Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Thank you for being here. Once again, we are going to start our study this morning on in our, as we're calling it, the school of evangelism. This morning we're going to be in the book of first Peter, chapter three.
[00:00:14] First Peter, chapter three.
[00:00:22] So what I'm calling this lesson, of course, we've spent the last seven weeks, I think we were talking about faith and repentance and so, or repentance and faith rather. And so we finished that up and hopefully that was helpful as we try to equip ourselves to be able to explain these things to others, as we try to share the gospel with people. And so what we're going to do now with this lesson, and I'm hoping I can get through the whole lesson today without having to continue it next week. But I called it getting gospel opportunities. Getting gospel opportunities. And so I want to look at, first of all, first Peter, chapter three, verse number 15.
[00:01:11] But we will read the context here a little bit. Look at verse twelve.
[00:01:19] The Bible says, for the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and his ears are open unto their prayers. But the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
[00:01:32] And who is he that will harm you if ye be followers of that which is good?
[00:01:39] But. And if ye suffer for righteousness sake, happy are ye. And be not afraid of their terror. Neither be troubled, but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.
[00:02:08] All right, let's pray together.
[00:02:10] Our father, thank you for the chance to study your word here this morning. Thank you for the opportunity to open our soul refresh this morning. And Lord, we do pray for this special time when we focus on your word, Lord, looking to you to revive us and refreshen us and to help us. Lord, you know what our needs are. And Lord, we pray that you would bless our study here this morning. Even as we look at these scriptures here, we pray that you would guide our study and you would be our teacher. Lord, help us to be better evangelists. Lord, we want to be equipped, but, Lord, above all, we need to just need to just do it to open our mouths. So, Lord, help us and guide us. Lord, give me wisdom to know what to say to help your people, and most importantly, that you would speak to them and guide them and help them to understand the scriptures in Jesus name. Amen.
[00:03:08] So if you notice one Peter. Anybody know the theme of one Peter or the core? Yes, sir? Suffering. Correct. And suffering as it in particular. First, Peter deals with suffering that comes of persecution. There are basically two kinds of suffering. There's natural suffering that everyone endures, and then there's suffering that comes of our faith in Christ or our desire to live righteously in his sight. And that's mainly, primarily what one Peter deals with. So in that context, we see verse number 15. All right, so verse number 15 doesn't stand alone.
[00:03:49] It says, sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear. So you have this idea of someone is suffering for Christ. Perhaps they've had taking loss, perhaps they're in jail.
[00:04:11] Perhaps they have a death sentence, who knows? Because suffering comes in many forms. Persecution, that is.
[00:04:19] But as a result of the persecution, someone has approached this believer, this Christian, and has said, why do you have hope now? Hope in particular. Remember, we studied hope. We looked at the definition. Anybody remember that? What is hope as it relates to faith?
[00:04:37] Anybody remembers assurance? Assurance similar to assurance. But you weren't here when we studied it, so how could you possibly give me the right answer? No, we talked about how hope is basically faith in a future promise. That's what it is. It's faith in a future promise. So hope almost always deals with something future.
[00:05:01] So here's what you have here. You have a person who is suffering, and they are enduring suffering with their eye on the future. That is, their eye on the Lord's approval, their eye on that world which is to come, you might say. And for that reason, they are.
[00:05:22] Someone approaches them and asks them of their. The reason for their hope. In other words, they see that that person is suffering.
[00:05:31] And that prompts a question.
[00:05:35] They want to know the reason why this person is suffering, unlike the others who are suffering, you know, because when a Christian, as an example, historically, and even in our time, if it happens or wherever it happens, when a Christian is arrested for something and thrown into prison, they're with all the other prisoners. There's no distinction made for a christian prisoner. The distinction is made in the reason for his hope and the way he suffers. You think about the two thieves on the cross, right? There was a distinction made. They were suffering all three, the Lord in the middle. And those two on either side were suffering similarly, but one suffered with hope. In the end, of course, you have Christ in the middle. And the very way that our Lord suffered made it distinctive, made it noticeable, such that even the centurion standing by said, truly this was the son of God.
[00:06:36] And so that's the context of this. The context of this verse is suffering. The context of this verse is not really what I'm using it for, which is evangelism, but there are ways that it applies. So that's what I want to look at now. When we see the verse in verse 15, we see the word ready, be ready. We're going to look at two verses that have this word ready in it. Okay? But I want to tell you from the start that the word ready as we use it in English, has two primary definitions that are different from one another. The first definition is the one we see here. To be ready means to be prepared. To be prepared. That's what first. Peter 315 is talking about being prepared.
