This one first…

then this one…

This morning, instead of the book of Jacob – or die brief van Jakobus, we will go to Timothy. And it must be frustrating given how we do outreach on a daily basis at Spur, And I believe at work for some of you, I believe also in the mall. I know Karl also does it at the till, when they give you that slip, you give it, you give them that tract. I used to do it – not so often these days, but also the telemarketers when they call. I use that opportunity to… to preach the gospel to them. I simply tell them this is my time. You called me, so, you listen to me first and then after you’ve listened to me, then I’ll listen to you. And that normally works because they want you to listen to them so you can sneak in there the gospel and… and preach to those. So, there are many ways of doing that. In family meetings, you can also share the gospel. But it is frustrating, when day in and day out you share this gospel with loved ones. And you consistently get the same response – they reject their message. They simply reject, they brush it off. They think you’re crazy. They think you’ve lost your tradition. You’ve lost your culture. They think you are a traitor. They think all sorts of things but accept the message.
You have examined and then changed your methods of sharing. You have bought books that say they know how you can win over an unbeliever. You have spoken to your pastor or elder to get some tips. You have tried everything and yet you continue to get the same response – they reject your message!
You are probably now at a point where you think it is not worth it anymore. Well… well, let me tell you something before you get to that point. It is worth it. It is worth it because first of all it is a command that you need to obey. Every Christian is commanded to share the Gospel of Christ. So, on that basis alone it’s worth it because you are in obedience to Christ.
But we’ve been going to Spur, to Rocco Mamas, to all those shops around there, it’s not only food shops, clothes shops, brothers and sisters, there’s also clothing! So, we are not only going to the food… food!
I mean this… this weekend it was Karl alone. Last week, it was Frank on his own, and sometimes it’s Ewoud on his own. And… and all of those things. But all these efforts, sometimes you go weeks in, week out and we don’t see any response. Nothing! In fact, I think we only had one person from the mall, coming through here from all the time that we’ve been there! But it is not…it is still worth it!
Now if you feel that this is just a waste of time, then this sermon is for you! Then you really want to pay attention this morning… this morning to this sermon. For this will encourage you and maybe give you a different angle to look at outreach that will rejuvenate the fire that started in you when you started to go to outreach. But if you are an unbeliever, on the other side, then you too must listen to this sermon simply because this might be the one time that you truly realize who you are and how much in trouble you actually are in. This is probably the one time that a mirror will be placed before you and you will see yourself for who you truly are. So, you need to be paying attention as well.

This sermon is divided into 5 main points:
1. The Unbelievers Inability to Repent – vv25a
2. The Unbelievers Lack of Knowledge of Truth – vv25b
3. The Unbelievers Drunkenness – vv26a
4. The Unbelievers Captivity – vv26b
5. The Unbelievers Loyalty – vv26c