Christ Centered Evangelism Session 3

We're on page 10 and we're thinking about the two-fold response to the aroma of the life of Christ. Now, this is obvious, but we need to be reminded of it as we are the fragrance of Christ to God and He's pleased, He's glorified, Jesus is magnified. That aroma to some letter A is an aroma of death leading to death. This person is spiritually dead. God brings them within the sphere of the influence of your life. You begin praying for them. You're pursuing to live a Jesus-centered life before them. God gives you opportunity to proclaim, to plant the seed into them, but let's just imagine for a moment that this particular person rejects.

They resist. They refuse. They may respond antagonistically. They may respond with hostility. They may persecute you verbally or socially if not physically. Or they may respond apathetically, make light of the gospel and go their way with an apathetic, negligent rejection. Some folks may respond superficially. But every profession of faith is a possession of faith. To some, this is a fragrance of death leading to death. It we're just using our imagination. If they continue to reject and resist and refuse and they die in that condition, they will perish. Because you planted, you pleaded, but they rejected and you're alive.

To that person is an aroma of death leading to death. They were already spiritually dead, but absolutely personally responsible to repent and believe the gospel. If they die in that condition, they will experience the second death because they will stand before the great white throne judge and they will be cast into the lake of fire to suffer the second death. That is an aroma of death leading to death. But to others, the same fragrance. Let her be. We are an aroma of life leading to life. You purpose to do God's work, God's way for God's glory.

Your life and your message is manifesting, disseminating the fragrance of his knowledge in every place. God brings this person within the sphere of the influence of your life. You're using God's means to carry out God's mission. God gives you gospel opportunity with them. Maybe you're planting, maybe you're watering. He's the one who gives the increase. But we're using our imagination here. God takes your gospel proclamation and resurrects him from spiritual death. He shines the light of the glorious gospel on their blinded mind. He illuminates their blinded mind. By amazing grace and marvelous mercy, he liberates their sin captive will.

God graces them with repentance, with saving faith. God takes your call to the ears and so infuses it with resurrection power that God gives them a supernatural, miraculous call to the heart that literally gives them a heart transplant. And your life to that person is an aroma of life leading to life. Amen? It's the same fragrance and it's pleasing to God. But to some it's a fragrance of death. To others the same aroma is a fragrance of life.

Peter says in 1 Peter 2, 12, "Having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, among unconverted people, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works that they observe glorify God in the day of visitation." What's the day of visitation? Is that the second coming? No, this is the day when the Holy Spirit visits them.

When he takes the gospel and brings it to them, not in word only but a demonstration of Holy Spirit power and deep conviction and the very one who is speaking against you, possibly even persecuting you, now after this miraculous heart transplant, they are glorifying God now for the life they were persecuting. That's exactly what happened with the Philippian jailer.

He had Paul and Silas beaten and thrown at the bottom of the cell, but at midnight God gave a physical earthquake to the jail, but he gave a spiritual earthquake to the jailer man, and this man who was persecuting them previously is now falling before them saying, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" Paul said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved." And then he preached the word of the Lord to him, and later on, what is this jailer man doing? Glorifying God in the day of visitation. This is my own testimony. Here I was an arrogant agnostic drummer, but my lost Baptist wife was born again at age 24.

She had a phony profession at 13, it wasn't genuine, but at age 24 God brought her to the end of herself, drew her to Christ, she was radically transformed, and I was living with a new creation, and I hated it. Because I loved the darkness, I hated the light, and here was the light living in my home, but you know what she did? She lived a Jesus-centered life in front of me. She tried to plant gospel seed, I would argue with her, but she wouldn't argue. I didn't know it, but she was passionately and persistently praying for my agnostic lost soul, and she had the whole church praying.

She was using God's means to carry out God's mission, and two years later, I was converted to Jesus. And God is glorified. Amen? Amen. Number five, God is glorified in the salvation of some. We'd be quick to agree with this truth. When God saves an agnostic drummer and transforms him into a new creation, God is glorified. Number six, God is glorified in the condemnation of others who reject, who refuse, who continue to resist. Now, Brother Ed, you were doing all right, but now you're troubling me. Now you're disturbing me. What in the world are you talking about? God is glorified in the condemnation of those who reject the gospel of his son?

