Participants: Shelley Quinn (Host), Herb Larson Jr.
Series Code: IAA
Program Code: IAA000305
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00:30 Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn.
00:32 And welcome again to "Issues and Answers." 00:34 Today, our issue is how to make friends 00:38 with people in the world 00:39 that you might influence them for the glory of God. 00:43 And you know the Bible tells us in Matthew 4:4-- 00:46 Ah, excuse me, James 4:4. 00:48 James writes and he says, 00:50 "Friendship with the world is enmity toward God." 00:53 Does that mean that God doesn't want us to go out 00:56 and make friends among the world, I don't think so? 00:58 Listen to this, Paul writes in Philippians 2:15. 01:02 He's actually been telling them, 01:04 all the thing that they need to do to be pleasing to God. 01:08 But then he says, "Do all these things 01:11 that you may show yourselves 01:12 to be blameless, and guiltless, innocent, 01:15 and uncontaminated children of God." 01:18 Show to whom? To the world. 01:20 He says, "In the midst of a crooked 01:22 and wicked generation, among whom 01:25 you are seen as bright lights 01:28 (stars or beacons shining in the universe) 01:31 in this old dark world as you hold out the word of life." 01:35 Now if Christians only hang with Christians, 01:39 if we only associate with Christians, 01:42 how are we then holding out the word of life? 01:45 There's people in darkness. 01:46 And our guest today is going to tell us 01:49 that we need to expand our Spirit 01:52 to go into all the world and reach out for those people 01:57 who don't know Jesus 01:58 and share God's light in their life. 02:01 Let me introduce to you, 02:03 Herb Larsen, our friend here at 3ABN. 02:05 Canadian businessman, 02:07 actually international businessman, 02:08 I should say from Canada 02:10 and the president of Imagine Life Media. 02:14 Herb, God's called you to a unique ministry. 02:17 He has you ministering one-on-one to billionaires, 02:21 Hollywood people, people who are atheist, 02:26 but he has taught you in the midst of all of this 02:29 something very important 02:30 about developing friendship, hasn't He? 02:33 Well, that's right. 02:35 And what He has taught me-- 02:36 See here's the thing, as I came-- 02:38 I went to Christian school 02:39 from grade 1 through college. Okay. 02:41 Christian Schools of Holy. 02:42 When I came out of college, 02:44 I was separatist I hate to say that, 02:46 but I was separatist meaning-- 02:48 I couldn't interact with people of denominations 02:51 even forget about people of the world. 02:53 I was so used to be in sort of a cocoon. Yes. 02:56 That I didn't have any skills to interact with the world 03:01 and in college they didn't teach me something as basic as 03:04 how do you make friends with people of the world. 03:06 They didn't teach that in Harvard Business School. 03:08 And yet once I got out I'm in business 03:11 I recognize that the ability to make friendship 03:14 is absolutely paramount to being in business. 03:16 When I walk into the office of the CEO 03:18 of a major multinational multibillion dollar company, 03:22 I don't have time to spend, you know, two, three hours 03:25 trying to develop the friendship with that person. 03:27 I have to in three to four, five minutes 03:29 bond with that person by finding something in common with him 03:32 because my wears in my company, you know, provides 03:36 maybe something like somebody else has, 03:38 so I don't have time there, normal 03:40 he have the patience to listen 03:41 to why is my company better than somebody else's. 03:44 So what I have to do is bond with him, 03:46 so how do I do that. 03:48 I have to find something we have in common. 03:51 So I'll scanner on the office, 03:52 if I see a picture of a sails boat, 03:54 what am I gonna talk about. 03:55 Child wearing probably not, 03:58 but if there's children there in picture as well, 04:00 I will talk about, oh, how many kids you have 04:01 or whatever you get on a common ground. 04:03 If I see a baseball glove, I'm gonna talk about baseball. 04:06 And so it's absolutely paramount to success in life 04:10 to be able to make friendships 04:12 especially if you're in business, 04:13 but above all else, 04:15 if we are to be the light of the world, 04:18 if we are to interact with world. 04:20 When the Bible says "Go you therefore into all the world." 04:24 We're not gonna go out there 04:26 and try to get as far as we can and speak with a megaphone, 04:28 no, we're gonna have to get close to people 04:30 became friends, built trust, 04:32 because you see there's a mechanics to friendship. 