Evangelism Ii — Dana Congdon

I'd like to introduce the speaker this morning. He's Dana Congdon from New York. Hi, I'm Dana Congdon from New York. Nice to be down here in your spring weather. It's much warmer down here than we're having up in New York right now.

The Gospel in the Church's Seasons

And I'm glad to be with you to share on this matter of the gospel. Last night I shared and, of course, I think I don't need to say that but outreach, evangelism, the gospel needs to be held in context.

There are many things the Lord's doing in this day. He's building his church. He is bringing his people to a real understanding of himself. He's recovering a lot of stuff that's been lost over the years.

And evangelism fits in as one of the notches in the whole thing. You know, it's hard to hold everything in balance. But as we follow the Lord, he seems to bring us through seasons of emphasis. There are times where he emphasizes relationships and times when he emphasizes prayer.

And all of these things are part of our life together and yet he brings us through seasons. I trust that your exercising spiritually in these recent days over this matter of the gospel and of outreach is an indication that the Lord is wanting you to enter into a season of harvest for his sake.

It's an act of worship to evangelize. Just as surely as it's an act of worship to raise our hands and thank the Lord for what he's done for us. It's an act of worship to be obedient to the Lord. I remember a stunning meeting that I was privileged to be at one time.

A Mormon Woman Sees the Lord Through Worship

There was a group of people who were going to an assembly in such and such a town up on Long Island and yet they lived over here about 15 miles away. About 20 or so people who were meeting over here, though they lived about 15 miles away.

And they said, how about if we have a meeting over where we live? So I said, sure, let's rent out a hall or something and let's have a gospel meeting. And so we set up a series of six meetings on Sunday nights.

Six Sunday nights in a row just for the gospel over at this other area here. We went over there and these folks, these 20 folks had been praying and the doors opened and in came 150 people. And so many of them knew the Lord and a number of them didn't know the Lord.

But I remember the first night we got together. And this was early in the 1970s, probably 1973. Worship was an experience unknown to many Christians. And we just began to sing, you know what I'm saying, worship in the choruses and just kind of free worship form.

So we began to sing some choruses like Great is the Lord. You know, that song was very popular back then, Thy Loving Kindness. We ran through about 10 or 12 of those choruses straight and I remember the folks just had their hands raised and we were singing, I think,.

Hallelujah, Hallelujah.

And I looked down and there was a lady bawling out in the second row. And she was just crying so loud that eventually everybody noticed. I mean, she just was letting all the stocks out. And so there was a ruckus there.

Well, you know what the guys are doing who are ministering do. They pretend nothing's happening. So I went right along. Meanwhile, a couple of people are buzzing over there with this girl. Well, this lady, a lady in her late 20s, got soundly saved that day.

She was a Mormon. But that day found the Lord. And her testimony was, When the saints were worshiping, I saw the Lord. What else could I do? Isn't it amazing? I mean, the Lord's pool of evangelism is this.

The Lord's people being preoccupied with Christ. Now, last night I shared a little bit of the gospel and my hope is just simply that as we understand again the gospels and see Jesus of the gospels, who is the content of the gospel and also the preacher of the gospel, that somehow he'll infect us in such a way that we will be the gospel and preach the gospel.

People can see Jesus in us as we relate these things. And it isn't really a matter of making people aware. You know, let me put it this way. Somebody asked me after the meeting last night, Well, what did you exactly mean about the gospel of the kingdom?

Obviously, once again, Dana was just clear as anything. This person said, What did you say? Anyway, I think I think that the gospel of the kingdom simply put is this. I don't know how effective it is when we take somebody here who already knows that they're a sinner, I mean, and we focus them on this world and say, Now look, you're not making it in this world and you're a sinner and you need Jesus.

Well, they're saying, Well, yeah, I can argue with that. But the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom is such that you preach Christ and the reality of this unseen kingdom in such a way that that becomes the reality that they see.

It isn't so much an awareness of this life as an awareness of that dimension that is here, near, and needs to be entered into through repentance and faith. And it isn't a question of focusing somebody's life upon themselves.

You know, Hey, you're doing lousy. Yeah, I know. You know, it's a question of preaching the gospel of the kingdom in such a way that people see the King. And one day, as that old chorus says, when you turn your eyes upon Jesus and look full in His wonderful face, the things of earth grow strangely dim because there's an awareness of this kingdom.

