You Can Share It!
Well, good morning. I have to confess, after that kind of an introduction, they've had me so excited. I cannot wait to hear what I'm going to say. But it's such a delight to be here with you. I live in Dallas, TX, but in my opinion, the favorite part of the country is the Northwest. I call living in Dallas my sacrifice for Christ because we only have two seasons, dawh, blah. And so it's great to be here with you and looking forward to just a great day together. I have people that I love, the kind introduction Dave gave me when you travel as a speaker.
You get every kind of introduction, but they're not always good news. Some time ago a pastor introduced me by saying no, in a moment I will introduce our speaker. But right now you can enjoy the service.
So I appreciate the chance to be here with you. But I tell people everywhere
I go, there is no one who sits on a platform anywhere in America anymore, more grateful to God than I do because I never have the time to give my life story. If I had both inherited speech defect inherited from my dad's side of the family that was so severe I could not pronounce the word. T H E - the, and therefore medical doctor, told me in no uncertain terms, to give up all hope of ever being a public speaker one day. Seeing high school with my head reading
my hands so no one could see I was crying because I had just been ridiculed for it seemed like the 500th time.
I said God, if you will help me with this inherited defect, I will always use my voice for you. And starting that day, I started to have a control I'd never had in my life and thousands of years. Speech therapy brought me around today and God and kindness I don't deserve has allowed me to speak in every state of the nation. And sixty different foreign countries. And if you just want to find
out what God can do, just tell him what he can't do. And God has an amazing way of working and it's such a light to be with you because when you come from that kind of background, you don't take one opportunity for granted. It does not matter to the audience of eight or an audience of 800 and such would like to be here with you. But this morning I would like to speak on a subject I've entitled 3 Essentials in your relationships with Unbelievers.
3 Essentials in your Relationship with Unbelievers. And if you have your Bible, may I ask you to take it and turn with me to Colossians 4 and I would like to
start reading at the second verse, or you can also take that handout you got when you came in and follow me there because the outline and the passage are both there. Colossians chapter 4, I like to start reading in verse 2. I want you to leave here today not just knowing what I said, but knowing where in the Bible God said it first.
|. Pray Properly
So Colossians 4:2. “Continue urgency in prayer, being vigilant in it with Thanksgiving. Meanwhile, praying also for us. That God would open to us a door for the Word. We might speak of the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains. That I may make it manifest as an altar. Speak. Walk in wisdom towards those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt. That you may know how you ought to answer each one.”
A pastor who ministered at a remote area in Kentucky one time decided to give a series of messages on the subject of evangelism. And as he did, he reminded the people Sunday after Sunday after Sunday after Sunday. The evangelism is not done by something, it is done by someone. One man was so touched by messages he decided by the grace of God he had to talk to someone about Christ. But since the area was remote and the people were few and far between, the only ones he could think of was an old timer and his wife way back in the hills of Kentucky. It was one of those couples that may have spoken about but few had ever spoken to. But searching that that man needed Christ as badly as any man did, he stuck in the testament in his pocket a sandwich in his saddle bag, so he headed by a horse back to the old timer cabin. When he got there, he found the man outside cutting his supply wood for the winter, and although the man seemed delighted to see a new face, the believer did not have any idea how to begin a conversation about Christ other than the power right into it. And so he looked at the man and said, Sir, can you tell me, are you a Christian? And the old timer said, no, I think you have the wrong cabin. Mr. & Mrs. Christian, they have about two miles further back in the mountains and the believer said no, you don't understand it.
“What I mean is are you saved” and the old timer says “saved, I'm not even
lost. I've been in these mountains for over 50 years. I know where a cow path goes through is in the country and Blair said. “No, you still don't understand. Well, I am trying to find out is, “are you ready for the judgment day?”
And the old timer said, “well, when's it going to be?” And the believer was a bit surprised by the question, said, “Well, I don't know. It could be today or it could be tomorrow. At which time the old timer said, “Please son, don't breathe a word to my wife because she'll want to go both days.”
If you spend any time talking to believers, you run into all kinds of problems.
First of all, though, she seemed to have no interest in spiritual things. And every time you walk toward the subject, they step away. Then the other time you have a chance to talk about Christ. How you're no more than two minutes in the conversation. And they look at you and they say hold everything. Don't talk to me about religious stuff. My neighbor says he's a Christian. And the only area it is like is 11 to 12 on a Sunday morning. I figure if that's Christianity, I'm a whole lot better off the way I am. Then there's still other times you have a chance to talk about Christ. It becomes obvious they're going to make a fool out of you and treat you like you're an idiot. So you prove to them your mind is sharper and your tongue is faster. So just as they tried to
make a fool out of you, he tried to make a fool out of them. Just as they asked you questions you could not answer, they asked you questions they could not answer.
