A New Beginning

Greg Laurie: Every day you’ve got to walk spiritually. And sometimes people say, "Well, I tried Christianity and it didn’t work for me." I suggest you didn’t do your part. Did you start reading your Bible? Did you develop a prayer life? Did you become a part of church? People talk about how it doesn’t work, but don’t walk in a way that it does.

So there’s God’s part. He’ll save you, He’ll heal you. Now you’ve got to walk.

Guest (Male): It makes no sense to complain the car won’t start if it’s out of gas. It makes no sense to complain about sitting in the dark if we haven’t turned on the light switch. Well, when it comes to Christianity, author G.K. Chesterton said, "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It’s been found difficult and left untried."

Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie helps us try a real walk with God. It offers joy and contentment and dispels loneliness and discouragement.

Greg Laurie: So there was this lady. She was very lonely and she needed some companionship, and someone told her that there was a talking parrot down at the pet store. And so she went down and said, "I heard you have a talking parrot, and I need someone to talk to and someone to talk to me. Is this parrot really talk?" "Oh yes, ma’am, this parrot talks." And so she bought the parrot and she took it home and it didn’t say anything to her for a week and a half.

So she went back to the pet store and said, "Sir, this parrot does not talk." The pet store owner said, "Ma’am, did you buy him a swing? Every parrot needs a swing. If you get him a swing, he’ll talk all day long." She bought a swing, took it home. She came back another week and a half later. "I got the parrot a swing, he still doesn’t talk." "Ma’am, did you get the parrot a ladder? Every parrot needs a ladder. If he has a ladder to go up and down, he’ll talk constantly."

She bought a ladder, took it home. A week and a half later she returns. She says, "That parrot still isn’t talking." "Oh, did you get him a mirror? If he has a mirror to look at himself in, then he’ll talk for sure." She bought the mirror and came back a week later and said, "That parrot you sold me, he died." The pet store owner said, "Did he ever talk?" "As a matter of fact, he did." The pet store owner said, "What did the parrot say?" She said, "The parrot said to me, 'Don’t they have any food down at that pet store?'" Just a bad joke, people. Okay.

So I don’t know if you feel lonely. I don’t think a talking parrot is going to help you, but there’s a lot of people feel lonely in our world today. One in three Americans feel lonely at least once a week. There’s acute loneliness among young adults with 30% of people ages 18 to 34 experiencing loneliness several times a week or more.

Loneliness has become a public health epidemic according to the Surgeon General, and loneliness and isolation create health risks including anxiety, depression, and illnesses like heart disease and dementia. But wait, we have social media. We can communicate with each other. That’s only thrown more fuel on the fire and we find ourselves more isolated.

Bottom line, people need people. We were not meant to do life alone. We need living, breathing friends, not talking parrots, not bots, not just communicating with people online while we’re playing a video game. We need to be with people. And that’s why being active in church matters so much.

You know, during COVID, we did our services online. We called it Harvest at Home and it’s still on and people watch it, and I run into people everywhere that still enjoy Harvest at Home. But many watched it during COVID, but when church was open again, they didn’t return back to church. I remember on one particular Sunday, it was Palm Sunday, President Trump tweeted that he was going to watch the Harvest at Home service and put it out to all of his social media followers.

So we had one million people watching us that particular Sunday. And isn’t that great? And so we gave a gospel presentation, we gave an opportunity for people to come to Christ, and on that Sunday alone, 11,000 people made a profession of faith and registered that with us. Isn’t that amazing?

One young man wrote me and said, "I saw the President tweet he was going to watch your church service, so I watched it too, and I was suicidal. And now I’ve given my life to Christ." So that’s great. But you know what? Church is open. It’s time to come back home again, come back to church. So I’m talking to you folks watching online. I’m glad you’re watching. I know some of you couldn’t get here even if you wanted to. I know some of you aren’t able to leave your home for some reason. But I know some of you are still in your pajamas, okay? And you’re not even really paying attention, you’re flipping through your phone right now buying stuff on Instagram. Get out of your pajamas and come back to church, right? Come on now.

I’ve noticed it’s become very popular for people to wear their pajamas everywhere now. I go to the airport, people are walking around with pajamas and a pillow. It’s like, what is going on here? But I bring this up because before us in John 5 is a story of a lonely man. In fact, the title of my message is "Jesus and the Lonely Man." Let’s read about him. I’m reading John chapter 5 verses 1 to 18, and I’m reading, by the way, from the New Living Translation.

