Evangelism: Receive, Believe, Be Born of God

The last message in another great series! I hope you are seeing that our main purpose as a church and as individuals is vital to all of life. The impact we make in this world for Christ, influences EVERY fiber of our lives for now and for all eternity.

Text: There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. John 1:6-13

1.) Live your life with a Purpose!

Check out verses 6-7. “There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe.” John was sent by God with a purpose, and that purpose was to be a witness. John had a calling on his days, and had a stirring in his heart. John not only lived with passion, but with purpose: To point people to Jesus.

We all have a God given purpose and we need to constantly endevour to live it out.

2.) Knowing your Position!

Not only did John live life with a purpose, but he also knew his position. “He himself was not the light, he came only as a witness to the light.” (POSITION) John understood his position – He was not the light, but was a witness to the light. Our message is Jesus.

John submitted his will to Gods. He submitted his person to Gods. He submitted his spirit to God’s. John wanted God to be seen in all His glory. And so he submitted any power or position he may have been able to attain to point people to Jesus.

Dictionary.com difines submission as, "the act of submitting; usually surrendering power to another." Surrendering is a key word. Surrendering takes into account that you have a God-given right to do whatever you want, but you decline that right in order that the other party’s rights come before yours.

3.) Revealing the Path!

Once we are living with a purpose and we know our position, the rest is actually the easy part. The icing on the evangelistic cake is revealing the PATH. The path to salvation is spelled out in verse 12 – “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”

So what does it mean to Receive Christ? The Bible tells us that the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord, but that gift must be received.

This is our message and we must share it. We must keep first things first. We need to take this message across the room. We must remember to share our stories of grace. We must let them know that they can be born of God by receiving and believing the One who came to die for their sins and show us the way to live.