Theology and Practice of Evangelism - Lesson 11

Dr. Robert Tuttle, Jr.
Theology and Practice of Evangelism
th610-11
Needy People
Lesson Transcript

[00:00:00] The following lectures provided by biblical training. The speaker is Dr. Robert Tuttle. For more information, go to WW dot Biblical training dot org. I said her. You look like an interesting one. Who are you? She's very well. I mean, think about shoes. I don't know that anybody quite asked me that question that way. I think quite who you are. She said, Well, I own a cruise line. I don't remember much of this conversation. But last week the telephone rang. My wife picks up the phone and says, There's a woman on the telephone wants to talk to you. So I picked up the telephone and said, Well, how are you? She said, Well, I'm fine. And she said, Do you remember me? I said, Give me a minute. She said, We met on an airplane. Blind Atlanta. Last week. Or maybe it would wait for last. I guess I remember all the conversation perfectly now. She was in the sciences. Communicating with the dead. And she said, Is that all right? And I said. You need to ask your priest that question. Because I promise you. The enemy can exploit that. I want you to go to your priest. And I want you to go to the Bible. She said, Well, I never read the Bible. I said, Darling, it's time. How old are you, for crying out loud? Well, I'm 85. I said, you know, you ought to be cramming for five finals. You and I both are going to be dead before too long. She said, Where do I start? She said, Start with the Book of John. She said, But I'll have to go by a Bible. Anyway. This is the woman on the telephone. Call him me. And she said, I just wanted you to know I'm going through my husband.

[00:02:13] Her husband died, Bob. He died back September. And so she's trying to communicate with Bob Darwin. Yeah. Don't do that. Don't do that. You don't have to go with that. Just commute. Just talk to him, for crying out loud. Heaven is just right here. It's not through the other hand. Some black hole. It's right here. It's just a question of dimensions. And I refuse to allow the world to stop me in the left side of my brain anymore. She said, Well, I'm going through my husband's things. And I found a Bible still in the box. And she said, You know, it works. I'm reading the Book of John and just wanted you to know I've accepted your challenge and I'm blessed. And that's something. Yesterday morning. I'm in my garden now. When I garden, I have to get down in it. And you can't imagine how dirty I get. And it's embarrassing to tell you in the seat of my pants, it's just as dirty as the front. I get on my knees now when I get too tired, I just sit down in it, you know, And so I'm dirty all over. I have raised beds. Non-res burst and I'm waiting my garden and I'm just filthy, absolutely filthy. And I hear my neighbors door open. Now you can't see its house is too far over. But I hear him going out to his truck and I look through the woods and I see him standing beside his truck, I said. Dale, how are you? He said I'm fine. Here he comes. And I'm thinking about using Dell to help me build an outbuilding. Not an outhouse, but an outbuilding. And he said, What are you doing? I said, Well, what's it look like I'm doing? I'm sitting there waiting, Dell.

[00:04:08] I said that I'm also recovering. From cutting my water line. And then I told him the story. He was on his way to an AA meeting. I've been out of work for over two or three years. Living at the shack. Just really a shack. And I told him this story about this water line. I said, I told God, God, you helped me with this water. I'll never say it again as long as I live. He got tickled. You couldn't stop laugh. Hey said I want some of that. I said, Dale, get in line. That's mine. He said, No, I don't want some of that. I said, Well, there's probably enough to go round. You want to pray with me? I didn't have to get off my sari. But that's not cursing. Life is so interesting. It's just so much fun. Just to show up and pay attention. You know, it really is. Anyway. I want you to be ready to share some of your case study issues. Like people will object that science. I love people. Raise science questions. You love it. I've got a totally off of the Pentateuch, exactly how this whole world is put together. He or she never would have gotten anything written down. I still be scratching our heads. Grow up, for crying out loud. The Bible is not a scientific textbook, but it's not scientific hogwash either. My problem with evolution is not theological. It's scientific. I can show you a three toed EU that probably evolved into a horse and a you hippies is no bigger than a medium sized dog. So I'm sure there's evolution within kind. But my problem with evolution is that missing link, folks, I mean, it is huge. No one has come close.

[00:06:07] No one has come close to cross-species. I'm sure species evolved within time, but nothing comes close. That's a huge gap between species. Don't mess with me. You're going to talk science. Talk science, for crying out loud. I mean, the universe as H from 2.5 billion years in my lifetime to 18 to 20 billion years old in my lifetime. If you want to talk science, talk science. Right now. I don't understand what you just. Just so that our understanding in the universe. If when I was a kid, people thought scientists thought the universe was 2 to 3 billion years old. Now they believe it to be 18 to 20 billion years old. And I've only been alive for 70 years now. My problem with science is not science. It's not theological. It's scientific. There's just a whole bunch. We don't know. And I've got a friend, and I'll tell you about my friend, who's the number one pilot for United Airlines Flight 777 back to Chicago and Shanghai to tell you about him. He's a fundamentalist, plays in a literal six day creation, 24 hour day. Phi Beta Kappa at Rice University. He's so brilliant and makes such a good case for this. I had invited him to Northwestern University to teach that to my students, and not a single one of them laughed at him. I think it's crazy. But listen, I'm not a fundamentalist. I've already told you I'm a fundamentalist. Nervous, but I know tons of fundamentals, so a whole lot smarter than I am. Not a question of intelligence, folks. Don't you dare allow the world. I think you think they're stupid because I disagree with you. I know, folks, Brian, and both of us do believe in a literal six day creation, 24 hour day.

