Subject: Secret Agent Christian
by Rick Welborne
Matthew 10:32-33 (NKJV)
32 "Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.
33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.
32 "Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.
33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 10:32-33 (NIV)
32 "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.
33 But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.
32 "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.
33 But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.
Revelation 3:5 (NKJV)
5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
--Today we continue our series on the Toxic Christian and we will be talking about secret agent Christians or Christian who are in covert operations for the Kingdom of God.
--Covert means secret, underground, concealed, or hidden.
--I wonder how many of our co-workers, neighbors, classmates, or family members do not even know that we are Christians and that we attend Life Church!
--One of the greatest misunderstood concepts of witnessing or sharing the gospel is derived from this quote: Witness to everyone you meet and use words only when necessary.
--I completely understand that we are to so let our light shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father Who is in heaven.
--We should work hard for whomever we are working, we should be honest, we should be people of integrity, and we should resist being just like the world in everything we do.
Pastor Rick: We don’t smoke! We don’t chew! We don’t go with girls who do! We ain’t got no girlfriends!
--The Gospel will never be propagated simply because we keep our mouths shut and we do not participate in the things everyone else is doing! There needs to be more!
1. We must fulfill the Great Commission.
--Please understand about the Great Commission…that those words are not found in your Bibles…what we are speaking about is what Jesus said to every believer at the end of two gospels.
Mark 16:15-18 (NKJV)
15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;
18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;
18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
Matthew 28:18-20 (NKJV)
18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
A. The Great Commission is why we do Missions and Missions Trips. We support 153 missionaries here in the US and abroad. We encourage everyone to be faithful in tithing (10%) and Missions. The Duvalls.
--Out of more than 12,000 A/G churches we are in the top 100…why? Jesus said do it!
B. The Great Commission is why we do the House of Hope…we want to minister Jesus to those in our own communities who need extra food. Reach their heart by feeding their bellies. Everett Bass.
C. The Great Commission is why we receive money for Joseph Storehouse…our benevolence ministry. When we show we care in their time of need…they respond to the Gospel. Joy is our official basket holder!
D. The Great Commission is why we do the Hallowed King outreach with other churches every year. People come, they get treats, and they get an opportunity to receive Christ. Pastor Mark leads our church in this.
--We need you to man a game, park a car, cook a hot dog, work in the kitchen…why? So hundreds of people can come and have a chance to receive Jesus. Sign up today in the foyer!!
E. The Great Commission is why we have a bus ministry. We go into the communities (mostly lower income) to pick up kids who would not be in church without us. Can you drive? Jesus is calling!
Video – The Broken
--There are so many other ministries in our church that help us to fulfill the Great Commission…jump in!
2. We must confess Christ with our mouths.
--Number one answer:
A. Jesus said we must confess Him before them!
Matthew 10:32 (NKJV)
32 "Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.
32 "Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.
B. Jesus said there are consequences if we do not confess Him before them.
Matthew 10:33 (NIV)
33 But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.
33 But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.
--I love people who are always trying to bail Christians out when it comes to our biblical responsibilities before God…I’m saved, so it does not matter what I do or do not do! Really?
--Who is Jesus talking to here…obviously it is believers…those who Christ owns as His…when these believers will not confess Christ before men (they disown Him)…He says He will disown them before His Father!
C. The Word says that sinners must confess with their mouths the Lord Jesus before they can be saved.
Romans 10:1& 9-10 (NLT)
1 Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved.
9 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.
1 Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved.
9 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.
--Wow! Confessing Christ is so important for a sinner to be saved.
D. If confessing Christ is so important for sinners to be saved…how important is it for Christians to confess Christ to the lost?
Romans 10:13-15 (NLT)
13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.”
14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?
15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”
13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.”
14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?
15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”
--People cannot believe in Jesus unless someone tells them about Him…how can they believe in Jesus if they have never heard about Him?
--And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? I purposely did not use the translation that says they preach to them because that freaks people out. We simply tell them about Jesus!
--And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? Yes, we are sending missionaries all over the world but we are sending you also.
--All of you can touch people no one else can…I am sending you! Go get them! Everyone win one family! I don’t know how to share Jesus with people!
Video – Touching people where you are.
3. The Church and the Gospel should never be the best kept secret in a community.
--Maybe I am a little bit bias when it comes to Life Church but I truly believe that the word needs to get out about what God is doing here.
--Many times when people come to our church and experience the presence of God…I hear them say…where have you guys been hiding all these years.
--I wonder why people have not heard or maybe they have just not be told by us…God help us!
--I think it is time for us to let our little light, actually the brightest light of all, to shine…hide it under a bushel...
No! Let me just remind you of the questions we asked about a church you should connect to…
A. Does the church welcome the presence of God…do they welcome Holy Spirit to come?
B. Does the church give ample time to worship the Lord and to spend time with Him?
C. Does the church have time for prayer where you can petition God for your needs and also pray for others?
D. Does the church preach the Word of God in such a way that you know you can connect with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit?
E. Does the church, or more specific, the pastors, give an opportunity (an altar call) for people to respond to…why? For salvation or rededication of their lives to God?
--A few other things I stated in my first point today could be added to this list:
F. Does the church attempt to fulfill the Great Commission thru Missions?
G. Does the church attempt to feed the poor?
H. Does the church operate with a benevolent heart?
I. Does the church have major outreaches to its own community?
J. Does the church provide a means for people to come who couldn’t come without it?
--Hear me…if we are the church that I have just laid out…shouldn’t people know…shouldn’t they have the opportunity to come…shouldn’t we be telling them? Let me reiterate:
Romans 10:13-15 (NLT)
13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.”
14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?
15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”
13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.”
14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?
15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”
--Here comes the concept of the shirts…L I F E. No one is going to get saved unless they believe and no one is going to believe unless they hear about Jesus.
--No one is going to hear about Jesus unless someone from LIFE Church tells them! No one will go and tell them unless they are sent. We are sending you into the harvest field to tell them.
--You are being commissioned by the LIFE Church leadership to go and we are providing a tool to help you!
--LIFE Church shirts will give those of you who are timid an opportunity to tell people about Jesus! When people ask…What is LI…FE Church…there is your door…your opportunity to tell them. Memorize this verse:
John 10:10 (NKJV)
10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. LIVING IN FREEDOM EVERY DAY
--Hear me…Hear me…the shirt is only a tool…Life Church is just one of many great churches in the area…it is all about people finding Jesus as Lord and Savior.
--You are being sent out by us to tell them about Jesus or at the least to invite them to LIFE Church where they can find Jesus…you add the prayer and you make the invitation.
Video – 46 Characters!
--Let’s stop keeping the best kept secret from the people who need Him…the secret seems to be Jesus!
Put your LIFE Church shirt on and let’s go!
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