Preach The Good News!

The Greatest Legacy

Almost everyone wants to do something great in this life.  Many want to leave a mark people will remember them by after they die.  For example, great skyscrapers are built in people’s names, like “Trump Tower.”  Actors can also achieve a form of greatness by having their names written on stars that are placed in the sidewalk.  Even athletes can achieve greatness by having their jersey and number retired or having their names written in the Hall of Fame for their particular sport.

Have you ever thought how you want to be remembered after you die?  What would you want to leave as your legacy?  What would be your mark left on this earth?

Some would say they want to have a lot of money and to be remembered as a wealthy person.  Some want their books to be left behind so that everyone can know how brilliant they were.  Others want to be known for the love they showed their family and how they were always good to those they loved.

Some people’s goals and dreams may seem very noble and honorable, but they all fall short of greatness when compared with eternity.  The Bible describes the soul of just one man as being more valuable then the whole world (Mark 8:36).  The Bible declares that the greatest purpose a man or woman can achieve upon this earth is to be a soul winner (Luke 15:10).

All of mankind’s achievements will one day be forgotten, but the soul of a man will live forever.   When you and I share our faith in God with others, we are impacting their souls for all of eternity.  When in heaven you see those you have helped meet Jesus and you know that God used you to bring them to Him, you will have a reward that will last forever.  Truly, sharing your faith with your family, friends, co-workers, community, and the world is the single greatest thing you can do for God in His Kingdom upon this earth (1 Timothy 2:1-4).

Who, Me?  Yes, YOU!

You may think that you’re not called to be a “preacher” of some kind or leader in the church.  You may think that you can be just fine going to church and living your life as you see best.  You may even think it’s important that the message of Jesus to be shared with the world, but that God will use someone else besides you to do it. 

Please read again the “Great Commission” in the Bible found in Matthew 28:18-20,

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Can you see how Jesus intended His church to work?  First, Jesus spent His time teaching and training His original twelve disciples, then He sent them out to make new disciples and for them to teach the next group of disciples to do the same thing they did.  This is called the “Law of Multiplication.”

Lets use the number twelve to demonstrate this Law.  If each of the twelve disciples made twelve new disciples, that would equal 144 total disciples.  And if 144 disciples made twelve new disciples, there would be 1,728 disciples.  Finally, those 1,728 individuals each make twelve new disciples, that would now make 20,736 disciples!  Then 248,832, 2,985,984, and so on.  Just think: it only has to start with twelve!   And all each person would have to do is reach twelve others.  Do you have enough faith today to believe that you can reach and teach just twelve people for Jesus!?

Therefore, God makes it very clear in the Bible who He wants to use to win the lost and spread His message of salvation:  YOU! Jesus taught everyone who was listening to His messages that they were to go out into the world and be His witnesses.  Jesus said that we, as Christians, were to be the “light of the world” and the “salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13-16).

God Wants You To Share His Message!

What if the entire world was infected with the HIV virus and you were one of the few that had the cure.  Would you keep the cure only for yourself or would you share it with others?  What if you were in an apartment building that was on fire and you were one of the first to notice it.  Would you only run and save yourself or would you warn the other tenants to run to safety?

Jesus said there was a place called hell for those who died as sinners.  Jesus said hell would be a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth.  He said in hell the fire never goes out and a worm eats the flesh for all of eternity.  What are you going to do to help people not go there!? (Matthew 9:44 and 13:42)

Jesus came to die on the cross and bring salvation to mankind so that they might be saved from this destruction.  God says He desires all to be saved and for none to perish.  He wants all of mankind to be born again and have a part in His everlasting kingdom.

Jesus commanded His first disciples to go into the entire world and share the life changing messaging of His salvation.  He then told them to teach their new disciples to go and do the same.  Jesus said He would not come back and judge the world until everyone had heard the message at least once.  You have a part to play!  If you don’t warn them, God says their blood will be on your hands!  (Ezekiel 3:18 and Acts 20:26-27)

What’s Really Important?

Many people don’t understand how special each person is to God.  The Bible says that God is our Shepherd, and as our Shepherd if He had 100 sheep and one was missing, He’d leave the other 99 and go find the one.  God so loved the world that He sent His only Son—Jesus—to come and die on the Cross so that all who believe in Him would have eternal life and not perish! (Matthew 18:12 & John 3:16)

Today, the media wants you to think success is measured in how much money you possess or how much fame and popularity you have or the amount of power and influence you exert.  That’s why many people enter into politics, entertainment, humanitarian efforts, etc.  But the truth is that whatever man does here on this earth for selfish gain will stay on this earth and eventually be forgotten and destroyed (James 1:11).

After Jesus returns, no one will care who built the biggest building or who had the most money or who loved their family the most or who gave the most to charities or who hit a golf ball the farthest.  Only what was done for Jesus will be remembered in heaven.

Those who desire to win souls will have heavenly rewards that will last forever.  Though there are many good things to do here on earth, the best is to love God and teach others to do the same.  The greatest gift a father or mother can give their children is the message of God’s love and salvation (Proverbs 22:6).

