This is a rush transcript.

[00:00:02] All right. Well, at this time, the ushers are going to be coming forward. Can we give a hand for our ushers? These guys are great. We give a hand for this guy to paint everybody.

[00:00:11] So they're going to start handing out tracts. So we're giving everybody a brand new track that we wrote here at the church. And tonight, this whole night, this whole event is 100 percent the fault of Frank Poya.

[00:00:26] Everybody all right? So if you if you have a good time tonight. Thank Frank. And if you don't have a good time tonight, blame Frank. In fact, let's bring Frank up here. Everybody put your hands together. We're bringing him up. He doesn't he does not know this is about to happen. So this is a Ron spontaneous moment in Frank's life that he's sharing with all of us as his church family give him. Yeah. Here's Frank, everybody.

[00:00:50] So here's Frank here. I got you a microphone. So I plan this even though you didn't know this was coming. So, Frank, do you like evangelizing? I do, yes. Yes. We I know that about you. In fact, you went out with the ice cream truck last night. How was it? There was amazing. It was I mean, I got a text that it was the best night of evangelism ever. I suspect that people were praying for us. Yeah, well, you had it. You got. Tell us what you got to talk to somebody.

[00:01:17] We did. Fabio from Argentina. And he heard the gospel for the first time, literally did not hear it before. And he understood he had broken his leg. He had some injury and somebody else came up to talk to him that day about Jesus. You wanted to know more.

[00:01:33] So he got the clear gospel to God, brought someone all the way from Argentina so you could tell them the gods and many others. So here's Frank, guys. He comes to my office and he just drops one tract after another track. And he said, I don't want drag. Yeah.

[00:01:48] And so it is all Frank's fault that you guys have this, because he bothered me with his persistence that overcame my resistance about track. So give it up for Frank. One more time. I don't want to embarrass him.

[00:02:00] That's it, Frank. There you go. No.

[00:02:03] Yeah, there's one. Make sure Frank gets one. So here's the thing. Frank is right. I do not like tracks because here's what tracks do. Our theme is that everybody does evangelism. Christians spread the gospel. That's what we do. And what what tracks turn into is like I hand you the gospel. And then I run away. And that is the opposite of what we're supposed to be doing when we're out spreading the gospel. So we have designed to track that is not meant to be handed to anyone. It's not meant to be like left under someone's windshield wipers. Right. Because we all love it when people do that to us. All right. So that's not the point. The point is to try to explain to people the gospel, repentance and faith from the beginning of this church. We've been saying those are the three most important words. So I want to show you right now how I would encourage everybody here to use this track that is inspired by and dedicated to Frank, because I think Frank's going to tell more people the gospel with this track. That's why we made it. All right. So when you open it up to the first page, many people are going to refer to Jesus Christ.

[00:03:11] Our presidential candidates are going to refer to Jesus Christ as a great teacher. But if we could summarize the teachings of Jesus into one phrase, one statement that summarizes the teachings of Jesus, what would it be? Well, fortunately for us, Mark has already given us a summary statement of the teaching of Jesus. Read it, read it along with me here, Mark 115. That time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel. So there's a call to action that Jesus gives us. He's telling us because the kingdom of God is at hand and the time is now. So we better repent and believe in the gospel. So we're saying if Jesus if we could summarize his teaching into this verse right here, these are then the three most important words. And so the first one is the gospels. You see, as you would explain this to someone, you weren't handed to them, you would actually visually show them the three most important words. One is gospel. And what it gives you, they're for each one of these words is it gives you a definition. It gives you a scripture passage to use and then even some more information that you could refer to. So the goal is we're not just saying, oh, have you heard the gospel or have you heard repentance or have you heard faith? But maybe where you're using this visual aid to actually read that's read First Corinthians, fifteen three to four four, I delivered to you as a first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures. Three things that we get that make up the gospel. You got to start with who Jesus is, the Christ the son of God. What did he do? He died for us. And he rose again. So we put that word first because we want to start with the good news. And then you turn it to repentance. And here we define repentance, that out of the three words that we're going to try to explain, this is the one that people have probably heard about the least. And so we give some definition there. We give an example verse. This is but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout the region of Judea and also to the Gentiles that they should repent. Well, what does that mean? And turn to God performing deeds in keeping with their repentance. So we're turning from our old life of sin and we're turning to God to live. For him, it's it's a radical change of life that you can see from the outside, not just something that happens on the inside. Now, why does our life turn around? Well, it's because of faith. And then we have their Ephesians two, eight and 10.

[00:05:58] So you can read to somebody. So you see how if you started here and you said, hey, can I. Can I present to you something? I've got three most important words that I think I would share to you, or maybe you could start it like this. Hey, have you heard about Jesus? Have you heard about how he's a great teacher? Do you know what the main theme of Jesus's teachings were like? If you could summarize Jesus in a line, what would it be? And then, boom, you open it up, you read a mark 115. Do you know those three most important words? And you explain it to them one at a time. Gospel, repentance and faith. And let's read a Friesians to eight to ten. We're on faith four by grace. You have been saved through faith and this is not your own doing. It is the gift of God. It's not a result of works. We're not saying you can do anything to be saved. You can't save yourself. There's nothing good enough that you can do so that no one may boast for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should then walk in there. All right. So hopefully you're out there and you're trying to share the good news. That's what the gospel is. It's good news. Hopefully you're out there, you're trying to share it. Well, here's now a visual aid that you can use. And if you use it, you give people four passages of scripture in like a minute's time. So I think this is going to help us get more content to it, to more people that everybody here could go and do this. All right. And I showed this to a lady at our church that was talking with this afternoon and she said, wow, this reminds me of the four spiritual laws. Who's ever heard of the four spiritual laws before? And this was something that campus crusade, now known as crew man, they were getting everywhere with the four spiritual laws, like it came out like twenty years ago in the middle of the 1990s. And it wasn't a track that you were handing people. It was a track that you talked to people through. And it was kind of a hook like, hey, I've got four spiritual laws where after I tell you one, I kind of have to tell you two, three and four. Like as I've said, there's four of them. And, well, I didn't really plan this to be like that. But the three most important words. Well, once I tell you one, I gotta tell you all three. All right. So I want everybody here to take this and to try to use this to explain to someone the definition of the gospel, repentance and faith. In fact, we've got a test team that's going to Cal State, Long Beach Library to night. And they're going to start trying this out on those nerds that are in the library. On a Wednesday night, we got another test team that's going out to Golden West College tomorrow at lunchtime. They're gonna go try this out. I would love for everybody to try this out. And here's the great thing. We wrote this. We published it. We edited it. So if you see any typos, you can blame Frank for that. No, he had he didn't do it. Don't blame Frank. But but I mean, we can change it. So if you have feedback, if you have ideas on ways that we could use this as a more even better tool to get people to gospel, repentance and faith. So this isn't something you were making up. This is what Jesus said. And we're just out there trying to explain it to everybody. Okay, because here's what we're trying to do at this church, and it's a little bit different. We think that everyone at this church should just naturally, as a part of the overflow of their Christian life, should share the good news with other people, family members, neighbors, coworkers, strangers, anybody that we can get in a conversation with. We want to share with them. The good news. This is when Christianity has really started to make an impact on the culture around us is when everybody at church considered themself an ambassador for Jesus Christ. In the 1970s and 80s, there was this thing called the evangelism explosion. Does anybody is anybody remember that? Anybody know about it? And it was this idea. It started all the way over in Florida. Dr. James Kennedy, and then it's spread across America like wildfire. And there was basically this idea your whole church should go do evangelism together. That was the idea. And it was like this whole big push in the 80s. And if we want to see something like that happen in America, it's going to have to start with churches thinking. A pastor doesn't do it. It's not guys just like Frank who do it. Everybody goes out there to evangelize. So this is hopefully a tool that equips everybody. You can have better conversations by using this as a visual aid. You can read scripture to people. They can see it. So it's a visual tool for you to present the gospel. Now, grab your Bible and turn with me to John Chapter three. OK.

