Ten keys to sharing your faith.
And before I do, I want to remind
you that evangelism is warfare.
Okay?
Anytime you go to evangelize or anytime you're
going to share your faith, you are hitting
a spiritual realm.
It's a spiritual battle.
So when you go into sharing your faith,
I'm assuming most of you want to share
your faith, right?
Okay, good.
11 a.m. Sometimes more awake than the
night.
That's good.
But sharing your faith and wanting, we have
this desire, but sometimes we don't know how,
what to say, when to say it, what's
a good time, what's a bad time, what
to expect.
So I want to look at Acts 17
this morning, Acts 17 verse 1, and kind
of give you some principles to sharing your
faith.
And I like what Vince Lombardi said.
He's a famous coach of the Green Bay
Packers.
He said that any man's finest hour, his
greatest sense of achievement, is when he lies
exhausted on the field of battle victorious.
So it is a battle, but you come
out of it victorious.
You come out of it built up.
We are called to share our faith.
And I will submit to you that I
think a reason many people are dealing with
or struggling with a lack of a sense
of purpose.
There's a lack of joy.
Have you ever felt that way?
Lord, what have you called me to do?
I'm just going through life.
It's meaningless.
I'm lacking a passion for what you've called
me to do, or what have you called
me to do?
I don't have joy that Shane talks about.
I don't have this peace.
Many times it's because we are getting full
of the Word of God, but you have
to let it out.
Now if we're talking about health for a
minute, what happens when you eat too much?
It's stored, right?
That's when we gain weight is because that
energy is being stored because we didn't use
it.
Same thing spiritually.
If you're being filled with the Word of
God, you have to let it out.
Paul said, woe to me if I don't
preach the gospel.
I'm receiving.
I've got to give it out.
So maybe some of you are struggling with
what's my calling?
What's my purpose?
And you will struggle with it until you
step out and you begin to serve.
You begin to share your faith.
You begin to witness to others.
You begin to be filled with God's Spirit
and a sense of purpose and peace returns.
So don't just tune me out and think
about what's for lunch when you hear how
to share my faith.
I know how to share my faith.
Well, trust me, you'll gleam something if you're
open and teachable.
That's one of the points, by the way.
So chapter 17, Paul and Silas came to
Thessalonica where there was a synagogue of the
Jews.
Then Paul, as his custom was, went into
them and for three Sabbaths, he reasoned with
them from the Scriptures, explaining and demonstrating that
Christ had to suffer and rise again from
the dead, saying, This Jesus whom I preach
to you is the Christ.
And some of them were persuaded and a
great multitude of devout Greeks and not a
few of the leading women joined Paul and
Silas.
So the first point is know your audience
and the rebuttals.
Know your audience.
Paul went in talking to the Jews and
he knew his audience.
He knew the rebuttals.
He knew how they thought.
He knew what they were thinking.
And you might be thinking, Well, Shane, that's
going to take a little work.
Yes, it is.
It's called apologetics.
It's called studying the Word of God and
giving people a reason for the hope that
is within you.
I mean, it makes it very difficult if
you've been a Christian ten years and somebody
says, Why do you believe?
Well, I don't know.
They teach you at church and the Bible
says something.
That doesn't carry a lot of weight there.
You want to know your audience.
For example, if I'm going to talk to
an atheist, let's say, I'm going to talk
differently and present things differently than I would
with, say, a Mormon or those who are
Jehovah's Witness or those in a different religion.
I'm going to talk to them a little
bit differently.
Because if you tell an atheist, Well, here's
what the Bible says.
Well, they're not real concerned about that.
You've got to show them the inerrancy of
Scripture.
You've got to show them God in creation.
The Mormon, for example, actually puts the Book
of Mormon above the Bible.
Wait a minute.
Wrong order here.
Let's get back to this.
And you argue from a position of spiritual
authority with the Word of God.
And you shoot at them differently.
Well, the Bible says this, right?
Joseph Smith says this.
So you can't have both Jesus and Joseph
Smith right.
They both can't be right.
One of them is wrong.
Who are you choosing?
And people sometimes get upset because they say,
Shane, you shouldn't put down other religions.
I'm not putting them down.
I'm trying to show you the difference.
And I want to show them the difference
because the truth is in the difference.
And if you're being led astray or led
in a wrong direction because you're following wrong
information, I have an obligation to say, Hey,
you might want to check out what the
Bible says.
Because I can tell you by the authority
of Scripture, you cannot deviate and have some
other book that contradicts it.
Jehovah's Witness, Mormon, whatever it is, you can't
deviate from that.
Or other religions.
Well, the Bible's good, but it's not this.
You can't have both.
That's why when Jesus said, I am the
way, the truth, the life, nobody comes to
the Father except through me.
That's pretty narrow, right?
That doesn't leave you a lot of other
options out there.
It's either he is the way or he's
not.
It's either this is the truth or it's
not.
And I'm assuming that most of you are
here because of that.
That we believe that.
So when you share your faith, know your
audience.
And believe it or not, the reason I
started to study a lot is because I
didn't know my audience.
18 years ago or so, 19 years ago,
I came back to the Lord around 1999,
2000, he began to give me a hunger
for his word, a hunger for these things.
And I would be stumped often.
It's like, oh, I never thought of that.
Oh, that's true.
I don't know.
And just like not knowing what I really
believe.
Well, the Bible says it.
Well, do you know any of the Bible's
wrong here, here?
Really?
It's wrong?
Now I've learned to ask, where's it wrong?
Show me.
Just one place.
Unless you get somebody that says something ridiculous.
But most of the time, the key is
to know your audience and the rebuttals.
What I mean by that is if any
of you are salesmen in this room or
have a sales experience, nobody in this whole
room, oh, you just don't want to admit
it, right?
With sales, they teach you that no, Terry,
I know you do, right?
You work for me.
24 Hour Fitness, many years ago.
Remember we talked about no just means yes,
you just haven't convinced me yet.
No just means you haven't convinced me yet.
So when you keep hearing no, you have
rebuttals.
Well, I need to go home and talk
to my husband, right?
Well, wouldn't he want you to get in
shape and start now?
Well, that's true.
I don't have the money now.
You can post a check, right?
Rebuttals.
And you have rebuttals, you know what they're
saying, so you have rebuttals.
Same thing when witnessing.
I know what an atheist is going to
say, often.
I know what these different religions are going
to say.
Now, as a word of encouragement, you might
not know all the rebuttals.
It doesn't matter.
If you have the Spirit of God in
you, the power of God, some Scripture, you
can still share your faith.
I don't want to discourage, but for those
of you who want to build your faith
in this area, know your audience.
And what Paul did, he said, this is
Jesus, let me quote Isaiah 53, it was
the Lord's will to crush him, crush Christ,
and cause him to suffer, and to raise
him to life so that many people could
be forgiven.
