PowerPoint

Jack Graham: All of us have been called in our jobs, in our schools, in our neighborhoods, to naturally in the normal daily traffic patterns of our lives attempt to use our influence to introduce people to him.

Guest (Female): Welcome to PowerPoint with Jack Graham. On today's PowerPoint, Dr. Graham brings a message about how you can boldly share your faith without fear. Now, here's Dr. Graham with his message, Beyond All Limits.

Jack Graham: The Apostle Paul said in Romans 1:16, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God into salvation to the Jew first and also to the Greek." Everyone needs the gospel because everyone needs Jesus. Amen. And we celebrate that good news of Jesus Christ. That's what the gospel is. It is the good news that Jesus died on the cross and was buried, and on the third day, rose again according to the scripture. That is the good news of Jesus Christ.

And we are to take that good news of our Lord and Savior, our risen Redeemer, beyond the limits. That is, we are simply to take the message of Jesus Christ everywhere we go and even beyond what our imagination might take us. I want you to take your Bibles and turn with me to the eighth chapter of the book of Acts. Now, the first seven chapters of Acts and our series describe the birth and the burgeoning growth of the early church and how early Christians, those believers of the first century, captured the city of Jerusalem for Christ and then began moving beyond the limits of that particular location and geography and took the gospel to the world in fulfilling the command and the commission of the King, as the Lord said, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel."

So I want to ask you a question. Is the passion of Jesus Christ your passion? Is his great love for people that brought him from heaven to earth to die on the cross for people just like you, just like me? Is his passion your passion? Is his purpose to bring the world to himself your purpose? The fact is, all of us have both the privilege and the responsibility of introducing our friends to Christ, of influencing our families for Christ.

The fact is that many Christians today, many who are sitting in church pews today, never even attempt to share their personal faith in Jesus Christ. And so sometimes the Lord has to shake us in order to move us. Even the first century church, perhaps, was settling in in the city of Jerusalem, and yet something happened that shook them and moved them beyond the limits so that they would continually fulfill the great commission, not just in their own city where it may have been getting a little comfortable, but God moved and so moved with persecution in the church that he got them out of their comfort zone and shook them and spread them out so that the gospel could be shared.

Look in the eighth chapter and verse one. Now, Saul, that would be Saul of Tarsus, who would become Paul the Apostle, was consenting to his death, the death of Stephen. And at that time, a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem. And they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. And what were they doing? Verse four, "Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word."

Now, the phrase there "preaching the word" is the word from which we get our word evangelism. It's not the idea of preaching in a pulpit, but rather of sharing the good news, delivering the message of the gospel. And therefore the apostles who stayed back in Jerusalem, courageously defending the frontlines of spiritual battle in Jerusalem, others were scattered all across Samaria and Judea, and they were there scattered. They were not cowering in a corner somewhere because of their fear. They were unashamed and unafraid of the gospel. Rather, even though they were scattered, they were not silent because they went everywhere sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.

I'm calling this message Beyond the Limits because we're going to see as they were scattered abroad in Judea and Samaria, ultimately they spread to the uttermost parts of the world, just as Jesus had commanded them to go in obedience to him. And so are we today to move beyond the limits to get the gospel to the world. How are we going to do that? Number one, if you want to move beyond the limits of your Christian life in sharing the gospel, then number one, find your passion.

In Acts chapter 8, Acts chapter 9, and Acts chapter 10, you have three remarkable stories of salvation. You have the salvation in Acts chapter 8 of an Ethiopian, a man who had come to Jerusalem to worship but was going home empty and yet still seeking to know God, who he is. And he was personally led to Christ by a deacon whose name was Philip. And Philip went to the desert on assignment of the Holy Spirit, and there he discovered this man and he personally led him to Christ. In Acts chapter 9, you have the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, that rabbi who was wreaking havoc upon the church of Christ, persecuting and destroying and killing and imprisoning those who were believers in Christ.