Now before you get mad at me, and then you have to repent, understand what I'm not saying. This letter A, Ezekiel 18.23, God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. He has no delight when sinners are perishing in their sin. On the contrary, he takes great pleasure in joy when sinners repent. As a matter of fact, he puts on a celebration in heaven over one sinner who comes to repentance. He takes no pleasure that the wicked should die, but that they should turn from their ways and live. God delights in showing mercy. God would rather pardon than punish. We know this letter B. God desires that 3% of men would be saved. Come to them.

Is that what your Bible says? What's the word there? He desires that all men would come to a saving knowledge of the truth. I'm quoting the greatest Baptist preacher who ever lived, Charles Spurgeon. He says this, "It is true that all of us desire that all sinners would be saved and come to a saving knowledge of the truth. And in the same way, it is God's desire that all sinners would come to a saving knowledge of the truth, because God is not less loving than you are." Right? God has earnest desires for the salvation of rebel sinners.

God the Son looks over Jerusalem, and in his sovereignty he knows he's going to allow the Roman general Titus and the Roman army to march in in 70 AD and wipe out almost one million unconverted Jews under the wrath of the Lamb because they missed their time of visitation. The Messiah walked among them, preached like no other man has ever preached, performed signs and wonders that validated who he was, and yet they rejected, they resisted him. And Jesus looks over this city of rebels and his eyes affect his heart. And then his heart affects his eyes.

And he begins to wail uncontrollably over their lost souls, exhibiting God's earnest desires for the salvation of his enemies. Paul illustrated God's earnest desires being filled with the Spirit, being moved along by the Spirit of Christ, he says, "My heart's desire and prayer to God for my countrymen, those who are persecuting him, those who are coming after him." He's saying, "My desire and prayer to God is that they might be saved." This is not something Paul's working up in his flesh. This is the very Spirit of Christ producing God's earnest desires for the salvation of these rebels.

Then what in the world are you saying God is glorified in the condemnation of those who reject the gospel? Well, here's what I'm saying, letter C, those who reject the gospel will not prevent the glory of God from being put on display for all eternity. They will not thwart the glory of God from being eternally manifested. In their case, the eternal glory of God will be manifest at their eternal expense and in their eternal condemnation. Why? Because we pleaded with them to repent and believe. We proclaimed the bad news and the good news to them. But they resisted, they rejected, they refused.

Now brother Anne, I'm not ready to believe that God is glorified in the condemnation of sinners. But if this is true, notice page 11, number 7, how is God glorified in the condemnation of rebel sinners? How can this be? Well, to understand, you must first understand the difference between giving glory to God and the glory of God. What do we mean when we say we're giving glory to God? Many years ago I was preaching an evangelistic outreach crusade in India and there were about ten churches involved. And one of the pastors of those churches would come to where I'm staying to pick me up and take me to the meeting.

But he would show up 45 minutes early every night. And the problem was I didn't speak a word of Tamil and he did not speak a word of English. But he'd show up 45 minutes early. I'd invite him in and we'd just sit there and look at each other. There's one way that we could communicate. About every five minutes he would do this, hallelujah. And I'd say, hallelujah. About five minutes later he'd go, hallelujah, and I'd say, hallelujah. That's how we were communicating. We were giving glory to God. But what is the glory of God, letter A? It is the outward display of God's character. It's the visible manifestation of God's invisible attributes.

The glory of God is the external exhibition of God's internal character. The infinite greatness of God's manifold perfections, but publicly advertised, if you will. Put on display. So, if this is true, note his letter B and the salvation of sinners. What part of God's character is displayed for all eternity? How about his love? Amen? God is love. It's God's nature to love his enemies because God is love. God doesn't love sinners because they're lovable. There's nothing about an unconverted sinner that could possibly cause God to set his love on an enemy rebel sinner. But God loves sinners because God is love.

And he demonstrated that love toward us and that while we were yet sinners, if you're born again, Christ died for us. And that love, the glory of that love was shed abroad in my heart at conversion. And listen, the glory of God's love is going to be externally displayed for all eternity in the salvation of sinners who deserved his wrath. Amen? Amen? We're talking about the glory of God. How about the glory of God's mercy? Write that in, his mercy. God's compassion in action. What is God's mercy? Is God not giving me what I richly deserve, which was his eternal wrath? He could have showed his justice. I deserved his justice.

