Sermon
Seven Principles of Personal Evangelism Part 2 - Frank Brancato 3/26/07
Publisher transcript
Transcript
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If you remember from the first part of this topic from John,
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the fourth chapter, a couple of weeks ago, I made a statement at
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that time and I'll make it again.
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I am convinced that for the most part and I realize I don't make
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this statement without exception, I realize there are
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exceptions to the rule that I'm about to state but what I have
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found at least in my own personal perception whatever
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that's worth in looking at the child of God today.
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Day at least for those that aspire to come and assemble on a
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regular basis with the Lord's church.
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I am convinced that for the most part, most Christians really
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desire to live the Christian Life.
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Now, many times, they stub their toe and many times, they're LED
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astray many times, they fall down, and they need to stand
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back up and that really happens. But I believe that for the most
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part, most Christians desire to live the Christian Life.
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And that being said, I will say this too.
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I think, for the most part people would love nothing more
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than to talk to others about the Lord about their soul salvation,
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but the problem is many times people fall into this category.
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They don't know what to say. They're afraid because they
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think they might say the wrong thing.
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What if they ask me, a question that I'm not able to answer if I
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cannot respond to them. I've actually heard people say
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this Frank, I would love nothing more than to talk to somebody
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about the Lord. But what if I get into a
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discussion and they bring up a point that I'm not capable of
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responding to if I cannot respond to them in a favorable
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fashion? According to God's word, maybe
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they will leave and we will lose every bit of contact with them.
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And the only chance we might have had we lost But listen, you
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know, Jesus talks about the fact that you and I have a
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responsibility to those that are lost they have a responsibility
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with regards to their own soul salvation and God has the
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greatest responsibility of all he gets the credit, he gets the
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praise and he gets the glory because he gives the increase
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later on in John chapter 4 as we draw our remarks to a close
John 4 chapter mention
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later on in our sermon. Going to talk about some very
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encouraging words that we need to look at because there are
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many things that sometimes we are misunderstanding with
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regards to, whether a work is being successful.
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In a particular area, how many people have re-baptized, how
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many people have attended gospel meetings, and so on and so
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forth? But, you know, Jesus hit it
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right on the head at the latter part of this chapter.
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And we'll talk about that in just a little while, but if
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there are some encouraging words to be found, With regards to
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personal evangelism, it is the words that Jesus spoke at the
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end of our sermon today. But those of you that were here,
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remember that, the first four things that Jesus did are on the
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board and we can look to the master teacher today, and we can
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glean actually seven principles of personal evangelism because
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Jesus Christ was a was the greatest teacher of all time and
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ever will be. And he engaged not only in
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public Preaching. But in also personal evangelism
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but notice the very first thing he does is he goes and he makes
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a very unlikely social contact. You know, the Bible says that on
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purpose. Jesus and his disciples pass
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through Samaria and Jesus comes to the well Jacob's.
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Well, and he comes to that. Well and the Bible says that he
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is, we read because of his journey, you know, that's a
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mouthful right there. He As we read about his journey,
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he purposely on purpose went and made the social contact and he
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went into an area where he by Jewish blood would contradict,
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every single thing that he had heard others doing that were
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Jews. There were those Jews that look
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to the Samaritans as with great disdain for them as mongrels and
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unworthy in their eyes. But Jesus is wearied from his
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journey and yet he It's the time to talk to this woman in the
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Bible says, as he comes there, he sits down Jacob's.
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Well, and on the scene comes a Samaritan woman and she comes
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for the purpose of drawing water.
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We just sang that song, and that's exactly what she comes to
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do. But notice he's made a social
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contact with her, but he takes it a step further.
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He is going to establish a common interest now.
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Common interest don't have to be big and Grand Theft.
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Things, they can be very, very simple things, for example, when
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Jesus came and established a common interest, the common
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interest was water, he was thirsty and she was going there
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to draw water. So he's going to say something
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to her. He's going to say, woman, give
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me to drink. And now he has her attention.
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Why is that? Because he had a common interest
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of water with her. And now he being a Jew and she
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knew that and she being a woman of Samaria mind you and he's
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going to have a conversation with her that impressed her and
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caused her to be interested spiritually.
