What a time to be alive, right? I mean, I, I, people say like, oh I wish I lived
in this decade or this decade, not me. I wish I lived right now. OK. Think about
it for a second. You have instant access to any information you want. You have
the ability to communicate with anyone across the whole world at any moment. I
love that. We have medical advancements and treatment treatments that are one
used to not even be available and then two things that would take weeks and
months to recover from now are like outpatient surgery, like very complex
things, right? And so I love that. I love that we have same day delivery. Right?
I love that we have services that when you're feeling really lazy, you don't
even have to cook food, they'll just bring it to your doorstep, right? I don't
wanna go backwards, OK? I like, I love it, OK? And so I, I love that we have
streaming platforms to catch up on sports and movies and shows. I love that we
live in an area where there seems to be a coffee shop on every corner, and yet
somehow we still all show up tired. Just saying, and I see your faces, I know,
OK, but I'm with you, OK? Uh, and so filled with caffeine in the Holy Spirit
here, I want us to jump in today, but I, I struggle with this, and I don't,
maybe some of you have the same battle as I do is that I read the Bible and I
get really excited. Like, wow, God's movie, right? And then I look into our
culture and I get very discouraged. And I'm wondering how do I take what I'm
reading and apply it and how I'm living and how do we read and reach the culture
that we're in? Well, as a church staff uh and our church network, we quarterly,
uh, meet together through this network called Vision Arizona, and they do
quarterly lunches and trainings for our staff. And the most recent one, just
about a week or two ago, we took our staff and there's a gentleman named Ed
Stetzer who is like a leading researcher in evangelical Christianity, leads the
Barner group. Our research there is a dean of Talbot Seminary. He used to be the
lead teaching pastor at Moody, uh, Bible Church in downtown Chicago. He's the
guy that ends up on Fox News or on CNN, ABC, NBC to give the evangelical
perspective, if you will. Well, he came and shared with our staff as well as
other church leaders in the valley, uh, the latest research of religious
activity within America. And so he shared that with our staff and so I wanna
share just a couple of those slides with you. And so what was interesting is one
of the main trends in our culture is called the rise of the nuns. No, not the
Catholic ladies that are teaching in our schools, but uh the rise of those not
religiously affiliated. The fastest growing religion in our country is no
religion at all. If you look at the last 30 to 40 years, you can see the
percentage of people who who do not connect to any religious faith is continuing
to grow. Here's another graphic to show this. That look at this map between 2008
and 2022. What you see here is that states that are light red have about 30% um
who claim no religious affiliation, and states in the dark red have above 35% or
above claim no religious association. So this looks like uh one of those
coverage maps for Verizon or T-Mobile, doesn't it? That in 2022, every single
state has over 35% of people claiming no religious affiliation except for the
lone holdout of North Dakota. the center of Christianity apparently. Um. So you
look, and that seems pretty discouraging, right? So has the the number of
Christians actually decreased in our country? I, I don't know. But what I think
is happening is that we're getting less and less pretend Christians. So you go
back 50 years and and everyone claimed faith in something, and then you just go
live how you want, right? Because it was, it was accepted, it was expected,
there was guilt, there was shame behind it. Well, now it's no longer trendy,
it's no longer accepted, it's no longer promoted and so less people feel
pressured to pretend to be connected with a religion that they don't understand.
And while the world seems to be getting darker and darker, there was this little
known event in 2020 called the global pandemic and the spread of COVID, that
kind of shocked everybody into a different state of mind. And I think what
happens here is that people realized that what they were putting their hopes and
dreams in ultimately was not satisfying the needs of their soul. Right? When you
take God out of the picture, and you try to fill the spot of God with anything
this world has to offer, and you, what's gonna end up happening is you're gonna
be left feeling empty. Cause this world does not reach the transcendent. This
world does not satisfy the hunger of your soul. And what we're starting to see
now in this country is this awakening, this revival, this movement happening.
