Witnessing through Technology

(Scroll down for this week's sermon, The Pursuit of God, Part 2.)

A few days ago, my computer experienced a breakdown that required me to contact technical support. If you've ever had that pleasant experience, you know how long the call can take. I decided to make the most of the situation and asked the technician, a young lady located in Manila, Philippines, named Michelle, about her relationship with Jesus.

Her immediate response was that she was a Christian. I did not know what to expect from the conversation since she was on the job, but she responded by asking me if I was a believer. Pleasantly surprised by her response, I told her that I am a believer. Then she asked something I thought was strange: She asked if I was a Christian or a Catholic.

I was caught off-guard a bit by her question, but answered that I am a Christian - that I am, in fact, pastor of a Baptist church. She then asked me to explain what it means to be a Baptist. Wow! Here we go!

The conversation had taken a wonderful turn, and gave me a chance to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with her during the hour-long session. She listened and responded very favorably to my statements and further inquiries to her. The one thing that became very clear after only a couple of questions was that she was not a Christian. She knew no answers to any questions I asked her and confessed that, though she has a Bible, she had never read it.

I asked her if she would go to heaven if she should die today. She replied with the classic answer, "Well, I hope so."

I then asked, "Suppose you were to die today and you did go to heaven. Then suppose God met you at the gate and asked, 'Michelle, why should I let you into heaven?' What would be your reply?"

She gave a little bit of a gasp and said, "I do not know what I would say. That is a very hard question."

Since she was a captive audience of a sort, I told her that I did not want to take advantage of her in this situation, but that the question did have an answer. She asked me what the answer was, so I quoted Romans 10:9-10 and explained how she could know for certain that she would go to heaven and that God would welcome her in.

The session was almost over by this time, so I explained a little bit more about the Bible and its importance and encouraged her to read the Gospel of John at her earliest convenience. She promised that she would try. She was very gracious, but made no commitment or decision. Nevertheless, I was very excited about being able to witness to someone halfway around the world without ever having to leave my office.

Technology is a wonderful thing. Please pray for Michelle in Manila, Philippines.

The conversation was a reminder of how critical it is that we teach our children the truths of Scripture. It is critical that church leaders, from infant care to the pastor, realize how important it is to be grounded in the things we believe. That is why this current series, Rooted, is so important.

Below is Part 2 of the current series, The Pursuit of God, in mp3 format along with the listening guide. I pray that it is a blessing to you.



Sermon 13Feb2011       mp3       Word       pdf

New Sermon Series - "Rooted"

This Sunday (February 6, 2011), I began a new sermon series I’ve entitled “Rooted.”

We have been working diligently to get our new webpage up and running and have finally agreed on a design. The page is up, but is basically empty while we create information to fill in the blanks.

One of the pages of the website tells about True Life Church. On that page will be a statement of our beliefs. While I was reviewing that statement, I was moved to prepare a series of sermons on the subject of what we believe.

This is a work in progress, so I am not sure how long it will take us to go through a study like this. During this series, we will review the truths of the Bible on particular subjects such as the nature of God, the person of Christ, the role of the Holy Spirit, as well as such subjects as man, sin, salvation, preservation of the saints, end times, and the judgment.

The goal will be that, by the time we are finished, we have a good general idea of what the Bible teaches about particular doctrines.

This morning we began this study at the most likely place – the beginning. Gen. 1:1 says, In the beginning, God…” So the title of this first series in the study is entitled, “The Pursuit of God,” - our search for truth concerning the person and nature and attributes of God.

There are many concepts and beliefs about God which have crept unawares into our homes and even our churches. We do not have a clear concept of biblical doctrines because we do not have a clear concept of the God who created us.

If we get it wrong about God, then we will get it wrong about everything else. That is why we will begin our “Rooted” study learning what the Bible has to say about God.

We will do this with lots of scriptures and with limited commentary. I encourage you today to begin praying that God will move in our church and even in our community as we endeavor to understand Him and His ways and purposes.



Sermon 06Feb2011       mp3       Word       pdf       PowerPoint     

Learning Guide       Word       pdf