But in my case, God was rich in mercy. He's plenty to say mercy. He's not stingy in mercy. He's abounding in mercy. If you're sitting here born again tonight is not by works of righteousness, which you have done, but according to his mercy he saved you by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit. And listen, the glory of God's mercy is going to be displayed for all eternity in the salvation of sinners. Are you with me? Number three, his grace. What's God's grace? Is God giving me what I did not deserve? Is God, as we call it, his unmerited, undeserved favor? But it's even more than that.

God's grace is God's power toward me to do what I would have never done if I was left to myself. And that is repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. If you've been saved, you've been saved by grace alone through faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ alone. We were dead in trespasses and sins and he made us alive together with Christ by grace. You have been saved. Right? And God is going to put the glory of his grace on display for all eternity in the salvation of a number of sinners that no man can number. Right? Amen?

So, but notice, let her see, in the condemnation of Christ's rejecting sinners, what part of God's character will be displayed for all eternity? Well here's one, his holiness. God is love. But that's not all of the truth. That's only part of the truth. And when you try to take part of a truth, God is love and you attempt to make it all of the truth, that part of a truth becomes an untruth because you get out of balance. God is love but never at the expense of life. God is light but never at the expense of love. God's love is a holy love and God is holy.

And because God is holy, sinless, spotless, perfect, moral, perfection, God has a holy animosity and a just hostility fixed against sin and the unconverted sinners who commit that sin. God's wrath abides over John 3 36, not just the sins of sinners. His wrath abides over the unconverted sinner because every sin requires God's hatred of it. And every unconverted sinner demands God's punishment. God is holy. And if a sinner refuses, rejects, resists the gospel of his son, God is going to put the glory of his holiness on display in an eternal animosity, a just hostility on that unconverted sinner. How about the glory, secondly, of God's justice?

Right? God is a just God and he's angry at the wicked every day. Who are the wicked? Is that just the guys in Parchman? No, that's every unconverted sinner in this county no matter how moral they may be. God has a holy hatred fixed against him. He loves them because God is love. But that's not all the truth. God is holy. God is just. And God's justice is God giving a sinner exactly what that sinner deserves. God's mercy is God not giving that sinner exactly what he deserves. Amen? And every person either receives justice from God or mercy from God. No one receives injustice from a perfectly just God.

Would anyone like to stand before God in the next 30 minutes in this room and be judged by God, surely on the account of his justice? No, I don't want justice. I want mercy. But these people never cast their life on the mercy of Jesus and the gospel. And because they never cast their life on the mercy of God, they will face the unmitigated justice of God, putting the glory of his justice on display for all eternity in the condemnation of these rebel sinners. But that's not my business. That's not my business. And number eight, their response is not my responsibility. And it's not your responsibility.

Our responsibility is to focus on our position in Christ. Our responsibility is to be the fragrance of the person of Christ to God first and to be the centers within the sphere of the influence of our life. Are you with me? You following me? When we manifest the fragrance of his knowledge in every place and we don't get the immediate results that we are longing for, we're praying for, the point is I want you to see you're still pleasing to him. He is glorified. Sometimes we evaluate our evangelism in a totally unbiblical manner. We think success is big numbers, big results, big baptisms, no matter how you get them.

And so conversely, that person would think failure is the lack of big numbers, the lack of big results, the lack of big baptisms. But God says you're successful when you manifest the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ to him. It's awful quiet in here tonight. Are you with me? Are you hearing me? Let's move on. If you're not mad at me, you're definitely going to get mad at me on number three. That's all right. You still have to love me. Number three. We are to do God's work, God's way for God's glory. We must focus on our position in Christ. We are to be the fragrance of the person of Christ to God and to others.

And thirdly, you and I are to be faithful to the precepts of Christ. Paul says, "For we are not as so many peddling the word of God." Now in the initial immediate context, he's describing the false teachers, the pseudo-apostles who had slithered into the church, as well as other false teachers of the day who were sneaking in with a message of deception, who were proclaiming another gospel, another Jesus. These religious con men were corrupting the purity of the glorious gospel of Jesus. And so in my new King James, he calls them peddlers. Because their message was defiled, their means were contaminated, and their motives were corrupted.

They were peddlers, letter A. There were many false teachers who had infiltrated the church at Corinth. And what were these false teachers doing, page 12? They were using human wisdom instead of the wisdom of God. They were using human means instead of the means of God. They were doing it for human glory instead of the glory of God. And Paul calls them peddlers. Now that brings me to this point. We're going to dig into that word. Number two, what is a peddler of the word of God, of the gospel? Let me give you some disturbing descriptions of what a peddler is, letter A. He or she is a religious huckster.

