Video Transcript: And From Here?

Well, I asked you last time how you're feeling about it. This is our last session together. I want to thank you for the time and the effort you put into this. Thank you for your heart for Jesus for wanting to be a vocal witness for Him. We want to be like Jesus, and His Holy Spirit is in us. We've called this last section Evangelink and that is we are linked with Jesus. We are linked with the Holy Spirit. We are linked with the material and we should be linked with another person. Jesus sent them out two by two. Paul always went two by two. Very important for us to have somebody in our life, somebody in your office or somebody in your home or at school who's always there saying, you made that promise. Did you do it? You said you're going to talk to that person. How did it go? We need that. We need that kind of link. 

So let's pray together and then get into it. Help us to always remember dear Jesus, that we are linked to you. What a great thing that is. We have that hope within us that those who don't know you can't understand. We know that we belong to you. What a good gracious God you are. And dear Holy Spirit, what a friend. We are linked to you. We can't live without you. We couldn't even live a split second if you took our breath away. And we know that we are linked to all this material. Linked to the word of truth. That's one of our core values. And we want to be linked to another person or persons so that we can be faithful to you. We love you. We give ourselves to you. Amen. 

So we're going to talk this last time about kind of finishing up. Where do we go from here? Well, the first thing we want to talk about is that accountability that I mentioned. In Ecclesiastes four nine and 10 says Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone. When he falls and has none another To lift him up. It's important, isn't it? Because we are gonna fall. We know that. We are not perfect. We’re just human. 

That's why we need Jesus. And we're weak. That's why we need the Holy Spirit. I really encourage you and urge you to get someone to be accountable with you. Someone who has the same heart that you do, so that when you say you're having a tough time, they can hear it. When you say you're gonna go out and make a contact they will be praying for you. They'll be asking you about it later. And the same for you that you can grow with that person. Accountability is very, very crucial in this. 

If you're a loner, don't let that be an excuse. Say I need somebody because Satan attacks us when we're alone. And if we're alone and we fall away and we were not doing it like we said we're going to do, he’ll let you lie there. And even make it comfortable there. We need somebody who's going to hold us accountable to say, here's how I'm doing. So I really encourage you to do that, right away. Don't put it off and say well, you know, I'll do that next week or something. Right away. Maybe even pause here and pray and say Lord, who my accountability partner be. I encourage you to do that. 

Another part of wrapping up together is how to develop urgency. And why is it that the world is going to hell and the church seems to be comfortable? Why is it that there are people in my life who I know aren't saved? And as I tell you this material, I haven't gotten to talk to them yet. What is there that can finally put us on fire? You know, we said that the Lord said to Jeremiah, my word will be like a fire in your bones. Is there a fire in my bones? How can I get there? I think a big way is to study passages in the Bible. 

In John chapter three, Jesus is talking there to a person who isn't saved and he says you have to be born again. Read that passage over and over again. Man says how can that be? Jesus said well, it's like the wind. You can't see the wind. We always say look at the wind. But no, we see the results of the wind. And we don't know where the Spirit is working. We see the results of the Holy Spirit. 

Or John chapter four, where Jesus talks with a woman whose life is in deep trouble. And he's so patient and kind with her. And I read that and I say, Oh, Jesus, give me that heart. Luke chapter 15. Jesus tells these stories. Three stories in a row, about something that was lost and something that was found. And every time what was lost is found, there's always rejoicing. There's always party there. They're always excited about it. And it always takes effort. It takes that searching. Read those. Read Luke 15 and pray over it. 

Or Acts chapter two, when the Holy Spirit comes. Here are these apostles who are so afraid. They're hiding up in a room, because they didn't know what was going to happen to them. Jesus was gone. He rose again, they said they just didn't have the strength of faith. And then they're filled with the Holy Spirit and they go out and become different persons. So study passages like that. 

Another way is to read books, on how to be evangelists, how to give a vocal witness, I read them. I get ideas here. I get ideas here. For example, here's one, if you don't mention the name of Jesus, who gets the credit. That's not with me. I found that in a book somewhere. In fact, probably 95% of what you come across in this course, is not original. It all comes from the Lord through different people. So read books on how to evangelism, and that will increase your urgency. 

Another way, read biographies, read stories of people who have come to Christ. What a great thing that is. You read how at first they rejected, and then they came to him. Famous people, people you never heard of before, but read about them. 

