GYCE Focus 2016: Coming to Christ

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GYC Europe

Craig Gooden

Closing Words

Dear Lord, I thank you, we thank you for your loving kindness, your mercy, and your strength.

I pray that in these few closing words that I have to share, I pray that you will help me to express what's on my heart.

The desires and the aims that we have for this weekend, these focus events, I pray that they will be fulfilled by what we see take place afterwards.

Even Jesus felt that the disciples left him, but he knew he would not be alone because he said you would remain with him.

Father, I pray that each person here will know and will be comforted by these words to know that you are always with us, and that we can continue and finish this work as long as we remain in connection with you.

As we come closer to you, Christ, you will help us to come closer to others, bringing them to you.

Holy Spirit, increase and move upon the hearts here in this church today.

I want you to think with me just for a moment.

He said amongst sinners he would be classed as the greatest 1.

He's made sure he spent time with Christ, not just over a few days, over many years.

His influence was so powerful that even when he was coming amongst the disciples for the first time, amongst those apostles, some of them were quite fearful.

Even the 1 who Jesus asked to go and lay his hands on him said, but we've heard of this man.

And God told him that I have set him aside as a specific vessel to do my work and he will suffer much for me.

You also continue reading about Paul that as he was converted to Christianity and his connection with Christ was going stronger and stronger, he could not but help himself to go and proclaim Christ in the synagogues and everywhere that he had access to people, to the point that they set watch guards all around Jerusalem so he wouldn't be able to get out.

But he did get out through a basket that they let down over the walls and Paul continued.

But there came a time when an accusation was placed upon him and he was imprisoned.

And as it reads in the book, Sketches from the Life of Paul, and if you haven't read that book, I would strongly encourage you to.

In the book Sketches from the Life of Paul, you read that In his last letter to Timothy, Paul was in his prison house in a gloomy cell.

And these cells, they weren't like how they may be in the prisons today, where some people would commit crimes just to get back into prison.

These cells did not have central heating.

They did not have free access to wonderful water.

They may have been kept in chains for many days.

The privilege of washing may not have been allowed, and brushing your teeth may not have been possible every day.

I'm trying to let you know that Paul was in a very uncomfortable position.

And I'm trying to imagine what Paul was going through while he was in the cell because for some reason he was still able to send letters.

But it wasn't as people would have you think that Paul was standing in some place shouting out, preach the word.

No, Paul was trying to encourage Timothy in his last letter to him.

But before he wrote that last letter, the chapter before that, you read that Paul had to go before Nero, A man who was unparalleled by any other leader in the world.

A man whose flags were based all over the seas of the world.

A man who when it came to wealth was unrivaled.

He could be, he was unapproachable regarding his power.

Yet the darkness and the depths of sin is in his own heart was in a huge contrast to Paul himself.

And the moment had to come when Paul would go before Nero and give his last defense, and I'm trying to consider and think, what was Paul going through those days, knowing that at any moment when he would give his defense, he could be killed?

Many of us here may have probably thought, well, if I have to go and give my defense, what's the best argument I can give to defend myself?

Do I have the best advocate who can plead for me?

And at those times, what they would normally do, They'd hire people who would cry for them, who would plead for them, who would advocate for them, who would be a public representation for them.

But at this moment, Paul decided to stand for Christ and nobody else.

His aim was not to defend himself, but to give the people another opportunity to hear about Christ, because he already had a connection with him, because Paul came to Christ.

And I'm trying to think, what was going through Paul's mind?

What was God saying back to him when he'd be praying to him?

Maybe God was always telling him that I'm with you always, even until the end of the world.

If you're with me, I will never leave you alone.

Just stand for me." And Paul stands before Nero and as you read him standing before Nero, he says in 2nd Timothy chapter 4 that no 1 stood with me.

Nevertheless, he knows that Christ was with him.

And he knew that Christ was with him because he had already spent time with who?

So Paul begins speaking and he shares with them and it states in the booklet, it says, as Paul stands before the emperor of the world, his words strike a chord which vibrates in the hearts of even the most hardened and which thrills in unison with the mission of angels.

Paul's words were in unison with the mission of angels.

Paul's words were in unison with the mission of angels, yet still working conviction on the hearts of the most hardened criminals that would be listening to him.

Wouldn't you like to have that experience wherever you go?

Wouldn't you want your heart beating in tune with God's heart?

Paul was alone in trial, but with Christ he was in an unseen majority.

And as it says that as Paul left that opportunity, that moment in front of Nero, it said that as the door closed, and this was certain that Paul was going to die, as the door closed on him, the doors of probation closed on Nero.

And through your words, oftentimes, God is trying to bring to people another opportunity for them to come closer to him and allow them the choice to say yes or no.

And Paul went back to that gloomy cell and I'm trying to think, what was he thinking when he was about to write this last letter to Timothy on his knees in that damn cold place?

And I imagine that those memories of the letters he wrote to others would have come back to his mind.

Maybe in Romans chapter, you know, when he wrote the letter to Romans, in chapter number 16, he's remembering that he also was never ashamed of Christ.

But he saw that in the gospel there is power to all who would believe, to the Jews and also to the Greeks.

Maybe he had it come back to his mind with what he wrote to the Corinthians where he said to them that I don't want to know anything amongst you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

Maybe in Galatians where he said, I am crucified with Christ and it's no more me who lives but Christ who lives in me and the life I am living is a life of faith.

Maybe he was thinking about what he wrote to the Colossians when he said that Jesus Christ in you is the hope of glory.

And then he begins to write to Timothy and in chapter 4, 2 Timothy chapter 4 verse 1 to 2, he says, I charge thee therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom.

Preach the word, be instant in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all unsuffering and doctrine.

And my plea to you all is will you be willing to preach the Word?

And I'm not on about standing behind a pulpit being willing to preach here.

I mean in your life, in your homes, in your places of study, in your places of work, will you be willing to preach?

I said to you at the beginning that I was excited about the weekend, but I'm anxious about what takes place afterwards.

And the aims of these focus events is simply this.

We introduce the event to you in the first year and then between the first year and the second year, you're supposed to go away and in that time, You are supposed to implement an evangelism spiral personally or in your local church.

Personally you can try and implement this spiral by starting small groups in your homes, by starting Bible studies in your churches or with people that you know, by reaching out to your neighbors in your neighborhood, in your churches by presenting this to the church board and offering them opportunities to get the church working together with the 1 aim of proclaiming the gospel in line with the 3 angels' messages.

And then in the second year when we come back together, we should not be coming back together just for the event again, but coming back together to share the time that we've had throughout the whole year.

So when we come back together, we are encouraging each other to continue.

And then it grows, because I read that when 1 person comes in contact with 2, then those 2 can come in contact with 4, and those 4 with 8 until it grows and grows and grows.

But if you're looking for times of big majorities, then you will fail.

Now it was introduced to you this weekend about this evangelism spiral.

How many of you, let me see the hands of you that saw this.

And there was a booklet that was given called the Evangelism Spiral Booklet, and in this booklet are instructions, guidelines, encouragements for sharing the gospel when you leave here.

On 1 of the pages it says that success in any line demands a definite aim.

And we want to help you understand that definite aim by providing you these things so that you can make connection with the people and follow God's methods.

He firstly mingled with men as 1 who desired their good.

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