07-16-17 Kevin Goins - Giving the Gift of Jesus

“Giving the Gift of Jesus: the Stewardship of Time”   Luke 19:1-9
Time is a precious commodity and that is why God wants us to practice the discipline of stewardship. He wants us to honor him, not just with how we spend our money, but also with how we spend our time. As Christians, we know the importance of giving time to God, to our family, and to our church. But how much time do we give to those who are outside the Kingdom of God? Today we are looking at a text which answers the question: Why should we give those who do not know Jesus the gift of our time?

I First, because it takes time to _______ for the _______ (19:1).
A. Jesus was “passing through” Jericho because he had s_______ p________ e_________ to be.

B. As we encounter crowds each day we need to focus our attention, not on the _______, but on the one who s________ o_______ from it.

II Second, because it takes time to see s__________ p__________ where, at first, there might seem to be n_______ at all (19:2).
A. There are two reasons why a Christian evangelist would not want to waste time on Zacchaeus:
   1. He was a c_______ t______ c________.
   2. He was w___________.
B. But sometimes the people who live “upright” lives are the h________ to win to Christ, and the people who would seem to be a l______ c______ are the most eager to respond to the Gospel.

III Third, because it takes time to be a p___-w_______ w________ (19:3-5).
A. It takes time to make a good i__________ on people before you attempt to share your faith with them.
B. To be an authentic representative of Jesus means we reach out to the people who seem to be so d__________ from us.