[00:07:21] Being prepared.
[00:07:23] And so. And I'll share the next one with you in just a minute.
[00:07:28] So in this case, someone approaches the believer and asks them a question regarding their faith. Right.
[00:07:38] The first thing we have to understand if we're going to have gospel opportunities is there has to be a willingness.
[00:07:46] There has to be a willingness to give the gospel to people.
[00:07:50] And that is, in my opinion, and I believe.
[00:07:57] I believe the truth. I believe experience rather bears this out. The greatest hindrance to giving the gospel is our own unwillingness to give it right. We must be willing to give the gospel. In fact, that's the other definition of ready, is willingness. You'll see in a minute.
[00:08:15] So sometimes, I know the reason I wanted to talk about this is getting gospel opportunities is because oftentimes we feel like we do not have opportunities.
[00:08:26] That's one thing that hinders it. Well, I don't know how to say it. I don't know how to talk to someone. I don't know how to bring it up.
[00:08:34] But sometimes that's true at times. But sometimes we lack opportunity because we don't really want opportunity.
[00:08:42] That's just. I'm just speaking. I'm just speaking directly to you.
[00:08:46] We're content to not tell people about Jesus. That's the reality. We're just content not to.
[00:08:56] And if that's our heart and if that's where we are in this matter of evangelism, no opportunity will be suitable to us.
[00:09:07] Right. It doesn't matter if it's laid out in front of you. Oh, well, that's, you know, it's not a good time, not a good place, not a, you know, it'll never be suitable.
[00:09:17] Proverbs, chapter 22, verse 13, says this. The slothful man saith there is a lion without I shall be slain in the streets.
[00:09:25] Right? Which is to say there's no good opportunity. Something might happen. I might not know what to say. I might might do something wrong. I might, you know.
[00:09:33] And then proverbs 24, the sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold. Therefore shall he beg and harvest and have nothing. If he's looking for an excuse to not go out and do his work, he's going to find it always 100%. And you all know with yourselves, just like me with myself. That is always true. If I want an excuse to do or not do something, I can find it. So the real question is not whether we have opportunity. The real question is, are we willing?
[00:10:00] Are we willing to give the gospel to people each time we meet someone and we have opportunity, are we willing?
[00:10:09] We should be willing because there is, as I mentioned, the word ready here. And we'll see again. We'll see another ready in another verse.
[00:10:18] The first definition is prepared or having made preparations to do something. But the second one is willing or eager feeling or exhibiting no reluctance to do something. That's what the other ready means. So there's this idea of being willing and there's this idea of being prepared. Okay, both of them are biblical. In this case, we're talking about being prepared, but you need both. But if you're not willing, what does it matter if you prepare?
[00:10:51] So the problem we have in gospel opportunities is not so much a problem of being prepared. Listen, all of us have times, even those who desire to share the gospel with others. Everybody has moments and has sometimes, a lot of times when we don't know what to say and anybody that thinks, thinks or promotes themselves as someone who knows what to say all the time, you just listen, don't believe it.
[00:11:23] They don't know what they're talking about. They might fancy themselves to be a great soul winner, but they don't. They're not.
[00:11:32] You say, well, that's kind of mean.
[00:11:35] Well, first of all, it's arrogant. But secondly, all of us have times when we just don't know. We don't have an answer for everything. We can't have an answer for everything.
[00:11:50] So we need to put aside the thought that says, well, I don't really know what to say. I might say something wrong. Listen, if you understand the gospel and you yourself are converted, you're going to say the right thing generally, right. You tell them about Jesus and you stay on that topic. You don't need to worry about whether you're going to say anything, right or wrong. Right. Just say it again. The most important thing is our willingness to just open our mouth.
[00:12:19] So it's more of a problem of willingness than preparedness.
[00:12:28] Sometimes we say, and again, I'm just shooting straight with you, sometimes we say, I don't know what to say, but we're really just looking for an excuse to not say anything. It's just a pretext.