[00:08:03] Got a devotional. You're going to love this story. Can't wait to read it to you. Well, I'm feeling better, and I haven't even had a sip of coffee. Thank you for praying for me. Kathy, with how you prayed for me. I know you did. I could see you doing it. John for. I love this stuff. We're going to talk tonight and tomorrow. About Jesus. Who was the master of show and tell. He spent probably ten times more time with the disciples than he did with the crowds. Maybe more than that. He was careful and his selection He was careful in how he demonstrated ministry. Whoa, Jesus. You do that so well. Teach us to do that. And then he chose people who could then reproduce. He's demonstrated. He's showing and telling. Now it says the disciples had gone into the somebodies lingering so they could tell the story. The Pharisees heard that Jesus was carrying and baptizing more disciples than John. John, Bless him. Although in fact it was not Jesus who was baptized, who was baptized or who baptized, but his disciples. And when the Lord learned of this, He left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. If you've not been to Galilee, you've got to go. I mean, the miracle triangle between Capernaum and Peseta, Julius and Chorus and seven. You can ride it on a bicycle in a half a day. 70% of the miracles that Jesus worked with worked within that little triangle. There's almost nothing there now. It's wilderness. So he goes back to Galilee now. He had to go through Sumeria. Oh, you didn't have to go through Sumeria, but it's a long way. To bypass summary. And, you know, the Jews and Samaritans hated each other.

[00:10:22] They built a rival after her, after the Jews ran amok. When during when Zara Baba ran them off. They came down from Samarra to help their Bible. And the Jews rebuilt the temple, and they ran them off saying, You're not Jews anymore. You don't even speak Hebrew. They go back to Mount Sumeria and build a rival temple on Mount Gerizim for the 500 or so years before the birth of Jesus. Jews and Samaritans have been going back and forth between each other's temples, desecrating them with dead man's bones. They hated each other's guts. But he had to go through some area. So he came to a town in some area called Sidecar. I've been there. I've been to Jacob's. Well, actually, you can't go there now if you have a Jewish guide. Near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's. Well, was there. And Jesus, tired as he was from the journey. Set down. By that way, all it was about it was about the six hour. No. The heat of the day. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, Will you give me a drink? Now get this. There's a perfectly good well inside car. And at noon, no one would be there. But this woman really wants to avoid people. So rather than going to a perfectly good well inside car, she goes to an older well a half a mile outside of town and the middle of the day. She really wants to avoid seeing people. He's so weary of people looking at her the way people look at her. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, Will you give me a drink? A Jew asking a Samaritan for water.

[00:12:20] A rabbi. Speaking to a Samaritan, a man speaking to a woman. Do you have any idea what's going on here? You just don't do that. The Samaritan woman said to have. You're a Jew and I'm a Samaritan. How can you ask me for a drink? Jews don't associate with Samaritans. Jesus answered her. Don't you love Jesus? If you knew the gift of God and who it is that ask you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water. Sir, The woman said, You have nothing to draw with and the world is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this well and drank, provided himself, as did also his sons and his flock and his herds. Jesus answered. Everyone who drank this water will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks the water, I give him. Will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. It's a great description of the work of the Spirit, isn't it? The woman said to him, Get this, Are you listening? Get this really important. The woman said to him, Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water. What's wrong with that? That is our dilemma. We're always taking Jesus too seriously. Literally. I'm sorry. Not too seriously, but taking Jesus too literally and missing the point. Nicodemus did it in the previous chapter. Should I go again and into my mother's womb that I can be born again? Always taking Jesus too literally and missing the point. The disciples within the same chapter will come back and say, Who gave him bread to eat? Always taking Jesus too literally and missing the point.