And you realize you have not had a conversation about Christ. You've had a full pledged argument that demands some apologies, certainly a matter of time. How to fear and frustration, discouragement, disgust. You throw your hands up in the air and you say, how in the world do you reach unbelievers? I'm convinced that Paul the Apostle gives a powerful solution because after talking to workers about how I live for Christ on the job, after talking to couples about how to live for Christ in the home, he tells all of us how to live for Christ on the street. And to be honest with you, when I read that paragraph, I sometimes become confused. There are times I think Paul had given testimony about the need in his life.
Other times I feel like he's given a sermon about the needs of my life. But I am not confused by what he's saying because of what Paul was saying in this paragraph.
|. Pray Properly
Other times I feel like he's given a sermon about the needs of my life. But I am not confused by what he's saying because of what Paul was saying in this paragraph.
Is going to come to our relationship with unbelievers. There are three essentials on the part of every one of us. And the thing that's interesting to me, the essential he begins with is 1, where we put the least deficits and God puts the most because he gave three times as much space to the first essential as he does the other two. Because the first thing he says is pray properly.
And notice she says we're to continue urgency in prayer, being vigilant with Thanksgiving.
What he's saying is prayer ott to come from your life. Like what? A compliment drifting faucet? Praying you get up, praying an hour after you're up. Pray before breakfast, and pray after breakfast. Pray before lunch, pray after lunch, pray you ate at work, pray on your way home, but make it a habit to give yourself a prayer, the prayer and do it with the spirit of Thanksgiving.
Whenever I read the context of prayer, I'm always reminded of a couple that always wanted a baby boy. But the only way the boy always wanted a baby brother. But the only way that dad said to me to get it is you got to ask for it, God for it. So he said son if you want, then you've got to ask God for one. So morning, noon, and night the boy prayed. He prayed before school, he prayed after school, he prayed on his way to school. On his way home, he prayed before praying. After class. There was never an hour he did not pray. But after one week of praying, he still does not have his baby brother. So he said this is obviously not doing any good. So after one week of praying, he stopped praying. Nine months later, Dad came and said, son, your mother is going to hospital. And I have a feeling when she comes home, she'll have God answer your prayers in her arms. The mother went to the hospital and she came home and sure enough, she didn't have one baby brother in arms. She had two,
a beautiful set of trends. And the father said, now, son, aren't you glad you prayed the way you did? And the son said, yeah, Dad. Why aren't you glad
I stopped when I did? What you're saying is you ought to pray with the attitude you ought to aren't you there? I stopped when I did, but I noticed he's the one who says one thing you ought to pray for and you really kept the unbelievers and that is a door of opportunity because he said we're three. Meanwhile praying also for us that God would give us a door for the word doing my big to speak the mystery of Christ, which I'm also in kings and that term
adore for the word means a door of opportunity.
Now there's no doubt in my mind Paul the Apostle had the chance to share Christ in prison. I promise you, if I was an unsaved Roman guard, the last thing I would want is to change the Paul the Apostle 24 hours a day. I could see him look at me and say, look, since the two of us have a chance to do some bonding, may I ask you a question with other people I've been chained to? Has anyone ever taken a Bible and showed you I can know you're going to heaven?
At the same time, he's not going to be limited by the walls of a prison. So he's thinking of himself as associates. He says praying to God might give a door of opportunity. He says in verse 4 that I might make it manifest as all to speak. Paul wanted to make it manifest to the entire world that crying death on the cross was the only basis for right standing with God. And so he said pray for an opportunity and when people tell me how I pray my relationship to the Lord's
people.
Well, the first thing you do is you pray for opportunity and I always remind them that the door might open. A lot better than you ever think. But nowhere in the Bible am I ever told to open a door for the gospel. God Job to open it. My job's to walk through it. And therefore you pray for our opportunity. And I always remind you that that door might come a lot faster and everything. We have a son who's now 43 years old, but when he was about five years old, he decided if his dad was going to be an evangelist, then he would be one too.
