The Persuasiveness of True Christianity (Part 2)
Posted by: biblenotes <biblenotes@...>
From: Martin Overfield
Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2000
The Persuasiveness of True Christianity (Part 2)
(Outline and some comments)
"Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian."
(Acts 26:28) The context here is very important (Acts chapter 26).
Introduction:
Paul was in prison for quite some time without any valid reason. Yet,
he had a good spirit and a purposeful outlook. He was faithful to God where
he was and within his limitations. What an example of a true soul-winner
and soldier of the cross!
I. The Reality of True Conversion
A. A Personal Encounter with the Resurrected Christ
B. Born Again -- necessary for entering the kingdom (John 3:1-21)
C. New Life - "old things are passed ; behold, all things are become
new." (II Corinthians 5:17)
II. The Reasonableness of Evangelizing
A. Reality experienced -- How could we not want to tell others, if we
have truly been converted?
B. The Truth of the Scriptures -- If what the Scriptures teach about
Heaven, Hell, sin, the Judgment, Jesus Christ, etc. are all true (and they
ARE), then it is reasonable and right to tell others about it.
C. The Desirability of others receiving the same experience that we have
received
III. The Ridiculous Perception of the Ungodly
A. "Thou art Mad" - "You are crazy!" - "gone off the deep end", or
"gone off your rocker" over religion
You see this is not new to the twenty-first and twenty-second centuries.
Even the apostle Paul was
considered by some to be crazy for believing the simple, supernatural and
true gospel story.
B. The chance they take of being wrong -- One Christian reasoned with
an atheist something like this: "If you are right, then it will not hurt me
to believe like do, for I will just die and that will be the end; but, if I
am right, then you will be in a heap of trouble."
So it is that people, whether atheist or not, take great chances with
their never-dying souls. Usually, they are not really willing to examine
the evidence for Christianity. They have many times already made up their
mind to believe in the way that suits them. Say, I would think that one
would want to make sure that his beliefs are right.
C. The fact that they cannot understand the change of desires -
transformation of the heart
Over and over again, I meet up with such statements as, "I could never
live like that." or "I could never give up my ______." Much of the time
this probably stems from one's spiritual blindness. They do not realize
that God will change their desires when they are born again.
IV. The Righteous Persuasiveness of the True Christian
A. Not by personality
B. Not by power
C. But by righteous living (covered under "Practicing What We Preach"
in Part 1)
V. The Respectful Love of the Christian for the Unconverted
A. A love that shows respect to those who oppose us without a get back
spirit.
B. A love that desires for the unconverted the same grace that we have
experienced.
C. A love that reaches out to the lost even if they never favorably
respond to our message or us.
Yours In Christ,
Martin Overfield
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