself - on the SCRATCH
 
Right NEXT - to all those people He loves So Much
that are LOST on the SCRATCH
 
 
Now - If this talk about the SCRATCH is foreign to you
Get PT 1 of this msg - & listen to it (to catch up)
 
Let's Pray
 
 
Lst wk we started w/ this Text - From Jn 4:35 - ESV
[Jesus speaking] . . . I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.
 
& we talked about a 'Window of Opportunity' (an Urgency)
for those around you to be saved
 
& we tried to make it clear from 2 Pet 3:10
that 'Window of Opportunity' will one day - CLOSE
 
& understanding THAT - Helps us to better understand
the COMMAND Jesus gives EACH of us - in Mat 28:18
 
Let's turn there - known as - The Great Commission
 
WE (every believer) are CALLED (by our LORD)
to The Great Commission
 
This Commission is written - to EVERY Follower of Christ
AND - it's written as COMMAND - not a suggestion
 
Unfortunately - the joke has often been made
that the Great Commission
has become the Great Omission in the church
 
Mat 28:18-20 - ESV  
 
 
Mat 28:18-20 - ESV
18 And Jesus came [to His disciples] and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.19 Go therefore [as Ambassadors] and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in [or into] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
 
In our last msg - We made it clear
 
God's Primary Method of reaching people
who are lost on the Scratch
 
is to raise up a Disciple (a Minister) - (THAT'S YOU)
& then put YOU - Right on the Scratch next to that person
 
And - as unbelievable as it may sound
 
God has Placed us on the SCRATCH
AND entrusted to US - the message of Reconciliation
 
God wants to make His appeal to the lost - thru US
as His Ambassadors
 
again - from last week - 2Cor 5:19-20 - ESV
19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
 
 
Now - because it is SO IMPORTANT
that we accept this Command from God - to be Ambassadors
 
Want I want to do in this msg is to get downright - PRACTICAL
 
& I mean PRACTICAL as in - how do we go about
being an AMBASSADOR for Christ
 
I wanted to try to reduce that Eternal Sized Calling
down into just 3 steps
 
So that the Holy Spirit will - prayerfully
bring these 3 steps up in your mind
 
as you join Him - in His work - to SAVE those around you
 
& then - to help the Holy Spirit just a little bit more
I actually printed these 3 steps - & put them on a Bulletin Insert
 
Now - these aren’t from Greg's book
I tried to even simplify his "simplified approach"
 
& so here are the "Super Simplified" 3-Steps
to BEING an Ambassador for Christ;
THE HEART
THE BRIDGE
THE GOSPEL
 
THE HEART - THE BRIDGE - THE GOSPEL
 
 
 
Now - we see this simplified 3-Step approach thru-out the N.T.
But there's a great example in ACTS 17 - so let's turn there
 
In ACTS 17 - we see the Simplified 3-Steps
to being an Ambassador for Jesus Christ
 
The Apostle Paul finds himself - right on "The Scratch"
 
Paul was traveling around with Silas & Timothy
& they were just doing what they did - going from place to place
 
They had come thru Apollonia - & into Thessalonica
 
But some "Circumstances" forced Paul to leave that area
& so they went to Berea
 
& in Berea (believe it or not) - MORE circumstances rose up
& Paul was escorted out of there also
 
& he was escorted to Athens - but Silas & Timothy had some "Unfinished Business" in Berea
 
So - as we pick up the story in ACTS 17
 
Paul's just hanging around
waiting for Silas & Timothy to catch up to him
 
& watch (right up front) - for THE HEART of Paul
 
I'm going to read this section out of the NLT
just to get the "BIG PICTURE"
 
 
Acts 17:16 - NLT
16 While Paul was waiting for them [Silas & Timothy] in Athens, he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city.
 
