The Single
Greatest Gift
From a
message by Bill Hybels
PPT Slide 1/Secret Believer
PPT Slide 2/Blank
Introduction: Contagious
Christian
Spread faith like the flu
(in-FLU-ence)
My cold last
week
can be as simple as
taking a walk across a room.
1. Why? Blessed to be a
blessing, God’s agents, Hell is real, Rewards
2. What would/DID Jesus do?
(…if he lived in my neighborhood)
3. Making contacts – Building
relationships: “Good deeds lead to good will
which leads to openness to good news”
4. STORY Everyone has a story,
Hear theirs/Tell yours! Be yourself!)
5. Jesus is the essential DNA
of our message and mission
The god of this
age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot
see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the
image of God. 6 For God, who said, "Let light shine out of
darkness," (creation)
made his
light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge
of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
6. The importance of
spiritually healthy community (Phil 1:9-11) “Caring is the
engine…”
7. 4 Hard questions: 10 years?
What happens to people w/o JC? How will they hear? Tell Jesus?
PPT Slide 3/Today:The
Single Greatest Gift (Title Slide)
Hearers but not doers: Sermons
(take notes? Where are they now?), Bible Study, seminars (notes
never get out of the briefcase), Conversation on the way home? ;
PPT Slide 4/Week One
premise, “The single greatest gift …”
The single greatest gift
Christ-followers can give to the people around them is an
introduction to the God who created them, who loves them, and
who has a purpose for their life.
(Click) Constantly
watching for ways to give this single greatest gift to
someone living far from God.
Point 1: Be willing to
enter the Zone of the Unknown
PPT Slide 5/Point 1: Be
willing to enter the Zone of the Unknown
We all have a comfort zone –
called that for a reason: IT’S COMFORTABLE!
I spend a lot of
time in unfamiliar surroundings. Hospital chaplain, welcoming
people to Dad’s service, auditioning for Luboff. Sometimes
have to force myself to show up
PPT Slide 6 - Circle
PPT Slide7 Recognize
my circles wherever I am:
Sunday morning
Keen-agers
Hymn Sing tonight
Small group
Church events
Neighborhood
Everyday routine
(Click)
Learn to recognize
someone with no circle
Anticipate (come
determined to find someone)
Practice by attending
events where you’re the outsider
(First
time at Chamber, Cardoza’s dinner, Atwater CCouncil)
Gets easier, helps to know what
it feels like to be an outsider
PPT Slide8/Point 2: Arrow
representing willingness to enter
PPT Slide 9: Let the
Spirit lead you
Step One: Be willing to
enter the Zone of the Unknown
Step Two: Let the Spirit
lead you
PRAY – what do I need?
Overcome fear? Have the right words?
PREPARE – People don’t
want to feel foolish, practice first lines
PROCLAIM
Ron Richie: “If
the Spirit gives you something to say, say it. If not,
keep quiet
Pastor Paul: If
the Spirit doesn’t give the words, ASK QUESTIONS
Step Three: Just Walk!
PPT Slide 10/Just Walk!
Every journey starts with a
single step
Being aware of my tendency to
want to stay in my Comfort Zone…
Realizing what it feels like to
be an outsider…
Making the effort to notice
someone with no circle around him…
Being willing to enter the zone
of the unknown…
Depending on the Spirit for the
right words…
I take a walk across the
room!
PPT Slide 11 Matthew 5:13-14
“You are the
salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can
it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything,
except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the
light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.”
PPT Slide 12 Romans 5:8
But God
demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us
How did Jesus do that? He
took a walk
PPT Slide 13 Philippians
2:5-8
Two things Jesus did:
He walked across time and space
for you and me; so we could be redeemed and adopted into His
family
He walked across time and space
so we could see how it’s done!
Don’t worry about
mechanics and logistics
Don’t spend time
stressing over obligation and feelings of guilt
PPT Slide 14 Concluding
Summary