Another, specifically ask for God's heart to be your heart. Do that. Have that prayer time. Maybe even set up a special time every week. When you say, Lord, work it in me. Work it in me. Here’s an example. For  a long time, I wanted to hunger and thirst after righteousness. And it just didn't grip me. So I began to pray and I prayed Lord, give me a hungering and thirsting after hungering and thirsting after righteousness. And it began to work in my heart. I just love him with all my heart. The only thing I want in my life is to live for him and please him. So specifically ask for his heart. 

Another is to memorize and pray with verses like these. John 4:34, Jesus said to them, my food is to obey the will of the one who sent me and to finish the work he gave me to do. That's what Jesus said. He missed meals here and there. He barely noticed, because he was so busy and so excited about doing God's work. 

Here's a great one. Memorize this one. I want to point something out here that would just knock you over. As long as it as it is day, we must do the work of Him who sent Me. Night is coming when no one can work. We read over that and say yeah, that's nice. I'm gonna pray. No, no, no, we look what it says. We must do the work of Him who sent me. He includes us in that. Isn't that amazing? He don't say I have to do it, get out of the way. He didn't say you'll have to do it, I'm leaving. But he says we all. I read that I've memorized it. It just strengthened my soul. 

Memorize this one, Romans 10:1, my friends how I wish with all my heart that my own people might be saved, how I pray to God for them. Write it on a card and pray over it. Kneel down over. Jeremiah 9:1, Oh, that my heart were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears. I would weep day and night for the slain of my people. What a heart that is. What urgency. Pray over those verses. Memorize them and ask the Lord to write it on your heart. 

Another way to develop urgency is intentionally work to understand unsaved people and the way they live. Read magazines, read the paper watch, read watch stuff on your computer or on TV if you have one or listen to the radio or just sit places and watch people. When you get to them, understand them and to know them and you begin to love them and your urgency for them. I know why he acts that way. I know why she does that. I know why they say that. And when you know those things, you have that urgency. 

Another is think through your vocal witness being rejected. When somebody laughed at you, when they scared, when they said shut up. When they told you not around here. When they looked the other way. When they walked away from you. Think through that. What was happening actually, were they rejecting you? Or were they rejecting Jesus? And then discuss with others what your life would be without Jesus. Do that with some other people from your church, you're trying to stir your church up right to be a just a place where people are brought to the Lord. Discuss with others. Maybe start a class and say Okay, our first topic is going to be this. What would our life be without Jesus? 

Somebody will talk about when a child died. Some will talk about a sin he remembers. Someone will talk about this or that. Boy that’ll give you a sense of urgency because that's the way a lot of other people are living. Something to think about. 

All right, then. One of the other things I want to talk to you as we leave each other now is about growing. Growing. Listen to this second Peter 3:18, But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord. Luke 2:52. And Jesus grew in wisdom. Jesus, the perfect one grew in wisdom. Acts 18:26. They explained to Apollos the way of God more adequately. We need that sometime. I need it all the time. There are people who take me aside and they say, Ren, we're not sure you said that right. 

Okay, first Thessalonians four one. Now we asked you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. What do you see all through the Bible, all through that early church, people are growing people are learning, you know, if we have to grow, if there are things you don't know, there are things you can do better, we're in good company. Peter, Paul, Apollos, the churches there, especially Jesus, Jesus was a human being who was also God, but as a human being, he had to learn stuff. And it says in the Bible, He grew in wisdom. If that's good enough for Jesus, it's good enough for me. So don't be afraid to grow. Every time the person says to me, I made a mistake. I say to them, that shows you grow, because you recognize it.

In being a vocal witness until it becomes so thoughtless and even afterwards, we got a lot to grow into. And so I encourage it, don't be afraid. Ignorance, there's nothing wrong with not knowing that's what ignorance means. And people say to me, you're ignorant, I say, Yeah, but I can learn. So let's all commit ourselves to growing. Don't get stuck where you are and don't be afraid. We're in good company when we say we have to grow. 

Another thing I would like to talk about, as we sort of come to a close of in this session together, is to think about others. Think of others and I didn't want to go there yet. And so I think I'll go back about growing and we're in good company. And then thinking about others. What I want to encourage you there is with a verse from Matthew seven verse 12. And that is so in everything you do to others what you would have them do to you for this sums up the whole Bible. Again, this talks about what would you want others to do to you if you were not a believer? That's frightening. You know what happened? 