The 1st "Simplified Step" to being an Ambassador
is THE HEART - Meaning specifically - YOUR heart
 
Paul was Deeply Troubled by all the idols he saw
because he knew the people worshipped them
 
& maybe we could imagine - there might've been
an IDOL of SUCCESS
an IDOL of PLEASURE, or FAME, CONTROL, & POWER
 
It's not that hard to imagine - people around you worshipping as Idols - things that are actually Eternally Worthless
 
Paul was "Deeply Troubled" because he knew
these people were EMPTY & LOST
 
& his HEART - Broke for them
 
 
Being an Ambassador for Christ - begins
when your HEART is "Deeply Troubled" for those around you
 
Does your heart ACHE for the people around you
to know Jesus Christ
 
Does it Break your heart - when you see them
trying to find Happiness in the IDOLS of this World
 
IF NOT - It needs to - because THAT
is the 1st Step - to Being an Ambassador for Christ
Charles Spurgeon said
"The Holy Spirit will move them by first moving you. If you can rest without them being saved, they will rest too. But if you are filled with an agony for them, if you cannot bear that they should be lost, you will soon find that they are uneasy too"
 
The 1st Simplified Step - to being an Ambassador For Christ
is THE HEART - YOUR Heart for the people around you
 
 
The 2ND "Simplified Step" to being an Ambassador
is THE BRIDGE
 
& the easiest way to explain this
is for you to WATCH the Apostle Paul do it
 
Back in our Text in ACTS 17
look for how Paul builds - the Bridge
 
Acts 17:16-17 - NLT
16 (again) While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city.17 He went to the synagogue to reason with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and he spoke daily in the public square to all who happened to be there.
 
FIRST - Paul's heart was "Deeply Troubled"
SO - he became ENGAGED in the people's lives
 
& THAT - is building THE BRIDGE
 
He reasoned with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and he spoke daily in the public square to all who happened to be there.
He became "engaged" in the people's lives - HOWEVER . . .
 
This is NOT what used to be called - "Life-Style" evangelism
 
Which basically says - Just go LIVE among the world
& WAIT - until they ASK YOU about your faith
 
That is NOT - what Paul Did
 
He was "Engaged" with the people (that's THE BRIDGE)
but he is clearly "Engaging them" about SPIRITUAL THINGS
 
& that's EXACTLY How we see Jesus engage people
The Woman at the Well (Jn 4) - Great Example
 
& we see this truth MORE - as we continue reading
 
ACTS 17:18 - NLT
18 He also had a debate with some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. When he told them about Jesus and his resurrection, they said, “What’s this babbler trying to say with these strange ideas he’s picked up?” Others said, “He seems to be preaching about some foreign gods.”
 
FIRST - Paul's HEART breaks for these people
when he sees how LOST they are
 
THEN - he builds THE BRIDGE by "Reasoning" with them
& Engaging them in Spiritual Discussions
 
FINALLY - Now that he has their interest
God gives him the opportunity - to Share THE GOSPEL
 
The HEART - The BRIDGE - & now - The GOSPEL (do you see it ?)
ACTS 17:19 & 20 - NLT
19 Then they took him to the high council of the city. “Come and tell us about this new teaching,” they said.20 “You are saying some rather strange things, and we want to know what it’s all about.”
 
Now THAT - is what I call - an OPEN DOOR
& certainly the Holy Spirit has opened it for Paul
 
But (for Paul's Part)
1st His HEART broke for these people
2nd He built a BRIDGE to them - USING Spiritual Matters
 
& NOW they say to him
PLEASE come tell us what you're talking about
 
ACTS 17:22-23 - NLT
22 So Paul, standing before the council, addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, [THAT, is Bridge Building]23 for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines [more Bridge Building]. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’ This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about.
 
What an Incredible OPENING - for THE GOSPEL
But guys - we can have the same opening
 
We can say "The happiness that your searching for in your IDOLS, I can help you find it "
 
& now Paul gives them the FULL GOSPEL MSG (Very Important)
 
 
ACTS 17:24-25 - NLT
24 “He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples,25 and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need.
 
