Latest / Chip Ingram Sermon Podcast / Connecting Their Story to the Gospel

Transcript

Connecting Their Story to the Gospel · Chip Ingram Sermon Podcast

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Today on Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram.
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Have you ever had a clear opportunity to talk
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about Jesus, but got too nervous or scared in
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the moment to follow through? Well, let me tell
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you, we've all been there. I certainly have.
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Well, stay with me as we learn some easy steps
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to boldly talk about Jesus to others, even those
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who totally disagree with where you're coming
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from. You're listening to Living on the Edge
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with Chip Ingram. Today we're hearing from guest
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teacher Aaron Pierce, who leads a mission called
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Steiger International, spending his life building
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bridges with people who've never set foot in
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a church. Today he reveals what it actually looks
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like to introduce someone to the person of Jesus.
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Aaron reminds us that the moment we commit to
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sharing his story, we should expect a little
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resistance, and that resistance can actually
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be a sign we're doing something worthwhile. Well,
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now here's Aaron Pierce with today's message
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titled, Connecting Their Story to the Gospel.
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Last session, we talked about how to bridge the
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gap from friendship to the gospel by having spiritual
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conversations. And this session, we're going
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to be talking about how do we introduce Jesus
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and the message of the cross to non -religious
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people and then start a discipleship relationship.
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The first point in all of this is that we need
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to remember that our only hope for this world
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is Jesus and the message of the cross. There
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are no other answers to the pain and suffering
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and brokenness of this world than Jesus and the
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message of the cross. We always need to remember
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that because while our goal is to connect with
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people relationally and build authentic relationships,
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and while our goal is to challenge the assumptions
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that stand in the way of the message of the cross,
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ultimately the goal is that we introduce them
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to Jesus and the message of the cross because
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that is the only hope. So if we fall short of
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that, we're falling short of offering the real
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answer to the real problems of the world. So
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for me, this is very personal. I grew up in a
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missionary home, as you all know, and experienced
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personally the power of God at work in my life.
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Like my parents started this mission. I got to
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see God's work in people's lives, transforming
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people's lives outside the church in powerful
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ways. And so that was a super big privilege for
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me. Because God was not just this nice Sunday
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tradition that we did. It wasn't just this kind
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of religious thing. It was real. And it informed
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every part of our lives. And so that was the
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privileged environment in which I grew up. But
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my parents were always cool about saying, like,
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you need to go and do what God has called you
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to do. It doesn't have to look like us. It doesn't
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have to be in vocational ministry. It's about
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being faithful and obedient to whatever he's
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called you to do. And so I went to college and
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I studied international business and economics.
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And I wanted to get into the business world.
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And also I was on my way to law school and I
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had visions. Some of them were just kind of selfish
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ambition of like politics and how I was going
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to change the world through that. And that was
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kind of the path that I was on. And then when
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I was at college, I went on a mission trip, which
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is kind of interesting because my whole life
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was a mission trip. But I went on a classic,
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you know, church mission trip. And what's great
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about mission trips is you just. It broadens
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your perspective and you see things. And like
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a classic mission trip, I was exposed to the
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brokenness of this world. And I saw poverty.
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I saw injustice. I saw people who didn't have
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what I had. And I just saw a lot of just pain
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and suffering. So you can react to that in one
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of two ways. One is like you get inspired. You're
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like, I'm going to do something about it. The
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other way is you kind of just feel overwhelmed.
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And you feel like, man, how do we solve the problems
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of this world? And frankly, I felt like that,
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the latter. And I felt like, what drop in the
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ocean can I make in terms of impact? And I remember...
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essentially complaining to God and saying like,
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God, how do you, why do we have a world like
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this? That's so messed up. And I was struggling
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with that. And I was seeking God in that. And
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I was wrestling about how do we solve the problems
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of this world? And then I had this deep revelation
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from the Lord. And the revelation was that all
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sin, all suffering, all pain in the world is
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a result of just one thing. And that's sin. And
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there's only one solution to sin. And that is
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Jesus and the message of the cross. And so at
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that moment, I was like, all right, I'm done
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with everything else. My life is going to be
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about addressing the root cause and communicating
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the message of the cross to a world that is broken
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and suffering. And that that is the only hope.
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for this world. Now, again, let me be clear.
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Followers of Jesus should be in part of all spheres
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of society, and we should be bringing this hope
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in all spheres of society. So this doesn't mean
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that every one of us has to be a vocational minister
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or missionary or something like that, but every
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one of us needs to see how we can bring the hope
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of Jesus to the world that God has put us in,
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and recognizing that that is our only hope. So
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this is the key. And what's cool is that I got
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to be in a ministry in which I saw the power
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of the cross at work in so many different contexts.
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I've seen people in tough secular European countries
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on their knees praying to receive Jesus. I've
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seen Muslims in the Middle East meeting Jesus.
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I've seen people in hardcore nightclubs in Brazil
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finding Jesus. In every context, in every culture,
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no matter the situation, Jesus is the hope and
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the answer of what people are looking for. And
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so we need to start. by reminding ourselves of
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that and perhaps having a revelation of the message
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of the cross and how that is ultimately what
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people need to hear. Now, here's the thing. When
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you commit to making your life about the message
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of the cross, you better expect some spiritual
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opposition because there is nothing that the
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enemy hates more than when we begin to commit
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our lives to communicating the message of the
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cross. There is nothing the enemy hates more.
