Full Transcript for Brokenhearted Boldness, Part 1

life. Why does it really 00:02:03.319 --> 00:02:06.540 matter if you have the courage to start sharing 00:02:06.540 --> 00:02:08.919 that with people in your life? Well, to answer 00:02:08.919 --> 00:02:10.360 the question, we're going to look at scripture, 00:02:10.500 --> 00:02:12.900 of course, but I want to start with a true story 00:02:12.900 --> 00:02:15.560 that kind of illustrates this. I want you to 00:02:15.560 --> 00:02:18.620 meet Naima Elmore. Naima Elmore is an Amazon 00:02:18.620 --> 00:02:22.400 delivery driver in Alabama. And it was on a Sunday 00:02:22.400 --> 00:02:25.240 night about one year ago in February that she 00:02:25.240 --> 00:02:28.199 was just starting her delivery route, taking 00:02:28.199 --> 00:02:30.939 packages to front porches and driveways. The 00:02:30.939 --> 00:02:33.800 sun was nearly set there and the Alabama sky 00:02:33.800 --> 00:02:37.780 was darkening when Elmore noticed smoke rising. 00:02:38.699 --> 00:02:40.740 And as she turned the corner, she saw orange 00:02:40.740 --> 00:02:44.539 flames flicking at the twilight sky. A two -story 00:02:44.539 --> 00:02:48.180 home with white siding was on fire, flames leaping 00:02:48.180 --> 00:02:51.259 out of the roof. Well, Elmore immediately dialed 00:02:51.259 --> 00:02:56.219 911. What she did next would mean life or death 00:02:56.219 --> 00:03:00.000 for two people she had never even met before. 00:03:00.280 --> 00:03:02.740 You know, a lot of people might dial 911 and 00:03:02.740 --> 00:03:04.969 then just think, well. We'll let the firefighters 00:03:04.969 --> 00:03:09.810 deal with it. Elmore instead drove her Amazon 00:03:09.810 --> 00:03:12.789 van to that driveway. She jumps out, leaves the 00:03:12.789 --> 00:03:15.289 door hanging open, runs up to the front door, 00:03:15.349 --> 00:03:18.520 starts pounding on the front door. of this burning 00:03:18.520 --> 00:03:21.379 house to get the attention of anyone who's inside. 00:03:21.539 --> 00:03:23.439 Well, the people inside were asleep. And so Elmore 00:03:23.439 --> 00:03:25.780 keeps pounding. Eventually the homeowner comes 00:03:25.780 --> 00:03:28.620 to the door, bleary eyed. Elmore learns that 00:03:28.620 --> 00:03:31.139 there's a second person upstairs, an elderly 00:03:31.139 --> 00:03:33.860 woman who's the mother of the homeowner. Elmore 00:03:33.860 --> 00:03:36.639 actually runs up the stairway in the burning 00:03:36.639 --> 00:03:40.400 house, assists the elderly lady to the front 00:03:40.400 --> 00:03:43.319 yard. And then Elmore and the two residents of 00:03:43.319 --> 00:03:45.879 the house stand there as they hear fire sirens 00:03:45.879 --> 00:03:49.710 in the distance. and the house erupted into total 00:03:49.710 --> 00:03:53.449 flames. True story. Now in this true story, Naima 00:03:53.449 --> 00:03:57.909 Elmore saved two people's lives. Why? Well, first, 00:03:58.129 --> 00:04:01.090 her eyes were open. Some people might've driven 00:04:01.090 --> 00:04:02.930 right by and been so busy on their phone that 00:04:02.930 --> 00:04:04.810 they didn't even notice the smoke coming from 00:04:04.810 --> 00:04:08.250 the house. That's a good start. But second, she 00:04:08.250 --> 00:04:13.039 was willing to inconvenience herself to help 00:04:13.039 --> 00:04:16.069 someone else. And that's exactly what we're praying 00:04:16.069 --> 00:04:19.050 God will do in our hearts this week. God, would 00:04:19.050 --> 00:04:21.430 you give me spiritual eyes to see the people 00:04:21.430 --> 00:04:24.129 around me who spiritually they're sleeping in 00:04:24.129 --> 00:04:26.649 a burning house. Whether you consider the burning 00:04:26.649 --> 00:04:29.410 house of mortality that all of us will die. And 00:04:29.410 --> 00:04:30.970 if they don't know Jesus, they don't have eternal 00:04:30.970 --> 00:04:34.290 life or the burning house of our nation, depending 00:04:34.290 --> 00:04:36.389 on how you look at it. I mean, our nation is. 00:04:36.779 --> 00:04:40.860 dividing and self -destructing in a way that 00:04:40.860 --> 00:04:44.000 people need hope. They need a higher level hope. 00:04:44.399 --> 00:04:47.959 So why does sharing Jesus matter? Because people 00:04:47.959 --> 00:04:53.000 are suffering without hope and people are dying 00:04:53.000 --> 00:04:57.680 without eternal life. Church, every man, every 00:04:57.680 --> 00:05:00.610 woman, every child you see. They're made in the 00:05:00.610 --> 00:05:03.149 image of God. God loves them, but they're separated 00:05:03.149 --> 00:05:06.230 from God by sin. And if they don't know Christ 00:05:06.230 --> 00:05:10.089 and his redemption, they are sleeping in a burning 00:05:10.089 --> 00:05:14.220 house and it's just a matter of time. Three questions 00:05:14.220 --> 00:05:17.720 we're gonna answer from scripture for you about 00:05:17.720 --> 00:05:20.360 sharing your faith. Why should you do it as the 00:05:20.360 --> 00:05:22.699 first one? Does it really matter? We've started 00:05:22.699 --> 00:05:24.360 answering that. We'll dig into that a little 00:05:24.360 --> 00:05:27.579 more. And then second, how can you cultivate 00:05:28.360 --> 00:05:31.420 This heart of compassion that Jesus has for those 00:05:31.420 --> 00:05:35.089 who are far from him. And then third, how can 00:05:35.089 --> 00:05:39.589 you find the courage to be bold and speak up? 00:05:40.009 --> 00:05:42.430 Well, the first one we've already learned, people 00:05:42.430 --> 00:05:45.110 are suffering without hope. They're dying without 00:05:45.110 --> 00:05:49.009 eternal life. Also, sharing Jesus matters because 00:05:49.009 --> 00:05:55.790 God commands it as the primary job duty of a 00:05:55.790 --> 00:05:59.610 Christian. It is our purpose on earth. If you've 00:05:59.610 --> 00:06:03.029 ever wondered, why doesn't God just zap people 00:06:03.029 --> 00:06:05.269 straight to heaven? Why don't we get teleported 00:06:05.269 --> 00:06:08.009 to heaven the moment

we believe? If heaven is 00:06:08.009 --> 00:06:10.730 perfect and there's no suffering, pain, cancer, 00:06:10.889 --> 00:06:14.250 death, divorce, genocide, racism, all that, well, 00:06:14.269 --> 00:06:16.209 why don't we just zap straight there when we 00:06:16.209 --> 00:06:18.709 believe? The reason is that we've been left here 00:06:18.709 --> 00:06:22.550 to tell others the good news. Jesus put it this 00:06:22.550 --> 00:06:25.939 way in what we typically call the great. commission, 00:06:26.079 --> 00:06:29.600 Matthew chapter 28. Jesus says, therefore go, 00:06:29.800 --> 00:06:33.970 I have commanded you. Now, if you're a parent 00:06:33.970 --> 00:06:36.949 and you have kids and you tell them, therefore 00:06:36.949 --> 00:06:40.610 go empty the trash, I have commanded you. Was 00:06:40.610 --> 00:06:44.529 that a suggestion or was that a command? This 00:06:44.529 --> 00:06:48.310 is not the great suggestion. Why is God so bossy? 00:06:48.310 --> 00:06:50.649 Why is he telling us to do this? Because people 00:06:50.649 --> 00:06:54.040 are dying without him. They're asleep in burning 00:06:54.040 --> 00:06:57.300 homes. They're drowning in their sin. And can 00:06:57.300 --> 00:07:01.000 I just encourage you, when you grieve the status 00:07:01.000 --> 00:07:04.060 of our nation, when something comes along your 00:07:04.060 --> 00:07:06.420 newsfeed or a social media influencer or a news 00:07:06.420 --> 00:07:08.899 person, and you just say, wow, this is so broken. 00:07:08.920 --> 00:07:11.600 This is so evil. No matter which side it comes 00:07:11.600 --> 00:07:14.839 from, let the Holy Spirit remind you, you've 00:07:14.839 --> 00:07:16.720 been placed in the middle of this brokenness 00:07:16.720 --> 00:07:20.019 because you carry the solution. The Democrats 00:07:20.019 --> 00:07:22.139 don't have it. The Republicans don't have it. 00:07:22.180 --> 00:07:25.319 Only Christ has the real solution. And we've 00:07:25.319 --> 00:07:28.079 been left here to tell people the good news. 00:07:28.420 --> 00:07:31.439 You realize one conversation you have with a 00:07:31.439 --> 00:07:35.370 person could change their eternity. And God's 00:07:35.370 --> 00:07:39.589 plan for fixing society is that thousands of 00:07:39.589 --> 00:07:41.629 us would be having that one conversation and 00:07:41.629 --> 00:07:44.410 thousands of people get changed. And then they 00:07:44.410 --> 00:07:46.170 have the conversation and thousands of people 00:07:46.170 --> 00:07:49.370 get changed. When you have a population whose 00:07:49.370 --> 00:07:51.230 eyes have been opened spiritually, they've been 00:07:51.230 --> 00:07:53.750 set free from sin. And you give me a population 00:07:53.750 --> 00:07:56.689 where the average person has committed to the 00:07:56.689 --> 00:07:59.389 Jesus way of life, the kingdom ethic. I'm gonna 00:07:59.389 --> 00:08:02.089 forgive my enemies. I'm gonna love my enemies. 00:08:02.170 --> 00:08:05.350 I'm gonna forgive