04:35 Now you painted a good visual there, 04:37 because when you said about the megaphone 04:40 and trying to, you know, 04:41 you see people in the urban or metropolitan areas, 04:45 you may see somebody that standing out with the megaphone 04:47 and they're giving this message that 04:49 "You're all bound for hell." 04:51 And you see people going "Those crazy Christians." 04:53 And they go right around them and just pay no attention. 04:57 But what you're saying is that 04:59 in order for us to shine and stars in the universe, 05:03 we've got to have the example 05:05 that we're living out in our life. 05:08 But we've got to find 05:09 something in common with someone, 05:12 build a little bonding, a little relationship here 05:16 where they begin to trust you, 05:17 where they begin to think, hey, you are a nice person. 05:20 And so if you're meeting a strange person, 05:23 you a stranger, I should say, this necessary a strange person. 05:26 Tell me both, but yeah. 05:27 Both-- If you're meeting a stranger 05:30 and you want to influence them for Christ, 05:32 you're not going right up to them 05:34 and get in their face and saying, 05:36 "Hey, are you ready to meet your maker?" 05:38 Is that right? That's right, absolutely. 05:40 Because the thing is this unless you become friends 05:43 how else are you going to display your life? 05:45 And what is your life? 05:47 It is run by someone outside yourself, by God. Yes. 05:50 See unless we get-- unless we get near the people, 05:52 unless we get close to the people 05:54 through friendship, they won't be able to see that. 05:56 You know, if I walk down the street, 05:59 my gate doesn't give me away as a Christian, 06:01 my clothes may not give me away as a Christian. 06:05 What will say, there's something different about that person? 06:07 But I'll get close to somebody, 06:08 build a friendship and a relationship 06:10 with that person, 06:11 they get to firsthand see what drives my life, 06:14 they get to see why I have an advantage in life over them. 06:17 And it's because we're able to get close. 06:19 And see there's a real problem in organization 06:23 and this is, this can be church, it can be corporate. 06:27 And it's certainly not peculiar to one denomination, 06:30 because there's a cross the board. 06:32 For example, let's just look at the corporate end of things. 06:35 If you grew up in a environment 06:39 where you only associated with people 06:41 that you automatically have things in common 06:43 with the common denominator, 06:46 you're not gonna have to work to make friendships. 06:48 For example, if I work for a Boeing 06:50 or Microsoft or General Electric 06:52 or any other number of huge corporations around the world 06:55 that have offices all over the world. 06:57 If everyday I go and work with those people 07:01 and then I travel for that company 07:02 and I meet other offices for that company. 07:04 When I walk in an office, say, I'm working for Boeing, 07:06 I walk in an office and some are there says in Europe. 07:09 And a Boeing representative picks me up. I'm from Boeing. 07:12 I'm here to pick you up in the Limozeen, blah-blah-blah. 07:14 I don't have to work to make friendships, 07:16 we have a common denominator. 07:17 'Cause see friendships have to have a common denominator, 07:20 something we share in common to built. 07:23 And if I'm just hanging around Boeing people only all the time, 07:26 I don't have to work to make friends. 07:28 You know, what you're saying is remind me of that. 07:30 I tell people when I travel, 07:32 the nice thing about being an Adventist, 07:33 you know, I'm going to several different churches a month. 07:36 But you have built in family wherever you go, 07:39 you don't have to work at this, 07:40 because we do have so much in common, 07:43 if I go to do a retreat or a revival series. Absolutely. 07:45 It's just like there's automatically 07:47 that there's nothing that you have to work for, 07:49 so there is this trust 07:51 and relationship that's kind of built in, 07:53 because of common denominators. 07:56 Absolutely. 07:57 And that is wonderful, it's comforting, 08:01 and I think God instituted the ability of, 08:03 you know, group organization. What it does? 08:08 It tense to be detrimental simply 08:10 because if you become a separatist like I was 08:14 coming out of college, 08:16 it not only debilitated me in business, 08:18 it also debilitated me in ability 08:20 to lead people to Christ and to get close to them. 08:24 And so I had to overcome that 08:27 and, you know, God works in mysterious ways. 08:31 So here I am, I'm having a hard time 08:33 meshing with the world and I'm in business. 