And so while more and more people are, are disengaging with Christianity, more
and more people are actually searching for meaning in life. Here's a couple of
stats to prove that. That when surveyed, 72% of US adults are spiritually open,
meaning they won't claim Christianity, but they are searching and open to having
a conversation about spiritual things. What's even more interesting is that the,
the fastest growth is actually happening in the youngest population. When
talking about a renewed sense of spiritual hunger, since the pandemic, what we
see here is that boomers, uh 34%, uh, Gen X 43%, but in millennials, 54%, and in
Gen Z, 59%. And there are stories all over the country. Of many revivals
happening on college campuses, and I absolutely love it. In fact, this morning,
just talking with my friend John here who's a rep with uh Fellowship of
Christian Athletes, if you, if, if you haven't done this, go ahead and do
yourself a favor and at some point today Google Jesus one. this came from Ohio
State. He knows I'm a big fan, um, and so I love sports, but actually just at
Ohio State, like last week they held a prayer night, like a student led prayer
night, and 2000 kids got saved. And so, yeah, we can clap for that, and that's
not. But this is happening all over the country. A few years ago, you can see
about uh the there was a revival at Asbury Seminary. Uh, there's stuff
happening, there was a revival happening at Texas A&M. There's stuff on the West
Coast, East Coast, uh, you know, North Dakota still going strong, right? There's
our spiritual capital here apparently. Um, and so you're seeing these younger
generations searching and seeking God. And so what do we do with that? Well, Ed
Setzer, the guy presenting, ended his presentation with this quote that I want
to share with you here is that the moment we're in does not pause the mission
we're on. And that wow, the world does seem dark. The reality is, is that we've
been placed here on purpose and for purpose. And so let's not forget the mission
of the church to go and make disciples who make disciples for his name. Amen.
Amen. This morning's message is entitled Spiritual but Searching. Spiritual but
searching, let's talk because we live in a culture that seems darker and darker
and darker. Where Christianity is is getting mocked and made fun of. But at the
same time. There is more openness to Christianity than any time in my lifetime.
Think about it. If you turn on the television and or go to the movies, there are
actually more spiritually engaged media and movies and shows out than ever
before. Now there is realistically, uh, part of that is because Hollywood
realized you can actually make money. In Christian storytelling, but I think
this also represents an openness and a hunger to it, and that people really are
searching. And so what do we do with this moment? Well, Jesus speaks to this
when he's talking to his disciples in Matthew chapter 16, and he says this to
Peter and some of the others, he says, he said to them, but who do you say that
I am? And Simon Peter replied, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.
And Jesus answered him, Blessed are you, Simon Barjonah, for flesh and blood has
not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you
are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall
not prevail against it. So was Jesus saying that he would use Peter to start the
church? Maybe, I mean, technically, Peter was the one who preached the first
sermon. But Peter's name translated means little pebble, and so I don't think he
was saying, I'm gonna build my church on Peter itself. I think what he was
saying here is, I'm gonna build my church on the claim you just shared. I'm
gonna build my church on the truth that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living
God, that he is both Lord and He is Savior. Amen. Now notice what he says there
at the end of that verse, that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Now, if you are a gamer, if you're a video gamer, that's not gonna be a
commentary on video games, but uh what I can tell you here is that no matter
what game you play, OK, no matter what game you play, your Fortnite, Apex
Legends, anything there, I'm the old school like James Bond, Halo, Call of Duty
era, OK. Uh, whatever game you play, what I guarantee is that no one is
selecting a gate as their weapon. Right? Oh, you can choose the blaster or you
can choose the gate. No one's choosing a gate as a weapon, cause what is a gate?
A gate is just something that's used for defense, right? But Jesus says the
gates of hell shall not prevail against it. What that tells me is that the
church is playing offense. I wanna be the kind of church. That gets singed with
the flames of hell because we're pulling people out and sending them to heaven.
