Use Your Influence to Win Souls

Mark 5:15-20

Introduction:

1. The man called “Legion” on the shores of the Sea of Galilee needed the help of Jesus to cast out the demons

a. naked, wild man, lived among the tombs, could not be chained, crying out and gashing himself with stones

b. Jesus sent the demons into the swine who rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned

c. the man was then sitting clothed in his right mind

2. So moved was the man, he wanted to follow Jesus—begged to accompany him

3. Jesus said, "Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you." (5:19)

4. How do you tell your loved ones about Jesus and bring them to know Him?

If my friend or loved one was not a Christian, I would:

I. Pray fervently, everyday

1. Col. 4:2,3 Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; praying at the same time for us as well, that God may open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned;

2. Pray for soft hearts and open doors

3. Spiritual change will never take place until we get on our knees

4. The power for change lies with God, not with us! (1 Cor. 3:6,7) I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.

5. Pray for your friend everyday, by name, pray fervently! (James5:16) The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

II. Live the Christian life

1. Build love—bless those around you (Eph. 5:1,2) Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

a. I would spend time getting to know my friend

b. To love and listen to that friend

c. to spend the time it takes to build a relationship

2. Let your speech be wholesome (Eph. 4:29) Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear.

3. Avoid temptation (1 Pet. 2:11) Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage war against the soul.

4. Build respect for your faith (1 Pet. 2:12) Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may on account of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.

5. Get involved in Christian life (1 Cor. 15:58) Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.

III. Be Faithful to the Church

1. Attend every service, pray regularly

2. Know my Bible

3. Give liberally

4. Never badmouth the church or Christians in front of someone you hope to reach for the Lord

5. Invite my loved one to go with me

6. You have to go there to lead others

IV. Tell What Great Things God Has Done for Me

1. Talk Jesus—gossip the gospel, talk of God’s goodness and love. (Col. 4:6) Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt, so that you may know how you should respond to each person.

2. Let it be natural to you to express thanks to God (Mark 5:20) And he went away and began to proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone marveled. (Decapolis is ten cities)

3. Let it be natural to you to remember God’s grace

4. I would pay attention to their needs and problems, and talk of times God helped me through a similar one

V. Open the Bible and Bible Studies

1. There is nothing better than an open Bible to remind everyone of the place God has in our lives

a. God’s word saves (Rom. 1:16)

b. God’s word touches lives (Heb. 4:12)

2. Tracts and Christian literature are also helpful

3. I would know what my friend believed, and know what the Bible said about those matters

VI. Confront When the Time is Right

1. Jesus loved people and blessed their lives, but He never left them where He found them—He confronted them with the challenge to change

a. “repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”

b. “go and sin no more”

c. “go and do likewise”

d. “come, follow Me”

e. “take My yoke upon you and learn of Me”

2. Peter preached the death, burial and resurrection at Pentecost and confronted people with their sin of Jesus’ death

a. Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brethren, what shall we do?"

b. Acts 2:38-40 And Peter said to them, "Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. "For the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God shall call to Himself." And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation!"

3. The Eunuch preached Jesus to the Eunuch, but the Eunuch also knew what to do to be saved

a. Acts 8:36 And as they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, "Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?"

b. How did the Eunuch know to ask about that? We must tell people how to escape the terrible consequences of sin.

Conclusion:

1. It is easy at times for us to put off the things we most need to do

2. It may be that over this holiday season, you may talk seriously to someone you love about the Lord

3. Don’t put off something so vitally important.

4. Some of you need to obey the Lord

Tomorrow, he promised his conscience.

Tomorrow I mean to believe.

Tomorrow I’ll think as I ought to.

Tomorrow my Savior receive.

Tomorrow I’ll conquer the habits

That hold me from heaven away,

But ever his conscience repeated

On word and one only—Today.

Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow,

‘Til youth like a vision was gone.

‘Til age in his passions had written

The message of fate on his brow

And forth from the shadows came

Death with a pitiless syllable—Now!

What will you do with Jesus?

The call comes low and clear;

The solemn words are sounding

Now in your listening ear.