08:36 So I don't go associate with those people 08:39 and so therefore they can't get to know me 08:41 as a person as he trustworthy, 08:43 'cause we want to business somebody who is trustworthy, 08:45 so those are all important things. 08:48 But what I found most is 08:50 I just had a terrible time interacting with people 08:52 that I didn't have the built in common denominator with. 08:55 And so what God did with me, 08:57 and this probably seems haywire. 08:58 But I'm a preacher's kid 09:01 that means my mother is a pastor's wife obviously. 09:03 But my mother when I was in college 09:05 she pushed my brothers and I into music, art, 09:08 and all the different creative things growing up. 09:10 And so in college though 09:11 she picked on another one for me to get involved. 09:13 And she said, "What do you learn how to engrave guns?" 09:14 Now that doesn't sound like a very Christian thing 09:16 to do to engrave guns. 09:18 That's where you take chisel and hammer 09:19 and chisel the steel and the gun, 09:21 you lay gold, silver, and platinum-- 09:23 So I got into that at my mom's request. 09:26 And I found a master and study that 09:28 and gotten all the magazines gun, 09:30 digest guns and--everything. 09:31 Anyway as I thought, "Well, 09:32 where is this going as the Christian?" 09:34 Well, anyways after out of the college, 09:36 'cause I started studying gun engrave it college, 09:38 independent of college. 09:40 And what happened is 09:42 I got invited to engrave high end gun 09:45 that ultimately across $30,000 09:48 to build engrave and everything else. 09:50 Well, it turned out, 09:51 I didn't know who the owner was of the gun, 09:52 I only know the gun maker, famous gun maker. 09:56 So I did all the work. 09:58 Turns out to invite to me to the party, 10:00 you know, an unveiling party where you open box up 10:02 and all the friends are there. Right. 10:04 Well, when I went to attend this, 10:06 you know, unveiling of this incredible gun, 10:09 it wound up that it was Hele's Angels, 10:11 it was the president of the Hele's Angels for our province, 10:15 who had commissioned the gun of the gun maker. Right. 10:18 So here I am standing around 50 Hele's Angels 10:21 guys, all they're collars and everything else. 10:24 Well, you know, as a separatist that was a huge shock. I'm sure. 10:29 I want to tell you it was--it was like 10:32 I was in another world for awhile, 10:33 just I mean, it's like I couldn't believe I was there. 10:36 Make a long story short, they like my work 10:39 and before it's all over, they were all perusing me. 10:44 And before along, I was going and tying flies, 10:47 you know, like, I like to fly fish once in awhile. 10:49 And so I was tying flies with these guys, interacting 10:52 and I wasn't going there to be permanent Hele's Angel 10:54 I wasn't going there do anything else. 10:55 But what it did for me is it, it shocked me under reality 10:59 that God needs me everywhere. 11:04 And, you know, I'm sitting and thinking 11:07 when we think back on Jesus life, 11:09 if He had been a separatist 11:12 or He did not go outside to reach, of course, now 11:16 He said He was sent to the lost sheep of Israel. 11:20 Absolutely. 11:21 But the lost sheep of Israel were a mess. 11:26 I mean, they may have had a little something in common, 11:28 but they were a mess 11:29 and he was accused as you have often said 11:32 in conversation of being winebibber and in drunker. 11:35 He associated with people 11:37 that were not "Religious people." 11:44 How do you when you are associating 11:47 with someone like this? 11:48 How do you interact with them once they-- 11:51 I mean, how long does it take you 11:52 once it get to kind of know you then do you bring up the Lord 11:55 or you let Him know right off the back, 11:57 you are a Christian? 11:58 How do you bond with Him 11:59 in an area that's has commonality 12:02 and yet let them know, 12:04 "Hey, there's a difference between you and me? 12:06 So you could find common ground in five minutes. Okay. 12:09 And of course, once you have common ground 12:12 you have something to work with. Okay. 12:14 And from that point, very quickly 12:16 I get into sharing what I'm all about, 12:17 I never tell people what they have to do, 12:19 but this is all part of the friendship thing. 12:20 I want them to understand 12:22 that I'm worthy to be a friend of them, 12:24 even though there's seems like nothing in common 12:26 in terms you're religious and I'm not. 12:28 I want them to understand where I'm coming from, 12:30 but at the same time I want them to see that 12:33 that I can relate to them. 12:35 All right, so let's say that I'm an atheist. Okay. 12:37 And you've met me on an airplane. 