[00:14:46] The woman taking Jesus too literally and about to miss the point. But Jesus will have none of it. Listen to this. Go and call your husband and come back, he said. Jesus is thinking to himself. Don't say that. This is what's going on. Jesus. Thank you. Okay. Woman. Don't mess with me. Go get your husband. I have no husband. You got that right. In fact. You've had five husbands and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true. Sir, the woman said, I can see that you're a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain. But you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem. Now. Now, get this. You won't believe what just happened. We do it all the time. You'll recognize it. When I describe it to you. When Jesus gets a little too close. What do we do? We raised the religious question. It's our forever way of changing the subject. Getting out from under the pressure. We do it all the time. I do it all the time. Shame on me. Shame on you. You think she's the only one in this room who does that? Go get your husband. I have no. I have no. You got that right. That's why she goes to a well, a half a mile outside of town in the middle of the day, not wanting to see anybody. And lo and behold, a Jew. Rabbi Mayo, shows up. And engages her. So much so that she wants to take a little time to breathe. You know, why use humor? There's only one excuse for humor. I never tell a joke. I don't think I do do it. I don't think I've ever told a joke.

[00:17:07] I never tell a joke. I use humor. Why? To allow you to breathe. Just to. Hold your shoulders back. Never, ever allow humor to let someone off the hook. I've seen perfectly good sermons ruined by jokes. I want the people to think that I'm one of them. Cracked a little joke. Let the man off the hook. You got him? They are engaged by the Spirit of God. I had to. She'll never know how much of what a favor she did for me. I was asking advice from a student at Northwestern. Garrett, You know what she said? I said, when I go, what should I do? You know what she said? Don't try to be cute. Cute just lets people off the hook. You can use humor. So I can breathe. So I don't feel this inordinate need to raise that religious question. Listen to this. Believe me, woman. A time is coming. When you'll worship the father, neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem, you Samaritans worship what you do not know. We worship. What we do know for salvation is from the Jews. Jesus doesn't apologize. He doesn't say how many times. Aren't you sick of it? All religions worship the same. God. Doesn't matter what religion you are. All religions agree on the same point. Have you talked to people of other religions? Because I guarantee you you're listening. I guarantee you people of other religions don't think all religions are the same. They will get in your face. Fun. Your friendly neighborhood Muslim friend and all religions are the same. Whoa. You know what I say? I say, folks, I say to my Muslim friend. Muslim friend. We may both be wrong. We can't both be right. We disagree on how to access the spirit of the living God.

[00:19:29] You think the spirit escape problem? The Holy Spirit as Gabriel in the Koran. Read the book, for crying out loud. Don't mess with me. I read it every year. I don't know what's in it. We have a difference of opinion as to how to access the power of the Holy Spirit so we can overcome the stuff that would attempt to swallow us whole. All religions are the same. Study other. I beg you. Come to your own rightful, rightful conclusion. Informed A conclusion. The time is coming. You'll either worship God on this mountain. Nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know. He didn't beg the question. My Muslim friend. I think you're wrong. It doesn't make me right and you're wrong. But I believe you're wrong. And you know I believe that. I have gotten an e-mail once a week for the last month since we last met from my Muslim friend Hakken. I told him you were a lousy Muslim and not becoming a real Christian. He's really praying about that now. He said, I'm a Protestant Muslim, like a Protestant, you know, as opposed to a Roman Catholic, a Protestant. He said, I'm a protesting Muslim. I said, You a lousy Muslim. There's no such thing as a Protestant Muslim. Give it up. Become a real Christian. That's that's that's the power of the Holy Spirit. Time is now coming. And as now has come when the true worship to worship the father in spirit and truth. Every weekend I give this byline to my students online. The weekend is upon us. You get to preach, preach the word capital W, and if you get to worship, worship in spirit and truth still ask. Worship the father and spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.

[00:21:34] God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship and spirit and truth. The woman said, I know the Messiah called Christ is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us. And Jesus says, You're looking at him. I'll be the man. Just then, his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. I bet they were. But no one ask. What do you want her? Why are you talking to her, then? Leaving her water jar. Now get this. This one really wants water, right? I mean, she goes to a well, a half a mile out of town with a water jet. She's there for one purpose to get water. She does not want to chat. She does not want to gossip. She just wants to get her water and go home. You know what she does? Read it. She leaves her water jug behind. And runs back into the town. What town? Who's in town? All those people she's been trying to avoid. Say she runs. Leaves her water jug. No pretense. Rushes back into town. Says to the people, Hey, people. I've offered people $100 cash if they teach me to whistle so I can be heard two blocks away, even a block away. My mouth will not do it. I want to call to worship. I have taken a referee's whistle and to the pulpit. It sounds rude. It sounds gimmicky. I don't like it. I cannot stand to be manipulated. I want to get the people's attention and I want them to realize that God is in this place. God sits at every seat and tugs at every heart and has something specific for you this day, this evening. And if I were you, I would refuse to budge until God gives me what it is I need.