It's the Greek word from which the word "wine hawker" was taken in those days. There were men who were cellars of wine, but these particular men, they took the pure vintage of the wine and they watered it down. They diluted it with water so that they could sell, get more profits. They watered down the wine and then sold it as if it were pure wine for the purpose of making fraudulent profits for themselves. But these are not wine hawkers Paul is speaking of. He's using the word to describe truth hawkers.

Those who change the gospel and the terms of the gospel, those who minimize the message, those who distort and dilute the pure vintage of the gospel and the gospel terms, they bring an inferior product for the purpose of numbers. And they produce fraudulent professions of faith instead of faithful disciples of Jesus. That's a peddler. What are they guilty of, letter B? I'm painting some pictures. They're guilty of corrupting the message of the gospel, literally adulterating the gospel and the gospel terms for the purpose of appealing to the carnal desires of sinners.

And they are guilty of acting like a salesman, an unscrupulous salesman instead of a faithful steward of the gospel. One of the pastors that sat through this study in America told me about the seminary that he attended and one of the seminary professors actually said in the evangelism class, this was the so-called professor of evangelism, a Baptist one, he made this statement, every preacher, every evangelist and every soul winner ought to be a car salesman for a year so they can learn how to make the sale, close the deal, or as preachers say, draw the net. That's a peddler.

He wrongly thinks that he has the desire, he has the right to water down the message. Let's dilute this message. This changed the focus of the message a little bit. This is the peddler. They're guilty of packaging a message that in its main focus is completely unrelated and disconnected to the deity of Jesus, the holiness of God, the prosecution of the sinner, the cross and the ramifications of the cross, the resurrection and the ramifications of the resurrection. They want to neglect talking about the lordship of Christ in conversion.

They don't want to bring up things like the necessity and nature of genuine repentance, the necessity and nature of saving faith. No, they want to move away of those things and they want to sell a product that will appeal to the flesh, like let's focus our message on heaven and we'll throw in Jesus as the means to get to heaven. But you know the book of Acts, if you survey every gospel proclamation, you know heaven is never mentioned one time, not one. We've got entire evangelistic programs that focus on heaven.

And yet heaven is never mentioned one time in a gospel book of Acts proclamation because Jesus told them to be witnesses unto a person, not a place. You shall be witnesses unto me. Oh, but we want to focus on heaven or a full and meaningful life or how would you like to have a wonderful plan for your life or how would you like to have peace with God or how would you like to have health and wealth? All the felt needs that a sinner may have. That's a peddler. Shifting the focus of the message, imagining that we have the right to change the message. And what are they doing, letter D? Selling as genuine and inferior product.

And in many cases they so misrepresent the message, they so minimize the message, they so falsify the message that the person they're dealing with is not converted to Jesus at all. They're converted to a delusion. And these peddlers are saturating the evangelical church today. They have been doing that for many decades. Some are peddling consciously. They're hutchters and they know it. You can turn on so-called Christian TV and about 85 to 90% of them are hutchters. But some folks are peddling unconsciously. They're peddlers and they don't even know it. But the results of the same damaged souls, deceived souls.

And if God doesn't intervene, damned souls. But here's the important truth. If we're not careful, everyone in this room could be guilty of being a peddler of the word of truth. How could that be, brother? I had noticed letter B, three ways in which we could become guilty of peddling the word of God. I've already mentioned this, but I want to remind you. Number one, by using worldly means instead of God's means. This is what the Greek false teachers would do. They'd go to any length with their trickery and theatrics to get a convert. But God has means to carry out His mission. You and I live in a Christ-centered life.

You and I involved in evangelistic intercession. You and I involved in sacrifice, even suffering. You and I proclaiming the bad news and the good news. But so many today are basically saying, "Well, Lord, we know You're on a mission and we'll go on a mission with You, but we don't like Your method, Your means." You know, maybe they were good for the first century, but you know, this is 2017, so we're going to go on a mission with You, God, but we're not going to cooperate by using Your means, we're going to concoct our own methods. We're going to use our own gimmicks and gadgets. We're going to invent our own religious techniques and tactics.

So what do we have now? We have evangelistic dramas. Do you know there was evangelistic dramas in the dark ages? I'm quoting, "In this present time of Christian history, there are entire factions of the modern evangelical church which are returning to the medieval techniques of a period called the dark ages by employing dramas to win the population instead of the true gospel." Do you understand that drama was huge in the first century, in the Roman and Greek culture? It was dominating, but we never see Paul coming into town and putting on a drama. We never see Peter, James, and the other disciples showing up in town and putting on a drama.