And he had a person who never met a stranger and he is very intelligent. Now I can say that and nobody can accuse me of bragging because our son is adopted. In fact, one day some friends of ours said to us, your son is so
intelligent, you can tell he's adopted. But for that reason he woke up to anyone, anyone say what are you depending on? You get kid heaven. That's where you start. He'd walk up to anyone and say what do you depend on
to get you to heaven.
And one day my wife and he were in a hardware store. He runs up to the counter. He says, what are you depending on to get you to heaven?
Though I was surprised how abruptly the question came up, he said I go to church, I live a good life, I do what's right. And Dave looked at my wife and he said he ain't going to make it. At that point my wife had a door of opportunity. But one time they were visiting a neighbor that is right behind us and David whispered to my wife. Is she a Christian? Tammy whispered back. Daddy and I don't know. We've been asking God to give us the opportunity to find out.
David Silva's was his day of opportunity. Silva said what are you depending on to get you to heaven? And she said, well, Jesus Christ. He said Christ plus walkthrough Christ alone. And she looked at my wife and she said, “Would you please explain what it means to be born again?” And Tammy led her to Jesus?
He's saying pray property, pray that God will give you a dual opportunity and always recognize that the door might come a lot faster than you ever thought it would. But sometimes what hinders us, our relationship with non Christians is not the lack of prayer, it's the life we live around them. Nietzsche, who was famous years ago for proclaiming God is dead one time made the comment one time. Show me first that you're a Dean. And now listen to your talk about your Redeemer.
||. Live Properly
And one reason there are so many careless sinners is there's too many callous Christians. And after praying properly, the second thing he says is to live properly. And look at what he says there in verse 5. You walk in wisdom for those who are outside redeeming the time. Now by the term walk, he is not referring to the way you walk to the breakfast table, but the way you leave from the breakfast table.
Your entire manner of living. He's saying walk in wisdom, and that word wisdom means common good sense, the kind God gives anyone who would ask him for it. I like to use the illustration of a man that lived at the top of a high mountain and the only way to top that high mountain was by means of horses and stagecoach and the man a driver for a Stagecoach. He put an ad in the paper and three different men applied and he decided who should get the job. He had one of them drive the safety coach to top that mountain. Well, at one point it was a tight spot with a wall of rock on one side and a cliff on the other.
The first man came by aid if I wouldn't get a job. I’d have to prove I can handle horses right close to the edge of that cliff. And he brought them within
3 feet off the edge of that cliff. 2nd man came along and said I'm going to get a job, I've got to prove I can do better than the first guy. Hank brought them within one foot of the edge of that cliff.
The 3rd man came along and he said job or no job. There is no way I'm taking those horses close to that edge. That's not very wise. If they all competed.
The one doing your herring looked up to me and he said it's my conviction. What I need most in a state coach, driver is good common sense. You've proven you have it, you get the job.
What he's saying is walking common good sense for those that don't know the Lord. He then says redeeming the time. That phrase redeeming the time means buying up the opportunity. Look at moments of your life, the opportunity to live around unsaved people in such a way that I'll draw the
truth across, not away from it. In other words, your life always attracts them.
They are never to distract them. Walk and commonly set for those who don't know the Lord, buying up every opportunity to influence them for Christ.
He's saying live properly because so many times those that speak the loudest.
Are those that live the worst and for that reason says live properly, walk in common good sense towards those that don't know the Lord, buying up every opportunity for them to Christ. He's saying live properly.
Napoleon once made a prerogative; the reason he defeated the Austrians is because they never learned the value of 5 minutes. He's saying learn the
value of 5 minutes. Walking common good sense for those that don't know the Lord, buying up every opportunity, influences them for Christ. Look at moments of your life as moments of opportunity and his point is you ought to live property. As you can imagine, I do a lot of flying and one day I was flying back from a speaking engagement several years ago. What was that in Republic Airlines? The fella next to me, he worked for Republic Airlines.
I turned the conversation to spiritual things. I said has anyone ever taken a Bible and shown you how you know for sure to go to heaven? He said no they
haven't. I said may I? He said no. I said, well, I appreciate your honesty. Had I shown it to you from the Bible, I would have shown you.
First of all, you have to know you're a sinner. The Bible says all have sinned and fall short of the word of God. And I went through the entire thing, within the entire thing.
So after about 45 minutes, I said, “You didn't mind me talking about it.” You
Why?
He said years ago I met a Christian who was a hypocrite. Try throughout the whole thing I said I want to ask you something.
This is a Republic flight, right?