infinitely. I'm not gonna judge. 00:08:05.470 --> 00:08:07.910 I'm gonna bless those who persecute me. I'm gonna 00:08:07.910 --> 00:08:10.589 serve others. Give me a population where the 00:08:10.589 --> 00:08:12.870 average person lives that way. And guess what? 00:08:13.149 --> 00:08:16.550 The problems solve themselves. It's the ultimate 00:08:16.550 --> 00:08:19.899 solution. And so we've been looking in this revival 00:08:19.899 --> 00:08:22.699 series at what I call the blessing judgment cycle. 00:08:23.040 --> 00:08:26.199 I've explained this in past weeks, but the principle 00:08:26.199 --> 00:08:29.920 is this. After people turn to God, blessing follows. 00:08:30.100 --> 00:08:31.860 It doesn't mean you win the lottery and that 00:08:31.860 --> 00:08:34.600 you never get a cold again, but your life will 00:08:34.600 --> 00:08:37.340 improve when you start to live the Jesus way. 00:08:37.779 --> 00:08:40.440 But what happens? You follow Jesus, blessing 00:08:40.440 --> 00:08:43.990 follows, and then you get comfortable. Comfort 00:08:43.990 --> 00:08:47.389 leads us to complacency. The American church, 00:08:47.470 --> 00:08:49.850 if you look at world history, is the wealthiest, 00:08:49.990 --> 00:08:53.549 most free and prosperous church ever in the history 00:08:53.549 --> 00:08:57.049 of the world. And so we become very complacent. 00:08:57.110 --> 00:09:00.509 What follows complacency? We start to worship 00:09:00.509 --> 00:09:03.090 other things. The six o 'clock position down 00:09:03.090 --> 00:09:06.419 there, people now worship money, self, sex. And 00:09:06.419 --> 00:09:08.139 it's not that you wake up one day and you say, 00:09:08.220 --> 00:09:10.360 oh, I'm gonna stop worshiping Jesus and start 00:09:10.360 --> 00:09:13.379 worshiping my sexuality or I'm gonna stop worshiping 00:09:13.379 --> 00:09:15.220 Jesus and I'm gonna start worshiping my kids' 00:09:15.379 --> 00:09:18.259 sports team or my grandkids. We don't wake up 00:09:18.259 --> 00:09:21.559 and say that. We just slowly drift into it, right? 00:09:21.799 --> 00:09:25.059 We slowly are working toward provision or whatever 00:09:25.059 --> 00:09:27.100 else or trying to be a good parent or grandparent. 00:09:27.179 --> 00:09:28.919 And we don't even realize that we start to worship 00:09:28.919 --> 00:09:32.100 these other things instead of God himself. So 00:09:32.100 --> 00:09:35.720 then God sends us a call to repent. And that's 00:09:35.720 --> 00:09:38.399 really what the revival series is. First and 00:09:38.399 --> 00:09:41.200 foremost, for your own heart, do you know, have 00:09:41.200 --> 00:09:45.580 you chosen God? I cast down any other idol, even 00:09:45.580 --> 00:09:48.840 the idol of my family and myself. I will cast 00:09:48.840 --> 00:09:52.899 down those idols to love you first. And when 00:09:52.899 --> 00:09:55.539 we do that, then we repent and it takes us back 00:09:55.539 --> 00:09:58.059 up to turning to God. But people, families, and

00:09:58.059 --> 00:10:01.879 nations can be issued a call to repent and decide 00:10:01.879 --> 00:10:05.350 instead, nah. That sounds a little uncomfortable. 00:10:05.470 --> 00:10:08.029 I'm going to keep worshiping the American dream 00:10:08.029 --> 00:10:10.509 or whatever else it is. And when we do that, 00:10:10.529 --> 00:10:13.710 we continue on the trajectory toward judgment. 00:10:14.129 --> 00:10:16.590 Rarely is this God sending down firebolts of 00:10:16.590 --> 00:10:19.929 judgment. It's usually self -inflicted judgment 00:10:19.929 --> 00:10:23.190 of, you know, we chose this path and now this 00:10:23.190 --> 00:10:26.190 path has these consequences. What is my point? 00:10:26.309 --> 00:10:29.370 My point is that this is true for you, but this 00:10:29.370 --> 00:10:31.929 is also true for nations that have known God. 00:10:32.529 --> 00:10:34.850 Now, I'm not saying the United States has ever 00:10:34.850 --> 00:10:37.490 been perfect. No nation in this world will be. 00:10:37.570 --> 00:10:40.629 But historically, the vast majority of Americans 00:10:40.629 --> 00:10:44.570 have self -identified as Christians. And in former 00:10:44.570 --> 00:10:47.230 great awakenings, what happened is large chunks 00:10:47.230 --> 00:10:51.029 of the population returned to God and then society 00:10:51.029 --> 00:10:53.809 benefited for decades and decades afterwards. 