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And so as you commit to this, and as you begin
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to take steps in this direction, you better expect
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all sorts of lies from the enemy. There's going
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to be lies like, who do you think you are? You're
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a fraud. You're a hypocrite. You're not adequate.
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They're not going to listen to you. Why even
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bother? All these lies. that begin to flood your
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brain that make you go, you know what, maybe
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I shouldn't do this, you know, or the distractions
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of this world will begin to glimmer a little
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brighter. And you're like, I guess I want to
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watch that Netflix show instead of developing
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a relationship with someone who I don't particularly,
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you know, agree with on a lot of topics, right?
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And so you got to recognize that the enemy is
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going to do everything in his power to try to
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stop you from communicating the message of the
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cross. So the first thing is recognizing that.
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recognizing that that is going to be the case.
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And then the key, you know, when it comes to
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spiritual opposition, we stand on the truth,
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right? Jesus modeled this in the desert. He stood
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on the word of God and he confronted lies with
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biblical truth, right? So we need to know the
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biblical truth. We need to stand on the truth.
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And then we also need to make sure we're not
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doing this alone. I said this before, but this
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is not just an individual sport. This is a team
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sport. And so we want to commit to do this with
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others that are going to hold our arms up in
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the battle. That when I am feeling weak, when
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I'm feeling like I can't handle it, they can
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stand strong with me. And so I'm doing this with
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a community of people together. And then the
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last thing is just to not give up and to persevere.
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So much of success in ministry is just not giving
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up, showing up, persevering and not giving up.
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And so again, as we commit, as we recognize,
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as we remember that the only hope for this world
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is Jesus and the message of the cross, we should
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expect. spiritual opposition. And frankly, that
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is a sign that you're probably doing something
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that matters. Like if you have no spiritual opposition,
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you should question what you're doing. And this
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is what's going to happen when it's about communicating
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that message across, which is more than just
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meeting physical needs. It's more than just,
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you know, being a friend to someone. It's actually
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introducing them to the answer for the sin problem
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that they have. And so that's the key thing to
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remember now. The context here is that God has
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opened our eyes to the problem. We're aware of
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the fact that we are in a post -Christian context,
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right? He's opened our eyes and we have rearranged
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our lives to develop friendships with secular
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people, with people that wouldn't walk into a
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church. And we've begun to engage in good spiritual
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conversations. You've done all of this good work.
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Now you got to jump off the cliff. Like now you
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got to take that moment. I remember I took my
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kids a couple of years ago to South Dakota to
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Black Hills. And there was this big spot where
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we were able to jump off a cliff onto a big lake.
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And we kind of right up to that cliff. And you
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have that moment, right, where you're like you're
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standing. And at some point, there's nothing
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you can't get any closer to the edge, right?
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Like you've got as close the edge. The only thing
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left to do is to bail out or to jump. Right.
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And so that is what it's like when it comes to
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introducing Jesus in the message of the cross,
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because at some point you got to just do it right
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there. And it's not always going to be perfectly
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smooth and natural. You've got to take that leap.
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And there's a tension moment, right? You feel
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it. You're getting to that point. And at some
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point, you've just got to take that leap because
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you're not sure how they're going to react. And
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you've got to introduce Jesus and the message
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of the cross. So we push through fear. You know,
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we push through the awkwardness or the perception
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that it might be awkward. And we take that step
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of faith. We jump off the cliff and we introduce
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the message of the cross. Right. So now we said
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the context here, you, we, we recognize that
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ultimately people need to hear Jesus and the
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message of the cross. You're going to face that
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opposition, jump off the cliff. And now how do
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we do it? How do we do it? So the first principle
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rely on the Holy spirit, not scripts or tracks.
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And I don't mean to. Judge people that like to
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use tracks. They've been effective in certain
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ways and for certain people. But I think in this
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context, for a variety of reasons, it's better
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to rely on the Holy Spirit to guide you in a
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natural conversation than using a script or track.
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Part of that is cultural. We live in a time when
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we are very skeptical of what people are trying
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to sell us. And so the script vibe just feels
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that way. It also feels far less natural relationally.
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Because it's more about me getting my script
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out than it is about me just having a conversation
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with you about something that matters to me.
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It's about being led by the Spirit and doing
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this. But as I engage in this conversation and
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He's discerning and leading me, I might go a
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path that I didn't anticipate going on. But if
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I have a formula and a script I follow, then
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there's no deviating from that. And so that's
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my challenge. And the idea here is let's not
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vomit our gospel scripts. Right. And sometimes
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the reason for that is that it's the goal is
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not for you to share the gospel. The goal is
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for them to receive it. Those are two different
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things. And sometimes we confuse the two. And
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you should feel good that you share the gospel.
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Don't get me wrong. But in the end, that is not
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the goal. The goal is that they actually hear
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it and receive it. And so sometimes with our
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scripts and our formulas and our like ticking
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the box evangelism, it's more about like I shared
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the gospel today, which is good because many
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Christians do not. But beyond that, you want
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them to actually hear it. So it's a different
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mentality. And so that's why we need to wait
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for the right opportunity, be listening and responding
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to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. So that's
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the first key principle. The second that relates
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to this is that people need to experience the
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power and presence of God. Especially in a post
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-Christian culture where people think they know
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who Jesus is, or they have some idea of what
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the gospel message is about, but it's become
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white noise to them at best. It's become something
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that triggers a sense of hostility at worst.