I don't know if that speaks to you, but all of us in our experience as a Christian at times are aware of this duality that we live in. We live in this world. And we can worship this morning and some of you could be looking at your shoes and oh man, they need polishing.

You know, and you're aware of this world and then something is said, perhaps the testimonies that are spoken this morning just brings us into another realm. And there we are. Well, that's the kingdom.

That's what meaning really is. That's what life really is. It isn't my shoe polish. And yet, in five minutes, we can slip right back. One kid squats and back into this real world. Well, there we are living in between.

But I believe preaching the gospel of the kingdom is to bring people into an awareness of this kingdom. That's what John the Baptist had an anointing to do. He made these Jewish people realize that the kingdom of God was not that earthly place called Israel where they all were dwelling.

That's not the kingdom of God. It was something that was there, but it was beyond them. It was another realm, but it was right there on top of them and it was a spiritual dimension that they need to open their eyes to.

And this is the gospel that we need to preach today. No matter what secular man may say, God is as near as their heart and their mouth. There's a whole dimension, a dimension of spiritual beings that God wants to make us aware of as we enter in and recognize Jesus as the king.

Well, anyway, that's sort of what I shared last night, so now you don't need the tape. Now, another thing that I shared last night was the practical end of what we're trying to do. Now, there's a two-fold end to my being here in these couple of weeks, and it's simply this.

Normal Evangelism Through One Faithful Relationship

First of all, as it says at the end of Acts 2, And the Lord added daily to the church, such as were being saved. It's my hope that the church can engage in normal evangelism. What is normal evangelism?

It isn't having a revival meeting every week or drumming people up with special tents and all this kind of stuff. The normal evangelism of the church is something that's carried on through our daily lives, and the Lord adds daily to the church, such as those who He's appointed to be saved.

But it involves a sensitivity on our part to the Lord leading us to people. And we're not always so good at this sensitivity, and I'll get into that a little bit today. We tend to become passive, and we're not engaging in normal evangelism.

But here's what I'm talking about normal evangelism. I think it would be great. I think it would be wonderful. Matter of fact, it would be such an influx of life in the church if this one thing happened.

People are afraid of witnessing an evangelism basically because they envision themselves always, every Saturday, having to stand outside the supermarket and preach. But really, daily evangelism, life without evangelism in the church is simply this.

If you, through your faithfulness, can make contact with one person who's not a Christian this year, 1986, the whole year, get to know them, become long-suffering friends of theirs, help them understand the gospel, pray with them through their problems, and somehow be an instrument along the chain of several instruments that God will use to bring them to the Lord.

If you could just do that with one person this year, and let's say only one-third of those people actually ended up coming to this particular fellowship upon their salvation, there'd be an increase of 100 people.

If we could just be open to the Lord and say, Lord, if there's somebody you want me to initiate a relationship with, somebody where I work, somebody in my neighborhood, forget your whole neighborhood.

You know, we're always thinking, well, I've got to reach out to 25 people. It's so large, we never get to it. How about one person, Lord? Just one person. Pray for the one person. Work with the one person.

Help the one person. The one that God seems to lead you to. Maybe He'll lead you to two or three. If maybe one of them came to the Lord this year. And if everybody were doing this kind of thing, the church would be multiplying.

Now, we're not out for numbers. And as a matter of fact, once there's a harvest, God often just cuts the thing right off so there can be some consolidation and growth. You know, a season of harvest does not go on forever.

But the Lord gathers in a bunch and then He works them and incorporates them into the body of Christ. Well, now may this be a season of harvest here in our midst and may the Lord do His work in your heart as well.

Inviting One Person to Hear the Gospel

Next Sunday morning, we're going to have a gospel meeting. From 10 to 11. It's going to be a one hour meeting. A blessing for many in itself. But we're just going to sing a couple of songs. Amazing Grace has got the whole world in His hands.

Songs that hopefully any person who's not a Christian would probably know. We'll have two testimonies. May they be a blessing that these testimonies were this morning. We'll have a special music. I'll get up with my guitar and sing a song.

Then I'll preach a short gospel. Then we'll have a response time. That's it. Simple. But the Spirit of God will be here in a mighty way. And your involvement is really the key. Now, next Saturday night, I'll tell you why your involvement will be a double key.

But just today, I'll give you one shot. I would like to challenge you, everybody here, to go before the Lord before this day is out and simply say this. Lord, I'm going to Is there someone you want me to bring next Sunday morning?

