Can you hear me now!???
Now??!! Good.
This world is full of noise. News, Social Media, Pandemics, Global Unrest, Leadership disasters, changing economies.
This world like a roaring lion is constantly grasping at our lives trying to distract and pull us away from what is important.
SHARING THE GOSPEL MESSAGE
If you have ever tried to talk to some one about the important things of life and most importantly the gospel of Jesus, you soon realize how difficult this task is for people to shut off the distractions and focus on the eternal things.
See, I had spent about 10 years of my life pouring myself into a local church congregation.
So excited to share each week the things that God was giving me through studying his text and seeking him to provide some words to a great group of people.
But year after year, I would sit back and wonder, why people weren’t changing. Why were the words that I was speaking were falling on deaf ears?
WHY PEOPLE DON’T HEAR THE GOSPEL
I recently came across a list of reasons, that outlined why people are unable to believe the gospel of Jesus Christ and I found it really interesting.
They have never really heard the true gospel.If only we can preach a purer, more precise gospel message they would then believe.
They struggle to understand the Bible
If we can just simply the Bible, and make it more understandable than they will believe.
They fail to recognize their lostness
If we can only show them how lost they truly are, then they will believe.
They hear other messages more loudly
If we can just preach louder, and get more around them so they can hear better, than they will believe.
They cannot understand the preaching.
If we can simplify our preaching, giving them just the basic concepts of the Gospel than they will believe.
WHAT DOES GOD SAY?
As I was reading through them, the biggest question that I had was what does the BIBLE say causes people to not hear the gospel message?
It is so easy for us to believe that if we preach better, a little simpler, explain it a little more, preach a little louder, in a little better way, than people will hear and believe in Jesus.
But after I had spent many years teaching my heart out week after week, trying to simplify, trying to make it easier, trying to get them to understand, I KNEW that there had to be a better way.
In my pursuit I began to truly study God’s word and try to understand what HE says is the keys to getting people to hear the gospel message.
I came across one verse that floored me. See i always believed that if I can convince someone with a better argument , than they would believe.
Isaiah 32:1-3
See, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice.Each one will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm,like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen.
How do we get people to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ?
SHELTER FROM THE WIND, SHADE, WATER
Become a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm.Your family, coworkers, neighbors should know that you are a place of safety. When the storms of life are beating them down, they know that your church, your community of believers are there to help them.
We need to become streams of water in the desert, or shade of a great rock in the overwhelming deserts of life.
If we want the world to hear the message of Jesus Christ, it is more than getting a bigger pulpit, or a louder megaphone.
It starts with a glass of cold water, a meal shared together around your table, a late night conversation on your front porch, a gallon of gas for a stranded traveller, watching someones kids while they have to go to work, cooking a few extra cookies for the neighborhood kids after school.
See, until people realize that their is a refuge from the storm, shelter from lifes tough times, it is almost impossible for them to hear about the amazing salvation message of Jesus Christ.
But when we show them the true love of Jesus, than the blind eyes are opened, and the deaf ears can hear the good news and believe.