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You might think why? Just don't know anybody I don't
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really know anybody that I might come in contact with.
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I don't really know what to say. Listen, I realize as I stand
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before you today that not everybody has the ability to
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speak to other sometimes, folks are shy.
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Sometimes folks don't have limited knowledge, whatever it
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is. Sometimes people just don't have
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that as one of their strong suits, but can you do this?
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Have you ever met somebody anywhere at any time?
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Have you ever talked to anybody? At all ever.
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Have you ever had any conversation with somebody that
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you didn't know prior to the conversation?
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Why surely you have? That is called a social contact.
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Have you ever had a common interest with someone?
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Well, you might say, well I'm a Christian in the world lives in
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in a lost and dying world and I come across people in the
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workplace that are sinful people in more people and so on and so
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forth. I have nothing in common with
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them but Yes, you do. You have children?
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Do they have children? You've got something in common.
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Are you a grandparent? You see another grandparent.
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You have something in common. Are you looking at someone that
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has an ailment and maybe you've had that ailment or somebody
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else in your family or somebody that, you know, you have a
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common interest. Now why is it important to have
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a common interest? A common interest is a bridge
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that pulls together or ties two, unrelated things or two,
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unrelated people and folks. Listen, if we go into the world,
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like Jesus said, we must do and we don't establish social
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contacts and common interests with people that are in the
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world and we just go along. And the only people we associate
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with our other members of the body of Christ.
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You will never, ever, ever influence somebody for good.
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You will never bring anyone to Christ.
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Just and you will never have the opportunity to study with them
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about God's word. All we have to do it, we've got
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to make social contacts, and common interests.
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What if you said well, I just don't know what I would say.
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May I ask you this. The way you dress ladies
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modestly. That instills or Rouses an
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interest in those that you come in contact with the way that a
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woman wears, her hair is going to arouse a interest in somebody
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else. If somebody that you know you're
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going you're going to go about and talk about something that
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they've invited you to do on Sunday and you say wait a minute
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I assemble with the Lord's church.
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I worship on Sunday. I can't go Somebody might just
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ask the question, they might just say, where do you go?
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And now, all you may be able to do is say I go to the Church of
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Christ over there. 22:15 plans, Road, why don't you come and
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join us? We'd love to have you.
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Everyone is welcome. And if you, if that's all you
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can do, you're doing your part, but Jesus aroused, a spiritual
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interest in her by his actions. First, after all, she looked to
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him, he's a Jewish man, and he now is having a conversation
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with And he asks of water with her.
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And she says, how is it that a man?
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Like you are asking me a woman of Samaria for water and Jesus
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said by his words. Now if you knew who I was, you'd
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be asking me of water and I would give you living water.
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I would give you the kind of water that, if you drink of it,
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you will never ever thirst again.
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There it is a spiritual interest, you know.
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She says, give it to me. Can I have it if you've got that
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water? That I'll never thirst again.
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Can I have it? But notice number for Jesus,
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knew not to go too far too fast, folks.
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I'll tell you something. When you're talking to somebody
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about the lord, it's very tempting to give them the whole
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thing, all at one time, but you have to give it to them in
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increments that they can digest, and in increments that they can
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understand if you give it too soon, too.
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Fast, you're not going to be successful and Jesus in His
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Infinite Wisdom. He said to her, call thy
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husband, You know, when I was a kid I thought what in the world
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does that have to do with what they're talking about?
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Maybe you've always understood that passage.
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I have not always understood that passage but I believe what
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he's talking about and what the idea is here is not going too
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far too fast. You know why he knew she needed
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the Messiah, but he also knew that she needed proof and see me
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to conviction that he was the Messiah.
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So he established it by saying go.
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Go and get thy husband. And she says, I have no husband
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and he says, he says that's right.
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In fact, he had five and the one that's with you.
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Now, is not your husband. And she knew that he was a
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prophet. He established some ground rules
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and some ground now. And she has built himself up to
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the position as the one who can give her living water where life
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comes from. But number 5, and that's the
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next thing. And I don't want you to
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misunderstand me. When I write this on the board,
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I'll spend a little time on this on number 5, but that is don't
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condemn unnecessarily. Is it true that sin will keep a
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person out of Heaven? Absolutely?