Now, this is a tough Scripture for many
people.
It wasn't for the Jews.
They understand that the Father bruised the Son,
and it's hard for us to really fully
understand the ramifications of that.
But when you understand John 3, 16, that
God so loved the world that He gave
His only begotten Son that whosoever believes will
have eternal life, they will not perish.
So please the Father to bruise the Son
and to provide redemption for us.
So the Jews understood this is going to
be a suffering Savior.
He's going to be beaten.
No bone will be broken.
They will cast lots for His clothing.
All of this was laid out in the
prophets, the prophets they used to read at
every service.
So Paul's saying, listen, this is the Christ
that we've been reading about.
This is Jesus who rose from the dead.
So he knew his audience.
But the Jews, verse 5, who were not
persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil
men from the marketplace and gathering a mob,
set all the city in an uproar, and
attacked the house of Jason, and sought to
bring them out to the people.
So Paul and Silas were obviously with Jason.
And the Jews that were not persuaded, that
tells me that some are persuaded, some aren't,
right?
So the second point is this.
Opposition is the rule, not the exception.
We sometimes think that, okay, there's going to
be opposition, that's the exception, that might happen.
You better go into this knowing that opposition
is the rule.
If you're stirring the spiritual realm, if you're
upsetting the demonic influences, if you're doing what
God wants you to do, there will be
opposition.
Here's a point, proof point right here.
How hard is it for you to get
to church?
You and your spouse.
Well, let's go to the movies and watch
Walking Dead.
There's no problems.
Right?
Let's have that terrible popcorn.
Let's drink 32 ounces of sugar.
Let's go watch this garbage.
There's no problems.
The flesh is in unity.
But when you start to stand up for
what God wants, and try to just announce
to your kids and your family, we are
going to start having family devotionals at dinner.
All hell will break loose.
Right?
Mood swings will come in, the little ones,
there's just demonic, something happens when you want
to do things for God.
And often that's part of the fight.
The fight comes, then the victory.
So opposition is the rule.
Expect it.
When these false kings and systems of thought
were challenged, the response these people had were
hate and anger.
There's opposition.
So now let's fast forward to verse 10.
Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas
away by night to Berea.
So they went from Thessalonica to Berea.
When they arrived, they went into the synagogue
of the Jews.
These were more fair-minded than those in
Thessalonica, in that they received the word of
God with all readiness, and they searched the
scriptures daily to find out whether these things
were so.
So in Thessalonica, the Jews were persuaded, some
got upset.
These, fair-minded, means more balanced.
They were more balanced.
They said, okay, Paul, is it in here?
Well, not the last quarter, right?
Is it in the Old Testament?
Is it in the scriptures that we have?
Is what you're saying, Paul, in here?
Jesus suffered, that's right, it's right here in
Isaiah.
They were fair-minded.
Have you ever heard the term Bereans?
Bereans mean that they study the word of
God.
And I often say have a Berean heart
but not a Berean spirit.
What happens is, the Berean heart is to
study the word of God.
The Berean spirit is getting puffed up in
pride and arrogance.
And they have this sense of superiority and
this pride and arrogance because they are puffed
up by the word of God.
So the Bereans were studying the scriptures.
They're saying, is it really so?
And I want to remind you to leave
here knowing that this is the authority.
This is the authority.
This is the best way to expose cults
because this is our authority.
So when a cult says their authority comes
on top of this, you say, no.
No, well, have you read our track from
our society?
But have you read, you've got to read
this book.
No, this is the, right?
This is the authority.
That's the point.
Study the Bible and let the Bible study
you.
See, because when you argue, right?
When you debate or when you have apologetics
and when you're discussing your faith, you're really
coming with this.
This is the authority.
This is where you're ministering from.
This is what you're sharing.
The truth is in you so you're sharing
the truth.
But if you don't have the truth, if
the truth is not in you, right, you're
not going to be able to share it.
And that's why I believe that most people
can't share this effectively because they're not quite
sure what is in here.
I mean, I know Shane said this at
church Sunday.
I know Jesus, right, he died for me.
I know he raised from the dead.
That's why we celebrate Easter.
At Christmas he was born.
I got those things down but you'll be
tongue-tied if you get with anybody who
knows anything about the Bible because you've got
to know this.
You can't rely on Shane on Sunday morning.
That's actually the primer.
Have you ever remember those old diesel engines
you get some ether, just like this gasoline
you spray into the engine to fire it
up?
That's all I'm doing.
Let me give you some ether this morning.
Let me get some motivation.
And then you don't just die on the
vine until next Sunday.
You've got to be in the Word and
then as God's teaching you every day you
can share.
But I just learned this.
I just learned this.
We're going to have wives in heaven?
Mormon Church?
Well I just read Jesus said there's no
marriage in heaven.
We'll be like the angels.
So who's right?
God was once like us and we will
be like God?
Really?
Well it doesn't say that.
Here's a chapter and verse that does not
say that.
And you begin to understand your faith.
So start with small steps.
Don't be so overwhelmed like I'll never be
able to read the Bible.
Yeah, just start.
Twenty minutes a day you can get through
the whole Bible in a year.
Then what?
Then you start again.
And you start to get the heart of
God.
You'll be able to articulate the truth.
So that's the third point.
Study the Bible and let the Bible study
you.
What I mean by that is I'm studying
this.
I'm getting sharpened.
My character is getting tweaked a little bit,
if I can use that.
It's getting smashed a little bit.
The ego's getting smashed and God's working on
my heart because you have to remember something
very important.
That God prepares the messenger before you go
out and spread the message.
God prepares your heart.
He shapes your heart.
Once you start to get a love for
the people in the hospital homes, then you
go.
Once you start to get a love for
those in your neighborhood and they're dying around
you, then you go.
Because if you don't have love, you go
in wanting to argue and prove your point
and win the argument.
Been there, done that many times, right?
I'll get home, my wife will go, how'd
it go?
And I go, I don't know, but I
sure let him have it with the scripture.
Right?
What was that?
See, that's not what Jesus did.
He would listen and he would, actually the
people he rebuked were the religious leaders more
than anybody.
So know the Bible.
And it's almost like in one ear, out
the next.
We talk about that a lot, but we
talk about it because it's not being done.
How many of you would just, why don't
you just give up Facebook for a month
and read the Bible instead?
Oh, that's painful.
It's painful to the flesh, but not to
the spirit.
See, if we're led by the spirit, we'll
make changes to where this becomes a priority.
This becomes the focus of our lives.
Then we're able to minister from that.
Search and see.
He said, search and see if I'm thinking
God's thoughts.
So if you want to know, you know
what, are these God's thoughts?
Does he want me to do this?
Is this really you, God, or myself?
Because I've often said the worst enemy is
not the devil, it's within.