He was not on the top priority list of the church, I'm sure. He might have been the last person they would have ever expected to come to faith in Christ. He was filled with hatred and was filled and fueled with anger against believers. And yet on the Damascus Road, Saul of Tarsus met Jesus face to face. And God used a man by the name of Ananias to seal the deal, as it were, with the Apostle Paul to follow through on his conversion and to help him get started in the Christian life. And then in Acts chapter 10, there we're introduced to a man whose name is Cornelius. Cornelius was a Roman centurion who was a God-fearer. He was someone who was looking for God, perhaps looking out into a starry night and saying, "God, I want to know you. I want to know who you are. How can I know you?" And God sent Simon Peter to find this man and to share Christ with this man, and this Roman soldier was converted to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, let me tell you what's interesting about these three conversions. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And when those three sons and their families came off the boat, those three sons became the progenitors of the human race. Ham and the descendants of Ham settled in Ethiopia and developed the African nations. Shem and the sons of Shem, the descendants of Shem, settled in the Middle East in Asia. They became the Shemites or the Semites, the great races, the streams of humanity known as the Asians or the Middle East. And then the Roman centurion was a child, he was a son of Japheth. Japheth and his family settled in Europe. And they were in effect the westward movement of civilization.

And so in Shem, Ham, and Japheth, you have all three great strains, great streams of the human race represented. And so God is using these three men. I believe it's not by accident that these three conversions are recorded in these chapters of the book of Acts because what we have here is in microcosm the gospel getting to the whole world. And how did each one of these come to faith in Jesus Christ? They were led individually and personally by someone God had called and chosen to go and to take the message.

God used miracles, God used circumstances to move these people, to get them ready to hear the gospel. And on the other end, God was working in the lives of believers to get them to share their faith in Jesus Christ. So God used a man by the name of Philip, God used the man by the name of Ananias, and God used a man by the name of Peter to introduce and influence these people for Christ. What was the common denominator of these three individuals who shared their faith? They all had a passion for Christ and sharing the gospel. You see, evangelism is not a program. You can't learn what you need to learn to share your faith in a textbook or in a classroom until you have a heart and a passion for souls. The heart of Christ, the passion for the gospel. You see, Jesus has not only called us to come to him, but he's called us to go for him.

Guest (Female): You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message Beyond All Limits. Easter is just around the corner, and we want to help you prepare your heart for the season. When you sign up, we will send you a video devotional every day until Easter to remind you of the sacrifice Jesus made so that we can be forgiven of our sins and reconciled to God. Dr. Graham will share a short devotional about the final words that Jesus spoke from the cross and what they mean to us today. To sign up, just text CROSS to 59789. Again, text CROSS to 59789. Right now, you have the incredible opportunity to help others experience the unshakable hope and abundant life found only in Jesus Christ. Your support of PowerPoint Ministries makes a real and lasting difference, changing lives for eternity as people encounter God's word. And because your partnership matters so deeply, we'd love to send you Dr. Graham's new book, Living Hope in a Hostile World, as our thanks for your gift of $10 or more. This book explores the bold truths of 1 Peter and offers strength, courage, and hope for whatever you may face. To give your gift, text FEB to 59789. Text FEB to 59789. Now, let's get back to today's message, Beyond All Limits.

Jack Graham: People today are asking, well, what is your passion? What's your passion in life? Is your passion music? Is your passion your work? Is your passion your Bible study? What's your passion? And I understand what people are saying when they talk about passion, and you ought to discover your passion and work and live and serve within your heart and your passion. But all of us, all of us must have a passion for people who need Jesus Christ. That's all of us. No matter what else your passion may be, no matter what else is in your heart to do, first have a passion for God and his gospel of Jesus Christ. We must obey God and not men.

And the one thing that you know about the heart of God and the heart of Jesus Christ is that he loves people. If you want to know what a person's passion is, see what they would be willing to live for and be willing to die for. Jesus came, expressing the heart and the love of God, and he lived for us and he died for us, and that is his passion. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him would not perish but have everlasting life. Now, the three individuals who met Christ in these three stories in the book of Acts, they were all very different. They came from different racial strains, different backgrounds, different religious experiences. But all of them had the same basic human need.