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The gospel is not just about a transfer of information.
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It's about a supernatural revelation of God.
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That when I communicate the gospel message, that
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people sense God revealing himself through those
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words. That there is a power and an authority
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and a sense of presence of God that goes beyond
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the intellectual arguments that I've had or the
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misconceptions about who I am. Because in the
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end, we're not just trying to... transfer information,
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right? We're trying to introduce them to the
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real living God. And so that's why we need to
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rely on that and recognize that we need to ask
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the Holy Spirit for boldness and courage. One
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of the signs that you're filled with spirit is
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that you are bold and courageous. You look at
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that through the book of Acts. That was a key
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sign that the spirit was moving and that there
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is authority and power in my words. I've experienced
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this in multitudes of ways in which there are
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times when I communicate and my words fall flat.
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And then other times when I communicate the same
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words, but God's presence, his authority is on
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those words and it resonates, it connects. And
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that's because we need the Holy Spirit to be
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moving. So we need to be praying. None of this
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can be done in the natural. Throughout all this
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training, we're talking about none of this can
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be done in the natural. And so we need to be
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praying for the Holy Spirit to give us boldness
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and courage. And when you're filled with the
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Spirit, there's a conviction, an assurance that
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gives you the boldness to speak. And then we
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need to have that authority and power that our
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words carry weight beyond the words themselves.
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Those are the things we need to be praying for.
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And then the big idea here is that we're introducing
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people to the person of Jesus. The concept is
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that we are not, it's not about defending a philosophy
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or a concept or a set of intellectual beliefs.
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We're actually introducing people to the person
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of Jesus. And sometimes as followers of Jesus,
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we need to remind ourselves of that, right? Because
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it gets into like, how do I convince you to believe
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these set of principles or this theological framework?
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All of that is good, but that's based on the
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person. the real person of Jesus that you are
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introducing them to. And that's the goal. And
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that's a helpful thing because a lot of the stuff
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that comes in terms of, you know, sanctification
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and their discipleship process and moral behavior
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and political stuff, all of that comes downstream
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after they meet Jesus. And so it kind of gives
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you the freedom when you're engaging a secular
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person that your goal is not to worry about their
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behavior. not to worry about the lifestyle that
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they live or the political view that they may
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or may not have. Your job is to introduce them
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to the person of Jesus. And then when they meet
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Jesus, all that stuff begins to take shape. So
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who is Jesus as you're having these conversations
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now? What did they think? Who is it accurate?
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And often what we need to do is we need to begin
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to reframe Jesus in people's minds. Christianity
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has become synonymous with the political party.
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right, for valid or invalid reasons. In some
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circles, Christianity has unfairly been associated
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with racism and misogyny and bigotry and the
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tool of the rich and the elitist. This is a view
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that some people have. Many also point to like
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the horrible things that were done in the name
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of Christianity throughout history. And they
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say that that's proof that it's a destructive,
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negative thing. You know, as we're confronted
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by these misconceptions and these misrepresentations
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of Jesus, we have to patiently reframe him so
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that. All that baggage, we talked about this
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in the last session, all that religious baggage
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that they bring to the table gets removed. And
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because the reality is that Jesus does not fit
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into the stereotype that so many people have
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of him. In fact, the Jesus that they reject,
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I reject also. Because it's not the real Jesus.
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Jesus in his time was radical. He subverted the
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cultural and political norms of his day. He was
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homeless, worked with a group of uneducated working
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class folks, spent time with the disease and
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the undesirables, defied racial and gender boundaries,
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healed the sick, fed the hungry. This is Jesus.
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And this is not the picture that many people
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have of Jesus. It was the religious people of
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his day that hated him, the people of power.
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And while it's true, and we should acknowledge
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openly that horrible things have been done in
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the name of Jesus. They are not an accurate reflection
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of who Jesus is and what his teaching is, right?
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And so we can challenge that. In fact, over the
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last two months, true Christianity has been a
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catalyst for incredible gospel -fueled revolutionary
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change. I mean, unbelievable things. Christianity,
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a group of powerless people, upended the Roman
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Empire and the sexual ethic of the Roman Empire,
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which was crazy. And they completely upended
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that. It was Christians that introduced orphanages
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and hospitals and universities and fueled abolitionist
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movements. Christianity has done so much to transform
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the culture and the framework in which we view
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the world today. If you really want to go deeper
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into that, I really recommend a book called Dominion
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by Tom Holland. He's a British author, but it's
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a brilliant and long, but really good book called
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Dominion. And he's not actually a Christian,
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but he talks about how incredibly influential
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Christianity has been in shaping the worldview
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of the West and everything that I basically described.
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So I'd really encourage you to read that book
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just as it relates to this idea of reframing
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Jesus, reframing the impact of who Jesus is.
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And so one of the ways, as you're challenging
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and reframing Jesus, one of the ways that you
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can do this is invite people to do a Bible study
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with you. is a lot of people have heard about
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Jesus and heard about the Bible, but very few
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people have actually read it and studied it.
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And so a really cool way, as you've developed
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the friendship, you've had the spiritual conversations,
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you're introducing Jesus to say, why don't you
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find out for yourself, right? And then just pick
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a book of one of the gospels and begin to read
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it together. And you're reading it in the same
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way that we talked about how to do the spiritual
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conversations. Not as a, I'm here to teach you.
