1
00:00:10,814 --> 00:00:14,940
If you're able to live your life

2
00:00:14,940 --> 00:00:18,009
in some college or high school

3
00:00:18,009 --> 00:00:21,354
or in a workplace or among your family

4
00:00:21,354 --> 00:00:23,349
and nobody knows you're a Christian,

5
00:00:23,349 --> 00:00:25,205
it's because you're not one.

6
00:00:25,205 --> 00:00:27,037
Lay it down.

7
00:00:27,037 --> 00:00:28,676
Listen, the Spirit of God does not

8
00:00:28,676 --> 00:00:30,560
take up residency in a human being,

9
00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:32,492
Christ does not come along

10
00:00:32,492 --> 00:00:34,475
and save an individual;

11
00:00:34,475 --> 00:00:36,680
the power of God does engulf

12
00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:38,596
a man or woman or a child,

13
00:00:38,596 --> 00:00:41,372
and nobody can tell that anything happened to them.

14
00:00:41,372 --> 00:00:43,135
That just doesn't happen.

15
00:00:43,135 --> 00:00:45,744
Chung Man Le, he says,

16
00:00:45,744 --> 00:00:48,309
"Is it possible for the true born again Christian

17
00:00:48,309 --> 00:00:51,455
to be afraid of sharing the Gospel to strangers?

18
00:00:51,455 --> 00:00:54,418
My personality doesn't allow me to do it.

19
00:00:54,418 --> 00:00:57,227
What I do is just live out a lifestyle of Jesus Christ

20
00:00:57,227 --> 00:01:03,849
so that people around me that I know

21
00:01:03,849 --> 00:01:06,627
can turn to God.

22
00:01:06,627 --> 00:01:08,135
Can that be a right excuse to say,

23
00:01:08,135 --> 00:01:11,967
or does it mean that he or she is not truly saved?

24
00:01:11,967 --> 00:01:14,236
Is that why I cannot share the Gospel of Jesus Christ

25
00:01:14,236 --> 00:01:15,907
to strangers?

26
00:01:15,907 --> 00:01:18,491
So basically, Chung believes, he lives

27
00:01:18,491 --> 00:01:20,751
his lifestyle of Jesus Christ.

28
00:01:20,751 --> 00:01:23,133
But I would say this:

29
00:01:23,133 --> 00:01:28,943
Is that really imitating Christ if you don't speak

30
00:01:28,943 --> 00:01:32,541
the truth of Christ?

31
00:01:32,541 --> 00:01:35,032
Because what I find Christ did,

32
00:01:35,032 --> 00:01:36,958
is He went about doing good.

33
00:01:36,958 --> 00:01:38,550
He also went about speaking like

34
00:01:38,550 --> 00:01:40,851
no man ever spake.

35
00:01:40,851 --> 00:01:44,411
He declared more truth than any other

36
00:01:44,411 --> 00:01:48,196
human being ever declared.

37
00:01:48,196 --> 00:01:51,430
He spoke of Himself.

38
00:01:51,430 --> 00:01:53,117
He declared Himself.

39
00:01:53,117 --> 00:01:54,871
He declared salvation.

40
00:01:54,871 --> 00:01:59,622
Can you really say that I'm living

41
00:01:59,622 --> 00:02:02,243
like Christ?

42
00:02:02,243 --> 00:02:03,803
Can you really say that I'm living

43
00:02:03,803 --> 00:02:07,084
the lifestyle of Christ if you're not speaking

44
00:02:07,084 --> 00:02:08,460
the words of Christ?

45
00:02:08,460 --> 00:02:13,113
I would probably say

46
00:02:13,113 --> 00:02:18,096
that would not be a good, accurate estimation.

47
00:02:18,096 --> 00:02:23,221
Christ went about constantly using His mouth

48
00:02:23,221 --> 00:02:25,454
to proclaim His own coming.

49
00:02:25,454 --> 00:02:27,546
Now you guys know the verses.

50
00:02:27,546 --> 00:02:28,852
I can just shoot some off at you.

51
00:02:28,852 --> 00:02:30,705
Mark 8:38 - "Whoever is ashamed of Me

52
00:02:30,705 --> 00:02:32,580
and My words in this adulterous and sinful

53
00:02:32,580 --> 00:02:34,655
generation; of him will the Son of Man

54
00:02:34,655 --> 00:02:36,912
also be ashamed when He comes in the glory

55
00:02:36,912 --> 00:02:38,982
of His Father with the holy angels."