Amen. That in this culture, that the fastest growing religion is no religion at
all. What we need to understand is that the moment we're in does not pause the
mission we're on, and that God has promised to build his church if we are
courageous in how we live and how we share. And so we're gonna take a look today
at one of the most famous chapters in Acts, it's Acts 17. And Paul goes into
Athens, a culture, a place where you can go see and visit today. And in a world
very much like ours, seen as the epicenter of the world of intellectual um
advancement of entertainment of, of religion, of government, of philosophy of
community in the center of the world, he goes right in the middle and presents
the gospel to a world who needs it. And I think what he gives us is a template
that you and I can use to reach our culture today. So you're taking notes, I
encourage you to write this down, that when it comes to engaging culture, We
need to Be curious, we need to be clear, and we need to be courageous. When it
comes to engaging cultures, especially with the gospel itself. This teaching
that Jesus is the Christ. We need to be curious, we need to be clear, and we
need to be courageous. And what we're gonna see is those three movements from
Paul's speech can still be applied and principles that you and I can use to
engage our culture right now in this very moment with the good news of Jesus
Christ. Now, in the beginning of Acts chapter 17, Paul and some of his comrades
go to Thessal Thessalonica. That's fun to say, try to say that 5 times fast. And
then they're preaching the gospel here, and we see these words in chapter 17,
verse 2 and 3. And Paul went in, as was his custom, meaning he routinely did
this. And on 3 Sabbath days, he reasoned with them from the scriptures. So Paul
would go into the Jewish population because he is a Pharisee, and he would go in
and he would, and you're gonna see a couple different words for dialogue here.
First one is reasoned, which actually is the Greek word base word where we get
our own English word dialogue, by the way. So he's having conversations with
people from the scriptures. He knows the Old Testament, so he's gonna go to the
Old Testament. It's what they know. He's gonna build a bridge like, hey, let me
show you where Jesus is in this. And so then he continues on verse 3. So he
reasons with them, he's explaining, and he's proving that it was necessary for
the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, saying this Jesus, whom I
proclaim to you, so there's another word, it means announce to you is the
Christ. So Paul routinely would go into cities, and he would go first into the
synagogue with the Jewish population, but what we're gonna see in 17 is that he
also goes into the marketplace, into the business center, into the epicenter of
the community, and he does these things. He doesn't just go and shout at people.
He doesn't just hold a sign on the street corner saying you're all going to
hell. But he goes into the middle, into the mix, surrounded by all these
different idols, surrounded by all these different people, and he reasons with
them, he explains, he proves, and he announces. That's why it's called the good
news, not good advice, right? He is, he is, he is not the, he's not the chef,
he's the, he's the waiter, he's the server, right? If, if you, if you wanna
complain with how the food's cooked. He's saying like, just take it up with the
chef. Like I, I'm just bringing you the food, right? I'm just gonna bring you
the meal. I'm gonna tell you, I'm, I'm not gonna be harsh. I'm just gonna tell
it like it is and just reason with you and explain with you and prove to you and
announce that Jesus is the Christ. So he does this in one town, gets kicked out,
he goes then to Berea, and many people get saved, but the the People in
Thessalonica then who troublemak and like we're throwing stones at him and
stuff, find out that he goes to this town, goes to the next town, kicks him out
again, and so he leaves. Some people stay behind and they're making disciples
and they're developing leaders. And so Paul goes to wait for them in Athens, OK?
So Paul now is in Athens, and if you're familiar with Athens. You understand
here that it's a place you can go visit today. It is the it is the known
intellectual center of the entire world. And the reason for that is that in the
5th century BC, you see these intellectual giants like Socrates, you see Plato,
you see Aristotle, and so names that you learned about in school and probably
sense of forgotten about, right? Like, oh yeah, I recognize that name. Right.