[00:12:40] But notice in verse number 15, this is the second thing I want you to see. So the first thing is that we must be willing to give people the gospel. But in verse number 15, we see this in our search, in our desire to have gospel opportunities. I'm calling it that. I know that's kind of a cliche. Terminal opportunities to share the gospel with people. In verse 15, sometimes people will approach us. That's what's happening in verse 15. Imagine someone is in prison. They have very little gospel opportunities right immediately around them. But they can't go out anywhere. They can't intentionally and actively go out. And yet an opportunity is brought to them because they say, but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear. So sometimes people will approach us, which is what's happening here.
[00:13:38] And here's the reminder from this.
[00:13:41] And I said, I said this last week. I'll say it over and over and over. In the school of evangelisms, the school of evangelism, as we're calling it, is not to teach us the right levers to pull and buttons to push in the right order and put in the right combination, and bing out pops out a saint. That is not how it works.
[00:14:00] We do what we can to prepare, but we acknowledge that God himself is involved in a person coming to Christ and being saved. He himself, not only in the moment where that person believes on Christ, but everything leading up to that. He is working behind the scenes, and that's what's happening here. In verse 15, a person approaches a believer who is suffering and asks them the reason of the hope that is in them.
[00:14:28] So behind the scenes, God is using circumstances to bring and to draw and to woo that person to come to him. You know, that has nothing to do with you or me.
[00:14:45] That's God's work. He is doing that, and he is using circumstances in their lives to do it. And you know what's going to happen when the time is right.
[00:14:55] That person that he is drawing, that person that he is calling. He is wooing to himself because he loves them.
[00:15:05] Those circumstances that are working in that person will finally intersect with your godly testimony, and that will prompt this person to ask a question.
[00:15:21] When those two things intersect, that's when you have a person asking a question. Because a lot of times when people go through sufferings, they don't know how to interpret the suffering. They have thoughts going through their head. They're discouraged. They're doubting. One of the things that suffering does is it causes us, even as a believer, one of the purposes of suffering is it causes us to reflect on where we are. So when you have a period of suffering in your life, what you'll often do, and what I will often do is I'll say, lord, is something wrong in my life? Here?
[00:15:56] Is something wrong?
[00:15:59] It causes us to reflect. Well, think about if you do not know the Lord.
[00:16:03] One of the reasons the Lord allows suffering into people's lives is because he wants them to reflect.
[00:16:10] I mean, you think about terminal illnesses, and you think about illnesses that aren't terminal or an accident or something like that snaps that person out of the humdrum of life and the lusts that drive them to do what they do every day, right? And finally, they think about eternal things. The Lord is doing that in people.
[00:16:33] And as I said, when the time is right, he will lead that person to one of his people who has a godly testimony to help that person interpret what's going on. And it leads to a question, which is what we have in verse 15. Hold your place here and go to mark five, if you would.
[00:16:56] Mark five, verse number 22, it says this, and behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name. And when he saw him, he fell at his feet and besought him greatly, saying, my little daughter lieth at the point of death. How many of you have had a little daughter?
[00:17:35] You know, you think of a three year old little girl. More than just, sorry, Josh. But more than a little boy having a little daughter, that'll do something, too, at the heart of a dad, that'll make people desperate.
[00:17:52] Right? Now. Follow me.
[00:17:54] My little daughter lieth at the point of death, I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed and she shall live. So notice this man is approaching Christ. Right.
[00:18:07] Jesus did not come after him, not overtly, anyway. This man approached Christ. But what brought him to that point? This is a ruler of the synagogue. This is a man had in reputation.
[00:18:19] The rulers of the synagogues were often those who opposed Christ. Remember, it was in a synagogue that the people rose up in Nazareth. We saw that not too long ago in Matthew. And they drove him out and tried to throw him over the cliff in Nazareth. Right. That was in the synagogue that happened. Now there are a few exceptions where the rulers of the synagogue, they actually believe in Christ. But generally speaking, this is the crowd that opposed Christ. But yet what do you see here? You see this ruler of the synagogue, this man had a reputation in the religious world, then is approaching the Lord. You know, what happened to a circumstance, perhaps? Again, we don't know for certain what his disposition toward the Lord before this was, but what we do know is this circumstance has driven him to a place where he is seeking after Jesus.
[00:19:10] That's God working in somebody, you say, well, that's just a natural thing. He just wants to. No, it's not. He is going to Jesus. There is no natural going to Jesus. You know what is natural? What Joseph quoted in psalm 14, going the opposite way. That's natural.
[00:19:27] That's natural.