56
00:02:38,982 --> 00:02:41,968
2 Timothy 1:8 says, "Do not be ashamed of the testimony

57
00:02:41,968 --> 00:02:43,171
of our Lord."

58
00:02:43,171 --> 00:02:45,723
That's Paul speaking to Timothy.

59
00:02:45,723 --> 00:02:48,967
2 Timothy 2:12, "If we deny Him, He also will deny us."

60
00:02:48,967 --> 00:02:51,751
1 John 2:23, "whoever has the Son has the Father.

61
00:02:51,751 --> 00:02:54,427
Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also."

62
00:02:54,427 --> 00:02:56,985
1 Peter 3:15, "Be prepared to give an answer to

63
00:02:56,985 --> 00:03:00,944
every man for the reason for the hope that you have."

64
00:03:00,944 --> 00:03:03,235
Look, I would just say this,

65
00:03:03,235 --> 00:03:06,563
Timothy seemed to be wavering a little bit at one time

66
00:03:06,563 --> 00:03:08,628
for Paul to have to give him the kind of

67
00:03:08,628 --> 00:03:11,031
exhortations that he did there.

68
00:03:11,031 --> 00:03:14,458
Is it possible for true Christians to be afraid?

69
00:03:14,458 --> 00:03:15,738
Yes.

70
00:03:15,738 --> 00:03:17,967
Is it possible for them to fail sometimes?

71
00:03:17,967 --> 00:03:19,235
Yes.

72
00:03:19,235 --> 00:03:20,523
There's no question about it.

73
00:03:20,523 --> 00:03:22,091
But over all, the pattern seems to be,

74
00:03:22,091 --> 00:03:24,363
look, if you deny Him, He's going to deny you.

75
00:03:24,363 --> 00:03:26,728
I would just say this:

76
00:03:26,728 --> 00:03:32,507
If you're able to live your life in some college

77
00:03:32,507 --> 00:03:35,604
or high school or in a workplace

78
00:03:35,604 --> 00:03:37,655
or among your family, and nobody knows

79
00:03:37,655 --> 00:03:41,480
you're a Christian, it's because you're not one.

80
00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:43,346
Lay it down.

81
00:03:43,346 --> 00:03:45,691
Listen. The Spirit of God does not take up residency

82
00:03:45,691 --> 00:03:46,850
in a human being;

83
00:03:46,850 --> 00:03:50,763
Christ does not come along and save an individual;

84
00:03:50,763 --> 00:03:52,668
the power of God does not engulf

85
00:03:52,668 --> 00:03:54,856
a man or woman or a child

86
00:03:54,856 --> 00:03:57,661
and nobody can tell that anything happened to them.

87
00:03:57,661 --> 00:03:59,291
That just doesn't happen.

88
00:03:59,291 --> 00:04:01,664
And the thing about it is,

89
00:04:01,664 --> 00:04:04,807
one of the things the Spirit of God does

90
00:04:04,807 --> 00:04:09,770
is gives us a love for Christ.

91
00:04:09,770 --> 00:04:14,882
Think about a man who's super, super, super shy.

92
00:04:14,882 --> 00:04:20,556
And some bold, wicked,

93
00:04:20,556 --> 00:04:25,486
loud mouth guy comes along

94
00:04:25,486 --> 00:04:29,717
and he just starts saying all sorts of wicked,

95
00:04:29,717 --> 00:04:34,093
nasty, ugly things about the first guy's wife.

96
00:04:34,093 --> 00:04:37,502
No matter how shy that guy is,

97
00:04:37,502 --> 00:04:39,910
if he really loves his wife, guess what?

98
00:04:39,910 --> 00:04:41,563
He's not going to keep his mouth shut, is he?

99
00:04:41,563 --> 00:04:43,241
He's going to make a stand for her.

100
00:04:43,241 --> 00:04:45,254
The same thing is true of Christ.

101
00:04:45,254 --> 00:04:49,897
The chief fruit of the Spirit of God is love.

102
00:04:49,897 --> 00:04:53,944
And the greater love is not for

103
00:04:53,944 --> 00:05:00,444
our brother and sister in Adam.

104
00:05:00,444 --> 00:05:03,942
For our kindred human beings...

