"The Gospel Is Like A Fire Burning Up The Dross"

The Gospel Is Like A Fire Burning Up The Dross. It Burns Up All The Useless Stuff In Us.

The text is taken from Matthew 28:16 to 20 and I want to encourage you to listen all the way through to the very end of this message. Because near the end we give some simple instructions about how to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And so this message is designed to help you win souls for the kingdom of heaven.

We all want something very badly in life. Every man and every woman have a passion for something. Some have a passion for money. While others have a passion for power and fame. Then there are those who have a passion to be accepted and to be loved. And would do anything in the world for love and acceptance. So sad. Some like Rachel the wife of Jacob want children. In fact she wanted children so badly that she said give me children or else I die. Some have a passion for a particular automobile. While others dream of owning a mansion. And those who have gone off track and tasted cocaine have a passion for their next high. And will move heaven and earth in order to get a hit.

We are all passionate beings. We have a strong desire and feeling for many things. And there's a force that seeks to misdirect those passions and place them on something that cannot possibly satisfy the longing of our soul. Our passion for this counterfeit joy always brings destruction. And there's only one thing in all the world that will fill the void in my heart and your heart. And bring true satisfaction and that is God's love. Only the love of God can flood our hearts with the peace and comfort that brings true joy to our very soul.

Father we give You thanks and praise for this word. Send it forth under the anointing of Your Holy Spirit. We pray that some will grab a hold of it and begin to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with those who are lost. We thank You and praise You for Your grace and mercy in Jesus name. Amen.

Over the centuries there have been a few good men who've been passionate about bringing this message of peace to the world. The Prophet Jeremiah was one of them who was caught up with the passion for sharing God's Word. He said that there were times when he decided that he would not speak about the Word of God anymore. And he said he would not mention God's name anymore. However he said His Word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones. I was weary of holding it back and I could not, Jeremiah 20 and 9. In other words he could not hold back this passion to share the Word of God. This passion to preach about by the goodness of God. He had to bring it forth. Otherwise he would have no peace. Then there was a man called John Knox. A fiery Scottish preacher who said give me Scotland or I die. He wanted to convert all of Scotland to Jesus Christ and he is known today as the father of the Presbyterian Church.

Then there was a man called John Hyde. The Apostle of prayer or praying Hyde as he was often called. He prayed day and night. And this man had so great a passion for souls that he said give me souls or I die. Reports say that he prayed so hard that his heart literally shifted in his chest. However if you really want to know the power of the Gospel. You must take a peak into the life of a man called Saul. He hated Christians and railed against them causing them to be stoned, imprisoned, and whipped, and even killed. And then one day he met Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus and discovered the power of the Gospel. This encounter transformed his life and set him on a path to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the entire world as the Apostle Paul.

And what passion he had for bringing God's peace to others. He said for if I preach the gospel I have nothing to boast of. For necessity is laid upon me. Yes woe is me if I do not preach the gospel, 1 Corinthians 9:16. In other words he was saying I am compelled to preach the gospel and I will have no peace if I do not preach the good news of salvation. Unfortunately there are many born again believers today who do not share the gospel with anyone.

An April 2022 evangelism explosion study conducted by Lifeway Research discovered that less than half of all Christians have at least once in the past six months shared a Bible verse or a Bible story with a non-Christian, loved one or even invited a non-Christian friend to church. And Greg Laurie said on Twitter that 95% of Christians have never led someone to the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet another report says 70% of Christians have not shared with a stranger how to become a Christian in the past six months. I cannot say how accurate these reports are but I can tell you from my personal experience that they do seem to have a ring of truth. Some Christians want to know whether it is a sin or not to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Others want to know whether they are required to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Well let's take a look at Jesus final words to His disciples and apostles prior to departing Earth. And He said the following. Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe. In my name they will cast out demons. They will speak with new tongues. They will take up serpents. And if they drink anything deadly it will by no means hurt them. They will lay hands on the sick and they will recover, Mark 16: 15 to 18.

At this time we pause the message to allow you to give your heart to Jesus Christ if you have not done so. Please engage your heart and repeat this prayer after me:

• Father I am a sinner and I'm sorry for all my sins.

• I crave Your forgiveness.

• I thank You Lord for Your forgiveness.

• Today I invite Jesus Christ to come into my heart.

• Dear Lord Jesus make my heart Your home.

• I give You the key to my heart because I now belong to You.

• Please give me the Holy Spirit to lead me into all truth.

• Thank You Lord for saving my soul. Amen.

Welcome friend to the body of believers in Christ. We will have further instructions for you at the very end of the message. Now back to the message.

Let's look again at these signs that will follow those who believe and accept the gift of salvation. Number one: They will cast out demons in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Number two: Those who accept the Word of God and are saved will speak with new tongues. Thirdly: They will be able to take up serpents without fear. Number four: They will not be poisoned if they drink something deadly because it will do no harm to them. Number five: They will lay hands on the sick and the sick will be healed. Well friend these are the same signs that followed the apostles and disciples of Jesus Christ. And follow many in the world today who are born again believers in Christ.

So yes we are are commanded to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the Great Commission of Matthew 28. Jesus Christ is also seen telling them to make disciples of all nation and certainly Jesus Christ had a passion for souls. And He left instructions for all His disciples to have a similar passion so why not ask God to give you a global view of the world. Jesus Christ was looking at the entire world when He said lift up your eyes and look at the fields for they are already white for Harvest.

And by this He meant that the fields which represent the world are ripe and ready for harvesting of souls. And if the world was ripe for harvesting 2,000 years ago then today with a population of 8 billion people the fruits must be overripe and spoiling. Think about this, for most of our Lives it has been all about ourselves our family and close friends. The majority of us operate in a very narrow world oblivious to the plight of the many souls who are plummeting into hell every day. However when we come to Jesus Christ we join the largest and most unified family on Earth. And all true believers in Christ get along with each other. You can be sure of that. We became members of the body of Christ which is like a humongous locomotive roaring toward its glorious destination. Which is a meeting in the air with our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. And all those on board have genuine love for each other and live together in harmony.

If you want a global view of God's kingdom. Begin praying for the peace of Jerusalem as commanded by God. And when we start praying for the peace of Jerusalem the Lord will expand the borders of our vision and open our eyes to the huge harvest that is before us. We will also begin praying for the enemies of the children of Israel to come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. And our passion for souls will extend to the entire world. Now the big question how do I get started sharing the gospel? I thought you would never ask. Here are a few helpful tips. Sharing the gospel is made simple because of the anointing on your life by the Holy Spirit. In fact two of the most important tools that you need to win a soul for Jesus Christ are already at your fingertips. And the most important tool is the Word of God. You will need to have memorized key scriptures or have them written on perhaps 3 by five cards. My favorite is the story of Nicodemus found in John 3, which says unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. Second in importance is your own personal story. Your story about how your life has been transformed by coming to know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. There's nothing more powerful than a story my friend. It gets the attention of people everywhere in the world. And people everywhere love to hear stories. And what makes your story so special is the fact that you are the resident expert at telling it. You are the number one witness to every event. And so no one can tell your story more convincingly than you can. And being credible is absolutely essential to sharing the gospel effectively. Therefore you telling your own story will have an incredible impact upon the unsaved person.

There are two scenarios that we can look at briefly the first is an informal opportunity. The second is a formal approach in which you actually go out with the intention of finding someone to share the gospel with. In each case you want to be prayed up and have appropriate scriptures available. In each case you want to be clean properly attired and having fresh breath. In the first scenario you might be on a plane, at lunch, or waiting for someone, or something in this kind of situation. You want to get a conversation going with small talk. We have an old adage that says talk brings talk. In other words just start a conversation and amazing things can happen. Look for the opportunity or the opening when the Holy Spirit presents it to you. And you can be sure He will assist you in this way. Then move smoothly into sharing how the Lord brought you through. Do not be afraid to ask three questions at the appropriate time.

Number one are you a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Number two do you believe the Holy Bible is the Word of God and number three are you a born again believer in Jesus Christ. In the second scenario you are actually going out to share the gospel at some public location perhaps and Jesus Christ sent His Apostles and disciples out in tours on at least two separate occasions. This is indeed the best way two by two. Once again being prayed up having God's Word available personal hygiene and proper attire are very important. In this approach, I've discovered that it is very important to state your business upfront by saying something like, we're sharing the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Do you believe that Jesus Christ is Lord. The individual's response will lead you to the next step. Sometime they will respond with a question. At other times it will be a statement. No matter the response maintain your composure and stay focused. If you do not know the answer to the question let them know that and promise that you will get the answer for them when the opening presents itself.

For you to lead the person to Christ always pray for the candidate before leading them in the sinner's prayer and then about the sinner's prayer. Almost every track has a sample sinners prayer that you can use. Find one that you like. At a later date you will develop your own. Someone wrote that the general consensus seemed to be that people do not share the gospel because of fear. Also because of apathy, selfishness, anger, bitterness and a lack of confidence. But fear seem to be the biggest obstacle that keeps people from evangelizing. Admittedly it is at first an unnerving experience to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with someone. And this should be expected because it is such an awesome responsibility. But each time you do so your courage and confidence will grow.

The devil fights hard to discourage us from performing this very vital service to our fellow men. Because he wants to starve the kingdom of God. But here again God will give you grace to fight discouragement. He will give you determination to push forward that a soul may be snatched out of the jaws of Satan. Be encouraged my friend you are certainly up to the mark for this challenge. God bless and keep you in Jesus mighty name. Amen.

If you've given your heart to the Lord during this message. We want to give you some simple instructions. Number one become water baptized as quickly as possible. It is the fulfillment of all righteousness. Secondly begin reading the Word of God every day it is your spiritual food.

Begin in the Book of John then go to Matthew, Mark, and Luke reading audibly as often as possible because faith comes by hearing God's Word. Pray daily. Attend at your local church and one glad morning the Savior will come and receive us all unto Himself and we shall be forever with the Lord. God bless and keep you in Jesus mighty name. Amen.