Connecting with THEM so THEY can connect with HIM Once I started thinking about the theme of this

conference and how to put this into a message many questions came to my mind. I also came up with some of my own answers. I want to pose some of these questions to you this morning. I don't mind interaction, so if I ask for an answer please feel free to answer. First we need to know is, who is being talked about here. Just to make sure we are all clear and thinking the same thing, the THEM & THEY here are the unsaved. Those who have never yet trusted in Christ as their Savior. Where are these people located? (let them answer) Now the Questions: In reading the theme, Connecting with THEM so THEY can connect with HIM, it makes an assumption that you and I want THEM to connect with HIM/GOD. So I ask this question; Why do we want THEM to connect with HIM? (let them answer) 1. Because HE/GOD wants to connect with them. From the beginning of time (Gen1,2,3 etc) God has been connecting with mankind. He created man to be connected with. He placed Adam in the Garden of Eden, connecting with him. In creating Eve from Adam, God connected with him. In bringing Eve to Adam He was connecting with both of them. In Genesis 3 we see God coming to Adam and Eve to connect with them. Adam recognized HIS voice, so we can figure this to be a normal part of God's character. He desires to connect with us and THEM who do not yet know HIM.

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2. So because HE wants to connect with THEM, we need to want THEM to connect with HIM. HIS heart needs to become our heart. Why do THEY want to connect with HIM? to connect with HIM? (let them answer) or Who says THEY want

1. As I understand Scripture, the answer to this is THEY don't want to connect with HIM. Man, left to himself has rejected GOD. Man, left to himself does not seek after GOD. Read Romans 3: 9-18 to get a clear picture of the true nature of man. 2. Look at life around you and you will notice that THEY do not seek after God to connect with HIM. Why is evolution so prominently held as truth. Because in evolution there is no connecting or accountability to the Creator. 3. They do not want to connect with HIM. Do THEY have to connect with HIM? (Let them answer) The answer is NO they don't have to. God is not going to force them to connect with Him. So they don't HAVE to. But the results are disastrous. That is eternity separated from their CREATOR, spending eternity in the lake of fire. SO The answer is YES they have to if they are going to spend eternity in heaven with their CREATOR. What is going to make THEM want to connect with HIM? YOU, YOU, YOU, YOU and YOU, along with the power of the Holy Spirit. This is where we need to spend our time this morning. What is my part, what is your part in bringing THEM to the point THEY want to connect with GOD? I have 3 things I want us to look at this morning. 2 things we need to share with THEM and 1 set of 4 practical steps to help them connect with GOD
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I. Share The Gospel 1 Thessalonians 1:5-7 (read) i. Our Gospel it was personal for them. We know its the Gospel of Jesus (death burial resurrection of Christ), but Paul and his crew made it real and personal to their own lives. They owned it for themselves in life and death. It drove them. Jesus became their life. It was what they preached with words and with their lives. With Power - the Gospel came to the Thessalonians with power, because what they preached was real, it was the WORD OF GOD not the word of man. a) This powerful Gospel affected these guys and their lives showed it. It transformed them, changed them, so that they were different. The Gospel is the Power of Salvation. The Gospel was personal and it was powerful in their lives. Paul says to them You know what kind of men we were among you for your sakes. Their lives matched their words. (LUNG DR IN MDO) So it came in word and power.... iii. And in the Holy Spirit and assurance a) They preached the words of the Gospel, but it was the work of the Holy Spirit who gave the assurance to them to preach. It is the Spirit of God using the man of God as he preaches the Word of God. According to the Gospel of John, it is the Spirit of God who will convict some one of sin.

ii.

b)

c)

b)

c)

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d)

So in preaching the Gospel we must not rely on our schemes if you will, but on the power and presence of the Holy Spirit as we share His Word.

The results of this is found in verse 7-8 (Read) So the 1st thing we saw we need to share is the GOSPEL. The 2nd thing we need to share is.... II. Our Life - 1 Thessalonians 2:7-12 (Read)

In this portion of Scripture we see that Paul and his team not only shared the words of the Gospel but they shared their lives with the people of Thessalonica. Why did they do this? Because they have become so dear to them. Read verse 8 again. Paul, Sylvanus and Timothy loved these people. Because they loved them, because they were dear to them, Paul and his team were ready and willing to share not only the words of the Gospel, but their own lives. This is seen in phrases like....

i. ii. iii.

as a nursing mother cherishes her own children - (vs 7) You remember our labor and toil - (vs 9) For laboring night and day.... we preached the Gospel to you. (vs 9) How devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved among you... - (vs 10) Exhorted,comforted and charged you as a father does his children..- (vs 11)

iv.

v.