I'm more afraid about what's within than the
man wearing red with a pitchfork can tell.
Which he's not, right?
You know that.
The devil's an angel of light, can appear
an angel of light, demonic influence.
Don't think of this cute little thing, it's
demonic and destructive.
He's sent to kill, steal, and to destroy.
But that's how I know, is by looking
at this.
Are these thoughts God's thoughts?
I mean, I've changed course before.
Try reading Proverbs before making financial decisions.
Greedy, or something about greediness and gain, and
all those who are trying to get gain
and become greedy, and what it's going to
lead to.
And you look at something else about Proverbs,
and how this is going to lead to
that, and you realize that, you know, my
thoughts sometimes are not God's thoughts.
And I joked about that last week, but
I was, I was, true.
It was, well the joke, true, I hope
I ever wore that foot and mouth, right?
I was joking about it, but it really
wasn't a joke, it was true when we,
what we watch determines how we live, right?
Every time we watch Fixer Upper, we want
to travel to Texas and spend $150,000
on our house, right?
If we could just get a loan, I
think if we stopped tithing to the church,
we could do it.
Start, the kids we sponsor, let's cut those
off.
I think we can barely make it.
And then you see the Carl's Jr. commercial
with the Western Bacon Double Cheeseburger, and I've
got to stop by there.
And then I see the Lexus commercial, it's
like, oh, it's only $1,000 a month,
I'm sure, between that, right?
I mean, but see, but these thoughts aren't
God's thoughts.
How are you going to balance those unless
you have the balancing act?
You know, is that a right thought?
I mean, so many people should, you know,
or marriage, and marriage, should I marry this
person?
Well, what does the Bible say?
Do not be unequally yoked.
Not, not, well, I know, but it's crystal
clear.
It gives us guidance throughout the journey.
So we look to the Word of God
to see if my thoughts are God's thoughts.
See if I'm acting according to the character
of God.
I mean, if we, we could end most
marriage issues if we would just have husbands
and wives read Ephesians every day, and apply
it.
You could just, you would just, marriage counseling
would go out the door.
Right?
Husbands, love your wives, wives respect your, and
if you just follow these things, the heart
of God.
Search and see if I'm parenting correctly, if
I'm making decisions that align with God's Word.
So don't, so be Bereans to know what
to say, but also Bereans to know how
to gauge your heart.
And then fast forward to verse 16.
Now while Paul waited for them at Athens,
his spirit was provoked within him when he
saw that the city was given over to
idols.
Has your spirit ever been provoked within you?
I can't even go to Las Vegas anymore.
I, I decided that seventeen years ago.
Right?
It's like, oh my goodness, the pervert, you
go to Los Angeles, just provoked within me.
Now Lancaster, considering that ten foot tall Buddha
statue, or ten foot, that's, they have those
in their homes.
Ten story, did I say it at the
first service?
I'm going to have to go correct that.
Okay.
Ten story, a ten story high Buddha statue.
Why is nobody provoked?
You've got all these other statues.
You've got mosque, and you've got Hindu temples,
and you got, it's all, no big deal.
No big deal.
Right, we're too involved in the things of
the world, so it's no big deal.
But somebody takes your Dodger tickets, oh, my
spirit's provoked within me.
Somebody dents your car, somebody takes your spot,
provokes, so you get provoked on those things,
but not the things of God.
The things of God, when the things of
God are demoralized, it should provoke you.
When we can look in our nation now,
we, we don't have to be a gender.
Kids can pick, they want to be an
it, or an ism, or a, a butterfly.
I mean, it's just, there's a provoking, the
Ten Commandments, let's remove those, and let's, let's
put all this perversion out there and glorify
that.
That should provoke you.
Something should provoke you.
Watch a partial birth abortion, and if you
don't get provoked, something is wrong in your
heart.
See, these things provoke you.
What happens?
It provokes me, now I'm going to take
action.
Actually, many sermons coming from being provoked, and
being ticked off by what the enemy is
doing.
He's ticked me off so much, I might
get a little bold.
I might get a little loud.
I'm provoked to call things as they are.
So Paul here was sensitive to the provoking
of the Holy Spirit.
That's the next point.
Don't ignore the leading, the provoking of the
Holy Spirit.
Verse 17, therefore he reasoned in the synagogue
with the Jews and with the Gentile worshippers
and in the marketplace daily with those who
happened to be there.
Now I don't want to just gloss over
this.
The promptings of the Holy Spirit.
Right?
The promptings of the Holy Spirit.
Sometimes we think God will speak to us.
God, if you would just shoot it across
the sky.
Have you ever prayed that?
Me and my wife on a few things.
God, just drop a letter in the mailbox
from no one.
Right?
With the special writing that says, oh, we
just want this mega message.
Many times it's not bad because we know
the condition of our own heart, and we
know, God, I just want to be crystal
clear.
I want to be sure that you're in
this.
God, I want to, but I've found, I've
noticed it's a still small voice of the
Holy Spirit.
It's a still small voice of God.
That's how God leads us.
Often it's that prompting, that provoking in the
Greek language here that they're writing it is
to stimulate or to excite, to provoke.
There's something there.
God, I've got to act on this.
And those are the things.
Those are the things you've got to watch
for.
I remember all day yesterday.
I hope I can share this.
It's okay.
But I was provoked to go to the
hospital home.
And Cheryl, I visit you.
I see you here today.
And that's why I invited her.
But all day yesterday, I'm at the beach.
I'm like, I want to go to the
hospital.
What's wrong with me?
Where's this coming from?
I wanted to leave on time and get
home and go to the hospital homes.
You can ignore that, right?
Don't think Shane's up here always listening to
the Holy Spirit.
Oh, no, no, no.
I can put on the ah button real
quick.
Like, nope, I'm done.
I'm not going to listen, right?
But that's how...
So my encouragement is to listen for those.
And I don't know why.
I don't know why God doesn't use a
megaphone.
But sometimes I think He's not going to
compete for our attention.
It's like, hey, I'm over here.
Louder.
Would you go?
It's that still, small voice.
You want to hear me?
Silence your life.
Quiet your life and listen to me.
Seek me and you will find me.
Steal your heart.
Steal your soul.
Wait on me in silence.
There I am to minister and to lead
you.
So it's the Holy Spirit's a prompting.
It's something you can't discount.
I remember as I was leaving the hospital
home yesterday, I walked by this man and
then I went back in and just felt
a need to pray for him and other
things I can't share right now.
But God confirmed it.
And just listening to that.
And I don't listen all the time or
I ignore.
But that's my, that's the whole reason I
threw this point in there is you're not
going to have often, sometimes, I mean, God
will clearly give a vision or a dream
or, it was so clear.
Have you ever heard that or said that?
It was, that was, that was God as
if somebody was speaking to me.
And that's okay.