And so, these are philosophers. These are what would be like your university
elites and presidents. These are the people who are challenging culture as we
know it, that we have a better way. It's about 500 years before, 400 years
before the coming of Jesus, but they really set the stage. For this modern
thought thought that we still have today. And then there was this, this
beautiful architecture, and they had this city on a hilltop, this section of the
city of Athens, they were known as the Acropolis. The Acropolis was this this
fortified settlement with incredible architecture. And what was the showpiece of
the Acropolis was the Parthenon. And the Parthenon was the temple of Athenia,
which is the name of Athens. And Athenia was one of the Greek gods that stood
for the goddess of war, or the goddess of wisdom, the goddess of protection. And
Greeks and Greek gods and goddesses, there were beliefs and idols and statues by
the thousands. Some would even say it's easier to find an idol than it was to
find a person in the city, because they just believed everything. And what
happens is when you reject God, you don't worship nothing, but instead, you
actually end up worshiping everything. And that's what they're doing here and so
they're bringing in everything. It is the gumbo, the stew of religious belief
and that everybody's coming in to have this. Now just off of, off of the
Acropolis is a smaller hill, the hill of Ares, the Areopagus, also known as Mars
Hill. And so you can see a picture here. I shared last week in the message. Of
my friend uh Chad who took a group over to visit and we were looking at Philippi
last week. Well, this is just from a cell phone from like 2-3 weeks ago standing
on the hill of Ares, the hill of Mars Hill, and Mars is just the Roman name for
that Greek god Ares. And so you have Mars Hill and this is gonna come back into
play because this is the exact spot, and we know this historically, where Paul.
gives the speech that we're about to read. And we know that because of all the,
uh, I mean, you, all the different background evidence and the fact that it
still exists today, and that they even put his speech as a memorial right there
in the spot. So you can actually see it, you can see where he was standing and
gives the speech. They don't believe the speech, but they actually acknowledge
it. And so imagine yourself standing on Mars Hill with the Acropolis and the
temple of the and the Parthenon in your backdrop. Right? In the backdrop, when
Paul addresses this. OK? So this is the backdrop where Paul walks in and we're
gonna pick up the story here. So, starting in verse 16. Now, while Paul was
waiting there for his friends in Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as
he saw that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the
Jews and devout persons and in the marketplace. Notice he doesn't just go to the
churches, I mean, there were synagogues in the day for the Jewish believers, but
he also goes into the business place, into the marketplace, to where the
everyday person was. And there every day with those who happen to be there. And
some of the epicurean and stoic philosophers also conversed with him. Now, I
want to pause here, give a little backdrop here. So there are a lot of different
philosophies, and it highlights the two major ones. There's the epicureans and
the Stoics. The epicureans were started by a guy named Epicurus, and so their
philosophy, and see if you can make connection to a culture that you also know
today. Their philosophy was nothing happens to you when you die. And so the
purpose of your life is to avoid pain and pursue pleasure as much as possible.
Sound like a culture you know? That nothing happens when you die, therefore,
pursue everything you can, and whatever you believe, to enjoy as much pleasure
as you can because that's the purpose of life. Yeah, very much sounds like our
country, doesn't it? So the, the purpose there was to enjoy all things. And then
there were the stoic philosophers started by a gentleman named Zeno. I don't
know why they called him stoic, but his name is Zeno. Anyway, uh, and so instead
of trying to enjoy all things, they actually were trying to endure all things.
This was this idea that pantheism where where God is in nature, right? Again, we
shared earlier that when you stop worshiping God, You don't just stop worshiping
all together, you actually worship everything around you. And so they worship
everything as nature and because there's a separation of nature and the soul,
that you have to guard your soul. And so you have to be logical and you have to
be uh reasoned. And so this that's why you think of when someone hears the word
stoic, right? You're reserved. So these are the leading philosophies of the day,
and they come and they argue and debate. Uh, also think about this. We think
that America or our modern day culture is the first day in age to go on
television and just spend the entire day just arguing your point of view. There
really isn't anything new under the sun. This culture was doing that every day.
They just didn't have the medium of television to do it. And so they would
gather and just debate and argue all day, right? And now here comes Paul. And so
these philosophers, they converse with him and some said, what does the babbler
wish to say? That's a nice little title, right? Paul the babbler, they don't
think too highly of him. Another said, he seems to be a preacher of foreign
divinities, plural, right? Wait, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, you talk God, you have
Jesus, you have the resurrection. Again, remember, they don't believe in the
spiritual after afterlife. So like, what do you mean resurrection of the dead?