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Isn't it true? That if somebody is living an
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immoral life in the world that God hates those kind of
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Lifestyles, the answer to that question is in fatica Lee and
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100%. Yes.
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But did you know or I'm sure you do.
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Maybe you haven't realized it in a while but listen.
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We as in society, as human beings, we categorize or
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classify If I various types of sin, we look at it like this, an
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immoral person is worse than a little white liar.
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And an immoral persons, not as bad as a thief.
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That's the emphasis. We place a lot of times on money
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and possessions and the thief is not as bad as a murderer.
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But I'm gonna tell you something, you can be a murderer
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or a little white liar. And if you have never had the
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blood of Jesus applied at baptism, you're in exactly the
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same place. You're in exactly the same
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position and Jesus could have spent and dwelt all manner of
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time on her in moral life, but he didn't He talked about his
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offer of Living Water. He talked about the fact that
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when one would have this living water, they will never thirst
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again. He's talking about salvation.
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Here's my point when Jesus says, I came not to judge but are and
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I came not to condemn, but I came to save and I came to call
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those that are, that are living in a lost and Dying World.
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I came to call them toward their salvation and all of that.
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Jesus, when he was here before, did just that he's left his word
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and we need to do the same but make no mistake.
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There's going to come a day when Jesus will not be the Lamb of
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God, when Jesus will not be our go-between when he will not be
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who he is now over his kingdom, there's going to come a day when
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Jesus is going to be the judge and he's going to sit on his
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throne and he's worthy of such. For he was the one with the nail
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prints in his hands and Jesus is going to be on his throne and
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he's going to judge the world. You know, I don't know if
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there's going to be discussion at the Judgment, I'll just tell
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you what I've read, I've read like, for example, in Matthew,
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25 various Scholars discussing the idea of the Judgment scene
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and really there's a difference of opinion whether or not
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there's actually going to be a discussion on that last and
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final day. Like for example, when Jesus
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comes back, The dead in Christ, shall rise and all that.
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And here we are before the Judgment seat of Christ.
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And Jesus is going to separate the sheep from the goats and so
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on and so forth. Are we going to be able to have
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a conversation with him back and forth?
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I don't know. But Matthew 25, another scholar
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said is, what would be said if there was actually conversations
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happening on that day. And I say this, The most, The
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more I've studied that idea. The less I know.
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I'm not sure, but I do know this for a fact.
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I do know for a fact. It's a day of sentencing.
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I do also know as a fact that death seals your fate.
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I know that too. I also know.
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And believe with all my heart that where you go, when you die,
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is the place that it is prepared for you, whether you are lost or
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whether you are saved. So if your save when you die, I
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believe, you know that when you die, and if you're lost, when
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you die, I Believe, you know that to when you die.
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But Jesus says, now before that time, you preach the word of God
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to them. And it doesn't make any
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difference. The specific sins that are in
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the world, it makes no difference because Sin is Sin
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and any sin of any kind at any time that is not repented of or
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taken away, washed away at baptism, will call someone to
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lose their soul in our Evangelistic efforts.
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We preach against sin. We surely, do we stand for the
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things that are righteous and we stand for the things that are
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right. Absolutely.
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And we never ever, ever want somebody to feel comfortable in
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their The lifestyle because if people feel comfortable in their
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sinful lifestyle, and if they really do, you're giving them no
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reason to change and we know that if they don't change their
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lifestyle, if they don't change their way, they're going to lose
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their soul in a devil's. Hell, and I don't care if it's a
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little white liar or a mass murderer.
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That's just the way it is. They need the blood of Jesus,
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and we need to take the gospel to those that are lost.
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And it does not make any difference.
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Ever since they've committed before they've gone down into
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the Waters of baptism. Now once they come up out of the
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Waters of baptism and we get that straightened out now, the
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Apostle Paul in writing to the church at Rome and the twelfth
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chapter of the book of Romans, he says that we are transformed
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into something else and how do we do that continually?
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Renewing our mind with the word of God and Colossians chapter 3.