He's had to give me a few of
those before.
But often the leadings are just that.
A quickening, a provoking.
I've got to do something and it lines
up with God's will.
You know, you're not the person that says,
I just, I just have this leading to
leave my spouse.
I, I just, no, you're probably, there's a
wrong spirit.
It's a, it's a wrong thing gauging.
So you have to be careful.
It goes back to the other point.
Does it line up with Scripture?
Verse 18, then certain, then certain Epicureans and
Stoic philosophers encountered him.
There's a lot of hard words in this
one.
And some said, what does this babbler want
to say?
Others said, he seems to be a proclaimer
of foreign gods because he preached to them
Jesus and the resurrection.
And they took him and brought him to
the Areopagus, saying, may we know what this
new doctrine is which you speak?
For you are bringing some strange things to
our ears.
They're, obviously, right?
They've never heard anything like this.
A guy's raised from the dead.
He's your Lord and Savior.
You better bow to him.
There's a judgment coming.
Whoa, wait a minute.
What is it?
What are these new things?
Therefore, we want to know what these things
mean.
For all the Athenians and the foreigners who
were there spent their time in nothing else
but either to tell or to hear something
new.
Nothing has changed in 2,000 years.
Right?
We're looking, all these new things, new concepts,
new ideas, new diet plans.
Do you know there's 1,200 a year
diet books written?
Oh gosh, that's a convicting part of this.
Better stay there for a minute, right?
But there's something new all the time.
Tell me, somebody just was reading the secret
at a restaurant I was at.
Don't go read it.
But he said, have you read this?
Oh my goodness.
No, it's just repackaged New Age philosophy.
Just repackaged.
It runs its course.
Here comes another one.
Here comes another.
A couple years later, here comes another one.
Here, it's new.
It's new.
Truth is never new.
If it's new, it's not truth.
And if it's truth, it's not new.
That's a good way to remember it.
What God set in motion when He created,
it still is in motion.
So they're talking about what's new, what's new.
Nothing has changed.
That's what they're doing now in our culture.
What's this new thing?
And that's what kept Oprah going.
She'd have something new every month, right?
Or new this, a new doctor.
Dr. Oz says this.
Dr. this says that.
And all these new things are coming out.
So this is what they were up against.
Now it's interesting, the Epicureans, Epicureans, they were
atheists.
And they believed in the chief end of
man is pleasure.
All of you are here because of pleasure.
Seek pleasure, you'll be fulfilled.
That's the end of us.
We're born somehow, we don't know how, from
this DNA.
And you survive and you make it and
just get as much pleasure as you can,
then you go back to the earth, back
to the dust, and I don't know what
that was about.
So that's what they believed.
And now the Stoics believed that we are
one with the universe.
Have you ever heard that?
That we're one with the universe, that we
are with the spotted owl and the sycamore
tree and bananas.
It's all one.
It's just one.
There's some type of deity out there, it's
all one.
So they were spiritual, where this group were
atheists.
So that's what Paul was up against.
And a commentator by the name of Halson
said, the two enemies that Christianity has always
had to contend with are the ruling principles
of the Epicureans and the Stoics, which is
pleasure and pride.
The two enemies of Christianity have always been
pleasure and pride.
Same thing back then, same thing now.
And then, verse 22, Paul is actually going
to address the Areopagus without using the Bible.
But see, with the Jews, he uses scriptures
that they're familiar with.
With this group of people, Greek philosophers, Stoic,
he's just going to talk to them based
on other things.
So let's see what he says without using
the Bible.
How's he going to convict without using the
Bible?
Well, here's how.
The truth is, what he's talking about, the
truth is in the Bible.
He's just not going to quote the Old
Testament because the people are not familiar with
it.
Verse 22, then Paul stood in the midst
of the Areopagus and said, men of Athens,
I perceive that in all things you are
very religious.
For as I was passing through and considering
the objects of your worship, I even found
an altar with the inscription to the unknown
God.
So they have all these altars to all
these gods, and they're like, just in case
we missed one, this one's to the unknown
God.
Okay?
Whoever you are out there, we probably missed
you.
This is to the unknown God.
But let's stop here a minute and talk
about point number, key number five.
Acknowledge and encourage them.
Now, I'm preaching to myself here because this
was hard for me at first.
I don't want to acknowledge and encourage them.
I just want to go right for the
juggler.
Right for the throat.
Right?
You're an atheist.
Well, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah.
You're a Mormon.
Bah, bah, bah, bah.
I'm like, well, hold on.
But I'm learning, and I'm sure some of
you have too, that it's good to encourage
them and listen.
Like, I see that you're religious.
Like, I would tell people that.
I would say, I see you're religious.
I see you're wanting to find God.
I see that you have a heart for
seeking God.
I see that you want what God.
I see you searching.
You're a searcher.
I respect that.
And you build them up.
Right?
You encourage them and show them.
I see where you're going.
Because who in here doesn't want to ever
be heard?
Or you just want somebody to step all
over you like a doormat?
We don't want that.
Back to the old adage, right?
Do unto others as you would have them
do unto you.
Encourage them.
Also, number six.
Use what they already know or believe.
So Paul encouraged them, and he showed them
what they already knew.
This unknown God, what you're worshiping, I'm going
to show you who this is.
So he encouraged them, and he used what
they already knew.
And I like to use a sandwich approach.
Okay?
Sandwich approach is this, right?
The bread on top is the encouragement.
You're encouraging them.
You're building them up.
And then, bam, you come in with the
meat.
Oh, wow.
Jesus is the only way, the only truth.
Oh, wow.
Wow.
This is.
Then you sandwich them again.
You give them hope.
You encourage.
You don't just do one or the other.
It's this approach that is biblical.
Therefore, then Paul said, therefore, the one whom
you are worshiping without knowing, I'm going to
proclaim him to you.
Verse 24.
God who made the world and everything in
it, since he is Lord of heaven and
earth, does not dwell in temples made with
hands.
So, see, he's telling them the truth.
Listen, you have all these temples, but God
does not dwell in temples.
Here's the difference between all the other religions
on the planet, all the other belief systems
in the planet.
With Christianity, you come speaking the truth.
All other systems are nothing.
So when he says, I will tell you
about the living God, he's coming with a
position of authority and truth and power.
All other religions can't.
That's why they often say, well, here's what
I think.
Or here's what these philosophers said.
Or here's speculation.
It's all speculation and conjection and theory.
But the truth of the Word of God
is truth, and you can just lay it
out like Paul is.
I mean, think about it.
He didn't say, well, here's what I'm thinking.
I don't know.
What do you guys think?
He said, the God who made everything, since
he is Lord of heaven and earth, does
not dwell in temples made with hands.
There's no debating there.
Nor is he worshiped with men's hands as
though he needs anything, since he gives to
all life, breath, and all things.
