getting with god’s program of telling others

Getting With God’s Program Of Telling

Others

Adapted from a Steve Shepherd sermonhttp://www.sermoncentral.com/print_friendly.asp?

SermonID=135261

April 2009, LOS ANGELES – As she walked from a post office, Talon Curtis thought she’d found one of those gimmicky sweepstakes offers on the ground that scream something

like "$357,959.55" in big bold letters and "This is not a real check" in much smaller type. But

just as she was about to do her part for a cleaner planet and deliver the paper from the parking lot to a trash can, she noticed it was a

real cashier’s check with a real signature.

"I couldn’t believe it. I almost passed out," Curtis, who works as a loan negotiator, told

The Associated Press on Wednesday. "I have never seen a check that big."

She immediately set out to find its rightful recipient, but it was Saturday afternoon and

the banks were closing. On Monday, with help from KCAL-TV reporter Dave Malkoff, she

located the check’s owner, who had arrived at her bank in a panic.

Curtis said she spoke briefly with the woman on the phone about a possible meeting, but

Pacific Mercantile Bank instructed her to mail the check to them instead. Not willing to take a

chance on the mail, Curtis delivered it personally. A bank employee confirmed it had

arrived. Curtis said she never thought of keeping the check for herself, and she declined the woman’s offer of a reward. Still, she’s just a

little disappointed.

"I just wanted to see her face," Curtis said, laughing. "I just wanted to let her know that there are honest people left in this world." Hey, this is good news and I’m happy to tell

you about it! There isn’t much good news happening these days so whenever we hear some we need to

tell others about it!It’s refreshing to hear good news instead of

bad or negative news all the time.But there’s even better news!

BALTIMORE, Maryland (CNN) -- Dr. Carnell Cooper, a Baltimore surgeon, is saving lives inside and outside the operating room. Since becoming a trauma surgeon 16 years ago, he

has dedicated himself to treating the many young African-American men who’ve been shot, stabbed or beaten, only to see them

return to the ER with another severe injury just months later.

But when one of his patients was re-admitted with a fatal gunshot wound to the head in

1996, it changed Cooper’s life. "The night that we pronounced that young man dead and my colleagues said there’s really nothing we can

do in these situations...

"I just didn’t believe that," said Cooper, 54. "From that day forward, I said, ’Let’s see what

we can do.’ "Cooper created the Violence Intervention

Program (VIP) at the Shock Trauma Unit of the University of Maryland Medical Center, the state’s busiest hospital for violent injuries.

That’s super good news!And just as Dr. Carnell Cooper is saving lives with his Violence Intervention Program, we,

too, can save lives in another way and one that is even more lasting!

Romans 6:23 ESV For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in

Christ Jesus our Lord.

Sin is wreaking havoc in people’s lives.Sin is destroying people’s lives and sending them a Christless grave, but God has offered the gift of eternal life through His Son Jesus

Christ.We need to do something about it!

We need to spread this very good news!We need to get with God’s program of telling others about the message of Jesus Christ!

1- Go tell the truths of Jesus2- Go tell the truth about Jesus

Matthew 28:8 ESV So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met

them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him.

10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” 11 While they were

going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken

place.

Go Tell The Truths Of Jesus

The guards reported to the chief priests everything that had happened.

They reported the truth of what had happened.We need to report the truth, especially the truth

of scripture.

We need to repeat the truths of scripture everywhere we go! Scripture is truth.

If there is anything we can believe today, it’s the Bible!

If you want to quote someone, then quote God!

Most people can’t argue with scripture.

No one can win against God!

It is said the great American, Benjamin Franklin, loved to argue.

Occasionally he would find himself overwhelmed by the arguments of his learned

friends.

At such times he often would say:“Give me a day to think the matter over, for I’m

correct.”