Colossians 3 chapter mention
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The Apostle Paul further states there that if you are real Risen
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with Christ or when you are risen from the Waters of baptism
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with Christ. Now it's time to seek the things
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which are above where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God
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and set your affections on things above and not on things
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of the Earth are focused though is to inform others.
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About the Forgiveness that God offers.
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You ever talk to somebody? That's lived a pretty.
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Oh, I don't know how to put it. It lived a hard life.
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They've been carried away and sin most of their life, maybe
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they've done some awful things. I'm going to tell you something,
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there's no greater person in the world to convert.
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And somebody like that. And you don't focus on the
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specific sin in their life. You focus on forgiveness of
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sins. I'm going to tell you something.
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I've sat there across from a dining room table and had people
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just start bawling right there. Because never in their wildest
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dreams, they ever believed that they would ever be able to wash
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all that away and put that all behind him. what a wonderful
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thing, it is, when somebody comes to repentance, We have the
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message that will help them to not be lost in a devil's.
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Hell. Take the message to the Lost
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next though. If you have ever talked to
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anybody about the Bible you will know exactly what I'm saying
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right now and this is imperative.
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You must stick with the main issue.
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Do you remember when? She asks him he speaks about her
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husband. Oh she might have been a little
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uncomfortable and then all of a sudden she wants to talk about
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worship. She took a little detour but he
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brings her right back. He answers her question and then
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he brings her right back on who he is.
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That's coming and what he offers interesting, isn't it if you
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study the Bible with anybody, do not let them take little
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excursions, do not let them pull away and go off into in this Get
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over here or go off on that territory over there.
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Now, I got to tell you to be very honest with you, this is
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not a problem with me because really I have a very big mouth
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and I have a very outspoken guy and I'm rather loud.
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I don't have a problem with channeling people and bringing
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them back on Focus. But what if you weren't as
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annoying as I am? What if that was the case?
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What if you were just as pleasant as can be?
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And you are a person that was soft-spoken and shy.
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What about that? Just say this stop them.
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That's a great Point. That's a great question.
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That's a great topic. One that deserves its do.
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Let's do this though. We'll get to that one later on
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another time. But first we need to go back to
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the main issue. If we don't do that, you will
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study the Bible with someone and you will get know where they'll
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be all over the map. You got to stick with the main
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issue. Back to our text in the fourth
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chapter of the Book of John notice there in verse 19.
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The woman saith unto him. Sir.
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I perceive that thou art a prophet, our fathers worshiped
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in this mountain. And he say that in Jerusalem is
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the place where men ought to worship notice how Jesus
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responds to that. Jesus saith unto her woman.
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Believe me the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this
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mountain, nor in Jerusalem worship the father, you worship,
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you know, not what we know what we worship for salvation is of
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the Jews, but the hour cometh and now is when the true
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worshipers shall worship the father in spirit and in truth,
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for the father Father, seeketh such to worship him.
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God is a spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in
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spirit. And in truth, let me just say
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this to This is just a helpful hint and I'm gonna let you in on
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something. I freely admit that I will and
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have and always will. I have stood on the shoulders of
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successful men, you better believe it.
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I will stand on the shoulders of successful man and I do not have
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a pride of authorship. I don't care.
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If I originated the idea of the thought, if somebody's been
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successful doing something in the cause of Christ, I'm going
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to copy it. Want to find out what that guys
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doing. I want to find out, I don't want
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to be one like this. Well, I think I'm doing as much
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as somebody else. I think I'm doing as good as
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most Christians do. I don't want to be that guy.
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I want to be the guy that wants to follow someone that has had
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greater success than I have ever had.
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And I want to do what he did. I don't want to reinvent the
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wheel, I want to follow what he has done.
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So what I'm about to tell you is something that I use all the
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time. I'm and I didn't originate it.
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I got it from another preacher and here it is.
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A number of years ago. What I've learned is, I often
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struggled in a Bible study with someone over baptism and over
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their interpretation of whether they were baptized correctly or
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not in time past. Now, when you're sitting there
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and I don't mean to call out names but I need to give you an
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example because this Doctrine does not believe in baptism as
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being essential for salvation. The Baptist folks are Baptist
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friends that we come in contact with.