And he has made from one blood every
nation of men to dwell on the face
of the earth, and has determined their pre
-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings.
This would be a whole sermon in itself,
because he talks about the sovereignty of God.
He said, God created you.
God sustained you.
The sovereignty of God, who he is, how
he will be worshiped.
Everything in this one paragraph to these people
who were somewhat receptive.
And then the seventh point, what we see
Paul doing is he used supplemental information to
make his point.
So you as well, you can use supplemental
information to make your point.
What I mean by supplemental is we have
this, but then you can bring in, like
with an atheist, a lot of facts, scientific
facts.
Granted, a lot of them aren't ready to
listen, right?
They've already made up their mind.
But you bring in other information.
Like at the debate you can watch, like
I did in February, that I brought in
other quotes from atheists.
Or Charles Darwin, who said, I must freely
admit that the way the eye is made,
the chances of that are absurd.
Here's what he said.
Here's another atheist who said he was the
GMO, he was head of the Genome Project
that studied how DNA was made and transferred.
He said, there's got to be a creator.
And you use their own information on them.
You bring in the same, you bring in
supplemental things to show them the truth.
Or compare their writings to the Bible.
Like for example, these groups I named earlier
that actually they believe in the Bible, not
to the same degree we do, but it
was a good book.
You compare their writings with the Bible and
you show them where they are in error.
So you bring in other information.
Here's a good reminder, verse 25.
Nor is he worshipped with men's hands as
though he needed anything, since he gives life
to all men, or all life, breath, and
all things.
This is God who stands in the edges
of the universe.
He created everything.
You leave them with that awesome perspective of
who God is.
You don't make God this small, you make
him this big.
They can't comprehend how big and awesome this
God is.
And I'll just give you one of my
goals here, I hope it doesn't sound too
mean, but this is one of my goals,
is to make sure they don't get a
good night's sleep.
I want them to go home and wrestle
with the facts I just gave them.
And it's amazing, I don't know how many
people you've talked to, I've talked to a
lot, and you run into them later, you
gave me a lot to think about, or
you really made me upset, or you really,
I can't, I'm just so mad.
I'm like, I'm getting a good night's sleep,
why aren't you?
Because you're coming with the truth.
And for some reason, people think that is
arrogant, but it's not arrogance, it's confidence, and
don't confuse the two.
You can be very humble and very confident.
You can.
You can be humble and confident.
It's not arrogance.
It's not arrogance to say, God, is this
who he says he is?
That's confidence in knowing what the truth is.
So you can use supplemental information to make
your point, get them to think, not have
a good night's rest.
Think about, I can't believe he said these
things.
I mean, it's amazing when you tell people
the truth.
I shared this, I don't think it was
since we've been here, but I ran into,
I was jogging in Palm Springs many years
ago.
My wife said, okay, I'm gonna eat at
this place for lunch, and I was jogging,
and I never showed up, or it was
breakfast, I think, and I never showed up.
I ran in, as I was running, I
saw this guy like, he goes, is this
guy checking me out?
This is Palm Springs.
So I said, hey, how's it going?
What do you, he goes, oh, I've never
seen you in this area before.
Come to find out.
Of course, he's, you know, struggles with that
homosexuality.
So for 45 minutes, I just listened and
laid out, listened and laid out, listened and,
but have you thought about this, that forgiveness
and repentance and redemption, and God loves you,
and just, oh, he goes, I could not
believe, he goes, I've never had anybody say
this to me, because you gave me a
lot to think about.
See, not angry, just listening, just listening, and,
but have you, but here's where the Bible
says it comes from, Romans one, that so
we're suppressing truth, and God gives us over.
But I was born this way.
I said, but I was born to lie,
I was born to cheat, I was born
to mislead, I was born to commit adultery,
I was born to do all these things,
doesn't make it right.
And that's why God sent Christ, not to
condemn you, but to set you free.
That's the whole point of repentance.
And they're just shocked that nobody's ever explained
this to me, right?
Because many times we're burning the rainbow flag
and cussing at people, and not showing them
the love of Christ.
See, I believe, I truly believe you can
love somebody and have grace and mercy, but
you can be as bold as Paul, and
not back down from that boldness, not compromise
the truth.
So that leads me to point eight, offer
the solution to their problem.
Many people who are engaged with you have
a problem.
And if you think they don't, they do.
If they are an unbeliever, lost, without God,
or caught in a false religious system, they
have problems.
We have our own problems, right?
They have a problem, they have a need,
there's, one thing I love about people in
other religions or searching, is they are searching.
They are hungry, they want spiritual truth.
So you help them with that problem.
Verse 27.
So Paul said this, so that they should
seek the Lord.
See, put the responsibility back on them.
You should seek the Lord, in the hope
that He might grope for them and find
Him.
In the hope that they might grope for
Him and find Him.
It's this imagery here, you might say groping,
it's this imagery of a man caught in
darkness, right?
That's what they are.
They're lost in darkness and depravity, and they're
groping in the darkness.
They can't see anything, but they're seeking in
the hopes that they would find Him.
So Paul uses that imagery, they can understand.
They're groping, they find Him, you will seek
Him.
And you can tell people that.
You can tell people that and encourage them.
Seek God while He may be found from
you.
He's not hiding in heaven, He's not at
the mile below the ocean, down there with
the mermaids.
Right?
This is a God, the Bible says He's
an ever-present help in time of need.
So you can call on Him, you seek
Him, you will find Him.
He will never turn down a sincere heart
that says, God, I don't know you, but
I want to.
I don't know you, but I need to.
God, would you show me who you are?
He's not going to be in heaven going,
no, no, you missed that one.
Sorry.
He's actually looking.
The Bible says the eyes of the Lord
go to and fro throughout the whole earth
to show Himself strong on behalf of those
whose hearts are loyal to Him.
Those who are seeking, if you seek me,
you will find me.
If you call on me, I will answer.
See, I don't know, but I just get
so excited sometimes because these are not, like
we'd be in trouble if it said, if
you call on me, I might answer.
I might if I'm on this side of
the globe.
If you seek me, I might consider allowing
you to find me.
But this is a God who says, if
you seek you, and He cannot lie.
Put God to the test.
I often say, your word is at stake.
Your word says, if I seek you, I
will find you.
When I do that, sometimes the worship comes
alive early here in the morning, and God
begins to pour into my heart, and I
find Him afresh again.
Holy Spirit fall in this place, and we're
transformed and revitalized and renewed because He answers
what He says.
If you seek me, you will find me.
But if you reject me, I will reject
you.
See, it's back in your court.
It's back in your court, so put it
back in their court.
If you seek Him, you will find Him.
Call on Him.
He will answer.
Verse 30, truly, Paul says truly.
Man, he just he just tells him, truly,
these times of ignorance God has overlooked.