What would it benefit a child if his father always loved him, provided for his every need, but never taught him how to receive eternal life.  What would it benefit “Lil’ Johnny” if his dad gave him the whole world, but never gave Him Jesus!?

Of course God wants you to have a job, a family, and success in all you do, but never forget your number one priority in life: “To know Jesus and to make Him known”!

Heaven’s Bank Account

What will be Jesus’ words to you concerning your life here on earth?  Will He reward you for your faithfulness to spread His love and message of salvation, or will He let you into His heaven alone and show you all the people you could have brought with you?

What will Bill Gates say and do on that day?  Will he say, “Jesus, its so nice to meet you.  Sorry, I didn’t believe in you and share your love with others, but here is 75 billion dollars.  Please let me in”.  What will Michael Jackson say on that day?  “Hello, Jesus, I always knew you were real, but I was too afraid to talk and sing about you, so here are my number one hits and gold albums.  Please let me into heaven.”

Do you honestly think any of those things will matter on that day?  Please don’t misunderstand me.  We don’t go to heaven because we preached the Word of God.  Many people have preached the Word of God and have not gone to heaven because their life was full of all kinds of evil.  Nor am I saying we can earn our salvation by spreading God’s love.  We could spread God’s love and still never be “good enough” for heaven.  Heaven and salvation are free gifts given to us by God because of Jesus’ death on the cross.

However, what I’m saying is that a true disciple will make disciples.  Jesus Himself said that if you were truly connected to Him, then you would bear fruit.  Though we cannot earn our salvation, it’s fair to say that we will be judged as to how “genuine” our salvation is based on our love for others. 

Please read John 15:1-8,

1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

 5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

What To Do

Here are a dozen helpful steps to follow when sharing your faith with others:

1.        Pray for those you know need Jesus and for opportunities to preach to them.

2.        Pray that you will have boldness and the right words to speak when you talk about Jesus.

3.        Always talk about who God is based on the Bible, not the opinions of yourself or others.

4.        Never feel like you have to “make people believe.”

5.        Use the commands to show people how they are sinners and are in need of a Savior

6.        Share your testimony and how you became a Christian.

7.        Use words and examples that are easy to understand concerning God’s love and His judgment.

8.        Don’t feel like you have to know everything and answer everyone’s questions.

9.        Take time to listen to others and what they have to say.

10.      Ask to pray with those you talk to.

11.      Never give up; some people get saved after many discussions about God.

12.      Always try to leave the door open to meet again and talk about Jesus.

How To Preach

There are eight essential principles to use when preaching the Word of God for the salvation of lost souls.  Remember there is no “perfect formula” on how to win souls; it is the work of God through the Holy Spirit and the free will choice of a person to accept it.  But these are the truths you should always preach on so that those listening to you can hear the full and true Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Also, preaching does not just mean standing behind a pulpit with a microphone, preaching simply means, “proclaiming”.  Therefore, find opportunities to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ wherever you are and whenever you see an open door!

Here are the eight principles to preach on:

1. God loves the world and has a purpose for every person:  Talk about God’s love for the world and His great plan to be with them again in heaven and His plan for their life (John 3:16)

2. Because of man’s sins and unbelief, man is separated from God and His great plan:  Help the person realize that they have committed sin, here is where you us the commands of God to prove to them that they are a sinner damned to hell without Jesus  (John 3:18 & Romans 3:23)

3. Jesus came to die on the cross to connect man back to God:  Talk about what Jesus did by dieing on the cross (John 3:16)

4. When a person believes in Jesus and repents of their sins only then are they brought back to God:  Teach the person that only by faith in Jesus alone can they be made right with God, not by their good works, and that they must bring forth the fruit of repentance to truly receive Jesus into their lives (Acts 20:21)

5. God wants to have a personal relationship with them everyday and make them His disciple:  Teach them that being a true Christian is to be a disciple of Jesus, help them count the cost of following Jesus, it is a life long journey of obedience, not just a “quick prayer” (Matthew 16:24)

6. Ask them if they want to repent of their sins and be born again:  Teach the person to pray to God and ask for forgiveness of their sins, for the Holy Spirit to come into their life, and to confess they believe in Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection (John 3:3 & Acts 2:38-40)

7. Ask them if they have assurance of their salvation:  Teach them to be 100% sure of their salvation and place in heaven, if they have doubts they must continue to pray and seek God until they are sure of their salvation, God will always bring inner peace and confirmation to those whom He has saved (2 Corinthians 5:8)

8. Encourage them to join you in church and to get discipled:  Teach them that now God has a great plan for their life through obedience to His Word and this is done through discipleship in the church (Matthew 28:18-20)

Try to follow this steps as best as you can and most importantly by lead by God’s Spirit to express the message of Christ’s salvation the way that is best for each person. Remember, God will use any and every person who asks to be used to share the message of the Gospel. 

God will surprise you by how much He can do through you if you just become obedient and give Him the chance.  The world is hurting, and Jesus is the healer:  Go give them Jesus!  The world is lost and Jesus is the Way:  Go show them Jesus!  The world is dieing and Jesus is the life:  Go bring them Jesus!  Start today!