He said that's right. I said, you work for public airlines,
right? He says, right. I said, you know why I took it?
He said no. Why?
I said well one reason they picked my schedule, but the second reason is they have given me good service. In fact, they have given me such good service
if I met one of your employees who did not. I would not throw out the airlines.
And I don't think you have any business throwing out Christ like you met one guy who didn't live life.
He said that's a powerful thought. I promise you I'll start thinking seriously about Christ. Now he had no reason to throw out Christ because one God didn't live life. But neither do we have any reason.
For not living asylum Christians and such that they would draw them to the cross, not turn them away. And he's saying live property. One time there was a man that came to Christ and he attributed his conversion to a neighbor who was so timid. And the neighbor was surprised. He said, I did not even talk to you about Christ the way I should have. And the newcomer said no, you didn't.
But you led me to death. I could refute an argument. I could have set the logic. But I could not refuse the way you lived. He's saying live properly.
|||. Speak Properly
But then you only mention the third essential because sometimes what hinders us in our relationship with unbelievers is the way we use our tongue. Socrates once said to one of these pupils, I've got to teach these sciences. Use your tongue. The other is how to hold it. That you're going to be effective in your witness. Unbelievers have to know how to use their tongue. Also, I have to know how to hold it. So having said pray properly. Live properly. He then says Speak Properly and look at what he says there in verse 6.
“Let your speech always be with grace. Seize, my Saul, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.”
That word grace means, let it have a graciousness about it.
One time a woman went to see a doctor and the doctor said, did you come to see anybody else before coming to see me? And the woman said no. But
I did go to see my pharmacist. And the doctor said, and what kind of idiotic advice did he give you? And she said, he told me to come see you.
Now, sometimes our species characterize that kind of frankness. He said let it be characterized by grace. Then he says let it be seasoned with salt. Now, I think the reason he thought of that analogy is because close to colossi there was a Salt Lake. But saw, as it used in scripture, has a twofold purpose. On one hand, it induces an appetite. And make something tasty. On the other hand, it acts as a preservative and renders something lasting.
So what he's saying is correlating the gift of wholesome and pleasant conversation. That you may know how you ought to answer each one.
Now, that does not mean you cannot confront or you have to confront. You cannot be direct or you have to be direct. If you know anything about the late, great Muhammad Ali, you know he never struggled with his self-image. He was convinced. It's hard to be humble when you're so great. And one time he's on a plane flight. As the plane was about to take off, the flight attendant said to him, please buckle your seat belt. He looked at her and he said, “Superman don't need no seat belt.” And she looked at him. She said, Superman don't need no airplane. Buckle up.”
Sometimes you've got to be direct. What we are saying is there's never a time to be terse. There's never time to be rude. There's never time for sarcasm.
He said let your speech look like Saul in a person's life. Let it give them an appetite for God. And let it strike them at being wholesome.
We have a saying we use today. If I start it, you can finish it. He simply
goes like this. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but what? Words would
never hurt me. You know what Paul is saying. They may not hurt you. But they may hurt the person to whom you're speaking and the college you represent.
And for that reason, if far risers choose what you say, then they say what you choose.
Maybe speech will reveal there's something that the book keeps completely misunderstood. Maybe a speech revealed he'd been turned off by the hypocrisy of another believer. Maybe it's being revealed there's questions you have about God. Why does he allow a thing to happen in his life? He's saying it doesn't matter.
Speak in such a way that your speech, just like your life, will draw them close across instead of away from it. He's saying, speak properly and notice. His point is this is the way you ought to speak all the time. Look at verse 6. Let
your speech always be with grace. Seasonal salt. Because you don't change the way you speak when non Christians come around.
Instead the way you speak to people in general. When you talk to the unsaved in particular. So might I ask you? What kind of reputation does your tongue have?
Does it strike people with being terse? Or to extract him from being tender.
One of my favorite verses in the Bible has always been John 114 where it says “Christ was full of grace and truth.” And what troubles me in traveling for 52 years as an evangelist, I find there are some Christians have grace. But they don't have any truth. But I've been more distressed.
Oh, Christians who have truth. But they sure don't have any grace.
He's saying correlate the gift of presence, wholesome conversation
that you might know your audience for each one.
He's saying speak properly. One time there was a man. He spoke to his neighbors about Christ. But every time he did, the Native responded with words that were both rude and insulting. And shortly thereafter.
True story. In the past the son became I'll. What turned out to be a terminal disease. And shortly thereafter, he died. True story.