12:40 And you find something, I'm reading a book 12:42 that you look over and say, 12:43 "Oh, I've heard of this author." 12:45 And you start some little conversation with me. 12:48 How are we going to? 12:49 And we're gonna do a program with you on witnessing. 12:51 So I--maybe jumping the gun a little bit. 12:54 But how are you going to develop 12:56 this friendship with me 12:58 when we've got nothing in common? 13:02 Okay, well, the first thing I would do in a situation 13:04 which I do every time on a airplane. 13:07 I see so where you headed, 13:08 what do you up to, I'm Mr. 20 Questions. 13:10 My wife's family, they call me, Mr. 20 Questions, 13:13 'cause I guess, you know, 13:15 I got too much curiosity for my own good. 13:16 But anyways I could ask to them, 13:18 you know, what you do, you know, where you going, 13:20 what you doing, all that kind of stuff. So once I find out. 13:22 Oh, and I start talking about their occupation. 13:24 Well, who doesn't want to talk about themselves? 13:26 See here's where they trust works. 13:28 I give you a little bit, and you could either tramp on, 13:30 you know, like I tell you little bit on myself 13:32 and you could either tramp on that or say 13:33 "Oh, that's wonderful what else about you?" 13:36 And that's how you build trust. 13:37 You gave a little and I can trust you 13:41 with that little I gave you 13:42 and then give little more, little more. 13:44 So when you get talking, I don't start talking about myself. 13:46 I used to talking about-- 13:48 I'm finding common ground with them, 13:49 because I'm the one with the agenda, 13:52 I want to see them in the kingdom of heaven. 13:55 And so, of course, I also want to get to know these people. 13:59 So I get chat them up that way and find out what they are, 14:02 so we get this conversation going. 14:03 Then when they start to ask me. 14:06 "Oh, you know what you do?" 14:07 Of course that will come around. 14:09 Oh, I'm a businessman-- Not always, 14:10 'cause I try this so often 14:12 and sometimes you get somebody talking 14:13 on a plane for 10 minutes 14:15 and then they'd never-- you know you're sitting there, 14:17 waiting for them to ask you 14:18 and then they pickup their book and start doing this. 14:21 Yeah, well, that happens 14:22 once in a while, that's a sad moment, 14:24 you know, when you got to go the whole flight 14:25 without social interaction whatever. 14:27 Yeah, so they get asking me and so then I start sharing, 14:31 you know, I'm a businessman. Oh, what do you do? 14:33 So, you know, business, so I tell them. 14:35 But then the perfect thing about that is they want to know, 14:38 okay, what about your business everything else. 14:39 And I say, you know, that's all relevant, 14:41 that used to be relevant to me, 14:42 like I used to have my business to make money. 14:46 And I say, but, you know, 14:47 my life was never that fulfilling, 14:49 even though I made money, 14:50 you know, and even though I had success, 14:51 and even though all those things came together, 14:53 it was empty for me. 14:55 Oh, so you make a switch right over to-- 14:56 Oh, wait, wait I said-- To develop this friendship 14:59 and we are getting into it witnessing 15:00 but that that's fine to develop this friendship 15:03 with total stranger 15:04 and one that probably the nonbeliever, 15:07 you get right away from talking about them 15:10 to what they're asking you 15:12 and that gives you permission to share your story. Absolutely. 15:15 And then you just crack right into that testimony. 15:19 I'm move into what my life was like before, 15:21 because I know they're gonna relate to it, 15:23 they have to, that's the way the world is, 15:25 Blaise Pascal in 1500s that all figured out. 15:27 There's a God shaped vacuum in every man. Yeah. 15:31 And so that's how friendships work. 15:33 And you begin to develop this common ground 15:36 and you begin to hangout. 15:38 And then they'll listen to you, but see the only way 15:40 they're ever gonna want Jesus is if they see it in you. 15:44 See here's the thing that we have to always keep in mind 15:47 and I bring this up all the time 15:49 doesn't matter what subject it is almost. 15:50 But the world doesn't care, 15:53 they could careless what we know. Absolutely. 15:56 The world wants to know what do we have. Right. 15:59 That's the difference. 