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They believed that a person is saved before they're baptized
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and therefore, when the baptized there only baptized into the
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Baptist Church, there's a great way and I'm sure there are other
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ways to maybe you have other ways, but this is a great way to
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never go down that problem and get caught in the Trap, sit
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down, sit back, pull the guard down and say, Are you saved?
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I'm going to tell you something, they're going to say one of a
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couple of things. Most people will say this, yes I
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am. I think I am.
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Or I really hope so. But very few people are going to
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say. No, I'm going to hell on a
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freight train. Very few.
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People are going to say that most are going to say.
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Yes I am. I think I am or I sure hope I am
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and get them to commit to that answer and if they say yeah, or
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I hope so. I think so.
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It's time now for you to sit back and ask them.
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This would you share with me when that happened and how that
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happened? Now, you're interested in them
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and they know that you sit back and they start telling you,
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well, one day, I just accepted the Lord, I was driving down the
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road, and there was a religious program on the radio, and when
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it came to on, I listened to it and I it should accept Jesus,
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and I did, and I was saved that day.
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Don't mention baptism yet at all.
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When they commit to that, listen carefully and attentively, and
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show them that respect and courtesy.
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And then say this, thank you for sharing that with me.
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Such a personal thing in your life.
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Would it be okay if I shared with you how I was saved?
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Sure, you've listened to them. Now, they're going to listen to
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you, and that's the time that you take this Bible, That's the
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time that you take the New Testament and you preach unto
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them. Jesus, and every single place
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that you go to when it shows that a person was saved at
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baptism in immersion with water, to rise to walk in newness of
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Life, by the authority of Jesus Christ added to his church.
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When you do that, they're going to say, no wait a minute.
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Everything that he's saying he did.
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I I did not do, but the Bible says, that's what you got to do
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in order to be saved. And that's when you can bring
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them along and share with them, how you really are saved.
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And now, they know I'm not, how do I know that folks?
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I stub my toe. One time I spoke to a person for
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over two hours and I didn't do it that way and I just went to
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baptism, and I went to pounding baptism here.
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It was after two hours. I was baptized, I did that.
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Yes, but this is baptism for the remission of sins.
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Here it is, isn't that why everybody gets Baptized.
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That's what I thought I was doing but let me ask you this,
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did they put you on a waiting list and two weeks later have 25
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of your lineup and go down and get baptized two or three weeks
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after you decided to do it. Yeah that's what happened.
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And then you tell them this. Well, if they believed it was
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necessary for salvation, they have taken you the same hour of
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the night. Like the Bible says, but they
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didn't believe that it was necessary for salvation.
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Now that might work But I've had it not work still and I've had
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people say well I believe that's why I was baptized.
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Where do you go from there? Establish that first and stick
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with the main issue. Don't go off in every different
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direction. Keep them on Focus.
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Keep them on the right issue. Keep them from bouncing around
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and jumping ahead and lead the study where you want that to go
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next though. And lastly there was something
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that Jesus did she ask for it before he got there?
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This was something that actually happened, she wanted it, he knew
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it wasn't time and he goes through 25 verses of text before
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he tells her in verse 26 I am he and that's the last point when
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you do all of this then confront directly.
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You know, I hate to reduce preaching the word of God to
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people to common example like sales.
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I don't know how else to put it though.
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I've known people in sales, that could give a great presentation.
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In fact, they could give a presentation so good that they
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gave it over and over and over again and they wouldn't stop and
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close. And therefore, they sold
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nothing. They wore the person out when
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they were interested. Now, they no longer are and
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you've lost a sale. But you know, I'll tell you
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something with regards to studying the Bible with people,
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you have to be direct when it's time, you have to be specific
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when it's time and you have to close hate to say that word.
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But you have to close when it's time.
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Let me just say this to you too. I held a meeting one time.
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And during the course of that meeting, there were two
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brothers. And they one of them was a young
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fellow that they just, they couldn't keep out of the water
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he wanted. He was so interested.
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He wanted to get baptized for years even when he was a little
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tiny guy, so that was easy. But what about the brother?