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No, just open it up, read it, talk about it and
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create that environment where it's okay to ask
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questions, to doubt, to, you know, maybe they'll
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say something offensive and that's okay. But
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what's amazing is when you begin to expose people
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firsthand to who Jesus is in the word, it completely
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reframes him in a way that they had never understood
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before. And so that is a really awesome way that
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you can take a next step with someone. So next
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thing after, After introducing the person of
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Jesus is we need to recognize no cross, no power.
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The message of the cross, the death and resurrection
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of Jesus, what he did on the cross for us is
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where the power of God lies. You know, but the
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tension is that the message of the cross is both
20:08
foolishness. end the power of God. Now, 1 Corinthians
20:12
1 .18 says, for the message of the cross is foolishness
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to those who are perishing, but to us who are
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being saved, it is the power of God. And I think
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what's really good about that, that tension,
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is it forces us to depend on the power of the
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Holy Spirit, right? Because in my natural words,
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the cross is foolish, but with God's power, with
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his authority, it carries his power. right? So
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I can't communicate the message of the cross
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just with brilliant intellect. I need God's power.
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And so it reminds us of that and it forces us
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to depend on the power of the Spirit. And it
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reminds us that it's not about our wisdom or
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eloquence, right? In 1 Corinthians 2, 4, my message
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and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive
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words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's
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power. And I think that that's what we need today
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in our culture more than ever, right? Is that
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a lot of people, They have their intellectual
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problems with the church and the cross, and what
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they need to experience is God's power. And that's
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why we need to communicate the message of the
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cross. But we need to do it in a way in which
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we are fully dependent on God moving, right?
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If he doesn't show up, then all I got is foolish
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words, right? But if he shows up, then it has
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the power to convict. And I can tell you, you
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know, being in ministry for many years, that
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I have seen this. I've seen some of the most
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cynical, hardened people moved by the power of
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the message of the cross and their lives transformed.
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And that power is available to everyone who believes,
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right? And so we have to be willing to take that
21:46
risk of foolishness in order to experience the
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power of God. If we omit the message of the cross,
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we omit the power of God. Now, in all of this,
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we're depending on the Holy Spirit. We're communicating
21:58
the message, but that doesn't mean we don't want
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to do it in a contextual way, in a way that connects.
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How do I communicate Jesus and the message across
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that will connect with people I'm talking to?
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It goes back to understanding what are the false
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assumptions that they have about it? How do I
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challenge those? How do I remove those things
22:15
so they can really see who Jesus is? And the
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thing about contextualization is it's not about
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popularity or compromise. It's not about being
22:23
loved. It's about clarity, right? When I communicate
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in a relevant way, in a contextual way, then
22:29
I'm understood. And as we know from reading the
22:32
Bible, reading the book of Acts, that doesn't
22:34
mean you're going to be loved. I mean, Paul experienced
22:36
riots. Jesus was crucified. You know, the message
22:40
is not always going to be loved, but it's going
22:42
to be understood. And that's what we want, because
22:45
there's nothing worse than communicating, but
22:47
no one's reacting because they don't get it.
22:49
Like, what's the use in that? And so that's why
22:52
we want to contextualize the gospel. And we want
22:54
to avoid using Christian language that is weird
22:57
and foreign and strange. to a secular culture
23:00
because Jesus used words and imagery that was
23:05
very relevant to his time. When he spoke of fishing
23:08
and sheep and things of that nature, it was because
23:13
that was the context and the people he was talking
23:15
to. But if I... Go to Minneapolis and I talk
23:18
about Jesus being the good shepherd. People might
23:20
conceptually kind of understand, but there's
23:23
not a lot of sheep running around in Minneapolis,
23:24
right? It's not powerful imagery that connects
23:27
to their context. Political activism of our day
23:31
is actually a powerful language you can draw
23:33
on. Using your life for something that matters,
23:36
for sacrificing my needs for the sake of others.
23:39
Often we're using good biblical language that
23:42
isn't connecting at the heart. And so we're not
23:44
applying the principle. that Jesus was showing
23:48
us when he used that kind of language. One key
23:51
principle about this that can get a little challenging
23:54
for us as we think about being faithful to the
23:59
Bible is that we want to use the Bible as an
24:02
argumentative authority. And frankly, a lot of
24:05
our gospel scripts are based on scripture that
24:09
we share as if that is going to say, ah, okay,
24:13
because the Bible says it, therefore. And we
24:16
kind of have that kind of language. And the reality
24:19
is we have to understand that for a lot of secular
24:22
people, the Bible is not an authority. Many of
24:25
them question it. They question how it came to
24:28
be and also what it says. That doesn't mean the
24:31
Bible isn't true. And it is. And we'll talk about
24:33
that. But I can't assume that when I use scripture,
24:36
somehow that's an argumentative proof. It's not.
24:40
And so part of that is we need to understand
24:42
how culture sees the Bible. So take a look at
24:44
these guys. So when they say the word Bible,
24:51
what does it mean to you? What comes to your
24:53
mind? I mean, it's a very well -selling book.
24:59
I mean, it, I don't know. It's something that
25:02
I feel like gets talked about a lot and people
25:04
reference it a lot without reading it. When I
25:08
think of Bible, I think there's a lot of things
25:10
that are really outdated now in the Bible. So
25:12
I think I tend to have more of a negative view
25:14
that way, just because of the way they talk about
25:17
slavery or gays or women in the Bible. I think
25:21
a lot of it's pretty outdated and doesn't really
25:23
apply now. So I'm not Christian, so I come from
25:27
a different place anyway, but it's an interesting...