Look carefully - at how Paul starts here;
He is the God who made the world & everything in it
He doesn’t live in a man-made church building
He has no needs - He is the ALL-Sufficient God
He is the Giver of Life & Breath to everything
He satisfies EVERY need
 
That's a Great introduction to the Gospel
 
& then - in the next few Vs's - Paul continues to APPLY GOD
to the ISSUES in these people's lives
 
& then (we need to see this) - In Vs.30-31
Paul brings the BAD NEWS with the GOOD NEWS
 
 
Guys - If we DON'T tell them the BAD NEWS
They won’t understand HOW GOOD - the GOOD NEWS is
 
So - Paul tells them the BAD NEWS along with the GOOD NEWS
& everyone Responds - One way or another
 
 
ACTS 17:30-31 - NLT  
 
ACTS 17:30-31 - NLT
30 “God overlooked people’s ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now he commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him.31 For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead.”
 
THIS - is the BEGINNING of the GOOD NEWS
 
& as Paul explains the Resurrection
He gets THREE different responses
 
ACTS 17:32-34 - NLT
32 When they heard Paul speak about the resurrection of the dead, some laughed in contempt [1st response] , but others said, “We want to hear more about this later.” [2nd response]33 That ended Paul’s discussion with them,34 but some joined him and became believers [3rd response]. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the council, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
 
 
Because if people around us DON'T understand
that God MUST Judge their sin
 
Then they CAN'T understand their TRUE NEED for a SAVIOR
 
We can't allow people to think they can be good enough
for God to accept them
 
God doesn’t EXCUSE our sin - He executes the full judgment
ON JESUS - In OUR place - on the cross
 
2Cor 5:21 says - NLT
21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
 
& THAT is why Jesus is the ONLY way to God
 
Because no one else could pay
the full penalty for our sin - in our place
 
THAT is why 1Tim 2:5 says - NLT
5 For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus.
 
THAT is why Acts 4:12 says - NLT
12 There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”
 
THAT is why Jesus says in Jn 14:6 - NLT
6 . . . “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
 
God MUST Judge YOUR SIN
& Jesus Christ has provided a way - ON THE CROSS
 
for HIM to take YOUR Judgment
& YOU to receive HIS Righteousness
 
We MUST point people to the POWER of the CROSS
 
 
Greg Laurie once asked Billy Graham  
 
Greg Laurie once asked Billy Graham
"After all these years of preaching, if you knew as a younger preacher what you know now, what would you emphasize more?" Without missing a beat, Billy Graham said "I would preach more on the cross of Christ and on the blood. That is where the power is"
 
When you share the Gospel - Make sure it is about
FORGIVENESS of SIN - Found only AT THE CROSS
 
 
#1 - We must have THE HEART
#2 - We must build THE BRIDGE
#3 - We must share THE GOSPEL
 
But maybe you're afraid you won’t be Smooth enough
 
or maybe you're afraid someone will criticize you
for the way you share your faith
 
If that's the case - Let me tell you how D.L. MOODY
handled the very same thing
 
Once a woman walked up to Moody (who had NO formal religious training)
& said "I don’t like the way you do evangelism"
 
& so Moody replied "well, please, tell me how you do evangelism" to which she replied "O, well I DON'T do evangelism"
 
So Moody politely said - "Well, Maam, I like my way of DOING it, much better than your way of NOT DOING it"
 
You don’t have to be eloquent enough,
or smart enough, or smooth enough
 
just tell them what Jesus has done FOR YOU
 
Paul says to the Corinthians in 1Cor 2:4-5 - NLT
4 And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit.5 I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.
 
Pray for the Power of the Holy Spirit
Then just tell them what Jesus Christ has done for you
 
& Remember from last week; the word PREACH means
to proclaim a thing that has happened
 
 
But what if they say NO ???
 