These are different gods, right? They have gods by the thousands. They're like,
oh, what's this new thing? Let's try it, right? Because he was preaching Jesus
and the resurrection, verse 19. And they took him and brought him to the
Areopagus. There's Mars Hill, saying, may we know what is this new teaching that
you're presenting? For you bring some strange things to our ears, and we wish to
know therefore what these things mean. Now all the Athenians and the foreigners
who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing
something new and would spend their entire days on 24/7 news channels. OK, now I
just added that part in, right? But you can, you get the idea, right? You have
the intellectual elite. You have thousands of different beliefs and gods. And
here comes Paul standing before the great architecture, and I don't know about
you guys, but I feel like, man, I can't even get my roof to last a couple of
years, and here they have these buildings lasted for 2500 years. We need some
Greek builders back into our culture. Anyway, um, and so they have this
incredible picture. And so what is Paul gonna do? Well remember that when
engaging culture with the gospel, we have to do 3 things. We have to be curious,
we have to be clear. And we have to be courageous. We gotta be curious. We gotta
be clear, we gotta be courageous. You're gonna see Paul do this. So let's, let's
see how he breaks this down. Verse 22, he starts by being curious. So Paul,
standing in the midst of the Areopagus, he says, men of Athens, I perceive that
in every way you are very religious. So for I passed along and observed the
objects of your worship. I found also an altar with this inscription to the
unknown God. What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The
Greeks had so many gods that they had a junk drawer god. Do you have a junk
drawer at your house? Like, you don't quite know where this belongs, you just
throw everything. Maybe it's not a drawer, maybe it's a closet. Maybe it's one
of your spouse's side of the room, you know what I'm saying? OK. The Greeks are
like, uh, just in case, unknown, we'll just throw that in there. So Paul doesn't
come in and scream at culture. He doesn't come in and go, bad, bad, bad, bad.
I'm right, you're wrong, he says. I see that you're searching. And instead of
trying to break things down, what he's doing is actually building a bridge.
Cause he knows he's like, I'm guessing you're searching. I'm guessing you're,
you're trying to figure things out. Let me, let me help you with that. Isn't
that so much of a different approach than what many of us take today? What if
instead of just judging our culture, we actually tried to influence our culture?
What if instead of attacking people, we actually just try to serve and love and
and and do that through conversation with people. Yes, take a stand for truth,
but understand it is not an us versus them. If you you go into the conversation
with that mentality, you're gonna alienate the very people God has called you to
reach. Just as you would have a hermeneutic of scripture, do you have a
hermeneutic or exegesis of culture? Do you try to understand the culture you're
trying To reach For those who are missionaries that travel into these foreign
lands. They have to spend time learning the language, learning the customs. You
can't just come in and be like, here it is, because even if you preach a very
clear, clean gospel, if it is not in a language that they can understand,
they're not gonna respond to it. In the same way, we have been dropped into this
moment, into this time that we have to try to understand the culture in which
we've been called to reach. So policies He doesn't see these idols and just
think they're awful. He sees these idols and be like, oh, they're searching. I
know what they're really after. OK. So it's curious. Also, he's very clear in
what the gospel is, verse 24. And the God who made the world and everything in
it, being the Lord of heaven and of earth does not live in temples made by man.
Now I want you to think about something. Remember the context in which he says
that verse. You might have heard that verse before. God does not to live in live
in temples made by hand. But imagine standing in front of the Parthenon. Some of
the greatest architecture of the world history has ever seen, that is seen as
like, this is their pride and joy. This is who they are. The Athenians, the
Greeks, they have pride. Why? OK, the Romans might be ruling, but we No. And he
stands right in the middle of it all, with no power, no money, no authority, and
it says, You think God needs this? Have you seen a sunrise? What about the hill
that all that sits on? What about the ocean that we crossed to get here? Have
you seen a storm? Have you seen A Starry Night? You think that's nice? Imagine
standing there. On that hill. Looking around, seeing those buildings, and he
comes out and he says these words. He says, the God who made the world and
everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth does not live in temples made
by man. Nor is he served by human hands as though he needed anything, since he
himself gives all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one
man, every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having
determined allotted periods in the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they
should seek God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. And yet he
is actually not far from each one of us. He says, for in him we have lived and
moved in our being, as even some of your own poets have said, for we indeed are
his offspring. So pause here for a second. He actually brings in a cultural
reference. He quotes a guy named Epimenites and Aydius of Sully. And that
doesn't matter to us, but it does matter to them. Right? He's quoting the song
of the Billboard charts. He's quoting the movie line. He's quoting the
politician. He's quoting the quotes like, hey, your own poets that you read and
celebrate and build statues for point to the God I'm talking about. Verse 29.
