Everywhere I go, I have the opportunity to connect people to a genuine relationship with Jesus, not just through the conversations I have with others but also through how I conduct my way of life, letting others see what God is doing through me and pointing people to Him.
My goal is to compel people to know God, find freedom in Him, help them discover their God-given purpose for their lives, and finally, partner with others in the community to make a difference in their sphere of influence.
A clear statement on influence from Winston Churchill highlights his understanding of leadership and impact. Churchill famously said, "History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it." This succinct expression underscores his belief in the power of personal agency and proactive leadership in shaping events and public perception. Churchill’s approach to leadership emphasizes that individuals can influence and direct the course of history through their actions and decisions, particularly when they take an active role in narrating their own stories.
I wrote last week on the impact of understanding that we are partnering up with Jesus’ story, which has no end. We get to play a vital role in carrying out God's assignment for us to show people His love for others and live a joy-filled life.
But let's all agree on this if we can: People who don’t normally come to church or know anything about the Bible will not understand who Jesus is unless we, as followers, tell them. When Paul was in Athens, he had to come to realize that wherever he went, he represented Jesus to both those in the faith and outside the faith.
PAUL PREACHES IN ATHENS
ACTS 17:16-34 NKJV [16] Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols. [17] Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there. [18] Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, "What does this babbler want to say?" Others said, "He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods," because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection. [19] And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, "May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak? [20] For you are bringing some strange things to our ears. Therefore we want to know what these things mean." [21] For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing. [22] Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; [23] for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: [24] "God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. [25] Nor is He worshiped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. [26] And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, [27] so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; [28] for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring.' [29] Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's devising. [30] Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, [31] because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead." [32] And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, "We will hear you again on this matter." [33] So Paul departed from among them. [34] However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM PAUL’S ENCOUNTER WITH THE PEOPLE OF ATHENS?
ONE | WE MUST BE WILLING TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE WHO DON’T KNOW JESUS.
Paul reasoned with people both inside and outside the house of worship. We have to have conversations with people. We must be willing to share the knowledge of Jesus and how to have a relationship with Him. Also, please don’t beat people over the head with the bible. We must be willing to walk through doors as God opens them.
TWO | PEOPLE HAVE AN INNATE NEED TO CONNECT WITH GOD.
People might not recognize their need to connect with God, but it’s there. The people of Athens knew there was something greater than themselves. We are all made in God's image and likeness.
Genesis 1:26 NKJV Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness…
We will try to satisfy our need for God with all sorts of things until we understand that we need Jesus. We need His leadership and fellowship on a daily basis. To truly engage people with the good news, we have to have conversations about Jesus and compel them to understand that God has made a way through His son, Jesus, to bring them back into a relationship with Him.
THREE | A “RELIGIOUS” PERSON DOES NOT MEAN A “REDEEMED” PERSON
Redemption is accomplished through paying a ransom to purchase something that has been lost. People are redeemed when they choose to believe in Jesus as their savior. Jesus took care of all sins we have committed or will ever commit if we ask for forgiveness through confession and repentance. This doesn’t mean we continue to live in sin but choose to live for Jesus.
Ephesians 1:7 NKJV In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
FOUR | ALL PEOPLE HAVE AN “ENTRY POINT” FOR YOU TO CONNECT THEM WITH JESUS
Paul used the inscription “To The Unknown God” as his entry point. If you are listening, you will find an entry point in conversations with others.
Find whatever you agree with and use that to build a bridge to Jesus through the conversation. An example of this is the Chick-fil-A that we have now at NWCC. As a youth pastor/college pastor, I always try to converse with others in line to get to know them. I always come up with a dad joke like you know that Chick-fil-A chicken is God’s Chicken, right? From there, I build the conversation by introducing them to the one who created them on purpose, for a purpose, and with a purpose. It’s that simple. If you pray up and ask for an opportunity to share the greatest news ever, God will give you the opportunity.
FIVE | A RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS STARTS WITH REPENTANCE: TURNING FROM SIN AND TURNING TO GOD.
We must do more than provide people with " feel-good” information; they need to repent and be converted. Many do this by guilt or shame, but when you genuinely see the complete freedom of the cross and realize that Jesus has taken care of the sin, and all you have to do is confess it, and He isn’t mad at you and wants you to be the real you without sin and shame, it changes everything.
Acts 3:19 NKJV Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,
When you repent, God’s refreshing presence steps into your life. God’s always in the business of pursuing after us. He’s eagerly waiting to meet and have an authentic relationship with us.
SIX | RESULTS MAY VARY, BUT DO YOUR BEST AND LEAVE THE REST TO GOD
Some mocked Paul, some were curious about what he said, and some believed. We only need to do what God calls us to do; He is the one who saves. Live on mission. God will do the rest.
If you want to be used by God to share Jesus with those you come into contact with, I’ve attached a dangerous prayer that follows. Now, I do warn you: if you pray this prayer, be ready to have an opportunity to share the most incredible story ever told. One of reconciliation with our Heavenly Father. Here's the prayer to pray - “God, 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.”
Please don't hesitate to reach out if you need anything or someone to talk to. 901-515-6450. God never called us to walk through life alone. The best is yet to come in your life.