He's basically, you've been ignorant.
You've been foolish.
You did not know there was a true
and living God.
He's overlooked it, but now, but now commands
all men everywhere to, uh-oh, here's what,
you guys ready for this word?
It's not said in many churches.
If you're wanting to build a large church,
you don't want to talk about this very
often.
You hope people read it on their own.
Oh, you guys ready?
It's going to offend some people.
But now commands all men everywhere to repent.
Repentance is a beautiful word.
It's the first word of the gospel.
Jesus said, go and preach repentance.
There's actually a book written entitled Repentance, the
first word of the gospel by Richard Owen
Roberts.
There's I guess another Roberts out there, but
it's not the one that's contemporary.
This guy's, he's older.
I don't know if he's passed away yet,
but it's a wonderful book.
And the reason this is so important is
repentance is you see sin how God sees
it.
You see that you are lost without Him,
that Paul just convicted me.
I do need you, God.
I humble myself.
I repent of my sin, and I believe.
And that's how the person has changed.
That's the only hope.
That's the only hope for our nation, for
our country, for our churches, for our families.
And just a quick message to pastors.
If you are not preaching repentance, you are
not preaching.
You might be talking.
And this is just a beef of mine.
Let me just vent for a minute.
I'm not going to mention names and things,
but I see guys on TV who don't
preach repentance, who don't preach sin and none
of the things.
And I talk to the Christians about it
who like these people, and they say, well,
they're just, they're just kind of, they're just
kick-starting people into the kingdom.
They're just kind of, you know, they're the
softer version of you, Shane.
They're just, you know, kind of, just kind
of come on in that way.
But you never find that in the gospel.
Paul doesn't say soften everything for a year
or two, and then the next stage, okay,
now, okay, don't mention hell for about four
years, and then the next stage, and then
he doesn't have that.
So I think we are, I think we
are excusing some of these people because we
want to be nice, right?
We don't want to judge, you know, but
they're not talking about these foundational aspects of
Christianity.
They are not preaching.
They are motivational speakers.
They are not preachers.
They're not pastors.
If you're not talking about the totality of
scripture, if you can only talk about love
and grace and mercy, you are not preaching.
You are pontificating.
You are tickling their ears.
So you have to preach all of the
Bible, but not in a spirit of arrogance,
but of love.
Because if you truly understand the significance of
repentance, you can't avoid it.
I mean, for me to avoid the word
repentance, talking to that guy in Palm Springs,
you might as well just schedule a root
canal for me.
I, everything went back to that.
Okay, so what must I do to repent?
What must, repent.
Repent.
That's, it's, it's, Paul says he commands all
men everywhere to repent.
Now, did he soften it up after that?
Nope.
Because he has appointed a day on which
he will judge the world and righteousness by
the man, Jesus, whom he has ordained.
And he has given assurance of this by
raising him from the dead.
That's why the resurrection is so important.
Jesus is a not a good teacher.
He was a great teacher, but he was
not just a good teacher.
He was the Son of God, God himself.
And he said, I will be raised from
the dead.
The resurrection validates who he was and who
he said he was.
So you don't have to, you don't have
to be scared of the resurrection.
Actually, there's wonderful, look at Lee Strobel's material.
Read a couple of his books.
You can talk about the resurrection with, with
very, very good chances of making a person
think.
Because number one, it's not a fairy tale.
Even Jewish historians, secular historians noted that Jesus
was born, that he died a horrific death
on a cross, but then the body went
missing.
Well, that the guards should have been killed
for allowing the body to be missing.
And where's the body?
They would have found the body.
There's no religion.
But then we have 500 and some witnesses
attesting to the fact that he was risen
from the dead.
So if you study it, you'll have, you'll
have so much faith welling up inside of
you that you can hold your ground when
you talk with people, not arrogantly.
Here's a good rule of thumb.
As they get louder, you get quieter.
I haven't mastered this yet.
Right?
Hey, that's it.
That's a good one.
We should try that one at home.
You don't catch that one?
When the spouse gets louder, right, you get
quieter.
That would stop a lot of arguments in
the home.
Spouse get louder, you get quieter.
Same thing.
Not 11 o'clock service.
I'm going to pray for you guys.
There is a day of judgment coming.
Paul proclaims these words on the Areopagus again.
Do you know what that was?
It was the seat, let's just say the
seat of judgment.
They don't have to keep saying that word.
He was proclaiming judgment on the seat of
judgment.
They would come from the Greeks and Stoics.
All these people would come to this place.
That was the seat of judgment, where authority
sat, where judges would pronounce judgment.
So he was standing at this place talking
about the true and living God who is
coming to judge all of the world.
The significance is amazing.
And often he was proclaiming Jesus, King Jesus.
King Jesus, would you come again and make
a difference in our lives?
That's what he's telling them in verse 32.
And when they heard of the resurrection of
the dead, some mocked.
If they're not mocking, they're not convicted, okay?
So whenever people mock you, just say, oh
convicted.
Convicted.
Oh, you're one of those guys?
Convicted.
Yeah, convicted.
Mocking, right?
People ever mock you for what you believe?
It's called conviction.
So when they heard the resurrection of the
dead, they mocked Paul.
But others said, we will hear you again
on this matter.
So Paul departed from them.
He kept his cool.
However, some men joined him and believed.
Among them was an Aragopite and a woman
named Daenerys, and others with him.
Forgive my dyslexia this morning.
I should have just scratched these out earlier.
But this leads me to point number nine.
Leave the results up to God.
So some were not persuaded, so Paul departed.
And often I think we get so let
down if there's no results, right?
But what farmer plants a corn of crop,
a crop of corn, and then reaps the
benefit the next day?
Nobody does.
So many times when you're planting seeds, you
don't know where that is harvesting later.
You have no idea.
And I'm glad we don't sometimes, because we
get too prideful.
See what I did for the kingdom of
God?
All these things.
All these lies.
Look at this.
And God keeps us humble, but also realizing
we do the planting from time to time.
God does the watering.
The harvest is up to Him.
All of that is up to Him.
So when somebody comes to the Lord, you
know, and they're like, oh Shane, thank God.
Well, I guarantee this started 10 years ago.
People have been praying for you, and praying
for you, and praying for you, and praying
for you, and talking.
And I just caught you in a low
spot where you were finally ready.
So don't give me the credit, or somebody
else.
God is working in all of that.
We're just a messenger.
Now, this actually has a flip side.
It's very encouraging, because somebody isn't listening.
It's not my problem.
Somebody isn't growing like I thought.
It's not my problem.
I just heard a good analogy this week.
God is the potter, right?
And He puts us on the clay.
Well, He puts the clay on the potter's
wheel.
But we like to put other people on
the potter's wheel.
And we like to be the potter, and
transforming them.
And God says, no, leave all that up
to Me.