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Paul and his team, not only preached the Gospel with words, but they also shared their lives on a 24x7 basis for along as they were in Thessalonica. What does this boil down to? RELATIONSHIPS. Time together, opening your life to them who do not know Christ. On a scale of 1-5 how are you doing in sharing your lives with those Relational Sphere of Influence, or RSI. Have you maybe shared the words of the Gospel, but your life either does not match up with what you shared or Maybe those in our RSI (Relational Sphere of Influence) just never really see our life because we don't share it with them as Paul, Silvanus & Timothy did with the Thessalonians? Paul & crew connected with them so that they could connect with GOD How do we do this? What is a practical way we can connect with THEM so that THEY can connect with HIM.

III. We need to Intentionally Cooperate with God in 4 ways John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. People in your RSI (Relational Sphere of Influence) are on a spiritual journey. Remember Romans 3. They are not seeking God but God is seeking them. When God seeks them their journey can some what be laid out on a scale or line. This scale looks like this Resistant ------ Reluctant ------- Responsive --------- Ready------Repentant

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As we develop relationships with people in our RSI at work, where we play, in our families and so on, and we begin to share our lives with them we will begin to see where they are at on this scale or line. As we begin to see where they are at, we can begin to cooperate with God on their spiritual journey in 4 different ways. A. Intercede If they are RESISTANT then we need to INTERCEDE for them. i. What is our motive for INTERCEDING? - For God so loved the world - Remember HIS heart needs to become OUR heart. We intercede for them because God loves them (and us) and we love GOD. We are to love the Lord with all our heart and love our neighbor. Remember that?

ii.

iii.

B. Invest If they are RELUCTANT, then we need to INVEST in them. God so loved the world ... that He gave ... Stand up if you trusted Christ as the result of death of a relative or friend youth camp/youth event Sunday School physical healing clergy evangelism crusade/event church sermon family/ friend investing in you (through relationships)

based on a Barna survey, 44% of believers trusted Christ because a friend or family invested in them. They connected with them by sharing their lives with them.
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According to Howard Hendricks, the average Christian has no non-Christian friends after two years of being saved. That is sad. Do you have nonChristian friends? Are you truly investing and connecting with them so they can connect with God?

C. Intersect If they are RESPONSIVE, then we need to INTERSECT with them. (We need to bring the Word of God into our conversations) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son... We know that the Gospel of John tells us that in the beginning was the WORD and that the WORD became FLESH. God the Father intersected with us by sending His SON Jesus THE WORD. The WORD became FLESH. As you read the Gospels you can see how Jesus intentionally intersected with sinners. He was not just in their homes, He was just eating with them and so on. But He INTENTIONALLY connected with them by sharing HIS WORD with as He spent time with them. In John 4 in the story of the Samaritan woman at the well we see Jesus being INTENTIONAL about INTERSECTING with her. There were 4 roads that led from Judea to Galilee. Yet he intentionally took the road that led through Samaria John 4:4 Then He spoke with her, INTERSECTING God's Word into their conversations & relationship. Practical Lesson : Study John 4:5-43 & examine and learn the various things that Jesus did to connect with this Samaritan woman and the others of that town. (John 4:43 Jesus was 2 days with them. They were Responsive) Jesus was intentional about intersecting or connecting with them. What are you and I INTENTIONALLY doing to CONNECT and INTERSECT with THEM that they may connect with HIM?

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So we need to - Intercede if they are Resistant - Invest if they are Reluctant - Intersect if they are Responsive D. Invite If they are READY, we need to INVITE them. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotton Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. We need to remember, that God's desire is for all men to be saved. He sent Jesus not to condemn the world but that through HIM the world might be saved. One we have INTERCEDED, INVESTED & INTERSECTED with them, we can not forget to INVITE them to trust Jesus as their Savior. You and I need to be able to share the simple Gospel message to those we have INTERCEDED for, INVESTED in and INTERSECTED with. If you do not know how to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with someone else then you need to ask your leadership to train you in this. If you know how, then you need to help train those who do not know how.

IV.

Conclusion/Application lets wrap this up.

We have seen that God wants to connect with the unsaved they, (unsaved) left to themselves are not seeking to connect with God God wants to use YOU to bring them to HIM Relationship building is key : We need to be INTENTIONALLY sharing the GOSPEL and our LIVES with them, as Paul and his team did
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 this happens as you intentionally INTERCEDE, INVEST, INTERSECT & INVITE them to trust in Christ. If you do not know how to do this, then ask your leadership for training. If you do know how, then train someone who needs help. Because the Bible says.... 16. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life... 18. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Lets Pray.

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