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The brother was several years older than he was and I couldn't
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understand, his whole family was raised in the church.
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They had come to services the whole life.
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And yet the older son showed no interest apparently in obeying
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the gospel. And I thought, well, how hot is
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that? I asked a few of the members,
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what does he say when you talked to him, you know what they said,
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bless their heart they said we don't want to discourage him or
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push him. So we're waiting for him to come
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around Jill. Hisle was holding a meeting in
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Lodi. I don't know the kid's name, but
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this I guess this young fellow was huge.
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Big stocky kid. You know what Joe did he walks
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right? He knew the kid was ready.
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He knew the kid was down here, ready for number seven and you
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know what? He does he walks up and says you
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may not get another man, my size is big enough to baptize a kid,
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your size and a long time. So why don't we do it today?
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Okay. when I talk to this fellow that I'm speaking about, I said,
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how come you not? Why aren't you obeying the
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gospel? Are you saved in your condition?
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He said, no. I said if the Lord came back
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today, would you lose your soul? He said, yes.
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I said do you want to go to hell?
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He said no. And I said, well, why haven't
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you obeyed the gospel? And this is what he said.
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I'm waiting to be worthy. Although if he would ask that
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made that statement years before, maybe we wouldn't have
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had a all this trouble. And I said, well, that's it.
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None of us are getting in because none of us are worthy
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and you will never get there. And I'm not there.
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And I've been a member of the Lord's church for 30 years and
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I'm not there. Never will be.
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Nobody is worthy of what Jesus did for us and his offer of
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Salvation, no one. That was enough, okay?
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You want to do it? Sure going to get baptized now.
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Yes, Baptized him on the last day, the meeting.
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There does come a time when you must confront directly, but
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don't confront directly until you've done all of these.
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You got to build a little Rapport, let me just give you a
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little example to show you kind of how this really works in in a
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practical case Doyle Elliot called me the other day.
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The other evening on the phone, he said, Frankie said, would you
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be interested in going to see an elderly couple that lives out in
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the southwest, by kind of where the church building is over
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there? I said, sure, let's go.
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So we set it up and this fellow was A 89 turning 90.
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And he has no legs. He was a diabetic and his legs
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were removed. He's bedridden, he is in a
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hospital bed. Here's the connection though.
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Here's the social contact. It goes all the way back to when
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he lived in Lebanon. Missouri, he's her gone.
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He weighed and Saul Ronnie wait on television programs, he's
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come to gospel meetings. He's a Baptist but he's come to
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gospel meetings and he loves music.
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So naturally you go to one of our big meetings and he just
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loved the singing. And he's always said for years,
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I would love to go to the Church of Christ.
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Well, now he's in bed and I don't know if that's ever
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possible. We're going to rig up some sort
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of special harness type thing to get him in a wheelchair and
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maybe he'll come. I don't know.
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We go to see this man. I have nothing in common with
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him. Nothing whatsoever.
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Doyle doesn't either accept the Brethren back there.
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That knew this man, when they were neighbors, that's it.
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So what do they do? You know Doyle he can just sit
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down and start talking and he did.
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And I'm glad and Nancy start talking to this elderly lady in
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here. Here was over in the corner,
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just just sitting there not doing a thing, but my time was
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about to come and as they talk and as the guards came down,
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they made a social contact. They made a common interest of
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Missouri and Ronnie Wade and the singing in the Church of Christ.
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The spiritual interest was aroused because they started
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talking about preachers Frank's a preacher.
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Oh, is he now? I'm sweetheart from this little
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old lady. Now I got a friend.
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And before we left, we were praying together and they wanted
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me to pray with them. And we did, you know what else
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they said? I didn't know these people from
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anywhere but I said, let me ask you this.
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I hate to be so personal but did your husband lose his legs
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because of diabetes and she said yes, that's right.
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I said my dad had that We got a wonderful conversation now we're
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old friends. You know what they said?
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You bring that Greg, a by, we talked about that.
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When he's here, holding the meeting, he's got Missouri ties
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to have a great time, and if we can go to the meeting, we're
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coming, if I can figure out a way to get there, but if not,
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would you bring me a recording of all the singing and all the
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preaching and at the very end, as we walked out, they said,
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please come back. One hour, one hour invested.