You just do what I've called you to
do.
Chapter 18 now.
We're skipping chapter 18, verse 6.
But when they opposed Him and blasphemed Him,
Paul shook his garments and said, your blood
be upon your own heads.
I am clean.
From now on, I will go to the
Gentiles.
So little things transpired.
He left this area.
He went and talked to the Jews, and
the Jews were rejecting him.
So he said, your blood be upon you,
and on your heads, and on your children,
on your family, everything.
I'm clean of this.
I'm going to the Gentiles.
So let me, I'm getting to the last
point here.
Let me throw this out there.
Ask God what He wants you to do.
I think many times we're too worried, like,
Lord, am I supposed to do this?
Or I'm waiting for this.
Or I want to get into school first.
I want to do, where does God, what
does God want you to do right now?
Lord, at the restaurant where you're going?
At the grocery store?
With friends?
It's, we think of these things far away,
these lofty things, but God is asking us
to do things here, right now.
Verse 8, chapter 18, 24.
Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at
Alexandria, an eloquent man, mighty in the Scriptures.
Think about this.
This man's mighty in the Scriptures.
He came to Ephesus.
This man had been instructed in the way
of the Lord, and being fervent in spirit,
he spoke and taught accurately the things of
the Lord, though he knew only the baptism
of John.
Now this could take a while, if we
wanted to, but I won't do that to
you.
The baptism of John, John the Baptist, was
baptizing people in the Jordan River.
They were coming to him as a baptism
of repentance.
They were unclean, they wanted to get their
life right with God, they were being baptized.
But this Apollos knew nothing about Jesus, really,
or the ways of Jesus, and being baptized
in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,
for the remission of sin, and the work
of the Holy Spirit, and all these things.
We don't know exactly, but he was just
focused on the baptism of John.
So he began to speak boldly in the
synagogue, but when Aquila and Priscilla heard him,
they took him aside and explained to him
the way of God more accurately.
Now this is interesting.
I don't think too many people would be
prepared for this.
If you're ministering, and you're doing things, hopefully
you're teachable and you're humble.
That's the next point.
Teachability and humility are your greatest weapons, aside
from truth.
Teachability and humility are your greatest weapons.
See, this man was teachable.
This really doesn't tie into the apologetics aspect,
but I want to glean something from Apollos'
life.
Normally, he would say, oh yeah, well, I
know this.
I went to this seminary, or I know
this about the Bible, and you don't, and
they're not open.
Many people, many people, I know this is
hard to believe, but they don't listen.
They're too busy making their point.
Many people are not teachable.
They're too busy talking.
See, here's an interesting thing about being teachable
and humble.
When I talk about it, we all go
like this, oh yeah, that's right, but we
don't apply it.
How many people could be corrected?
What about if it said, and shame was
explained the way to God more accurately?
Oh really?
Well, who says, right?
And we start to argue because there's no
teachability and humility there.
I'm going to throw this out there.
All of us in this room need to
be more teachable.
Nobody has perfect theology.
If you tell me exactly what your theology
is, I'll find 10 other solid Christians that
disagree with you on non-essential issues, on
non-essential issues, not the essentials of the
gospel.
And it's teachable and humble people that are
gracious and understanding.
You can hold your convictions, but be teachable
and humble.
Arrogant people argue, humble people listen.
The last point here is teachable.
Be teachable and humble as you're sharing your
faith.
Now I'm going to give an example.
This is dangerous to do because this is
actually not like me.
I'm a little hesitant to share this because
I don't want people to get the wrong
impression, but in February we were passing out
postcards at the college and I ran into
an atheist there, who's a pretty prominent atheist
there, and I talked to him for about
25 minutes, 20-25 minutes in his office,
just sitting listening to him.
And it was hard because I wanted to
just boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, right?
Oh, here's a chart that shows we are
connected to the apes.
See?
Oh.
You know, he said he was going to
write a Bible about or book about how
Paul was wrong in the Bible.
I'm like, and all these things.
I'm just sitting there, just sitting there trying
to listen, practice what I preach, right?
Same thing.
And it was hard.
It was difficult.
So I'm not giving you this example to
elevate me because I struggle in this area
of being humble and teachable with those, you
know, other belief systems.
But he emailed me, we touched base, and
he said, when I met you, I was
impressed by an honest, simple nature, apparent willingness
to learn things, and your lack of arrogance.
I'm like, that was a close call because
it was in here, right?
It was in here.
He said, you acted a lot like I
suspect the historical Jesus of Nazareth acted.
I would enjoy meeting again with you when
time permits.
Now, normally, that doesn't happen, right?
But I was, I'm so conscious of myself
sitting there and being quiet and listening and
quiet, not wanting to, you know, vent things
that were just, because what we do is
we react, not respond, right?
He would say something.
See, we have the similar DNA of a
monkey.
I'd say, well, that just means that the
Creator, right?
I eat bananas and breathe air, too.
You would use similar DNA, right?
Wouldn't you?
Why would you need completely different DNA from
Jupiter and one from Mars?
If it's a Creator, they're going to use
the same type of DNA interwoven and use
different creations, with man being, us being created
in God's image, right?
So, and when he said, I'm about all
Paul's incorrect teachings, I want to say, which
one?
Name one.
And then go off, right?
And start arguing in that.
But there's a relationship that's been built, and
we're praying, I'm praying that he's going to
be at church next week.
He said he would come to church next
week.
So, be praying about that, and God's open.
But see, if I want to start to
argue with him like I wanted to, I
mean, I almost had to do this.
That makes sense.
And not joke, I'm just being serious, right?
Because the flesh also wants to show off,
right?
And just, this is ridiculous.
Because I do, and I'll just say it,
I mean, I love people who don't believe
that there is a God, that all this
just happened, just as much as I would
anybody else, but I just can't fathom how
that concept is even possible.
I just, I just, I just, I can't
see how all this just happened.
You know, the jellyfish, and then the sharks,
and then us, and I mean, just all
just kind of come together somehow.
Keeps it in order, the moon, the sun,
everything is just, you know, it doesn't get
over 110, or we would not do good,
and it doesn't get below, you know, 30s
here, 20s, I mean, the degree, if you,
I don't even want to get into it,
but the mathematical, everything is so minute, like
if the sun was just a little farther,
we would just be an iceberg.
I mean, it's just that, and the gravitational
pull, if it just, if it was like
a percentage of a percentage of a percentage
greater, we'd all be smashed like pancakes.
Or a little bit less, we'd just float
away.
So who, who keeps all that in a
perfect harmonious order?
Nothing?
I just can't fathom that.
So I have a passion for that, but
when you get to really get to the
root of it, these people are mad at
God.
That doesn't exist.
That's where the root of this is.
So God is not impressed with your intellect
or your knowledge.