[00:10:46] Because we're trying to take evangelism away from the idea that it's something that only the evangelists do are only certain people do. And we're trying to empower everyone here at our church to do it. If there's only one way to be saved and everyone needs to know Jesus, then we need everyone at this church out there, Tallin people, because there's too much harvest field out there and too few laborers.

[00:11:14] And so we're praying that some of you will become laborers if you haven't been telling people that tonight will inspire you. And for those of you who aren't getting out there with the good news, hopefully this will just kind of take you to a next level here tonight. But but I just want to challenge the idea that the number one reason, while there's two main reasons. One of the reasons that people don't evangelize is they don't know what to say. There's a fear that they don't know what to say. OK. So let's let's write that down if you're taking notes. We're trying to address tonight the fear of not knowing what to say. OK. Now, I would encourage everyone if you don't know what to say. You need to learn what to say. OK. But I still think that there's always gonna be room to grow. There's always going to be room to know more. Like the lie that I think really keeps a lot of people from evangelizing. Like if I was going to evangelize my Mormon neighbor or my or my Muslim person that I've met down the street or this atheist over here. Well, the lie that I keep hearing is, well, you got to go read a book about Mormonism before you talk to a Mormon or you got to go read the Koran before you can talk to somebody who believes in Islam or you got to understand completely evolutionary theory and quantum physics and rocket science before you can even talk to an atheist. All right. And none of that is true. Here's what you need to talk to somebody. The gospel, repentance and faith. That's all you need to do. A whole world of good here in this world. All right. So I'm trying to equip you. Now, it might be helpful to read books and to learn more information.

[00:12:55] I'm not knocking that, but I am trying to disprove the lie that you need to know more to evangelize. No. If you know what you need to know to be saved, then you know what you need to know to pass on to other people. In fact, let me go so far as to say this. Knowing a lot can be a hindrance to real evangelism. Can everybody write that down? Knowing a lot can be a hindrance to real evangelism.

[00:13:23] Because when you know a lot, you're tempted to start to think that you have something to do with the person's response when you know a lot. You're tempted to think that your persuasiveness, that the way you lay out the argument, the fact that you know, all the scripture, how you say it, you might start to put confidence in yourself rather than in the gospel being the power of God to save people.

[00:13:52] So what we need to understand is what our role is in evangelism. And we're asking the question tonight, what is the real reason why people don't believe in Jesus Christ? Is it because they need to know more information? Is it because we need to have intellectual arguments with them? Is that the real reason people don't believe in Jesus?

[00:14:15] Is it's hard for them to understand gospel, repentance and faith. Read with me. John, Chapter three. Let's start in verse 16. And this is going to be our text for our time together here tonight. John, 316, let's start in something that's familiar and then get into something maybe a little less familiar.

[00:14:34] It says, for God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life, for God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world. Now, in order that the world might be saved through him, whoever believes in him is not condemned. But whoever does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only son of. So the problem is that people don't believe in the good news of Jesus Christ now. Well, it won't it be great if the Bible would tell us the secret reason, the real reason why people don't believe. So we could focus in on that. Keep reading verse 19. This is the judgment. The light has come into the world. His name was Jesus Christ. And people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things, hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God. The real reason why people don't believe in Jesus is not intellectual. The real reason, if you're taking notes, we haven't even got to point one yet. But you could write this down. They want to sin. That's what it's saying right there. They want to sin. That's what this is really all about. The real reason is not intellectual, but moral. Now we need to make sure that everybody knows the good news of the gospel, repentance and faith. That's why we're making this track. That's why we're sending everybody out to go. That's why we hope everybody here will use this to have that conversation. OK, so there is some information that we need to get out there. But the reason that so many people in America right now are rejecting the gospel don't want to repent, don't believe in Jesus Christ is because their works are evil, is what it says.

[00:16:34] They love dark things. That's where we're at. OK, so so, yes, there might be some intellectual things and people are going to say, but what about the man in Africa?

[00:16:47] But I don't know why. Why does God choose some people and not other people? Hey, I don't know. Why would Christianity be really the only way? I don't really agree with that. All of those things we can talk about, those things we can get into that. But they're really red herrings. They're really false clues. They're really not the main point. Where were all those things? We end up talking about somebody else. I'm talking to you and I'm asking you, why won't you repent and believe in Jesus Christ?

[00:17:14] And the reason is they've got sin in their life that they want to do. That's what it's saying here.

[00:17:20] Then I'll come to the light, because they love the darkness, because the things that they do, their works are evil.

[00:17:28] That's what's going on.

