God's primary way of bringing people to Jesus Christ is through people. And if you're going to be an effective witness, you must make sure that you treat people differently... just like Jesus did. 

We have to remember that people are at all sorts of different places in their spiritual journey. Some people are seekers, some are skeptics, some are ready, ripe and responsive. Then there are those who are recalcitrant and rebellious, and it might take a little longer for them to come to Christ! 

That's why you and I have to be real and transparent. And we have to build bridges into people's lives. Just like Jesus did! 

A good example is how Jesus spoke to the woman at the well (see John 4). She was a Samaritan, a race of people with whom Jews typically didn't associate. She was an adulteress, a woman whose lifestyle was obviously unholy and unwholesome. Yet Jesus spoke with her and treated her with dignity. He spoke of the source of real satisfaction of the heart that would last forever. And she placed her faith in Christ that day! 

We all come to Jesus differently. And if you're going to be effective in your witness for Christ, you must be willing to go out of your way to meet people where they are. Just like Jesus did!

So let me ask you, are you waiting for that golden opportunity to share your story of grace with someone? Are you waiting for someone to ask you about Christ simply because of the way you live?

While this does happen every now and then, more often people meet Christ because someone like you got out of their comfort zone... took the initiative... and struck up a conversation with them. Someone like you took the time to ask someone else how they were really doing... offered a word of biblical encouragement... or simply just showed that they cared.

It's my prayer that you will meet people where they are today... just like Jesus did!

IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE EFFECTIVE IN YOUR WITNESS FOR CHRIST, YOU MUST BE WILLING TO GO OUT OF YOUR WAY TO MEET PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE.

What does "the Word was God" in today's verse mean? It means "face to face with God." It describes the most intimate kind of communion and union.

Christ left the intimacy and "face-to-faceness" with God... He left the glory of heaven and the majesty of God's presence... and came to earth.

Think about that for a moment. Jesus left heaven to be born in a stable... to walk among men on the dirty streets of Galilee. He lived and died and rose again as a human being.

Isn't it amazing that God would walk among us? But why would He do this?

He did it because He loves you and me... and He wants you and me to come into a personal relationship with Him. But because we are separated from God by our sin, we can't know God or experience God or get near to God in His absolute holiness. So God came near. He came down in the person of Jesus Christ and paid the price for our sin by dying on the cross.

So let me ask you, how have you responded to Jesus Christ in your life?

If you've accepted Him as your personal Lord and Savior, I praise God that you've made the best decision you will ever make. But if you haven't made this decision, what's stopping you from accepting God's free gift of eternal life right now?

GOD CAME TO EARTH IN THE PERSON OF JESUS CHRIST AND PAID THE PRICE FOR OUR SIN BY DYING ON THE CROSS.

To this day, it amazes me that the God of the universe would use people...people like you and me...to accomplish great and mighty things for Him! God...uses...people. And He wants to use you!

"But," you say, "you don't know my past. You don't know what I struggle with. How can God ever use someone like me?"

I'm here to tell you today that God can and will use you. How do I know? Because His Word is full of men and women who would have never thought God would use them! These are people like Noah. When God called him to build the ark, we might have heard him say, "Do what, God? Build an ark? That's impossible!"

Or what about Nehemiah? When the call of God came upon his life, he might have said something like, "Wait a minute, God. I'm comfortable here in Persia. I've got a great job. Why would you want someone like me to give up everything to rebuild a wall?"

Or think about Paul. When Jesus called him, we might have heard him say, "Wait a minute, Lord, I'm your chosen instrument? Do you know my past? Have you seen what I've done?"

Yet God called each of these men to do great things for Him! And not only did He call them, but God equipped them to do what He had called them to do.

And you know what? God can do the same for you! Philippians 2:13 says, "It is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure."

So let me ask you, are you willing to let God use you? If so, I urge you to echo the words of Isaiah, who said to God, "Here am I! Send me"!

GOD HAS CALLED YOU AND WILL EQUIP YOU TO DO GREAT THINGS

Nehemiah was one of the great leaders of the Bible even though he wasn't a prophet, a priest, or a preacher!

Nehemiah described himself as a cupbearer to the king. He was just a guy who worked hard and had risen to some prominence in his day and time. Nehemiah was just a man... but he was a man whom God raised up! 