[00:19:29] But keep reading.
[00:19:33] Verse 24. And Jesus went with him, and much people followed him and thronged him. And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, and had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was nothing better, but rather grew worse when she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind and touched his garment. For she said, if I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole and straightway. The fountain of her blood was dried up and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And of course we know what happens after that. Jesus, knowing what has happened, turns around and confronts this lady. Right. Why did she approach Jesus? First of all, she approached Jesus, not the reverse, but why did she do that?
[00:20:18] Yep, a health problem twelve years.
[00:20:24] A bleeding problem for twelve years. And she was out of money.
[00:20:29] She was.
[00:20:30] And here, where does she end up now? She's seeking Jesus.
[00:20:34] The Lord's working behind the scenes here.
[00:20:37] The Lord is working behind the scenes. Notice in both of these cases, it was a physical malady that led to them coming to Jesus for the physical healing.
[00:20:48] But, you know, they didn't just leave with the physical healing.
[00:20:52] It was ultimately the physical malady that the Lord allowed in their lives, confronted them with the savior, which dealt primarily with the spiritual truth.
[00:21:05] And that's the way it is now.
[00:21:08] That's the way it is now is the Lord allows things to come to pass in people's lives, to awaken them, to cause them to reflect, to cause them to consider. And often it's physical things.
[00:21:22] Sometimes it's tragedy. It's usually something negative, though, generally. But that drives them to the Lord. And it is at that moment that the Lord puts us in their path.
[00:21:37] You see, the Lord's working behind the scenes.
[00:21:42] He loves people to, he wants people to come to him.
[00:21:50] So when those circumstances come to pass, to bring that person to where their eyes are opened and maybe they weren't like the ruler of the synagogue, maybe prior to this, I think likely reading between the lines a little bit, he was likely, probably not one who followed after Jesus. He was not one who was interested in the Lord, but now he is. You see how the Lord used circumstances to change the willingness of people, right. To turn their will toward him. And that's required. He does that. He is doing that now. That doesn't mean someone can't resist that. Absolutely. They do it all the time. The Lord is constantly working in people that resist him all the time.
[00:22:31] But when that intersection takes place with you and with me, we need to make sure that we have a godly testimony.
[00:22:42] Now listen, a godly testimony is not just morality, and this is how it's often described.
[00:22:53] Well, I'm a Christian. I need to make sure I don't, you know, I don't lie, I don't steal, I don't commit adultery, I don't use foul language. That's all fine and good, but, you know, there's people in the world that don't do those things.
[00:23:07] Being a godly testimony, being, I should say, a disciple of Christ is far more than being moral.
[00:23:14] And Christianity should never ever be reduced down to just simple, I don't do these few moral, you know, egregious moral sins. Therefore I am a disciple of Christ. That is not it. You know what Jesus said? If a man will be his disciple, he has to deny himself, take up his cross and follow Jesus. You know what that is? Identification with Jesus reproach. That is what that's referring to. When we get this later, later in Matthew, months and months from now, when we get there, we'll see it more clearly.
[00:23:51] To be a disciple of Christ is not mere morality. For there are many people like that in the world. It means that you have, and I have an obvious, that is to this person. We have an obvious connection to the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Further, he is our Lord in all matters, even in matters where moral people would give us a pass.
[00:24:15] That's what you find.
[00:24:17] Moral people will bend the rules, will break the rules and will violate their own conscience and what they know to be right when they know they can do it without reproach.
[00:24:30] A disciple of Christ knows his responsibility to Jesus, and so he doesn't listen. We all fail. But as a rule, I'm talking about this is the expectation to be a disciple of Christ means we try to be right in private and in public, even when nobody's watching, because we are his disciple.
[00:24:52] Right.
[00:24:55] And when we are truly disciples of Christ, what happens is those in this world and listen, I've lived it, and you have too, no doubt. They start to see a distinction between the moral people and the disciples of Christ.
[00:25:12] They see beyond just, well, they're both moral, but this one is about Jesus and this person.
[00:25:21] Even in private and behind closed doors, this person still wants to do right.
[00:25:27] And that is distinctive.
[00:25:30] That is a disciple of Christ.
[00:25:36] Often moral people, merely moral people have no connection with Jesus. And sometimes even when they attend church. Cause we know moral people attend church, but even when they do, they're unwilling to associate with Jesus name.