And then being God's offering, we ought to not think that we are that the divine
being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and
imagination of man says, but no, that the times of ignorance God overlooked, but
now he commands all people everywhere to repent. Because he has fixed, he has
fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he
appointed, and of this he has given him assurance of all by raising him from the
dead. Seeing Greek philosophy, they would often start with man and try to work
their way up to God. Paul walks in and he actually starts with God and brings it
down to man. And so here's how his presentation. This is why it's so clear, is
that he starts off with God as Creator. You think the Parthenon is great? Let me
tell you about a God who created the world. But not only is God Creator, he's
also provider. He said he doesn't need anything from us, but rather he gives us
the very breath which we turn around and use to doubt him. Did you ever think
about that? You use the very breath in your lungs to doubt the God who made you,
and yet with every single breath, you actually simply utter the name of God.
Yeah. Yahweh, one of if not the only word you can utter without even speaking,
is that you breathe in and breathe out, that in every single breath you take,
you are uttering the name of God. Who in this room or beyond tells our heart to
beat or their lungs to breathe? You can't do that. God provides everything in
your life. God is creator, God is provider. But then he goes on to say that God
is ruler. He is greater than the Greeks. He is greater than the Romans. He is
greater than any leader you think here. You think that your future depends on a
ruler of a nation? You think your future depends on a political party or person?
God moves who he wants, when he wants, how he wants, because it's, he can. God
is creator, God is provider, and God is ruler, but most importantly, God is
savior. The time of ignorance is done. That every man, woman and child will
stand before God to give an account to which they are responsible of who is
Jesus. And so he gets down to it and says, you cannot save yourself. But
thankfully, we have a God, the one that you don't know, but I'm telling and
proclaiming to you, Jesus. That while man cannot work up to God, God came down
to men. Lived a perfect life, died on the cross as payment for your sins and for
mine, and then conquered death itself. So that you can receive eternal life as a
free gift. So how do people respond? Well, you know that Paul was courageous
based on what is said in those final verses. He's curious. Hey, let me tell you
what you've been searching for. He's clear. God is creator, he's provider, he's
ruler, but most importantly, he's savior. And then he's courageous saying you
need this Jesus in your life. Same Jesus that I just got beaten and locked up
for earlier. In my story, I came here to tell you. So now when they heard of the
resurrection of the dead, some mocked. Others said, well, we will hear you again
about this. And so Paul went out from their midst. But some men joined him and
believed, among whom were also Dynamus or dynamis, the aperite, and the woman
named Domaice. And others are with them. So other places, there were like
thousands of people were saved. Maybe some were saved. We know at least 2
responded. They might not be super valuable to us, but definitely to them. See,
the fact that the one gentleman was given a title meant that it was probably a
head government official of some kind. So now you have a Greek official and then
a woman being one of the early people to start this church. But what happened to
Paul, happened to Jesus, and will also happen to you and me anytime we share
Jesus with people. People will respond with rejection. With reflection Or
reception And those thoughts are not original to me here. I mean, other pastors
have said those words, but understand this, that if people rejected Jesus, if
people rejected Paul, people are gonna reject you. No one's batting 1000. But
some people are gonna go away. And reflect meaning like, oh. You're gonna give
them something to think about. They might not get saved in that moment, but
they're gonna question, what is the God that I've been worshiping. What have I
been putting my hopes in? I And the reason we share is because some people will
believe. If you regularly share your faith, you will never bat 1 1000. But also,
you will never bat 0. Some belief I understand that enough of the sum launched
the largest movement in world history. But I can tell you this, You will never
lead someone to Christ, and you will bat 0. As long as you refuse to share your
faith with others. What's that saying in sports, right, you'll you'll never make
a shot, you don't take. Right. Maybe you've heard a well meaning phrase that I
share the gospel and. You know, when needed, use words. That'd be like saying I
