1. This Was Personal for Paul…It’s personal for us too.

• The Jews were “Paul’s people.” Being rejected by them was hard!
• God has given us “our people” as well, and most of us have suffered some painful rejection for our faith from “our people” too.
• Yet God wants us to live lives that make people “jealous” for what we have. Like Paul God wants us to keep trying. Romans 11:14, Romans 10:20

2. The Role of Free Will?

• God gave us a blessing that can become a curse…It’s called free will. Romans 6:23
• Choose rightly and there’s blessing, choose wrongly and there’s trouble! Joshua 24:15
• Free will is the prime directive.
• Love is not really possible without free will.

3. So What Gets in the Way?

a) Pride: Philippians 2:3-6

• Our “sin nature” is rooted in pride. We want to be the masters of our own destiny.
• Under the law we are judged by what we do…under grace we are judged by what we believe. Romans 8:1-2
• Choosing Grace gives us the Holy Spirit who’s transforming power changes us from the inside out. Romans 12:2
• To this day Pride remains a stumbling stone for Jew and Gentile alike.
• So many people, even Christians, still believe that our way to heaven is earned by what we do. It is pride that holds us back from admitting we are sinners.
• This leaves room for the enemy to bombard us with temptations to condemn ourselves. Few things in life are more painful than this kind of condemnation.

b) Sin: Luke 13:2-5

• Unrepentant sin causes us to step into a downward spiral of sin. Our hardened hearts pushes us into seeking something to kill the pain of the guilt and condemnation we feel.
• Many addictions begin this way. They numb our pain. We are become trapped by our unrepentant sin.
• We have limited choices: we can ignore it (denial); avoid it ( distract, sedate); rebel (justify it); give into it (self-condemnation and depression); rationalize it (blaming or situational ethics) or repent (choose grace)

c) Adverse Human Experiences: 1Peter 5:10

• Adverse Childhood Experiences become Adverse Human Experiences
• Sometimes sin comes from outside ourselves by no fault of our own.
• Sometimes because of others sinful choices; sometimes by fate (disease, accidents etc.)
• Even so we have to face these circumstances with forgiveness in order to heal. Eph. 4:31

4. Making Them Want What We Already Have. John 6:35

• We can’t make anybody want god, we can only influence them.
• I’ve tried a lot of things, and, it’s been a bit of trial and error.
• Through it all, I’ve developed some “Cardinal Rules”

a) Cardinal Rules

• Don’t violate free will. Deuteronomy 30:19
• Most people, especially the people God has put on your heart, know more about what you believe than think. I’ve come to believe the world has radar. They can sense the Holy Spirit.
• A quote that is commonly attributed to St. Francis of Assisi is a good guideline. It says “Preach the gospel wherever you go, and when necessary, use words.” Can’t go wrong with this!

b) Wait for the prompting of the Holy Spirit. John 14:26

• If they are coming to Church or even CR, you can make a few assumptions, but don’t assume too much.
• Pray. Listen for God. If you feel that God wants you to reach out, REACH OUT! Start off slow and let them lead the conversation. If you’re still getting positive messages, share something personal about your relationship with God.
• Hang in there and don’t take things too seriously. You can be surprised.
• Try sharing a personal testimony as to what God has done in your life. Often they will offer something in return or ask a question. A personal testimony is hard to argue with or refute.
• Use scripture. Use the scripture you’re comfortable with. The ones you use most often. You don’t need to be a Bible Scholar!
• Be genuine and humble.

• Basically the thing I believe people are seeking…the thing they want that we already have is the Holy Spirit.

• The Apostle Peter put it best in 2 Peter 1:3-4. “As we get to know Jesus better, his divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life. He has called us to receive His own glory and goodness! And by that same mighty power, He has given us all of His rich and wonderful promises. He has promised that you will escape the decadence all around you caused by evil desires and share in the divine life God has prepared for those who love Him.”

• It is this divine life, I am convinced, that the world is seeking. And it is humbling that God has given us the assignment of influencing people, especially those he’s put on our hearts, to choose Him to be their Savior. A match made in heaven.