Meanwhile he would go to his print shop, set up some type in the style of the Bible, and express his position and argument in Bible

language.He would then return next day to his

opponents and proudly proclaim; “Whatever you may think, you cannot get away from the

fact that Holy Scripture supports my arguments.

As it is said in the Book of John...”

That trick worked every time for him.

Better yet, we should just quote the truth scripture tell us and let it stand.

BECAUSE SCRIPTURE IS ALWAYS RIGHT.

Hebrews 4:12 ESV For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning

the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

There is absolutely something powerful about quoting God’s Word!

How many people do you know who can quote the Creator of the Universe?

Many can and we can too!

We can memorize His Word and use it in our daily living.

English preacher, Charles Spurgeon, wrote: I would recommend you either believe God up

to the hilt, or else not to believe at all.Believe this book of God, every letter of it, or

else reject it.There is no logical standing place between the

two.The Bible is God-inspired.

It should be read, memorized and quoted by God’s people!

I confess I don’t memorize Scripture.What I do is read & study God’s Word thus I get familiar with it & can usually pull some from memory when the situation calls for it.

Granted I might not be able to quote chapter & verse, but I don’t have to since I

always have my phone with me & do a quick search on a Bible App.

2 Timothy 3:14 ESV But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly

believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been

acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through

faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for

teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every

good work.

Preacher Dwight L. Moody was, at one time, in a southern city preaching about the value of

the Word of God in a person’s life.

Suddenly he was interrupted by the loud voice of a man in the audience.

“Mr. Moody, I do not believe a single word in that collection of old wives’ tales you call your

Bible!”

“My dear man,” replied Mr. Moody, “there is one verse in this Bible that you are forced to

believe.Galatians 6:7 ESV Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will

he also reap. "If a man sows wheat, he does not reap

potatoes or peanuts.Take the saloonkeeper, for example.He sows drunkards, and he will reap

drunkards.” The man sat down as the audience broke into loud applause.

The Word of God stands true!

And we need to be a people of the Book!

We must believe it and speak it’s truths everywhere!

We must be quick to quote the Bible as the inspired truth it is!

Please get familiar with the Scriptures and be ready to quote them when the time is right in order to witness or defend your faith in Christ!Mark 13:31 ESV Heaven and earth will pass

away, but my words will not pass away.1 Peter 3:15 ESV but in your hearts honor

Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for

a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

Matthew 28:18 ESV And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and

make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in 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."

Go Tell The Truth About Jesus

We need to make disciples.We need to convince people that Jesus is the only Savior of the world and their only hope for

salvation.

"Go Tell It on the Mountain" is an African-American spiritual written by John W. Work dating back to at least 1865 that has been sung and recorded by many gospel and

secular performers.

It is considered a Christmas carol because its original lyric celebrates the Nativity of Jesus: "Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere; go tell it on the mountain, that

Jesus Christ is born."

Yes, it’s true.We need to go tell it on the mountain and

everywhere else.We need to tell people more than just about

His birth, however.And that’s because it’s His death that saves

us.And His resurrection proves that He wasn’t

fooling around!This is where we get our hope!

Romans 6:3 ESV Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus

were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into

death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his,

we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

One of the basic principles in marketing a product is to come up with a simple, consistent message and repeat it over and over and over!Think about ads that we’re exposed to via the

media: Melts in your mouth, not in your hands.

Plop plop, fizz fizz. Oh what a relief it is. It takes a licking and it keeps on ticking.

Reach out and touch someone.I Can’t Believe I Ate The Whole Thing.

Where’s The Beef?Finger Lickin’ Good.

A little dab’ll do ya. (an oldie) We bring good things to life.You deserve a break today.

Someone said that you can’t over-communicate a good message but you can a

bad one.But these are pretty good!

According to Dun and Bradstreet, 95% of all business failures are from the ranks of non-

advertisers.It’s like the feller says: “When business is

good, you ought to advertise; when it’s bad, you’ve got to.”

Hey, business is not good!The gospel selling business is not good.