[00:17:30] OK, so we're thinking that I've got to go in, like, intellectually prove to somebody the existence of God, right and wrong. The fact that the Bible's true. The fact that Jesus really did die and rise again. And he really was God. And I've got to go intellectually, prove all of these things. You're not going to intellectually prove anybody into the kingdom of God. Let's just make that very clear, OK? In fact, if you start to think that you can do that, we don't really want you on team evangelism here at CompassHB HP. You're gonna go around rubbing people the wrong way with your debate and with your argumentative kind of approach. That's not what we're about. OK. Go back to Romans, chapter one with me. OK. I'm going to try to give you guys some confidence in things that we know are true, that we can say boldly the truths hills, that we can die on, truths that we can defend. That you don't have to be an intellectual powerhouse to prove. Now, I'm not trying to make it like, hey, let's not learn more and let's not grow in our understanding. No, I hope we have many more nights like this where we get into all the details of Athie ism, Mormonism and Islam. I'm just trying to mobilize everyone here that you could be a part of our evangelistic team. And here in Romans, one, verse 20. Look at what it says. Now, this is a this is a true statement, whether it seems like it's true in our world or not, whether it seems like Paulite people, believe it or not. Here's what it says in the scripture. Here's what God has said for his invisible attributes. We're talking about God's invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. So I understand that the theory of evolution has taken over America.

[00:19:34] It's taught in the classrooms. It's understood as the way things work in the world to many people. But can we just let the scriptures speak here tonight?

[00:19:44] Can we just say that it is clearly perceived that God is the creator of the heavens and the Earth? Anybody want to say a man right now? Do we believe that God is the creator? Or are we ashamed of it here?

[00:19:55] Do we believe this? And can we even say it to other people? Like like you're going to try to tell me they're going to think you're stupid because you don't believe in evolution. They might call you a fool. Time out. We live in Huntington Beach. Has anyone ever driven on PCH before?

[00:20:12] I mean, this there's people coming from Argentina to see this. I mean, this is pretty nice place that we live. You're going to tell me that all of this just randomly happened by chance mutations. I mean, do you see the puffy white clouds up there in the blue sky? Do you see the waves coming up against the shore? Do you see the fishermen catching creatures hidden underneath the deep? Do you see the people surfing in the water and playing on the sand? Do you feel the breeze blowing around you? And all of that has no designer, no internal cause.

[00:20:43] Who started all of this? No one who beautifully crafted this and deserves credit and praise for it.

[00:20:50] Are you kidding me?

[00:20:52] You were conceding way too much ground in the fact that it is clearly perceived. There is no excuse. It is self evident by anybody who's got eyeballs that there is a creator of this place. OK. But people don't understand. So I have to explain it to them. No. The reason they don't understand isn't because that we have to explain it to them. OK, go back up to verse 18. Look what it said. Again, here's why they don't understand the creation for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven. Against all on godliness and unrighteousness of men who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. What is the first truth? We talk about here that God is the creator. So what suppresses the truth of the reality that God is the creator? What does it say here in Romans? One, not their lack of intellect, not the fact that they can't understand. And so we need to give them the cosmological argument or the ontological argument. The reason they don't believe God is the creator is they suppress the truth in their own unrighteousness because they're sinning and they want to keep on sinning.

[00:22:05] A creator means authority, a creator means design. A creator means guidelines, rules, law, an intended way that the creator made me to live. And I'm not the captain of my own ship. I'm not the master of my own domain. I am a creature. I am a. Of the creator. I'm a created being.

[00:22:26] That's what it means. Means I'm not the boss of me is what it means. And people, they want to do what they want to do. So what they're doing is they're suppressing the truth in unrighteousness.

[00:22:37] Let's get this down for point number one. Something that we should be bold about is creation. And creation is suppressed in unrighteousness. It's suppressed by the sin. Their eyeballs can clearly perceive that this had to have a master designer. I mean I mean, it's beautiful what God has done even in our fallen world. We can clearly behold the glory of God that the heavens are declaring day after day. Let's go down to the pier and let's watch the sunset and let's try to find people who want to believe in evolution at that moment and let's act like anybody who does.

[00:23:16] And how does that even make sense? Book it. That that just came to be with no body guiding it. With nobody designing it.

[00:23:25] So, yeah, we speak boldly about creation. The reason that people don't understand isn't because I didn't do a good job explaining creation. It says there's nothing to explain.

[00:23:35] It says it's plain. OK.

[00:23:39] It's because they're suppressing the truth and unrighteousness, go to Romans chapter to look at Romans Chapter two. Here's the second thing that the Bible. Paul, in his masterful argument of the gospel here in Romans, he goes after these two things in the first two chapters. First thing he says is don't give up the ground on creation. It's about their their unrighteous sin that they're in. That's why they can't see that God's the creator because they want to sin. And then here in Romans two, he makes another great argument. McIver's 14, Romans chapter two, verse 14.

[00:24:12] He says, for when gentiles who do not have the law by nature do what the law requires. They are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. So yes, people who are maybe aren't studying God's word, but yet they have this sense of knowing the law innately. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their keyword here conscience also bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.

[00:24:53] So here's people who have within them this internal and internal excuse me, this internal moral compass. So they have this this thing we call a conscience. And when I do something wrong that's kind of universally recognized when I am a child and I talk back to my mom, when I lie to my friend, I have this conscience that accuses me, that lets me know I'm not doing something that is right now. Maybe someone might say, well, hey, you did this. And all know in my conscience I didn't do what they said. And so at that point, my conscience would excuse me, I would have a clear conscience. But it says here that your conscience it has this, like, idea of accusing you and you do something wrong or excusing you if you know you've done what is right. It says everybody, people, gentiles being away to refer to people who don't really have the knowledge of God, who maybe don't understand the scripture. Still, they have this law. It's like written in their heart. It's like they're made in the image of their creator and they have his moral framework written into their soul. That's what it's like.

[00:26:06] And everybody's got one of these.

[00:26:09] And I don't care what language you speak or what country you live in. You watch your kids slap their mom in the face and you're going to feel like that's wrong.

[00:26:19] And it's on our hearts. So we have this thing called a conscience.

[00:26:23] People have a sense of right or wrong. Well, I don't know. I know some people, they're out there as they seem to be doing wrong, and they don't even seem to to feel bad about it. Well, that's because their conscience is senior. Let's get this down for point number two.

[00:26:37] Here's something else we should be appealing to, is we should appeal the peach people's conscience, but their conscience is smeared by hypocrisy. Your conscience is not is not infallible. It's not foolproof.

[00:26:51] If you continue to do what is wrong over and over, if you continue to tell yourself that something wrong is actually right for you to do. You can see here your conscience and you can burn your conscience so it doesn't feel anymore.

[00:27:10] Hey, it's kind of like when you get calluses on your fingertips and you lose that that feeling so you can do that to your own internal moral compass. That is your conscience. And let me just say that as a Christian person, one of the most valuable things that you can have to keep you on the straight and narrow is a clear conscience.

[00:27:28] If you have to keep your conscience clear at all time, if you cannot lie, if you will not allow yourself to lie because you won't go against conscience. And I don't keep you from a lot of hidden sin and a lot of trouble if you have a sharp, active conscience, go.