And when you look and define really at the basic human and spiritual need of every individual, there are four basic needs of the human heart. One, everybody is empty. These men were empty. The Ethiopian, the African man, was going back home without God, without a personal relationship with his God. And while he was a seeker of spiritual and religious truth, religion had not satisfied him. He was empty. Same was true with the Apostle Paul, Saul of Tarsus. He was a very religious man, committed even to kill for his religion. And yet something was going on in his heart. He was stirred. He wasn't satisfied. He was empty.

That centurion, that Roman soldier, he wanted to know God. He was called a God-fearer, and yet he didn't know the God that he feared, and he wanted to know him. Why? He is spiritually empty. There is a great big hole in every human being's heart. And that hole can only be filled by the holiness of God in Jesus Christ. Every person is empty. Every person is lonely. There's a cosmic loneliness in the human heart, a need for God. And there is a basic loneliness and a sense of alienation because of separation from God. And not only are people empty and people are lonely, but people are guilty. They haven't lived up to their own standards, much less the high and holy standards of God.

Saul of Tarsus was guilty of the blood of Stephen. He had stood by and consented to the death of Stephen. It was killing him. It was ripping him apart. He was guilty before God. And he knew that all of the efforts, the human and religious efforts that he had made to attain the favor and the pleasure of God, it wasn't working. There was anger and resentment and guilt in his life and he didn't know how to get rid of it. And then I'll tell you something else about every person. Every person is afraid, afraid to die. Regardless of the bravado that some people may express, deep down in the human experience is the fear of death, the fear of eternity. What's next? What's in the afterlife? And how will I stand before God?

And all three of these individuals that we meet here right square in the middle of the book of Acts are lonely, they are afraid, they are empty, and they are guilty. So they needed something to change their lives. More importantly, they needed someone to change their life, and that someone is Jesus. Everyone on the face of the earth needs Jesus Christ. He is the only hope of the world. And when you look at these chapters, for example, look at chapter 8 and verse 35. I want to show you what the message of the good news is. Chapter 8 and verse 35, this is when Philip is speaking with the African statesman down in verse 35, "Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this scripture, preached Jesus to him." All right.

In chapter 9 and verse 5, when the Apostle Paul is converted there on the road to Damascus, he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And the Lord said, "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, and it is hard for you to kick against the goads." And then over in chapter 10 and verse 38, and this is when the European, the Italian centurion meets the Lord. And what did Peter share with him? In verse 38, chapter 10 and verse 38, "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him." You see, for all three men, no matter their race, no matter their religion, their color, their creed, their nationality, it was Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.

For there is no name given among men under heaven whereby we must be saved, but the name of Jesus. It is only Jesus and it is Jesus only. No matter how successful a person may appear to be, or no matter how religious an individual may be, or no matter how hardhearted they may appear, every person because of sin and guilt and fear and death, of alienation and loneliness and emptiness, every person needs Jesus. So how are they going to hear about Jesus? How are they going to know Jesus? How are they going to know the good news that he lived, he died, and he rose again? They will know when we go. When we get out of our comfort zones, as Philip did, as Ananias would, as Peter would, to cross over his own prejudices. Because you see, this European was a Gentile and Peter was a Jew, and it was a huge leap of faith for him to get beyond his comfort zone and beyond the limits of his racial understanding to get the gospel to this man.

But whatever it takes, God has called us to take the message of Jesus. You have a calling in life that is more important than making money. It's more important than making a name for yourself. The most significant assignment in life is to share Jesus Christ. They went everywhere evangelizing, everywhere. In the normal natural pursuit of your life, in your lifestyle, I'm not suggesting that you quit your job and go to a mission field, though God may be calling some of you to do that. But I'm saying that all of us have been called in our jobs, in our schools, in our neighborhoods, to naturally and supernaturally in the normal daily traffic patterns of our life, in our lifestyles, relationally share Jesus Christ and attempt to use our influence to introduce people to him. That's lifestyle evangelism. That's relational evangelism. And we're all to be doing it. So if you're going to do that, you need to ask God to give you a burden and to find your own passion, to find your heart. You say, "Well, I need a lot of help, pastor." All right, that's the second point: Fuel your passion. And the way you fuel your passion is being filled with the Spirit of God. Acts 1:8, "But you shall receive power after the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses." All three of these individuals who shared their faith were led by the Holy Spirit. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the children of God.

