Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:08 Vicki basing our sitting here with pastor Michael and pastor Alex for another episode of sermon Q and a, we're talking through some questions that came out of the sermon yesterday, June 27th, 2021, which was practical evangelism for a confused world. And today I'm going to start with pastor Alex. I'm going to stick you with this one. Are you ready? Okay. How do I know if someone has actually accepted Christ? Yeah, so, uh, I think there are a series
Speaker 1 00:00:33 Of things that we could talk through series of evidences of real gospel response. And so, uh, Michael, maybe you and I can go back and forth here a little bit. Uh, so genuine gospel response is evidenced by personal gratitude for what God has accomplished. I think that is so, so significant. There are so many different motivations that could come into this, but a person recognizes that God has given me something that I could not get on my own. And what does this create? Like creates a reliance on God. It creates humility in your soul, right? Like who am I to say, God owes me something. And actually like, if you flip it the other way, that's what happens. People, you can see a, of people coming up with a series of phrases that are kind of all grounded in entitlement, really where, uh, you know, God, you, you need to give me something, right? I deserve this. God. I responded to Jesus. You should, you should take care of me. Right. It's kind of like the wagging of the finger. God, you owe me and, and all of this, uh, I think some other people also think along the lines of like, you know, God, he got me in. He's pretty lucky to have.
Speaker 2 00:01:46 They actually think that in this world, God can do big things with right.
Speaker 1 00:01:52 You got a good deal on this. So I think that's just a reality. Those are the kinds of bad examples. But the good example is like, gosh, I am so, so grateful. Gratitude God has
Speaker 3 00:02:02 Accomplished. Yeah. Uh, the second one is a gospel. A genuine gospel response is evidenced by turning to a new God. So whether you're God with, for most people, your God is yourself, right? You are your own God, you determine truth. You determine reality. You determine what you're going to do next. You are the final say arbiter of your life. And so what happens when somebody's actually trusting Christ is they go from whatever God they had previously. It, it might've been a false religion like that's possible also. Um, but the biblical God, father, son, spirit under the Lordship of Jesus Christ becomes your new God and the Bible. Uh, and behalf of God determines what is your new reality?
Speaker 2 00:02:41 What is truth? What you do
Speaker 3 00:02:43 The holy spirit inside of you now is the primary leader for our stuff. The Bible doesn't speak to you. So you really do transform and turn into you, turn to a new God completely. And I want to see in a conversion, um, are you willing to lay aside your views on and then submit to the Bible's views on things? I think that actually, as we talk about the evidences, we're turning to a new God. That is the evidence of the evidence. Are they willing when they see the word of God, teach something clearly to submit to that? Um, that's, uh, that's really
Speaker 1 00:03:14 Good, right? And it's not like all of that stuff has to be resolved at conversion, but the question is when you are confronted with biblical truth, are you going to say, you know, I had a friend of mine, a guy that I pastor with at my church who says, you know, when I came to God, I had to decide you are God, I am not. Yeah. So when you and I disagree about something you went yeah. Right? Like, and that's just kind of the, the idea that you have to go with. Absolutely. All right. So a, another example, another evidence is that a person would be willing to take a next step with God. All right. Uh, repentance, I think is like a really good example of this when we are stuck and something that we should not be stuck and we recognize, okay, this is not where God wants me to be.
Speaker 1 00:04:00 And I am willing to actually now do something about that. Or, uh, you know, even like being a part of a church body, I recognize that, you know, from a place of gratefulness, right. And what God has done, these are the people God has called me to love. So, uh, maybe I would take a next step of serving with that church body, take a next step of, you know, building relationships with Christians, right? The, the idea is like, uh, the Christian life is full of all of these next steps and we never stop taking next steps. So the more that we take those, those are evidence that that's kind of the good works that the Bible talk. Yeah. It's
Speaker 3 00:04:34 Interesting. Cause all of these kinds of bills, because when we talk about turning to a new God, you're living under new authority and when you come to Christ, if the Bible says, get baptized, you know like, well, no, I'm not getting baptized and all my friends to see.
Speaker 2 00:04:46 Right. Well, why,
Speaker 3 00:04:48 You know, like, or I don't want to be a part of a church out of you read
Speaker 2 00:04:52 The Bible it's written to churches, you know, like, I don't know what to tell you right now. Like
Speaker 3 00:04:55 This is literally the context of the Christian faith. And I think that taking the next step is, is absolutely huge. And if they're not willing to take a next step, um, my question is, okay, well, what did you convert to? You know, what, what did you repent from right to toward, um, here's a fourth one. And uh, this is one that we've just, we'd beaten and beaten. In fact, the last time in QA that we did, I think it was worth listening to you because we beat this one to Paul, but I'll say it again. A genuine gospel response is evidenced by brokenness over sin and not fear, or we'll call it the genie in the bottle complex where God I'm coming to you to get prosperity or healing or something like that. And I would know we come to God over brokenness. And so if you're watching somebody and they come to Christ, but they are not broken over sin, I would just slow that train down and I would do a Bible study with them and open up God's word. So, all right, the last one, and this is the most obvious, but all right. So the last one
Speaker 1 00:05:52 Is belief in the actual
Speaker 2 00:05:55 Gospel. This is another one we beat to a pulp in some way, right?
Speaker 1 00:06:02 Because there's so many ways you can corrupt the gospel, you can add and subtract and change pieces. And if you do any of that, uh, as we have said in our sermon, as we've said in other Q and A's, uh, the gospel loses its power. Yeah. It doesn't actually do anything. And has, you know, the, the true gospel is the power of God for salvation.
Speaker 3 00:06:22 Yup. Yup. Yup. That's awesome. And we, I mean, I cannot tell you how many times I'll sit with somebody and I'll say, okay, do you believe? And they'll say, yeah, I believe Jesus has God. He died in the cost of my sins. He rose again from the dead he's coming back. I got it. Maybe they oftentimes, by the way, this is, uh, people come from Roman Catholicism and then I'll say to them, what good works do you need to do? Well, I need to make, you know, there's this whole, there's this poll. And I'm like, that's not the real gospel. The gospel is not you. Plus Jesus equals salvation. The gospel is I will boast 100% in the Lord, Jesus Christ because it's all him zero me. And so I think that's just a really important distinction too, to say, Hey, the pure cosplay don't add to it. And how freeing
Speaker 1 00:07:06 Is it to when you see those people who are trying to add something to it who go, oh, like they finally get it. Like,
Speaker 3 00:07:13 This is my mother. She, she realized that how salvation is by grace through faith, she experienced the Martin Luther and was like, holy moly. I don't have to bear that on my goodness anymore. Which actually brings us to the question. Next question. I'll save any kind of stories for that one.
Speaker 4 00:07:30 But I
Speaker 0 00:07:33 Do think that important distinction, it is interesting that you mentioned Roman Catholicism specifically because we do tend to see a lot of people who are in that religion have what we're going to talk about next time, which is how do I get rid of Catholic guilt? So a lot of that wrapped up in the good works and having to earn our way into heaven. So tune in next time for our next episode of stormy community.