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Now I'll tell you, it wasn't time to close.
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They are at the very beginning, we were building up some, as I
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like to say Equity, we were building up a rapport.
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We were building a bridge into their life, and I don't know
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what the outcome will be. I really don't, but it may be
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wonderful. I don't know, we just have to do
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our part. That's what the Lord expects
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your part. That's it.
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It. But finally, when you get down
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to hear, what do you say? Why?
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No one thing you don't say this, you don't really want to get
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baptized today. Do you?
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I know it's not that. What is it?
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That we say I didn't originate. This idea, I say something along
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this line, any form of this, I would imagine we'll do four
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things. Here it is.
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Ask them when you get to the point, and it's time.
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Now, ask them, does this make sense to you?
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If it doesn't make sense to them, ask him, what doesn't make
-
sense? And then going address that and
-
take care of that issue. But if they say this makes total
-
sense. Go to the next question, is
-
there anything that we have talked about that?
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You don't understand and if they say well I didn't really
-
understand the point that you made about X Y or Z.
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Then you go back and discuss that if they say no I understand
-
all of it. You move on to number three and
-
here it is. Notice how you start bringing it
-
around. Have I been teaching you
-
anything other than what the Bible teaches?
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We'll know everything that you've said is right from the
-
Bible. And then, here it is.
-
Here's the directly part asked him.
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This would you like to obey Christ now?
-
Did you get that obey Christ? Now, by being baptized for the
-
remission of your sins? If folks say no to that what
-
they do say no to, I'm not going to obey Christ now I believe
-
everything you said it was in the Bible, but I'm rejecting it.
-
And I'm going to leave this place and I'm not going to have
-
the Forgiveness of my sins. All you were was the messenger.
-
Putting it out to them. That's it.
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But in conclusion, let me just say this.
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You know, the result of the conversation that Jesus had with
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the Samaritan woman, was a conversation that many people of
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the city of sychar benefited from in John Chapter 4, verses
-
39 through 42. Many people benefited because of
-
his efforts and personal evangelism, you will never know
-
the far-reaching influence of what will come when you talk to
-
somebody about the Lord, you never know, but the point is
-
Jesus says, don't look and say the Harvest is four months away
-
and so on and so forth. No, he says, the fields are
-
white unto Harvest now. But then he gives us some very
-
encouraging words. He says you're going to reap
-
where other men have sold. He said some have sold and some
-
will reap. That's all we do.
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I realized in the Philippines we reaped a wonderful Harvest but
-
listen, there was a lot of so and going on to but you know
-
what, the best part is the best part Don and I didn't leave
-
feeling great about our self know.
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We knew this, all those people that have done everything that
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they could to get those people to come and attend and talk to
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them about the Lord, they were in it with this all the way and
-
you know what else? All?
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This is the greatest part. This is why we don't get
-
discouraged. We all Rejoice together.
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Either. If you've talked to somebody
-
about the Lord, one time in your life and you planted a seed,
-
you've sowed the seed, 20 years later, they obeyed the gospel,
-
you had something to do with that.
-
You had something. To do with that.
-
Don't be discouraged if we don't see results.
-
Realize this, the word of God has the power to save.
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How do we know that? We know that because all over
-
the world people are still obeying the gospel if we focus
-
in not on our numbers. But all our work, are we talking
-
to people? Are we preaching the gospel if
-
we're doing that, we're doing our part. and if we can say that
-
we've done that, Someday somehow all will reap, we will reap what
-
others have sowed and we will sew and others will reap.
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But on that last and final day, we can say, we talked to him, we
-
did our part. And we will never hear the
-
words. You never mentioned.
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Him to me. We thank you for listening to
-
our podcast, put on by the Church of Christ at 22:15 plans.
-
Road in Bakersfield, if you would like any additional
-
information or you would like to receive a free Bible
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correspondence, course by mail. Please email us at info at True
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Church of Christ Bakersfield.com.
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Our service times are on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. and
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Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. Please make plans to join us.
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We would love for you to be our honored guest.