[00:27:45] But if you continue to do things, you know they're wrong and you keep doing them well, you burn over your conscience and it stops working. So again, what is the thing that defiles somebodies conscience will go with me. First, Timothy, Chapter four. Everybody turn over to First Timothy. Chapter four. Is this an intellectual problem? Do I need to go and argue with someone about what's going on in their conscience and prove to them that there is a moral right or wrong? Do I need to start debating things like the murder of babies in abortion or the fact that it's not okay for two men to get married? Is that. Do I need to start debating that in our culture and getting in arguments with people, or can I appeal to people's consciences? Well, unfortunately, when they go against their conscience, look at what this prophetic word here. And first, Timothy, chapter four, verse one, page nine hundred and ninety two. If you got one of our books, it says, now, the spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons through the insincerity of liars whose conscience is are seared.

[00:29:01] So in the later times, which I would think that we are living in right now, in the year 2016, two thousand years since the time of Jesus Christ in the later times. Let me let me just tell you what the spirit says is gonna happen. We're gonna see a lot of departure from the thing. And people are going to start devoting themselves to lying deceitful spirits, to the teachings of demons, all kinds of false religions, maybe not even false religions, maybe even world view philosophies. Maybe Athie ism kind of is the new religion where you're a you believe in the power of human beings to be good and you can do what you want with your own body teachings of demons and who's leading these false movements away from the faith that is in Jesus Christ. Well, it's insincere. Liars who have seared their own conscience is and they have lost their moral compass. And maybe they know they're off the right, off off the rails and they're just going into sin and their lead and everybody else with them. Or maybe they're just deceived themselves and they don't know they're leading everybody into it. But that's the day and age we're living in.

[00:30:09] Now, you could give people history lessons. You could go and argue about morality with people. But the problem is their conscience is seared because of the sin that they are engaging in in their lives. So your argumentation, how is your argumentation gonna stop the sin that any effect of the sin in their life? Go over to Second Timothy.

[00:30:32] Chapter three. OK. Second Timothy. Chapter three.

[00:30:37] Here's another similar prophecy. This is in the last writing of Paul to his true disciple Timothy, that he empowered to do the gospel work and to preach the word whether people wanted to hear it or not. Liquidy says Second Timothy, Chapter three. But understand this, that in the last days and again, I would I would argue that's the time that we're living in. In the last days. There will come times of difficulty. It's gonna be hard for the faith in the last days. People see if this describes our fellow Americans, people like us people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents. Ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous. Here's a key one for us. Without self-control. Brutal, not loving. Good. Treacherous, reckless. Swollen with conceit. Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. Having the appearance of godliness. So it looks like they want to live for God or do what it's right. But denying it's power of void such people. And then it goes on to describe these people. And it's describing people who are even creeping in in churches who are like this. Not just people out there in the world, but people who are coming into the church like this guy.

[00:32:01] So we can keep telling people about creation, it's evident. It's plain the reason they're not getting it isn't because we're not doing a good job explaining it or because it's this intellectual thing. It's because they're suppressing the truth by their sin. We can keep arguing and we should keep standing up. That abortion is murder and same sex marriage is not what God intended for human flourishing. And we should make these argument. But the reason people are losing that sense of right and wrong is their searing their conscience by burning it right, repeated sin in their life. So are we starting to see what the problem is, is people want to sin in this sin that they want to do is having these negative effects and God's giving them over. And his judgment on them, his wrath on them is letting them continue in their sin.

[00:32:51] Now go to Second Corinthians, Chapter four, because there's there's the most important thing we want to share with people is not even really creation, although that's a good foundation and it's not even really the conscience, although we need that because we have to help people see that they're a sinner and we have to appeal to their conscience that told them they've done at least something wrong in their life. If not many things wrong in their life. But here we get to Second Corinthians, Chapter four. This is really what we want to tell people about. This is really our main mission. It says in Second Corinthians four, therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. If it's hard to get the good news out there, don't lose heart.

[00:33:32] We have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word. No, by the open statement of the truth.

[00:33:43] We would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God. Oh, I thought Constance's maybe weren't going to work after they were seared. No. Paul's still appealing to people's consciences. He's still acting like everyone should believe in creation. He's still acting like there's a right and wrong as he appeals to people. And then he says this verse three. And even if our gospel is veiled, even if people aren't seeing what we're saying, it is veiled to those who are perishing in their case. The God of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel, of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God for what we proclaim is not ourselves. Now we proclaim Jesus Christ is Lord with ourselves as your servants, for Jesus sake, for God who said let light shine out of darkness has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. So the main thing we want to tell people, we might start with creation. We might appeal to their conscience, but we want to tell them about Christ. But the problem in telling them about Christ is Christ can't be seen by the blind. That's point number three. Christ can't be seen by the blind. So we should keep saying these things, these things are true, these truths are self evident, that there is a creator, everyone has a conscience, and the only way to be safe. That we proclaim is the name of Jesus Christ. But people are going to suppress the truth in their sin. They're going to sear their consciences and they can't even see Jesus. And all of his glory and all of his goodness and how he came down to save them by dying for that sin and rising again, they can't even see it. Do you see how evangelism is such an impossible, impossible mission for any of us?

[00:35:32] The idea that you could know a little bit more and then all of a sudden people would start seeing you have way underestimated how bad it is out there.

[00:35:43] Like it's hopeless and less. God is going to shine his light into this person, to open their eyes to the creator to to help them see how they are in their sin so that they could see the gospel of Jesus Christ, like what you and I say is not what's going to make the difference. God has to shine the light of Jesus Christ.

[00:36:03] That's what we're hoping in. OK?

[00:36:05] We're not hoping in how we present it. We're not hoping in the fact that I've been studying up and I've been learning more than I've been with a lot of people who knew so much.

[00:36:14] They were not good evangelists at all because they started to underestimate the problem. They started to think that their intellect could somehow, like, put a pebble in somebody's shoe or just help somebody think about something like I'm gonna crack their blindness with my words, like I'm into somehow unsere their conscience or I'm gonna convince them that there really is a creator.

[00:36:37] No, there's they want to sin. And I can't change their heart.