Well - Thank God the "Window of Opportunity"
doesn’t necessarily end when your conversation ends
 
You may be the soil preparer
or you may be the planter
or you may be the waterer
or you may be the one God uses to harvest
 
But know this - it is Always GOD - who brings salvation
 
God has COMMANDED us to GO
to be Ambassadors - to Proclaim what He has done For us
 
We have a Responsibility to SPEAK
but that person's RESPONSE - is NOT our responsibility
 
& the fact that a person says NO
Does Not Mean that you haven’t done your job well
 
who knows - when - what you've said or done
may lead to their salvation
 
 
Bruce Gooch has a great testimony
about his uncle's role in his salvation
 
Bruce found out "after the fact" that his uncle had put Bruce's name
in a prayer basket (for salvation) every Sunday for 3 years
 
& not only that - but his uncle had been talking to Bruce for 3 yrs
 
& not only that but his uncle was a Godly man
& a Godly example to Bruce
 
HOWEVER - - - WHEN did Bruce first acknowledge
his own personal need to receive Jesus Christ ??
 
It was at - his Uncles funeral
 
Bruce's uncle plowed the soil, planted the seed,
& watered it for 3 years
 
then God brought the increase - at his FUNERAL (Praise the Lord)
 
Guys - Our "simplified" Job is;
1) Make our HEART right toward the people around us
2) Build a BRIDGE to them - in spiritual things
3) Share the GOSPEL with them - in a very simple manner
 
and God brings salvation
& guys - When sharing The Gospel
generally - - the less said - the better
 
1) Our sin separates us from God
2) Jesus Christ PAID the full penalty for our sin
3) Our Sins are forgiven thru Faith in Jesus Christ
 
we must be careful to avoid the lengthy dissertations
that make us sound like we just like to hear ourselves talk
 
Most of the time - the more words we use
the less impact we will have
 
I heard about a guy who was asked to give a 5 minute
testimony about his faith at a luncheon meeting
 
& as he breezed right past his 5 min - into 10 - & then into 20
the moderator got so upset he banged his gavel down
 
But the guy just kept on going & going
 
& so finally (in desperation) the moderator
THREW the gavel at the guy
 
But he just missed him & instead hit this guy in the head
who was in the front row - & had fallen asleep
 
& so - the guy wakes up - realizes what has happened
 
He calls out to the moderator
HIT ME AGAIN - I CAN STILL HEAR HIM
 
Let's NOT be like that, OK?
 
 
WE are an Ambassadors for Christ
 
God has Entrusted US
with the Message of Reconciliation
 
& Jesus Christ (as our LORD)
has Commanded us to GO
 
To share the Life-Saving Message of the Gospel
with those who are DYING - On the SCRATCH
 
But - in closing - I need to ask you
 
Are we Marching toward HEAVEN
& marching right past - those who are lost & dying
 
 
I want to tell you an absolute TRUE story
 
There was a man named David Sharp
who died near the summit of Mt Everest in May 2006
 
It was his 3rd attempt to reach the summit,
& his family was very concerned about him
 
But before he left he'd told his mother "don’t worry, you are never on your own. There are climbers everywhere on the mountain"
 
But - - David Sharp died in a cave just on the side of the trail
 
& what is so incredible - is that
while the blood in his body was turning to ice
 
At least 40 climbers passed by the opening of that cave
 
Later, some of the climbers admitted - that he had spoken to them
"My name is David Sharp, I'm with Asian Trekking"
 
& every single one - of those climbers
continued their Ascent to the Summit - While David Sharp DIED
 
When asked about it later, one climber said
"we all know the risk, people die on Everest every year"
 
Guys - Listen, please - We who have received Jesus Christ
are on our way - to the Summit of Heaven
 
BUT - are we passing by people in our own lives
who are LOST & DYING
 
As we march - on our way - to Heaven
 
 
We have the cure for Eternal Death
 
& God has put us on the same path,
as those who are dying
 
We MUST - go out of our way - long enough,
to share the life-saving cure of Jesus Christ - with them
 
Let's Pray