I love it. Well that's right we are continuing our series Bad Advice Night. Welcome friends in the room friends in full worth and in Houston and in spring in El Paso and Tulsa and

tuning in wherever you are. Has anyone ever heard of the term a sneezer before? It's a business term and here's what I know you may not know what that word means but you know someone who is a sneezer. I'll tell you what a sneezer is. A sneezer is someone who spreads ideas or experiences or things that they really like like a virus or contagion like they're the kind of person everyone knows a guy who's a sneezer. Everyone knows a girl or guy who's a sneezer. They're the kind of person who when they experience something they really like they got to tell

everybody in the world about it like hey I have this toothpaste. I don't care what toothpaste you're using this is the greatest toothpaste of all time you've got to change this toothpaste. They're the kind of person that like spreads this restaurant you've got to try they're the best appetizer you've ever ate before you've got to go to this person they seem to always have a guy for something they like oh man you look at the mechanic look I got somebody I can take care of you this is the best mechanic in the entire DFW area try state you got to go see him he's the best see his reviews on y'all they're the person who knows everything or they seem to have a strong opinion on just about everything

that it seems like they're really common everybody anybody knows someone who's like this like they just kind of like they got to tell you about the different experiences that they've had or this new restaurant in this new hotel or whatever thing that they've done.

He's why I appreciate sneezes because I am totally a sneezer for whatever reason it's like hard for me to not share like when I I'm totally the guy I was like dude I have the best in us I don't care who you're in us oh it's your dad hey look this guy's better than your dad

and whatever it is it's just easy overflows like when I went on my honeymoon we went to this amazing hotel or this amazing resort in Mexico came back from it and of course I was like man I got to tell everybody in the world we're the young adults again married all the time and there is one option in the world for you people that I need to make sure that everybody knows about the greatest thing that you're ever going to experience in terms of a honeymoon it's just easy it kind of overflows and pours out and and if you're a sneezer in the room you know what I'm talking about it's just part of your personality now it's easy it is as it is as it is

to talk about virtually anything there's one category that for me it's not as easy to bring up and it's not as easy to talk about faith I mean despite the fact that yeah I'm a pastor secrets out when I'm outside engaging with people we're talking to neighbors or different things that unlike other other arenas or other conversations start or other topics for me when it comes to talking about faith there's just something where it's a little bit more sensitive of the subject a little bit more delicate it's a little harder for me to talk about that.

I'm not a little bit harder for me to move into that conversation in other words I'm not there's natural evangelists out there for me sharing my faith there's more like a discipline and something I have to be intentional about and mindful about there's natural evangelists like JP who every time I'm around him at a meal or dinner any place that he goes he's always sharing faith he's the guy that shares it with everybody he'll bump into a coffee machine coffee machine trust Christ he's the guy who shares it with anybody and everybody and for me that's just not my story I have to be more intentional and more to work at and here's why.

Because unlike when you're talking about a dentist or about you know your favorite place to shop for clothes or store the best deal or this website that you got to check out unlike all the different things where you talk about when it comes to the topic of faith those other things are not offensive but there's something when you bring up the idea of Jesus or faith religion or all of a sudden there's just a heightened sensitivity that everybody else feels where people can get offended or afraid we're going to offend someone

in a way that those other topics typically don't and here's why because of the bad advice we're going to talk about tonight that we live in a world who has been saturated or we as Americans live in a culture that's been saturated with the bad advice tonight which is don't impose your beliefs on people.

You and I you can't impose your beliefs on people you shouldn't impose your beliefs on people we shouldn't impose your faith or religion on people and tonight we're going to explore why that is such bad advice.

Not only from the verses that we're going to see but for those of us who are Christians in the room it's bad advice just from the words of Jesus who says man to not impose your belief don't hide behind the lie of that bad advice you are the light of the world you are the light of your apartment complex you workplace the cubicle that you are the light of your family if you're a believer if you're Christian.

Tonight we're going to talk about Christians and explore why it is such bad advice if you buy the lie that you should not impose your beliefs on the world around you on those who live near you those who work by you specifically we're going to see from the Apostle Paul why that's such bad advice and how we share our faith or what is the method by which we share our faith we're going to be in Acts chapter 17 where Paul lays out as clear as any other place through his own life and is an example his motivation for the world is to be a part of the world.

He's motivation for sharing his faith the method that he uses to share his faith and the mixed reactions that always happen anytime he share faith because it is further what I know 80% a recent Paul came out and said 80% of people who are Christians so if you're Christian talking to you and say hey man I trust you and cry 80% of Christians say man I have a personal responsibility before God to share my faith.

And the same Paul found that the vast majority of those has said that not only do I believe I'm supposed to but I haven't any time in recent history within the last six to 12 months I have not shared with anybody so there's some great divide that exists from many of us and that was an American a USA poll as relates to the Christian church that they believe I should share I just don't and tonight we're going to look at why that's such a tragedy and how we can overcome it we're going to be in Acts chapter 17 if you have a Bible flip there Matthew Mark Luke Acts.

And let me set the scene Acts is essentially the story of the early church so Jesus leaves and the book of Acts is all about the apostles and kind of the early church days and it's the Apostle Paul who was the artist formerly known as Saul who spent the first half of his life trying to kill Christianity stop Christianity meets Jesus and spends the next half of his life trying to spread Christianity.

Here's what's going on in Acts chapter 17 Paul has been hanging out he's been throwing the message Jesus all over the place all over the ancient world he's in Athens he's waiting for a couple friends he's hanging out in the city of Athens and that's where a story's going to pick up here's all you got to know about Athens Athens was like the cultural hub of the day it was the religious hub of the ancient world it was a port city it was a city of incredible influence Olympic started there Western philosophy started there Socrates Plato Aristotle all those you know guys

that you heard about once in philosophy class years ago all those guys were from the city of Athens and Paul shows up and what he sees inside of the city moves him to act so here's where we're going to pick up the story verse 16

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens he was greatly distressed so he was waiting for his friends and he's greatly distressed to see the city was full of idols that Paul looks around inside of the city of Athens

and all of a sudden in the word distressed is like a heart wrenching that it looks around and sees idols everywhere we know from other writings of the day that there were 25 to 30,000 idols inside of Athens there was a common saying that it's easier to find a God than a man in Athens so Paul looks around everywhere he looks to see these different gods of false idols to these different things that they worshiped and here's what happens

So this distressing moves him and he does something so he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and Godfrey and Greeks as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happen to be there as a Paul moves to act this distressing moves him to begin having these different conversations with people

and it begins reasoned with them about their faith and about what he believes in Jesus and all of a sudden this debate happens a group of Epicurians which is like a class of people be like the Republicans or Democrats or it's kind of a group that's known identified by this belief

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