16:01 And friendships allow us to spend time with them 16:04 so that they can see what we have. 16:07 And when you're talking about what we have, 16:08 you're talking about what's in here, 16:10 what's up here, what's our belief system, 16:12 what's the advantage of our belief system. Absolutely. 16:15 And people see that contentment. Okay. 16:18 You see lots of things in the world. 16:20 But so how do you build the friendship? 16:21 How does the Christian who is the separatist at this point, 16:25 because they've always been in the realm 16:26 of commonality with people, 16:28 how do he went out from there. 16:29 Hey, you know, and let me take, 16:31 I'm gonna grab back a real in my little example 16:34 of the man on the plane, because that's gonna-- 16:37 I'm gonna save you for our next program together. 16:39 But let me take at this direction. 16:42 When you're saying, how did we do this? 16:43 Let's say, it's my next door neighbor. 16:45 A lot of people don't even know 16:46 their next door neighbors. It's true. 16:48 And a lot of people come home. 16:49 I had a neighbor a number of years ago 16:52 that when we moved into a new home, 16:53 I only had one neighbor. 16:55 And when we moved in there, 16:58 the husband came over to let me know right away. 17:00 My wife is a high school teacher, 17:04 when she comes home from work, 17:05 she wants to watch her so purpose that she's recorded 17:11 and drink a glass of wine 17:12 and she doesn't want anyone to come over and visit, 17:15 so I'm letting you know that right up front. 17:18 Okay, how do you make friends with the next door neighbor, 17:21 they're not believers, 17:22 who really don't seem to have a lot of interest 17:25 in developing a friendship with you? 17:27 Well, see neighbors are relatively easy, 17:29 because you have more than one crack at it, 17:31 you know, I mean, walking into a business meeting 17:34 and you can't make it or break it there. 17:36 You have two to five minutes that's it. 17:37 But the neighbor there again you find something common. 17:40 You know, if they're clipping dandelions, 17:42 if they happen to, you know, we're doing that 17:44 well, you go talk about, oh, these weeds, 17:46 you know, I mean I wonder who's yard, 17:47 whatever you joke around and you get on the same topic 17:50 that you're sharing something in common 17:52 or it could be that, you know, some other neighbors 17:55 is never mows their lawn or whatever, I mean, 17:57 of course, you don't have to be negative, 17:58 but the point is that you find something 18:00 that you haven't common with those neighbors. 18:02 And you begin to talk about a thing you have in common 18:04 that's what builds friendships. 18:06 See, you are the one going out of your way 18:08 to make the friendship. 18:09 If you remain a separatist, you're expecting the world 18:12 to go out of its way to come to you. Yeah. 18:14 But the difference is, is we are to go into the world 18:18 and, you know, not necessarily mesh to the point 18:20 where the world is going to lead us astray, 18:22 but we are to go into the world to be God's representatives. 18:26 And friendship evangelism is the number one way, 18:28 it's to get out there, bond with people, 18:32 let them see what we're all about 18:33 and don't have this agenda 18:35 where if they don't come to the church 18:37 or don't even invite them at first that's the point. 18:39 You've got to build this friendship, 18:40 you've got to let them see what you're all about, 18:42 and if they can't see anything maybe you better go find Jesus. 18:47 So you're not saying go out and just befriend them 18:50 and not talk about your experience with Jesus. 18:53 Oh, no-- You're saying, 18:54 you're not going out there trying to-- 18:57 how can I say this? 18:59 Jesus like the woman at the well. Yeah. 19:01 He didn't look at her and say, 19:03 "Hey, you're gonna go to the wrong place right away, 19:06 if you don't change your life." That's right. 19:07 He developed that-- He bonded with her. 19:10 And then He let her see His love 19:14 then He really began to manifest Himself 19:16 to her who He was. That's right. 19:18 So that's the type of approach you're talking about 19:20 with that neighbor that maybe difficult, 19:22 you could takeover a loaf of bread, 19:24 maybe home baked bread or you could mow the neighbor 19:27 that's really difficult that never mows their lawn, 19:29 maybe you out to mow their lawn for them or something. 19:31 But you're saying, let Jesus shine out 19:33 and you're not trying to go up to them 19:36 and change their life overnight. 19:38 But you are allowing by your example 19:42 to let the Lord shine through you 19:45 and let him woo them, say, hey, they've got 19:48 something that I want. Well, that's right. 