Now, I believe everybody here can bring somebody who needs to hear the gospel next Sunday. But I know everybody is chicken. Everybody thinks somebody else will do it. Everybody else thinks, well, somebody who's not as busy as I am.

Or somebody who has more contact with the world. You know me. I stay at home all day. I don't know. Forget all that stuff. All I say is, you go before the Lord and say, now, Lord, is there someone? And if someone comes to your mind, then you pray.

And you ask. And you bring them. And you sit with them. Now, when people are truly willing, it's amazing the doors that open up. If you're not willing, you say, now, Lord, is there somebody? And your heart's not willing, nobody's going to come to your mind.

Well, maybe somebody will. But you won't hear it. You'll say, that's impossible. I, uncle, could never get saved. But if you'll just go before the Lord and say, now, Lord, is there someone? And your heart is open, then listen.

And then obey. And it would be a marvelous thing if we could come together next Sunday morning and just absolutely have this place packed out half and half. Half Christians and believers. Half guests and seekers.

God would move in a mighty way. We could play one chord on the piano and give an invitation. Somebody would respond. Because the Spirit of God would be here working. Now, this Wednesday night at prayer meeting, I've suggested that we actually have a chalkboard up here next Wednesday night and write the names of people we're praying for and asking to come.

Now, listen. I know that you ask some people and they'll say yes. But why I suggest you bring them is because, really, it's true. Eighty percent of the people who say they come, won't. The devil will snag them up.

But if you say, I'll be by Sunday morning at 9 .30, it's kind of hard to call you up and say, well, I don't want to come because my shoes aren't shined. So, people are more likely to come if you're going to pick them up.

So, now, this is really spiritual warfare behind all this activity. And I hope you'll engage in it with me. And we'll have a gospel meeting next Sunday. It'll just be a real moving of God. Now, in 2 Timothy, chapter 4, Paul says to young Timothy, 2 Timothy, chapter 4, and verse 5, that you, Timothy, be sober in all things.

Endure hardship. Do the work of an evangelist. Fulfill your ministry. Now, the question cannot be answered whether Timothy was actually an evangelist by calling. But as a responsible brother and a servant of the Lord in the church, Paul is exhorting him to do the work of an evangelist.

Now, my exhortation to all of us is to do the work of an evangelist. Well, who is an evangelist anyway? You know, this person, an evangelist, is not mentioned very often in the Scriptures. In Ephesians 4 .11, in the list of ministries, you have apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers.

Evangelist is mentioned there. In Acts chapter 21, Philip is mentioned and called an evangelist. He's the only one specifically called an evangelist. And then, in 2 Timothy, chapter 4, Timothy is exhorted to do the work of an evangelist.

And that's it. Not much about evangelism in the book of Acts. But we can see when we look at Philip's life, and we can see by some of the things the Scriptures imply, and we can see, in fact, in experience, there are some signs that somebody is an evangelist.

The Evangelist Sees the Lord of the Harvest

Now, do you know if you're an evangelist? Probably, if there are 200 people here this morning, there are some evangelists. Now, we have to get over the stereotypes that we tend to form in our lives of who an evangelist is.

You know, Billy Graham, somebody like that. Because God has all kinds of unique and different styles of evangelism. And he calls people in the body of Christ to serve in this ministry of evangelism. Who is an evangelist?

A couple of simple characteristics, just by way of reference. An evangelist is somebody who sees a revelation of the Lord of the Harvest. Now, they don't just see lost souls. What they actually do is they see the Lord of the Harvest.

And what does the Lord of the Harvest show them? The Lord of the Harvest shows an evangelist that the fields are full. Do you remember that story from John chapter 4? For the disciples came back and after Jesus' interview with the woman at the well, the woman ran back into town.

The disciples saw Jesus and began to talk to him. And Jesus said, Now look, look out here at the fields. Don't tell me that there's still a couple of months before the harvest time. I say to you, the fields are now white unto harvest.

Now, what was the disciples' problem that they'd look out on the fields and say they're not ripe yet? Well, Jesus may in fact have been pointing to the actual fields out there which weren't ripe for harvest yet, but he was making a parable and he was saying this.

Listen, disciples. Every time we pass through Samaria, you guys have the idea that nobody here is ready to get saved. You think, Not the people in Richmond. They're just not ready. They're gospel hardened.

These folks have heard too much on the radio and seen too much on television. We need to go up to New York. That's where the harvest is ripe. But down in Richmond, it's just not ready. Give it three or four months.