00:10:54.269 --> 00:10:56.809 We are right now at a fork in the road that I 00:10:56.809 --> 00:10:59.470 believe the remnant of Christians will either 00:10:59.470 --> 00:11:02.409 lead those around us to return to God or the 00:11:02.409 --> 00:11:05.129 nation will continue on its own self -selected 00:11:05.129 --> 00:11:09.750 path toward judgment. You're listening to Living 00:11:09.750 --> 00:11:12.590 on the Edge with Chip Ingram and his friend guest 00:11:12.590 --> 00:11:15.779 teacher, John Dickerson. We'll return to today's 00:11:15.779 --> 00:11:18.639 message in just a moment. But first, life doesn't 00:11:18.639 --> 00:11:21.259 always let you sit by the radio at the same time 00:11:21.259 --> 00:11:23.820 every day. That's why there's the Chip Ingram 00:11:23.820 --> 00:11:26.899 app. Today's program, plus video teachings, and 00:11:26.899 --> 00:11:29.940 so much more, all in one place, whenever and 00:11:29.940 --> 00:11:32.799 wherever you're ready. Just search for the Chip 00:11:32.799 --> 00:11:36.149 Ingram app in your app store. Well, now here's 00:11:36.149 --> 00:11:39.269 John continuing today's message. So God commands 00:11:39.269 --> 00:11:42.600 us. He says, go into all the world. Preach the 00:11:42.600 --> 00:11:45.919 gospel to all creation. Why? Because he loves 00:11:45.919 --> 00:11:48.360 people. He doesn't want people suffering. He 00:11:48.360 --> 00:11:50.379 doesn't want people living in self -inflicted 00:11:50.379 --> 00:11:53.259 judgment. He doesn't want people to be dying 00:11:53.259 --> 00:11:56.860 and lost. He came to reach the lost and then 00:11:56.860 --> 00:11:59.299 he passed that on to us. Now you might see that 00:11:59.299 --> 00:12:00.639 verse and you might say, okay, John, it says 00:12:00.639 --> 00:12:03.080 preach the gospel to all creation. So that's 00:12:03.080 --> 00:12:07.399 your job. I'm an accountant or I'm a mom or I'm 00:12:07.399 --> 00:12:10.639 a CEO or something else. Here's the thing, that 00:12:10.639 --> 00:12:13.279 word preach is not the way we think of it in 00:12:13.279 --> 00:12:15.620 American context. It's not a person up here with 00:12:15.620 --> 00:12:18.980 a Bible. This word preach just means share it 00:12:18.980 --> 00:12:22.340 with boldness, proclaim it. And so you can do 00:12:22.340 --> 00:12:24.720 this when you're seated next to another parent 00:12:24.720 --> 00:12:26.500 while the kids are warming up for an athletic 00:12:26.500 --> 00:12:28.500 event and you're getting to know them and you 00:12:28.500 --> 00:12:30.919 say, hey, we've gotten to know each other a little 00:12:30.919 --> 00:12:32.440 bit. What are your beliefs spiritually? Tell 00:12:32.440 --> 00:12:35.559 me a little bit about your religious journey 00:12:35.559 --> 00:12:37.500 or spiritual journey. And then you just listen. 00:12:37.950 --> 00:12:40.070 And if they're open, then you start to say, well, 00:12:40.169 --> 00:12:42.590 you know, can I tell you about mine? Oh, okay. 00:12:42.789 --> 00:12:44.590 Yeah, great. Well, here's what God has done in 00:12:44.590 --> 00:12:46.929 my life. You're preaching in that moment. You 00:12:46.929 --> 00:12:49.590 don't have to be preachy to preach the way the 00:12:49.590 --> 00:12:52.230 Bible intends. It just means you understand the 00:12:52.230 --> 00:12:53.929 audience. You're being sensitive to the situation. 00:12:54.129 --> 00:12:56.570 You're asking questions and then you're providing 00:12:56.570 --> 00:12:59.330 the answer of the good news. But you are doing 00:12:59.330 --> 00:13:02.309 it with some boldness, some spiritual confidence 00:13:02.309 --> 00:13:04.870 and authority. Scripture says this in Romans 00:13:04.870 --> 00:13:07.750 14. How will the people around you in your life 00:13:07.750 --> 00:13:11.580 ever call out to God for salvation if they don't 00:13:11.580 --> 00:13:14.279 believe that Jesus is Lord? And how could they 00:13:14.279 --> 00:13:16.940 ever believe Jesus is Lord if they've never heard 00:13:16.940 --> 00:13:19.769 someone share that? There's millions of Americans 00:13:19.769 --> 00:13:22.350 today don't know the basic gospel that Jesus 00:13:22.350 --> 00:13:24.750 is God. He died on the cross for our sins. You 00:13:24.750 --> 00:13:26.409 can repent and believe, have your sins forgiven 00:13:26.409 --> 00:13:28.509 and have eternal life. Millions of Americans 00:13:28.509 --> 00:13:30.950 don't know that. People in your life don't know 00:13:30.950 --> 00:13:32.950 that. If they don't know it, how could they ever 00:13:32.950 --> 00:13:35.490 believe it?