105
00:05:03,942 --> 00:05:05,716
the greatest love that the Spirit of God gives us

106
00:05:05,716 --> 00:05:08,617
is for God Himself, for Christ Himself.

107
00:05:08,617 --> 00:05:11,615
If you're able to go through your life, and listen,

108
00:05:11,615 --> 00:05:14,039
one of the things too that we're given.

109
00:05:14,039 --> 00:05:15,481
Do you guys remember this?

110
00:05:15,481 --> 00:05:17,191
From Jeremiah 32?

111
00:05:17,191 --> 00:05:20,556
God says, "I will put My fear within them

112
00:05:20,556 --> 00:05:21,869
that they not depart from Me."

113
00:05:21,869 --> 00:05:25,886
Guess why people don't proclaim Christ?

114
00:05:25,886 --> 00:05:29,921
Fear of man, right?

115
00:05:29,921 --> 00:05:32,690
Men are afraid of other men.

116
00:05:32,690 --> 00:05:34,412
That's why they stay quiet?

117
00:05:34,412 --> 00:05:35,941
But you know what God says?

118
00:05:35,941 --> 00:05:38,916
"I'm going to put My fear within them."

119
00:05:38,916 --> 00:05:41,325
So even though a true Christian may still have

120
00:05:41,325 --> 00:05:43,828
a measure of fear for men,

121
00:05:43,828 --> 00:05:48,694
God has put His fear - a fear for Him - in them.

122
00:05:48,694 --> 00:05:52,398
And I guarantee, God's fear that He puts in them

123
00:05:52,398 --> 00:05:56,670
will be greater than the fear that man has

124
00:05:56,670 --> 00:05:58,362
for human beings. Why?

125
00:05:58,362 --> 00:06:00,636
Because it's a fear that is so intense,

126
00:06:00,636 --> 00:06:03,971
and so large, that no matter what men may do to him,

127
00:06:03,971 --> 00:06:07,630
he won't depart. Right?

128
00:06:07,630 --> 00:06:12,484
It's a fear that will keep them from

129
00:06:12,484 --> 00:06:15,577
departing from the faith.

130
00:06:15,577 --> 00:06:18,060
So, I would say that.

131
00:06:18,060 --> 00:06:20,015
Look, I know when I was first saved,

132
00:06:20,015 --> 00:06:21,360
that was difficult.

133
00:06:21,360 --> 00:06:23,272
Some of you guys have seen that movie

134
00:06:23,272 --> 00:06:25,530
"Faith Like Potatoes"?

135
00:06:25,530 --> 00:06:27,315
That's a true story.

136
00:06:27,315 --> 00:06:30,056
His pastor told him, now what I want you to do

137
00:06:30,056 --> 00:06:33,591
is go find three people and tell them what Christ has done.

138
00:06:33,591 --> 00:06:35,868
And if you've seen it, he's like on the sidewalk

139
00:06:35,868 --> 00:06:37,224
and he sees some guy he knows

140
00:06:37,224 --> 00:06:39,470
and he turns the other way real fast.

141
00:06:39,470 --> 00:06:40,888
But I know that!

142
00:06:40,888 --> 00:06:44,090
I can remember when I was first saved,

143
00:06:44,090 --> 00:06:47,055
and I went with the Youth for Christ guy

144
00:06:47,055 --> 00:06:50,371
to a Denny's or something,

145
00:06:50,371 --> 00:06:51,821
and we're eating breakfast,

146
00:06:51,821 --> 00:06:53,462
and he bows and he's praying

147
00:06:53,462 --> 00:06:55,499
and I was traumatized!

148
00:06:55,499 --> 00:06:56,746
He was praying in public

149
00:06:56,746 --> 00:07:00,884
and it was like the devil came upon me...

150
00:07:00,884 --> 00:07:04,965
You know, I can pray in a restaurant now

151
00:07:04,965 --> 00:07:06,388
and I won't even bat an eye,

152
00:07:06,388 --> 00:07:07,832
I don't even think about it.

153
00:07:07,832 --> 00:07:10,333
But at that time, I was just seized with fear.

154
00:07:10,333 --> 00:07:13,403
But you know, if you're truly a child of God,

155
00:07:13,403 --> 00:07:15,193
what you're going to find

156
00:07:15,193 --> 00:07:19,067
is God will give you a boldness.

157
00:07:19,067 --> 00:07:20,369
You may waver at times,

158
00:07:20,369 --> 00:07:22,194
but He's going to give it to you.