As we look at his life, there are some steps that Nehemiah took that insured his success... steps that made him a very effective leader. They're the same steps you can take as a follower of Christ to ensure you're an effective leader in your sphere of influence as well.

Step number one is to pray fervently. We see this trait over and over again in the life of Nehemiah. He was a man of prayer. Real leaders understand that opportunity swings on the hinges of prayer.

Step number two is to proceed confidently and courageously. You accomplish this by living what Proverbs 3:5-6 says: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."

Step number three to being an effective leader is to plan wisely. Too often we have an idea... we have a dream... and we just go at it arms flailing, rather than taking time to plan. But there's a beautiful balance here. There's the divine side of praying and then there's the human side of planning. There is agonizing and then there is organizing. 

This is why Nehemiah was such a great leader. He not only prayed, he not only proceeded with confidence and trust in the Lord, he planned effectively. 

These same steps... when applied to your life as a Christian... will help you become the effective leader God intends for you to be!

BECOME THE EFFECTIVE LEADER GOD WANTS YOU TO BE BY PRAYING FERVENTLY, PROCEEDING CONFIDENTLY, AND PLANNING WISELY

Do you want to free yourself from financial bondage? Well, the first step is to know exactly what financial bondage really looks like! 

You're in financial bondage...

1. When you charge daily expenditures due to the lack of funds.
2. When you put off paying a bill until next month.
3. When you borrow money to pay fixed expenses such as your mortgage, insurance, or energy payment.
4. When you become unaware of how much you owe your creditors.
5. When you have creditors call or write to you about past-due bills.
6. When you take money from savings to pay your current bills.
7. When you take out new loans to pay off old loans.
8. When you and your spouse argue about money.
9. When you consider being dishonest about your finances.
10. When you find it difficult to return God's tithe to God's house on God's day.

If any one of these markers describes your life today, I want to offer you a word of encouragement: There is a way to escape financial bondage!

Number one, you need to confront the problem. When you have a problem, you have to be willing to be honest about it.

Number two, you need to take decisive action. Proverbs 21:5 says, "The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty."  You need to have a plan if you're going to escape financial bondage. It's not just going to take care of itself on its own! This will probably involve such things as reducing your spending, putting away or tearing up your credit cards, and budgeting your income.

The last way to escape financial bondage is to focus on what you can give--not on what you can get. In Luke 6:38, Jesus says, "Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you." Thats Gods spiritual law which does not fail.

If you find yourself in financial bondage today, I encourage you right now to make the decision to free yourself. You will never be the blessing God intends as long as you are in bondage to money!

BY ESCAPING FINANCIAL BONDAGE, YOU CAN LIVE THE ABUNDANT LIFE GOD INTENDS FOR YOU

People need the Lord. But they will never know the Lord unless you and I are willing to share Jesus with our world. It's what God has called every one of us to do.

Now in Luke 14, beginning in verse 15, Jesus tells a story, or parable, of a beautiful banquet that has been prepared. But when the master of the house says, "Invite the guests," all the guests begin to make excuses. They all reject the master's invitation. So the master says, "Fine, go tell the blind, the lame, the maimed; go into the highways and hedges, go into the streets, the lanes, the back alleys and invite all of those folks to come in."

As we learned today, this parable gives us important insight into our responsibility to share the gospel. First, verse 21 shows who is to go and extend the invitation to the banquet-tthe servants. If we are servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, it's our job to share Christ…to issue the invitation to his "banquet" of salvation.

Next, it shows how we are to go. Verse 22 says, "And the servant said, 'Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.' And the master said to the servant, 'Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in.'" We're to go and share the gospel in every form and every fashion with every kind of method that we can use that honors God!

Third, we are shown who are we to go to. Verse 21 again shows us that we're to go and reach the poor-tthe physically poor, materially poor, spiritually poor. All are poor without the Lord Jesus Christ.

And when are we to go? Again, verse 21 says we're to go quickly. There's never been an opportunity better than right now.

Finally, we are told in verse 23, why are we to go…"That my house may be filled." Jesus is talking about His heavenly house, and He is looking for us to reach more and more people who need to hear the invitation of the Lord Jesus Christ to spend eternity with Him.

God has prepared the banquet of salvation.  Are you willing to be His servant…going to a spiritually hungry world and extending His invitation to come and dine with Him for eternity?  I hope your answer is YES!

MAKE IT YOUR PRIORITY TO ANSWER CHRIST'S CALL TO SHARE THE GOSPEL