[00:23:40] To get me through the day. You know what God will do. To say. Bless your sweet little heart. Your sweet thing. You adore you. I'm gonna give it to you. And if I don't, you're going to drive me nuts, aren't you? Yeah, I am. I'm gonna drive you nuts. Absolutely nuts. I'm not going to, but I'm going to sit right here until I rot. And do you have to see me face to face? I'm not. I try not to take myself too seriously, but I'm dead serious about you. Goes back into town, Runs back into town without her water jug. Folks. That is what I was. This is what I am. Look at me. Come and see the one who might well be in the Messiah. And they are so shocked. I'm not using words of persuasion. They're just seeing the woman, the same woman. It's like saying the blind man. I mean, the Pharisees go to the blind man and try to talk him out of his healing. The blond man says. The Pharisees say, This guy can't hear you. He's a sinner. Centers. Centers can't hear people. He associates with prostitutes. Blind man. Now a man here. The blind blind. Looks at the crack in the wall. That's a lizard. I thought that delivered. I recognize it because when I was a kid, my mother put one in my hands so that I should know what was what. But. I didn't realize it was out of the green. I thought there were black or white all over. The Pharisees say, Listen, you're not healed. That center can't heal people. Don't, don't, don't go ahead. Don't go against the heads of the synagogue. Don't do that. You don't want to do that. You get back into your darkness.

[00:26:05] We'll make it up to you. Blessed is the man who can live without having to look at all of the evil in the world. Get back to your darkness. I imagine this is what he said. What's all you people? I mean, I say your if your faces change, you've become grim and rapacious. My mother had warned me about such things. And when I look at you, a strange fear gets hold of me. Look at this woman. It's like looking at that hill. Blind man or the cripple who's suddenly dancing. I mean, that gets your attention. You might want to check it out with your mama or his mama. Is this your son? Born. Born? Yeah. How do you account for that? They didn't want to book the synagogue. They said, ask him. He's of age. Seeing this woman at the well was like seeing. The blind man or the lame. It really got their attention. Got their attention so much. That they actually came out to see for themselves. They were impressed, weren't they? Denied. Denied, if you will. They were impressed. And then the disciples are coming back. And said, Jesus eight And he says, I have Brad, you know, not up. Who brought bread to him? Always taking him to literally and missing the point. Nicodemus did it. The woman did it. Now the disciples are doing it. Grow up. I mean, you know why there's never a physical description of Jesus. No. Am I the only one here? Wonder about the wonders about things like that? You could have at least described his nose or his eyes. Ah, maybe an ear or his mouth. No, no. The minute you. The minute you describe his mouth, you become so obsessed with the mouth.

[00:28:12] You miss what he's saying. And the moment you describe his ear, you become so obsessed with the ear. Whoa. You miss what he's hearing and the moment you describe his eyes, you become so obsessed with his eyes that you miss what he's seeing. Aren't they smart? Don't you love the Bible? You had no idea it was just chocked with that kind of wisdom, did you? In a good. I wonder. I'm telling this woman on the airplane, read a book of John. And then what does American say? Well, we came out here to check it out because we were so impressed with you. I mean, he was like, You're like the blind man. You're like the lame. We're really impressed. I mean, you went out, you slip, you slipped out of town to a, well, half mile outside of town in the middle of day because you didn't want to look at us. Now you come charging back into the town. Announcing the gospel. Good news. We're going to check this out. Then they said, we're no longer a state. Two days. You did read that, Donna, that I make that up. You got to be careful. You miss this stuff. It's like the Good Samaritan. And the next morning. You know what that means? That means they nursed him all night. You missed that, didn't you? I had read the Bible probably 15 times before that jumped off the page and grabbed me by the throat and shook the mischief out of me. Just shook the 11 mischief out of me. I never saw that before. I love compassion. Don't you love the fruit of the spirit? We're going to spend a weekend talking about the Holy Ghost, Holy Spirit. How the Spirit of God has more invested.

[00:30:20] And your ministry than you do. You know why? Cause, Kathy. Are you ready for this? Spirit of God is not about you. I was. I was in Fiji. I got off the plane. If you're a methodist in Fiji, you're a celebrity because 51% of the people who live on the Fijian 300 islands. Our Fijians, 49% are Indian from India. But of the 51% who are Fijians, 90, 95% are Methodist. And so I got off the plane and 30 minutes later I'm on national radio preaching to all the people of Fiji. They announced a meeting that night. The only big, only place big enough was this big high school auditorium. So I'm up there preaching the gospel. Just the best of my little ability. And I said, Don't you Fijians realize God's not about you? Don't use those kinds of analogies in another culture. Grow up, Tuttle. I finally got over that. I was maybe 30 years old when I did that. But this woman, this front row, was about a half a mile long. And this place is packed. I mean, they went out because I like I say, I'm people from all the 300. I like their crowd name of this place. And this woman right in the middle on the front row got tickled and could not stop laughing and hard as she tried. The more she laughed as she's about to fall off her seat. So finally I stopped and said, Do you want. Sharing with us what's going on. She said, I'm from from Potomac, which is the northernmost island and the 300 miles. There's a church on almost every one of these islands that's dedicated to a missionary who was roasted and even. Literally and Christianity on the beach in the Fiji Islands, 150 years.

[00:32:23] And so she said, I'm from her tomb, and when the missionaries came to a tumor, they bought their biscuits. English biscoff cookies, you know, in English, because biscuit, the cook brought their cook and we retirement fell in love with the English biscuit so we would take the biscuit out and bury them. Want to grow biscuit trees. And she said when you told me God was nuts about me, what you really meant is that God is. Biscuits about me. She got to thinking about God being biscuits about her, how she couldn't stop laughing. That's a redemptive analogy. A transferable concept. Who would have thought? God has biscuits about God's nuts about you. Absolutely, Kathy. God is a good God. Jesus Christ is a piece of work. I'm so impressed with the man. I mean, to see the effect they can have on people. Just people telling his story. But it's always more than people telling a story. You know why? Because C.H. Todd, we said the beginning of a new age. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of that new age. His conception, his birth. His early life. His baptism, his temptation. His ministry. His death, his resurrection, his glorification. Jesus the fulfillment of that new age. He now rules that the right hand of God, which means what? He was righteous all the way in the world. You can tolerate the presence of God. We talked about after the fall, God graciously withdraws beyond the veil. We lost Adam and Eve lost their ability to perceive reality beyond the senses. And I am not going to allow anybody anymore to stuff me into the left side of my brain. I have put up with it long enough. Don't try. You want to talk science to me? Talk something that makes sense.

[00:34:38] Don't just talk some kind of stuff you don't understand either. I read that stuff too. I'd like to be informed. Thank you very much. Don't mess with me. Science. There's so many holes in your science. I'm not I'm not saying I don't want you to study science. Go ahead and do it. Have fun. Help us. But the split second, you think science replaces God? You die. Telcos, right? We die when we attempt to become autonomous from God. Mr. Scientist. Imagine. Imagine. If your mom is dead, she's going to rise up and haunt you. Imagine as smart as you are, allowing the world to stuff you into the left side of your brain. Height with depth, time in motion. Well, if you can't feel it and taste it and see it and hear it, you know it doesn't exist. Shame on you. Why in the world would you allow anybody to do that? Do that to you? I wouldn't put up with that. There's far more reality in this room beyond the senses than within the senses. I'm not talking Radiowaves here. Heaven is not beyond some black hole. Heaven is. And periodically spirituality gets caught. Gets caught with its nose pressed against the glass jar darkly, trying to catch a glimpse of the tree of life. That's why they want to build Tabernacles on the mount of Transfiguration. I don't blame them. I don't want to do it too. I won't camp out. I mean, Moses finally gets to see the Promised Land. How happy is that? Poor old, bleary eyed man, 120 years old, up on Mount Nebo. God gives him the ability to see it. Before he dies. His eyes are clear. He can see it. Go there sometime. I'll take you. Go there.

[00:36:48] It's. It's. It's a hit. Something else. To be able to see what most. You can see. Jerusalem on a clear day. And Bethlehem on the mountains. Ahead of you see the Dead Sea down to the left. See the Jordan Valley all the way through Samaria. You see the you see Nadler. You see Jericho down there. You can you really can you see that stuff? I don't blame and want to build Tabernacles. That was a straight shot into the eternal eternal. Suddenly you had a window just for a moment. Just. That's what spirituality is. Spiritual is all about having an awareness that God's presence. And imagine being so much into science. There's nothing beyond the end of your nose. I love the science questions. Bring them all. I love all religions of the same question. Bring them all. Just think. Don't be intimidated. I refuse. To allow any of you ever to be intimidated again. Don't ever be intimidated. Be humble. Don't be too humble. Don't take yourself too seriously, but be dead serious about God, Right? Go in. Trust the spirit of God. Give you the ability. I've never won anyone to Jesus by arguing with them. But I've given a ton of people. Pause. Whoa. Let me think about that. Yeah, you ought to think about that. Bless your sweet little heart. Wow. Whoa, wow, Whoa. Stuff you in the left side of your brain. Did I tell you our team talked with a guy who coined the phrase right and left. Right. He invented the electrostatic ram back in the 1930. Our team thought it Fuller guy named Lee Travis. He was 82 years old. I was 29 years old. Whittingham teaching a course in the School of Psychology at Fuller Seminary in 1933, invented the electroencephalogram and then wrote to inventing the electroencephalogram.

[00:39:01] You realize when you have talked about this, when you have a lesion to the left side of your brain, you can very much can't articulate it. Have a lesion on the right side of your brain. You can articulate nothing, only that within the census. God is a good God. Jesus really is a piece of work. He is good to his word, and he really will fill you with his spirit. If you're willing to repent of your sins and renew your faith and trust in him. Let's pray, Lord, We're grateful. But your presence here, we're grateful to be reminded that this class is more important to you than it is to any of us. So, quite frankly. God, we're begging you. Not because you need to be begged, but because we need to do some begging. Good for us. I want to renew my commitment to Your Holiness. Oh, be like, Jesus. That's what all this is all about. Are begging you. It's like walking into an Oklahoma electrical storm with a lightning rod. We'll probably get some pretty good action. We know all of that energy. Looking for a ground. Looking for someone to bless. God, We volunteer. US. We beg you in all simplicity. Bless us. Bless these people where they live. Be with them. And this moment, everyone in this room be with them. Everyone in this room. We love you, God. We love you. We adore you. Thank you for loving us, an adoring us. Thank you for being that kind of a god. So be with us this evening. Be with us tomorrow. Be with us on Saturday and be with us as we return. To our homes. Refreshed and renewed. We pray we'll be refreshed and renewed. And so filled with you.

[00:41:10] We don't want our spirituality to draw attention to itself. We want our spirituality to create the kind of person that people want to become like. We want people to emulate it because we look so much like you. I honestly believe God, if we if we could introduce people to Jesus that Jesus just because of who He is. He's self authenticating. When people really see Jesus, he cannot be resisted. Help us become more like Jesus. So that the good news cannot be resisted. Help us to be excited about what you're doing in our lives. Help us to be excited about what you're doing in this world. This whole world that's that's come within a hair's breadth of striking itself to death. Bless these people. Bless our families. Best bless those folks back home. Bless our children and grandchildren. Bless our moms and dads, grandparents. Bless them. Encourage us. Humbleness. Get us to the place where. We beg you for blessing. Just like the blind. Just like the lamb who wanted to be carried to the waters. Get us to the place where we hunger and thirst for righteousness. That's what it means to beg you. Get us to the place where we hunger and thirst for righteousness. So that people can see Jesus. Boys in his name, we pray. Amen. Okay. That was a rather long devotional one. But that's a preview of what we're talking about this weekend. You realize that, don't you? Review the biblical understanding of the gospel. We've been doing some of that. The title of this lecture is A Native People. I cannot tell you. How native people are. Biblical understanding of the gospel. With sand. We lost our ability to perceive reality beyond the senses. That's what the garden is all about.

[00:43:34] And God, you realize I told you, we know Jesus was righteous because He now dwells at the right hand of God. And only righteousness can dwell in the presence of God. You do understand that, don't you? I mean, heaven would be hell for those who presume to plead their own case. That's why. Why is that? How does the creation of God's love, not God's wrath? Because he imagined somebody showing up in heaven playing, attempting to plead their own case with their hands hanging out for the rest of eternity. I mean, you've got to persuade us. You are correct. That's not. And your of that I don't know about. I can tell by looking at you. You don't fool me for a second. No, no. His stands will probably bore me. Sin cannot bear the light. That's why we know Jesus was righteous, because he now dwells with the right hand of God, beginning of a new age, Jesus, the fulfillment of that in age. He now rules at the right hand of God. He has sent out his spirit. You know what that means? That the Holy Spirit comes not to compensate for His absence, but to what guarantee His. Presence. Presence. The Holy Spirit has been given by God not to compensate for his absence, but to guarantee His presence. It is the presence of the living God. Jesus now rode with the right hand of God and has sent us his spirit. That's why some people are Bennett, Terrians. Don't get off on that, though. You missed the point. Jesus has sent us his spirit not to compensate for his absence, but to guarantee his presence. I wrote a master dissertation. It's the worst thing I ever wrote, but it was the best idea I ever had.

[00:45:19] On the farewell discourse of Jesus. John 1331 two 1633. Imagine walking into a hospital room and someone is dying. Many of you folks have had that experience a lot. I walked into a hospital room one afternoon. This old woman. Saw me walk in the door. She bolted straight up. Fixed. Right. I tell you this, Victor. Eyes on me and said, You son of a bitch rolled over and died. Try that one on. I'm I'm 21 years old. I cried. I screamed. I never got over that. She'd been white. Naomi. Would you like? Know why? When I moved on to the south side of Chicago. Her grandson was a great kid and he worked for Rand McNally drafting maps in Gary, Indiana. So we had to drive in the south side of Chicago down to Gary, a 40 hour week. He loved his job. One week, they they forced him to work overtime because I really need to get out of a hole. The old locks in the ditch. And so he very reluctantly took over time, but he loved the pay time and a half. Then he went looking for overtime. Then started buying stuff on the never never on his overtime pay. And within two years, he was working 80 hour week. Now he was no longer loving his job. He hated his job. And so his grandmother. If done in the hospital. So I go see Grandma and I say, Grandma. Why don't you talk to him like the neighbors was? We should talk to Glenn. Tell him he doesn't need to work so hard. Would you like to know what she heard? What she heard was is that you're calling my grandson, whom I raised right. A money grubber. She got the stew and on that.

[00:47:25] And she refused to die until I walked in the room. She got me, didn't she? I had the guts to preach our funeral. People are needy. An old Samaritan woman so needy. How many people would have gone to that? Well, I've never seen it. Never seen it. The. How many people do we see everyday? And we never see him. People are needy. God. Give us eyes to see. We hold the truth, but the world sets the agenda. You know what I mean by that? The world has a right to ask its own questions. We hold the truth, but we have to allow the world to ask us questions. If you itch here and you scratch here. Mr. Frustration. Is the gospel relevant? To a needy people. Yeah, it is. I want some of you folks to get out of your Christian ghettos. I don't want you to start visiting all your neighbors. If your neighbors are like mine, I've got this other class I'm teaching online. They're doing this case. Tell you they hate me. Everyone hates me. Because most of them have never shared their faith one on one with an entourage person. I said I don't have on Christians in my sphere of influence. I'm saying, What? I said, How can most of my close friends are unchurched and all of your close friends are charged? I got a few church friends that are close. What's going on here? Am I wrong? There's something wrong with me. Have you always. Pretty much. Because when I got saved, I didn't know any Christians. In my fraternity house. No one stood up and said, I'm a Christian. And I didn't either. I didn't know I was saved for two weeks. I just knew that my life had been changed.

[00:49:42] I didn't know there was any such thing as a Christian conversion. I know my life has changed. And I had no one to disciple me. And so my friends were non-Christians. By the way. You won't believe this in Atlanta just after on the way home. Visiting with a woman from Colombia. South Carolina. I said, I have turntable. I had a roommate. Turner brother, who's a lawyer in Columbia, South Carolina. She said, What's his name? I said, Bill Elder is married to Lillian. She said, They're my dearest friends. We go to church together and he's an elder in the church. Let me tell you about Bill Elder. When I got saved, I used to sneak to pray. I'd wait till Bill went to sleep. Snoring. And I snake out of my bed, but my elbows and knees on the floor and pray. And a lot of times I go to sleep on my knees. You've done it. Go sleep on my knees. And he was watching me the whole time. And finally one day he said, Tell. You're different. I think I want what you've got. What is it? You know what I said? Bill, I don't have a clue. No idea. Well, I've got. I can't describe it. I don't really know how I got it. I just know I'm different than I used to be. As a result, this prayer and that prayer, quite frankly, doesn't like a whole lot. God, if there is a God, I wasn't real sure. I don't sound like a lot, folks. You can do better. Passed all four parts to a CPA test before he finished. Duke went on, got him a law degree and now is an elder in his church. Elder Earl Bill Elder elder in his church.

[00:51:40] So everything right? And she's going to go back and give him my love in regards to small world in it. The world allow. The world has its own questions that they have the scientific questions. Be ready for those. Don't be offended by that. Don't be intimidated by that. I don't thank so much people in this class, but people in the other class are really intimidated by some of those questions. I just don't know what to do with them. I want you to think like unchurched people think. You need to hang out with unchurched people. I know how they think they're my best friends. I get voice messages from them every day. But I don't know how they think. I want you to know how. How the rest of the world thinks. My wife and I invite people over at least two, if not three times a week. Unchurched people. You know why? Because we like them. Sometimes a whole lot better than our church friends. Forgive me. Probably we like them. And you know what? They like us. They think I'm a little strange. Why? Because I am. And so are they, aren't they? Imagine being satisfied with being stopped up in the last hour of your brown youth. You think I'm strange? Try that one on. That's really strange. Imagine not having looked enough into your own religion so that you think all religions are alike. You think I'm strange? That's really strange. And all I have to do is to go talk to these people of other religions and see what they think. They will spit in your eye. Now I got some Buddhist friends, you know. Who kind of depends on whether it's Theravada or Mahayana Buddhism. But there are about a 6% of budget.

[00:53:50] Their father don't believe in transgenic God. They're kind of so broad minded as well, I should say. They're flat headed. And they talk a lot about peace, you know. And, you know, just eat, pray, love. You know, what rubbish in my diet hates it when I talk like that. She said, Bob, you're too opinionated. Why do you say rubbish, your knee jerk? My wife's accuse me of being knee jerk. Can you imagine that? Yeah, you can imagine that. Good. I can't watch news anymore because it makes me mad. I don't know what I'm talking about, but I got a lot of opinions. So you want you want to about me. But I spend a lot of time in this. You're not careful. I know it better than you do. I spent a lot of time in this. And I get my friends. I'm a little 85 year old woman on an airplane is now in the Book of John. I don't remember the conversation, quite frankly, how we got into that. I haven't entered a conversation over 25 years with both an evangelistic agenda. That's the God's truth. My wife caught me doing that. She she catches me on occasion doing it. She Rovera. Here we go again. I've got the tape recorder on my shoulder. Got a big old play button. You asked the right question. This tape starts to roll. Good tape work for 30 years. But not anymore. Access and the power of the Holy Spirit through personal faith in Jesus Christ. Most people understand a little bit about power, but personal makes none of your business. Holy Spirit's cosmic fluff and Jesus Christ is a curse word. You better read to folks. You better learn what people hear when you say stuff.

[00:55:41] I want to introduce you to the power of the Holy Spirit, available through personal faith in Jesus Christ. You understand that, don't you? Of course you do. Most of your friends don't if they're like mine. Jesus encounters a demonic Jesus speaks to the demon. And this is this is Mark. Mark. One case. You wonder if Jesus speaks to the demon and instantly the demon comes out. Do you believe that? Most of your friends don't if they're like mine. Hey. Never in a million years occur to any of my close friends to believe that. I'm working on them. I do find that people are. Absolutely. Why are most of my students? Scared to death to engage someone who's not churched with what it means to be a Christian. Church. It's easy to lose track of. The way the world thinks. Most of the world thinks God's a prick. You know who I think God is? Would you like to know who I thank God it. Like God, the great God loving God. Why? Why do I think that? Because I've experienced God to be that way. It'd be difficult for you to convince me there is no God as it would be you to convince me there is no you. Now you might be able to do that, but your only hope is this is to tie me to this chair and leave me here for about 40 days until I start to hallucinate. Then I might think, well, maybe there's not a you real you sitting there. You might not be sitting there. That's your only hope. Because I've experienced God like I've experienced you. Now. You don't believe that? I don't care if you believe that. I really don't. But that's a part of who I am.

[00:58:02] That's what makes me who I am. My experience of the living God. Told you I went to heaven last time I was there to tell you that story. I'm researching the mystics. Took a trip or two. Living in an old English. Mansion house by myself in a room 20 by 40, about 20. Did you say the movie Returns of the day? That was the house where I lived. I'd never tell this story because I don't want people to want it. But I've seen myself. As you see me. Seeing myself in three dimensions. Scary. I went gone one one day after having gone for three days, by golly. And you know what? The last time I went to heaven. And it's just as real to me as you are. You know what God said to me? Tuttle. Next time you come, pack a bag. Plan on staying. And I've never been back. Who said, Grow up. I got stuff for you to do. Next time you come up here, pack a bag. You're going to stay. I'll be with you. You don't have to come here to experience who I am. I want you to keep your feet on the ground. Why? I became a charismatic. I want to be able to experience the reality of the living God without leaving it. Without leaving the ground. Never left, the ground says. Now, no one in this room understands that. And I don't care. I share it with you not to make you want that experience because you should not want that experience has nothing to do with spirituality. It's like assurance. Assurance has nothing to do with spirituality. The greatest men and women of Christendom never had the kind of assurance I have. They can never say to you, I've experienced God like I've experienced you.

[00:59:58] The greatest, Teresa, Wesley, all these wonderful people, they could never say that they had doubt to their dying days. From March 1963 until this moment. I've never, for a split second, had a moment's doubt about God's presence in my life and God's presence in the world. Now, is that make me more spiritual than you? You know better. Look at me. Nothing to do with spirituality. It has to do with the grace of God. God saw fit to give me something to keep me where you are. And if you don't need that kind of assurance, praise God, you'll probably become a sight. Remember me in your kingdom? I've got my reward. I want to end up on the grass. George, what people would ask if if they see Wesley in heaven, Whitfield said. Not a chance. Mr. Wesley is going to be so close to the throne of God, I won't be able to see him for the blaze of glory. Screwed up as he was. David. A man after God's own heart. He can only manage half the commandments. You can't send as much as David did in ten lifetimes. And there's a man who says he won't bore you. But a man after God's own heart. What are you in God? Do better than that. Go on the ask before you know what the questions are also. Felonies allow felonies to surface within a relationship. I've already said it. Propositional evangelism gets the word out. Your character is your dirty, rotten, filthy slime agrees its enter. And if you don't do better, you're going to bust hail wide open. Which may be true, but that's not very winning in most instances. Don't feel the need to be critical of those who do see evangelism, that is evangelism.

[01:01:57] Apparently some folks out there need to hear it that way. I think evangelism, by and large, should be relational. So you develop relationships with people, unchurched people. I don't mind. You blessed me as long as you blessed me when I don't sneeze. I can't stand it when the only time I get blessed is when I sneeze. What kind of a world we live in? Only time we bless people is when they sneeze. I don't mind You bless me when I sneeze. As long as you bless me when I don't sneeze, Come out to me some time. When I don't say no and say, God bless you, Turtle. Thank you very much. Now you can bless me when I sneeze. Let's take a little break. Come back. We got to hurry along here.