Read along with me. "Afterward, Jesus returned to Jerusalem on one of the Jewish holy days. And inside the city near the Sheep Gate was the pool of Bethesda with five covered porches. Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches. One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, He asked him, 'Would you like to get well?' 'I can’t, sir,' the sick man said, 'for I have no one to put me in the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.' Jesus said, 'Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk.' Instantly the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking. But this miracle happened on the Sabbath, so the Jewish leaders objected. They said to the man who was cured, 'You can’t work on the Sabbath! The law doesn’t allow you to carry that sleeping mat.' But the man replied, 'The man who healed me told me, "Pick up your mat and walk."' 'Who said such a thing as that?' they demanded. The man didn’t know, for Jesus had disappeared into the crowd. But afterward Jesus found him sitting in the Temple and told him, 'Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.' Then the man went and told the Jewish leaders it was Jesus who had healed him. So the Jewish leaders began harassing Jesus for breaking the Sabbath rules. But Jesus replied, 'My Father is always working, and so am I.'" We’ll stop there.

Now, we read that he was waiting for the waters to be stirred. There was a legend that an angel would sometimes appear, move the waters around, and if you were close to the water when this happened, you would get healed. There’s no indication this is a true story. It could have been true. Maybe it happened once, but that’s what this man was hoping for. And he had been waiting a long time, thirty-eight years.

And I love what Jesus says. First of all, He asks the impossible. Secondly, He removes all possibility for a relapse. Thirdly, He expects continued success. First, He asks the impossible. "Pick up your sleeping mat and walk." And in this guy’s defense, he goes for it. He could have said, "I can’t." He says, "All right." And all of a sudden strength is restored to his feet and his legs and he stands up. What an amazing thing.

So he did the impossible. But then Jesus removes any possibility for a relapse. "Take it with you. You’re not coming back here again. We’re done with the pool, and we’re done with this whole life. It’s a new life. Put your old life behind you." And here’s the problem that some people have when they say they’re going to become Christians is they don’t make a break with the old life.

Guest (Male): Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. We love to hear stories of how lives are impacted through Pastor Greg’s studies.

Guest (Female): Pastor Greg, listening to you every day on my way to work reminds me to focus myself on the Lord so that I may serve Him in every way, even at work. One morning as I was listening, you mentioned reading the Bible in a year and that sparked my need to do the same. So far, I’m halfway through reading the Bible. Thank you, Pastor Greg, and praise God.

Guest (Male): Has Pastor Greg heard from you? Why not drop him an email? Send it to Greg@harvest.org. That’s Greg@harvest.org. Well, we’re glad you’re along for Pastor Greg’s message today. It’s an encouraging study called "Jesus and the Lonely Man."

Greg Laurie: There’s an interesting story in the Old Testament. It’s the Prophet Elijah, he’s coming toward the end of his ministry, and he chooses his successor. His name is Elisha, very similar names. Sometimes they’re confused. Two guys, Elijah, Elisha. So Elijah sees Elisha plowing out in a field and he throws his garment on him, symbolically saying, "You’re carrying on for me." And then Elisha says, "Hey, let me go back and say goodbye to my family." Elijah said, "Hey, what is that to me?" In other words, "Dude, this is a privilege. What are you doing? You’re going to do this? Come on, let’s go. Or don’t." And you know, he knew if that guy went back and said goodbye to his family, he’d never return.

You ever try to leave a family reunion? Takes really a long time, especially if you haven’t seen them for a while. It’s that big reunion once every five years. So you’re saying, "Well, I gotta go." "Oh, have one more piece of pie. Let me tell you one more story." Hugs and hugs and on it goes. I’m really good at leaving places. I don’t know if this is a skill or a bad trait, but when I’m ready to go, I’ll say to my wife, "I’m leaving."

And I’ll go to the host or hostess, "Thank you so much for inviting me, I’m sorry I have to go." "Okay, no problem." I’m gone, right? Now where’s my wife? She’s still there. A week later, she’s there still. You need the jaws of life to extract Kathy out of the social gathering. She just goes and goes and talks and talks, and I’ve moved on. Okay.

And this is the idea. There’s a New Testament counterpart to the story where Jesus said to a man, "Follow Me." He said, "Let me go and bury my mother and father." Jesus said, "Let the dead bury the dead. Follow Me." Now that sounds kind of heartless on the part of Christ. "Let me bury my mother and father, they just died and they’re lying in the street dead." "Yeah, let them bury themselves. Let’s get out of here."

