Conversations for Christ

Sunday Sermons

Mark Dunagan
12/07/08 - Sunday Evening

The Ambassador Mentality

“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Every Christian should have the world on his heart, and every Christian should have heaven on his heart as well. I will be highly motivated to “entreat”, “earnestly beg” and “exhort” others to consider Christianity when I truly appreciate what I presently have as a Christian. Jesus told the man from whom the demons were cast out in Luke 8 to preach the following message, “Return to your house and describe what great things God has done for you” (Luke 8:39). How often do we really tell people what “God has done for us?” Do we have a clear picture of our blessings? Jesus said we are “blessed” (Matthew 5:1ff), and how beneficial it is when we spend more time contemplating how fortunate and well-off we are.
The real test of our concern for the lost of the world is our concern for the friend next door or the person next to us at work. Whenever we meet someone who is lost, right then we have a mission, the most important task in the world.
We will not be evangelistic in another location if we are not evangelistic where we presently live.

What has God really done for us?

He has delivered us from eternal damnation.
He has delivered us from harmful sinful addictions.
He has given us countless brothers and sisters.
He has freed us from guilt, superstition, and a meaningless existence.
He has given us the truth and liberated us from error.
He has given us all the needful answers to life.
He has reminded us who we really are.
He has liberated us from selfishness.
His salvation has brought with it all sorts of side benefits including peace of mind, happiness, better health, meaning, purpose, and far better relationships.
He has kept us from wasting our lives.

“Christ has His men everywhere. The real impact of the Church is not a huge religious combine or power bloc, overpowering by sheer force of numbers. It is not a massive show of institutional might. The power of Christ’s church is infinitely more subtle, infinitely more effective. It isn’t what happens on Sunday morning in the building that is the measure of influence of the Church, but what happens when the building is deserted; what happens Monday through Saturday in your home, office, on your job” (For Men Only, J. Allan Petersen, p. 225).

Is the Bible out of Date?

One man recalled what has probably been a very common experience, “I grew up in a small town in Idaho. Like most American kids, I was sent to Sunday school and church. But I saw the world around me as a rapidly changing, scientific marvel, and church seemed a bit out-of-date. Soon I no longer took either God or the Bible seriously” (For Men Only, p. 207). When Solomon observed, “That which has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which will be done, so, there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9), he was saying something far more profound and important than merely that fads tend to repeat themselves. He is warning us! The conclusion he came to when all had been heard, “Fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person” (12:13), will be challenged, disregarded, downplayed and viewed as out-of-date by each new generation. Every generation will think that he has found something far more impressive, meaningful and exciting than serving God. The challenge is holding on to what has eternal value rather than opting for the flash in the pan that catches the attention of so many people, and yet is temporary. He further said, “Is there anything of which one might say, ‘See this, it is new’? Already it has existed for ages which were before us” (1:10). We may truthfully conclude that:

Living together before marriage (or what some have called the “sexual revolution” in this culture) is not new. Other cultures that no longer exist were heavily into fornication as well (1 Thessalonians 4:3).
No fault divorce is not new - other cultures in the past also had very loose divorce laws (Matthew 19:3).
The acceptance of homosexuality is not new - rather we find very ancient cultures that accepted this practice (Jude 7).
Paganism, the worship of the elements, the earth, the planets, or self is not new either, rather, it is also quite ancient (Romans 1:21-23).
The idea that God’s rules are too strict and if we are “going to attract people we need to water down the message” has been around for a long time as well, “Speak to us pleasant words, prophesy illusions” (Isaiah 30:10); “But wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires” (2 Timothy 4:3).
People who think that polygamy is a liberating option, equally have failed to remember that it is also a long-standing practice, with a very bad track record in terms of fulfillment and happiness is concerned.

I always need to remind myself that every current movement in our culture that is away from God, both secular and religious, has many past precedents that ended in failure. The loosing of God’s moral standards has never brought any culture stability of lasting happiness and technology or science has never been able to deliver us from such things as guilt or worry; neither have such things answered man’s most pressing questions.

“But I already have a Religion”

“Often the question is asked, ‘Why do we preach to people of other nations who have their own religion? Is it not arrogant and presumptuous of us to try to get them to exchange their religion for ours?’” (For Men Only, p. 226).

If we think of Christianity as just “another religion” then we are missing a very important truth. Rightly understood, Christianity is infinitely far more than “religion”, because “religion” is often man’s effort to find God, discover the truth, or get himself right with whatever is out there. Paul declared the idol worshippers and philosophers in Athens to be “very religious” (Acts 17:22), yet he warned the Christians in Colossae concerning “self-made religion” (Colossians 2:23).
By contrast, Christianity is not man’s attempt to find God, rather it is the good news that God Himself has personally come to this earth to seek us (Luke 19:10).
So evangelism is not so much persuading someone to scrap one religion for another, but rather, to give up all purely human attempts to find God and settle for the only true way to God, the path that God Himself has paved (John 14:6; Acts 4:12).

When God is a Constant Reality

“You believe that God is one, you do well; the demons also believe, and shudder” (James 2:19).

Evangelism will be natural when Christ is continually on our minds. The great objective facts of God and Christ cause the demons to shudder constantly. Such facts should cause us to realize how fortunate we are, with our current blessings, past deliverances, and future promises. If the demons believer and shudder, the very least that we can do, is believe and rejoice. As a result, when God’s existence is a constant thought:

I will view each person I meet as being in need of His salvation. I will see everyone as a soul.
I will remember that I have the answers for their most inward questions, the cure for whatever currently haunts them or holds them in bondage.
I will remember that “My time is not mine, my energy is not mine, my eyes are not mine, my feet are not mine, my blood is not mine, my tongue is not mine, my brain is not mine, my house is not mine, my business is not mine, my money is not mine. He created me, died for me, lives for me, keeps me, and comes for me” (p. 215). This is what Paul meant when he said, “For to me, to live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21); “When Christ, who is your life” (Colossians 3:4); “And it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). “What he meant was, ‘I want no thoughts but His thoughts, no plan but His plan, no will but His will, no hopes but His hope, no attitude but His attitude. It is all Christ, first, last, and all the time” (p. 215).

How can I Communicate Christ to Others?

Have phone………………….will call

Have pen……………………..will write

Have interest…………………will come

Have car………………………will bring

Have money………………….will give

Have voice……………………will teach

Have concern………………..will pray

Have love……………………..will share