At least, not in America.But the sinning business is very good and this

is why we need to advertise the quittin business!

We need to advertise as best we can, not the least we can!

We need to advertise the answer to man’s sin!And Jesus Christ is that answer!

And the church is a part of that answer.

I get tired of hearing people run down the church or that the traditional church is on the

downhill slide.

And that the old ways are not the new way to win people to Christ.

If you preach the truth about Christ, God WILL give the increase no matter where or when or

how He is preached!

Isaiah 55:10 ESV “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not

return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I

purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

Matthew 28:19 ESV Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the

Holy Spirit,

Acts 8:4 ESV Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.

Acts 5:41 ESV Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted

worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. 42 And every day, in the temple and from house to

house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

Acts 8:35 ESV Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him

the good news about Jesus.

Do you get the idea of what we’re supposed to do with the good news of Christ?

I think evangelizing or telling people about Christ is much like going fishing.

Jesus said in Matthew 4:19 ESV And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you

fishers of men."

What happens when you have fished and fished and never caught anything?

You get tired of it.

You may think, "What’s the use?

The fish aren’t biting.

I’m just wasting my time."

I think this is what happens in witnessing to people about Christ.

After a period of no bites, no interest, etc. then we begin to lose our interest in going fishing for

men, thinking, "What’s the use?

They are not interested so why I should be?"

But there is something else I learned about fishing.

It’s this: Those who catch the most, fish the most.

And I think the same principle applies to winning people to Christ.

If we don’t work at it then how do we expect to win people to Christ!?

And another lesson I learned about fishing and from fishing is this:

KEEP CASTING YOUR BAIT!Once you're at the water, you’d better keep

casting your bait if you intend to catch something.

We need to keep on casting Jesus in front of people!

And you don’t give up until it’s time to give up. The Lord hasn’t put a time limit on our

witnessing.

Like someone said, "You don’t give up until you go up.“

We should never retire from living for Christ in any form, witnessing or otherwise!

The wife said to her husband, “Who was that at the door, dear?”

The husband said, “It was the new minister. He has been by four times this week.” Wife asked,

“What’s his name?” Husband said, “I THINK IT’S PESTER SMITH.”

There needs to be some kind of pestering done if we are going to reach people for Christ!

And personal evangelism is the kind of pestering I’m talking about.

EACH OF US PERSONALLY REACHING PEOPLE FOR CHRIST!

Of course there is a fine line between a person enjoying your company or running away when

you come on their radar screen.

A man was walking down a deserted Mexican beach at sunset.

As he walked along, he noticed another man in the distance.

As he drew closer, he noticed that the man kept leaning down, picking something up and

throwing it out into the water.

Time and again he did this.

As the man came closer, he could see that the man was picking up starfish that had been

washed up on the beach and, one at a time, he was throwing them back into the water.

He said to the man, “Good evening, friend, I was wondering what you are doing?”

The man replied, “I’m throwing these starfish back into the ocean. If I don’t throw them back

into the sea, they’ll die up here from lack of oxygen.”

“I understand, but there must be thousands of starfish on this beach. You can’t possibly get to

all of them. There are simply too many. And don’t you realize this is probably

happening on hundreds of beaches all up and down this coast? Can’t you see that you can’t

possibly make a difference?"

The local man smiled, bent down and picked up another starfish and as he threw it back into

the sea, he said,“MADE A DIFFERENCE TO THAT ONE!”

Romans 10:14 ESV How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have

never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written,

"How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"

Conclusion

Do you have a beautiful heart that cares for the lost of this world?

If so, you’ll have beautiful feet that go and a beautiful mouth that tells the truth about Jesus.

One of England’s greatest preachers, W. E. Sangster said, “The easiest way to embarrass a congregation of twentieth century Christians

is to ask them two simple questions:

‘When is the last time you personally led another person to Jesus Christ?’

and ‘When is the last time you tried?’”