Give it some bad times, some hard times. Let some more preachers leave or quit or different problems come up. Then maybe people here will be rich and ripe, ready for harvest. Jesus knew the Lord of the harvest and it gave him different eyesight.

When Jesus looked out at the Samaritans, he said, You know, you guys don't even realize it, but these folks are ripe for the picking. There's a difference between Jesus' perspective and the disciples' perspective.

Because the disciples looked at men after the flesh and saw a bunch of compromised Jews, who the Samaritans were. They weren't ready. Jesus looked beyond the facade and he saw some hungry people there and said, These folks are ripe.

And so it is with an evangelist. An evangelist has seen the Lord of the harvest in such a way that he says, Look, the fields are ripe. The fields are ripe. And they're off and are harping. We need to reach out.

The fields are ripe. And everybody says, No, no, another three or four months and the evangelist sees that the fields are ripe for harvest. An evangelist also has a gift. Some gift that enables them to contact the world.

Now, the gift varies. I think sometimes the best evangelist I know, their gift is a big ear. They are listeners. They listen when people talk and they respond with a discernment that comes from listening to the Lord and listening to somebody talk.

While most of us go through the work day and our work associates are sending off little signals of despair and hopelessness and sinfulness and guiltiness, we're so busy in our own lives we're not even hearing what's going on.

But an evangelist picks up and the Lord says, That person, that person right there. And they listen to people and half the time what will bring somebody to the Lord is somebody who cares and listens and shares the truth with them.

And that's a gift. That is contact. And other people have a gift of wise counsel which I won't go into but I'll just leave it like that. And some people have more outward gifts. Some people have a way of disarming people when they share the gospel.

I'll never forget a summer that I spent I went out a number of times with Arthur Blessed in the streets of New York City. This guy could disarm anybody. He just he didn't take offense the way he shared the gospel but he'd stop everybody on the street and ask them if they knew Jesus.

And he had such a way I remember I was with him one time two o 'clock in the morning there in Times Square and he asked somebody if they knew the Lord. The guy pulled a knife out that was that big. Arthur didn't bat an eye.

He says, oh, he says, Jesus loves you. He says, you don't need that. Jesus said, blessed are the peacemakers. The guy put the knife away. And then he talked to him about Jesus. The guy listened. Now, I mean there was a gift there.

He had a personal gift of contact with Jesus. Chris, then I climbed up and I climbed down the lamppost. We went on to the next person. Some people the Lord gives us with more spectacular gifts you might say.

The gift of healing is often used in evangelism. You find it in the book of Acts and it's still true today. As I was sharing with you last night we had some Tuesday night meetings gospel meetings. I don't consider myself a healer by any means.

I think Jesus is the healer. But we gave an invitation at the end of the meeting the very first Tuesday night and said, now who here really feels like God could heal you and you need that. About ten people came up and you know some of them got healed that night.

And you know why? It's not because I had some kind of special thing going. It's just that Jesus wanted to attest to the gospel that had been preached that night. He sent the Holy Spirit behind to show these people this is true.

And my particular gift is this. I mean, I know what my gift is in this matter of evangelism. Usually what I do is I can take my guitar and sing and people open up. Then I share the gospel. Now that's the way I do it.

When I get a chance that's what I'll do next Sunday morning. And that's what I do up in New York. I open it up with the guitar and then I give them the gospel. The old G and G. Guitar and gospel. That's the way I do it.

Everybody has some different way. But an evangelist has some kind of point of contact. There's a special gift that they have that God uses. And then an evangelist is one of those guys who's brave enough to actually pull in the net.

There's a lot of folks who witness that they just can't draw the net. They just can't say, Would you like to pray? They just can't say it. They say, Can I take you over to Rob's house? You know, they don't know.

But there's always some guy who's willing to pull in the net and say, Now buddy, are you ready to get serious with God? Let's pray. I pull in the net sometimes before folks are ready to become Christians.

And I pull in the net with folks and I pray with them. And I get them to pray before they're even Christians. I get them to pray, Say, well now God, if you're real, prove yourself to me. All kinds of things like that.

I get people to pray about their jobs. You know, because I find that I just have that enabling. I can ask people this question that ties most people's tongues up. So an evangelist, who knows?

You can't define evangelists other than that because they're all kinds of strange characters, evangelists. Counselors, listeners, preachers, singers, one-on-one people. I mean, you know, all kinds of different fishermen.