And how will they ever know it unless 00:13:35.490 --> 00:13:40.840 someone tells them, if someone declares it to 00:13:40.840 --> 00:13:43.580 them? And to do that, you're gonna have to open 00:13:43.580 --> 00:13:46.639 your mouth or type. You're gonna have to communicate 00:13:46.639 --> 00:13:48.899 in some way. So I want to ask you right now, 00:13:48.919 --> 00:13:50.799 no matter how intimidating that might sound, 00:13:50.899 --> 00:13:53.700 just ask God right now, God, would you give me 00:13:53.700 --> 00:13:57.879 boldness to start asking spiritual questions? 00:13:59.279 --> 00:14:02.059 I sit next to people at coffee shops or I work 00:14:02.059 --> 00:14:06.389 out at the gym and someone's nearby and I don't 00:14:06.389 --> 00:14:09.190 even know their name, let alone am I asking them 00:14:09.190 --> 00:14:11.960 questions. And what we're asking God this week 00:14:11.960 --> 00:14:14.500 is, God, make me like you where I'll see people 00:14:14.500 --> 00:14:16.980 with your compassion and I'll then learn their 00:14:16.980 --> 00:14:19.179 name and I'll ask them questions about their 00:14:19.179 --> 00:14:22.019 life. And as you ask legitimate questions and 00:14:22.019 --> 00:14:25.120 you show legitimate interest that you care about 00:14:25.120 --> 00:14:27.500 them, then it's not weird to ask them, hey, so 00:14:27.500 --> 00:14:29.379 what are your spiritual beliefs? Like, you know, 00:14:29.379 --> 00:14:32.440 most people love to talk about themselves. And 00:14:32.440 --> 00:14:34.519 so just ask them questions, get them talking 00:14:34.519 --> 00:14:36.899 about themselves and then just gently turn it 00:14:36.899 --> 00:14:38.919 that way. Ask God to give you the courage for 00:14:38.919 --> 00:14:42.100 that. Another easy entry point is ask God for 00:14:42.100 --> 00:14:45.220 the courage to invite friends, family, people 00:14:45.220 --> 00:14:48.320 you know to church. That's kind of like the entry 00:14:48.320 --> 00:14:50.720 level, right? You're not having to open the Bible 00:14:50.720 --> 00:14:53.200 and explain the gospel yourself. That's like 00:14:53.200 --> 00:14:56.919 awesome. But entry level, just, hey, you want 00:14:56.919 --> 00:14:59.460 to come to church with me sometime? And it doesn't 00:14:59.460 --> 00:15:00.980 have to be weird. You can just let them know 00:15:00.980 --> 00:15:03.259 if it's someone you see and they know you. Hey, 00:15:03.299 --> 00:15:05.259 God's really working in my life. He's giving 00:15:05.259 --> 00:15:07.659 me peace and hope. Things I can't really even 00:15:07.659 --> 00:15:10.549 put into words. I'd love that for you. If you're 00:15:10.549 --> 00:15:12.909 ever interested, I'd love for you to come and 00:15:12.909 --> 00:15:16.259 check out Jesus with me. I just want you to visualize 00:15:16.259 --> 00:15:18.620 this. Let the Holy Spirit give you a vision right 00:15:18.620 --> 00:15:21.919 now. What if in the next 12 months, you could 00:15:21.919 --> 00:15:26.179 bring someone to Jesus? Who do you want to know 00:15:26.179 --> 00:15:32.600 the hope of Jesus? There's no greater joy. then 00:15:32.600 --> 00:15:36.659 connecting a soul, an eternal soul to the source 00:15:36.659 --> 00:15:39.379 of the universe, the father in heaven, who is 00:15:39.379 --> 00:15:42.879 the source of peace and life and hope and joy. 00:15:43.379 --> 00:15:47.600 In the 1700s revival leader, John Wesley said 00:15:47.600 --> 00:15:52.679 this, give me 100 proclaimers of Jesus. who fear 00:15:52.679 --> 00:15:56.519 nothing but sin and who desire nothing but God. 00:15:56.679 --> 00:15:58.820 Give me a hundred like that. And I don't care 00:15:58.820 --> 00:16:00.980 if they've been to seminary. I don't care if 00:16:00.980 --> 00:16:02.720 they're a pastor. I don't care if they had theological 00:16:02.720 --> 00:16:06.399 education. A hundred people who only fear sin 00:16:06.399 --> 00:16:09.899 and only desire God and will boldly share the 00:16:09.899 --> 00:16:13.960 good news. They alone will shake the gates of 00:16:13.960 --> 00:16:17.440 hell and will set up the kingdom of heaven on 00:16:17.440 --> 00:16:20.990 earth. That's the kind of mentality that led 00:16:20.990 --> 00:16:24.809 to the great awakening. And it did shape the 00:16:24.809 --> 00:16:28.110 most free nation in world history, not a perfect 00:16:28.110 --> 00:16:30.970 nation, but the framers of the constitution and 00:16:30.970 --> 00:16:33.490 the declaration of independence wrote that all 00:16:33.490 --> 00:16:36.730 people are created equally endowed by their creator 00:16:36.730 --> 00:16:40.590 with inalienable rights. Why? Because they grew 00:16:40.590 --> 00:16:43.129 up in the great awakening and they grew up going 00:16:43.129 --> 00:16:45.830 to church. They weren't perfect. The nation wasn't 00:16:45.830 --> 00:16:49.250 perfect. but it was a huge step towards setting 00:16:49.250 --> 00:16:51.909 up the kingdom of heaven on earth. What if it 00:16:51.909 --> 00:16:55.950 became the norm in our church for every adult 00:16:55.950 --> 00:16:59.990 to bring at least one person to Jesus every year? 00:17:01.080 --> 00:17:04.500 That is not a crazy goal. The God who made the 00:17:04.500 --> 00:17:07.880 universe will empower you toward that. Now you 00:17:07.880 --> 00:17:09.740 can't control that for the thousands of other 00:17:09.740 --> 00:17:11.559 people in our movement. You can pray for it, 00:17:11.579 --> 00:17:14.799 but you have full control over yourself. Will 00:17:14.799 --> 00:17:17.099 you bring someone to Jesus this year? Just get 00:17:17.099 --> 00:17:19.880 them in the door. Just get them here and pray 00:17:19.880 --> 00:17:22.680 that God will do the rest. Let's pray for that 00:17:22.680 --> 00:17:25.640 as a church. Let's work for that like it all 00:17:25.640 --> 00:17:27.859 depends on us while we pray for it like it all 00:17:27.859 --> 00:17:31.279 depends on God. Lord, let every adult and every

00:17:31.279 --> 00:17:34.920 teenager in our movement invite someone to Jesus. 00:17:35.000 --> 00:17:37.819 Could you imagine the church would double and 00:17:37.819 --> 00:17:40.130 then the next year it would double again. And 00:17:40.130 --> 00:17:43.109 pretty soon central Indiana would be experiencing 00:17:43.109 --> 00:17:46.930 revival. The third reason why sharing Jesus matters 00:17:46.930 --> 00:17:50.940 is that it exhibits the heart of God. In other 00:17:50.940 --> 00:17:53.279 words, it shows if you're growing spiritually 00:17:53.279 --> 00:17:56.440 because the goal as a Christian is now as you 00:17:56.440 --> 00:17:58.920 surrender to Jesus, you become more like Christ. 00:17:59.400 --> 00:18:02.920 Christ came to seek and to save the lost. And 00:18:02.920 --> 00:18:05.519 so part of spiritual maturity is I'm gonna deny 00:18:05.519 --> 00:18:09.099 myself in order to seek and save the lost because 00:18:09.099 --> 00:18:11.460 that's, how Christ lived. Philippians chapter 00:18:11.460 --> 00:18:14.759 two, Jesus Christ made himself nothing when he 00:18:14.759 --> 00:18:18.539 left heaven. He took the very nature of a servant 00:18:18.539 --> 00:18:21.920 and then being found in human likeness, found 00:18:21.920 --> 00:18:26.660 an appearance as a man, he humbled himself. According 00:18:26.660 --> 00:18:28.700 to Philippians two, what did Jesus do to reach 00:18:28.700 --> 00:18:31.559 us? Did he step up or step down? He stepped down. 00:18:31.920 --> 00:18:34.119 Did he stay in his comfort zone or did he leave 00:18:34.119 --> 00:18:38.039 his comfort zone? He left his comfort zone. A 00:18:38.039 --> 00:18:41.920 spiritually sleeping Christian knows dozens of 00:18:41.920 --> 00:18:44.640 people who will never set foot in heaven, but 00:18:44.640 --> 00:18:47.119 the spiritually sleeping believer does not think 00:18:47.119 --> 00:18:50.559 of those people's eternal destination. The cares 00:18:50.559 --> 00:18:52.819 