Because of God, I Tell Others

Because of God, I Tell Others

By Pastor Ron McKey

Telling others about the love of God should be one of the most natural things we do in our lives. Because God has been so good to me, I cannot keep him to myself. I have to open my heart and talk to people about how good God is, how wonderful He is, and what He's done for me. You’ve got to tell somebody how good God has been to you.

Now, I’m not trying to make you feel condemned because you're not “doing enough” or the whole world is going to hell because of you. That doesn't work, and it’s not true. This is a message to help you make a difference in someone else's life. It’s an opportunity to speak life into someone, to encourage and lift them.

I Minister Because Someone Told Me About God

I Minister Because Someone Told Me About God

When I was 17 years old, I had no idea what I wanted to do in life. But I knew I didn't want to be in ministry. Then I had a divine encounter. A great friend of mine – Jim Lewis –  was helping me train for a karate tournament one night. At the end of our training session, he asked me: “Can I talk to you about God?” I couldn't look at Jim when he asked me that. I had to look away because I knew I just wasn't serving God. So, I wouldn't talk to him.

Jim was the kindest guy. He just kept talking to me until I finally looked him in the eye. When I did, tears began to flow down my face. He prayed with me and led me to Christ. He took me to church that night and I got baptized.

Shortly after that night, I knew that God had called me into the ministry. I will be forever grateful that Jim Lewis told me about God. He will always be my best friend because of that.

Sharing the Story of God

The church has the greatest story ever told, and that is the story of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It's our responsibility to passionately tell that story every opportunity we get. You don't have to be a theologian; you just have to tell others what Jesus has done for you. Let everybody know how He transformed and impacted your life.

John 3:16 NKJV – “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.”

Because God loves the world, He wants us to love the world. So, Christianity was never meant to be a secret society. Church was always meant to be an open door into the lives of others, whether they’re broken, wounded, or struggling. If it weren't for Christ, none of us would be here. We are where we are today because Jesus is good, forgives, and loves. We can say we know where our strength comes from.

Great Churches Are Not Built on Great Preaching But on Great Reaching

Great Churches Aren’t Built on Great Preaching, But on Great Reaching

The real people who make impact are not the pastors or church leadership; it’s members of the congregation. At Cornerstone, we believe we're here to help people grow deeper through discipleship. The Great Commission has never been going to all the world and preach the gospel to win the lost. It has always included going to the all the world to preach the gospel, win the lost, AND make disciples. We grow deeper through discipleship.

We also want you to grow closer through community because we weren't designed to do life alone. We're intertwined with each other. And so, we need that human connection.

Everything that we do every week is designed to create a God moment, whether it's worship, preaching, or something in our classrooms. We want people to encounter God. If we don't get people into the presence of God, all we've done is create a template.

Our Main Focuses When Taking Jesus to Others

As a church, we always have to focus on others. Otherwise, we become unhealthy. We want to be an inclusive church. We're called to open the doors as wide as we can to let people know that God loves the whole world. And that should be true for every church. We don't just write people off. We're always praying for God to bring those who need to hear His story home.

#1 Eternity

Hebrews 9:27-28 NKJV – “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.”

We share our faith because we are all created to live forever. And so, every person is going to spend eternity somewhere. It takes some thought, planning, and some necessary steps of faith to get to heaven. You don't accidentally go to hell either.

Heaven and hell are both real, but it’s not just a heaven or hell eternity thing. Church is also about the rotten here and now. We live in a pretty broken world. And so, people need Jesus so that their lives can be transformed, so that they can live above defeat or depression.

People need Jesus so that they can fix the brokenness in their lives and find hope for the future. As believers, we are distributors of that hope. So, we need to bring people through the doors of the church and let them hear a message of hope in their lives.

#2 Who Am I Targeting With My Prayers?

Praying for someone is such a powerful thing to do. When you begin to pray for someone, walls begin to come down and scales get removed off of their eyes. Their heart begins to get tender. That’s the Holy Spirit beginning to move in their life because God answers prayer.

So, start praying for God to do something in somebody’s life. Prayer is powerful in bringing people to Christ because there is always a spiritual warfare that is working to drive them away from Christ. The enemy is working to blind them, harden their heart, and push him further away. The moment you begin to pray, you are putting the brakes on the enemy. Then God uses the Holy Spirit to draw the person back into His presence. The moment you pray, God begins to change their lives.

#3 Purpose

There are people who will never fulfill their purpose without Christ. They'll never realise their potential because they never partnered with Christ. Sharing God’s Word brings those people closer to that purpose.

#4 The Future of the Church

We have the responsibility to pass the baton to the next generation and leave the church better off than we found it. It is our responsibility to hand something that is well off to someone else and let them run with it.

#5 Yield

We must be willing to yield to the Holy Spirit because there are open doors everywhere. When you begin to look for open doors, you'll find people you can invite to love on. It doesn't have to be a heavy-handed invitation, you can start with a simple “Hey, I'm praying for you” and then invite them to church.

What Telling Others About God Does For You

Focusing another person’s growth will revitalize your spiritual life because you'll begin to get excited about people's lives being changed. When you invite an unbeliever, coworker, or a new believer to sit in church with you, it will change your view of church. You'll find yourself praying for your pastor.

When you have a personal investment in someone you invited, you will worship with a greater intensity. You'll be more engaged and see the church with fresh eyes. As a result, you will be more involved. When you invite someone to your church, your prayer life, worship, intensity, and love for God all go up a notch.

The Importance of the Church

Ephesians 1:23 MSG – “…At the center of all of this, Christ rules the church. The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ's body, in which He speaks and acts, by which He fills everything with His presence.”

Jesus is focusing His attention, not on the world but on the church. God demonstrates His love for the world through the church. He reaches out to the world through the church and loves the world through the church. He uses the church as His main tool for winning the lost and bringing people to Christ.

The local church is the hope of the world. God planned for people to come, sit, be refreshed, learn, and be inspired. Then, they tell others what God is up to. That's what church should be like.

How to Show Love For Your Church

Show Love For Your Church

The same love languages that you love your spouse with flows right into your relationship with the church, which is the bride of Christ.

#1 Words of Affirmation

What comes out of your mouth when you talk about the church? Are you a cheerleader for your church? People love going to church where people love going to church. What builds the church is when people begin to love what God is doing. That God is showing up and showing off. Don’t get me wrong; we’re not church building. We're Kingdom building, but God will build and use the local church. So, words of affirmation about your church will plant a hunger in someone's life.

#2 Quality Time

In-and-out is a bad way to do church. Church is somewhere that you get settled in. You get seated and invested. If you love something or someone, then you’re going to spend some time with it. If I say I love my wife, but I never want to hang out with her, something is wrong with that relationship.

#3 Giving Gifts

When I see the church parking lot, I don't just see a full parking lot. I see a message. When people drive by and see both our parking lots filled up, they wonder what's going on. To me, it is saying there is a God in heaven who is still alive and for whom people still hunger and search. And they want a relationship with Him. It says there are people who love God and spend time with him on a Sunday morning, people who are connected with Him and investing their lives because God is real. Every time you give, it sends a message that Jesus is alive and well.

#4 Acts of Service

Saved people serve people.

#5 Physical Touch

There's something about being in the presence of God. There is a God. There is something more than what you're seeing and what social media is feeding you. There is a presence of a living God. And I believe that every adult needs to experience a God moment in their life. We need God.

There will come a day when the Spirit of God begins to move so much that we want to go home, that we just want to be in His presence. There's a genuine hunger for God, and it is our responsibility as Christians to help others find Christ.