Did you know that you can be led by the Spirit every single day of your life? And when you are led by the Spirit and you walk in the Spirit, the Spirit, who is interested in bringing others to faith in Jesus Christ, will bring into your pathway, will bring into your life, will bring into the circle of your influence people who need to know Jesus. And that's when you, in the power of God's Spirit, can start sharing your faith. You don't have to be a preacher, a missionary, a paid professional. In fact, the best witnesses are people just like you, just like the people here in the book of Acts. The apostles stayed back in Jerusalem, they were taking care of Jerusalem, but the believers of the church, they went everywhere. They were scattered abroad, preaching and teaching and sharing Jesus Christ. And that's what you're to do, full of the Holy Spirit. And when you will simply say, "Lord, here am I, send me," he will put you in places of opportunity and privilege to share your faith.

Guest (Female): You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message Beyond All Limits. Your support of PowerPoint Ministries makes a profound impact, helping more people discover the truth and hope of Jesus Christ. And to thank you for your generous gift today, we'd love to send you Dr. Jack Graham's new book, Living Hope in a Hostile World. It's a timely resource that reminds you how to stand firm in faith, cling to God's grace, and live with courage, even in your most challenging times. As you grow in your walk with the Lord through this resource, may you be encouraged to know that your generous support is helping others do the same. Text FEB to 59789. Again, text FEB as in February to 59789. Easter is just around the corner and we want to help you prepare your heart for the season. When you sign up, we will send you a video devotional every day until Easter to remind you of the sacrifice Jesus made so that we can be forgiven of our sins and reconciled to God. Dr. Graham will share a short devotional about the final words that Jesus spoke from the cross and what they mean to us today. To sign up, just text CROSS to 59789. Again, text CROSS to 59789. Pastor, what is your PowerPoint for today?

Jack Graham: A group of members from our church went down to the Amazon. And when they got down there, they were getting off the boat and the doctor on the trip fell off the boat and severely injured his shoulder along with severely lacerating his hand. So they called the nearest doctor who was a full day's boat ride away. Well, our doctor's condition worsened, and in fact, he went into shock. And so by satellite phone, the group contacted a seaplane to come and then take him to safety. Well, just before they left that scene, together they huddled in prayer. Well, remember the doctor who was called, who was a day's boat ride away? He arrived on the scene about a day and a half later by boat. And because our doctor was already gone, he really wasn't needed.

So he said, "Well, what are you folks doing here?" And they said, "Well, we're Christians, and we're here to give medical and dental help to the people here in the villages, and we're here to share our faith in Jesus Christ." Now, this doctor was not a believer. In fact, he was antagonistic towards Christians and the Christian faith. But he said, "Since you're here and because I think you're doing a good work, I'm going to stay around and help you with the people." The entire week he began to see what God was doing through people's lives. And when someone asked him about his faith, he said, "I cannot believe in a God I cannot see." And so this unbeliever worked with our believers all week long.

And then near the end of the week, as they were going back up the river by boat, they were going to drop the doctor off at his home. One of our pastors had the opportunity to talk to this man about his faith, about how he needed Jesus in his life. The doctor said, "Well, I can't believe, but I'm certainly moved by what I've seen." The next day, this man showed up at the First Baptist Church in his hometown. And when the pastor preached and invited people to come forward and receive Jesus, he walked forward and professed his faith in Jesus Christ. And there are people just like this doctor all around us, and they can't seem to believe in a God they cannot see, but they can see him and know him if you would lovingly, graciously live for Christ, serve and minister to their needs, and then be prepared to share the reason for the hope that is in you.

Guest (Female): And that is today's PowerPoint. Remember, when you give a gift of $10 or more to PowerPoint, we will send you Dr. Graham's book, Living Hope in a Hostile World. Just text FEB to 59789. And join us again next time as Dr. Graham brings a message about how you can experience the power of the cross in your life. That's next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministries.