I’m concerned with the lost because the Holy Spirit is, too.

Steve Brown:
I’m concerned with the lost because the Holy Spirit is, too. Let’s talk about it on Key Life.

Matthew Porter:
It’s for freedom that Christ set us free and Key Life is here to bring you Biblical teaching that encourages you to never give in to slavery again. Our teacher on Key Life is Steve Brown. He’s an author, broadcaster, and seminary professor who’s sick of phony religion.

Steve Brown:
Hey, it’s the 4th of July. It’s our nation’s birthday. Those of you who are listening in Canada, you’ll just have to put up with what I’m going to say right now, cause I’m a patriot. I really am, and I am concerned about our country, but let me tell you some good news. You remember when, earlier this week, I was talking about how God was bringing Christians to the end of themselves, sometimes with suffering, sometimes with failure, sometimes with great loss. And once you get to the end of yourself, the apostle Paul said in his second letter to Corinthians.

That his power is made perfect in weakness.

Now that’s amazing, and that’s the work of the Holy Spirit, but I believe that happens in nations too. I believe that God is quickly bringing at least our nation, and you guys in Canada too, to the end of man’s schemes and programs and plans. It is like ashes, and we know it, and they know it, and when you get to that point, that’s when awakening takes place. And I see it beginning on college campuses. I see it happening in the halls of political power. I see it happening in the churches. I see it happening in the public schools. I see it happening everywhere. People have come to the place where they’re hopeless, and empty, and without meaning, and that’s bad. No, no, no. That’s good. Because that’s the place where Jesus comes. Where the Holy Spirit does his work, where he draws people to himself. I was a young pastor when the Jesus movement happened. And that was an exciting, I didn’t know what to do with all those kids. They came to our church in droves, from colleges and universities, off the streets, off of drugs, and radicalized the formal Presbyterian church in the City of Presidents where I served. I mean, it was absolutely amazing. And I have the same feeling now, that something’s beginning to happen, that Aslan is on the move, that this is not just a happy birthday for our nation, it is a time when God is beginning to reveal himself in some significant ways. Alright, July the 4th, that’s a good day for me, but I’ve got to get back to what we were talking about when we quit yesterday. We were talking about evangelism. I am now one who is concerned with the lost because God is concerned with the lost. He has told me to tell others, and I have committed my way to him. I don’t get a vote on the subject. He is sovereign. So, if the sovereign King tells me to do something, I’m going to do my best to do it. He’s told me, and he told you too, that I’m to be here for them. And that ought to be enough for me. Telling others about Christ isn’t a matter of how one feels about it. It’s just a matter of doing what the King says to do. And the reason I’m telling you this is that so many of us, and I’ve been there, and sometimes still go there, don’t become the witness for Christ. We get intimidated into silence. We don’t want to hurt other people’s feelings. We don’t want them to think less of us. We want to keep our jobs. We want to keep our club memberships. We want to be thought highly of and we start talking about Jesus and we could lose all of that. Sometimes because we don’t think we know enough, we don’t think we’re pure enough or that we’re afraid of what people will think of us. Listen, if you wait until you know enough, you’ll never tell anybody about Jesus. If you wait until you’re pure enough, it’s not going to happen. You’ll never tell anybody about Jesus. Jesus didn’t die to make you nice. He died so you could be an ambassador for Him, and that others would see it. And let me let you in on a secret. Most people are not offended at all if we’re winsome and we’re honest about it. We live in a postmodern culture and that’s bad. I used to teach a course in the seminary called Communicating to Postmoderns. And I suggested, and they tried it, to the students, if you’ll go downtown, where there are people with purple hair, and tattoos every place, and rings sticking out their nose, and hanging from their ears. If you’ll go there and take your tie off, and listen and love, and tell them your story, they will listen. And they tried it, and they found out that it is true. The intimidation has come from the elite, from the leaders, from the talking heads. Most people really like to hear a good story about Jesus. And so, we’re talking about evangelism. I have a friend whose golfing partner said to him when he found out he was a Christian, Bill, I have known you for years. We play golf together every week-end. Our families get together really often. I know your children’s names and your wife’s favorite color. But Bill, I never knew you were a Christian. If you really believed it, you would have told me a long time ago. I’m better. Let me tell you by giving you a principle. I know, you know, this is not something at first you really like the idea of being an ambassador for Christ wherever you are. But if you take the first step, the Holy Spirit about whom we have been studying the past weeks will take the second step because he cares. And by the time you get to the third step, you will know it was the Holy Spirit who took the first step. Translated, that means simply to get moving about the business of sharing what Christ has done for you. It means, even if you don’t feel like it, you have a responsibility to a sovereign King to do what he says. When one says, but I can’t, one must remember that anybody can take that first small step. That’s all God asks. Be faithful with a small step with your friends and your family and your acquaintances. Our Lord, the Holy Spirit, about whom we have been studying all these weeks, will step in and take the second step. By the time you get to the third step, you’ll look back and say, with great surprise, it was the Spirit who caused me to start moving in the first place. It’s an exciting experience. And I recommend it highly. We’re going to talk a little bit about this next week. And that’ll be the final week when we talk about the Holy Spirit. And we’ll talk about the Holy Spirit’s involvement in the task of witnessing to Christ. I think of the first time I witnessed to the students. I was in a carpool at a graduate school of theology in Boston. Something happened to me and it radically changed my life and I felt I needed to witness to it, to my friends, with whom I was in a car every morning and every afternoon as we drove from Cape Cod to Boston and from Boston back to Cape Cod. The first day when I thought I was going to do it, I didn’t. When I got out of my house, I thought, oh spit. I didn’t, I should have said something about Jesus. But I promise I’m going to do it the next day. And the next day, I remember. I said, guys, be quiet for a minute. There’s six of us in that carpool. I said, guys, be quiet for just a minute. I’ve got something important to tell you. And I told them what had happened to me. And how Jesus was changing my life. It was dead silence in that car. One guy said, we’re going through exams, and you’re just looking for a soft place. Another said, you’ll grow out of it. But I didn’t care. When I got out of the car at home, I danced and almost spoke in tongues. You know why? Because I was doing what I’d been called to do. To point to Jesus. And to tell people, run to him, he’ll change your life. You think about that. Amen.

Matthew Porter:
Thank you Steve. And that puts a bow on this week of teaching about the Holy Spirit. And tomorrow, join us here for Friday Q&A with Steve and Pete Alwinson. And friends, very exciting news. Next week, Steve will be joined by our good friend, Jerry Parries, for a week of teaching that they’ve titled, How to Handle Hallway Experiences. What does that mean? I have no idea. Tune in and let’s find out together. Well, as Steve alluded to earlier, when we look at our country, we sometimes have to laugh and sometimes we have to cry. Is there something to that? Steve’s latest book is called Laughter and Lament, and in it he reveals that God has a purpose for both of those things. We took that book and created a special booklet that we would love to send to you for free. Claim your copy right now by calling us at 1-800-KEY-LIFE that’s 1-800-539-5433. You can also e-mail [email protected] to ask for that booklet. Or to mail your request, go to keylife.org/contact to find our mailing addresses for the U.S. and Canada. Again, just ask for your free copy of the Laughter and Lament booklet. Before you go, if you value the work of key life, would you join us in that work through your financial support? Giving is easy. You can charge a gift on your credit card or include a gift in your envelope. Or simply pick up your phone and text Key Life to 28950. Key Life is a member of ECFA in the States and CCCC in Canada. And as always, Key Life is a listener supported production of Key Life Network. Oh, and Happy 4th of July.