No, they were doing God's work God's way, not concocting their own techniques and tactics. We've even have Christian magicians now. When I was a baby Christian, baby believer, first converted, first Baptist church of Kenner, Louisiana, they invited a Christian magician to come. And he put on magic acts and everything, then he gave a watered down message, and there was 170 something professions of faith. One problem, next week they all disappeared. Now you see them, next week you don't. The weight lifters came to Mobile many years ago, 2,000 professions of faith. You know how many baptisms there were?

And if I could go back to that church this Sunday morning and I stood up and said, "Is there one single person in a member of this church that is giving the first John birthmarks of the new birth, would you stand up?" I'll bet you if I was a gambling man and I'm not, I'd gamble $10,000, there's not one. But there are 2,000 teenagers who are now adults walking around Mobile holding a lie in their hands. Thinking they have something that they do not have because they were coerced and manipulated in their emotions by some peddlers. I'm talking about doing God's work men's way. Oh, we got the rap concerts, there's a church in Mobile right now.

I told Brother Chris and Brother Keith to get a crowd, you know what they do? They put random hundred dollar bills under the seats. And if you sit in the right seat you get $100. We're talking about peddlers of the word of God. We even have churches that are focused on western style music and people show up with cowboy hats on. How wicked to focus a church on one specific group of people and alienate the others? Cowboy chair? What are we going to have next? Plumber's church? I'm talking about doing God's work in men's ways. But true disciples have always understood that our calling was to be in the world but not of the world.

Not mimicking the world. But today we've attempted to reverse that calling and pastors are trying to become more like the world in order to reach the world. And what they're doing is giving poor imitations of what the world can do far better. In an attempt to try to evangelize the world. When God has already clearly commanded us do not be conformed to this world. And they use techniques and tactics and gimmicks trying to evangelize the world and they're in blatant disobedience to Romans 12 and verse 2.

Only if they were sitting here under me tonight they would respond by, "Well brother Ed, we're simply trying to make Jesus more appealing to sinners." Friends Jesus doesn't need whirliness to appeal to sinners. He's very well able to appeal to sinners in his supernatural drawing power. What are you saying? I'm saying when we come back to the instruction manual we discover that the disciples never offered gimmicks and gadgets. They proclaimed the gospel. We can be guilty of doing God's work man's way. We can become peddlers by trying to do missions and worldly means and number two obviously by diluting the message.

And one of the many ways we can become guilty of diluting the gospel message is letter A by lowering, lowering or diluting the terms of genuine conversion. Lowering those terms below Jesus' terms by either excluding or neglecting to proclaim the truths concerning both the necessity of genuine repentance and the nature of genuine repentance. In the Great Commission Jesus said go and make disciples.

In Mark he said it this way, "When you go, proclaim the gospel." In Luke he gave us the message that we are to proclaim the things concerning the necessity of Jesus' death, Jesus' resurrection and make sure you proclaim repentance for the remission of sins. How long has it been when you turn on TV that you've heard a message expounding and explaining both the necessity and the nature of Bible repentance? That you and I can become guilty of peddling by neglecting to proclaim as we'll see later on in the week the necessity and the nature of repentance. We're talking about peddling the Word of God.

Some peddle the Word of God number three for human praise. What do you mean brother Ed? Some people will use any gimmick or gadget in order to manipulate a large response. Why? Because they are interested in the applause of the religious world. They have ungodly motives. They want to build up their own reputation. They have an ungodly view of success. So they'll use any technique and tactic to get people down in aisle and make a so-called decision so they can broadcast their numbers and bring glory to their ministry instead of being careful with never dying souls. But you know what Paul says? Let her see.

We are not as so many who are peddling. But as of sincerity, the Greek word there number one is integrity. And he's talking about a true and honest handling of the gospel. That's what Paul is saying. I'm not using human precepts. I'm not doing this for human praise. I'm not going to concoct human techniques and tactics. I'm not going to water down the message. I'm not going to lower the terms. I'm going to be faithful to the Word of God, faithful to the gospel of God, faithful to the terms of God. I'm going to handle this precious gospel and eternal souls with integrity.