19:52 Unless you are in front of people 19:54 in a close enough way 19:56 where they can see what you have, 19:59 you're not gonna build a reveal what it is they're missing. 20:03 See the whole world has an emptiness, ovoid-- 20:05 I mean, we know there's couple of things 20:07 taken place right now with all the disasters in the world, 20:09 I mean, the world is desperate. Yes. 20:11 That world is desperate for answers-- 20:13 they're desperate for anything relevant in life. 20:15 And when they come along and see that 20:17 you're contented with your life, 20:19 if I meet you, if I'm the atheist and I be-- 20:21 you know, and you've come into my world and befriended me. 20:25 And I can see you're contempt, 20:27 you know, you don't seem to worry. 20:29 I'm sure not life is that perfect, 20:31 but at the same time you have this power-- 20:33 We will hope that's what they do see. 20:34 Right. That's right. 20:36 But you have this power about you 20:38 that only when they're close enough 20:40 will they see that. Yeah. 20:41 And that's what and of course, what did Jesus do. 20:44 He could be friends with kids, 20:47 He could be friends with lowest in society, 20:50 He could be friends with the most broken in society. Yes. 20:53 He had this incredible ability and it wasn't his looks, 20:57 I mean, Isaiah 53 tells us, 20:59 He wasn't this, you know, good looking guy that was, 21:02 "Oh, yeah, of course, I want to be friends with Him. 21:04 He didn't come with any advantages, 21:06 so what was it? 21:08 He had the ability to bond at their level. 21:11 Just like Paul in 1 Corinthians 9, 21:13 He says, I became as this person and as that person. 21:17 So that He didn't become them. 21:20 He didn't become a sitter, He became as-- 21:22 in other words He got into their world 21:25 so that He could meet them. 21:26 And because too His motivation were so totally unselfish, 21:29 I mean, He was there knowing 21:31 that He wanted to make an impact 21:33 for their eternal benefit, for their eternal life. 21:36 So it was this total unselfishness about Him 21:39 that I'm sure had to have, you know. 21:41 Because most people that you meet 21:43 you'll find in a little short time, 21:45 they've got an agenda, 21:46 you know, they're wanting something 21:48 a lot of times, I'm sad to say, 21:50 but a lot of times when people are trying to befriend you, 21:53 it's that they see something you have that they want, 21:57 but it's usually influence or it's this that and the other. 22:00 It's so rare when someone comes 22:02 and they're not trying to get something from you, 22:04 but rather to give to you. 22:06 So it must have been wonderful 22:08 when-- I mean I can't imagine 22:09 what it would be like to be face to face 22:11 with Jesus in the flesh 22:13 and He is wanting to, just be a benefit to you. That's right. 22:19 That's friendship evangelism though. 22:21 And we are Jesus in the flesh when you think about it. 22:23 I mean-- We're His hands, His feet and His heart. Yeah. 22:27 We are the temple of the Holy Spirit. 22:29 So your friendship evangelism, this whole concept it makes it, 22:35 you know, if you've got someone that you're going along with 22:38 and maybe you begin to do a Bible study 22:40 or sure Bible studies with them which I know you do. 22:44 And then eventually at some point 22:46 they're ready to come to your church. 22:49 You know-- That's right. 22:50 But they would never be ready to come to your church 22:52 unless they fully trusted you and fully understood 22:55 that you have something they need. Yeah. 22:57 But see, see if you try to do this mechanically 23:00 in terms of making the transition 23:02 from a friendship to explaining Jesus, 23:05 it doesn't work I'm sorry to say that. 23:07 If you don't have Jesus dwelling in you, 23:09 if you don't have a personal relationship with Him, 23:12 there's gonna be nothing you can say out of the Bible, 23:15 you can't pair it enough scriptures to win people over. 23:18 It's your life, it's my life that makes the difference, 23:21 makes the impact. 23:23 And it's your loving heart, 23:25 it's what your life is all about that they sense. 23:28 It's not really you at that point. 23:29 It's the Holy Spirit through you. Amen. 23:32 And don't think the Holy Spirit 23:33 can't use you as the silver platter 23:35 to enter other people's life. 23:37 And so the friendship is the platter, 23:41 it is that thing that just says here that it's yours. 