159
00:07:22,194 --> 00:07:23,494
That doesn't mean it's easy,

160
00:07:23,494 --> 00:07:32,489
but God gives us the grace to have an answer.

161
00:07:32,489 --> 00:07:34,102
To stand for Christ.

162
00:07:34,102 --> 00:07:35,825
If you love Him, you've got to stand for Him.

163
00:07:35,825 --> 00:07:38,337
If you love Him, you're not going to deny Him.

164
00:07:38,337 --> 00:07:40,130
You can't walk around in this world

165
00:07:40,130 --> 00:07:42,657
too long and you hear somebody take His name in vain,

166
00:07:42,657 --> 00:07:44,137
and that ought to give you opportunity,

167
00:07:44,137 --> 00:07:46,011
if nothing else, that ought to give you opportunity

168
00:07:46,011 --> 00:07:49,835
right there to say,

169
00:07:49,835 --> 00:07:54,943
"You ought not to blaspheme the name of My Lord."

170
00:07:54,943 --> 00:07:56,478
Take the open doors.

171
00:07:56,478 --> 00:07:58,405
You can talk to people.

172
00:07:58,405 --> 00:08:02,995
Part of it is - have an answer.

173
00:08:02,995 --> 00:08:04,562
That's what Peter says -

174
00:08:04,562 --> 00:08:06,458
have an answer for the hope.

175
00:08:06,458 --> 00:08:09,768
You know what? Prepare an answer.

176
00:08:09,768 --> 00:08:12,042
Just get a little spiel.

177
00:08:12,042 --> 00:08:13,802
Sometimes what makes it hard

178
00:08:13,802 --> 00:08:17,235
is you just don't know what to say.

179
00:08:17,235 --> 00:08:20,606
Sometimes, one of the ways to break the ice there

180
00:08:20,606 --> 00:08:24,659
is just, "do you know where you're going to go when you die?"

181
00:08:24,659 --> 00:08:26,342
That's a good way to start.

182
00:08:26,342 --> 00:08:27,823
Everybody's going to die.

183
00:08:27,823 --> 00:08:30,075
Everybody thinks about dying.

184
00:08:30,075 --> 00:08:32,907
So, it's definitely not a useless question

185
00:08:32,907 --> 00:08:35,651
that doesn't have anything to do with the person you're talking to.

186
00:08:35,651 --> 00:08:43,003
It has everything to do with them.

187
00:08:43,003 --> 00:08:46,356
But yeah, you don't want to deny the Lord.

188
00:08:46,356 --> 00:08:49,428
If that's the pattern and the habit of the life,

189
00:08:49,428 --> 00:08:53,957
that's the habit and the pattern of a lost life.

190
00:08:53,957 --> 00:08:56,395
What an honor we have!

191
00:08:56,395 --> 00:08:58,310
You know what Christ said?

192
00:08:58,310 --> 00:09:00,657
You will be My witnesses.

193
00:09:00,657 --> 00:09:02,532
If you're mouth is shut,

194
00:09:02,532 --> 00:09:04,671
look, there's a lot to be said

195
00:09:04,671 --> 00:09:06,524
about living a godly life before people,

196
00:09:06,524 --> 00:09:07,928
and I don't knock that at all

197
00:09:07,928 --> 00:09:11,324
from Chung's question here.

198
00:09:11,324 --> 00:09:19,454
But the church - Jesus Christ said,

199
00:09:19,454 --> 00:09:21,039
"You're going to be My witnesses."

200
00:09:21,039 --> 00:09:22,881
We're the witnesses.

201
00:09:22,881 --> 00:09:24,466
We're the witnesses of Christ.

202
00:09:24,466 --> 00:09:26,306
What an honor we have.

203
00:09:26,306 --> 00:09:29,375
We're the pillar and ground of truth.

204
00:09:29,375 --> 00:09:32,597
If we don't proclaim it, nobody else is.

205
00:09:32,597 --> 00:09:34,734
And it's an honor to do it.

206
00:09:34,734 --> 00:09:39,602
We have that privilege to carry on Christ's work.

207
00:09:39,602 --> 00:09:41,292
He spoke.

208
00:09:41,292 --> 00:09:48,053
Now He speaks through His church, through His Word.

209
00:09:48,053 --> 00:09:51,417
Well, that's it for tonight.