People Need The Lord
So many people have excuses to reject the Gospel…I tried it once before…I am waiting to make myself better…the Christian life is just too hard…if i go to hell, i will have lots of company…if i walked into church, the building would burn down.
But the truth is not in these excuses, but rather in 2 Corinthians 4:4 which says The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers…blinded them to the reality that All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God of the very purpose that He created us to live, in His image…no one is righteous, no one is good, no one can keep all ten commandments, no one measures up…and yet being distracted and deceived by the temporary pleasures of this world, they miss out on the goodness and grace of God’s unconditional love and mercy, which was demonstrated even while we were still sinners, Christ died for us…then left without hope and blinded again to their eternal future only living for each passing meaningless moment in life, forgetting that the wages of this sinful life is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life…and that in Christ Jesus there is now no condemnation and you won’t go to hell, no more shame, guilt, all of it is taken care of through the blood of Jesus Christ … and that if they would only confess with their mouth and believe in their heart that Jesus did this for them, they would be saved….
The devil has come to invest in these people, to steal, kill and destroy their lives so that he may gain more lives in his pursuit to LESSEN the victory of God’s Kingdom!
But let’s not downplay or underestimate the hunger of every human soul…
People are fearful and timid, uncertain of the times in which we live seeking something that can give hope, certainty and provision, when everything seems at lost.
People are hungry for purpose, thirsty for meaning, and yet held captive by lust and greed and every kind of evil, wondering if there is anyone or anything that can set them free to flourish in life once again.
People are broken, victims of injustice, where marriages and friendships have been destroyed by selfishness and hatred…anger and bitterness fill the soul with resentment leaving people with no strength, no resolve to forgive and forget…wondering is there mercy? Is there grace?
People are sick, overwhelmed by not only the disease of their soul, but the physical pain and suffering from the tragedies of this world. Every day a new disease, a new virus, a new form of cancer… Leaving them embittered and wondering if healing is even possible, are miracles even still happening…
This is the world that Jesus stepped into…to seek and to save…and when He died, rose again and returned to heaven, He left His Spirit in the church to continue seeking and saving all who are lost…this is the agenda of heaven…to make Him known and not just Him, but His goodness, mercy, love all wrapped up in the message of the greatest story ever told….
So, how does He use us? I want to briefly survey the book of Acts this morning to illustrate how He uses us to seek and to save people who need the Lord…
First, He anoints our PREACHING.
In Acts chapter 2, Peter stands up and preaches the first Holy Ghost, pentecostal message and 3000 people get saved…
Preaching is not reserved for clergy or the televangelist, we all have a pulpit to preach from, we all have people in our lives that could use some holy ghost anointed preaching from the depths of our soul…it might be on YouTube, at a coffee shop, on a church platform, on a couch in a living room…regardless, He is still using preaching to reach people…
He performs MIRACLES
In Acts 3, Peter and John heal the lame beggar who was looking for money, and instead he found divine healing…Jesus demonstrated the gospel by healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness”…“For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to SAVE them” (Luke 9:56)
The word “SAVE” in the original Greek language is sozo. It refers specifically to:
- the forgiveness of sin (SPIRIT)
- the healing of diseases (BODY)
- the deliverance from torment. (SOUL)
The lame man walked out his physical miracle, he leaped because there was an emotional healing and then praised God for he knew where the miracle came from!
He leads us into DIVINE APPOINTMENTS
In Acts 8, Philip is led to an Ethiopian Enuch, and by the Spirit he approaches this man, and leads him to salvation, and then baptizes him in water.
Also, in Acts 16, a strange set of circumstances led Paul and Silas into prison which put them in the right position to lead a prison guard and his entire family to salvation.
28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
We have been called according to HIS purpose
Basically God is still using the trials of our life to be the wisdom in someone else’s life! Your testimony in the fire is the miracle in someone else’s fire.
He Changes our PERSPECTIVE
In Acts 10, Peter had a limited perspective on the impact of the Gospel, through a dream and a visit from a man named Cornelius, Jesus tells Peter, this Gospel is way bigger than just the nation of Israel…I’ve come to save the Jew and the Gentile.
How we look at the world is a driving force behind who we are and what we do. Being a Christian means shifting our viewpoint beyond what it is today.
This is why we support Missionaries…it keeps our perspective bigger than us! This is why we pay attention to world hunger, human trafficking, poverty and social injustice
God’s viewpoint is much bigger than the perspective of just your little prayer closet!
He opens up HOMES AND HEARTS
In Acts 16, a woman by the name of Lydia opens her home to have a small group bible study with the Apostle Paul, she invites friends and family and before you know Paul is leading them all into the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ right insider her living room.
So, Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit is still
Anointing our preaching, leading us into divine appointments, using the trials and difficulties of our life, to position us in places where we can share the gospel effectively. He is shifting our perspective, enlargin our hearts, that we may open up our homes and our hearts so that others might hear the good news of the Gospel…
Let me conclude with the words of Paul in Romans 1:
Romans 1:14-17 (TLB)
14 For I owe a great debt to you and to everyone else, both to civilized people and uncivilized alike; yes, to the educated and uneducated alike. 15 So, to the fullest extent of my ability, I am ready to come also to you in Rome to preach God’s Good News.
16 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is God’s powerful method of bringing all who believe it to heaven. This message was preached first to the Jews alone, but now everyone is invited to come to God in this same way. 17 This Good News tells us that God makes us ready for heaven—makes us right in God’s sight—when we put our faith and trust in Christ to save us. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith.[a] As the Scripture says it, “The man who finds life will find it through trusting God.”*
Let us never forget that People Need the Lord, and we are called to share the Good News that they can find Him today!