[00:25:54] They're moral. Quote, moral. But they are ashamed of Jesus Christ. In this way, a disciple of Christ is totally different.
[00:26:05] So here's the thing. Are you and am I, are we known for being moral, or are we known for being a disciple of Christ?
[00:26:15] That's a good question.
[00:26:17] Because when those circumstances go sideways for those people, when the Lord's drawing them and trying to waken them and make them to see where they're at, when that circumstance interacts with you and that person knowing you and you have a testimony not only of being moral, but as someone who is in private, who is holy. That's a better word, maybe. And who is unashamedly associated with the Lord Jesus Christ, they're going to come asking first, Peter 315.
[00:26:53] And we must be ready, see? Ready, prepared to give them the answer.
[00:27:05] So this is a case. One Peter 315 and Mark and other places we look, those are times when people approach us, right? How many of you prefer someone to approach you about your faith in Christ?
[00:27:18] Everyone. We feel like that's better, right? That's better because their heart is maybe more open. You know, their ear is going to be open.
[00:27:27] But do not be.
[00:27:31] Do not think, though, that we should only wait on people to approach us.
[00:27:38] Mark 1615. What's the first word?
[00:27:41] Go and preach the gospel, right? So it's good when people approach us and people approach Jesus. But you know what Jesus also did? He also went out and taught and preached. He did that, too. So sometimes people approach us, and at other times, Miss Brenda, for you we must approach them. This is the main point.
[00:28:03] If you want to write it down, look at Romans, chapter one, if you would, please.
[00:28:09] Romans, chapter one.
[00:28:24] Look at verse number 13.
[00:28:29] It says this. Now, I would not have you, ignorant brethren, that oftentimes I purpose to come unto you, but was let hitherto that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other gentiles, I am debtor both to the Greeks and to the barbarians, both to the wise and to the unwise. So as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Ramosa. Now, this is not prepared.
[00:28:56] This is willing. Remember the two definitions. This is willing.
[00:29:01] Verse 16. Notice the first word in verse 16. For those of you that are hermeneutical students.
[00:29:10] Four.
[00:29:12] That tells us the reason why. Verse 14. Or I'm sorry, verse, verse four. And verse 16 tells us the reason why. Verse 15 is why is he ready and that is willing to. To preach the gospel at Rome. Why? Because he is unashamed of the gospel of Christ.
[00:29:35] So that tells us if we're unwilling to give the gospel to people, there is one reason we are ashamed.
[00:29:45] That's the reason you might think, well, I don't really like you saying that.
[00:29:51] That's what it says.
[00:29:55] I think we have to come face to face with the reality that our reluctance to give the gospel to people comes because we are ashamed of being associated with him in public.
[00:30:10] We don't want to be that guy, that freak.
[00:30:16] That's just the reality of it.
[00:30:21] Because if we were unashamed, we would be willing. That's what verses 15 and 16 tell us.
[00:30:30] Two Timothy one seven eight says this. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Please listen. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God.
[00:30:53] So we should not only be ready to give an answer right when the Lord's drawing that person, but even when they're not coming, approaching us, we should be ready that is willing to give the gospel to people. And this is really where I. Where I'll be honest with this is where it gets hard. And I know. Listen, I know there's some people where we're willing, but we don't know how we're willing, but we're afraid. Fear. That's why fear is mentioned in the verse I just quoted. God hath not given us a spirit of fear. The context of that is being willing to give the gospel to someone. Right?
[00:31:32] So sometimes we're afraid.
[00:31:35] Intentionally bringing up the gospel is often hard for us. It's hard for me and it's no doubt hard for you, even when we have a willing mind and a willing heart. Now if you have no willingness, the reason is shame.
[00:31:48] But if you do have willingness, that doesn't necessarily mean it's easy.
[00:31:55] So I want to give you a few ideas. Okay.
[00:32:00] To help you intentionally approach people with the gospel. Okay, we'll have to go fast, obviously.
[00:32:09] So here's the first one. Ask questions that assume that the person does not know something.
[00:32:17] Like, do you know what the gospel is? Do you know what the Bible says about how to have eternal life? Do you know why Jesus came into the world? Now you know, a lot of people, especially around here, are going to know. They're going to say yes. And when they do, you know what you say, well, tell me how. Why not arrogantly, but inquisitively ask them to explain it. What you'll find is at least half of people, half of people do not know what they're talking about. They know terms, but they don't know meanings. You talk about the gospel. Yeah, yeah, I've heard gospel. Yeah, I know what that is. Yeah, yeah. Something about God and stuff.