23:45 Let's explain that a little bit, 'cause what I'm taking 23:47 when you say that another great visual, Herb, 23:49 you good at that is that. 23:51 The Holy Spirit's using me as a silver platter 23:53 that means He uses me to dish it up to range it-- 23:58 You are the platter on which-- 23:59 I'm the platter and He's putting all of these wonderful things 24:02 that He is offering to somebody there's a banquet 24:04 and kind of to say tasting seed 24:06 that the Lord is good, right? Absolutely. 24:09 And you are the platter. Yeah, that's good. 24:11 And we could be astonished the old thing 24:12 that I wouldn't want to eat anything of that, 24:15 you know, but and we could be trying to dish up something that 24:18 that doesn't even look appetizing. 24:19 But no, God's different, He takes your life and He says. 24:22 Shines you up. 24:23 And it's all, He polishes it up 24:25 and He puts His beautiful things. 24:27 I will fill your heart with love, 24:29 I will touch you, and I will give you contentment. 24:32 And as people taste 24:34 and they take up these orders of you, of the platter, 24:37 'cause it's coming through you, you are the conduit. 24:40 And so all of the sudden, they begin to say, 24:42 yeah, this is something. 24:44 Now I begin to see what you have 24:46 that so different about you. 24:48 And that's the thrill of it all. Yeah. 24:52 You know, Proverb says 24:54 to have a friend you must be a friend. Absolutely. 24:56 And there's a lot of people that have probably watching, 24:59 who--you maybe saying I don't have any friends. 25:01 And it's difficult, you know, 25:03 I have a tendency, this is interesting. 25:05 I can stand in front of 15,000 people 25:08 and speak, my knees won't knock. 25:11 If I go into a situation where I don't have 25:15 that support system of the common, 25:17 you know, if I'm just out at convention 25:19 where I don't know anyone 25:21 and I don't have something in common with them. 25:22 I have a tendency to be a little wallflower 25:25 till I at least bond with one person 25:26 then I can blossom. 25:28 But what we've got to look at is 25:30 the ability to shine for Jesus 25:33 it's got to be something that's coming out of us 25:36 that we are just sharing 25:39 our experience with the Lord. Absolutely. 25:41 And friendship becomes the platform. Yeah. 25:44 It becomes the means from Jesus to do the work. 25:48 But the thing is this that's what He did. 25:50 Jesus says as My Father is in Me 25:52 and so I'm in My father, so I and you and you 25:54 and I, tells us that John 14. It's an incredible thing. 25:57 He says I want to give you the same thing 25:58 I had with my Father. 26:00 Jesus didn't do anything on this earth. 26:02 He let the Father work through Him. 26:04 The words that I speak of my Father's, 26:06 the works that I do are my Father's. Same with us. 26:09 But if we're gonna be, 26:10 if we're gonna be holding ourselves up in churches 26:13 and say keep ourselves in this paddock-- 26:16 nothing's gonna happen 26:17 until we get out there and mesh with, 26:20 become friends with them that Jesus then can work, 26:23 He's gonna do the work we don't have to bother 26:24 or worrying about that. 26:26 Yeah, and, you know, it's amazing, 26:28 I recently had an experience, because when we move to 3ABN, 26:32 you don't mean to be a separatist, 26:33 but you can become, 26:35 because you just so busy doing the Lord's work. 26:36 And J.D. and I went out to dinner with some friends 26:39 and actually our niece and all of a sudden 26:44 we realize there's a whole another world out there 26:46 that we have just almost tuned out and we realize 26:49 we've got to be able to reach out more one-on-one, 26:54 you know, when we're not-- 26:56 we can't keep thinking that God's work is the big project, 26:59 we got to look at the little projects as well. 27:01 Herb, our time has gone way too fast. 27:04 And I just thank you that you are here today 27:06 to tell us about friendship evangelism 27:09 and remind us how important it is. 27:10 You will come back? Yes I will. 27:13 Thank you so much. 27:14 And, you know, for those of you at home, 27:16 remember that we are Jesus hands 27:19 and remember that God wants to-- 27:22 we're supposed to be reflecting His love, 27:25 His life, His light, and His power. 27:28 And we can't reflect something 27:30 that if we're not turned full face to Him, 27:33 the Sun of righteousness, we can't reflect that love. 27:36 He's got to be inside of us for Him to be poured out of us. 27:40 I thank you so much for joining us. 27:42 Hope you really were stirred to 27:44 and inspired to think about friendship evangelism today. 27:48 Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, 27:51 the love of the Father 27:52 and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you. |
Revised 2014-12-17