25:32
work of fiction that sort of, like it has moral
25:35
messages and like it teaches stuff like how you
25:38
should live your life. That's all it is. It's
25:40
just like, it's a moral base that you can, you
25:43
could build your life around. And for some people
25:45
that's good, but like it's not something to be
25:47
taken literally, right? Stop there. Good communication
25:51
is about knowing people's assumptions. And so
25:54
if I'm talking to someone that takes the Bible
25:57
seriously, then I can use it as an authority.
26:00
But if I'm talking to someone who doesn't, I
26:01
can't. And so here's the challenge or the principle,
26:04
the way to go after it is that we can leverage
26:07
the truth of the Bible that is experientially
26:11
verifiable, right? So we can even say, hey, the
26:14
Bible says this, but we can connect that to something
26:16
that they experientially feel to be true. And
26:19
so often that means using scripture in a different
26:22
way. So I'm going to show you a video. This is
26:24
another one of our Is There More Spiritual Conversations
26:26
videos in which we basically begin to draw on
26:30
scripture, but not doing it in an authoritative
26:32
way, but in an experientially verifiable way.
26:36
So take a look to give you the example I'm talking
26:38
about. It seems like the most self -destructive,
26:43
suicidal people in our culture are celebrities.
26:48
And yet they have it all, right? For all the
26:58
stuff we chase, the things we consume, does anyone
27:02
actually get to the point where they finally
27:03
have enough? Some of you have rejected the consumerism
27:08
of your parents' generation. and instead focus
27:12
on experiences and lifestyle. But the second
27:15
the thrill of a new experience dies away, you're
27:18
like the person who discovers that their new
27:19
house or car left them feeling no different than
27:22
their old one. The dictionary definition for
27:27
delusion is this, a false belief held despite
27:30
strong evidence against it. There is overwhelming
27:34
evidence that what we consume will never satisfy
27:37
us. And yet we continue to do it anyway. It's
27:40
not that we haven't reached the prize at the
27:42
top of the mountain. Our problem is there is
27:44
no prize at the top of the mountain. So what
27:48
do we do? It seems cruel to have a hunger this
27:51
world cannot satisfy. But maybe this is trying
27:53
to tell us something. Thousands of years ago,
27:58
there was a king named Solomon. He was the richest,
28:01
most powerful person in the world. No one's life
28:04
compared with his. And yet when it was all said
28:07
and done, he said this, I have seen all things
28:10
that are done under the sun. All of them are
28:13
meaningless, chasing after the wind. Maybe that's
28:17
our problem. We are stuck looking under the sun.
28:20
Could it be that we aren't finding satisfaction
28:22
in this world because we were made for more?
28:27
The author C .S. Lewis wrote this, If we find
28:30
ourselves with a desire that nothing in this
28:32
world can satisfy, the most probable explanation
28:35
is that we were made for another world. Our science
28:39
teachers tell us that we are the result of the
28:41
Big Bang and evolution. We live in a purely material
28:44
world, and all of us one day will be gone. But
28:48
what if that's not true? Consider whether God
28:50
made you and I and everything around us, and
28:52
that our deepest desires are satisfied only by
28:55
knowing Him. Now, I can't tell you what to believe.
28:59
But from what I've seen, until we look beyond
29:02
the sun, we are left with what's under it. And
29:05
like Solomon, sooner or later we'll realize that
29:08
no matter what we get, it will never be enough.
29:14
So you see how scripture was used there in a
29:18
way that it's experientially true, right? Like
29:21
I know that's true. And so it's drawing on the
29:25
authority of the truth. of the Bible without
29:27
saying, hey, the Bible says it, therefore it
29:29
is. And there's a lot of biblical basis for having
29:33
this approach. The Apostle Paul was a brilliant
29:37
example of this, right? In Acts 17, he's in Athens,
29:42
right? And he's speaking to these sophisticated
29:46
Athenians who have all these different gods and
29:48
they're very intellectual. And he uses, he communicates
29:52
the gospel without once referencing scripture.
29:56
And you contrast that to Acts 13 when he's speaking
29:58
to these Jews in a synagogue and he uses scripture
30:01
to defend and make the case for the gospel. So
30:05
he knew his audience. He knew what connected.
30:08
So if you read Acts 17, 23, 24, what you find
30:11
is first thing he does is he compliments. Remember
30:13
we talked about affirming truth that people have,
30:17
even if they don't know that that truth is biblical.
30:19
So we look for ways to affirm truth that people
30:22
have. So he compliments Athenians on their interests.
30:25
In the gods. That's a good thing because they
30:28
desire something beyond themselves. They desire
30:30
the supernatural. And in fact, often you can
30:34
find that today where people desire spiritual
30:36
things and you can affirm that in them. So that's
30:39
what Apostle Paul does. The second thing he does
30:42
is that he begins to reference their culture
30:45
and their context. And he begins to speak truth
30:48
from their context. And he referenced an unknown
30:51
God, right? And he quotes one of their poets.
30:55
Like today, that's like taking a pop song and
30:58
taking lyrics and using that as a way to connect
31:00
with someone, right? So he was very intimately
31:04
aware of their culture, their context, and he
31:07
drew on that to speak the truth, right? And then
31:10
he summarizes the whole biblical account of creation
31:14
without referencing Genesis. He doesn't say,
31:17
well, in Genesis 1, it says he summarizes the
31:21
truth, right? Which, by the way, was in contradiction
31:23
to their view. of creation, but he summarizes
31:26
it. And then he calls his audience to repent.