[00:32:57] And they have no idea what it is and you don't do it with an arrogant spirit at all. But if they said they understand it, they ought to be able to explain it. Right?
[00:33:07] So ask questions that assume the person doesn't know something.
[00:33:12] The key there is don't assume that people know what they're talking about because they know the words, the jargon.
[00:33:19] Next, use gospel tracts.
[00:33:23] Gospel tracts have two primary uses. First of all, it obviously gives the gospel right to people. Right when it's not practical for us to speak to them directly, but it also gives us an opportunity to speak to them, because when you give somebody a gospel tract, they are obliged to let you at least briefly explain what it's about.
[00:33:49] And that's a little bit of a crack in the door.
[00:33:52] They might shut you down. If they do, fine, but it's better than what you had to start.
[00:33:57] And furthermore, when you give it to them and you walk away, even if they shut you down, they still have the gospel.
[00:34:04] Use it. Now, don't hide behind it. A personal witness is far, far, far better than a gospel tract.
[00:34:12] So don't hide behind it. Use it as a substitute for actually speaking for Christ. Don't do that. But use it as a tool.
[00:34:21] And you know what? There's contact information, and it's a way for you to keep the door open.
[00:34:27] What I like to do is when I give it to someone in drive through or whatever, I'll look them in the eye and I'll say, will you read this when you're on break? As a favor to me, just as an extra to. Because now I want them to know that I'm personally asking them to read it.
[00:34:50] All right, that's number two. Number three, ask the person if they would be willing for you to share a Bible verse with them.
[00:35:00] You say, well, that's a little bit weird. Well, just have a verse memorize and know what you want to say and ask them. I dare you. I dare you. Sometimes it goes well, sometimes it doesn't go well. That's not the point. You don't stop doing it because it doesn't go well. Well, if that's the case, we'd have stopped a long time ago, right?
[00:35:17] Sometimes this method can be somewhat startling to people because they're not expecting to hear it. But that's okay.
[00:35:24] If we sit around and wait until it's just the right, perfect, proper time. We are never going to tell people about Jesus. That's the bottom line. You know, we go into fall for Greenville November 9, right? If we're waiting for all those people who are down there to get hammered, if we're waiting on them to want to hear about Jesus, we're going to be waiting a long time.
[00:35:43] Okay.
[00:35:47] Another one is, you can ask them directly if they would allow you to share the gospel with them. There's nothing wrong with that.
[00:35:55] In some cases, a direct method is best. And sometimes people will say, yes.
[00:36:00] Sometimes they'll say, I already know that. And if they do, you say, well, tell me about it. I'm already saved. Oh, what happened?
[00:36:09] Another thing you can say as we close here, ask thought provoking questions to prompt them to think on eternal things. Here's a few, and you probably have others. Listen, the idea that you're going to have, like, a silver bullet question that's going to fit, that's going to be like, oh, and everybody you say it to is going to get saved, is not going to happen. Forget it, forget it, forget it. It's not going to happen. But there are some that you can use. Do you know for certain that your sins are forgiven? If you died today, do you know where you would go? Where do you stand with God? What are you trusting in to get you to heaven? Are you good enough to get to heaven?
[00:36:46] Where will you be 500 years from now?
[00:36:50] Take one of those and use it. Use others.
[00:36:54] Now, for me, I personally try to avoid gimmicky lines.
[00:37:02] That kind of veil what I'm trying to do. Like, you know, surveys and polls and questionnaires and stuff. I don't. I don't do that. I think it's better to just be open about what you're talking about. Just be open and not try to hide it. I think it's better to do that. They know where they stand and, you know, some people shut you down, that's fine.
[00:37:22] But I will say this and those gimmicky ways. Sometimes I feel come across as inauthentic to people, which is why I don't like them.
[00:37:30] But with that being said, I'm not throwing stones at people because I like the way those people that do that are giving the gospel better than the way I'm not giving the gospel.
[00:37:42] You know what I'm saying?
[00:37:44] So I'm not throwing stones here. This is just for me personally. Right.
[00:37:49] So I would say, don't use deceptive tactics. Speak to people directly, openly, transparently. Be authentic, be real.
[00:37:56] Let's pray.