[00:36:41] I can't get to the inner man say, I mean, evangelism is mission impossible unless it's God speaking through me to this person. And if my goal is to have God speaking through me, then the only thing that really matters is that I I don't need to come up with what to say or know a lot to say or be supersmart. Now, I just want to say what God says. That's how I'm going to do. I just got to know what God says here. And if I repeat what God says to other people, if I use the same words that God uses, if I even point to people some of these passages, the passages may be in our track. Well, then God can shine the light of Jesus Christ and God can open eyes and God can turn people around and God can cause people to get down on their knees and worship him. I'm just here to be used by God at all. I'm just a vessel. So. I'm not really bringing anything to it. It's got to in his work through mean, does everybody see this as everybody, should I say? So the idea that, well, you know, my pastor, he can really evangelize people or people are more likely to get saved if they talk to my pastor. I don't think we really understand how lost people are or how God does the work of salvation when we start bringing out special people who will somehow help people get saved more than other people. Any one of us can be used by God to lead someone to salvation because we have nothing to do with.

[00:38:10] No one will ever be in heaven saying, I'm so glad that that Bobby Blakey saved me your arms. And that guy, Frank Poya. And, you know, I hear from the guy from Argentina, we meet him in heaven. And he's like, it was all French doing. They're not even going to notice we're there.

[00:38:26] They're gonna be so busy worshiping and giving the glory to Jesus Christ. Maybe at some point we'll hang out and we'll we'll give some nuts about it or something like that.

[00:38:36] But if anybody goes up to Frank and says, wow, Frank, the way you explained it to me, the track that you use, the deliciousness of the ice cream, it all affected my salvation. Wow, Frank. I mean, you know what Frank's gonna say?

[00:38:48] He's gonna say, I had nothing to do with it. So he's going to say, I wasn't what I said, right?

[00:38:55] I mean, well, how would you feel if somebody around here started taking credit? Yeah, I've saved three people this year here at CompassHB HB. What do you see? The next baptism? A couple of my people are coming up.

[00:39:06] They're probably going to name drop me. You know, it's gonna be good, right?

[00:39:12] You would be like repent and give the glory to God. You had nothing to do with it.

[00:39:16] But all of a sudden, when we're going out to evangelize, we think we're going to do something about it until. And then we kind of realize, oh, I can't do anything about it. Good. That's right. Where we want you for team evangelism, CompassHB HP.

[00:39:28] When you are convinced that you can do nothing to help somebody get saved, man, please come out with us, OK? Because that's where the power of God is gonna show up and he's going to work through us because we're not going to be tempted to give the glory to ourselves or to anybody else. And we're gonna see it how it really is. If his life doesn't shine, nobody's eyes are open and nobody's seeing Jesus. Nobody's getting saved. It's all about God letting his light of the knowledge of the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ shines so that people can see the face of Jesus. And then salvation takes place.

[00:40:04] And we just need to get out of the way and open our mouths and let God do his work and so on. I mean, sometimes people who think they're hardcore, all about it, evangelists, they're not going to be very helpful because we don't need the A team.

[00:40:20] We don't need some super kind of knowledgeable person. We need empty vessels ready to be used by the Lord. We need people who know they can't do anything because look at the problem. They love darkness. Their works are evil. They don't even really care what we're saying to them. They're not even interested. I mean, most Americans don't even find Christianity appealing these days. They don't even want to hear about it.

[00:40:45] So, I mean, the idea that, well, I could talk him into it. We just need to throw that idea aside here tonight. And we need to say I'm just here to be used by God. Let's let him speak through me. So turn your hand at over and now we're gonna see things we actually can do. On the other side, sermon part two, go back to John, chapter three with me. All right. So are you saying there's nothing we can do about it? Well, yes, I am saying there's nothing you can do about it. But then also the scripture gives us some things to do. And that's the amazing Antin Amee between God's sovereignty and our human responsibility that God does all the work. But yet he has laid out some clear things that he expects us to do as his people. I don't think that anybody here is going to help anybody get saved in any kind of spiritual way. But I've also given everybody here attract that. I'm expecting you to go try out on somebody so that God can use you. So we're at one point we admit we can do nothing, but then God is telling us to do something.

[00:41:48] And look, even what it says here. And John, three, look back it versus 19, 20 and 21 says, OK, the light has come into the world. We know what that's all about. We've been studying, John, on Christmas Eve. We did a whole night on The Light of the World. His name is Jesus Christ Ray. So the light of the world, he came in and people love the darkness rather than the light. The problem is their sin. Their works are evil. And so everyone who lives in this wicked sin, they hate the light. They don't want to come. They don't they don't especially want to hear about repentance or anything like that. No, they don't want their works to be exposed. They want to keep it secret, keep it safe, keep on live in the way that they're living. But here's a different kind of person. This is us now. But whoever does what is true comes to the light. There's a person who is OK with having everything in their life exposed. There's a person who's OK with being honest and open. And they have a clear conscience about what's going on. And there's someone who can come to the light. And when this person comes to light, what you see is so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out. And who does it say the God? So there is someone who is willing to to come to the light. There is someone who is now referred to even as the light of the world. Who are these people? They're the people who God has done his work in there. That's us. OK. So what we're supposed to do is we're supposed to come to the light.

[00:43:17] We're even supposed to shine the light of the world. We're supposed to shine the fact that we are new creations in Christ. The old is gone. The new is come. And when we live out our Christian life, it exposes the works of darkness. It lights up this world of sin. And it shows people there's actually another way to live then works of evil. There are people who can actually walk in righteousness, people who have been saved by Jesus Christ. That's us. So there aren't we need to shine the light. We need to get out there and expose the darkness. Go to Matthew, Chapter five. Let's just look at a few passages that talk about this. OK, so we're trying to recruit everybody here who's in this room. Everybody who's watching on the livestream right now. Hello to all of you who can't be with us. Hello to Scott Shue in Connecticut right now. We love you. So we're trying to tell everybody who can hear this. This sermon, maybe even on a recording later, if they're not with us in this moment of time, we're trying to recruit everybody to team evangelism here at CompassHB HB.

[00:44:22] Now, here's something you really need if you're going to be a part of the evangelism. Matthew, Chapter Fiber's 14. You are the light of the world. So now we're not saying Jesus is the light of the world. Now we're saying he's shining through us. You are the light of the world. We're OK with come into the light because God's done a work in our hearts.

[00:44:41] We don't love evil in sin. That's not the way we live anymore. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, put on a stand. And it gives light to all in the house. So anybody who's around you, you're going to light them up is what it's saying. In the same way, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your father who is in heaven. So what are we supposed to do with the light of Jesus Christ that has shown in our hearts? So our eyes have been open. We can see Jesus in all of his glory. We're supposed to let that lie shine. Right. Do we hide it under a bush? No. Well, that's Satan it outright. Come on. Come on. Who sang the song before? Right now. Come on. Right. I'm supposed to let it shine. Who does it say is supposed to let it shine?