31:29
So it's not like a soft message in which he kind
31:31
of like is all happy and everything. He calls
31:34
them to repentance. And then he, and he preaches,
31:37
as we've talked about, he preaches Jesus. He
31:41
doesn't actually say the name Jesus, but he absolutely
31:42
preaches Jesus and the death and resurrection.
31:46
And then, and then he invites people to respond.
31:49
And what happens? Some rejected, some wanted
31:52
to know more and some believed. It's basically
31:54
the options we've got, right? You know, and so
31:57
it's a perfect example, a biblical example of
32:01
how Paul contextualized the gospel for his audience.
32:05
And so this is the culture we are in. And this
32:09
is the model that we need to follow. And so I'm
32:12
going to show you a video of someone in our mission
32:15
that was doing this. So I'm going to show you
32:16
a video of a guy called Luke Greenwood. He's
32:18
our European director. And he was at a club in
32:21
Madrid, very, very secular, sophisticated club,
32:24
a lot like being in Athens in this time. They're
32:27
so sophisticated, they didn't want him to translate
32:30
because they could all understand English, very
32:33
intellectual people. And they did a show. And
32:36
then afterwards, in this club filled with people,
32:38
non -Christian, secular people, he shares the
32:40
gospel. And I want you to see how he does it.
32:44
The language that he uses. Remember we talked
32:47
about not getting stuck in boxes like religious
32:50
box or political box or the personal box. See
32:53
how he avoids in a post -Catholic country, how
32:56
he avoids the religious box, right? Or how he
32:59
communicates the cross using these principles
33:03
in a modern context. So take a look at this.
33:06
They're all the same. We're all imperfect. We
33:09
don't get it all right, right? We're human. That's
33:13
how we are. But I think that we have this deep
33:16
sense of dissatisfaction because we were made
33:21
for something more. I believe with all my heart
33:25
that every single one of you are precious. Like,
33:28
precious beyond everything, in this club, in
33:31
this world, in this city. You are amazing because
33:34
you were made, you were designed, you were created,
33:37
and you have a purpose. You have something you're
33:40
supposed to live for, something I'm supposed
33:43
to live for, and we're not satisfied until we
33:45
find it. And I don't think it's something that
33:47
any book or philosopher or scientist or politician
33:50
can give us. I think this is something beyond
33:53
all of that. In fact, I think it's a deep sense
33:56
that we need to make peace with our origins,
33:59
with our roots. And the problem is, there has
34:03
been a number of lies that has kept us away from
34:05
that. Religion has kept us away from finding
34:08
truth in one sense. Because it's controlled it,
34:11
it's made a system that you have to follow. And
34:13
if you don't follow it, you're not good enough.
34:15
And so most of us don't feel good enough. And
34:17
most of us feel like, okay, that's not for me,
34:19
whatever. That's one why. There's another why
34:22
that the system, the world tells us that you
34:24
just have to keep living and just trying to make
34:26
it on your own and maybe one day you'll manage.
34:28
And we just keep trying and trying and we never
34:30
get there. And so again, we're falling in slide.
34:34
But I think there is truth. I believe there is
34:36
absolute truth. There is something we can find.
34:39
And I think it is beyond ourselves. I think it
34:42
is in the one that made us. And I think that
34:44
what we're looking for is to make peace with
34:47
that one who made us. And the only way we can
34:49
make peace with him is by knowing him. And he
34:53
came to this earth so we could know him. And
34:56
here's a crazy statement. I'm going to say this
34:58
and you'll think I'm talking about religion and
35:00
I'm not. But there's a man called Jesus who walked
35:03
on this earth and said that he was God himself
35:05
bringing peace to all people. And he died a horrible
35:10
death and he rose from the dead. And this story
35:13
has got trapped in a box called religion. And
35:16
we've forgotten it and left it aside. I believe
35:19
there is so much to that story. So much beyond
35:22
everything else. And I believe that because of
35:24
this death and resurrection, I can have peace
35:27
with God right here, right now. And I can be
35:29
full. I can be satisfied. I can have true joy.
35:32
And I think it's for everyone. I don't think
35:34
it's for good people, religious people, people
35:37
that wear certain types of clothes. I think it's
35:39
for everyone, every one of us right here, right
35:41
now. So I want to do something kind of crazy
35:44
that you don't usually do in a club, or maybe
35:46
you don't do at the end of a rock concert, but
35:48
I'm going to talk to God, and I'm going to ask
35:50
that He speaks to us. And maybe you're here and
35:52
you're thinking, I don't believe that, and I
35:53
respect you for that. But maybe you're here and
35:56
you're going, there's something in what he's
35:57
saying that makes sense and I want to know more.
36:00
And if that's you, then I just want to ask that
36:02
God would show himself to us. So God, thank you
36:06
that you're here. And Jesus, thank you that you
36:08
died for us. And I ask that you would reveal
36:11
yourself to us and that you would give us peace.
36:14
I give my life to you and I ask you to give me
36:18
that peace, to forgive me for the mistakes I
36:20
make, for the failings that I make, but that
36:23
I might be able to know you. So come into my
36:25
life. In your name I pray. Amen. Pretty cool,
36:30
right? Luke is someone that really knows the
36:35
culture. But the principle here you can apply
36:38
as well. And remember the context of all of this.