That’s not what was going on. That phrase "let me bury my mother and father" was another way of saying, "Let me wait till my mom and dad get old and eventually die, and when they’re gone, then I’ll follow you." And Jesus knew, you do that, you’ll never follow Me. You know, it’s time to make a break with the past. Jesus said, "No man having put his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the Kingdom of God." So He says to this man, "Pick up your mat and walk. Put this old life behind you and follow Me."

And this is what the man did, saying goodbye to the past. I remember we had our first crusade at Pacific Amphitheatre. We had counselors calling up people and seeing how they were doing spiritually, and they called up this one man who had come to Christ the night before. And he said, "I’m doing great. Yeah, I’m just out mowing my grass." "Oh, mowing the lawn?" "No, mowing my marijuana forest down." This guy was a drug dealer and he had all these pot plants in his backyard. He’s like mowing them down. I like that. That’s making a break with the past.

Let me say a word about the follow-up process that we engage in here at Harvest. We take it very seriously. I know people know us for evangelism, and I don’t apologize for that. We’ve seen thousands of people come to Christ through our ministry over the last 50 years. But sometimes people will say things like, "Well, Harvest, they’re into evangelism, but we’re into discipleship." Oh, nice. We’re into both. In fact, we spend more of our time and put more of our efforts into discipleship than we even do in evangelism, believe it or not.

Because that’s part of the Great Commission. What is the Great Commission? According to Matthew 28, it’s go into all the world, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you, and lo I am with you always, even to the end of the age. So the Great Commission is baptizing people, it’s discipling people, it’s grounding people, it’s teaching people the Word of God. Then a Mark’s version, Jesus says, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel." So we do all of those things.

I’m amazed at what I would describe as a baptism movement sweeping the country right now. And there was a group in Southern California that did a big baptism down at Pirate’s Cove, and they were inspired by the Jesus Revolution film which featured a lot of baptism scenes, as you recall. And of course, we had baptisms there back during the Jesus movement. Then we went a couple of months later and we baptized 4,500 people in one single day. Then we went back a year later and baptized 2,000 more. But you read about these baptisms happening around the country on college campuses. I think that’s really an exciting thing.

But we do a lot for new believers. We have something called the New Believer’s Bible we usually mention at the end of our services. There’s 10 million copies in print, and we have sent over 600,000 copies of the New Believer’s Bible to churches that support our crusades over the last 30-plus years. We have 200,000 people going through the Gospel of John on our digital outreach right now, and we have 15,000 more in our online discipleship community. And we have a teaching series on sharing your faith called "Tell Someone" that’s been watched by 100,000 people. So yeah, we’re into discipleship in a serious way.

But then Jesus says to him, "Get up and walk." So now you’re up, you’ve got to walk. See, the Christian life on more than one occasion is compared to a walk. "Walk in the spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh." "As you’ve received Jesus Christ as Lord," the Bible says, "so walk in Him."

So there’s God’s part. He’ll save you, He’ll heal you. Now you’ve got to walk. Every day you’ve got to walk spiritually. And sometimes people say, "Well, I tried Christianity and it didn’t work for me." Listen, Jesus Christ is not like some brand of toothpaste that you try and then return. I don’t know about you, but I do return things kind of a lot. Now let me explain.

I’m not taking advantage of anything, but there’s something that’s available—maybe it’s an I have to admit, on Instagram, I’ve fallen for a few of those things, right? Just click the button, your phone, it’s on its way, right? That looks pretty cool. But I always check the return policy. "30 days you can return it," they say, and I always want to know, is there a restocking fee? Okay, there isn’t. And I’ll try it, and most of the time I don’t like it. But sometimes I like it and I’ll keep the product. But "Jesus, oh I tried Him out but I returned Him, it didn’t work." Jesus is not an it, He’s a Him, and He will change any person who comes to Him.

I suggest you didn’t do your part. He does His part. Did you take it seriously? Did you start reading your Bible? Did you develop a prayer life? Did you become a part of church? See, a lot of people don’t do anything. It reminds me of people that go to gyms and they never lose weight and never get in shape. Well, they get into shape, but it’s like the shape of a pear. But then you look at them, they never work out. They just sit around and talk all day, or eat donuts, or "I go to the gym three days a week, why am I not in better shape?" Because you go to the gym and don’t do anything. You see, there’s your part and a lot of people don’t do their part.

Closing thought. All around us are people who are lonely, who are hurting, that need someone to reach out to them. See, Jesus saw this guy, and we need to see these people. They’re everywhere. Sometimes you see them in church. Maybe they’re sitting alone. "Hey, I noticed you’re alone. Is this your first time here?" Maybe it is. "Do you know anybody? Would you like to go out with us? We’re going to get a bite to eat after church, why don’t you join us? Hey, are you in a small group? Good to meet you." And next time you see them, you remember their name, you reach out to them.