He is interested in a broken and contrite
heart.
So I'm going to leave you with this
last thought.
The main key to evangelizing, to witnessing, to
sharing your faith, okay, here's the main key.
This is probably the most important of the
whole sermon, right here.
This is the main key, is being filled
with the Holy Spirit.
Being filled with the Holy Spirit, okay?
Now, here's what, here's the funny thing that
happens.
We say, oh yes, I know that, I
am.
The problem in most churches, here's why I
believe we're not seeing healing to the degree
we could.
We're not seeing the demonic realm beaten.
It's okay to pray, you know, people have
demons, right?
There are people with, there's a demonic stronghold
in their life.
The people, the reason we're not seeing people
released, the people we're not seeing come to
Christ a greater number.
So the, the reason we're not seeing a
lot of things, the reason we're not witnessing,
is because we have authority, but we don't
have power.
See, authority is given.
Every believer, when you say, I am, I
believe, I repent of my sin, I believe
in Jesus, you have the authority.
But power is conditional.
Power, the closer you draw to God, the
more power you have.
When you disconnect from the things of the
world, I'm getting to that in a minute,
the more power you have.
So people have authority, but they have no
power.
If, I'm going to tell a link, a
Los Angeles County sheriff, I know quite a
few.
Some of them usher for our church.
One's on the worship team right now today,
just, just heads up.
If you take, if you take, see if
you can spot him, right?
It's not Jim on the drums.
If you, if you, Jim, you'd make a
good sheriff.
I think of the Wild West, the rabbit
trail.
So you, you take your badge to Florida.
Hey, look, I'm a Los Angeles County deputy
sheriff.
They'd say, you have authority there, but you
have no power here.
You have no jurisdiction.
You have the authority back where you're at,
but you have no power here.
See, here's the big thing many people miss.
We're living a lukewarm, carnal Christianity, often.
We have authority, but we have no power.
I mean, if you don't read the book
of Acts and go, where's this?
Where's this power?
We, so we have authority, but not the
power.
We have the power.
Here's when, when you separate yourself from the
world, from the filth of the world.
That's why holiness is not a weird word.
It's a very important word, because power and
holiness go together.
If you want to be holy and powerful
and set apart for God, you, you, you
cut your ties with the world.
You don't look like the world.
There's a difference there.
You're, you're following hard after God.
I have the power because I've been fasting
and pleading and praying.
You have the power because you've been fasting,
pleading, and praying.
We have the power because we've been meditating,
memorizing, and proclaiming the Word of God.
Jesus said, you will receive power and become
my witnesses.
See, it's this aspect of power that we
forget.
That's why many people are bored in their
faith.
That's why they're not, when, let's not take
a survey, but when was the last time
you led somebody to the Lord?
Have you seen a miracle?
Have you seen somebody being healed or set
free?
Have you prayed against the demonic element in
their house or in their life?
And have you seen that demon be removed
from their life?
Where's this power?
Well, that was back then.
I don't believe that.
I believe that Jesus is the same yesterday,
today, and forevermore.
And He Himself said, those who believe, those
who believe, you will cast out spirits.
You will, oh, here's one.
I don't know.
Are you ready for it?
You will raise them from the dead.
People say, do you believe in that?
I say, if my little four-year-old
dies over sick and dies, you don't think
I'm going to be praying that?
Of course I believe that.
Of course that the same power, the same
power that rose Christ from the dead is
in you if you engage it.
But if not, you just have authority and
no power.
Here's what happens.
If I told, if I said right now,
listen guys, in the Bible study room there
is somebody deeply possessed and demonic, and you
do not want to go in there unless
you're ready.
Most people go, what's for lunch?
I'm not going in there.
Right?
But as a believer, when you have the
power, the authority, you've been prayed up, you've
been fasting, you've been in the Word of
God, you want, I'll say, I'll go in
there.
I'll handle that.
Because you have the power.
I remember first we started visiting hospital homes.
Paula, you remember this.
I won't say details and things, but I
think she asked me if I could go
visit this person.
And I went in there and the nurses,
the door was closed, and even the nurses
said, you don't want to go in there.
She is highly suicidal, depressed, and just, you
do not, you know, we have the door
closed for a reason.
She wants it closed all day.
So do I go, oh gosh, that's true,
you know, and gosh, now, or do you
have the authority and the power?
Say, oh, that's wonderful.
Satan's got her bound, but we're going to
walk in there with the authority and with
the power.
And opened that door, eventually she started coming
to church, got baptized at some other church,
and God changed her whole heart.
Now, I was not prepared for what I
saw, because it was a failed suicide attempt
with the, I think it was a 357,
blew out at the front of her skull,
and she was blind forever, or for then,
and she, it was just, I started crying,
and my tears, I remember my tears hitting
the floor.
She didn't know I was, and God's just
breaking me.
He's breaking her, He's breaking me, right?
That's why this whole process of going, that's
why I encourage a hospital home, because you
will be a broken person.
You will have the heart that Christ has.
That's why it's so difficult.
That's why most of you are not going.
When a church this size doesn't have enough
helpers, something's wrong.
That's ministry 101.
If you don't know what you need to
do, that's what you need to do.
You need to get plugged into that.
But I went in there, and I'm not
trying, again, not trying to elevate, because I
fall in these areas many times, but I
understood I had the authority, and I'd been
praying and fasting before I go to these
homes, and I was walking in the power
of the Spirit.
So that demonic realm has no authority and
power.
See, you don't go into, and the devil
says, the devil says, some people says, I
don't know you, but I know Paul and
Jesus, and they'll attack you, but when you
come in with spiritual authority, they don't tell
you what to do.
You realize that, right?
They don't tell you, oh, there's this, you
get, and you, oh, okay, you, you have
the authority and the power.
You command the demonic realm.
You tell that demon to leave.
You tell that sickness to leave.
I'm not getting hyper-weird charismatic.
I'm just preaching the Bible.
I mean, you hear, I came to this
realization, because people, I get emails all the
time, this message goes out to thousands of
people all the time, and sometimes it's a
blessing and a curse, but they just put
you in that old, that weird hyper-Pentecostal
charismatic camp where you're holding rattler snakes and
can get bit by them, and, oh, look
it, I didn't die, and it, no, I'm
just saying, Jesus said, those who believe in
me will cast out demons.
They will raise people from the dead, and
if you're ready, they might speak in other
tongues.
Whoa, well, either, see, either you gotta chop
that out, or you gotta embrace it, and
because I believe he's the same yesterday and
today, forevermore, I believe in the miraculous power
of God, and people say, well, I don't
believe that anymore.
I just say, well, too bad.
I feel sorry for you.
I could not go to church that believes
that the gifting, the power of the Spirit,
all these things are gone because we don't
need it anymore.
I would actually submit to you that we
need it just as much now more than
ever before.