36:40
This isn't coming out of nowhere. You are developing
36:42
friendships and relationships with people. So
36:45
you're beginning to understand them. Luke spoke
36:47
that way because he's speaking to a particular
36:49
audience. A sophisticated, intellectual, post
36:52
-Catholic European context. He knew his audience
36:56
and he challenged their misconceptions and their
37:01
lies before they even had a chance to respond.
37:04
He challenged those. He also used words that
37:07
wouldn't trigger the wrong response, where he
37:10
could speak the language without adding baggage
37:13
that certain words have. The way you get to know
37:16
the culture is you're with people, you know people,
37:18
you understand them, and then the spirit gives
37:20
you the wisdom to do it right. The good thing
37:22
also is when you have relationships, there's
37:24
also the grace that you're not going to say things
37:26
right, but you've built up enough credibility
37:27
to work around that anyway. The four spiritual
37:30
laws would not have worked in that context. It
37:34
brought all sorts of baggage and assumptions
37:36
to the table that would not have connected. And
37:39
he is using an Acts 17 approach to preaching
37:42
the gospel clearly. inviting a response, showing
37:45
them what that looks like. And we can do that
37:48
as well. And let me be clear. This is something
37:50
you learn, you practice, and the spirit works
37:53
in your life. And so don't feel overwhelmed that
37:57
you're not going to be as good as Luke because
37:58
you probably won't ever be. But the point is
38:01
you can grow in your ability to communicate in
38:03
the context that God has called you to. And it's
38:05
going to look different. If you work in a corporate
38:07
culture, there's different things that you're
38:09
going to be able to draw on and challenge as
38:12
you speak the truth in your context or with your
38:14
kids or at school. There's different contexts.
38:17
It's not all the same. It's about knowing your
38:19
audience and knowing how to communicate the gospel
38:21
effectively where you're at. All right. So last
38:25
point is that there's power in your own story.
38:29
And this is probably the biggest thing that you
38:31
should be prepared to do. It's interesting, even
38:33
the word testimony is a very religious word.
38:36
And so we tend to communicate our stories in
38:39
very religious ways. And so the challenge is,
38:42
can you practice sharing your story using the
38:46
relevant language of the context you're in? And
38:50
what's so cool about this is as you're engaging
38:52
relationships and asking people, tell me your
38:55
story, inevitably they're going to ask you, what's
38:57
yours? Or as you go through stuff, we talked
39:00
about this, as they ask, where do you get the
39:02
hope that you have? And, you know, you just heard
39:06
that you have cancer. How is it that you're peaceful?
39:09
Can you tell your story short? non -religious
39:13
that includes Jesus and the message of the cross.
39:15
And I would say you need to practice this. Write
39:17
it down. Talk to, go with a friend or a spouse.
39:20
Share your story because it can be awkward. But
39:23
if you're not ready to tell your story, but not
39:27
in the kind of churchy testimony way, but in
39:29
a natural non -religious way, then there's a
39:33
problem. You need to be ready. So this is a great
39:36
opportunity. And it also plays into the culture
39:39
today where people are open to your story, right?
39:43
It's kind of the relativistic, you believe what
39:45
you believe, but so you're able to draw on that.
39:48
So be prepared to tell your story. And then the
39:52
last key point is that you have to take a risk
39:55
and invite a response. This is often where we
39:58
fall short. And this is often why we're not seeing
40:02
the fruit is because we're actually falling short
40:05
at the last moment. Anyone that's in sales would
40:07
tell you, you got to give people the chance to
40:09
say yes or no. And by the way, if they say no,
40:12
that doesn't, that's not the end of the relationship.
40:14
So at some point and at various points, probably
40:17
you need to give people the chance to say yes
40:20
or no to Jesus. I've been in moments where I
40:23
kind of like at a last resort said, well, do
40:25
you want to receive Jesus? And they say, yes.
40:27
And you're like, oh, okay then, you know? And
40:29
so you're kind of surprised, but I don't think
40:31
we offer people the chance to say yes or no to
40:35
Jesus enough. And it's another one of those cliff
40:38
jumping risk moments, but I would encourage you
40:41
give people the chance, give people the chance
40:44
to say yes or no. And then. When you give people
40:49
that chance, then you need to walk with them.
40:52
Now, discipleship relationship is critical. And
40:54
we talked about this in the beginning, the whole
40:57
idea of 1 Thessalonians 2, 8, which says, we
40:59
loved you so much that not only do we share the
41:02
gospel of God, but our lives as well. And what's
41:06
really cool about a discipleship relationship
41:08
is that it doesn't start the day someone commits
41:10
to a local church. It starts the moment they
41:13
meet a follower of Jesus. And this is about an
41:15
accurate definition of what is the church. Because
41:18
the church is not just a group of people that
41:19
meets together once a week on Sunday. It's a
41:21
group of people out in the world. And so when
41:23
they meet you in the world, they are meeting
41:25
the church. And that's when discipleship relationship
41:27
starts. And it doesn't even start necessarily
41:30
after they made a commitment to follow Jesus.
41:33
Often it starts before they make a commitment.