Some people use a one little hook with a worm on it. Some folks just throw a whole net out. Different kinds of fishermen. But that's the way God is. So don't stereotype evangelists, you see. Now here's my question.

Are you one? How many evangelists have we got here this morning? What do you think? Do you think maybe we've got 10 here this morning? It looks like we're almost 200.

Do you think there's 10, 5 of evangelists? Do I hear 11? Well, who knows? Okay, so there we are, you see. It's interesting how nobody's ever an evangelist. Who wants to be that? A teacher. Some folks will almost admit they have a teaching ministry.

But forget apostles. You know, they went out with the New Testament. I guess evangelists did too. Is that right? Well, apostles didn't go out with the end of the New Testament canon and neither did they have evangelists.

They're still around. And who cares about the name? We need folks who function. But we've got to take this seriously. You know, there's some of you here who are hiding under bushels. There are evangelists.

I'll bet you. Well, anyway. So if there's no evangelist willing to come out here, now let me ask you another question. How many of you are martyrs? Do I see any hands? Well, now here's your second mistake.

You're not only willing not to admit who's the evangelist here, but you don't realize that every Christian is a martyr. This Greek word martyria, from which we get the word martyr, is the word that's translated 173 times in the New Testament witness.

The Bible doesn't tell us to go out and evangelize. It tells us to bear witness 173 times. Only some Christians are given the gift of evangelism. Every Christian is a witness. Forget about this I'm going to go out witnessing or I will be a witness someday.

You are a witness. Your only choice is whether you're a good one or a sorry one. The moment you're a Christian, you are a witness. And that Greek word is martyr. And that word is used all the time. Look at Acts 1 .8.

What is really said there? And you shall receive power after the Holy Ghost has come upon you and you shall be witnesses. Martyrs unto me, both in Jerusalem and Judea and unto the other parts of the earth.

You shall be witnesses. And Peter says at the end of his sermon on the day of Pentecost, and we are witnesses of these things. In Acts 5 before the Sanhedrin, he says, and we are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit that God has given us.

And Paul, at the end of the book of Acts as he shares his testimony of his salvation, actually says, God appointed me to bear witness of the things of Jesus. Now there is a phrase that is used over and over and over again.

And we are supposed to be martyrs. I shouldn't laugh anymore, right? Everybody here is one. Now let's define one just a minute because it puts us all in the business of outreach. Not everybody pulls the net, but everybody should bear witness.

Every Christian Is a Witness

And what is this being a martyr? There is much to say, but I think 1 John 1 is a perfect example of what it means to be a witness. 1 John 1, the opening. If we listen to this scripture and realize that it implies to our own bearing witness, we see that this has universal application for us.

1 John 1. What was from the beginning that we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we beheld and our hands have handled concerning the word of life. And the life was manifested and we have seen and bear witness.

That's martyr. And proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us. What we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, that you also may have fellowship with us. And indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.

And right there John says, this is how I bear witness. You know what a witness does? A witness simply testifies to the things that they have seen and heard and touched and handled regarding Jesus. And brothers and sisters, God raises up evangelists and they do a special work in the church of edifying the church through this matter of the gospel.

But what God really wants is for us to understand this martyring, this witness that we have to bear. The greatest influx of evangelism and salvation in the church that will ever be seen will happen the day that the saints, just the regular saints, the non-evangelist saints, share with people they know the things they have seen and heard and touched and handled regarding Jesus.

It's the most powerful sermon you've ever heard. These testimonies this morning just keeps you like that. This is a downer, my message, after that. And next Sunday morning we'll have two simple testimonies.

I'm telling you, it will be the most powerful moment in the meeting. Because when somebody stands up and doesn't give arguments, no great theology, no questions and answers and reputations, simply stands up and says, this is what I touched, this is what I felt, this is what I heard from Jesus.

And this is how I responded. Boom! The Holy Spirit comes down. I bear witness with that witness, the Holy Spirit said. But we're so reticent, you see. This is our problem. Because within that word martyr, of course you know the connotation of martyr now.

That's why you all laughed. It's somebody who lays down his life. And that's exactly what you have to do to bear witness. 1 John was written by a man who ended up on the Isle of Patmos. You know why? He says, I was exiled to the Isle of Patmos.

And here's what he says in Revelation 1 .9. Because of the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus. You know what that word testimony is? Martyr. The same word. Now listen, you know what that means? I interpret it this way.