Although it might sound hard to believe. Right after he died those unsafe neighbors walked in his house and said, well, where is your God now?
Cater to them. Very pleasant! Very calmly. Very wisely, very politely said.
“The same place he was when he lost his son.”
He says cultivate the gift. A pleasant, wholesome conversation that you may know how you ought to answer each one. While Paul is saying this paragraph.
is our responsibilities, as he's already told them, workers having a job and parents in the home.
But the responsibilities I always have to anybody, anywhere. A person once made a comment. The obvious is never the obvious until somebody says it ever says simply. And Paul makes what should be obvious even more obvious by saying they never do something.
Any relationships with non Christians?
Pray properly.
Live properly.
Speak properly.
And you're all making a total difference. And those who've never met the Savior have no idea who they're missing?
What are the three Essentials in your relationship with unbelievers? They are the same as me.
Pray property, live property, speak properly. What are the three essentials? They are, pray properly, live properly, & speak properly.
What are the three Essentials in your relationship for Non Christians
They are: Pray properly, Live properly, Speak properly. Now there's one problem I saw. What if she was doing it improperly?
Pray properly. Live properly. Speak properly.
That's called cheating. God calls it sin. Without looking at your notes, with
no time to talk to your neighbor.
No confray.
What are the three essentials in a relationship with non Christians? They are pray properly, live properly, I beg you on behalf of Christ.
Pray properly, live properly and speak properly.
And you will make an eternal difference in people throughout the state of Idaho. And wherever you go. What are the three essentials? Once more?
Pray properly,
Live property,
Speak properly.
True story. Years ago there was an Evangeles who had a crusade in the midwest. Many people came to Christ. A woman who was a believer attended with her two sons. Who, although they came with her every night? Showed no interest in spiritual thinking. And one day she walked up to Anderson, she said.
I'd like to know why so many are coming to Christ. And my sons had no interests of any kind.
He proceeded to ask her a few questions. He said, Have you prayed that God
will give you a door of opportunity? She confessed. Not only had she not done that. Even an attitude, even God could not save them.
He said. Have you tried to speak and live in such a way that could commend the Savior to them? She confessed. Not only had she not done that. But she even harbored a bitter attitude. Because of things they had done to her. And God gave him the courage and the love to look at her and say, then could I suggest?
The reason your sons are unsaved it's probably because of you. That common valent tears down to their heart. And it was shortly thereafter that both of them came to the Savior. Actually changed the way she thought. Changed the
the way she prayed. Change the way she spoke.
Now that not to say wherever there's unsaved children, it's because parents did not live for Christ. That is not true. But it's easy to say.
In our relationship with non Christians. We've got to pray properly. live
properly and speak properly.
And you will make an internal difference in the lives of those who have never met the Savior and have no idea. Who are they missing?
I believe the way God, Christ would finish what we say?
“He that has ears then let them hear.”
Let's pray together. Could you pray with me?
This morning as our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed.
My message had been to those who know Christ. But maybe you're here and you don't know for sure that you're going to heaven. The Bible says we come to God as sinners, recognize Christ died for us, trust him alone to save us.
If you've not trusted Christ alone as your only way to heaven is a free gift.
I'm going to pause for a moment.
Tell God in your own words. God. I'm trusting you right now as my personal savior. And right there in that seat right now. God will give you a free gift for eternal life. If you've never settled that. Several right now. And if you just did that?
One favor I ask of you. Tell Dave or tell me. After service. Today I trusted Christ as my personal Savior, and I meant it.
And we will see that you get information on how to grow as a Christian and live a life that says thank you. But assuming you do have that assurance. Let me now ask you to take a moment and talk to him.
Did you pray for opportunity? And you're working in your neighborhood.
Would someone look at your life and say that's what it's like to be a Christian? I want to become one. What kind of reputation does your tongue have?
Whatever is going to be different after today. Don't tell me, tell God right now.
Our gracious Father. If you ask us what's important. We probably take about
600 words and say nothing. He takes 6 hours and says it all.
Pray properly.
Live properly
Speak properly.
I pray, Lord, that for everyone of us here, You might help us to live in such a way that commends the Savior to them. And I pray for the result of this time together, those who don't know you have no idea who they're missing.
Might be brought to you. Remind us in the precious way we've ever been reminded. The only thing we can take with us to heaven is a friend.
Help us to live for people, not for things.
For asking in Jesus' name for Thanksgiving.
Amen.