41:35
Because the idea is that you are intentionally
41:37
walking in relationship with them, moving them
41:41
closer to Jesus. That is what a discipleship
41:43
relationship is. And so you can do that with
41:46
people. even before they made a commitment to
41:48
follow Jesus. We bring discipleship, which often
41:52
means exposure to the Word of God and to prayer
41:55
and to Christian community in their context,
41:57
so that they can continue to be an influence
42:00
in their world. The whole kind of context of
42:03
this training is adopting a missionary mindset,
42:05
and the missionary mindset is about being intentional.
42:09
about what we do and how we live. So we guide
42:11
people purposely to see spiritual growth, make
42:14
the most of every opportunity, and it should
42:16
lead to multiplication. That you're teaching
42:19
people how to be disciples and to make more disciples.
42:22
And that's the context that we're in. And what's
42:24
beautiful about that is that you might have three
42:27
discipleship relationships, but the impact that
42:30
that can have is exponential as they in turn
42:34
have impact with others. And so the liberating
42:36
thing is that I don't have to worry about reaching
42:39
everyone. I can just reach those one, two, three
42:43
people that God has put in front of me, and I
42:45
can actively build that discipleship relationship
42:48
with them, starting with the friendship, engaging
42:51
in spiritual conversations, and introducing Jesus
42:54
in the message of the cross. That's the process.
42:59
You're listening to Living on the Edge with Chip
43:01
Ingram and a message from our guest teacher,
43:04
Aaron Pierce, called Connecting Their Story to
43:06
the Gospel. It's part of our larger series called
43:09
Caring Enough to Connect. And if you'd like to
43:12
revisit any part of this series later or pass
43:15
it along to a friend, don't forget you can find
43:17
every lesson on the Living on the Edge podcast.
43:20
And then be sure to also subscribe to the Chip
43:23
Ingram Sermon Podcast to hear original messages
43:26
in full. And you'll find a deeper dive into everything
43:29
Aaron shared today inside a special resource
43:32
called the Not Beyond Reach Participants Guide.
43:35
It's a 10 -session video -based study built for
43:39
families and small groups alike to help you practice
43:42
exactly what we talked about. Each session includes
43:45
a short teaching video, thoughtful discussion
43:48
questions, and simple practical exercises. So
43:51
your group doesn't just discuss these ideas,
43:54
but actually starts living them out in their
43:56
own relationships. It's designed to move you
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from information to real practiced conversation.
44:02
It's available today at a reduced price over
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at livingontheedge .org slash offers. Somebody
44:10
in your world is waiting to hear your story.
44:13
And to hear it told well and building that kind
44:15
of confidence in ordinary, everyday believers
44:18
is exactly what this ministry exists to do, day
44:22
in and day out. Today, we invite you to help
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this ministry continue with a donation of any
44:27
amount. You can give a gift online at livingontheedge
44:31
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44:37
donation to Living on the Edge, P .O. Box 3007,
44:41
Sewanee, Georgia, 30024. Well, now here's Chip
44:46
and Aaron wrapping up today's conversation. Well,
44:49
thanks, Dave and Aaron. Great to have you back
44:52
in the program. We're putting you to work here,
44:54
but it's so good just to have some time to you
44:57
and I talk about things directly after the message
45:00
to help pastors, moms, dads, grandparents, you
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know, put into practice what we're talking about.
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And today you said something I want to make sure
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people are clear on what we're saying and what
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we're not. You said we can leverage the truth
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of the Bible that is experientially verifiable,
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but not its authority. I want you to unpack that.
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Help us out with that. Yeah, this is really important.
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Let me start by saying that I believe 100 % that
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the Bible is the authoritative, infallible, and
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inerrant word of God. But when I'm communicating
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to a non -religious person, they don't believe
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that. And so I can't use the Bible as an argumentative
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proof. By that, I mean, I can't say, well, the
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Bible says this, therefore, you must believe
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that. That's not a compelling argument to someone
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that doesn't believe that the Bible is the Word
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of God. So, instead, we need to follow Paul's
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example. who shared the gospel in different ways
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with different audiences. You know, in Acts 13,
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Paul is speaking to a Jewish synagogue and he
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references scripture throughout his message to
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speak to an audience that believed the Bible
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had an authority and that connected and he proved
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that Jesus was the Messiah. But then in Acts
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17, Paul is speaking to a group of sophisticated
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pagan philosophers in Athens. And in this case,
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he doesn't reference scripture, but he communicates
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the gospel message clearly without compromise.
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And he communicates in a way that connected with
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his audience. And I believe Acts 17 is a great
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model for us and how we can communicate the gospel
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in a secular post -Christian culture. The Bible
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is true. And the Bible explains. our reality
46:52
and the deepest longing of our hearts in a way
46:55
that other worldviews cannot. And so when I talk
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to people, for example, who have achieved so
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much in this world, they've seen all sorts of
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career success and have accumulated so much wealth.
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And yet they find that satisfaction and happiness
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is so elusive. They have all of this and they're
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depressed. Things don't satisfy. Status doesn't
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satisfy. There's got to be something more. And
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the Bible speaks to that. And so that is what
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I mean when I say that we should leverage the
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truth of Scripture and connect that to people's
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lived experience and that it proves, in a sense,
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that Scripture is true, that is reliable, and
47:37
that I can trust it. Join us next time when Aaron
47:41
steps into one of the most divisive topics of
47:43
all, politics, and shows us how to turn an argument
47:47
into an open door. That's coming up right here
47:50
on Living on the Edge. Today's program is produced
47:56
and sponsored by Living on the Edge.