See, that’s so important to do. Or when you’re just out and about in life, you see someone there, they’re upset, they’re hurting, maybe they’re crying. "Is everything okay?" "Well, I just found this news out." "Oh, really? Well, listen, I’m a Christian and I believe in the power of prayer. Could I pray for you?" You want to know something? Most people will not say no to your offer of prayer. Even non-believers. "Can I pray for you?" "Okay." Now, might be a little awkward for them, but that’s okay, pray for them. See, show them you care. And people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

And I think sometimes we’re thinking about how we’re going to argue people into the Kingdom of God. You might be surprised to find how far a gesture of kindness will go. "Hey, can I help you? Can I reach out to you?" That’s what Jesus did for this man. He saw him. We need to see people as God sees them, as sheep without a shepherd, as people that need a Savior. They’re all around us.

And God sees you right now. I think a lot of times we feel unseen, unnoticed, unloved, unappreciated. Some even think, "If I was gone, no one would even miss me." What a lie. You’re loved by far more people than you know. You’re needed, you’re wanted, but most of all, you’re loved by God. And He sees you right now, just as Jesus saw this guy 2,000 years ago in that big crowd. He saw this guy and walked right up to him. He sees you and He’s ready to enter into your life and you’ll never be alone again.

Jesus died on the cross for your sin. He paid the price for every wrong you’ve ever done. And He rose again from the dead and now He stands at the door of your life and He knocks and says if you’ll hear His voice and open the door, He’ll come in. Have you asked Christ to come into your life yet? And if not, would you like to? Let me give you that opportunity as we close now in prayer.

Let’s all pray. Father, I pray for any person here or listening, wherever they may be. If they don’t know you, Jesus, let this be the moment they believe. They don’t have to be alone in life. They don’t have to feel unloved or unwanted or unseen because you love them, you want them, and you see them. Help them to come to you and believe.

While we’re all praying together, if you want Christ to come into your life, if you want Him to forgive you of your sin, if you want this relationship with Him I’ve been talking about, you could just pray this prayer after me. You can pray it out loud if you like or pray it quietly in your heart, but just pray this with me.

Pray: "Lord Jesus, I know I’m a sinner. But I know that you’re the Savior who died on the cross for my sin and rose again from the dead. I turn from my sin now and I choose to follow you. Thank you for hearing this prayer and answering this prayer. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen."

Guest (Male): An important moment for those praying that prayer. Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie leading many in a prayer asking Jesus to be their Savior. And if you’ve just prayed that prayer, well first of all, we want to be the first to welcome you into the family of God. And we also want to help you grow as a Christian. Let us send you Pastor Greg’s New Believer’s Bible. It’s full of wonderful study helps for those who are new to the faith, and the scripture text is in an easy-to-understand translation. Ask for the New Believer’s Bible when you call us at 1-800-821-3300. That’s 1-800-821-3300. Or go online to harvest.org and click "Know God."

Well, Pastor Greg, we’re so thankful for the work God is doing through this ministry. We’re touching lives for eternity, and we’re really thankful for our friends who see the fruit of this ministry and invest so this work can reach even further. Isn’t that right?

Greg Laurie: Absolutely. When you invest in Harvest Ministries, you’re investing in the souls of men and women, boys and girls. And what is the value of a soul? Well, let me personalize it. What’s the value of your soul? What’s the value of the soul of your husband, your wife, your son or your daughter, or your mom or your dad, or your best friend? Well, I would say you probably couldn’t put a price tag on it. It’s so valuable. Well, listen, God says all souls are Mine. God loves us and sent His Son to die on the cross to pay the price for all of our sin so we could be forgiven and come into a relationship with Him. I can’t think of a better investment of my resources, of my money, than in the work of the Kingdom of God. So we would ask you to prayerfully consider investing in Harvest Ministries as we continue on to fulfill the Great Commission.

Guest (Male): Yeah, that’s right. And you can make your donation right now at harvest.org. Or write us at A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, California, 92514. Or call 1-800-821-3300. That’s a 24/7 phone number, 1-800-821-3300.

Well, next time, Pastor Greg takes us to a couple of miracles Jesus performed in rapid succession. It’s a moving message called "Jesus and the Brokenhearted." Join us here on A New Beginning with pastor and Bible teacher Greg Laurie.