It means so much, the testimony of Jesus. Just one little angle on it. It's one thing to preach the Word of God. Sometimes that doesn't ruffle too many feathers. A lot of folks have thrown Bible verses around.

But then you preach and testify in such a way that you have felt and handled and touched God through Jesus Christ. And suddenly sparks fly. The devil gets angry and throws up opposition. And you're liable to get exiled.

Maybe even lay your life down. So John found himself exiled because of this witness of Jesus. Or put it another way. When you share the Word of God and you share it about Jesus, Jesus comes behind and testifies and makes it come alive.

And again, the devil in opposition takes note. However you want to interpret that testimony of Jesus. The power of God behind the Word of God. And when we are martyrs, we just share with people the things we have seen and heard and touched, but we're willing to lay down our lives.

Witnessing Requires the Cross and Self-Denial

Now, the problem with witnesses. It's simply that. Being willing to lay down our lives. Now, we're all chicken. Maybe somebody isn't here, but then they're just some other kind of fowl. You ask somebody who has faithfully witnessed a thousand times and they're still chicken.

There's something about being out there on the front line speaking to unbelievers who are liable to hit you or yell at you or test you. It's just... Someone's laying down a life involved and you're still chicken.

By the grace of God, and not because I've wanted to be, I've gotten railroaded into all kinds of witnessing situations. I mean, I've been through the mill of every kind of method and way and situation and soap boxes and outdoor meetings and indoor meetings and crusades.

I've been through the whole thing. And I want to tell you, I'm still chicken. You never overcome this because you're out on the edge of the unknown with Jesus. And there's a certain brokenness that has to happen for you to be an effective witness.

We all tend to stand on this thing that's called the threshold. I like this word threshold. You know when I fell in love with this word threshold? It's when I saw the movie The Right Stuff. And Chuck Yeager was talking about breaking the sound barrier and they called that place where you break the sound barrier the threshold.

And the pilots believed that when you came to that threshold, demons in the sky grabbed hold of that plane and shook it. That's what they actually said. I mean, you know what I'm saying. It's sort of a superstition.

But that's what they believed because they get up to that threshold and the equipment would start going crazy and the wings would fly. You know, this is true. Just before you hit the sound barrier and break it.

This experience of disorientation and dizziness happens. And so, of course, Chuck Yeager was the first guy to break through the threshold. I like that. I liked it so much I went and looked it up in the dictionary.

You know one of the meanings of the word threshold? The actual meaning of the word threshold, one of the meanings is this. The end of the runway. Now, folks, we are the best taxiers of airplanes the world has ever known.

Grab up the engine. We're going to evangelize. Get down the runway. Let's take it back around. I'm not sure the wind was right. We're always taxiing. About once a year we get all hepped up about this thing.

Oh, the engines are still good. We're ready to go. Let's witness. But the problem is our engines misfire, you know. Because when the sisters are ready to evangelize, the brothers aren't. When the young ones are ready, the old ones aren't.

When the old ones are ready, the young ones aren't. They're always misfiring. The left wing is always dead. We've got to circle around one more time. If God could ever get a company of believers all saying we've got to...

Look, our runway is like in Hong Kong. If you don't make it off the runway, you go down in the water. I'll never forget my first time flying into Hong Kong. You just see water on either side. You don't see a runway.

Then you land. I think they must have made it on garbage, you know. A big garbage runway. They just... Did they? You know, they just take... They open everything and they build a runway right out in the middle of the water.

I mean, if you don't make it off, bye-bye. Down you go. And there we are, thresholding as witnesses. How do we get off? Well, it is very simply a matter of laying down our lives. Jesus said, Nobody...

Nobody leaves house or mother or father or brothers or sisters for my sake and the gospel's but what they'll be rewarded. And that's in that context. If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.

I have a saying. Actually, it's not a true saying in the deepest sense because every aspect of the Christian life involves an experience of the cross to be real. But I have a simple saying and it's this.

The cross seems most evident in our lives at two points. When we really give ourselves to prayer and when we're willing to reach out and evangelize. We experience the cross in prayer because we are in our closet and nobody hears or appreciates.

There's no human comfort through the thing. There's a lot of toil and a lot of labor and only the Lord knows. Many of us can't embrace that cross. It's just too costly. But when you do, the Lord really answers prayer.

The same way with witnessing. You know, we talk like we believe everything. When you're out there on the firing line, you find out what you really believe. It's like, you know, it's the litmus test of our faith.