go feed the poor. When needed, use food. The gospel includes us sharing the
message. It is the good news. It is not the gospel does not mean the good
feeling. The gospel does not mean the good life. Well, I'm a nice person, so
clearly they know, no, they don't. So what if we were like Jesus? Who in John 3
shares with Nicodemus, the educated man, and then John 4 shares with the
rejected Samaritan woman, then goes and shares with the demon possessed man or
or Zacchaeus, the tax collector. Or the doctor or the fisherman. The rich, the
poor. Men and women. He was courageous when he shared, and he said, you are
gonna share with the world too, and you're gonna be persecuted just as I was
persecuted, but guess what? People's lives are gonna change. Because we have the
answer, church. That anytime you share the gospel, there are gonna be some
people that reject you. I get it. I get that there's people in here that every
argument I've put forth, you've put up a wall up against me. That's OK. I
understand that. Some of you walk in and you're gonna hear a song like, oh, I
need to think about that. But I also know there's some people in here that can
receive you. Receive the gospel in the heart. Because when it comes to engaging
culture, Especially with the gospel, may we be people. That understand that we
can be curious, that we can be clear, and that we can be courageous. Pastor Gary
Hamrick wrote this simple prayer. He said, Give me eyes to see the lost, a heart
that loves the lost, a will to win the lost, a mouth to tell the lost about
Jesus. I love that. Look, here's the challenge I wanna give you today. Just take
the first one. I'm gonna make you do all three. Just take the first one and I
want you to be curious this week. Are you willing to ask a spiritually open
friend what they believe about God? And then listen to him. Like, I get that
there's moments, right? And there's not always the right time. But are you
looking for it? Like I, those that know me know that I love basketball. I coach,
I cheer. I got kids in it, right? And so I got a friend group too, right, that
goes in and, and, and growing up with our kids in club sports and doing all
that, right? They kid, oh, the pastor, right, I get competitive and my human
side, I might yell at a ref or two from time to time. And so when I do that,
they're like, oh, and if the pastor sees that ref, you gotta make the call, you
know, like there's kind of a joke. But what happens is as much as they kid about
it, when I have one on one conversations with people, it's amazing like, hey,
can you pray for me? Hey, can you Why? Because our souls are searching, our
souls are needing. In church, we have the answer that the moment we're in does
not pause the mission that we're on and that the gates of hell will not prevail
against us, meaning. That in our dark world, we need to shine the light of Jesus
Christ. To be curious with the people in your family, in your classroom, on your
team, in your workplace, to be clear with what it means to put your faith in
Jesus. Hey, can I share with you? Can I pray with you? Can I talk with you? And
be courageous to say, hey, do you believe this? Because some people are gonna
respond. And when we be a church. That gets a little bit of the flames of hell
on our garments because we're ripping people out of hell and sending them into
heaven. But before we do that, I want to know. Is there anybody in this room
that that needs to receive that for themselves? And in a moment I'm gonna pray,
and there's not. Like special magic in these words, but it's what you believe in
your heart. Here's the gospel. We're sinners. We can't make it to heaven on our
own. Jesus, who was God, came down to earth, lived a perfect life, died on the
cross as payment for your sins and for mine. And then when he rose again, He
provides the way of forgiveness and eternal life, that now I don't have to
achieve it, but I can receive him into my life, turn from my sins, put my faith
in him. And the power of his spirit comes into my life. My sins are forgiven, my
life has changed, and I can go eternity with him. If you wanna receive, I
encourage you to pray with me right now. Will you do that? Dear heaven Father,
we love you. I know that I'm a sinner, but I can't make it to heaven on my own.
God, that there are idols in my life. I've tried to put my meaning in in in
money or fame or health or. Popularity, whatever it is, God, I know that I'm
still searching. So God, thank you for coming down, dine on the cross for my
sins. And that when you rose again, you prove that you are God, that you are
savior, that you are Lord. I want you to be Lord and Savior in my life. I
believe in you, Jesus, and I commit my life to you. Thank you for saving me.
Help me to share this good news with those around me. And your son's name we
pray amen.