[00:45:35] Well, lo, the evangelists, the pastors, the teachers, the Frank Porters, everyone literature and Frank. This one's for you, buddy. No. It's is for everybody.

[00:45:46] If you've got the light, you let it shine. Now, this might seem a little self-righteous here, the way it says it, that they may see your good works time out.

[00:45:52] I thought we weren't supposed to do good works to be seen by other people. OK, yeah. Because we don't think we're doing good works in and of ourselves. This isn't about self-righteousness.

[00:46:04] This isn't about me trying to get anyone to look at me because I've already admitted I'm not bringing anything to it. I'd still be lost in my own skin if it wasn't for God's light shining in on me and helping me to see God's done the work in me. And now the good works that I do are actually God's work in me. So I'm not doing good works to try to make people think I'm spiritual. No, I'm I'm living out the light. I'm living out good works because God has done a work in me and I want everybody to see it. So point number one here on the back of your handout. Do good works as God's works. That's the kind of light we're trying to shine. OK. And maybe that's even how we should refer to them from this point on is good works. Well, we're not we can't do good works to save ourselves. We can't do good works to draw attention to ourselves. No. One, we do something good. The reason we do it is it's God working through us. And do we want the world to know that God can save us from our sins, that he's made us new people, that he can cause us to walk in his ways and obey his commands? One hundred percent. We want people to know that there is a god of light, shines in the darkness, transforms the darkness, and calls us out of that darkness into his marvelous light. So we want people to see God's work in us. And that's what it says will happen. Look at verse 16. So they'll give glory to who does it say we're giving glory to? Not you.

[00:47:26] Your father in heaven.

[00:47:28] Like you're going to start living in such a way as you tell other people the good news as you shine the light. And we're talking about a lifestyle now. We're talking about your pattern of behavior is gonna be so different than the darkness. It's so not going to fit in with the way people live in the here and now in America that people are going to be forced when they really get to know you, to realize there's something fundamentally different about you. God has done a work in you and they're going to see it. And they're going to give him glory. They're going to see the light of God shining through you.

[00:48:01] And so if you're going to be a part of team evangelism, you've got to be living a life that is shining the light. You can't be doing the sin that everybody else is doing.

[00:48:10] The last thing we need is a bunch of hypocrites running out there speaking a lot of Jesus and live in a lot of sin in the secret. The world has seen way too much of that way, too much of people who will put on a good show and act like they're shining the light. But it's some fake kind of light because over here we're still doing the sins that everybody else is doing. We're still doing our old sins, our secret sins. Yeah, we just took them from a public view to private view and but we're still doing them. If that's you, we don't we don't need your help spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. The world's had enough of the hypocrisy that Christianity, the church religion, you name it, they are so sick of the hypocrisy. In fact, most people have experienced hypocrisy in one religion and now they've written off all religion just because they're so fed up with the fake. We don't need any more of the fake out there. So one requirement to being on team evangelism more than what you know is what are you doing in your life? And is your life the kind of example, the kind of pattern that people would follow to get to Jesus Christ if we followed you around? Would it be clear that God has done such a work in you that you would shine like a light in the darkness? Or do you just blend into the darkness when you're in?

[00:49:28] That's the question first, Peter, chapter two, everybody turn with me. First, Peter, chapter two. Here's another passage that that talks about this lifestyle evangelism that where you have to live a certain way so people see that you have some kind of credibility that are logit is maybe a way that we would say it today that that when I can see this isn't just what he preaches, this is actually what he practices. And that's got to be evident in the way that we live our life. First, Peter, chapter two, verse nine talks about us being called out of the darkness and into the light. And right after that, it says this. Look at verse eleven, beloved. I urge you as soldiers and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh which waged war against your soul. Stop doing the sins that you used to do when you were walking in your flesh, when you didn't see Christ, the same sin that everybody else is doing that you wanted to do. Well, now we're abstaining from it. Now we're fighting against it. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles. Those who don't know God like we do. Keep your conduct among the gentiles honorable so that when they speak against you as evil doers, they try to slander you. They falsely accuse you. They may see your good deeds. And who do they end up given the glory to you because you're such a good person?

[00:50:52] No, they glorify God.

[00:50:54] On the day of visitation, we've got to keep our conduct honorable among those who are in the darkness. We need to be shining the light and the light in the scripture has a moral connotation. There should be a moral difference between me and you than our unbelieving neighbors and coworkers and family members. There should be things that they are OK with doing that you and I are not OK with doing. There should be things that we do that they don't see the point in doing all right. There has to be a black and white, dark to light difference in the way that Christian people live and the way that our fellow Americans live. We need to be the light to their darkness. All right. So let's just realize that we might be a poor reflection of the light of Jesus Christ if we allow the flesh to continue in our lives. So more I'm more concerned here at our church, not with what you know, to say to people about the good news of Jesus Christ. I'm more concerned with what you are showing people the good news of Jesus looks like in your life. That's a far greater concern.

[00:52:06] OK, now we're not looking for perfect people. We're not looking for one hundred percent righteous saints. We understand that this is not about reaching perfection. That's our goal. We're heading in that direction. All right. No one here is claiming to be perfect, to be fully sanctified and glorified here tonight. None. No, we're heading in that direction, though, and heading in that direction is a big deal than people who want to continue to sin. And that's why they stay in the darkness. There needs to be a radical contrast between us and those who don't believe in Jesus Christ. If I turn with me to a Fusion's Chapter five, let's just let this passage convict us if we need to hear tonight.

[00:52:49] Because if the world is such a dark place and they're becoming more and more bold about it, I mean, because I think the church is doing less and less of getting the good word out there into the streets and proclaiming the creator and the conscience and most importantly, the Christ, because that's happening less and less. It seems like the darkness is getting more and more bold in our day and our time, as prophesied in First Timothy four. And second Timothy three. And so here's the standard that we should be having as believers. Look at what it says in Ephesians Chapter five. Start with me in verse three. I mean, see if this is a word that we need as the light here in America tonight says, but sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness, but must not even be named among you as is proper among saints losers'. Let's just think that through sexual morality must not even be named among you. Another way that's translated sometimes is there's not even a hint of sexual immorality among God's people, as is proper for saints. And whenever you see the word saints, you could think of holy ones. You could think of the one set apart. The ones who are ready to come to the light because God's done the work in them. And they're not in the darkness anymore. It is not appropriate for even a hint of sexual immorality to be is something we're watching, something we're trying to look at, something that we're thinking about in our thoughts. Is that the standard we're still holding ourselves to as the church, as the light here in America today because the standards around us are so low. I mean, it feels to me like if you're watching television or if you're watching a movie trailer, like now, they give those ratings, like rated em a R rated R and they start to list like it's the preview of coming attractions of what you might see in this film. I mean, it's almost like we're not warning you to stay away. It's like we're inviting you to come look at it, because look what good stuff we've got in this movie. Hey, are we not even being named among us?

[00:54:51] Not even a hint of that stuff among us.

[00:54:54] That's the lie that it's talking about. Look at verse four. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking which are out of place. But instead, let there be Thanksgiving. I mean, foolish talk, filthiness, crude joking for you may be sure of this that everyone, everyone who is sexually immoral or impure or who is coverts, that is an idolater, has no inheritance in the kingdom of God.

[00:55:20] Let's just make it very clear here tonight.

[00:55:22] People who continue in this sin of sexual immorality, they're not going to have and they have no inheritance in the kingdom of God, Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words here. Because of these things, the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore, do not become partners with them. For a one time, you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord walk as children of light for the fruit of life is found. And all that is good and right and true. And try to discern, try to make good decisions about what is pleasing to the Lord, what you should do and what you shouldn't do. Underline verse 11. Write this down.

[00:55:59] Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose that there is a command for us here tonight. Hey, I can't reach those in the darkness if I'm doing the deeds of darkness myself. All right. So to see how immediately we're starting to get a perspective that evangelism may not be so much about what I know or what I'm going to say to people as how I live and what I show to people. And I need to make sure that I am radiating the light, because if I'm radiating the light, people who people who don't use I don't use the swear words that they use. I don't laugh at the jokes that they do. I don't watch the shows that they do. Like, all you got to do is not swear in America. And people are going to be like, what's your problem? All you got to do is just not see half the movies that are out there and people are going to be like, whoa, man. I mean, do you know. Do you know how to have fun? Like, what's what's wrong with you?

[00:56:58] You know.

[00:57:00] And it's it is a compliment when people look at you like, hey, you don't do that. Like, what's your problem, you know? Well, it's not my problem. It's called being in the light. That's what it is. God's done to work in my life. And I can't go back to the way that I used to be. He's called me out of that and see people. Sometimes they won't like it. I mean, sometimes all you gotta do if you're a student here tonight, all you got to do is get an A on your test and office and everybody hates you.

[00:57:27] It's like, wow, you actually study.

[00:57:34] Because what was what are they feeling? They should have studied themself. But instead of studying, they were out doing deeds of darkness and now you show up with the light of 100 on your paper.

[00:57:44] And they hate you for it. Teacher's pet. I'm just reliving some of my childhood anyways.

[00:57:55] We're supposed to stand out. We're supposed to expose the darkness by shining the light. Now, this isn't us drawing attention to ourselves. OK, let's make that very clear. This is us showing that God has done a work in us. By the way that we live. Are you shining the light by your lifestyle, by your actions, so that the darkness is at least bothered or annoyed by you?

[00:58:18] If not full on exposed by you?

[00:58:22] You should be lighten up. Everybody in the room. That is the idea with our actions. OK, so that's one thing we evangelism is a whole lifestyle of church, of spreading the spreading the gospel. Everybody here should be doing it. And it starts with our actions before we say anything. It starts in the way that we live. Now turn over to Colossians chapter for just a few pages. Over to the right. Colossians, Chapter four. OK, let's go back to Mission Impossible people. They they don't believe that God's the creator, even though it's evident because of their unrighteousness, their conscience. Sered They can't see Christ because they're blinded over here in the darkness. Right. So mission impossible. I have to start with the reality that I can not convince by my words, by talking anybody to believe in Jesus. So before I ever say anything to another human being about Jesus Christ, I need to pray for God to open their eyes because it's not going to happen by me speaking to them. God's the one who asked to do it. So before we do evangelism and talk to anybody else, we got to talk to God first. That's why sometimes we say evangelism is two conversations. And given the gospel is the second conversation prayer for the person you're gonna give the gospel to?

[00:59:42] That comes first. Look at Colossians, chapter four. Verse two says continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with Thanksgiving at the same time. Pray also for us that God may open to us a door for the word. Pray that God will open the door to declare the mystery of Christ on account of which I am in prison, that I may make it clear which is how I ought to speak. Let's get this down for point number two. You want to pray for open doors, to open eyes. Okay. We're praying for open doors to open eyes. We're acknowledging to God before we enter, ever talk to anybody that we can't even create the opportunity for a conversation, much less cause anything to happen in that person's heart, to call them out of the darkness and bring them in the light. So we're declaring 100 percent dependance on God to do anything through us. If anything's going to happen, he's going to have to be the one shine in the light. And so we go and pray and we'll notice. One thing it says to pray for is an open door for the word. And that's in the point there. But under the point. Right. Pray for clarity as you speak. And that's something I'm hoping this tract will help all of us with, is just the clarity of the verses being right there, the definitions being right there. And I'm hoping that can be a tool that can help with the clarity. But we are supposed to following the example of Paul, at least pray for clarity. Look what it says in verse five, walk in wisdom toward outsiders making the best use of the time. See, I'm realizing I have limited opportunities with the people around me, so I want to make the most of them. So I'm praying for them. Let me just tell you, one of the most exciting things you can ever do in your entire life is take Paul's example and Colossians for the heart and start praying for open doors on a regular basis. OK, let me just warn you right now that do not pray this unless you are ready to actually talk to people about Jesus Christ, because when you pray for open doors, what starts happening? Anybody start praying for open doors before in your life? It's a life changing experience. I mean, all of a sudden you'll be talking to people and you'll feel the hardness of heart. You'll feel the fact that they can't see. You'll just feel like there's nowhere. And all of a sudden it'll be like almost sometimes you could see it somehow. It's so clear. It's so evident. It's like this door opens up and this person just invites you to give them the good news of Jesus Christ. And you're just like, how did this conversation just go from from that to this all of a sudden?

[01:02:22] I mean, it's it's mind blowing when you see it, like there's no way I thought this person would just say what they just said. And now here I am speaking to them, the gospel. I mean, God has created here an opportunity.

[01:02:33] And when I see those opportunities, I want to make the most of them. So I pray for them. And then I try to make the most of them. Look what it says in verse six. Let your speech always be gracious, always speaking kindly, gently, respectfully, out of love. More on that tomorrow night if you come back.

