Pulse Message 5-13-12 Bring a Friend

This week, we are talking about how you can make an eternal difference in the lives of your friends. Here’s the truth, if your friend does not know Christ in this life, then they will miss out on purpose and fulfillment now, and heaven for eternity. How much do you have to hate someone that you wouldn’t do something about it? Are you doing something about it?

John 1:40-45
 ^40-42Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard John's witness and followed Jesus. The first thing he did after finding where Jesus lived was find his own brother, Simon, telling him, "We've found the Messiah" (that is, "Christ"). He immediately led him to Jesus.
   Jesus took one look up and said, "You're John's son, Simon? From now on your name is Cephas" (or Peter, which means "Rock").
 ^43-44The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. When he got there, he ran across Philip and said, "Come, follow me." (Philip's hometown was Bethsaida, the same as Andrew and Peter.)
 ^45-46Philip went and found Nathanael and told him, "We've found the One Moses wrote of in the Law, the One preached by the prophets. It's Jesus, Joseph's son, the one from Nazareth!" Nathanael said, "Nazareth? You've got to be kidding."
But Philip said, "Come, see for yourself."

Are you leading people closer to Christ? Billy Graham came up with a powerful way to looking at the world around you to be intentional to make a difference in people’s lives for the sake of Jesus Christ:

·         Look Around where you live, work, or go to school—this is your mission field. Make a list of names of individuals you know who need Jesus Christ, and commit to pray for the people on your list regularly.

·         Look Up because God changes people through prayer. Pray each day for those on your list, that God will give you opportunities to share His love with them.

·         Look Out for ways to cultivate friendships with each person on your list. Spend time with them. An invitation to dinner or a sporting event will build friendships, which can open the way to talk about Christ. Remember: don’t preach. Listen and be a good friend.

·         Look Forward and begin to talk with each person on your list about reading a book, going to church, or attending an event such Pulse, Creation Museum, or Summer Camp. Choose a specific date, pray, and invite them.

·         Look After those who respond to Christ or even begin to show interest in the Gospel, for they need your encouragement. Continue to love and pray for those who do not respond.

Have gone to summer camp with us in the past. Do you feel like summer camp was an incredible experience where you grew significantly closer to Christ. Do you hope your friends experience Christ at camp like you did. But how many people have you actually invited to go to summer camp this year?

Summer Camp exercise