Let me tell you a story. It's kind of embarrassing. But I'm growing right? I was I was when I first started in the ministry. I was a church planter. And I went to an evangelism conference in a big city. When it came time for lunch. I thought, I'm here in any evangelism conference. I'm not gonna eat lunch. I'm gonna go to the nearest mall, and I'm going to talk about Jesus to people. I got to the mall and I was in the parking lot. And I sat there for 15 minutes because I was scared to go in. I prayed, cried. I said, Lord, what's wrong with me? Your know I’m a timid guy, you know, I don't like to just walk up to people. Get there people in there who don't know about you. So after about 15 minutes, I gotta walk through the door. I got to the door. I'm not kidding. I turned around, and I went back to my car. I said, Lord, I am at an evangelism conference. What's wrong with me? I can't do this. I just sat there and thought I have to do it. 

So I went back in the mall. And you know, they had a big fountain there and there was these stones around it. You could sit on it, there was a guy sitting all by himself, and that's good for me because I get nervous in a crowd. And I talked to him, I sat down and I said, Hey guys, how you doing and all that? And I said to him, do you know about Jesus? And he said, Tell me about him. So I told him about how we all sinned against God and how God still loves us and wants to come home and that we can't cover our own sin. Only Jesus can do that. And then I said to him, Jesus will receive you, if you come to him now, if you confess your sins. 

He put his hand on my hand, and he started to cry. He said I'm 42 years old. And he said, 14 years ago, when I was 20, I accepted Jesus and my sins are gone. And I lived with him and I loved him. But what's making me cry is that in those 14 years, no one ever asked me if I was saved or not. And I'm just thinking, what if I wasn't saved, and I died in those 14 years, I would have gone to hell and been separated from Jesus. That really touched my heart. And I thought about the fear that I live with. I thought about my reluctance. I prayed and I said, Lord, I want to grow. I want to keep going for you. Help me to think of others. You know, when I say, Oh, that's not for me. I'm too busy. Or when I say Oh, I'm too scared or I don't know enough. What we're doing here? I, I, I and what we're going to hear from Jesus, do to others, do to others, do to others. 

You know that and then I want to close the whole study together. We had to thinking about others. And then these especially. Okay, first of all, think of the Holy Spirit. It says in Ephesians four verse 30. Do not grieve the Spirit of God. It's the Spirit of God who's in you, who's urging you, who's saying, No one believes without me. You didn't believe without me. Now go and tell others about me. And when the Holy Spirit opens the door when someone says to you, you know, I just feel so sad anymore. Or, you know, the way I live doesn't please the Lord. Like I have all these things, and I still had an empty hole in my heart. When those doors are open, the Holy Spirit has opened them. 

If we say, you know what, that’s too bad. Or we walk away, and we don't leave them to the Lord. The Holy Spirit is grieved. Remember, we studied about how he is a person and he sets that up, and if we don't do it for him, we hurt him. So what better motive could there be than to be a vocal witness and not grieve the Holy Spirit? 

We think of Jesus too. Think of what Jesus said, just as Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. Jesus died on the cross, horribly persecuted, horribly punished, horribly tortured, horribly mocked by people who walked by. He did that for many. Ransom means that someone is held captive, and nobody is neutral in this world. You either belong to Jesus or you belong to Satan. And if a person belongs to Satan, that person is being held captive. And Jesus came to pay the ransom to set that person free. If Jesus did all that for them, then can we do this?

And one more to think of God the Father. God says in Ezekiel 18, Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live? God is deeply grieved. Deeply grieved when people go to hell. Sometimes people say God becomes your worst enemy. Oh, no, not at all. God loves him to the end. Those are the people he created. And there's a pain in his heart when people are not saved. 

So we think of the Holy Spirit. We think of Jesus. But above all, we think of our loving Heavenly Father, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 

Let's pray. Oh, dear God. We love you. We are so sorry dear Holy Spirit that we grieve you. Dear Jesus, we see you pouring out your life as a ransom and we treat it like it's not a big deal. And dear Father in heaven, your heartbreaks for those who do not come home for you. We need to step here in this course together. Small step perhaps for some, giant step for others. Right now, we are saying, we are going to be vocal witnesses for you. We know you will help us. We love you and we honor you through Jesus our Savior. Amen.