[01:02:50] Your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. So where is my confidence in what to say coming from? Not from me, but in me praying to God, asking him to give me an open door and asking him to open their eyes. My confidence comes from the idea that he is going to make his appeal through me. Go back to a Friesians and let's look at Chapter six. Just another great passage. And hopefully some of these passages we're looking at are familiar, but these aren't just knowledged passages. I know that now. This is all news to use here. This is all stuff that should be motivating and evangelism in our life. Ephesians Chapter six. Look at what it says here in verse 18. We're praying at all times and sometimes in the morning for a for a long time, in the evening, for a long time, and then throughout the day asking God for open doors, opportunities and praying at all times in the spirit with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints. And then Paul says, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth. Okay, so we are praying for words when we open our mouth. Write that down under point number two, you're praying for clarity there and you're praying for the words to say when you open your mouth that the God's giving you words. Not that you already know words. No, God is giving you words to say. He he's speaking through you. That's what you're looking for. You're looking for that, that words may be given to me and opened my mouth boldly, and can you just write down if you're taking those boldly equals speaking freely?

[01:04:31] That's what I think boldness is in the New Testament. And I'm not worried about what people are going to think, how they're going to receive it, how they're going to respond. I'm just speaking it boldly. And then what am I going to say?

[01:04:43] Well, here, let me just make one more argument for one of the words that I think God will put on your heart to speak out of your mouth when you talk to people. Point number three, you need to spread the word and the word is repentance. OK, repentance. OK. As we get out there with our three most important words coming from Mark 115 and we explain to people the gospel, repentance and faith.

[01:05:08] Now, someone once accused me, they said, I don't think repentance should be right next to faith. Somebody came up to me after a sermon and they wanted to argue, I don't think repentance should be right next to faith. In fact, it definitely shouldn't be in front of faith. I don't like, I think, repentance if you're going to even use it. It should be number three. That's what somebody said to me one time after a sermon right here at this church. Right. Getting into it. And I had to admit, you know, you're right. I do have the words in the wrong order, because the truth is repentance is actually the first word that Jesus says. And I kind of softball it by putting gospel in there first. So you're right. I've got it in the wrong order. It's not the way you want me to go with it.

[01:05:46] But you're right. I am my bad right. I had to admit you're right. I should be leading with repentance.

[01:05:52] Let me just tell you that repentance is the word that is used in scripture as the lead off, because if the real reason people don't believe is they want to. Then the thing we really need to be saying aren't all these intellectual arguments. It's repent, it's turn from your sin. It's changed your mind that sin is the thing you want to do. It's making a 180 degree about face right now. And if we're going to see the work of Jesus Christ spread here in Huntington Beach, in Fountain Valley at Cal State, Long Beach tonight at Golden West College tomorrow. If we're going to see the work of Jesus spread, then we're gonna have to use the word repent. OK, let me just say this, and I'm going to keep saying this until people I'm not talking about like, hey, we should fight for repentance. I want you to tell someone, you know, that they should repent of their sin.

[01:06:47] And if it feels too intense for you to say, repent, you can say, well, Jesus said you should repent. You can throw it to him if you want. All right.

[01:06:54] But you just need to understand if there's one thing we need to know as New Testament believers and I am going to keep harping on this until somebody takes me off the stage or until everybody around here starts using the word repent.

[01:07:05] All right. Because when John the Baptist showed up and he was preaching, what was the first word that it says?

[01:07:11] John the Baptist said in Matthew Chapter three. Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

[01:07:15] John gets arrested. They throw him in jail. Jesus shows up. He starts preaching. What's the first word it ascribes to Jesus in Matthew? Chapter four, verse 70.

[01:07:24] Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is an.

[01:07:26] The apostles, they start preach and they get filled with the Holy Spirit. People are like brothers. What do we do to be saved? And the first word out of Peter's mouth and acts to 38 is what? Repent. Martin Luther. He goes to the Wittenburg door. He nails his 95 theses.

[01:07:43] He's ready to take down Roman Catholicism and start the great reformation that is studied in human history across the world. And he puts ninety five things up on the door. And what is the number one thing that he says right away?

[01:07:57] Well, here it is. He says, When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said Repent Matthew for 17, he will the entire life of believers to be one of repentance when God has done a great work among human beings. He has addressed the real reason they don't believe, which is they want to sin. And the way you call people out is not intellectual arguments. You use the word that John the Baptist Jesus the Apostles and Martin Luther used.

[01:08:22] You tell people to repent and you let God speak through you. You don't get to decide what to say. You're just the messenger.

[01:08:30] And God speaks through you and you will have the blessing if you live in the light. And if you pray for open doors and if you call people to the gospel, repentance and faith, you if you stick with it, you will see the light of Jesus shine in someone's heart and you will see their eyes opened and you will see their conscience come back to life and you will see them start to enjoy the things of life that the creator has given us. We will see the light shine.

[01:09:01] If we let it shot.

[01:09:03] If we are those who can come to the light and show that our works have been carried out in God, I hope that you will join our team of evangelists here at Compris H.B. There's more tomorrow night and we're going out Saturday morning. We'll meet here at 9:00 for some training and we'll go out at 10:00. Let's pray. Gary, thank you so much for this special night that we could gather together, that we could hand out this tract based on what Jesus says. And Mark 115, these three most important words and God, that we could be challenged from your word about what we really need to think about when we spread the gospel. God, I just pray that you'll forgive us if we have any pride in thinking that something we might say or the way that we might say something would lead someone to see Jesus Christ. God humble us here tonight. Let us all admit to you right now that we can do nothing in the salvation of other souls, that we did nothing in our own salvation, that it is only you shining your light into our hearts that allowed us to see Jesus.

[01:10:06] And it's only you, God, shining your light into the hearts of others that will open their eyes to see Jesus Christ.

[01:10:14] So let us have so much confidence in you and less of ourselves. And God use us. Let us be the vessels. Let us be your mouthpieces.

[01:10:25] Let us be the people. Every single one of us. God, let us be the ones.

[01:10:30] That spread the gospel, repentance and faith to see a resurgence of the gospel ringing out in our lifetime. And let us shine the light by the way, that we live. Let the darkness be exposed in these last days by few of us who will still go out there and let our light shine. We pray this in the name of the light of the world. Jesus Christ.

[01:11:08] I was just in darkness. Towards my dream, though, I can.

[01:11:39] Is this.

[01:11:43] Insistence that Steve. Si gan.

[01:12:02] Jesus Christ. I've seen you.

[01:12:12] Sued.

[01:12:28] Jesus. See you.

[01:12:41] Jesus Christ, Dad. I've seen you go on and be sued. Who?

[01:14:13] I've seen you. Sue.

[01:14:26] See you soon.

[01:14:50] Is. News. Now, I.