of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, the 00:18:52.819 --> 00:18:56.480 distractions of the American dream, they preoccupy 00:18:56.480 --> 00:18:59.380 the sleeping Christian. And so the spiritually 00:18:59.380 --> 00:19:02.440 sleeping Christian never asks any spiritual questions 00:19:02.440 --> 00:19:05.490 to these eternal souls around them. They pass 00:19:05.490 --> 00:19:07.910 them by or even talk to them and interact with 00:19:07.910 --> 00:19:10.849 them daily, but they never bother to engage them 00:19:10.849 --> 00:19:13.730 spiritually. The sleeping Christian does not 00:19:13.730 --> 00:19:17.250 bring the lost souls to Jesus despite years of 00:19:17.250 --> 00:19:21.779 opportunity after opportunity to do so. As Christians, 00:19:21.839 --> 00:19:24.799 we are surrounded by people who will die in their 00:19:24.799 --> 00:19:28.500 sin, will be eternally separated from God. When 00:19:28.500 --> 00:19:30.859 we're spiritually asleep, we're vaguely aware 00:19:30.859 --> 00:19:34.990 of this. but we're in like a sleepwalking stupor. 00:19:35.170 --> 00:19:37.009 And we kind of have this sense of, yeah, I'm 00:19:37.009 --> 00:19:38.890 supposed to tell people about Jesus, but we lack 00:19:38.890 --> 00:19:42.230 focus, we lack motivation, and we never bother 00:19:42.230 --> 00:19:44.690 to tell these people about the offer of eternal 00:19:44.690 --> 00:19:48.750 life or the hope of Jesus. Aren't you so glad 00:19:48.750 --> 00:19:52.089 that someone told you about Jesus? Aren't you 00:19:52.089 --> 00:19:54.250 so glad that someone woke up enough spiritually 00:19:54.250 --> 00:19:58.299 to invite you to church or to say, hey, there's 00:19:58.299 --> 00:20:00.559 a way to have your sins forgiven or however they 00:20:00.559 --> 00:20:04.160 told you about Jesus? In the 1930s in Ypsilanti, 00:20:04.240 --> 00:20:06.480 Michigan, there was a guy named Earl Peters who 00:20:06.480 --> 00:20:09.579 worked on the Ford Motor Company assembly line. 00:20:10.019 --> 00:20:13.200 Earl Peters was an awake Christian. He'd show 00:20:13.200 --> 00:20:15.900 up every day for his shift on the assembly line 00:20:15.900 --> 00:20:19.299 and he saw all the other line workers as eternal 00:20:19.299 --> 00:20:22.630 souls who needed Jesus. Next to him there on 00:20:22.630 --> 00:20:24.849 the assembly line was a young man named Mark. 00:20:25.430 --> 00:20:28.369 And Earl Peters started to share the good news 00:20:28.369 --> 00:20:31.029 of Jesus with Mark. Mark was very resistant. 00:20:32.460 --> 00:20:34.220 But over time, I mean, they're standing next 00:20:34.220 --> 00:20:36.299 to each other all day, every day, stamping parts. 00:20:36.740 --> 00:20:40.059 Earl Peters keeps telling Mark about Jesus. And 00:20:40.059 --> 00:20:42.960 the day finally came when this young man named 00:20:42.960 --> 00:20:46.680 Mark surrendered, prayed to receive Jesus as 00:20:46.680 --> 00:20:50.160 his savior. Earl Peters got him a Bible, taught 00:20:50.160 --> 00:20:54.119 him how to pray. And Mark soon really was growing 00:20:54.119 --> 00:20:57.140 and the Lord decided to become a pastor. Mark 00:20:57.140 --> 00:21:02.130 the assembly line worker is my grandpa. That's 00:21:02.130 --> 00:21:04.579 guest teacher John Dickerson. with a message 00:21:04.579 --> 00:21:07.519 titled Brokenhearted Boldness here on Living 00:21:07.519 --> 00:21:10.279 on the Edge. If you'd like to learn more about 00:21:10.279 --> 00:21:12.960 what John just shared, including a small group 00:21:12.960 --> 00:21:16.819 video study and more, go to therevivalproject 00:21:16.819 --> 00:21:21.519 .org slash livingontheedge. John reminded us 00:21:21.519 --> 00:21:23.960 that we're surrounded by people who are spiritually 00:21:23.960 --> 00:21:27.039 asleep in a burning house, and that God wants 00:21:27.039 --> 00:21:30.420 to give us eyes to see them. That kind of compassion 00:21:30.420 --> 00:21:33.500 grows as we spend time with Jesus day after day.

