Fuel Up And Get Passengers On Board

Teaching

In the video, there were several motivations mentioned for sharing the message of Christianity. We can think of these motivations as the right fuel needed to fly the plane - or in this case, to navigate a conversation about God.

Keep in mind that there are other motivations as well that we might individually have, but I am going to elaborate a little more on the motivations mentioned in the video, using God’s Word as our guide. As I am going throught them, be thinking about which fuel would motivate you the most.

» Obedience to Jesus

The idea of wanting to be our own “boss” and do things our own way is a common trait for all humans. But if we’re trying to follow Jesus, we need to do what He says rather than just doing what we think we ought to do. In fact, in the book of John, Jesus said that the way His followers show they love Him is by obeying His commands (John 14:15).

After Jesus died and came back to life, He spent some time teaching the disciples before He ascended to Heaven—to make sure they understood the mission He had for them and all future followers. He left them with these important final instructions:

Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’ Matthew 28:18-20

This is THE Cause of Christ—the main instruction He gave His followers before He ascended to Heaven. Because of that, it’s now our cause as Christians.

As we grow in our love of God, we’re more and more motivated to obey Him, because we understand we can trust Him and we want to do as He sees best.

» Compassion For The Lost

As we grow closer to God, we begin to change how we see others and their “rough edges.” Jesus beautifully illustrates this change of perspective in this passage:

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Therefore, ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest field.’ Matthew 9:35-38

The word compassion in this passage means “to suffer with.” Are you suffering with and hurting for those who don’t know Christ?

It’s important to remember that living a life apart from Jesus is often full of hopelessness, discouragement, and unforgiveness—which can lead to some undesirable behavior. Our natural instinct might be to reject people for that behavior, but Christ calls us to have compassion for them instead.

We’re blessed to be able to help people understand how to escape not only the Hell they’re headed to, but also the hell they are going through apart from Jesus Christ!

» Urgency Of The Mission

As teenagers, it may seem like you have plenty of time to help people understand the reality of Jesus, but there is, in actuality, an urgency to tell others.

None of us ever knows how much time we’ll have with someone—circumstances can change suddenly. They may have to move unexpectedly, or worse yet, their life may end abruptly.

The Lord urges us to take the mission seriously when He says in Jude:

...save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. Jude 23

This fire that is spoken of refers to a literal Hell, where people will experience suffering, regret, and hopelessness for all eternity. This reality can help us remember how important it is to share the Good News of Jesus.

In addition to motivation, we need a plan to help us reach people, or as the video put it, a way to “invite people on board.”

» Cause Circle

Once we understand why it’s important to share the Gospel, we can use the Cause Circle tool. It helps us prioritize and relationally approach talking to people about God.

We start by identifying one to three people God has put in our lives who haven’t put their trust in Jesus yet.

Then we begin to pray for their salvation, demonstrate care for them, and lovingly share the message—just as the church in Colossae was told to do in this passage:

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. … Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Colossians 4:2, 5-6

This relational approach demonstrates God’s character and helps people experience His love through your actions and your words.

Maybe you’re here today, and you can’t find the motivation to share the Gospel because you aren’t sure you understand it or believe it yourself. In case that describes you, I'd like to explain what the Gospel message is. Here’s a quick summary:

God created us to be with Him.

Our sins separate us from God.

Sins cannot be removed by good deeds.

Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again.

Everyone who trusts in Him alone has eternal life.

Life with Jesus starts now and lasts forever.

If you’re hearing this for the first time, we want you to know that it’s OK to have some questions. But if you understand these basic points about God and Jesus, we encourage you to put your trust in Jesus if you haven’t already. It’s important to know that He paid the price required, so that you could have a relationship with God. If you’d like to trust in Jesus tonight, let Him and one of our leaders know, and we’d be happy to help you on the next steps of your faith journey.