This is why he said to young Timothy, the young preacher boy, he said, "Timothy, study to show yourself approved unto God." He's the audience. And then why do we, how do we show ourselves approved unto God? How do we be a workman that does not need to be ashamed? Number two, rightly dividing the Word of truth. And that little phrase, the Word of truth is a synonym for the gospel truth. The truth about who Jesus is. The truth about who the sinner is and his loss, rebellious, bankrupt, condemned, conditioned. The truth about what Jesus accomplished. The truth about Jesus' terms to a saving relationship with him.

And Paul says to young Timothy, "Preacher boy, you need to cut the gospel straight. You need to rightly divide the Word of truth." After Paul was a tentmaker and he's using a phrase from tentmaking, he would have to cut out these large pieces of leather to make his tent. If he did not cut those pieces precisely, he would end up with a disaster for a tent. And if we don't cut the gospel and the gospel term straight, we will end up with disasters instead of disciple. Number three, we're about to come to the finish line for tonight. Why is it so important to handle the gospel with integrity? Well we know, letter A, salvation is a work of God.

Right? Salvation is not a work of man using a message of man using the methods of men. Salvation is a work of God. What he uses the message of God in the means of God and it's in the timing of God. And remember letter B, we're on mission with God. It's not my mission. This is his mission. I'm cooperating with God's great mission and letter C, we're commanded to use the means of God. We have no right to concoct our own means. God has ordained means to carry out his mission, whether it's 60 AD or 2017 AD. We have no right to concoct our own gimmicks and gadgets and religious tactics. No. God has means to carry out his mission.

Number four, what are God's means? I remind you, letter A, the passionate, persevering prayers of the people of God. Evangelistic intercession, that's one of God's means, letter B, and the proclamation of the word of truth, taking opportunities, making opportunities to herald the bad news concerning that sinner's terrible problem before a holy God and the good news of God's tremendous provision in the gospel and the gospel terms. And letter C, I'm just reminding you, living a Christ-centered life. Now why is it so important to do God's work God's way? Why can't we just do it any old way we want to do?

Conconcocked our own message, just make it a little more pleasing to sinners. Why can't we do these things, brother? Letter A, number five, why must we be faithful to the precepts of God? Here's why, the end of verse 17, we speak in the sight of God. We evangelize in the sight of God. We testify in the sight of God. Our entire life is lived in the presence of the omnipresence God, and I'm to live unto Him. And all my evangelism is to be unto Him, heartily unto Him, whatever you do. Do it as unto the Lord. Is the audience in the letter B? We're responsible to God.

And we're going to see later on in this week, we're going to be accountable to God. You have an appointment with the Lord Jesus Christ, and He's going to evaluate our evangelism one day. If we're going to do God's work, God's way for God's glory, we must focus on our position in Christ. We are to be the fragrance of the person of Christ to God and to others. We are to be faithful to the precepts of Christ, doing His work His way. We can only accomplish these very quickly, number four, as we are filled with the power of Christ. Where do you see that in the text, brother Ed?

Paul says in the second half of verse 16, "Who is sufficient for these things? Who is equal to this task? Who is qualified to live this life? Who among us is competent to fulfill this mission?" Well the answer is letter A, no one is sufficient in and of themselves. Without me, you can do what? Nothing. Oh, but second Corinthians 3, 5 tells us number two, our sufficiency is from God. God doesn't command us to be or do anything that He will not give us the grace to be and do. Amen? God commands us to focus on our position in Christ, but the God who commands is the God who will supply the grace.

God is calling us to manifest the fragrance of His knowledge within the sphere of the influence of our life. And He gives us the grace, God's power, to do what He's calling us to do. If you have a passion and purpose at the conclusion of this week to do God's word, God's way for God's glory, God has promised the sufficiency to obey His commands. Amen? Letter B, no one is sufficient to give success to the gospel in and of themselves. No one but one.

This is why Paul said number one, letter A, Paul planted, "Apollos watered, but the fast-talking evangelist gave the increase." The pastor who has a charismatic personality and is a great communicator gave the increase. The soul winner who has training in sales gave the increase. If any of them gave the increase, it wasn't a genuine increase. There's only one person who gives the increase, God, in God's timing. It's not my responsibility to give the increase.

It's my responsibility to focus on my position in Christ, to manifest, disseminate the fragrance of His knowledge, to be faithful to His precept as I moved along, permeated, empowered by the Spirit of Christ. The gathering in of the love gift, that's God's responsibility. Amen? Amen. Amen.