00:21:33.839 --> 00:21:37.420 Chip Ingram's Growing Deeper in Christ is a 365 00:21:37.420 --> 00:21:40.819 -day devotional that helps you do exactly that, 00:21:40.980 --> 00:21:43.759 with daily readings to help you explore who God 00:21:43.759 --> 00:21:46.619 really is, what it means to follow Jesus from 00:21:46.619 --> 00:21:49.480 the inside out, and how you can choose each day 00:21:49.480 --> 00:21:52.450 to be more like Christ. Right now, you'll find 00:21:52.450 --> 00:21:54.910 special pricing on both the paperback and the 00:21:54.910 --> 00:21:57.670 new leather -bound edition. So as you begin putting 00:21:57.670 --> 00:22:00.170 together your Christmas list, think about who 00:22:00.170 --> 00:22:02.549 could use that kind of encouragement in the year 00:22:02.549 --> 00:22:05.690 ahead. Get your copies of Growing Deeper in Christ 00:22:05.690 --> 00:22:10.829 today at livingontheedge .org slash offers. Every 00:22:10.829 --> 00:22:13.369 day, this program reaches someone who has never 00:22:13.369 --> 00:22:16.549 heard the gospel explained clearly. Your gift 00:22:16.549 --> 00:22:18.950 today helps make sure that moment happens for 00:22:18.950 --> 00:22:22.700 someone else. Give at livingontheedge .org or 00:22:22.700 --> 00:22:27.900 call us at 888 -333 -6003. You can also send 00:22:27.900 --> 00:22:31.640 a check to Living on the Edge, P .O. Box 3007, 00:22:31.819 --> 00:22:36.519 Suwannee, Georgia 30024. Well, now here's Chip 00:22:36.519 --> 00:22:39.220 Ingram. Thanks so much, Dave. You know, as I 00:22:39.220 --> 00:22:41.619 listened to John's message today, it reminded 00:22:41.619 --> 00:22:44.400 me that we're all pretty good at bluffing. Thinking 00:22:44.400 --> 00:22:45.980 like, oh yeah, yeah, things are going pretty 00:22:45.980 --> 00:22:48.279 well. I've kind of got it together. And what 00:22:48.279 --> 00:22:50.220 I liked about John's story that he told about 00:22:50.220 --> 00:22:53.480 the Amazon driver is this driver sees smoke coming 00:22:53.480 --> 00:22:56.259 out of the house. Instead of just calling 911 00:22:56.259 --> 00:22:59.559 and driving off, she stops her van, pounds on 00:22:59.559 --> 00:23:02.539 the door, runs inside, pulls people out that 00:23:02.539 --> 00:23:05.359 she's never met. And I think that picture is 00:23:05.359 --> 00:23:08.259 a visual of John saying, that's the kind of urgency. 00:23:08.420 --> 00:23:11.579 That's the kind of boldness. The fact of the 00:23:11.579 --> 00:23:14.460 matter, we have all kind of examples and studies 00:23:14.460 --> 00:23:17.859 of people in major cities watching someone attacked 00:23:17.859 --> 00:23:21.940 and standing around and watching them being attacked 00:23:21.940 --> 00:23:25.420 and not lifting a finger. And we would all say, 00:23:25.519 --> 00:23:28.420 oh, that is so terrible. But here's the question 00:23:28.420 --> 00:23:31.259 for you and the question for me. Look at your 00:23:31.259 --> 00:23:34.339 world situation, your relational network, your 00:23:34.339 --> 00:23:38.400 neighborhood, your community, your church. Like, 00:23:38.420 --> 00:23:41.339 it's easy to have coffee and say, man, things 00:23:41.339 --> 00:23:44.579 are messed up. John is calling us, and far better, 00:23:44.660 --> 00:23:48.500 Jesus is saying, where's the boldness? Where's 00:23:48.500 --> 00:23:51.380 the person that stops your distractions, gets 00:23:51.380 --> 00:23:53.900 out of the truck of your life, sees where there's 00:23:53.900 --> 00:23:56.519 smoke and hurt and pain, and says, I'm going 00:23:56.519 --> 00:24:00.079 to do something about that. The eyes of the Lord 00:24:00.079 --> 00:24:02.839 go to and fro throughout the whole earth, that 00:24:02.839 --> 00:24:05.460 he may strongly support those whose hearts are 00:24:05.460 --> 00:24:09.150 fully his. That's an Old Testament passage, and 00:24:09.150 --> 00:24:11.569 it's a timeless principle. I want you to know 00:24:11.569 --> 00:24:15.230 the world is messed up not because God wants 00:24:15.230 --> 00:24:18.609 it that way, and the church is not weak because 00:24:18.609 --> 00:24:22.210 God wants it that way. God is so willing, but 00:24:22.210 --> 00:24:25.109 he's looking for an ordinary person just like 00:24:25.109 --> 00:24:28.809 you and just like me, not with more gifts, not 00:24:28.809 --> 00:24:31.950 with more smarts, not with even more Bible knowledge, 00:24:32.089 --> 00:24:35.349 but someone who's willing to say, Lord, when 00:24:35.349 --> 00:24:39.680 I see a need, I will bring what I have. Next 00:24:39.680 --> 00:24:42.359 time, John Dickerson wraps up Brokenhearted Boldness. 00:24:42.500 --> 00:24:45.119 And if you've ever thought, I'm just not wired 00:24:45.119 --> 00:24:47.759 to talk about my faith, he has some very good 00:24:47.759 --> 00:24:51.200 news for you. Join us right here on Living on 00:24:51.200 --> 00:24:57.130 the Edge. Today's program is produced and sponsored 00:24:57.130 --> 00:24:58.609 by Living on the Edge.